Vol. 5

Ch. 14

A Determined Soul May Burn All In It's Path

A/N: after so many plot holes in the Dark Era arc regarding Gide, I can finally remedy all those glaring questions in my 'WTF Gide Arc' :D ENJOY. Also I'm having so much fun just introducing characters that really interest me like that Detective Ayatsuji guy. Odasaku will be great at answering those plot hole questions through this guy :D so my writer's soul can write in peace LoL. Also Ayatsuji is a genuine ass and I love him :D.

"You asked to see me?" Odasaku warily asked, hoping to redirect this oddball back to some sense of the present. He didn't mean to be rude, but he didn't feel in the mood for mind games.

"I did," the detective hummed, putting his gun away. Wearing a black hat, half rimmed glasses,and a debonair smirk.

Odasaku noted the creepy doll sitting on the detective's desk, next to what appeared to be a pipe, just leaning against some books. It wasn't like the doll was alive but Odasaku felt a little creeped out. Sakura had dolls but this one actually looked like it could take your soul in your sleep. He had to remind himself that it wasn't actually following him with its eyes as he forced his attention to return to the detective who was sitting down, a Manila folder now in his hands.

Odasaku waited for the other man to expound more, not one for small talk. Detective Ayatsuji held up the Manila folder, much like a master holding out a bone to a dog, — at least, that was the impression Odasaku got from the way he was smirking at him. "Do you know what this is?"

Of course not, Odasaku wanted to reply, but he could tell this guy was terribly similar to Dazai in terms of teasing. Used to it from Dazai, Odasaku just sighed. "no, but I'd appreciate it if you told me," he politely asked.

The detective grinned.

Nothing happened. Odasaku was finding this increasingly more annoying and since the detective neglected to actually keep talking, found he had to be the one to fill the awkward silence. "Please?" He asked, again, just a little exasperated. Why was this guy intent on holding out on him? What was he waiting for?

"I see, fascinating," the detective mused, tilting his head, and stroking his chin with his free hand. "I have now deduced that your ability, Flawless, doesn't seem to trigger at complete random...otherwise you would have known what I said four seconds before now!" He cheerfully grinned at Odasaku, like a completely sadistically motivated nut-job—Odasaku didn't like to judge but it was very apparent this guy was a piece of work.

Whatever he must have said was something that would have put off Odasaku, was all Odasaku could fathom. But what would the guy have even said? His cowlick bobbed with confusion and exasperation. If he wanted to ask him about himself, he only had to ask. "I have no idea why you didn't just ask me about my ability," he frowned.

"Hunting for the answers through clues is the work of a detective," hummed Ayatsuji. He chuckled, waving the folder in his dark gloved hand, in the air lazily. "But I will go ahead and go over the contents now, or are you curious to know what I said when I was testing you just now?" His eye had a mischievous glint and honestly, Odasku had no interest in knowing what this black-hat wearing guy had said. He certainly didn't want to be put into a worse mood by it. Frowning, Odasaku shook his head.

"It's irrelevant," he declined, politely.

"Actually, it's completely relevant," Ayatsuji smirked, and Odasaku knew right then and there that this guy was going to be a complete troll to him from now on.

Pursing his lips, but now curiosity piqued, Odasaku sighed. "Okay, what is it?"

"It's all about that Gide fellow from France," Ayatsuji cheerfully said.

Odasaku's eyes flashed. "Is it information about where he is now?" He asked, sharp and immediate. Regarding this guy, he didn't want to play games. The orphans' safety depended on what was in that folder—no wonder the detective had been sadistically amused that Odasaku hadn't reacted sooner.

"Ah, more like a profile conjectured mostly on where he may most likely turn up," Ayatsuji hummed. "We have a lead," he added, cheerfully.

"Where?" Odasaku asked, his heart beginning to thud. Could he finally gather information on this mad-man and find a way to end this drama with the ex-french mercenary?

"Heh," the detective giggled.

Odasaku didn't know what was so funny. His cowlick twitched with the slightest irritation. "?"

The detective pointed at Odasaku, with a grin. "Not a where, but a whom!"

Odasaku blinked, like a confused deer in headlights. It took only a moment though before the terrible truth came dropping onto him without the detective saying a word. Odasaku's eyes widened with alarm and abject opposition. "You don't mean—?"

"You're not as dumb as you look, are you?" Detective Ayatsuji mused aloud, without care for whether or not his words alienated the other man in the room standing before him. Odasaku stood, looking like he just got dunked in ice cold water from the ice bucket challenge that was on the internet a while ago.

Odasaku was at a loss for words.

