Vol. 6
Chapter 7
A Silent Embrace Makes the Loudest Sound of One's Heartbeat
"Ow, let go," Alu hissed, but she paused, her eyes locking with his own. It was one of his more serious stares, and Alu found she couldn't look him in the eye. She knew he was frustrated with her for not telling him this sooner. "I would have said something but then you went and threw a tantrum," she pointed out, ruefully.
"I think that's enough foreplay," the steampunk woman loudly proclaimed, and before Dazai or Alu could react, they found themselves suddenly dropped into what felt like a space hole that opened up in the ground underneath them.
Alu yelped, and instinctively, Dazai wrapped his unchained arm around her, pulling her close to his chest, preparing to take the actual blow of the fall itself as best he could with his own body to absorb the shock. Dazai fell into what looked to be a bedroom? Huh, he was expecting a cell or some other cliche to be honest.
Landing on his tail bone in the most painful way possible, Dazai yelped in pain, as Alu's weight wasn't helping things and they both tumbled to the floor, awkwardly.
Alu jolted, with a gasp, immediately trying to remove herself from him.
Dazai would have objected, but he was too busy screaming in silent agony from the force of his body hitting the floor full impact while holding another person.
"D-Dazai! Hey, are you hurt badly?" Alu didn't ask him that annoying cliche question of 'are you alright' when it was clear he had just slammed his body into the ground and for that, Dazai was grateful, because he probably would have snapped something snarky that he would have regretted saying after the fact.
"Thank god you're not one of those walking cliche question types," Dazai wheezed, rubbing his butt with his free hand, grimacing.
"Huh?" Alu just gazed at him. "If I asked, 'are you alright', I thought it would sound stupid considering we just fell from a hole in the floor and you took most of the weight of the fall on yourself."
"Well, in answer to your more situationally appropriate question," Dazai grimaced, "I will live."
"That's promising," Alu deadpanned, and her tone actually made Dazai giggle a little, despite himself. Her expression still looked irritated and he thought it was just a little funny that she was so honest about how she was feeling.
The hole disappeared, and the steampunk woman didn't follow them. Alu frowned, gazing at Dazai. She vaguely recalled who that woman was from her jumble of rewrite memories. "Dazai," she said quietly.
Dazai nodded, having just remembered as well. "This isn't Fyodor…."
The door to the bedroom clicked open, and Alu and Dazai straightened up, both on guard, as a woman with blood red lips, dark hair tied into a neat bun, and a sinister smile twirled a parasol in her dainty white gloved hands before them, absorbing the space in the entryway. "Hello again, Alu dear," the woman hummed.
Alu clenched her fists but Dazai tugged her awkwardly behind himself to the side by their cuffed wrists, his hand on her bound wrist. Alu flared up, not wanting to look like she needed to hide behind a guy for protection but she noted Dazai's calculating cold expression. Any retort died on her tongue. Dazai wasn't fooling around. He also wasn't doing this because he thought she was weak. He was doing this so he could plan their next move.
"I don't think we've had the pleasure of a civil exchange," Dazai said, placing his free hand over his heart, feigning hurt feelings. "I've heard so much about you… Jane."
His gaze was half-lidded but no less fierce, and Jane Austen just giggled behind a gloved hand, amused. "Oh you're flattering," she replied.
Alu wanted to barf.
Ugh, were these two flirting?
"Where's Odasaku," Alu sharply asked. She already knew he was with Fyodor but if she acted like she already had this information, then the others would get suspicious that Dazai and her actually knew more than they were supposed to at this time.
"Oh? Projected as a question but toned like a statement," Ms. Austen tilted her head, bemused. "You already assume he is here?"
Alu grit her teeth. Crap, she wasn't able to veil her enthusiasm to get Odasaku back very well.
Dazai meanwhile, beamed at Ms. Austen. "We are merely trying to collect clues. Since you work with that rat bastard, it's only safe to presume he may have asked you to take Odasaku hostage," Dazai brightly deduced. "A fine lady such as yourself however," Dazai cast her a debonair smirk, "…would never bend to the agenda of a man, so you must have your own reasons for abducting Odasaku!"
