Chapter VIII

Asking For Help Doesn't Make One Weak

The fox glared at the brown haired man with the strange bandages that walked towards him. "Feh, you really don't fear death, do you?" The fox mused, with raucous laughter. "Very well, the death I will grant you is because I pity fools like you!"

Dazai gazed calmly up at the beast as it lunged at him. Bringing his hand behind him, his palm glowed with his own ability. Without any warning, he brought his hand in front of him. "No longer human," he murmured, "...my ability will nullify yours."

The fox's eyes widened with horror. "What the hell?" The fox realized when it was too late that he was transforming back. The girl would be back in control. "Impossible! I transcend your universal laws! This isn't—"

Alu opened her eyes from inside the white space. Ah, so Dazai had managed to face her in this form with ease. She had expected nothing less. The fox popped back into her head space, landing on the white light glass that was under their feet.

"You ...little bitch...what did you do!" The fox snarled, all ten of its tails flexing. It was much smaller in her head space—the size of a fully grown mancoon cat.

"I merely rewrote the rules," Alu said, calmly.

The fox snarled, lunging for her. "You tricked me! You—"

Before he could sink his teeth into the girl, her form already disappeared. His angry roar rang in her ear drums as Alu blearily opened her eyes. Huh? She was against someone's suited chest. As her vision came back, she felt a familiar head pat. She slowly gazed up at the face of Dazai. His expression was mostly neutral but his eye said more than enough. She knew that he was aware exactly of who she was and everything that had happened up to this very moment. She felt too weak to pull away.

Suddenly, she remembered with alarm about Kousuke. "K-Kousuke," she tried to pull away from Dazai. Dazai kept her in his arms though, tightly.

"Let go!" She tried to struggle. "I have to get to Kousuke!"

"There's nothing more you can do for that boy," Dazai replied sharply.

Alu grit her teeth. She teared up, and she punched Dazai's chest weakly with a fist. "No, no, no!"

Her voice shook. This wasn't how it was supposed to play out. Had her calculations been false?

"Thou Shalt Not Die!" A woman's voice rang out without warning near the boy who Odasaku now had cradled in his arms in the road. Alu pulled back from Dazai a little, as they looked on as a flurry of butterflies rained down on the boy in Odasaku's arms. Alu felt a surprised jolt go through her system. There, near Odasaku, stood Fukuzawa-head of the A.D.A., Ranpo by his side, and a girl— the young woman Yosano… who was currently using her ability to heal Kousuke in Odasaku's arms.

"See?" Dazai said quietly, "Thanks to you...it all worked out, didn't it?"

Alu felt dizzy. Did it work? Was Kousuke really going to be okay? Was Dazai going to kick her ass? She shivered. She couldn't read this guy and it made her uneasy. She didn't have the strength to get away from his grip. Even though the fox had healed her wounds, her body was sore—and she still had lost a lot of blood.

Alu could feel her exhaustion pulling at her mind. She gripped Dazai's suit weakly. "Mr. Osamu…" she murmured, straining to find energy to talk past the raw feeling of her throat.

"Dazai...seriously...just call me Dazai," Dazai remarked, patting her head.

"...Dazai…" Alu murmured. "Make sure...no matter what...that Odasaku...and those Orphans… don't lose their second chance…" she finally found herself falling back into the black. She wanted to stick around—there was so much she wanted to say. But she no longer had the strength to stay awake.

The last thing she remembered, was the feeling of floating as though she was being carried somewhere. This was nice. Whatever the outcome—Kousuke—the others...they'd be okay...now the A.D.A. Would take it from here.

Dazai gazed at the unconscious girl in his arms. A lot of thoughts were running through his mind. Behind him, Port Mafia members looked to him for instructions. In front of him, Odasaku cradled Kousuke in his arms, with people Dazai didn't know, surrounding him and the other four orphans who had piled around Odasaku.

He sighed.

Mimic may have fled the scene— but there was still a lot of clean up left to do. Not to mention the fact that he was certain his boss would want to meet this girl Dazai managed to neutralize. Dazai wondered if the girl had intentionally brought the orphans to these strangers on purpose.

Ranpo meanwhile, trotted over to Dazai before Fukuzawa even realized he had left his side. Ranpo cleared his throat. Dazai blinked. He looked to the kid who was about his height. "Hey mister, mind filling in some of the blanks?"

