Vol. 4.
Ch. 2
A/N: I don't even know where canon BSD is going anymore… It's more like BullShit Dogs now….Ya'll enjoy the canon content if you're all caught up but Imma stick to trying to actually develop those characters how I felt time should have been spent…plus I love these characters and if the creators aren't giving them proper backstory/character development then by the power of fan fiction, god, and ANIME i shall. Enjoy Volume 4 everyone! It is starting to heat up now with Ranpo and Ango being explored a lot more! Alu and Juubi are original characters and the purpose of why I'm so invested in this is to literally be plot police lol. I love the world of BSD and like anything I'm invested in, when I feel characters and story aren't being given actual time to flesh out I get that writer's itch, ya know!?
I won't spoil too much in detail what's going on in the current BSD canon content but let's just say, one man's middle life crisis is literally apparently the context for everything going on in the current timeline and yet the story is so much more than just that! I feel like sometimes when writing, it's important not to have too many plot points because then they all get jumbled and it's hard to determine what the focus actually is for the story. First it was a magical book, then it was this Russian dude, and now they have this mysterious Kamui guy so yeah, a lot that just is making my head want to fall off lol.
I've always loved the dynamic of Ango, Oda, and Dazai because I feel like the entire series was symbolically named after them—-not Atsushi. Atsushi is like Apollo Justice. He's just there to suffer (lol) jkjkjk, I love Atsushi but he seriously has his own plot holes I'll most likely poke fun at when he's introduced.
Anyways onwards into the sea of fan fiction universe!
Panting, Juubi wiped some blood off his knuckle and onto the shirt of the unconscious idiot he just knocked out. Glancing to Dazai, he hummed. Around them were the littered bodies of the teenage fools who had thought they were crimping on their "turf". "I think that's all the brats," he hummed.
"Yeah, seems so," Dazai sighed, disappointed that he hadn't had a chance to use his gun. These kids actually sucked at hand to hand combat—honestly fighting them had been distasteful. He hadn't needed more than his powerful kicks and a few fist swings to take these losers down.
The sun was low in the sky, indicating that some time had passed since the incidents of the day. Juubi just prowled around this darker part of Yokohama, quiet.
Dazai followed, just as quiet.
Neither was a conversation starter it would seem. Juubi was fine with that. He had a lot on his mind, although keeping an eye on Osamu Dazai was something on his list. He eyed Dazai finally, as they paused near a bank. The water lazily moved on the riverbank, and in the distance, were a few different bridges. Juubi glanced to Dazai. "You have questions," he remarked, quirking a brow with a fanged smirk at Dazai.
Dazai nodded, standing near him but hanging back. "I do."
"Ask away," Juubi hummed.
"Very well," Dazai tilted his head, "I want to know your relationship with that girl," he said, bluntly.
Juubi chortled. "Pffft," he snickered, honestly amused. He hadn't expected that to be the first question, but considering things, he mused it made sense. Dazai's sense of protectiveness was pissing Juubi off. This brat didn't know Alu like he did. Yet here he was, acting like he somehow deserved to be by her side. Juubi grinned. "We're close, what can I say?" He hummed.
He eyed Dazai, and was pleased to see a somewhat stiff reaction in body language. "I see," Dazai sighed. "I figured as much. But, you're a demon. Pardon my intrigue, but I've never met a demon before," he said, eyeing Juubi. "Well, not one that wasn't human anyways," he corrected himself.
Juubi chuckled. "Demons come in many forms, true," he nodded. "However, as you already know, I'm a demon not of this world. Your world is just full of fools and selfish simpletons," he hummed. "If anything, the abilities of your world is what makes it so interesting."
"If you're a demon, how come my ability managed to nullify you when we first met," Dazai asked, conversationally picking at some grass and tugging it out of the ground to play with between his fingers.
