Vol. 6
Ch. 10
In Blood That Churns Like Oil And Water A Simple Question Sparks A Flame
Warm. It was warm. Soft. Alu's arm no longer twinged in pain. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, silk sheets she'd been tucked into with care sliding off of her shoulders as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes, and realized she was using both hands, completely normally. With a frown, she looked at her injured arm and found it was no longer in pain—it was completely healed.
Juubi? Had Juubi managed to do this? Alu missed that grumpy fox. She tried to sense if he was there but was disappointed to sense nothing still in their connection. Alu's heart sank. She missed that fox and his cocky attitude. He was a major complainer but she could rely on him to fight by her side. "I miss you," she whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. "…Dumb fox…"
Looking around the room after her momentary spell of depression, Alu took in her surroundings in full. She was in a nice bedroom, with a table, loveseat, big windows with long curtains, and the bed she was in had curtains on all sides of it, itself, like a veil that would allow her to see shadows moving but otherwise the cloth was too tightly woven to be completely see through. Alu didn't actually even know how long she'd been asleep. It looked like it was evening however.
There was a knock on her door and it opened up, with the steam punk woman from before poking her head inside. "Great, you're awake," she said.
Alu eyed the woman. She looked to be in her twenty's maybe early thirties. Alu couldn't shake the feeling she knew this woman from somewhere. Charley's gang popped into her mind and she frowned, trying to remember those elusive details memories tended to jumble. This woman knew Ryou. That much Alu gathered. However, Alu felt like there was more to it than that but she couldn't figure out what. It was frustrating. She was someone who was clearly plotting something with Ryou though and that made Alu uneasy.
"Who are you?" Alu asked, wary.
"Ah, we didn't really introduce ourselves before, huh?" The woman thoughtfully mused out loud. "I know all about you. Oh and I'm the one that healed your arm, so you're welcome!"
Alu continued to gaze at her, but was frustrated again by her jumble of information. Feeling a headache begin to develop as a result of her efforts, Alu got out of the bed, just trying to assess her surroundings. "Thanks, I guess," she said, in regards to her arm being healed. She waited for the other person to state their name.
Steampunk woman smiled. "Azuki, pleasure to meet you," she put her hands on her hips. "Now, go ahead and get dressed for dinner!"
Alu looked at the woman with disbelief. "Dinner?"
"Dostoevsky would like to dine with you," Azuki shrugged, explaining. "I'd suggest you not make a fuss about it!"
Alu groaned inwardly. While the thought of food sounded great, the company was less motivating. "Ugh, this is annoying," she grimaced, going over to the couch where she saw the clothes she was meant to wear, laid out for her. "I need to talk to Odasaku," Alu said, frustrated.
"And you will, this evening, at dinner," Azuki brightly stated.
Alu wrinkled her nose, borrowing one of Elise's pug expressions of disgust. "But a dress? What am I going to, a tea party?" she quipped, irritated. "No thanks, I'll go as is," she complained.
"If you don't dress up, then you won't be able to see Odasaku for a month," the other woman deadpanned. "There's another guest here who is keen to procure that man for a bit, and Fyodor knows you would want to see him before he leaves with this other man," she brightly added.
Alu grabbed the dress immediately. "Great, I'll get ready," she griped, knowing that her hands were tied on this matter. She was going to make that Russian man eat his stupid fuzzy white hat.
—x—
"Put on the blind fold yourself," Dazai taunted the clown who stood now, in his little torture chamber. Dazai was still attached to the wall but the clown had made an interesting proposition. It certainly hadn't been one Dazai was expecting. Apparently if he was to blindfold himself, Nikolai would undo the cuffs and reveal a certain 'surprise' Fyodor had for Dazai. As kinky as that sounded, Dazai politely declined with a debonair smirk. Riling up people was far more fun than complicity. Besides, he knew that Odasaku was safe, because he would have sensed something—either through that fox girl or just within himself, if something had happened to Odasaku.
"But it's more fun if you do it yourself," Nikolai complained. "Besides you'll just grab my wrist anyways and null my ability, or try to squish me!"
"You actually have something other than red balloons floating around in that cranium of yours after all?" Dazai asked, colored impressed.
"Rude," Nikolai huffed. "Now as I said, Fyo~ has a surprise for you, but you have to put on the blindfold first!" He pouted.
"Don't wanna," Dazai complained.