Dazai blinked.

"Hey, Ranpo!" Fukuzawa gasped, realizing Ranpo was talking to a Port Mafia member! He strode over, ready to shield him from any harm but then his eyes fell on the unconscious girl in Dazai's arms. His eyes narrowed. "What are you doing with that girl?"

Dazai blinked again. He looked down at her. He looked up at them. "Eh, oh...she fainted in my arms," he said brightly. "Being a gentleman, I could hardly let her beautiful figure lay on the dirty ground."

"That's not why you're holding her," Ranpo interjected, crumpling his empty potato chip bag.

"It's not?" Dazai feigned ignorance.

"You and her clearly know each other," Ranpo said, adjusting his glasses. "In fact, I'd say that although you just met each other, you hold her in high regard due to her ability," he added.

Dazai tried not to stare. Who was this know-it-all kid? And this didn't mean he was right! He just was really nosy. "I have no interest in taking her along with me," he said curtly, and he practically pushed her at Ranpo. Ranpo let out a noise of surprise, clearly not used to having a girl shoved at him.

Fukuzawa intervened, being the one to take the girl from Dazai, glaring at him suspiciously.

"I'll take her. Ranpo, let's go on and get going. I'm sure, Mr. Mafioso is busy."

His dislike was obvious. Dazai didn't care though. His eyes wandered to where Kousuke was sitting up now, as his siblings were surrounding him and Odasaku. The dark haired girl was talking to Odasaku. Dazai wanted to know what was being said and he tried to inch away from Fukuzawa and Ranpo to get closer to Odasaku.

"That man, Oda Sakunosuke, is going to no longer be affiliated with your Port Mafia," Fukuzawa said curtly to Dazai. "He is no longer your concern. Be sure to tell your boss that he and those children are under the protection of the Armed Detective Agency as of now."

Dazai blinked. He tilted his head. "Never heard of you," he admitted.

Ranpo looked insulted. "Hey! We're the top of the Elite!"

"Ranpo, it's alright," Fukuzawa curtly cut him off. "Let the filth crawl back into the shadows where it belongs," he sniffed, and he turned on his heel, with the girl in his arms. Dazai smiled—the old him would have loved to shoot this guy in the head for insulting him— but after what Dazai had learned about his boss—Mori— using Odasaku to obtain a government stamp of legalized activity from the Special Division for Unusual Powers where he'd obtained a permit to operate the Port Mafia as a gifted organization free from suppression from the Division itself. All it took was a meeting with their head, Taneda—and Odasaku's life along with the orphans. Dazai's blood boiled at Mori's choices.

Yet, he couldn't fault this silver haired man from thinking ill of him. Up until today, he hadn't even been bothered about associating with the likes of Mori. "Understood." Dazai turned on his heel.

"Sir? What about Oda?" One of his men asked, coming over as Dazai put distance between himself, Odasaku, and those of the Armed Detective Agency.

"Leave him," Dazai sharply said. "He will not be bothered," his tone made the others fearful. Not even wanting to question him, they just retreated to their respective vehicles. As the Port Mafia cars drove off finally, Dazai watched as some members of the Port Mafia clean up crew piled up the injured Mimic soldiers into their cars— it seemed the A.D. A. Wasn't getting involved here. Dazai watched, for a moment, from his own car back door, pausing getting in.

Kousuke was up and being hugged by his siblings. Odasaku however, stood silently, staring in Dazai's direction. Dazai turned his gaze away. His heart felt heavy. It was better this way. If Odasaku could truly get away from the Port Mafia—from Andre Gide's pointless bloodthirsty desire for some glorious death—that's all Dazai could look forward to. That girl was no longer safe outside without the agency either. Dazai figured she'd join the A.D.A. Or maybe she'd go with Odasaku. He didn't know what she'd end up doing. But he knew for a fact what he had to do.

As he was about to get into the vehicle, a hand stopped the door from closing. Dazai blinked with surprise, looking up. There, panting, stood Odasaku. "Odasaku?"

