#But no they all they make is Chuuya and Dazai | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ashleyh713fanfics · 1 day ago

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Dazai X Odasaku's Little Sister Ch23

(PSA: This story contains an original character. That being said, it also has relationship building along with real life development and character studies. If that interests you please don’t let that deter you from reading. It’s worth it, I promise)

Chapter 23: "Vulnerability is a Death Sentence"

Summary: As Odasaku's little sister helps out with the Flags mission, and Chuuya has to form an unwillingly partnership with her, where he finds out perhaps she's not exactly heartless like Dazai after all. In fact, they may be more similar then they originally though. But for a boy like Chuuya who has only known betrayal, trusting another would seem impossible.

(This chapter is for the Chuuya stans. I hope I represented you well 🫡)

Warnings: pm!sixteen year old chuuya, manipulation, small bit of stabbing, talks of Odasaku's death, grumpy angry chuuya for real here, chuuya is suffering and we all love it (poor boy), distrustful Chuuya, mentions of killing and assassins, murder, morally grey complex characters, self destruction.

(This is chapter twenty-three of my fanfic "Timeless" which is now on A03. I'll link the master list below so you can get the full story. Asagao's ability is to stop time for up to six seconds.)

Master List Here- To Start from Ch1 <3

A03 Here

Work Count: 10k

Chapter 23:

"Vulnerability is a Death Sentence"

(One Year Ago)

Chuuya: Age Fifteen

Soul Searching.

That’s what Shirase, a member of the Sheep said, that they did some “soul searching” before he plunged a rat poison soaked knife into Chuuya’s side with the intent of murder. The very organization that those kids called their leader, their King, betrayed him without a second thought.

All because of one job he did with their enemies, the port mafia.

He managed to get away, clutching his side as he pulled the knife free from his body before leaning his head against the bottom of the cliff in shame and internal pain.

Hearing the faint shouts of a kid he used to trust with his life command to go after him, Chuuya closed his eyes, willing away the reality of the situation. “Go get him right out! He may be weakened by the poison but it won’t be enough to kill him! Finish the job!”

Shirase. He could hear the anger, the disgust in his voice even from here. His own army, his makeshift family he thought he had, treating him like an enemy.

The deception was still fresh on his tongue, cutting through his soul with his own self shame. Why the hell did he even trust them to begin with? The people that took him in and gave him a makeshift home, they tore it out from under him without a second thought.

Perhaps he deserved it, perhaps this was always going to be the outcome. Chuuya allowed the toxic idea to play inside his mind and torment him, making the wound to his side hurt more with each self-deprecating thought.

They saw him as weak, as disposable, and maybe he was. For a boy with no memory before the age of seven, a boy that couldn’t even dream or understand such simple concepts like bread without being taught, a boy that didn’t even know if he was human..

Maybe he deserved this.

And yet he fought, he screamed and yelled with all his might against the idea because the reality of any of that being true was something that Chuuya could not accept.

They wanted to dispose of him? Then they’d have a hell of a fight.

And then, like a nightmare, he appeared.

Dazai Osamu.

A devil in sheep's clothing, a demon in the form of man, acting like some sort of savior even though he was the one that set everything up from the beginning. He planted the seeds of doubt into the Sheep, he was the one that caused all of this to turn into motion.

A joke, a goddamn joke, that’s what he felt like, a pawn in a game he didn’t even know he was playing. He was always a joke, first with The Sheep and now with the Demon Prodigy.

That bastard, he hated him more than anything, but he had no choice, he had to reach out his hand to the boy, for that was his only option, and from the sick grin on his lips, Dazai knew that too.

Easily manipulated. Easily played.

Dazai hummed absentmindedly, his eyes sharp like a hawk. “You know, now that the GSS and the Sheep have formed an alliance, we have to shut them down. If I do my job, by noon today they’ll all be dead.”

Widening his eyes, Chuuya immediately felt his ability activate, the red glow around him an ominous promise. “You’d really hurt all those kids?”

What a goddamn idiot he thought himself to be. They had just outwardly expressed their desire to murder him and yet the idea of all those kids being massacred by the port mafia’s hands left him with a feeling he couldn’t bear.

He felt pathetic, utterly pathetic as Dazai shrugged at the idea of killing kids. “Our policy never changes. That said, if someone on my team made that suggestion for me not to go through with it, I would take that under advisement.”

And there it was, like a pit in his stomach, the final piece, the checkmate.

A hot ball of anger coursed through Chuuya’s throat as it all became clear. So that’s how it is. It was all for this moment.

So he could be manipulated to join the port mafia.

Narrowing his eyes at the banaged bastard, Chuuya weighed his options, the ones he knew he didn’t actually have. He wanted so badly to tell Dazai and those port mafia bastards to shove it. He wanted to not play into their hands just for the sole purpose of proving something.

But somewhere deep down he knew he couldn’t. Although The Sheep had abandoned him, left him for dead, he still didn’t have the heart to turn the other cheek while the port mafia murdered them all.

He cursed himself for not being as heartless as Dazai, for not allowing himself to just say screw them and die as a giant middle finger to their efforts.

But whether human or not, whether a blessing or a curse, he couldn’t do it. “Just don’t kill the children.”

Lifting his head, Chuuya sealed his fate, but with that came a deep rooted distrust that he would hold deep for the rest of his life.

He would not allow himself to be played in such a way again, he would not let his heart be laid open only for people like the Demon Prodigy to crush it between his fingers.

That’s right, he would fight and scream and curse but he would never trust again.

Because who would want to even care for something like him? Surely they would all lie, like Dazai, and like the Sheep.

No, he’d never fall for it again.

That damn son of a bitch, if that’s how you want to play it. I’m in.

-----

(Present Day)

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Chuuya made his way down the dark Yokohama streets as he shook away bad memories he would like to forget. They needed to focus. Someone was murdering port mafia members and it was their job to stop it. That’s all that mattered now.

He then glanced behind him only to mentally groan at the reminder of Dazai’s girlfriend following behind them, a slight skip to her step like she was going to a colorful kids birthday party and not a possible murder scene.

That girl, he couldn’t get over her, she was a certified nutcase. He didn’t trust her, not one bit. He had learned better after all, ready for her to stab him in the back at any second of the day. A means to an end, that’s what he has to keep telling himself.

He’d use her and then he’d never see her again.

Besides, what the hell was she talking about, wanting to be his friend so badly? There’s no way he’d want someone certifiably insane like her so close. That was a death sentence waiting to happen. She was playing him, she had to be.

There was no way she was actually serious about such a ridiculous thing.

Meanwhile, Iceman was having another problem, the man not having broken his eyes from the small auburn haired dorky looking girl since they left the base. There was still something about her he didn’t like, and although she hid it well, he was going to find out soon enough.