"Oh?" Juubi hummed, "It would seem my little hostess decided to tweak the rules when we traveled here from the world we were in before." He sighed. "Any world we travel to," he explained, "has its own set of "rules", so it would appear that while she did get an ability—one not directly associated with me— it was in order to ensure I stay in line," he grinned, showing off his fangs at Dazai.
"So her ability doesn't actually have to do with you?" Dazai asked, surprised.
Juubi nodded. "Surprised? I don't have the power to rewrite situations—that was something unique to her when we landed," he shrugged. "However, she somehow used it to ensure that I wouldn't be able to avoid this world's rules," he wrinkled his nose with disdain. "Honestly, things would be so much easier if she just let me erase the problem," he huffed.
"Something tells me that's not how she wants things to work," Dazai remarked, bemused.
"Yes, but you don't think like her, do you?" Juubi tilted his head at Dazai. "I can tell. You are a realist. You understand as well as anyone that there is only one way to deal with vermin."
"True," Dazai sighed, with a small nod, gazing at the grass he fiddled with between his fingers.
But Dazai couldn't shake the girl from his mind. She had this childish optimism that was both frustrating and refreshing at the same time. Dazai wondered just how someone like her had obtained someone like this sourpuss. He was powerful, and Dazai wasn't an idiot. He knew this guy had a lot of power. Not something a mere simple girl would be able to obtain. He wanted to know more but Juubi wrapped an arm around him—about the same height— and Dazai blinked, face to face with him, their noses inches away from each other.
Juubi narrowed his eyes at Dazai. Dazai felt like his personal space was being very encroached upon and he ducked free of Juubi's grasp, only to find Juubi grab him again. Dazai yelped, eyes wide as he was caught off guard, pinned on his back, on the ground. Juubi pinned Dazai's wrists with his tails and his legs, and he glared down at Dazai, leaning over him, his weight on Dazai's stomach and chest. Dazai felt the wind leave his lungs forcibly. He grimaced. This guy was heavy. He had his arms pinned so Dazai couldn't actually touch him, either. Clever fox.
And what was with this compromising position? Dazai was all levels of bewilderment. He knew he was being pinned but he really hoped no one walked by just then that would totally get the wrong idea. "Just so you know, I prefer pretty women," he found himself cheekily saying to the glaring fox man.
Juubi rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm aware," he glared at Dazai. "But I hope —for your sake—that doesn't include my little hostess."
Dazai blinked. Then it dawned on him. How could he not have seen it before? He began to giggle. Juubi looked irritated. "You like her!" He teased, a smile spreading on his face mischievously.
Juubi rolled his eyes. "Of course you would come to that conclusion, you simple human," he huffed, and he leaned over Dazai, causing Dazai to feel discomfort again from the weight on top of him, pressing the air out of his lungs. He wheezed a little, unable to giggle much more as Juubi just took a long fingernail and ran it down Dazai's cheek. "I don't appreciate you laughing at me," he said, eyes narrowed.
"I don't appreciate you trying to seduce me," Dazai countered, feeling no sense of self-preservation. If this guy was trying to scare him, it was only backfiring for him. Dazai was amused. Did this guy just mount anyone he was trying to threaten? He was going to make a cheeky remark about that but suddenly, Juubi collapsed against him, eyes fluttering closed. Dazai's earlier amusement quickly switched to concern as this guy began to glow blue.
Had Dazai accidentally activated his ability? No, this didn't feel like his ability had activated. Actually, Dazai had wanted to talk with Juubi a bit longer before bringing Alu back—but it seemed that as the glow faded, revealing the limp girl on top of Dazai—that the universe beat him to it. Dazai quickly covered her with his coat—as her top was ruined and he was a gentleman at heart, naturally.
Picking her up, wordlessly, Dazai knew his encounter with the intriguing socially awkward fox man would have to wait for another time. Besides, he'd gotten something juicy from this particular encounter to torment him the next time they chatted. The girl looked fully healed, and Dazai was relieved for that at least. For the meantime, he figured he'd take her to that Armed Detective Agency. He didn't have a place of his own and he certainly didn't have the means to keep her safe all by himself.