Nikolai huffed finally, and throwing caution to the wind, he came over and he gripped Dazai's head so Dazai was forced to look at him. The glare he gave Dazai was different from his normal bubbly attitude. Dazai wondered if this stupid clown was actually angry? "What does he even see in you?"
Dazai blinked, puzzled by the sudden random shift in the conversation. The serious toned clown was making this more awkward to say the least. "Hm? What? Jealous?" He taunted the clown.
"If I hurt you, I wonder if it'll make him notice me…" Nikolai mused out loud and he shifted so Dazai couldn't kick him, placing a knee in between Dazai's legs and planting his hands on either side of Dazai's sides, against the wall. "There are other ways to break you~"
Dazai twitched inwardly. Oh great,this clown was actually jealous. But of what? Did he actually think Dazai and Fyodor had a thing going on? Hell no. Dazai just liked to troll the little Russian rat. This idiot is dumb as bricks… "Don't I get a safe word?" Dazai cheekily replied, still half-grimacing at the other man's delusional advance.
"Depends," Dazai found his eyes covered by the blindfold anyhow, as Nikolai secured it around his face. "Anyhow, you're ready for Fyodor now," he stepped back, contemplatively. Dazai felt both a rush of exhilaration at the danger of not being able to see anything and not knowing what fun painful torture Fyodor had cooked up, and the annoying fact that he didn't like pain colliding at the same time.
"Ah, you should know, I don't like pain~" Dazai said, honestly, grimacing.
"And yet, you look rather excited," Fyodor's voice reached Dazai's ears.
Dazai paused. When had he come in? Dazai hadn't heard him even enter. Dazai smiled, and begin to jiggle like jelly. "Oh, Fyo-yo, you're finally here, I've been waiting with baited breath for you!" Dazai put on his most terrible jigolo impression he could muster.
Fyodor sighed. "You're plenty energetic." He sounded a bit put off.
"My body is a temple so be gentle, whatever you choose to do ~ I was thinking my safe word could be "Dostoy"~" Dazai continued to hyper babble, hoping it'd alienate the actually extremely socially awkward anemic man more.
Nikolai actually called Fyodor 'Dostoy' as a form of endearment and was not pleased Dazai had somehow constructed that to be his safe word.
"You leave him alone for a few hours and this is what he's reduced to," Fyodor sighed, speaking to Nikolai, Dazai presumed.
"Dazai, are you hurt?" Odasaku touched Dazai's face suddenly and Dazai nearly shed his skin from shock. He was still blindfolded but the terrible realization that he had just prostrated himself in front of the enemy in front of Odasaku—of all people— was truly humiliating.
Wait, was this the surprise Nikolai had been talking about?
Dazai felt the blindfold come off, and came face to face with the one person he definitely didn't want to feel embarrassed in front of. Odasaku felt Dazai's forehead and cheeks with the back of his hand, worried. "You feel warm," he glared at Fyodor and Nikolai, sort of stepping between them and Dazai, protective of his friend. "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing, he was born an idiot," Fyodor deadpanned.
Dazai internally screamed. What was Odasaku doing right here? He was thrilled to see him—and he looked alright except for his hand which was bandaged, but seriously. Dazai was going to murder the clown to feel better about his embarrassment. "I'm fine," Dazai said beaming at Odasaku, "My pride is completely shot but I think that's what Fyo-Chan here was going for!"
Odasaku was worried. "But you're not hurt or anything?"
Dazai appreciated how Odasaku was so easy to let things roll off of himself. He was someone who had always put up with Dazai's antics. At least Odasaku didn't judge him too much. "Nope! Got a bomb implanted in my neck though," Dazai giggled brightly.
Odasaku's expression shifted to horror and Dazai realized he probably shouldn't have said that from the way Odasaku looked so upset.
"What? There's no bomb," Fyodor deadpanned, glancing to Nikolai with a genuine frown.
Odasaku and Dazai exchanged a glance. They could both read people pretty well, and Fyodor didn't actually look like he was acting here. "Eh~ if we put a bomb in his neck and he actually died, then our entertainment would end too quickly," Nikolai brightly explained to clarify.
"That woman said you did," Dazai feigned disappointment, pouting. Or maybe a part of him was actually disappointed. Drat.
"You mean ZuZu?" Nikolai frowned.
"….ZuZu?" Dazai repeated, finding that name oddly intriguing and weird. It totally fit that quick-witted woman. He smirked darkly. Oh finally he had a pet name for her.