Because if she was a threat to his colleagues then he would do something about it.

And that was a promise.

He then paused when Asagao’s voice rang out next to him, a calm smile on her lips. “Iceman, right? I can see why they call you that. I can feel the cold chill from here haha.”

The man narrows his eyes before replying. “You knew I was watching you..”

Asa shrugs her shoulders. “A bit yeah. Am I really that fascinating?”

She downplayed it but her response only made him even more suspicious. He was being subtle about profiling her and yet she noticed so quickly. She was smarter than she led on, and that was a dangerous sentiment.

Iceman frowns at the idea. “You’re hiding something and I’m gonna find out what it is.”

He watched her reaction, to see him there is any unease there but she simply laughs, like it’s a funny joke. “Ah, well aren’t we all hiding something? I mean you’re an assassin right? I bet you got all sorts of skeletons in your closet, yeah?”

She wasn’t denying it, How odd. “I suppose.”

Asagao smiles at that, nodding in step with him. “I knew it! I bet you have a lot of nasty kills under your belt huh?”

Iceman raises an eye at that. “You don’t seem bothered by that..”

Asa laughs in reply. “Why should I be? It’s just your job.”

The man paused at the notion. While yes that’s true, the idea that this sixteen year old kid was just laughing off the idea of murder was not normal. Usually someone would steer away from those kinds of topics but not only was she encouraging it, she was bringing it up.

Tilting her head, the kid pauses in naive confusion. “Hm? Did I say something wrong?”

Iceman then took a breath before approaching the topic carefully. “Not many young girls have that kind of mindset, not many people for that matter. You’re not disturbed at all at the idea of me being an assassin?”

Asagao turns silent for a moment, her eyes screwing together in a complex thought like she couldn’t understand his words. “Mm they don’t? How odd. I don’t see why it would disturb them. It’s just orders after all. You get told what target to kill and then you do it? Seems simple to me.”

Iceman stops walking at that, his eyes widening in shock at what she casually just said. “Just orders? I’m taking people’s lives.”

She only nods in reply, not understanding the gravity of the situation at all. “Yeah, I know that. But it’s nothing personal. Just orders. An indifference.”

An indifference? Was she serious? Perhaps in simple terms it was that black and white but nothing was that simple. He may be an assassin but the act of ending another person wasn’t anything like she was saying.

Yes he had orders and yes he carried them out but with each life there was a sort of guilt, the humanity in him, never able to fully detach from the depravity from the action. He did it anyway but to be completely void of emotion when pulling that trigger, that was a kind of heartlessness he wasn’t able to achieve.

Regardless of who they were or how evil or innocent they were, they were still people and ignoring that felt like a disservice to the trigger he pulled each and every time. Killing was anything but simple, and yet she was speaking about it like she was talking about the weather.

Just who in the hell was this kid that Chuuya found?

Iceman then felt his next words form without permission. “You’ve killed before.”

It was a statement, something he had no proof of and yet somehow wholeheartedly believed. The assassin in him was screaming it from the very depths of his lungs. This little girl had seen darkness, and perhaps had also created it as well.

Asagao pauses at that, looking back at where Iceman had stopped walking, a look in her eyes under the dorky glasses she wears that is absolutely unreadable. She doesn’t answer his question but she doesn’t need to, the way the air shifts is enough of an answer in itself.

Something hidden behind those glasses, something lurking just under the happy go lucky persona she puts on for everyone else. Iceman could see it, better than anyone else.

A thinly veiled danger under the surface.

He opened his mouth to confront it when Chuuya’s phone rings, causing everyone to turn to look only to watch the young ginger boy's face grow pale before hanging up and shouting. “That was Doc, he said to hurry to the wharf, there was an ambush regarding the jewel trade!”

That caused everyone to immediately pick up the pace, forgetting any previous conversation as they rushed to the scene only for Chuuya to see Asagao bumping into random people due to their retreating figures and her unreliable off prescription glasses.

Oh for the love of..

Groaning in annoyance, the boy doubled back before grabbing her hand to pull her along with them. She was such a pain the ass, unable to not be a disaster without his help all the damn time. “We don’t have time for this, let’s go!”

Asa squeaks as Chuuya pulls her along the streets of Yokohama, trying to keep up with him as she silently thanks the boy for not leaving her to get lost by herself.

They reach the wharf in record time, as they see Doc is waiting for them outside the large warehouse doors, eying Asa with interest. “Oh? Who’s the new kid?”

Chuuya brushes the introduction away though. “Not important, what happened?”

Doc then glances inside before leaning against the warehouse doors. “See for yourself, but I’d brace yourself. It isn’t pretty, even for me.”

Pushing open the warehouse doors, the Flags all freeze at the sight before them. Bodies, dozens of dead bodies face down on the cold cement floor, all of them lower level port mafia members.

The smell of iron is prevalent, causing Chuuya to clench his fists. No one dares speak, all of them too stunned by the scene to say anything.

All of them, except Asa that is, the girl not having the same reaction in the silentest as she whistles. “Damn, someone got busy in here.That’s gotta be like two dozen bodies.”

Everyone blinks in disbelief before turning to Asagao only to find her completely unbothered by the marassace. In fact, she seemed almost, impressed? But that couldn't be. This was a horrible horrific scene, who would be impressed by this?

Asagao seemed to notice the staring, pausing as she looked behind her in confusion before turning back to them. “What? What are you staring at?”

They all turn to each other again silently. Did she seriously not think anything was wrong with her reaction? Nothing at all? They couldn’t believe it.

Chuuya groans, walking past the psychotic girl with a mutter. “Ignore her, she’s fucking insane. We have to figure out who did this.”

Shaking out of their thoughts, the Flags nod before stepping inside the warehouse for clues, Iceman watching Asa very carefully as she casually strolls through the bodies like she was taking a walk through a park or something.

It was like she had no reaction to death at all, like she didn’t possess it. How strange.

Asagao looks down at the bodies carefully, cataloging the manner of their death before she hums. “These kills are personal. Stab wounds, choking, they wanted it to hurt. Hey guys, what kinda enemies do you have around here?”

The girl then notices something next to the body and slips it into her pocket with a hum.

Lippman only snorts though. “What kind of enemies don’t we have, princess? The list is pretty long.”

Chuuya nods. “Yeah, saying it was personally against the port mafia doesn’t mean much. We piss a lot of people off.”

They remain quiet at the idea. It was true, someone attacking the mafia was dumb but not unheard of. Mori screwed over a lot of people and many wanted revenge for their misdeeds, but still, something seemed wrong about this to Chuuya.

They were targeting the jewel trade now, and that was his division.