"Dazai… I don't know when—or if we'll be able to talk again soon…" Odasaku's voice shook. "I...I can't leave the children…"

Dazai's eyes flickered. He knew what this was. But the pain of this was nothing compared to the pain of holding Odasaku's dying figure in his arms in the other reality. Dazai smiled, looking away from Odasaku. "Of course not. Go to them." His tone was light. He didn't want to hold Odasaku back. He refused to be the reason that Odasaku's life would be cut short. He'd ensure that Mori could no longer use Odasaku as a scapegoat.

"Goodbye...Dazai," Odasaku said, his eyes flickering sadly as he pulled away from the car door. Dazai hesitated. Would a handshake seem appropriate in such a situation? He opted not to. No, the more distant he appeared—the better it'd be for Odasaku. He pulled the door shut. The driver in front glanced back at him, questioningly.

"Drive," Dazai said, coldly. His good eye held no more warmth. The driver nodded, scared of any repercussions. The car drove off. Odasaku stood at the spot it had been seconds before, gazing after it. Finally, he turned away, back towards his children.

Odasaku came back over to where Ranpo and Fukuzawa stood, and his eyes fell upon the unconscious girl. Yosano, the young woman with black hair, took the girl from Fukuzawa into her own arms. "I'm going to treat her injuries. Can you handle the rest from here, President?" She asked, frowning at President Fukuzawa.

"Yes, we have matters to discuss as it is with Oda-San," Fukuzawa said, formally. Odasaku remembered this silver haired man. He'd been the one to cross paths with Fukuzawa after all in a conflict eight years ago when a secretary tried to pin a murder on Odasaku when Ranpo had then cleared his name when Odasaku shot the secretary in question.

Odasaku didn't know the Armed Detective Agency very well, but the woman had healed—no—brought Kousuke back from the brink of death. He was indebted to them. Katsumi tugged on Odasaku's sleeve. Odasaku blinked. "Hey, Odasaku?"

Odasaku looked to Katsumi. "Will Big Sis be okay?"

Odasaku blinked again. "Big Sis?"

Katsumi nodded, pointing to Alu's unconscious figure in Yosano's arms. "Yeah. Big Sis got some bad injuries...she'll be okay right?"

The other kids crowded around him asking the same question. Odasaku knew without a doubt that any temporary anger he had with this strange girl abducting his kids had abducted the moment he realized just how hard she'd been trying to keep them safe. Kousuke spoke up. "Yeah, of course she will! That awesome butterfly lady is gonna heal her good as new, didn't you hear?"

Shinji sniffled and hugged Oda's leg while Sakura just clung to Yu. Odasaku hugged Shinji tightly. Yes, these kids were his whole world. Somehow—they'd managed to avoid falling into the hands of Mimic. He wouldn't let that happen a second time.

How much time had passed? Alu couldn't tell. Everything felt weightless. She opened her eyes. Ah, she was in her glassy white room inside her mind. Sitting up on the glass, she sat cross legged, looking unscathed despite the injuries she'd sustained in the real world earlier. She blinked. Prowling around her, was her fox demon, Juubi. "Hey..Juu…" she murmured.

The fox snarled at her, pausing it's patrol to glare at her with angry red eyes. "Don't 'hey' me. You little brat!" He lunged at her, pushing her down and opened his mouth wide, baring all his fangs. "I should kill you for what you did…"

Alu stared up at him, blankly. She knew the threat was empty. "You won't." She replied simply. The fox snarled and bit her shoulder. She winced. She couldn't feel pain normally but she and the fox shared a psychic connection—only he could hurt her in this space—and the same was true alternatively. "Ow…" she said, groaning. She hated pain. But she didn't make a move to stop him. "So...you really gonna just kill me then?" She asked, blasé.

"Tch." The fox let her shoulder go. It wasn't injured at all. She rubbed it, the ghost of soreness lingering. "I really should. But we still have work to do."

Alu was quiet. She closed her eyes. She'd known Juubi for the past twelve years. Before that, her memories were hazy at best. In fact, her earliest memories involved Juubi. She opened her eyes. "I won't go back on our deal," she said softly.

Juubi's ears twitched. He prowled around her, again, growling. "See to it that you don't." Alu smiled softly.

"I wouldn't ever go back on my word to a friend…" her voice echoed. The next time, she opened her eyes, she blinked, looking up at the ceiling. Ah, a ceiling fan? White walls...white sheets...a white cloth screen held by pale white poles on either side of her? She was in some sort of medical room. She sat up with a wince. Her wounds were completely healed—must have been Juubi. She looked around. She was alone. The moonlight filtered in through a window to her far left, opposite of a door. The lights were on but dim. Alu blinked. She was alone. Yet, she didn't feel like she was alone. She frowned.