Alu blinked. She gazed at Dazai, wondering what he was going on about. In her jumbled memories, Ms. Austen had taken Odasaku hostage in an attempt to obtain her and get Ryou his freedom from the Division of Unusual Powers. She wondered if this was what Dazai meant.
"My, my, a real Casanova," Ms. Austen hummed, and she twirled her parasol, eying Dazai like she was undressing him with her eyes. Oh, she probably was, Alu realized and she wrinkled her nose, exasperated.
"Undress him with your eyes all you want," Alu deadpan replied, "He's nothing special, just a mummy with no brain."
Dazai pouted, looking at Alu like a kicked puppy. Ms. Austen smiled, although she was slightly irritated at this girl's rudeness. "Oh, sweetie, I know valuable 'goods' when I see it," she said airily.
"Treating people like they're just cargo to be sold is exactly why I rejected Ryou's offer to join you," Alu bluntly stated. "I get that money talks but there are better ways to earn a living than what you've chosen to do."
"I don't need a lecture coming from a little homeless street rat in debt to the Port Mafia," Ms. Austen's upper lip curled into a chuckle.
Alu quieted. She clenched her fists, but found she didn't have a response to that. She felt her eyes prick with unshed tears of frustration. She still felt embarrassed and ashamed but she was trying to earn some honest pay—-it was just taking a while. She planned to pay Elise back…and the ADA—even Ango! But she couldn't deny that she was a financial burden.
Dazai sparkled, taking Jane Austen's hand into his own. "Now, now, ladies, there's enough of me to go around for the both of you. We can all share!"
Alu's eyes bugged with Jane Austen's comically. Alu looked next to herself to see a hilarious white outline dotted where Dazai had been standing before, cuffs gone, and then the familiar handcuff snapping sound as Dazai cuffed Jane's wrists with surprising speed to her back. Jane's look of surprise twisted to anger but Dazai pushed the door shut, pressing Jane Austen against the wall, and leaning by her ear.
Jane growled, knowing her ability was useless in this situation.
"The direction this interrogation goes, depends on you, dear," Dazai murmured, seductive and dark all at once.
"I see you've made yourselves at home!" A familiar clown popped up behind Alu. Dazai's expression immediately shifted to shock and horror. Alu found herself grabbed by her injured arm and tried to punch the annoying clown but he squeezed her arm tightly, causing Alu to cry out in pain, as he pulled back Alu in his arms.
"Get off of me!" Alu yelled, and she tried to kick the clown in his groin but Nikolai merely cackled and he grabbed Alu by her long hair, tugging her head back and pressing a knife against her jugular.
"Keep struggling, little canary~" he crooned.
"Don't touch her—!" Dazai snarled, holding Jane Austen as his own hostage realizing with terrible chagrin that this was a trap. Jane Austen had merely been the bait! This hadn't happened like this in the original though! Of course, he'd never handcuffed Alu in the other timeline or she would have seen it coming and been prepared. He recalled how, in the original timeline, they'd talked with Jane Austen, Dazai had flirted with Jane Austen, learned what Jane Austen had done with Odasaku, and then at that point, both he and Alu had been brought to Fyodor's office by Nikolai who had just dropped them both into Fyodor's study—which meant Yari had to be close by as well since Nikolai could only manipulate space close to his person and Yari could do long distances, according to Alu. Fyodor was not staying at Jane Austen's manor. Dazai knew that going back into the past could change certain events if they acted differently, but this felt too prepared.
Alu grit her teeth, but she didn't make any obvious noise of pain. "I'm not a canary," Alu hissed, twisting her body and slamming her skull into Nikolai's jaw and face. Dazai had to hand it to Alu—she really knew how to use her head in this situation. He was impressed, as the clown let her go, with a startled yelp, and Alu round-house kicked him so hard he flew into the wall.
Dazai was a little speechless. When had his heart been pounding so hard? Why were his palms so sweaty? Of course Alu was fine. She may not be using her healing power but it could be related to anything. She clearly still had her strength, so maybe he had been overthinking it earlier. Jane Austen would not have the same luck as Alu, as Dazai's Port Mafia Executive animosity was leaking out in the way he glowered down at the woman whose own ability had no effect on him.