Somehow, this felt personal.

They all pause when they hear Albatross’ voice. “Hey guys, I think I found something. Come over here!”

The group follows the call over to a body in the corner only for the man to hold up a piece of paper. “This was in this guy's pocket. It looks to be an address, written hastily like it was in the middle of the attack.”

Piano Man takes the small piece of paper and sure enough, it was an address, barely legible, with blood around the edges like the man was bleeding out when he wrote it. “You think this guy was giving us a lead?”

Chuuya frowns at the sight though,it seemed too easy. “I don’t trust it. It could be a trap.”

Asagao then peeks over the boy’s shoulder though, humming in interest. “But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it? A high stakes mission that could be a trap in the end! Oh, my blood’s pumping just thinking about it!”

Turning around, Chuuya glares in her direction. She was way too happy about possibly walking to their deaths by following this note. “Could you stop being so damn giddy about this? This isn’t a game, it’s serious..”

She pouts in response as Albatross laughs, resting his arms on Asa’s head. “Oh come on Chu Chu , I agree with her. We should go see what this place is about.”

Chuuya hisses in response. “I told you to stop calling me that stupid nickname..”

Piano Man only puts his hand up though to stop the bickering. “I know it’s risky but it’s the only lead we have. I say we follow it, especially if our colleague gave his life to tell us this. It would be a disservice not to at least see what it is.”

Everyone then turns to the dead body before coming to an agreement. If this low leveled mafioso wrote them this note in his last moments alive then they had to see it through it.

The group then starts filtering out of the warehouse, Asagao turning around happily to start her first true mafioso mission when she spots Chuuya as he leans down over the dead body of the man that wrote the note before he gently closes the man's eyes so they are peacefully shut.

Blinking in confusion, Asa steps towards the boy. “Why did you do that?”

Chuuya only scoffs though, looking down at the man before muttering. “Thanking him for his service to the port mafia.”

But Asagao frowns in response, her brain not connecting the sentiment. “What’s the point? He’s already dead.”

Glaring in her direction, Chuuya gets up from his knee before walking over to her, disgust in his eyes. How could she be so heartless? “But he was human.”

Then the boy pauses, seeing the disconnect in her eyes, like she couldn't understand a simple thing like empathy for the dead.

And she couldn’t. For Asagao, she had been raised as an assassin with an assassin mindset. She pulled the trigger hundreds of times and disconnected the emotions that came with such an action time and time again, so much so her view on death was never quite right.

But she never noticed it, not until she saw the way Chuuya looked at her like she was crazy, like she was doing something wrong. So much so, she wanted to poke him more about the topic.

Yet before she could, he had already walked away, leaving her confused and bothered as she looked at the man’s dead body and felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Just like when she tried to think about her brother, it was that same empty feeling.

That hole inside her soul, like something had been carved out, something was missing from her humanity. Death, was it supposed to feel a certain way? Was something wrong with her?

Whirling around she calls after the boy. “Chuuya..”

He pauses at the sound of her voice, hearing the slight desperate edge of it, something he had never associated with her before. So much so, he thought it was a trick.

Turning around against his will, the kid waits for her to speak.

Asagao remains silent for a moment, her hands tensing into a ball, unsure how to approach such a sensitive topic for her before she asks. “How..how does death feel?”

And that was something Chuuya certainly didn’t expect, his eyes rising with confusion and slight annoyance as he tried to process her words. “What kind of question is that?”

His voice was sharp, accusatory, causing Asa to internally recoil a bit before pointing to the dead man with even more uncertainty. “I..I don’t know. I just..you look at this man and you feel something, right?”

The girl needed to know, she needed to see if she was just imagining it or if there truly was something she was missing. Because if Chuuya felt that same empty hole that she did when she looked at that dead man, then why did he gently close his lifeless eyes and call him human?

Asagao didn’t understand.

Chuuya frowns even more at her odd question, glancing at the low leveled grunt before turning back to her. Sure, he didn’t know the guy personally but he had given his life in the name of the port mafia, exactly like he would’ve done. They were unnamed comrades whether he liked it or not.

So of course he’d care.

But that had always been who he was, Chuuya closing his eyes for a moment as he recalls sacrificing himself to the port mafia last year in exchange to save the Sheep’s lives even though those kids had actively tried to kill him.

Pulling the trigger, ending a life, it was still something the mafioso found hard.

So of course he cared about this unnamed dead man, enough to respect him and his sacrifice for the mafia that is. But didn’t everyone feel that way?

Scoffing at her question, the boy opened his eyes to look at her again, accusatory. “Yeah. Don’t you?”

But his words were like a bullet through Asagao’s chest. He said it like it was a matter of fact, that it was second nature to do something so meaningful for the dead, like looking at this dead body was obviously supposed to invoke something inside her.

And yet, she felt nothing.

Her hellhound assassin training, it had shifted something she didn’t even know.

Not until now.

A horrible thought then crossed her mind. If Dazai died would she look at his body with this same empty void? Would she look at his corpse and feel absolutely nothing as well? She couldn’t bear the thought, given that he was the most precious thing in her life.

But then again, the memory of Oda was precious to her as well and she didn’t connect to that either in any capacity. Her heart dropped at the realization that maybe this went further than just not knowing him personally. Maybe there truly was an unbalance.

How cruel of her for not having such an emotion everyone else seemed to possess.

Closing her fists even tighter to turn white, Asa felt her tongue run dry. She wanted to tell him the truth to tell him that something was wrong with her, that she was broken or defective but the words didn’t come.

Fear of judgment, fear of being looked at like a monster seeps in before she can even stop it. She wanted him to be her friend but surely he wouldn’t want her if she was an unfeeling monster, unable to process or understand the sentiment of death or killing.

And even though she was wearing her glasses to blur her vision, she couldn’t help but remember Chuuya’s hatred when she looked at him previously without them. No, that couldn’t happen again, she didn’t want to see it.

How vulnerable she truly was.

So instead, Asagao then closed her eyes for a moment before forcing a smile onto her lips to skip past Chuuya and lock down her insecurities. “Whaaa? What kind of question is that? Of course I do. Just wanted to get on the same page. Now, let’s catch up with the others! We got a lead to follow!”

Then she races out of the warehouse, not looking at the dozens of bodies as she goes, not because she couldn’t bear to see them..

But because she didn’t want Chuuya to know how broken she truly was.

——-

They group arrived at the large unassuming high rise building that had the same location as the note the dead mafioso had in his pocket before they snuck around the back and immediately thought of a plan.

Having no idea what they were going to walk in on, any solution was going to be risky but this was the best shot they had in order to find out who was really killing port mafia members so brutally.