Not because it wasn't an idea he hadn't actually thought of himself, but because it was too reckless to be executed; which is why he decided in the end, to not do it himself. He had taken many factors into consideration, one of them being of course, that the orphans needed him and he couldn't risk his life senselessly. "That's a terrible plan," he found himself grimacing, objecting openly and honestly.

Detective Ayatsuji tilted his head at him, grinning past his golden locks, absolutely intrigued by Odasaku's blunt honest behavior. Odasaku was not one to typically be outspoken but when he was, it was from a place of sincerity. "Ah, but it's the only plan we have that is capable of having a 100 percent success rate!" He cheerfully deduced to the unhappy dark haired man.

Odasaku quieted, thinking back to his conversation with the former french soldier from before, uncomfortably. That person had been convinced only Odasaku could give him a glorious death or some weird shit. Odasaku frankly didn't actually understand how he was relevant other than Gide's apparent obsession with the fact that they both possessed the same ability which would make the fight —according to Gide— more exciting.

Odasaku felt weirdly uncomfortable. His heart felt a small jolt of sudden pain, no doubt stress, and Odasaku had to resist placing his hand over his heart in front of the detective. But it was clear that the flinch in Odasaku's stature didn't go unnoticed by the sharp-eyed doll-collecting pipe-wielding detective. "Does Ango know this is your plan?" Odasaku found himself asking, wearily. He was bitter on a small level. He had already had his life put at risk once before by Ango and the organization he worked for…to have it done so again in order to take on Mimic and Gide felt like a terrible sense of Deja Vu.

And Dazai's feelings mattered a lot to Odasaku. He wouldn't do this without telling at least, Dazai. He owed his best friend that.

"Ah, ah, ah," the detective hummed, wagging a finger at Odasaku like he was a bad dog, "No telling anyone," he cheerfully said, as though reading Odasaku's thoughts. Odasaku grimaced. Was he that much of an open book? But wait, he mentioned not telling anyone—did that actually include Ango?

Odasaku's brow furrowed together like a couple of fuzzy convinced caterpillars. "You didn't run this by Ango?" He found himself asking, slowly, interest actually piqued—and also alarmed.

"Agent Sakaguchi has been distracted as of late," Detective Ayatsuji stated, tone serious and condemning. "I saw it pertinent to exclude him from this little plan of mine."

"Distracted?" Odasaku's mind flitted to the fox girl, Alu, but still, it wasn't like Ango to be distracted especially when his focus had always been his job. Then again, women did have a strange power of turning a man's head like a spinning top.

"A clouded heart will only obscure the mind, depriving it of clarity," Detective Ayatsuji stated, walking over to Odasaku. He held out the folder to Odasaku, smiling like a man that already knew how this was going to play out. "So, what do you say? This is the one shot-the only shot that will turn the tide and help you finish what was already started."

Odasaku stared at the folder.

Dazai.

Alu.

The Orphans.

Even Ango came to his mind.

The members of the ADA crossed his mind as well, and Odasaku, for the first time, had it dawn on him that he did have many people that depended on him—cared about him—and needed him to stay alive whatever the damn cost.

But he felt the same for those he considered his family. Ango too, was there, on the precipice of his thoughts. Although they still had a very awkward relationship, it was clear that Ango was trying to help with the orphans. He was giving Odasaku space but not denying Odsaku's existence. Something like this, going behind the backs of those he cared about for the sake of seeing a goal met, this was something Odasaku felt reminded him more of what Ango was willing to do.

"I won't do anything that will go behind the backs of those that trust in me," Odasaku said, voice level and for the first time, he stared at the detective, levelly. The detective blinked over his tinted light sunglasses.

He gazed at the slightly shorter man in front of him, dressed in a jacket with a yellow ochre base with a red collar. His white shirt was under a vermillion-based checkered border and a gray knit vest, tucked into his dark orange checkered knickerbocker pants, and beige boots. He felt an odd comparison of personalities between this man and the girl, Alu.

While Alu had been a stranger who dropped into Odasaku's entire world in order to save everyone he cared about in it, this wasn't the case with the yellow-eyed Detective who supposedly—ironically— worked for the side of The Greater Good. This person didn't care whether or not Odasaku lived or died. This person was a complete stranger in Odsaku's small world.

Detective Yukito Ayatsuji was just a complete outsider, but it was him who claimed to have the answer in that folder.

Odasaku clenched his fists by his side, resisting the urge to take the folder. He knew this man was enjoying the sense of powerlessness Odasaku felt. It was true that Odasaku didn't have any other means at this time to track down Gide. He couldn't even protect those he cared about on his own. He was constantly relying on others.

