Vol. 5 Ch. 8

The First Domino Has Already Fallen

Kōsuke looked around the bus stop he was at. So far, so good. He didn't see any men in suits and this made him less uneasy. He looked at his video game screen. He had a separate account from the other boys, so obviously they wouldn't know about his past conversations with this mysterious person. Kōsuke wasn't completely stupid. He knew what 'fishers' were since Odasaku had given him and the others a stern lecture about accepting messages from strangers that involved meeting up with them and stuff without an adult—namely him— around.

But still, this was a risk Kōsuke would have to take. If things went south, well, he had his legs, he'd just run for it! He was pretty damn fast and he often prided himself in being able to think on the spot. He was going to prove to the others that he could take care of himself!

The bus stop showed a map with directions to head to Nagoya. Kōsuke only felt a tiny bit guilty about stealing some money from the unconscious service agents but you know what they say, desperate times call for desperate measures! Besides, they were adults, they could get more of the green anytime they wanted!

The bus he was waiting for arrived, and the doors slid open. Kōsuke looked at the bus driver, who had silver hair tied up in a ponytail, with a braid under his hat, and a uniform on, but otherwise he looked normal. At least, he didn't look off putting. The silver hair was a little weird and the dark eyes looked oddly red when the light hit them at a certain angle. But Kōsuke wasn't going to judge someone based on appearance alone.

Getting onto the bus he held out the money he had into the bus ticket machine. Kōsuke's eyes flickered. The last time he'd ridden a bus he realized had been when his parents had both still been alive.

He wiped his eyes, not wanting the momentary sign of weakness to expel from his eyes in front of the bus driver. That'd be embarrassing. Pulling out his ticket, he wordlessly went to find a seat. He was surprised to see the bus was mostly empty. That wasn't a bad thing, sometimes buses were just like that, he told himself to reassure himself more than anything. Don't get jumpy now, Kōsuke! He scolded himself—he had to be courageous and brave, not a coward!

He made his way to a seat to sit down, and that's when he saw her. Pale skin, red rose lips, hair in a bun under her foreigner's clothing. She held a parasol, and seemed to be looking out of the window, lost in thought. Kōsuke couldn't help but wonder who this lady was. His sense of stranger danger was both going off and oddly intrigued. Probably not the best combo but at this moment, Kōsuke really didn't feel threatened. "Where are your parents?" The woman asked, looking at him with surprise. "Are you alone, boy?" She sounded ready to give him a lecture.

Kōsuke gulped. In his great plan, he hadn't actually thought about the prospect of someone other than those agents somehow finding him and ratting him out. He began to sweat a little and thought of a lie, on the spot.

"My parents are waiting for me in Nagoya," he said automatically, rehearsed —of course, beforehand— but it felt weirdly heavy on his tongue. It wasn't actually the lie that felt heavy. It was just talking about his parents like they hadn't already died two years ago. He had to pause. He found himself, almost wishing that were actually true. He felt a tight pain in his chest but he smiled at the woman, not wanting to let anything catch on that it wasn't true. He found a seat quickly and turned his head away to look out of the window as the bus started up again. All of a sudden, Kōsuke felt his eyes stinging, just a little. He wiped them fervently. Crying wouldn't bring them back.

Crying wouldn't make his small white lie true.

Kōsuke clutched his video game tightly till his knuckles turned white. His parents were no longer around anymore to protect him. He had to man up…he had to learn how to protect himself. Only then, could he ensure that what happened to his family would never happen again to anyone else he cared about.

The woman continued to gaze out of the window, though she glanced at Kōsuke out of the corner of her eye. "Your parents must be pretty confident to trust you to travel by yourself," she said.

"Yeah," Kōsuke replied, on auto-pilot. He watched the scenery go by like flickering segments of old time movie film. He honestly had no idea what his parents were feeling. He never would again. The tears started to roll down his cheeks and he wiped his eyes furiously. Dang it, he wasn't going to ruin everything now with a bunch of sissy tears! He felt frustrated.

He blinked past his blurry eyes and nose that started to run to see a handkerchief held out to him. It was a simple white one, with the initials J.A. and Kōsuke took it not to be impolite. He wiped his eyes, sniffling. "I'm sorry, but when I see someone crying, it worries me," the woman said, frowning. She straightened up to give him space again.

Kōsuke wondered if she'd want her handkerchief back with his snot on it. "I just thought of how happy I'm gonna be…when I see them," he said weakly. "We haven't seen each other for a while….busy with work," he continued, finding himself falling more and more into his own white lie he was spinning.

The worst part was this lie he was spinning.

He somehow despite knowing the truth, knowing reality, almost wished it could be true. Maybe then it wouldn't hurt so much, feeling this alone.

"I'm here if you need anything," the woman said, sitting back down in her spot.

"Thanks…Ma'am," Kōsuke sniffled.

"What a polite young man," the woman praised him and Kōsuke felt a little better. At least someone thought he was being mature.

"Um…I'm Kōsuke," he introduced himself. It seemed only polite after the kindness she'd shown him.

"Kōsuke?" The woman smiled. "That's a lovely name! My name is Jane Austen, but you can call me Miss Jane," she said sweetly.