Piano Man hums before whispering low. “Alright, first things first, before we do anything we’re gonna have to find a way to disable the security systems so we can walk around a bit more freely.”

Asa then raises her hand, waving it around like an excited toddler. “Oh, me! Pick me, I can do it!”

The group turns to her, some skeptical, some amused as Lippman chuckles. “You sure, princess? This is a pretty risky job.”

She only nods though, eager and ready as she bounces on the heels of her feet. “Yes, I can do it! I promise, I’ll disable those security systems super fast, you can count on me!”

Chuuya raises an eye in concern before all the other Flags look at him and he sighs. She was crazy but he’s seen how convincing she can be, so he vouches for her. “Yeah, she probably can do it.”

Asagao then claps her hands in joy. “Yay, thank you Chu Chu!”

But the ginger then raises a hand to stop her from getting too excited. “Don’t thank me,I still don’t trust you. So you’ll be wearing a wire to make sure you don’t do anything dumb.”

She doesn’t seem to mind though, taking the suggestion in stride. “Oooh a wire? It’s like a real life spy mission! Alright I’m game!”

Chuuya then groans before gesturing to the others as they fit her with the wire, Asagao humming happily as they do so.

Albatross can’t help but chuckle. “Hey kid, you seem really excited about this but be careful, yeah? We wouldn’t want you to get stabbed or poisoned or anything haha.”

The girl gives him a thumbs up in response. “No worries! My body detoxes poison pretty fast anyways so I’m good!”

Pausing for a moment, the mafioso then bursts out laughing, ruffling her hair with affection. “Oh I like you! You’re so interesting Asa. I never know what you’re gonna say next, it’s great!”

Asagao laughs as well, beaming at the compliment, which is strange for her since usually people don’t take to her odd mannerisms very well. Well, everyone except Dazai. He was always the expectation.

Once they are done with the wire, Asa spins around in joy before puffing her cheeks out cutely to hype herself up for the upcoming undercover mission they assigned her on.

She then takes in a breath before reaching for her clothes and ripping them in various places before she turns to Chuuya with a smile. “Chu Chu, punch me!”

And the boy freezes, his jaw dropping open in shock. “The hell?”

Asa nods before pointing to her eye. “You heard me, it’s for the mission. Punch me.”

But as much as he hated her, punching a girl like her, especially Dazai’s girlfriend, was certainly something that wasn’t on his list. “I’m not punching you.”

Asa only whines though, taking a step closer. “Come onnn Chu Chu, you know you wanna. I’m giving you a free shot.”

His eyes can’t help but twitch at the nickname. “Don’t call me that, damn it. I’m not punching you.”

Humming softly, the auburn girl then pauses before smiling again. “That’s fine, you probably can’t reach my face anyway since you’re so short . Samu would be able to reach, too bad he’s not here.”

Almost immediately, Chuuya felt his anger spike at being called short. This little bitch was egging him on, how dare she. “Cut it out, it’s not gonna work.”

Asa doesn’t cut it out though, continuing her condescending tone. “Mmm cut what out? I’m just saying you’re too short to reach my eye. It’s true isn’t it?”

And hook line and sinker, her words triggered an automatic response in Chuuya, one that was learned by him the day that he met that stupid mackerel Dazai. She wanted him to hit her? Then to hell with it.

Lifting his fist, Asa then smirks before quickly taking off her glasses and closing her eyes as he punches her in the eye, relatively hard as she stumbles back and the other Flags catch her.

Seething, the boy then pulls back his hand, taking a breath and waiting for her regret only for Asagao to jump back up, wiping a bit of blood from her nose and she laughs maniacally. “Ah, that’s what I’m talking about! You didn't hold back either, good job Chu Chu!”

He just eyes her, blinking with disbelief. “You're not normal.”

Waving the comment away, Asa smiles, putting her glasses back on to her forming black eye. “Ha ha yeah, I get that a lot. Alright, time to disable those security systems, watch me work my magic!”

Then she disappears from around the building, causing all the Flags to watch her with silent amusement as Lippman chuckles under his breath. “Hey Chuuya, is she always like this?”

Looking down at his knuckles where he punched her, the boy then groans before closing his eyes, utterly exhausted.

“Unfortunately.”

——

Slipping to the front of the building, Asagao then takes in a breath before mentally preparing herself to get to work. They were all listening to her through the wire, after all. She had to impress them.

She gives one last look at her torn dress and black eye before racing up to the doors of the building, rushing in as she falls onto the floor with a sob and a panicked breath. She ignores the men reaching for their weapons.

Show time.

Looking up with pleading eyes, Asa cries. “H-Help..please help me. I’m being chased. I..they robbed me. I don’t know what to do. I need help. They took my phone.”

She sniffles pathetically, playing up the “hurt child” angle as the security guard looks down at her with suspicion before asking. “How old are you, kid?”

Asa whimpers in reply. “I’m...sixteen. Just turned sixteen. Please sir, I’m scared..”

Grabbing onto his shirt with shaking fingers, she looks up at him, giving her best doe eyes, blinking back tears as the officer looks at her black eye and softens.

Got him.

The man then gently takes her hand before helping her off the floor. “Come on. You said you lost your phone right? You can borrow ours. We have one in the security room.”

Nodding in reply, Asa cries even louder, visually thankful as she reaches forward and hugs the officer with her small shaking arms. “O-Oh thank you thank you thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The officer chuckles at her vulnerable display, softening even more as Asa silently pickpockets his keys and puts them in her pocket before he pulls away, none the wiser. “It’s alright kid, come on. Let’s go call the police and then your parents.”

She nods and follows the man into the building, silently taking note of all the security cameras and sensors in the area as they enter the small security room with cameras lining the walls. There are a couple men in there, surveying the scene.

The officer walks over to the phone and puts it up to his ear, ready to dial as Asa speaks again. “Hey mister? I’m really sorry about this. No hard feelings, okay?”

Lifting his head from the phone, the man then raises an eye before Asa grabs his head and slams it into the security desk as everyone jumps back, another man reaching for a button on a console before she smirks. “I don’t think so.”

She then uses her time stop ability, the world turns to a standstill as she quickly moves throughout the room, using her five seconds to grab the man’s face and slam it into the desk as well before turning it off and moving to the side.

The guard just barely sees his friend fall unconscious before Asa does the same, stopping time to kick the man’s legs out from underneath him and putting her hands around his unassuming neck, squeezing just enough so that even when she starts time he falls unconscious as well.

And then the room is quiet, Asagao humming absentmindedly as she steps over the unconscious men in order to sit in the spinning chair by the desk, grab the donut the security guard was eating before pushing a button and disabling all the security cameras. “Done.”