"You're awake," a woman's voice said, pulling back the screen. Alu nearly jumped out of her skin. Heart pounding, she tried not to wheeze as she looked at the dark haired woman with a butterfly clip in her hair, gazing down at her, dressed in a simple outfit and lab coat. The lights in the room suddenly brightened.

"Ah...you're…" Alu stammered.

"You can address me as Ms. Yosano if you wish," she said formally, looking at Alu.

Alu quieted. Miss Yosano's eyes looked very sad. Alu didn't know why but those eyes reminded her a bit of herself—before she'd met Juubi. She frowned. "Hey, um… where are we?" Alu asked sheepishly.

"You're in my medical office," Ms. Yosano replied, putting her hands on her hips. "The president ordered me to keep an eye on you until you recovered."

Alu looked down. She realized she was in light teal pajamas. She blinked. "Ah...where are my clothes?" She asked dumbly.

"They were filthy. We threw them out. The President let me pick out some clothes for you in their place," Ms. Yosano said, gesturing to some clothes that now lay, folded neatly, on a chair near Alu. Alu blinked.

"How much...did that cost you?" She felt a small bubble of guilt.

"Cost is negligible," Ms. Yosano said with a huff. "So, you're the 'Big Sis' of Orphans the kids won't stop going on about," she sounded irritated. Alu sweated.

"No, nothing like that," she said quickly, waving her arms, embarrassed. "I...I was just passing through…"

"Is that so?" Ms. Yosano sighed. "Regardless, the president requests you talk with him when you're able. You're to stay here for the time being as it seems that organization, 'Mimic' is now on the prowl for those children…"

"Huh, oh…" Alu's heart sank. Right, she'd rewritten the outcome to avoid Mimic taking the lives of those children. Of course they wouldn't simply leave them alone from just one encounter… She groaned, holding her head in her hands. Now she'd have to figure out what to do from here. She blinked. She looked to Ms. Yosano who continued to gaze at her, observationally. Alu gulped. "How...are the kids?"

"They're good. For the past few weeks they've been staying in a place the president arranged for them and that Oda guy," she sighed, hands on her hips.

"Few weeks, that's goo—" Alu felt her heart record scratch. "Few weeks?" She yelped, hair fluffing on her head, like she was an animated character out of Studio Ghibli. Had she been asleep that long? She'd only used rewrite three times in a row! Was that really her limit?

"Taking from your reaction—you're not used to being down for that long," Ms. Yosano sighed, though her tone was slightly amused. She took out a chart. "Yes, you were out for a few weeks. However, don't fret, we're not charging you for your stay."

"No…"Alu groaned, holding her face in her hands. A few weeks! She totally missed an important meeting.

"Huh?" Ms. Yosano blinked.

"No...it's...nothing," Crap. Alu had planned to do a job interview sometime in these past few weeks for a cute little bakery near where she currently lived. She needed to start earning some money...True she didn't have an I.D. But the shopkeeper had been sympathetic to her situation and was willing to pay her under the table for her help until she could figure out some proper I.D. For living in Yokohama. Now thanks to everything that happened—that was most likely delayed until she could get back in touch.

Alu sighed deeply. "Well, I have my orders," Ms. Yosano said, sitting in a chair near Alu's bed. She cracked open a book on something scientific and Alu gazed at her.

"Your orders?" She repeated, puzzled.

"Yep. Not to let you out of my sight until the President can talk to you," she said curtly, turning a page. Alu sweat dropped. Great, getting away would be difficult. Though it may sound like she can just use rewrite to make Yosano fall asleep or something— it wasn't like she had unlimited uses and each time she used it—depending on how much stamina it would take of her own will power—it would still tax her body. Alu mulled over her options. She knew Yosano's power had to do with healing people, but she had no doubt that all agencies had trained assassins of some level. She sighed out a mushroom cloud.

"I see…" Alu figured she may as well rest. The bed here was softer than the blanket and pile of old pillows she used back home. She closed her eyes, figuring she'd just enjoy the peace for the time being. Odasaku and the kids were okay—that's the important thing. Those kids were finally safe. She smiled softly, drifting off. Things were looking brighter than before.