Besides, it'd be a good reason to see Odasaku.
"What?" Fukuzawa stared stunned at the red-haired man in his office at the agency. It'd been a couple days, and the orphans were settled in the safe house thanks to Agent Sakaguchi and The Special Division of Unusual Powers assisting.
"I spoke with Officer Chief Taneda and in light of the circumstances, I realize my services may be best utilized in his division, sir," Odasaku said, stiffly.
"I admit, they have been most helpful, but is that what you want?" Fukuzawa was puzzled. It wasn't that he wanted to force Odasaku to stay, but he didn't understand why the change of heart. His organization may be smaller, but he had some influence in the government. He frowned. Odasaku was clearly holding something back. "Why not wait until Ranpo returns from lunch," he said, hoping to get a proper deduction.
"No," Odasaku said curtly, and he turned to the door. "I'm sorry, President Fukuzawa," he gripped the door handle tightly.
Fukuzawa had mixed feelings about letting this red haired man go. It went beyond the limited time they had spent together these last few months. Fukuzawa still remembered this man as that boy he once crossed paths with all those years ago. He hadn't seen it before, but he was starting to see that despite Odasaku's mature build—he still reminded him a lot of that boy he had first met. Fukuzawa bit his lower lip. He wasn't good at this leadership stuff.
He only made this agency for Ranpo's sake. So why did it matter so much to him that Odasaku was turning his back on them?
"Don't apologize," Fukuzawa finally said, with a sigh. "Just, whatever you do, do what makes you happy."
Odasaku made a small noise in his throat of acknowledgement and then he left. Fukuzawa sank into his chair, feeling a headache coming on. Was this the right thing he was doing? Should he let Oda Sakunosuke just go without a clear reason why?
Outside the agency, Odasaku looked one last time at the building he'd come to think of as a temporary sanctuary the past couple of months. It had been so brief, but Odasaku knew it was only his own fault he had allowed himself to get so comfortable in the first place. With a sigh, he turned away and saw Ango, lounging near one unwelcoming black government sedan. "Do you have anywhere else you'd like to go?" Ango asked, politely, eying Odasaku.
Ango knew that Odasaku was unhappy. It was clearly not by willing choice that he turned down the agency. Ango didn't have the heart to tell Odasaku that just because Odasaku joined his government organization that Alu wasn't off the hook. Was it heart? No, it was cowardice. Ango was letting Odasaku walk right into the government web. He felt that Odasaku would at least be safer here than he would be still under the thumb of the Port Mafia at least. That was what he told himself to justify why he was still trapping Odasaku with underhanded methods of cooperation.
It was fine if the means had an end, right? Sacrifices have to be made all the time for the Greater Good. What Greater Good was there that didn't involve being on the side of justice? Ango had his reasons—and on some level he was determined to prove to Odasaku that he was not the enemy.
"No," Odasaku thought of Dazai. His heart clenched. He couldn't see Dazai. Not without risking Dazai's safety. "He's on the move anyways…"
Ango eyed him. "You know why we can't go see him," he said, gently, sympathetic.
"Yes, because even though you wiped his slate clean, he has to lay low to avoid being targeted too soon for his crimes linked to the Port Mafia," Odasaku tersely replied.
"Yes," Ango said, and he sighed, sliding into the driver's side while Odasaku finally got into the passenger side. "You're doing the right thing."
"Am I?" Odasaku's question hung in the air between the two men. Ango just sighed and he started the car engine.
Ango didn't have an honest answer.
Alu opened her eyes, groggy. How much time had passed? She hoped she hadn't been out for a month. Her eyes fell on a calendar. Oh, only a few days. Thank goodness it was still May! Juubi was oddly quiet and Alu felt only minimally sore. Sitting up, she didn't recognize where she was. It was a simple room— a lot like the apartment that she had seen Dazai living in. Her immediate thought was if she was back in Dazai's place but the layout was different. She didn't sense Dazai either.