Spinning around a couple times in the chair, the girl then casually gets up before glancing at the unconscious guards and taking a bite of the donut with a smirk.

“Like I said, no hard feelings.”

——

Chuuya sighs, tapping his foot impatiently as the team waits for her to return. They heard her little act through the wire and though it was quite scary how she could switch up so quickly, they all couldn't help but be impressed.

Her cries, whimpers and pleas, they all seemed so real. She even willingly got Chuuya to punch her in the eye and ripped her clothes to truly make it look like she was a damsel in distress.

They then watch in awe as the small red light of the security camera across from their hiding spot turns dark, signaling that the systems were disabled. She did it, Asagao managed to complete the job. In record time too.

It made the Flags wonder just who the real Asagao was if she was able to fool and manipulate the guards that easily. Did that also mean that the happy go lucky childlike personality they saw all night was also fake? Many weren’t sure if they wanted to truly find out.

Piano Man is the first to speak, glancing to the annoyed ginger. “Hey Chuuya, where did you pick her up again?”

The Flags all nod, wondering the same thing as Chuuya pinches the tip of his nose in the start of a headache. “It doesn’t matter, she’s a friend of that bandaged bastard Dazai. That’s all.”

Lippman raises an eye at that. “Dazai? Ah, well that explains it. This definitely isn’t the princess' first rodeo then. I’m impressed.”

Albatross laughs. “Yeah, if she really gets those results maybe should keep her, right Iceman?”

The assassin stays quiet but narrows his eyes at the idea, not liking it when Chuuya cuts him off harshly. “Oh hell no. We are not asking her to join us. If I have to be around her everyday I’m going to lose my mind!”

The group only laughs at the kid’s misfortune as a hot ball of anger courses through him. They were treating this like all some kind of sick joke but the idea of Dazai’s crazy ass girlfriend joining them on more missions was anything but funny.

She was good, yeah, he didn’t deny that. She was damn good at deceiving people and tearing them apart but she was also unpredictable, without a semblance of a normal thought. The Flags had seen a little taste of her insanity but Chuuya had seen way worse. These guys didn’t know who they were dealing with, that’s for sure.

But he had first hand experience, remembering how she willingly played damsel in distress just for the sole purpose of playing with him and getting him to agree to the stupid ass “Chu Chu” nickname.

She was unpredictable, in the worst way possible and he wanted nothing to do with it after tonight, that was for sure.

That, and Dazai would never allow it either way, considering his ass was super paranoid about her joining the mafia for some reason. But that was besides the point, he didn’t want her anyways.

Albatross only snickers though. “Sounds like Chuuya is intimidated by a little girl.”

Feeling his shoulders coil tense as the Flags continued to tease him about the girl, Chuuya felt his fists ball in irritation. They had no idea, no fucking idea how easily it would be for Asa to stab them in the back.

Hell, she probably was planning it already. But unlike last year with the Flags he was smart. He wasn’t going to fall for it. This whole friendship ploy from her, it was all one big joke. He knew it.

Chuuya would not let her sneak up on him, he would not be that vulnerable again.

Turning to the group, the boy glared. “Hey, I’m not intimidated! And I mean it! Don’t even think about letting her join. This isn’t some kind of funny joke. I’m not going to let that little brat walk all over me!”

Yet that’s when they all hear her voice, directly behind Chuuya, appearing out of seemingly nowhere as she giggles, feeling her breath on his neck and the scent of vanilla from her shampoo. “Hii I’m back!”

Chuuya immediately feels his soul leave his body, jumping back with wide eyes, his heart hammering in his chest as a small shout of fear escapes his lips, Asa scaring the absolute shit out of him. “What the fuck?!”

And there she is, standing innocently behind him with that same small smile on her lips, her hands lifting out in defense as The Flags burst out in a loud boisterous laughter and their half dead friend clinging for breath from her sudden appearance.

Albatross has to hold his knees to contain his chuckles as he wipes a tear from his eye. “Oh, that was too good! Red, you’re amazing. Poor Chuuya’s soul left his body!”

But Chuuya’s face only turned bright red in embarrassment, recovering from his panic before feeling it switch to livid anger. “W-What, what the hell is wrong with you?! Where did you come from?!”

Asagao doesn’t react to his anger, seemingly turning her head cutely. “Hm? Oh, I used my ability to get here faster. Sorry Chu Chu, did I scare you? I just got excited hehe!”

The boy’s eye twitches at that, resisting the urge to strangle her. She was clearly making fun of him, unbelievable. “You and your damn time stop ability, it pisses me off. And no, I wasn’t scared. Shut up.”

Strolling up to him, Lippman only smirks though, putting an arm around his shoulder. “Come on man, let’s be honest. You totally were scared of this little cutie. Speaking of which, that’s quite a magic trick you got there princess. I’m impressed.”

Piano Man nods, a small smile on his lips: “He’s right. You even managed to disable all the security systems. Good job, kid.”

Asagao widened her eyes at that, jumping forward at the praise, like she hadn’t heard it very often for her skill. “Really? I did a good job?”

Piano Man only laughs though his eyes softening as he gently pats her head. “Yeah kid, you did good. Now we can go into the building undetected. Come on guys, time to figure out who’s behind this.”

They all nod, walking in through the back door as Chuuya slumps behind, still pissed off and embarrassed about the fact that she was able to sneak up on him so easily. If she wanted to she could’ve slit his throat right then and there.

Asa glances behind her though, noticing his distress and turning around to meet him in order to reach out to grab his hand before the boy immediately recoils, slapping the gesture away and walking past her. “Don’t touch me. Let’s just get this over with so I don’t have to see you again.”

He didn’t trust her, no way in hell. Especially not after that little stunt of hers.

It was a defense mechanism, learned from a life of being betrayed, a life of being played and toyed with more times then he could count. This gesture of reassurance, it was also fake. It had to be.

But the real truth was, Chuuya felt vulnerable right now, given that he was able to be bested so easily. He didn’t like it, it made his defenses go up ten fold. He felt weak, and that was a death sentence in itself. She’d see it and take advantage of it.

So much so, he didn’t even look back to see the effect of his careless words as he simply moved forward to try to forget about her.

No, he couldn’t be vulnerable with her. She’d stab him in the back.

If he showed her his heart, surely she’d carve it up.

——

As the group moved through the building, they pause at a records room, glancing at the door before Asagao takes out the keys she pickpocketed from the security guard earlier to open the door as the others stand in awe.

Lippman beams, strolling inside the dark room. “Whoa princess, remind me to always have you on our team. You’re a force to be reckoned with.”

But this time, Asa doesn’t answer, seemingly zoned out as Albatross puts a hand to her head to bring her back to reality. “What’s wrong, Red? Why the long face?”