"Don't shove!" A boy's rueful voice said, jolting Alu out of her dreams. Her eyes fluttered open and she was greeted by the face of none other than Kousuke.

"K-Kousuke?" Alu yelped, surprised, sitting up. Kousuke grinned.

"Hey, Big Sis!" He grinned at her, and her eyes fell upon him and the four other kids crowding her bed.

"W-What are you all doing here!" Alu's first instinct was alarm. What if she hadn't changed the outcome? What if Mimic was still on the prowl. What if— Her eyes fell upon a man with red hair, stubble, piercing grey-blue eyes, and she knew instantly who it was. She felt gloom and dread settle in her chest. Oh crap—it was Odasaku. She'd never actually talked with this guy that much—and definitely not in this timeline. She gulped.

"We wanted to see you!" Katsumi interjected, climbing onto the bed with help from Yu.

"Whoa-hey...what?" Alu stammered. She felt flustered. She wasn't unhappy to see them—but she was worried.

"Yeah! Odasaku let us come see you since you're finally awake!" Kousuke beamed. "We basically begged him and it doesn't take a lot for us to wear him down!"

The boys all giggled. Alu glanced at Shinji and Sakura who just stared at her from where they sat on the same chair, to her left. Sakura smiled and held out her arms so Alu could pick her up. Alu did so, automatically. Sakura giggled, and hugged Alu around the shoulders. "Big Sister!"

"Sakura," Alu murmured, hugging the little girl tightly. It was so good to feel them. To know they were all okay. Her eyes watered again. Crap, she wouldn't cry. That would be embarrassing. She nuzzled Sakura's head. "Aw geez, you brats, don't give me a heart attack like that," she chastised ruefully. The kids just giggled, and even Shinji attempted to climb on top of her with the others. Alu felt elated. Well, these kids were okay. She was happy. She let out a small laugh, noogying Kousuke.

"I should seriously scold you for being a moron," she said, but she was smiling. Kousuke grinned.

"A hero is way cooler than a mafioso! That's what I decided," he said, puffing out his chest. Alu pulled his cheek. He yelped.

"As long as Mr. 'Hero' doesn't go jumping in front of any bullets any time soon," she said, menacingly. Kousuke whined.

"Ow! Big Sis! Okay! I got it! I already got lectured by Odasaku!" He whined, and Alu smiled, just letting him go. She couldn't bring herself to really look at Odasaku, so to speak. Actually, adults always made her nervous. With kids, she just always felt more at ease. That's just how it'd always been with Alu. Perhaps it was because she had distant memories of adults yelling at her in her past, but she always preferred to be around kids.

Something crossed her mind though. She blinked at the kids. Surely they'd seen her fox form? She was uneasy again. "You're… not afraid of me?" She couldn't help but ask, quietly. The kids blinked at her.

Kousuke, the main speaker of the group, grinned. "Afraid? Why the heck would we be afraid of our Big Sis?"

"Well…" Alu thought to how she turned into a rampaging fox and sweat dropped.

"Whatever you were doing—you were doing it to keep us safe," Kousuke said brightly. "That's why, we don't care what your power is! We just know you're a good person!"

Alu felt her heart thud in her chest. Those words meant a whole great deal to her. Oh no. Oh no. She could feel the waterworks. Oh no, not the waterworks. She said she wouldn't cry. Kousuke just geeked with alarm.

Yu spoke up, "hey, don't make her cry!"

Kousuke got defensive, "I-I wasn't trying to! Oh jeez, big sis! Don't cry!"

Alu wiped her eyes, smiling. "No...it's okay… I'm happy.." she said past her tears. "Seeing you all, lively like this...I would do it all again… if it meant this was the outcome."

This whole time, Odasaku said nothing but Alu wasn't complaining. She didn't really know how to talk to an adult. For the most part, the adults she talked to were rare and in between. The shopkeeper was one of the few people she felt comfortable being herself around. Alu wiped her eyes, till they felt red. The kids were so lively. She was glad. The door clicked open and Alu looked up from the kids all sitting on top of her, to see the head of the organization, Fukuzawa, Ranpo, and Ms. Yosano returned to the room.