"She does have a morbid sense of humor," Nikolai glanced at Fyodor. "Speaking of which, it's almost time~"
"Time for what?" Dazai glanced at Odasaku to see if he had any more clue than he did as to what was going on within the funhouse of this clown's brain.
"Fyodor wants us to eat dinner with him," Odasaku sighed, frowning.
"Oh like a double-date?" Dazai teased Fyodor. He still remembered Alu's teasing about Fyodor and Nikolai being a ship and felt the need to capitalize on making the Russian man as uncomfortable as possible at the connotation. "Should I start calling your little ship with the clown, 'Happy Happy Fyo~ Go~Go~ Squad?"
Nikolai looked aghast that Dazai was on the same wavelength as him in that regard. Fyodor grimace smiled. He wanted to clobber both of these morons.
"That implies Odasaku is yours," Fyodor countered, cheekily.
Dazai blinked but then just giggled again. He was already maxed on the embarrassment front from earlier, so this barely phased him, especially since he knew that Odasaku wouldn't take him seriously when it came to something like romance. "I~ saw him first~ so you~ can't have him!" He brattily sing-song sang to the Russian.
Odasaku just looked at his friend like he was cracked but then again, this was Dazai. Odasaku sighed inwardly. "Nikolai isn't the one joining us for dinner, Dazai," Odasaku interjected, hoping to reign in some of Dazai's hyperactivity before it compromised things further with the Russian man.
"Tch, I don't care whose joining," Dazai frowned, as Odasaku began to undo Dazai's restraints. Odasaku's eyes flickered with momentary surprise as he undid them, but he masked it well, pulling back after a moment to let Dazai rub his wrists, finally freed from his restraints. Dazai was thinking of a plan on the spot, naturally but his gaze met Odasaku's and his heart nearly plummeted. Odasaku was silently telling him to cooperate. What frustrated Dazai even more was the uncanny similarity he shared with Alu in that moment, gazing at Dazai. Odasaku didn't want to be saved. Dammit, Dazai was done with the drama and the self-sacrifice bullshit. But this was Odasaku. And at least, Dazai had a chance to see him again.
Dazai's heart felt like it was painfully twisting in his gut. If he had been kidnapped to the extent like Kōsuke had been… would Odasaku even care as much? Odasaku put so much into caring for those orphans, that it honestly felt to Dazai like his friend really did value them more than he valued Dazai. Dazai loathed himself inwardly for the negative thoughts that bubbled and burned in his mind like grease on a hot stove. He was here to get Odasaku out, consequences be damned. Dazai knew Kōsuke wasn't here.
But what about Alu?
Dazai knew his recklessness had put her in danger, but what he didn't understand is why she had already been so prepared with a deal with Fyodor to spare Dazai his life. "I'm not going anywhere until I know more about this deal you struck with Alu," he coldly smiled, glaring at Fyodor.
Odasaku also wanted to know the details, and he glanced at Fyodor, quietly.
Fyodor blinked and shrugged, finally. "I'll tell you both what you want to know at dinner," he brightly hummed. "Nikolai, have Yari let us go to the dining room," he ordered, unperturbed with his hostile company.
Nikolai saluted and the portal opened up a moment later, after Nikolai tapped an earpiece in his right ear. Odasaku glanced at Dazai but they just followed Fyodor and Nikolai through the portal, ending up instead in a dining room that looked more like a ballroom than anything. Dazai whistled. "Well, now I just feel underdressed," he complained.
He turned to make a quip to Odasaku but noted how Odasaku looked different than before. No, this was different from even what happened with Kōsuke in the previous timeline. Odasaku was frozen, staring ahead, but his eyes looked panicked and empty, like he was struggling to get a lighter low on oil to flick out a weak flame. Dazai's gaze wandered, to see a man seated at the dining table already, sipping a cup of tea. The table was set with what looked to be a steak dinner for all the places set. There was one more place setting next to the man, to his left.
The head of the table placement was no doubt for Fyodor. But the man was clearly someone who upset Odasaku to be in the same vicinity of. Dazai was both curious and more wary at the same time, now for his friend's mental health. Who was that man? Dazai didn't think it prudent to voice an assumption since he needed to wait and gather more evidence, but he already had a hunch. This person was clearly someone from Odasaku's past—someone Odasaku clearly desperately wanted to cut out completely. The way Odasaku looked was, admittedly, a little haunting.
Dazai knew that kind of expression. That was the expression he'd made when he chose to cut himself off from Mori over Odasaku's death in the original timeline. This man had clearly betrayed Odasaku in some way, but what had happened in the past between those two? Tch, Dazai would not have minded having Alu' backstory magic ability right about now.