Snapping back, the girl then blinks before forcing a smile to her lips. “Oh,it’s nothing. It’s just..I think Chu Chu hates me.”

The two men then look at each other before Lippman smiles. “Nah princess, he’s always like that. Chuuya’s a guarded guy. Pretty rough around the edges. I’m sure he doesn’t hate a cutie like you.”

Albatross nods. “Yeah Red, you should just talk to him. He’ll tell you the truth.”

The two then walk to the other side of the room to start going through the records as Asagao’s eyes shift to Chuuya’s form a couple feet away. Everything about him screamed unapproachable but she never did listen to such cue’s, walking over to him tentatively.

She settles next to him, starting to look through the files before taking a breath. “Hey Chu Chu? I just wanted to apologize.”

Chuuya pauses his fingers before continuing to look through the files, a scowl on his face. The last thing he wanted right now was to deal with her. “For what?”

He hears her pause for a second before speaking softly. “For everything I guess. I keep making you mad. Then again, that’s not really new for me…”

She trails off and Chuuya stays silent. She sounded so..sad? But he knew better to believe that. He knew how quickly she could change her personality to fit the situation.

Scoffing, the boy replied sharply. “Yeah, you piss me off.”

Asagao gives a sad laugh at that. “Yeah, that sounds right. I alway go too far.”

There’s a small bit of silence between them before she continues. “It’s just..when Samu told me about you I really wanted to meet you.”

Chuuya frowns at that, finally turning his head to look at her in skepticism, seeing her eyes cast down to the files infront of her in some sort of defeat. Why did she look so pathetic and small right now? He didn’t like it.

Speaking, he frowns. “Why the hell would you want to meet me?”

Her eyes soften at that, a hint of vulnerability in them. “I just thought that if you handle Samu, then maybe..maybe you’d want to be friends with me too.”

Chuuya couldn’t help but stop what he was doing, hearing her statement before his frown became more prevalent. Why in the hell would he want another mini Dazai running around him? Her logic was screwed up.

But before he could answer, she continued. “I know I’m not exactly..easy to get along with. Not many people stick around because I always manage to make them hate me some way or another. But..I really didn’t want that to happen with you Chuuya.”

Her hands then tighten on the files as a bitter chuckle escaped her lips. “But maybe I’m just being selfish, thinking about what I want rather than what you want. Maybe that’s why I’ve been so alone this whole time.”

Processing the words, Chuuya narrowed his eyes. What was she talking about? As far as he’s seen she was anything but alone. “Alone? You have that idiot boyfriend of yours.”

And as much as the boy hated Dazai with his entire being, he couldn’t deny that Asagao and that bandaged bastard fit well together. Like a match made in hell.

Although that’s when Asa gives a small chuckle, casually saying. “Ah well you see..Samu’s only my boyfriend in name. That’s all.”

The words hit him like a strike of lightning, his fingers immediately freezing from whatever he was looking at in order to turn and face her. He heard that wrong right? The way those two were all over each other the last time he saw them, there was no way that was fake.

She was messing with him, she had to be. “In name? You two aren’t really dating?”

But Asagao only shook her head in reply, a smile on her lips that didn’t seem fully genuine.”No, it’s not like that. We’re just using each other to get what we want, that’s all.”

What kind of fucked up reasoning was that? Using them to get what they want? What kind of screwed up relationship did she actually have with Dazai then? “You can’t be serious..”

Asa then turned to him, finally lifting her head for the first time during the conversation, a resigned look in her eyes . “I am. We’re not like that. I just have something he needs and he has something I need, that’s all it is to it.”

This sent Chuuya’s head reeling. None of it made any goddamn sense in the slightest. “So, you haven’t like kissed or anything? It’s just transactional?”

Yet at the word “kissed” Asagao’s eyes widen as her entire face turns red and she shifts her head down to look back at the files, recalling the memory she was trying to forget of Samu and her kissing while they were drunk. “I..well…that doesn’t matter, it still doesn't mean anything. Nothing has changed between us. It’s still transactional.”

But her response only made Chuuya even more confused. “Wait, you have kissed?”

Burying her face into the files in embarrassment for her burning cheeks, Asa stuttered. “S-So what? It was just a test, it didn’t mean anything. Not to him anyways. So it’s fine..”

Chuuya deadpans. “But it meant something to you obviously.”

Asagao then closes her eyes before covering her face with her hands.She really didn’t want to talk about this, especially since she wasn’t sure herself what it meant. “I…it doesn’t matter. He doesn't feel that way about me. I’m happy just the way we are, I couldn’t ask for more. Besides, even if it was..that way, there’s no way he’d like me like that so it’s fine.”

And that pissed Chuuya off. What the hell was this self deprecating thought process she had all of a sudden? She was always so sure of herself to a fault and now it was completely different. He didn’t like it.

Taking a step closer to her, the boy glares. “Why the hell not? You may be insufferable but if anyone could handle you it would be that shitty Dazai.”

He believed that with his whole heart. Yes, she was batshit insane but so was Dazai. He knew that kid for a whole ass year, knew him like the back of his hand and if that suicidal bastard was going to date anyone it would be Asagao.

But it seemed like the girl herself didn’t see that, her fingers moving to her skirt to nervously play with a hem as her eyes softened to a level of raw emotion he had never seen before from her. “I just…”

Her voice trails off but Chuuya doesn't allow her to drop the topic. “What?”

The silence is heavy, coating the entire room before Asa gives a tiny pathetic chuckle under her breath before finally speaking softly. “That emotion, I don’t think I’m made for that kind of thing, that’s all.”

Her words caused Chuuya to immediately widen his eyes as a pit dropped inside his stomach. Not made for what? Care, compassion, love? Did she truly think that?

And the first thought was for him to believe that she was lying, that she was giving him this whole sad sob story to let his guard down but the look in her eyes, that couldn’t be faked, or at least it was damn hard to do.

So much so, his voice echoed in the same whisper tone. “You don’t think you can be loved..?”

She doesn’t answer, she doesn’t have to, because the silence was answer enough as she bows her head in resignation before continuing to look through the files like she hadn’t just answered the most heart wrenching question of all.

Did she truly believe she couldn’t be loved, by anyone, by even Dazai? Chuuya could hardly believe it. What a sad horrible belief she held inside her. He wondered why she thought that was the case?

Sure, she was hard to manage and had a tendency to piss him off more times then not but to say that she would never be loved by anyone ever was taking it a bit too far. “Why?”

The word is simple, but held a thousand questions, a thousand thoughts and a thousand feelings. He needed to know, he felt like he won’t be able to breathe without knowing why she hates herself so much.