"I informed the President you were awake," Ms. Yosano explained.

"How are you feeling?" President Fukuzawa asked, eyeing Alu. Alu felt like she was being scrutinized by those pale eyes. Honestly, it felt like she was being analyzed by a wolf. She felt like a bunny. Not a good feeling. She quickly averted her gaze to the children.

"Oh, you know...absolutely peachy-keen," she said, hoping she sounded up-beat. She wasn't trying to be sarcastic but she winced at her own tone. She was so nervous it felt like rocks had replaced her lungs.

"That's good to hear," President Fukuzawa nodded. "The children were eager to see you."

Alu honestly had wanted to see the children again but she didn't even know if that was allowed. Her face must have showed that thought because she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Looking up, she was startled to see Odasaku so much closer than before to the bed. She tensed, seeing his hand raise. She flinched, wondering if he was going to hit her after all. She braced herself to be hit. Instead, she felt a gentle hand on her head, patting it. She blinked in confusion. Huh? Huh? "It's good to see you're lively," he said finally, gruff.

Alu looked up at him tentatively as his hand left her head. "You…you're not going to hit me?" She asked dumbly.

Odasaku looked at her, with a somewhat surprised expression. "For saving the children? Why would I do that?"

Alu sweated. True, that would be a dumb way to say thanks. She couldn't imagine anyone hitting someone as a "thank you" for saving their kids or themself. A/N: *(She hasn't met Chuuya :'D).

"I...um...good question," she laughed nervously. Kousuke ruefully popped his head between Odasaku and Alu's line of vision.

"Why would Odasaku hit you, Big Sis?" He asked, puzzled. "Jeez, you have really weird thoughts in your head!"

"I guess so," Alu sheepishly chuckled, nervous.

"Alright, everyone, you've crowded her long enough, give her some space!" Odasaku commanded.

The kids all made noises of disappointment. However, they obeyed Odasaku, finally removing themselves from the bed. Everyone, except Sakura. Sakura hugged Alu tightly again. Alu blinked. "Sakura?"

Sakura sniffled.

Alu was alarmed. The other kids frowned in their direction. "Hey, Sakura. You heard Odasaku, we gotta give Big Sis some space!" Kousuke remarked.

"No!" Sakura sniffled.

Alu blinked. "Sakura...is something wrong?" She asked, puzzled.

"Yes!" Sakura replied, which told everyone in the room absolutely nothing.

Alu smiled softly. She pet Sakura's head. "There, there… I'll come play with you and the kids sometime, okay?"

Sakura instantly lit up. "Really? You aren't...leaving?"

Alu blinked. Oh, so that's why she was upset. She smiled at Sakura. "What? Leave? Why would I leave such a cute little girl all alone!" She ruffled Sakura's hair. "Besides, I still owe you a new teddy bear!"

Sakura sniffled and then she let out a cute laugh, hugging Alu tightly. Alu giggled. "Be good for Odasaku! Okay?" She smiled, finally picking up Sakura and putting her gently on the floor where the other kids were congregated. Sakura nodded and smiled brightly at Alu, past her dried tears.

"Okay!" She smiled hugely back. Alu knew this was bad. She couldn't get too attached. But this was so difficult.

Sakura trotted over to Odasaku and raised her arms to have him pick her up. Odasaku blinked, and he bent down to pick her up. Sakura snuggled into his arms. Odasaku glanced at the President for a moment before nodding to the kids. "Alright, we've said our piece. The President needs to talk to Big Sis in private," he turned to the door. The kids groaned. They wanted to stay but Odasaku was using his adult no nonsense tone. They knew that meant it was time to go. They glanced back at Alu, and smiling in their own way waved before following Odasaku out of the room. Alu waved lightly, smiling herself.

The door shut, and she was alone with the three Armed Detective Agency members. Her smile faltered slightly, replaced with nervousness. She gazed at the one named Ranpo. He had a bag of gummy bears that he was eating. The president gazed at her, arms hidden in his robes. He was an odd one, dressing like some old school samurai. "So, we've decided to ask if you'd like to join the agency," Ranpo finally said through his mouthful of gummy bears. Alu blinked.

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but I can't," she said finally, smiling a bit guiltily. Two of the three agency members looked subtly surprised. However, Ranpo, though bewildered, just tilted his head, processing her answer.