"Dazai, you and Odasaku may sit next to each other," Fyodor said, already taking his seat at the head of the table, Nikolai pulling out the seat for him like a butler—or a doting husband for a wife.
Well, Dazai certainly knew who wore the pants in that relationship. His lip curled to make another quip to try to alleviate some of the tension, somehow, when Odasaku finally spoke.
"No."
Dazai paused.
So did the others, gazing at Odasaku, who stood, fists clenched, his freshly bandaged hand already clenched into a bloody fist, once again. "Oda, where are your manners?" The older man said, scoldingly, like Odasaku was a mere child.
Odasaku grit his teeth. "May I sit next to you instead…" he said it like he was being drowned in the process, but he got it mustered out regardless.
The man gazed at Odasaku over his tea, and let out a sigh of exasperation. "May I…?" He taunted Odasaku.
Dazai actually wanted to punch him in his smug face. No one was allowed to make Odasaku look so pained but then Dazai inwardly realized that he had done the same thing before—-was he really one to talk? Before the fight, sure, Dazai whole-heartedly would have beaten up anyone who would upset his friend, but now that he had done the same thing, did he actually even deserve to try to act like his relationship with Odasaku was still as friends?
"Sir…" Odasaku forced it out.
That's when Dazai realized. That seat setting next to the old man must be for Alu. There was no other reason Odasaku would randomly get so damn protective despite everything. But Alu's arm was broken—she was injured….right?
"I suppose," the man sighed. "I was looking forward to conversing with that pretty little thing on my arm," he huffed, waving his hand dismissively.
Both Dazai and Odasaku collectively wanted to beat him up. Fyodor merely smiled. "I do want to remind you all that she is not the one on this evening's menu," he daintily interjected, but his gaze was mostly set on the old man.
Odasaku wordlessly moved to sit next to the man when suddenly, Dazai zipped over, already seating himself next to the older man who looked taken aback, momentarily, by Dazai's bright illuminating sadistic smile. "I can be pretty fun company, myself~ you can say I'm pretty~ though I'm anything but 'little'," he smirked.
"Oh, and who might you be?" The older man asked, glaring at Dazai, although he wasn't a fool. This kid's eyes looked like he worked in a shady organization and found pleasure in the torment of others.
"Osamu," Dazai said, beaming at him. "But if we have any actual chemistry, you can call me ~Dazai~ later tonight!"
Odasaku pursed his lips, because despite everything, his friend always knew how to cut the tension with his ridiculous antics. The fact that Dazai could put off this man was a small consolation to Odasaku. But, at the same time, Odasaku knew what this man was capable of. "Dazai, don't, he may actually take you up on that," he found himself saying, trying to warn Dazai but also sounding exasperated.
"Eh? Really?" Dazai sparkled at the older man. "This rich old man likes to touch innocent little boys?"
Everyone in that room knew that Dazai was anything but innocent.
Nikolai giggled, enjoying the show. "Gentlemen, please have a seat!" He said loudly, aware that Fyodor was growing a little impatient.
Odasaku didn't know how he felt about Dazai sitting next to that person, but he was relieved that it meant Alu wouldn't be. He took a seat opposite the older man, on Fyodor's right side. Fyodor sat at the head of the table, now with Odasaku and the old man flanking him on either side. Nikolai remained standing by Fyodor's seat. This left a spot open next to Odasaku's right side, across from Dazai. Odasaku still felt incredibly unsettled, but having Dazai there was comforting.
"I've arrived with her," the woman, Azuki declared loudly, gesturing to the entryway of the dining room. The others looked up, in that direction. Nothing happened.
The woman blinked. Then she went out of the room. There was the sound of muffled conversation. Finally, Azuki re-entered, holding Alu by the wrist. Odasaku couldn't help but stare. Alu was wearing a red evening gown, dark stockings, with heels. Her hair was done up with a flower pin. Red earrings dangled from her ears, hair tucked around and framing her face. Her face still had a minimal amount of makeup, but what it did have brought out her honey-brown eyes, and her lips were a shade that would make even rouge blush.
Dazai watched Odasaku's tussle of cowlicks quiver, while staring at her. It was rare for Dazai to see Odasaku taken in by the appearance of a pretty face. Usually Odasaku would just shrug or ignore Dazai's attempts in the past to 'hook' him up and play wingman.