But—

This detective was taunting him with the chance to do something about this dangerous man—with his own power. Odasaku's mind felt like high tide. No, to be more precise, his emotions conflicted with one another like red noise in his mind. Still, Odasaku realized that in order to turn the tide on someone like Gide, he would have to take a risk. He could no longer stand on the sidelines watching everyone that cared about him get hurt for his sake.

He finally spoke, voice low but determined.

"I…"

—-x—-

"— I am so sorry, but I have plans for later tonight," Alu apologetically said, glancing at the grumpy blonde next to her on Mori's office couch. They were eating Chinese food, and Alu was currently hanging out with Elise, while Mori sat at his desk, doing paperwork or whatever it is that Saturday morning cartoon villains spend their time doing.

"You always pop in and out—but if you can't even heal yourself then you're screwed! What if something happens?" Elise asked, frustrated and feeling particularly baggy after today's earlier scuffle with Agent Ango Sakaguchi.

Alu sighed a mushroom cloud. She could tell Mori was clearly eavesdropping even if he was attempting to look nonchalant and engrossed in paperwork. "I know you're eavesdropping," she deadpanned to Mori.

"Oh? Hm? Am I? I hadn't noticed," Mori replied.

"Your paperwork is upside down," Alu deadpanned.

Mori's eyes flickered to the page, suddenly concerned. He saw it wasn't upside down at all. He cleared his throat, not one to outwardly display embarrassment. "Very cute," he quipped, in response to her teasing. He felt his face warm from irritation, hiding behind the paperwork so Alu wouldn't catch it.

Elise huffed. "Stop being distracting, Rintaro you dummy! This doesn't concern you!" She hotly wagged a finger at Mori, scolding.

Alu smiled. Elise's presence always soothed Alu no matter how upset she got, and Alu honestly couldn't explain why. But, she was grateful she had someone like Elise in her life in this world. Trying to navigate everything oddly felt less possible without Elise to turn to when the chips were stacked against Alu. "Actually, it could concern him," Alu mused, out loud.

Elise and Mori both paused, comically mirroring each other's look of surprise at Alu's statement. "Well, it's like Elise says, since I'm a walking human tomato right now," Alu pointed out, bemused at Mori's furrowed brow at her analogy.

Mori was bemused, horribly so, by her analogy, he wouldn't deny that to himself. But he both wanted to be useful to the girl at this time and continue to manipulate her into staying with the Port Mafia. This was literally a golden opportunity and Mori resolved to say yes to whatever the hell Alu was about to make him do. God, it felt like being a father, in some twisted dark way.

"Go on," he hummed, eyeing Alu over his interlaced fingers at his desk.

"I don't want to be out and about all alone, so I was thinking I could borrow Chūya!" She brightly announced, beaming at both Elise and Mori.

Mori pursed his lips together, finding this both opportunistic but also a little inconvenient, since Chūya was often used to handle very important tasks. Not wanting to openly object, but still determined to grip onto this chance to sweeten a deal to steal Alu's loyalty from Fukuzawa in any way he could, Mori finally spoke. "Chūya will have times he can't be there with you, but if that's the case, I'll have Akutagawa on standby."

Akutagawa was very volatile and unpredictable. Still, as long as Alu's demon fox wasn't active, Mori figured Akutagawa would keep his temper maybe slightly more in check considering he knew that harm to Alu would mean death itself to him by Mori's own hand.

Alu nodded. "That's exactly what I was going to suggest," she admitted, pleased with Mori's suggestion.

"Hah? That dumb Akutagawa will go off the rails! I don't want him hurting you!" Elise complained.

"It's alright Elise," Alu giggled. "I'm pretty sure Mori's already made it clear to him that if he messes with me that you'll make sure to give him hell!"

Elise pouted. "You're a really reckless person, you know that?" She complained.

Alu glommed Elise again, causing the other girl to flounder like a fish, waving her arms indignantly in Alu's giggling embrace. "Elise will always be there to save me! I have nothing to fear!" Alu teased the blushing blonde.

"Stop kidding around!" Elise yowled like an angry cat.

Mori smiled to himself, he couldn't help it. There was something about this young woman, even without her powers or abilities, a natural presence she seemed to infer on those around her just by being in the same room. Mori put a hand over his black heart. He didn't have much that made him feel anything in this world, but the way his ability acted around her was enough to make Mori feel a sense of feral elation.

It was only a matter of time now.

He just had to be patient, a little longer.

And then that girl would finally be his.