CHAPTER 4

DON'T WANT YOU HERE.

The Agency's doctor, finally made her appearance at long last. It was only ten minutes, and considering the distance it was a record time, but for Chuya it seemed like a millenium.

"About time." he growled to the doctor and a frantic Atsushi who was trailing behind her.

"Dazai-san !" the boy cried at Dazai's condition.

"Quick, Atsushi-kun, check his pulse and tell me."

Chuya who had already done all that cut through, just as Dazai was removed from his arms to the hard concrete, where the Doctor began working the magic he had only heard about. "It's terrible, but it's there. He also has a bullet lodged in his right lung I think. "

"What happened to Dazai-san ?" Atsushi cried, his eyes almost accusingly looking at Chuya.

"I'll gouge your eyes out kid, I saved that stupid maniac." Chuya informed. "Oh, and ask your friends to come, and take out the douche at the back. He's the one that did this to your precious Dazai-san."

"Atsushi-kun, get me the tweezers." Yosano-san ordered, and Atsushi scampered to get working, while Chuya looked on at the painfully slow rise and fall of Dazai's chest.

In a few minutes, Chuya had to entertain the questions of all the Agency members who arrived there, including their President.

"For the hundredth time, that bloody bastard called me. You think I don't have anything else to do than waltz around the city on a winter night." Chuya defended himself from Kunikida's interrogation.

In Kunikida's defense, calling a Port Mafia executive member, for help didn't make sense. Why not call him ? or Atsushi-kun ?

The man responsible, who was a beaten pulp, all credit to Chuya, didn't do much to alleviate his current suspect status. When Dazai woke up, he'd better thank Chuya. But then again, Chuya didn't think Dazai would thank him for ruining his plans for a peaceful death.

Finally, when Kunikida, decided that Dazai alone had answers to these questions, Chuya was left alone. Soon, the Agency's special ambulance, arrived to carry Dazai away, and Chuya watched with satisfaction that his heart was beating stronger than before.

When Chuya dragged himself to bed it was 5:00 a.m. He woke up to his phone ringing at 6:00 a.m cursing all the Gods again, he bit out a venomous "Speak, you rotten moron." without even looking at the caller ID.

"What happened to Dazai-san ?" came a gruff voice, which held uncharacteristic concern. Chuya scoffed. Only one person cared about Dazai in the mafia.

"He's dead." he groaned, and cut the phone. He'd have might as well kicked Akutagawa out of the Mafia calling him a useless toad.

Of course, about 3 hours later, he got a call from the boss himself "My, my, Chuya, what did you tell Akutagawa ?"

"Nothing he didn't want to know." Chuya flatly stated.

"Well, you better clean up this mess, because President Fukuzawa, is threatening to send Akutagawa in a matchbox."

"Like that's gonna happen."

"Well, he said we'd have to pay for the damages. I'm taking that out of your pay cheque."

That had Chuya up and out of his door, in the direction of the stupid Akutagawa, and that bloody Agency. He could imagine the boss chuckling now, as he sipped expensive Earl Grey.

When he did get there, Akutagawa whose eyes were red, no doubt from crying, which that punk didn't even try to deny, looked at Chuya as if he had, murdered Akutagawa's pet dog.

"Oh, please, grow up !" Chuya snapped. "Like your ex-superior is going to die that easily."

Akutagawa, simply shrugged, and muttered something, and after that, this unlikely duo found themselves by Dazai's bed.

"This has got to be some sick dude's idea of a sick joke." Chuya muttered, while Akutagawa, simply sniffed now and then.

For some reason Yosano-san had entrusted the recovery of Dazai into their hands. Akutagawa who probably didn't want to be called off, was called off, four hours later to do some job, and he left glaring daggers at Atsushi who had just come into the room with a jug and a glass of water for Dazai.

Chuya who was only too glad to aid Akutagawa in his mission was crushingly rejected when their boss, asked him to stay wherever he was.

Seriously ? Why was he an enemy, nursing Dazai ?