But, as Dazai's eyes just wandered to fixate on Alu as well, he couldn't help but acknowledge that she was stunning. He tried to remind himself that she was under eighteen. It was difficult but honestly that was probably the only thing stopping his brain from going five different ways about this.
Odasaku glanced at Dazai's reaction, curious, and saw an expression he rarely saw normally— genuine surprise. Dazai looked momentarily transfixed.
Dazai was to say the least, surprised but he knew Alu cleaned up well. She looked fine actually without any makeup, and she was one of those rare women that openly objected to using makeup to hide behind. Alu wasn't against people that wore makeup, but she just had her own preferences and while there were those that used makeup to hide their insecurities, she preferred to not hide hers behind foundation. Of course, Dazai liked strong women who wore makeup because makeup was a tool to make one feel powerful and confident too, but he had to admit, he hadn't expected Alu to have somehow been convinced to play dress up.
"At least let me wipe the makeup off!" Alu hissed at Azuki, complaining loudly.
"Stop being a baby, you look great!" Azuki countered, dragging Alu over to the table where the men were sitting.
"Who ya calling a baby!" Alu wrenched her wrist free of Azuki's grasp and her vision focused in on Fyodor, who was gazing at her, over his interlaced fingers, casually. "And you!"
She awkwardly lifted her dress a little so it would be easier to walk, and stomped over to where Fyodor was sitting with Odasaku and the others. "Me?" Fyodor asked, bemused.
"How about if you make me get all dressed up for your little dick party, you wear some makeup too, huh?" She pointed a finger at him. "Why am I the only one who had to get dressed up!"
Fyodor blinked, and smiled, honestly enjoying the view. He did have his reasons for having her get dressed up. He wanted to show her off in front of Dazai after all as the trophy he had won.
The older man cleared his throat and spoke, eyeing Alu like she was delicious eye candy. "Fair young Lady, do not be distressed, for I too, am dressed up for this occasion to meet you," he was clearly flirting and Alu felt the d instinct feeling of wanting to take her heel and bash it in his brain just then.
"Ew, gross," she deadpanned, glaring at him now. "Who the hell are you?"
"Ah, manners, we are all here to be civil," Fyodor chastised her lightly, honestly amused at her attitude.
Odasaku didn't want the older man to touch Alu—much less look at her in a perverse manner like he was just then. Odasaku trembled, finding that his voice was somehow lost to him once again. When Odasaku found his voice was on hiatus, Dazai spoke, reminding Odasaku that he wasn't alone. When his voice was having trouble, he could count on his friends to speak up. "Fyodor, she has a good point—- why aren't you in a dress?" he teased the Russian man, with a dark grin.
Fyodor ignored him, and gestured to Alu's place at the table. "Please, sit."
Alu huffed but plopped down in her chair in the most unladylike fashion, putting her elbows on the table and glaring at Fyodor unapologetically. Odasaku was glad to see that at least his friends were acting…normal. Yeah, Odasaku couldn't explain it, but seeing Dazai and Alu behaving like this, actually made him feel incredibly relieved.
This observation of relief on Odasaku's face did not go unnoticed by the older man, who only became more intrigued by these two people seemingly important to him. He gazed at the young woman now in front of him, fascinated, as he sensed there was more to her worth than may first appear. "You are Miss Alu, I take it?" He said, gazing at Alu.
"You know about me, but I don't know you, who are you?" Alu said, forgoing any polite formality. She just looked at him, with a frown. Alu sensed Odasaku was distressed by this man's presence. What was bothering her though was the fact that despite her link to Juubi still being obscured, she could somehow sense the negativity that was hanging around Odasaku in the presence of this other man. Alu stared at the older man, wishing she could gather more information utilizing Juubi but knowing she was on her own for the time being.
"I should introduce myself now that you're here," the older man's waxy tone made it evident that he was not someone easily perturbed. "My name is Oda Shinobu, the pleasure is mine," he said, holding out his hand for Alu to shake across the table.
Alu and Dazai both gazed at this man as silent. Their suspicions were confirmed. "You didn't answer my question," Alu said, tilting her head at the man.
"Oh? I suppose to be more precise, I am Sakunosuke's father," the man clarified.
"Heh," Alu gazed at the outstretched hand, before she leaned towards, extending her own hand forwards as she spoke. Her honey brown eyes looked faintly dark and her tone was both sickeningly sweet and immediately serious and sharp at the same time. "You can lie to yourself, and you can lie to everyone else, but you can't lie to me. His father? What a joke."