Looking down at herself she saw she was in simple blue pajamas. She blushed. Someone must have changed her clothes—again. But who? Bewildered she started to get up. She realized her purple phone was gone as well. Her heart sank. Had she lost it? She rubbed her face. She didn't even have a means to start paying them back first.
Them.
Mori Ogai.
Fyodor.
The events rushed back to her mind. Her eyes flickered and she lifted her head, looking to the window near her, filtering in sunlight. She got to her feet, legs a bit stiff and stretched them. Wandering to the window, she allowed herself to be lost in thought. She hadn't gotten any information on Gide. That boy Ryou had tried to capture her after all. Ranpo had been right—she hadn't managed to do anything for those kids.
Alu's heart felt heavy.
The little girl, Sakura was safe—that she was certain of. A crisis had been averted, but Alu had been so focused on preventing the girl's demise that she hadn't even prepared for the aftermath. She didn't remember what happened after she'd been stabbed through the stomach by that short fuse boy, Akutagawa. She grimaced. She seriously wanted to punch him.
She saw an envelope near the futon out of the corner of her eye. She knelt down and picked it up. She read the letter. It was brief. "Stay as long as you like. Your clothes are folded in the small closet. The President wanted you to have your own room as this is the agency's building for all employees to do as you please with during your stay in Yokohama. From, Yosano." Alu realized this must be a building for the employees of the Armed Detective Agency that were living on their own.
Alu didn't actually know how many members were in the ADA but as far as she knew they only consisted of a small group. Still, to have a whole building was pretty impressive. Definitely meant they had plans to expand. Alu took a deep breath. Right, well she wasn't going to get any answers on Gide or Ryou just sitting here!
She rummaged in the closet, finding the clothes left for her. A simple black turtleneck with long sleeves, dark blue jeans, her normal boots, and a comfortable looking green jacket with white stripes on the shoulders was what she ended up changing into. With a sigh, she made a mental note to figure out just how much to financially reimburse them for these clothes. She thought guiltily about the clothes she'd bought with Elise and how those had been ruined too.
Elise.
Alu's eyes flickered. She wondered how Elise was doing. While Alu couldn't bring herself to think anything positive of Rintaro at the moment—otherwise known as Mori Ogai— she still cared about Elise and worried about how these events had affected her. Alu didn't want to be enemies with Elise and she knew that Mori Ogai was waiting for her. Her eyes narrowed.
After all, she'd struck a deal with him in exchange for his assistance in handling those spies for Gide. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to have her plan go as smoothly as it had in saving that little girl. She took a deep breath. "Well, guess I should go," she murmured, turning away from the mirror in the bathroom.
Arriving in front of the big building that harbored the Port Mafia HeadQuarters, Alu just stared up at it. She felt weird, being here after all that had transpired that night. When she'd asked for their help she'd done so over the phone before. Being here physically oddly left a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn't forgive Mori Ogai immediately for what he had put Odasaku and those orphans through. Even if those events hadn't played out in this version of the timeline. She took a breath, glancing at the glass doors.
She walked inside.
Looking around the expansive lobby, she was surprised to see a familiar bratty detective, lounging against the counter, sucking on a lollipop. "Ranpo?" Alu stammered, eyes widening with surprise.
"Yo," Ranpo gave her a breezy wave.
Alu was stunned. She hadn't expected to run into this guy—and here of all places. She wondered if his deductive ability had somehow forewarned him. But how would he know the timing? She sighed. Ranpo Edogawa was almost as mysterious as she could be. She couldn't help but smiling a little, amused. Still, she felt oddly comforted by him being here. Although, her smile wavered a bit, as she realized she'd never actually apologized for their fight before. She still didn't know why it was so hard to say those words to him. It was like if she apologized first it would be the same as losing the argument. As petty as that sounded, she had wanted him to at least consider a different perspective.