Kōsuke nodded. He felt like he should be concerned. But a small voice in his head was telling him, you're so much smarter than them all. Prove to them that you know what you're doing! They won't acknowledge you until you prove to them what you're able to do. "Nice to meet you," he said, politely.

"Oh no," Miss Jane smiled warmly at him, a twinkle in her eye, " the pleasure is all mine."

—-x—-x—-x—-

Dazai stirred.

His body felt sore despite being on something incredibly soft. Offhandedly he wondered if he'd picked up someone last night, but since Dazai was naturally sharp, the memories of last night came flooding back almost immediately, dashing that theory. His eyes snapped open, instinctively poised for the worst case scenario. All he remembered clearly was how his friend had been hurt badly last night. It was true that Yosano had been there but Dazai honestly was emotionally disoriented and a small pessimistic part of him wondered what was real and what was a dream. "Odasaku?!" It was a confused tone that rippled in his otherwise groggy morning voice.

"Yeah?" A familiar voice said to his left.

Dazai's head swiveled like an owl, and he felt immediate relief hit him like a tidal wave. There, sitting in one of the hotel chairs, just gazing at him, —for how long Dazai did have to wonder, really, Odasaku was a weird one—- was Odasaku. Dazai felt silly for freaking out first thing upon waking up. Jeez, he had to get it together. He didn't want to look unhinged in front of Odasaku. "Oh…you're awake," Dazai babbled, "Though did you just sleep on the chair?" His eyes glanced at the semi-uncomfortable chair Odasaku was sitting in. Had Odasaku moved him into the bed last night but when? Dazai had stayed awake for practically the whole night just to make sure everything was okay with Odasaku at Yosano's request—and his own personal invested devotion to the wellbeing of his friend.

"I didn't mind, besides, you looked like you needed it more," Odasaku shrugged, indifferent.

Dazai pursed his lips, before he began to giggle. Odasaku gazed at him, but wondered if this was just Dazai being Dazai at the top of the morning, L.O.L. …. "Aw, you know I wouldn't mind sharing a bed if it's with you," he teased Odasaku, in good humor.

Odasaku quirked a brow. "Even though I'm not a girl?"

Dazai felt a duck quack in his mind and the howl of a sumo wrestler sort of collide collectively in his brain cavity. "Eh?" He thought about what he just said. Suddenly, Dazai found himself oddly very, very warm in the face. "That's right! After all, it's not that kind of 'sleeping' together, but you know, we're friends, and I read that friends have sleepovers and share a bed all the time!" Dazai of course was bullshit lying out of his embarrassed ass. He didn't have a real childhood growing up, but even he knew the basics of a childish sleepover. He just hoped it was enough to dissolve the current situation he found himself in.

Odasaku raised his eyebrows. The look on his face clearly stated, 'oh, is that so?' And his cowlick was bopping. Cute, Dazai couldn't help but think. Dammit, he really wanted to tug it. No, no he had to be mature, for the sake of his heart which felt oddly offbeat at the moment. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Odasaku said, deadpan serious.

Dazai just chuckled, always amused as ever at Odasaku's indifferent reaction to mostly everything. Dazai actually realized if it was Odasaku, he wouldn't mind sharing the bed but he wasn't going to announce that ever. Out Loud. Nope, that little revelation was going with Dazai to his grave of embarrassment. But out of anyone Dazai had ever met, Odasaku was the only one he trusted enough to not keep one eye open—as the saying went.

Odasaku, used to Dazai's weird behavior, just stood up from the chair, stretching. Dazai realized he was still sitting in bed like a blushing school girl and, irritated at himself for looking uncool, quickly got out of the bed. "So any updates on that girl?" Dazai found himself asking, to make conversation more than anything else. Plus, the whole reason they'd come out here was for her sake.

"No updates," Odasaku sighed. "But I'm sure I'll be notified…"

Ring.

Ring.

Odasaku blinked. It wasn't his phone that was going off. Dazai quirked a brow and he pulled out his own phone. Odasaku wondered who would be calling Dazai—on an untraceable burner phone no less— and frowned. "Who is that?" He asked, wary.

"Ah," Dazai blinked, staring at the caller I. D. and grimacing like he swallowed a sour lemon. "You don't want to know."

Odasaku knew Dazai made that face regarding only two people… "Are you still in contact with the mafia?" He asked. Specifically, he was referring to Chuuya.

Dazai blinked and shook his head. "Nope, it's not the mafia, it's much worse," he sighed gravely. He put the phone on speaker. "I'm sorry," he said in a robotic voice—uncannily accurate to a voicemail recording— "but the number you have reached—-"

"Dazai, cut the bullshit," Ango's frustrated tone came through almost immediately.

Dazai felt more motivated than before to troll this annoying bastard, but he paused. Thinking about it, he never recalled giving Ango his number. Dazai felt oddly bewildered which was usually a foreign concept to him since he was not an easy person to catch off guard. And yet, if he hadn't given Ango his number, then how had he recognized the number was Ango's to begin with? Dazai suddenly had a suspicious feeling tugging in his gut. Not voicing this out loud —yet, he just giggled and put the phone on speaker. "Hey Odasaku, do you want to hang up on him, or should I?" He asked cheekily.