"You're hurting me!" Jane Austen complained with a whimper. Her whining irritated Dazai whose momentary good natured act ceased the moment the clown tried to abduct Alu. "I'm not scared of a brat who's barely out of puberty!" She snapped, struggling.
Dazai slammed her against the wall so hard her teeth rattled and even Alu jumped a little, now turning her attention back to them.
"Come near Odasaku ever again, and you'll wish you had the sense to be," Dazai coldly smiled, and then he knocked her out swiftly with a blow to the neck. It was a shame. She was a pretty woman. But in the end, she was just another pretty flower that had already begun to wither. There were times when even the prettiest things could be the most ugly. Still smiling, he stepped back, proceeding on opening the door while Jane collapsed, unconscious against the wall.
"Ugh," Alu dropped to her knees, eyes wide.
Dazai looked over his shoulder and his eyes flashed. A hand belonging to that damn clown whipped back into the portal it had come out of. Alu clutched her injured arm, but Dazai realized it was bent funny. He realized with abject horror that Alu's arm was broken at the elbow. Alu was clearly in pain and Dazai practically flew to her side, barely touching the ground it felt like, in his panic to catch her as she collapsed, nearly fainting from the pain. The clown began to cackle from behind Dazai, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. Dazai's anger with Alu was replaced with a dark sinister loathing for that f!ck!ng clown.
"Aw, that looks like it hurts, the poor thing! She said she's not a little canary, but she totally is. After all, a little bird can't fly when one of its wings is broken, right?~" The clown giggled.
Alu breathed hard, shaky and sweating in Dazai's arms. She clutched her injured arm, hugging it against herself, gazing up at Dazai's genuine panicked expression and then she smiled which made Dazai's chest clench. He had put her in harm's way. He had been too cocky to listen to her plan, because he always had to do things his way, and now she was hurt—-because of him. As if to pull him out of himself, he felt her touch on his cheek, her trembling touch, pulling him out of his drowning mental trap.
"Don't blame yourself," Alu murmured, expression unwavering and focused on Dazai.
She didn't blame him. Why would she? Despite her frustrations with his antics, she trusted him. Dazai rarely felt ashamed for anything, but he felt the burning shame prick at his eyes now. If Odasaku were here, he wouldn't have messed up this badly.
Her hand dropped to her side, weakly gripping the sleeve of her injured arm. Dazai hated this. She was trying to make him feel better. She was the one in pain. Unlike Jane Austen who openly complained about a little manhandling, Alu's arm was actually broken, but she was still more concerned with him and how he was coping at a time like this?
Dazai wordlessly picked her up. He was done playing games. "Don't talk," he said, gruff and concerned. Though he looked lean, Dazai was surprisingly strong or maybe Alu was just not that heavy considering her sporadic eating schedule.
Alu breathed hard, but she rested her head against his shoulder. She murmured something but it was inaudible to Dazai. Still he sensed it was her apologizing. She had nothing to be sorry for.
"Don't think I'll let you just walk out of here~!" Nikolai giggled, bouncing around Dazai like a bouncy ball, twirling as Dazai turned to walk out of the room with Alu in his arms.
"If you don't want to die, you will," Dazai glared at Nikolai with such animosity that Nikolai felt weak at the knees. Nikolai's normal smile was frozen to his face, eyes widened with genuine shock and fear, as Dazai's deadly aura alone told the clown that if he touched this man—he really would die.
"Oh my," Nikolai squeaked, as he held up his hands, watching Dazai leave the room. He bounced behind Dazai still, seemingly keeping an eye dutifully on him. Some maids that worked —no doubt— for Jane Austen, rushed into the room once Dazai left, squealing pitifully like noisy piglets over their collapsed mistress.
Dazai normally would have used this opportunity to take Jane hostage, but he refused to let anything or anyone lay another hand on Alu. His jumble of memories didn't have him prepared for this. But, he knew well enough that Odasaku was with Fyodor and this juggernaut clown. Alu's safety however came first. He couldn't risk Fyodor getting Alu when she was this vulnerable.