Yet inside Asagao’s head, her mind turns with every negative thought she could possess. She remembers how she looked at those dead bodies earlier with no emotion, how she never says the right thing and mixes up her emotions because she was never taught how to process them correctly.

She remembers the orders she received as an assassin when she was five, how she pulled that trigger a million times without even thinking about closing the corpses eyes like Chuuya had done in that warehouse. How could she possibly be worthy of love when she was missing basic human compassion?

How could she be held by Osamu and voice her feelings for him when she had trampled on the lives of thousands of people like nothing? Even her own brother, she couldn’t feel a speck of grief for him even though she had heard so many stories from Dazai.

There was something wrong with her, deeply deeply wrong. How could she be worthy to be loved when no one had ever stuck around long then day unless it was out of obligations or some sort of transactional means?

Taking a shaky breath, Asagao then closes her eyes before speaking, just barely above a whisper. “How can I when I don't even know if I’m fully human..”

And the words hit him immediately, Chuuya’ heart stopping inside his chest. Human. She didn’t think she was human..just like him.

Fuck, what was she doing, voicing his internal thoughts and spitting them back out to him like it was nothing? The idea of being a robot, the feeling of being this monster that wasn’t worthy of the simple concept of love.

He felt exactly the same way.

Because Chuuya didn’t feel human, not in the slightest. He didn’t dream, he had little memory to understand and hold close. How dare she say that, she had no fucking idea what it was like to have this void inside his chest, this black hole that could never be filled no matter how desperately he wanted it to be.

But the more he looked at her, the more he saw the pain and the regret in her eyes. She hid it well, behind those large round glasses of hers. A wall of protection, of witty comments and manipulative ideas.

But in this moment of silence, he couldn't help but see a reflection of himself.

And he absolutely hated it.

There was no way. She was supposed to like Dazai, she was supposed to be evil and cruel, recognizing her flaws and yet not caring about them in any way shape or form. That’s what she displayed usually.

But the Asagao he was looking at now, it was different. More solemn and pensive, like she was lost in her thoughts and drowning in her hidden feelings. It was supposed to be black and white, and yet now he saw the grey.

The messy, uncertain grey.

So much so, the words slipped out before he could process them. “Me either.”

Almost immediately, he shuts his lips again, panic on his face. Why did he say that? Why did he give her a weakness so easily? She was going to use it now, she was going to take it and throw it back in his face to destroy him.

Yet the more he looked at her shocked expression, a small bit of hope unwillingly crept it. Maybe she did truly understand the complex feelings he was carrying alone.

Perhaps she was more like him than he originally thought.

It was something he didn’t even humor until now. But could it finally be? Was there someone that was uncertain about their humanity like he was? Could he finally confide in someone with his darkest fears? He didn’t know.

But the possibility was there, and it was both incredibly scary yet comforting at the same exact time. She was dangerous, he shouldn’t be humoring the thought and yet he can’t help it, having been so alone his entire life.

He opened his mouth to speak again when the Flags cut through the space, their voices breaking the tension in the air as Albatross spoke. “Hey guys, I found something! It’s a file laying out the assassinations of those port mafia members from earlier.”

The two kids immediately turn to him before walking over to look at the file and sure enough there it was, a fully laid out plan of the murders they had stumbled upon just hours prior. Whoever these people were, they were certainly involved.

Chuuya finishes reading the file before grumbling. “It’s a start but there’s nothing in here to suggest who it was. We’re back to square one, just fucking great.”

Although that’s when Asa takes a look at Chuuya's discouraged expression and reaches into her pocket with a giddy smile, aiming to make him feel better. “Aw don’t be sad Chu Chu. The murders were done by the GSS.”

The air immediately turned silent, all of them turning to Asa as she stands there unbothered, like she hadn’t just solved the case they had been spending all night breaking into this building and trying to figure out.

Piano Man takes a step closer to her, cautious. “And how do you know that, kid?”

Asa then pulls something out of her pocket to hand to Chuuya as he stares at the object with disbelief and shock. In his palm was a bullet shell, monogrammed with the initials GSS on them.

Holy shit.

But the GSS were supposed to be wiped out by Dazai’s crew after he joined the mafia. Did some survive somehow, and now they were taking revenge on the port mafia for the attempted genocide?

Snapping his head to Asagao, he closed his hand around the bullet shell before taking a step closer to her, his voice laced with a million emotions. “Where..where the hell did you get this?”

Asa only hums though, glancing to the shell before pointing behind her. “Oh, the warehouse. It was next to one of the bodies.”

…the warehouse? But that was hours ago. That was before they found the lead to bring them to this building. Ever so slowly, Chuuya’s disbelief starts to turn to anger.

You’ve got be kidding me, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me. She was hiding this the entire time?! Why, to play around with them?! To watch them run around like headless chickens trying to solve a case that was already figured out?!

Feeling his voice raise, Chuuya shouted. “What?! And you didn’t tell us?! Why?!

Asa didn’t seem to expect his anger, putting her hands up with defense as she took a step back with a nervous chuckle. “Ah, well..I was going to, but then our mission would’ve been over, and I wanted to spend more time with you. We were having fun, weren’t we?”

Having fun? Having fun?! Chuuya was livid. “Having fun..this isn’t a goddamn game! This could’ve been done hours ago and yet you withheld information just so we could..hang out?! You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. People could’ve died while you were fucking around!”

His words were sharp and lethal like venom, causing Asa to begin to realize her logic wasn’t exactly right and she tries to defend herself. “I..I mean yeah but..no one died. Come on Chu Chu, I thought we were really bonding back there for a second..”

Bonding? That’s why she drew this out, so she could bond with him? That had to be the absolute worst reasoning he had ever heard of. This wasn’t some summer camp where they made friendship bracelets and bonded over a campfire, this was a real mafia mission and she was treating it like a goddamn joke!

Then Chuuya recalls the moment they shared right before this. Fuck, she knows his fear about not being human. He let his stupid tongue slip and now she was going to betray him. That’s always how it went.

What was wrong with him? Why did he open up to her?

It bit him in the ass as always.

She reaches a hand out but he slaps it away fuming. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! We weren't bonding, no way in hell. I only brought you here because I had to, not because I wanted to and you treated this like it was all some goddamn joke. I knew this was a bad idea, I knew having a psychopath on this job like you was a mistake..”

Asa tries to speak again. “Chu Chu..I..but we’re friends and I just wanted to..”

But he cuts her off, far too paranoid of her using anything against him and furious to even listen to any other bullshit from her lips. “No, shut the hell up. We are not friends, we never were and we never will be. You may have blackmailed me into agreeing to that stupid request but it will never be real, ever. I would never want to be friends with someone like you.”