Though, with what had happened, it seemed like he was the one who was right about Ryou in the end. Alu didn't feel ready to give up—not in her nature— on that boy, but she couldn't help but feel a bit dismayed that she was on the losing streak it would appear.
The receptionist was a young woman, and she looked rather disgruntled. "As I told Mr. Edogawa," she said stiffly to Alu, "The Boss is currently in meetings all day. He is not available for either of you," she sounded like she'd been speaking with Ranpo—or perhaps bothered by him— before Alu arrived.
Ranpo shrugged. "I was just leaving," he said, cheerfully, and he trotted over to Alu. Alu tensed, but watched as Ranpo took out what looked like a wrapped parcel. It was small in size. She blinked, at the brown wrapped package, that was thin and flat in size. "I came to drop this off," he hummed, holding it out to her.
His eyes were closed, and he just smiled at Alu.
Alu didn't speak. It felt more like a boulder was pressing on her vocal cords. She hadn't allowed herself to be close to Ranpo since their fight—not even in the previous failed attempts to stop Fyodor's plan— and now that they were here, casually arms length apart, she found she was having trouble acting like nothing was weird between them. She just took the package, wordlessly, for lack of anything better to do. Ranpo passed by her. "I know you fixed my glasses with your ability," he murmured softly as he passed by.
Alu's eyes flickered.
That's right.
Back when Ranpo had first had his glasses broken by Elise, she had used rewrite to fix them when he had returned through the portal to Fukuzawa before. She hadn't said anything though—it was a small enough act that she didn't think it warranted any announcement. But, Ranpo had indeed paid attention. She couldn't say sorry—but at least she could mend something of value to Ranpo. She felt terrible that they had been broken so easily.
"…See you around," he said with a wave before he left Alu standing there, awkwardly. She wondered what made him act so normal. Though, normal for Ranpo had its own context, she concluded, gazing after him as he left. Would he be able to find his way back to the agency okay? She had a feeling he would actually be alright on his own.
Alu felt that though their interaction was brief, it felt like it had dragged out much longer. She knew she had to get over herself and apologize to him at some point. Her pride would only cause a bigger rift. A rift between them, she wondered, as she looked down at the parcel in her hands.
"Excuse me," the receptionist said, glowering at Alu, apprehensively. "If you don't have an appointment, I must ask you to leave."
Alu nodded, numbly. Right, even Mafia Bosses have lives, she mused. She turned on her heel. Oh well, she'd have to apologize about losing that purple phone the next time she saw Elise. In the meantime, she figured she'd go see what Dazai was up to. She didn't feel like going to the agency right now. Mostly because she felt awkward around Ranpo and she knew he'd be there along with President Fukuzawa and they were both still waiting on her to officially join them or whatever.
Alu's thoughts wandered to her conversation before with Dazai from the bridge. She walked along the sidewalk, hands in her jacket pockets. She didn't feel like she was meant to be either side of a bridge. She had a growing feeling that she was meant to be the bridge itself. But a bridge for what?
Alu sighed.
Suddenly she heard someone shout at her. "Look out!" A boy in a purple hoodie slammed into her from the side, apparently on the run from something, and toppled them both sideways in between some shops, into an alley.
Alu grunted with pain, as she felt herself winded and dizzy. The boy on top of her groaned and he finally rolled off her. "Ow!" Alu griped. "Watch it, kid!"
"Don't call me a kid! You're not much older!" The boy shot back, hopping to his feet. Alu's eyes popped. She knew this voice! Her eyes widened. They fell upon a familiar tan skinned young man with piercing lilac eyes and reddish tinted mahogany dark messy tussled hair.
"Tomoe?" She stammered.
"You!" His eyes widened with shock.
"What are you doing here?" They both shot, surprised, at each other at the same time, comically.