Odasaku was quiet mostly because he didn't actually know why Ango was contacting them. He didn't exactly want to talk with Ango more than civilly necessary but he sighed, a little bemused by Dazai's outwardly childish antics when it came to their former bar buddy. "It is imperative that I speak with Oda," Ango said, dropping the honorary nickname—it was clear that using such a nickname implied a camaraderie that they no longer shared.

Dazai blinked.

Odasaku frowned. "What about?" He asked, puzzled.

Dazai shrugged, and handed the phone over to Odasaku. Odasaku took it, and since Ango was on speaker, didn't feel the need to blast the conversation in his ear. "I don't know the best way to tell you this," Ango said, his tone grave and that immediately made Odasaku and Dazai switch to some low-key high alert.

Dazai suddenly felt another headache starting to come on. It felt like a hangover—but somehow worse. He grimaced, feeling his mind suddenly transport him away from the present with Ango and Odasaku. Even if they were talking, it felt muffled, like Dazai was underwater.

Dazai's thoughts raced.

Something had indeed happened. It had entirely to do with one of Odasaku's orphans. The oldest, Kōsuke, to be exact, had run away. Odasaku and Dazai spent the next few months trying to trace any clue to the boy's whereabouts.

The girl and the ADA tried to as well.

Even Elise, Mori's creepy ability, insisted on helping locate the missing boy.

But, despite their combined efforts, the boy was gone without a trace.

Odasaku became more and more depressed as time went on. "Dazai," he said, gazing at the alcohol in his glass, sitting in his usual spot at Bar Lupin, " I don't think I can go on doing this, after all…"

Dazai's eyes flickered. He didn't see the appeal in saving some orphans but if it made his friend feel a sense of purpose then so be it. But, he could tell his friend was struggling. "If you don't, then who will?" Dazai found himself questioning out loud, gazing at his own drink. He'd barely touched it, although Odasaku was on his third full glass already.

"Someone better than me," Odasaku replied despondently.

Dazai quieted. Honestly, he didn't think there was anyone that could be better than Odasaku, not when it came to these particular snot-nosed brats. He huffed, knowing Odasaku was personally blaming himself for why things turned out this way with Kōsuke. "He's a kid," Dazai found himself pointing out. "Kids do crazy stupid shit, remember?"

"I should have been there more for him," Odasaku's voice was almost barely above a melancholy whisper.

Dazai glanced at his friend's slumped shoulders and nearly did a double take. Odasaku had tears rolling down his face. Dazai felt a pang, somewhere deep in himself. He couldn't understand what it must feel like to care so deeply about someone else—especially people you weren't personally responsible for but Odasaku clearly believed that it didn't matter who you were. Once he cared about you, you became someone important to him.

Dazai didn't know if what he felt was jealousy or exasperation. Maybe a bit of both. He liked Odasaku's company and the thought of sharing it honestly made him want to tantrum sometimes.

Suddenly, Odasaku's phone rang.

Odasaku didn't answer it.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Dazai wordlessly grabbed his friend's phone from next to Odasaku's glass. The caller I. D. was Ango. He picked up so Odasaku didn't have to. If it was going to be bad news, Dazai wanted to be the one to break it to Odasaku. In a way, Dazai felt like it was his duty to try to carefully collect all the broken pieces of Odasaku and try to put them back together, somehow.

"The boy's been found," Ango said immediately when Dazai answered.

Odasaku's head snapped up, and it was the first time in a while that Dazai felt his friend was almost alive again. "Where?" He rasped, pained.

"…In Tokyo," Ango replied, serious. "But Oda, there's something you should know—"

"I'm going to him. What details do you have?" Odasaku cut him off swiftly, his tone cutting. Dazai offhandedly felt that if anyone would make a surprisingly scary overprotective parent—it would be Odasaku. Dazai wondered what sort of hell those who crossed Papa Odasaku's bad side would face. He was morbidly curious to find out, he mused, offhandedly.

"He's not the same boy you knew," Ango cut in, sharply.

Odasaku grit his teeth. "What the hell are you talking about Ango?"

"He's changed," Ango continued. "Odasaku, I'm not calling you as an agent right now…but as a…a favor…no, I suppose," Ango sighed shakily on the other end but Odasaku didn't care particularly at the moment what Ango's emotional turmoil was.

"Don't try to stop me," Odasaku said, with a small defiant hiss and honestly, Dazai was more intrigued than ever. He rarely saw Odasaku lose it, and frankly, this was fascinating to him. Of course, he had no intentions of letting Odasaku go headfirst into danger alone—never again— but he figured that it was actually a good thing to see Odasaku riled up. It meant he was amongst the living again.

"He's killed people," Ango said gravely. "At this point, he is a threat…"

"What the actual—"

Dazai put a hand on Odasaku's shoulder, quiet. Odasaku was brimming with incredulous disbelief and rage. But he glanced at Dazai and saw Dazai's cold calculating gaze. He knew that gaze well. He instantly calmed. That gaze meant that Dazai had a plan.