Moving downstairs, Dazai saw the steampunk woman again. His eyes narrowed. Nikolai casually slid down the banister railing like he was sitting side-saddle, cackling with barely contained glee. "Don't you wanna talk with my boss?" He taunted Dazai, grinning although he knew better than to get anywhere near Dazai.
Dazai's mind was rapidly firing all perspectives, outcomes, and instances at the moment. He was calculating, knowing that his priority was to get Alu somehow to safety before addressing what was going on with Odasaku's rescue. Dazai would have laughed at himself were the situation not so dire. Look at him, putting a girl before his best friend. No, Dazai reasoned. That's not what this was. Alu was someone who proved only time and time again that she wanted to be friends—someone Dazai knew he could rely on even when he didn't deserve it. She would be doing the same thing in his shoes.
Alu gripped his coat weakly, tugging on it with her good arm.
Dazai's eyes flickered. He looked towards the exit but it was blocked off by armed guards and one riled up butler. Dazai refused to admit defeat. He could still think of something. He had to! He… wait, if this was Alu in his position, what would she do? If she had Juubi, no doubt she'd have chucked him somewhere safe. But without the fox, that was out of the question. "Can you use rewrite?" He murmured to her, standing now, flanked on all sides at the foot of the stairs. Everyone kept a good distance from Dazai, but he knew that was only a temporary solution.
"No," Alu panted weakly. "D-Dazai…use me. Use me like you planned to use…Chūya."
"Huh?" Dazai blinked, frowning.
"If you leave me, I'll figure something—"
"Not happening," Dazai huffed, realizing she was asking him to bargain her life in order to allow him to escape unharmed with his own. Honestly, he wasn't so shallow he'd put his own life first in this instance! But wait, wasn't that what he had planned to do with Chūya's own life? Dazai's muddy brown eyes glinted.
His original plan had been to throw Chūya at them and unleash Arahabaki once Odasaku was secured. He figured he'd 'y.o.l.o.' it, and Alu would somehow use her magical 'friendship solves everything' logic to wrap up his plan with a neat little bow. But, that was before he learned she couldn't do anything. Without her power, Alu was just another innocent bystander caught up in the drama of Dazai's life involving Odasaku.
"If you don't learn to value those close to you, then…you really are no different than Ango…"
Dazai thought he had a pretty decent understanding of who he valued. But he had to admit he hadn't thought of the possibility that Alu didn't have power at her disposal. But what if next time, it was Chūya who didn't have power? Would Dazai have thrown away Chūya's life for nothing at that point? He didn't want to be like Ango. Dazai prided himself in being better than Ango when it came to Alu and Odasaku. Those two were the only ones he valued, but.
He'd never stopped to actually consider a time when Chūya's own life could be as fragile as Alu's was currently. Her words made sense in Dazai's distressed mind, but that would mean he actually valued Chūya on a similar level to those two. Ugh.
Once he got out of here he was going to throw himself into a nice crowd of girls and decompress. Caring about others was stressful. Thinking about Chūya was barf. Sure. The guy was useful and occasionally helpful but that was it.
"You don't have a choice," Alu panted, tugging weakly on Dazai's coat, looking up at him, and trying to push herself out of his arms.
"She's right, you know," the steampunk woman hummed, chewing some gum and popping it. "Hand 'er over, and we won't have to riddle your cute lil' ass with bullets." It was clear Japanese was not her first language. This woman, like Austen, was a foreigner.
Dazai pursed his lips.
"Dazai…" Alu wrapped her good arm around Dazai's neck, resting her head against his collarbone, breathing hard. Normally, this kind of positioning would make Dazai feel all kinds of tingles, but it wasn't the time. "Forgive me," Alu whispered, shakily, and Dazai's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Wha—?"
Alu adjusted her body so that her legs touched the ground, Dazai letting go of her from surprise more than anything. His burgundy eyes widened, pupils shrinking, as he was rendered speechless by Alu pressing her lips to his own.