Anyway, sleep deprivation caught up to him, and Chuya slept on Dazai's cot, not bothering of the consequences should someone get blackmail material. He didn't know how long he had slept, but he was tired enough to sleep through the conversation Kunikida, and Atsushi had when they entered to check up on their friend.

You could say both were less than thrilled at what they saw.

"Hey, brat, why do you think Dazai, called him than calling us ?"

Atsushi shook his head somberly "I don't know." then breaking into a small smile he said "But Kunikida-san, I believe Dazai-san has a reason for whatever he does."

"Yeah, that he does, huh ?" Kunikida said, gazing at Dazai's still form, which was not supposed to be that way. Somewhere along the way, Dazai had lost that smile, and odd as it was, Kunikida couldn't be more grateful. He had never taken Dazai's suicide seriously. To see that Dazai, only genuinely smiled at death's door, meant Dazai didn't have a reason to live, and that scared Kunikida.

"Hey Atsushi-kun, have you ever seen Dazai smile before ?"

"Yeah, once." Atsushi replied.

And Kunikida was once again crushed at being an incompetent partner who had never seen Dazai smile. It was also possible that Atsushi having been saved by Dazai, shared a special bond with him, and vice versa. Well, whatever it was, as long as there was someone for Dazai.

They soon left the dynamic duo by themselves, and headed to complete the mounds of paper work, Dazai had accumulated, ever so kindly for them.

When he was finally able to feel within the dark abyss he was swimming in, the first thing he realized was his chest didn't feel like it was being ripped out. He wanted to call out the name he had been seeking. Asking that person to get him out of this confusion.

The person he so desperately wanted to guide him finally appeared.

"Odasaku!" Dazai called out happily, if he hadn't been drowning in a dark pool of whatever this was, he'd have hopped to give his old friend, a nice bone crushing hug.

Said friend however, looked critically at Dazai.

"Don't tell me you aren't happy to see me." Dazai pouted, before grinning and asking the older man to help him out of the pool.

"I can't." was his flat reply.

"There's gotta be some way."

"Odasaku, I've started helping people now." Dazai said, hoping to get a happy reaction from his friend.

"I know."

"Well then, how about you get me out of this pool, and we'll talk about that."

"Nope."

"Oh come on, don't be such a meanie."

"Get a hint, you moron. I don't want you here." Odasaku replied

"Why not ?"

"Well, for one I want to enjoy a you -free life here up in heaven. " Odasaku replied

"That's mean. Wait- did you say heaven ? Woah, someone got a golden ticket eh ?"

"Is that all you got from what I am saying."

"Well, tell me is there any way I can get one ?'

"No.'

"Oh please." Dazai whined like a kid who was denied halloween chocolates.

"Look at the people you've left behind. You think you'll go to heaven after a stunt like that ?" Odasaku snapped.

And for the first time Dazai got around to thinking how Kunikida and the rest of the Agency members were. Atsushi-kun for sure was bawling his eyes out. Did that kid deserve this ?

Definitely not.

"Finally !" Odasaku exclaimed "How thick is that skull anyway ? I mean how many times do you expect me to personally come and din some things into your head"

"Your friend." Dazai started.

"Say no more. He'll get through his own way."

"How would you know ?"

"Of course I would know, better than anyone."

"This is deja vu."

"Whatever man." Odasaku said waving his hand off handedly.

"So, you want me to leave ?" Dazai asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"And don't come back till your atleast 90."

"Ha ! Wishful thinking !"

"I'll kick you out of heaven if you do."

"Hey, you can't do that."

"Watch me."

"Okay, okay, how do I get back, genius ?"

"Go with the water." Oda replied with a smile.

"This gooey stuff ? man, your world is twisted."

Odasaku just laughed, and Dazai smiled hearing that voice he thought, was lost forever.

"And Dazai ?"

Dazai turned to look at his dear friend.

"I'm proud of you."

"You better be." Dazai said, before letting the water take him under.