The Flags all look at Chuuya, feeling the tension in the air as Piano Man takes a step forward. He knew the boy was angry but he was going to say something he regretted. “Chuuya..”

But the kid didn’t want to hear it, shaking his head and pointing an accusatory finger at Dazai’s crazy ass girlfriend. “All you do is manipulate and lie and treat everyone like your own personal playthings and I’m sick of it. Just stay the hell away from me!”

He tries to turn to leave but Asagao doesn’t know when to stop, her feet racing up to him as she reaches her hand out to stop him only for the boy to quickly whirl around and grab her shirt, pulling her closer and hissing. “No wonder why Dazai’s relationship with you is in name only. That’s all anyone would ever want to be with you.”

Watching her eyes widen at his words, he knew it hurt her but that was the point. She was getting too close to him and he needed her to go away, not knowing any other liabilities about him that she could use.

He was self destructing, it was obvious, but knowing was not enough to stop it. Keep everyone at a distance, never let them know how broken he really was, lashing out with anger and insults. That’s all he knew how to do best.

Protecting himself by a wall so no one ever came in.

Especially her.

Chuuya then pushes her away as she falls into a sensor and the alarm bells ring all around the room, causing his clouded fury to finally dissipate at his eyes to widen. Shit.

He then blinks as Asagao disappears from his sight, probably using her time stop ability as the rest of the Flags curse at the alarms, Albatross grabbing Chuuya’s arm. “Come on man, we gotta go!”

Feeling pulled in many different directions, Chuuya rushes through the hallways, alarms blaring and disorienting him as his head spun from his previous display.

Everything was just moving so fast, he couldn’t breathe.

The Flags then shoved the file with the information about the murders into his chest before telling him to run, vaguely seeing hoards of armed guards around as he acted on autopilot and dashed away from them.

He moved to higher ground, hearing the sound of fighting underneath him as Chuuya makes it onto a platform before he freezes at the sound of a familiar voice, one that made his blood run cold and his anger spike all at once. “Well well well, look who it is. Our fallen King.”

Snapping his head up, he found himself face to face with the kid that betrayed him an entire year ago, his white spiky hair and fur collared jacket just the same as he remembered.

Shirase.

Chuuya gritted his teeth, standing up straight to face his past. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Shirase only chucked though, putting his hands in his pocket. “Oh, you didn’t like the gifts I’ve been sending you? Dozens of mafioso corpses, all because you just wouldn’t die like you were supposed to a year ago.”

Widening his eyes, the pieces immediately snapped together. The jewel trade, they targeted mafioso in the jewel trade because that was Chuuya’s division. This was all because of him. The Sheep wanted revenge and they were using what was left of the GSS to do it.

The white haired kid’s lips curve into a smirk at that. “Ah, you’re connecting the dots, huh? That’s right Chuuya, the rest of us Sheep still wanted our revenge after you sent the port mafia to destroy our alliance with the GSS. Very few remain, thanks to you.”

Chuuya glares at the explanation. “I joined the mafia so they wouldn’t kill you. I sacrificed my life so you could live and this is how you repay me? By going after my organization?”

Shirase only shrugs though. “Quiet Chuuya, stop acting like you care about us anymore. You picked your side, and we picked ours.”

Glancing down to the fight below them, Shirase then chuckles under his breath. “But I can see not much has changed. You're still alone. No one is going to come and save you, just like a year ago. They are all too busy to care about a non-human thing like you.”

Chuuya’s eyes widen at that, feeling his insecurities fester from Shirase’s words. He knew it wasn’t true, the Flags did care about him, the kid was just trying to get him to doubt that.

But somewhere in the back of his mind, that same fear crept without permission. Up on this platform it did feel the same, that small sick sense of deja vu he had felt before. Alone. Abandoned. Having no one to rely on but himself.

And that brought a form of PTSD he hadn’t planned, feeling his heart beat out of his chest. Shirase was right in a sense, not much had changed. He was still pushing people away, shoving them out of his life so they didn’t see the ugly parts of his soul.

He always did that, even when he was with the Sheep, and now he was here again.

Just like a year ago, there was no one to fight for him but himself.

It was crippling, heart wrenching in every way, knowing that in this moment he was truly and utterly alone.

Just like he deserved to be.

Shirase then smiles at Chuuya’s unraveling, his hand reaching into his pocket to pull out a blade, a carbon copy like last year as he races towards the boy to finally finish what he started.

And Chuuya didn’t realize it until the blade was mere inches from his side, the boy’s eyes widening barely having time to react as his brain told him that it was always supposed to be like this.

He was weak, too weak to ever ask for help.

The boy then closed his eyes and waited for the familiar sting of the blade to course through him, for that same helpless and vulnerable feeling to appear..

But it never came.

Opening his eyes in confusion, Chuuya then felt his nostrils ring with the scent of vanilla, a familiar deja vu filling his senses as he turned back to Shirase and widened his eyes at the sight.

Asagao, the girl that he had yelled at and had just told to get lost was standing in front of him, the blade that was meant for him plunged deep into her side like she had taken the strike for him.

Shirase blinked in disbelief at the girl who had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere, reeling back with a shout. “W-Who..how did you…”

But Chuuya knew the answer before she said anything. Her time stop ability, the one that snuck up on him earlier, she had used it to put herself in front of that knife. But why?

Asa only smirks though, her face not showing any signs of pain as she simply takes the handle of the blade and pulls it out of her side, allowing it to clang on the floor. “Nice try, but Chu Chu’s not alone. He has me.”

Shirase takes a step backwards, not understanding what was happening. “Y-You..who are you? You didn’t even wince..”

Chuuya on the other hand is still struggling to understand what is going on, watching as the blood slowly stained her side and his heart dropped in his chest. She just got stabbed for him. Why? He didn’t deserve that.

She had no reason to after he berated her so harshly just minutes ago.

So much so, his voice came out a whisper, his eyes never leaving her wounded side. “A-Asa..”

But she only glanced behind him and smiled, like she’s trying to reassure him she’s okay.

Then Asa turned back to Shirase before putting her hands out in front of the ginger haired boy, her eyes narrowing with a fire and a threat behind her glasses that made his blood run cold. “The name is Asagao, and though I’m not worthy enough to be Chuuya’s friend yet, I’m going to work hard to earn the meaning of that title. So, back off. He’s protected.”

And all at once, Chuuya felt his heart stop, tears threatening to break free.

Oh. So this was what he was missing.

Someone to fight for him.

---------

(This chapter was a pain in my ass I've been writing it forever. I hope Chuuya's characterization is alright. It's my first time doing a study on him ahhh. Okay next chapter should be soon I'm already halfway down. Also If you're missing Dazai..well you won't be for long.)

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