Wrote this over dinner one night after discovering this anime. I don't own BSD. Enjoy. ~A
Dazai Osamu stared expressionlessly at the hungry red flames devouring his black jacket. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to feel… Apprehension? Fear of stepping into the unknown? Perhaps some remorse? Emotions were always the one thing he could never grasp. How could one understand them when they didn't really know what they felt like? At least not in the way others did.
Dazai blinked smoke from his eyes and looked toward the night sky as rain began to fall lightly on the small, secluded park.
"You always did have a flair for the dramatic," a husky voice chuckled. The ex-Port Mafia executive tensed for a moment before recognition set in. There were very few people who could sneak up on him like that.
He looked down as a slight woman with black hair and crimson eyes seemed to materialize out of the smoke.
"Ashe darling," he said, donning his customary smirk. "Much as I would love to continue our recurrent trysts," Dazai was quite pleased with how his voice deepened rather seductively there, if he did say so himself, "I'm a bit busy at the moment. Can I take a rain check?"
The woman, damn her, simply cocked her head in an almost inhuman gesture and grinned, razor sharp as always. She was the only one who had never been susceptible to his wiles, no matter how hard he tried. It was infuriating.
She chose to ignore his comment, instead answering with a question of her own.
"Are you sure of your decision?" she asked with genuine curiosity.
Dazai paused for a moment in contemplation, how could she have known? He doubted even the members of the mafia would discover his betrayal for at least a few more hours. It was maddening how this mysterious woman always seemed to know everything about him, yet he still knew next to nothing about her. Sometimes the man wondered if he had gone mad and she was simply a figment of his imagination, his psyche's way of giving him an equal both physically and mentally. Though Dazai supposed the scars he bore from those deliciously sharp canines would be hard to explain if she wasn't actually made of flesh and bone…
The lithe man broke out of his reverie and realized she was still watching him expectantly. He shrugged, seeing no point in lying, not to her.
"Not really," he said, turning shadowed brown eyes to the smoldering remains of his jacket. "But I figured it's the least I can do, honoring his last wish." He felt a twinge of… something in his chest, an unnameable pain he was not accustomed to, at the mention of Odasaku. Perhaps this is what grief is supposed to feel like?
He shrugged away the strange stabbing in his chest and focused on the enigmatic woman before him, meeting those soulless red eyes with his own before grinning ruefully.
"It seems rather rude to say your goodbyes on the same night my whole life comes crashing down around my ears," the ex-mafia exec said playfully. Though much to Dazai's own surprise, he actually was slightly miffed about it. How would he be able to decipher this enigma of a woman if he never saw her again?
Said woman smiled, softer than usual, and stepped around the smoking trash can. She came so close that Dazai could smell that familiar scent of woodsmoke and wildflowers and feel her breasts lightly brush against his chest. A small thrill ran through his body as he studied her angular features, now outlined almost angelically in a silver mist from rain. The man found this rather ironic, seeing as he knew the demon that lurked behind those eyes.
Finally, the silence was broken. "While I admire your determination to honor your friend's final wish, I am afraid it will take you on a path I cannot follow."
Was he imagining things or was that a hint of sadness in her eyes?
"Although it is true I came to say goodbye," Ashe continued softly, "I also wish to give you a gift."
Dazai cocked his head curiously. A gift? This was unexpected, perhaps he would even be able to glean some information about her from it.
"While I appreciate the sentiment," the ex-mafia executive stated, rather perplexed,
"You never struck me as the type of girl to go around handing out tokens of your affection to be remembered by."
The raven haired woman chuckled before reaching into her pocket and pulling out… A necklace? She lifted the chain from which a clear vial dangled, "May I?"
Dazai bowed his head, a bit wary, and allowed her to put it around his neck. Once placed, he picked up the vial and carefully examined the contents. While hard to make out in the dim light, it seemed to contain a silvery wisp of smoke dancing within the confines of the container. He watched it for a few moments, mesmerized, before glancing up to meet those blood red eyes.
He opened his mouth to speak but she stopped him with a finger over his lips, giving a softened version of her trademark razor grin. Dazai raised an eyebrow quizzically.
"When you are in dire need of the darkness you wish to leave behind," she said softly, moving her hand to cup the ex-mafia member's cheek, "break it and I will come."
Dazai stood speechless for a moment, which was quite a rare occurrence. He could think of a million ways to use this against her, why would she trust him? Especially as she had not even trusted him with her real name… No one named their child Ashe.
"Now," she said, seeming to read his train of thought. "I trust you know if you misuse this I will make your death most unpleasant." The man found her voice a little too cheery for his liking, that razor sharpness returning in full force.
Dazai cringed inwardly and halted his scheming. While he was all for dying, he would much rather it be peaceful and most importantly, painless. Whether or not she would actually be able to kill him was debatable, but at this point in time it was a risk he was not willing to take.
The man cupped her angular features before brushing a tender kiss across her smoky lips one last time. As he pulled away a hundred snide comments ran though his mind, though after a moment he thought better of it.
Instead, he gave his trademark smirk and simply thanked the woman with a sincerity that surprised even himself. Now, the only thing that could make this even better was if could convince her to participate in a double suicide with him…
Dazai was pulled from his fantasy of the glorious double suicide they could commit together when she took a step back. As the slight woman moved further away he was vaguely surprised to feel a chill settle around his heart, it almost felt like… loneliness? Ashe was the final connection he had to the shadows of his previous life, shadows that were quickly withdrawing with her. Dazai was disconcerted to find their absence left him feeling rather exposed.
"Farewell, Dazai," Ashe said with a small smile. Something unreadable flashed through her eyes and her smile sharpened. "May fair winds and following seas guide you on your journey."
Dazai didn't have time to process that odd statement before a bolt of lightning shattered the sky, ruining his night vision. By the time the spots finally cleared she was gone, dissipated like the smoke that seeped from the remains of his jacket.
The ex-Port Mafia executive huffed before turning and melting into the night, a smirk twisting his otherwise serene features. She had given him a clue and he fully intended to exploit it, just not now seeing as the entire port mafia was on his tail. The night was still young and there was much to do if Dazai wished to see the sunrise.
