#i think the only other person we see dazai touch skin to skin to nullify their ability is atsushi

[miraculous-ninjabird]

Now I know everyone else is losing it about 110 (and I am to to an extent though I believe in Akutagawa saving Aya) but I having delusional theory thoughts about 109, Dazai and No Longer Human and I have to share them.

It starts with the fact that Dazai can canonically channel his ability through objects. We know this because this is how he and Chuuya defeated Randou in the 15 light novel. This is why Dazai’s ability works even through clothing and why Tainted can’t be used on Dazai even through a conduit. In 109, we see Chuuya directly touch the gun to Dazai’s head before he shot him. We cannot, however, see if that gun is still touching Dazai when Chuuya takes the headshot. All we know for sure is that Dazai was shot 4 times, there are only three impact holes on the wall, and we never actually see the bullet make impact on his head.

This is my theory thus far:

Chuuya, thanks to Arahabaki, is not completely under Fyodor’s control in that he has some free will to move and see and hear but he cannot disobey a direct order. Chuuya understands exactly what Dazai’s angle was when he tried to provoke him into punching him.

Fyodor tells Chuuya to back off since being touched nullifies the vampirism. But what Chuuya knows and supposedly Fyodor doesn’t is that Dazai does not have to directly touch him. All he needs is for Dazai to simultaneously be in contact with the same object as him. So he shoots Dazai in the shoulder (perhaps to show he has free will perhaps just to get Dazai back for all the suffering his plans put Chuuya through in the past) and uses that chance to get up close and touch the gun to Dazai’s head. This action then nullifies the vampirism.

Dazai, initially shocked by the shoulder wound (likely because even he couldn’t be exactly sure how conscious Chuuya was under the vampirism), immediately picks up on what Chuuya has done. However, they cannot under any circumstances let Fyodor know what’s happened. Hence the ‘Am I though?’ when Fyodor tells him he’s all out of plans and the line about finding the right words to cause a miracle and have Chuuya returning to normal. This is Dazai’s subtle way of saying ‘I see and I understand but now is not the right moment to play our hand’

Everything from this point onward is an act. Chuuya and Dazai are just pretending Chuuya is still under Fyodor’s control. Chuuya can take step back and then manipulate the gravity of the bullet shot at Dazai’s head. Since it’s being effected by an ability, it would nullify the instant it touched Dazai’s skin. If I’m understanding how No Longer Human worlds correctly, this means the bullet would theoretically drop harmlessly to the ground, but not before causing a surface wound in the split second between when the bullet hits its target and Dazai’s ability kicking in. This makes for a fairly believable act since Fyodor doesn’t have a good enough angle to see the bullet fall.

Chuuya fires the additional two shots are also a part of the act so that Fyodor will be confidant that even though the headshot didn’t kill Dazai immediately, he was still as good as dead thanks to the other three shots and the broken leg. He then steps back (still not facing the camera) and pretends to be completely unaffected.

Fyodor will have assumed he won. He thinks Dazai is dead, he thinks Sigma is dead. With all the guards gone and Dazai gone, he has no further use for Chuuya. This allows for soukoku to make their move and execute (an albeit modified version of) Dazai’s original plan. (Which I’m personally choosing to believe was killing Fyodor and getting Sigma out, relying on Yosano to be on standby should something happen to Sigma. Her presence though would also ensure his survival as long as they’re quick enough)

Now granted. Chuuya’s eyes look the same as they have the whole arc and he has no visible reaction to this turn of events. But we don’t see his fangs and there’s also the fact he’s also known Dazai for a very, very long time. They know each other inside and out. The hardly even need to communicate anymore to know what the other is thinking. The moment Chuuya comes back to himself is the exact moment everything turns back in Dazai’s favor because they are Soukoku and together they are unstoppable.

Chuuya may not be as brilliant as Dazai but they would not have been such good partners nor rivals if Chuuya was not capable of thinking on his feet fast enough to keep up with Dazai’s thought processes. They also wouldn’t have made good partners if Chuuya hadn’t at some point learned to play up the roles Dazai’s elaborate plans required. If he’s smart enough to keep up with Dazai’s lightning quick plans then he is capable of thinking on his feet fast enough to come with his own way of achieving Dazai’s original goal. (Nullifying Chuuya)

I honestly think with the way it was specifically framed so that even we can’t see what actually happened when Chuuya shot that gun plus knowing this additional fact about how Dazai’s ability works plus the odd number of bullet impacts plus the fact there is no way Dazai would have been able to speak after being shot in the head like that is enough evidence for me to say with reasonable confidence that Dazai is not dead.

I also love the idea that this was not a part of Dazai’s plan. He was not expecting Chuuya to be there initially and after the failed attempt to provoke Chuuya he was not expecting to survive that encounter. I love the idea that Chuuya is one of the few people capable of actually taking Dazai by surprise and that he genuinely did not expecting a turn of events that could actually end in his survival. We already know Dazai wasn’t planning on escaping the prison anyways. All Dazai needed was to get the information he needed on Fyodor’s ability and stop Fyodor from further interfering with his plans to stop the Decay of Angels. What happens to his own life doesn’t matter as long as those two goals are accomplished and he can put his trust in Sigma and his ‘Angel’ to finish what he started.

But with Chuuya in the picture and on his side, he perhaps doesn’t have much of a choice. There’s no way Chuuya is gonna let him just die like that. (He may still die but Chuuya is def gonna do his best to prevent that.) I love the implication that it would be all thanks to Chuuya, his quick thinking, his deep understanding of both his partner’s thought processes and ability, and his genuine desire to see Dazai live that Dazai has any chance of survival at all.

(Bonus notes and at the end since it would have interrupted my flow but. Knowing BSD and it’s penchant for dramatic twists and crazy cliff hangers I would not put it past Asagiri and Harukawa to have portrayed Chuuya as still a vampire just to up the suspense)

Images/supporting evidence/more rambles under the cut (includes 15 light novel and chapter 109 spoilers)

Light Novel Evidence

This is a man who genuinely does not understand What The Fuck just happened and is mad about it because he prides himself on not being taken by surprise.

This is the face of a man who realizes something is happening but is so thrown he hasn’t quite figured out what yet

And this is the face of a man who has figured out exactly why things just played out the way they did out and is pleasantly surprised by it.

Gunshot? What gunshot? I don’t see anything here? hmmm….. (also verrrrry convenient that we cannot see Chuuya’s expression in this panel. In fact we don’t see his face at all any of the times he fires the gun after the initial shot. Which if you ask me is pretty sus.)

I would also like to point out that the vampires don’t seem to talk, and that there hasn’t been a single point since Chuuya’s introduction as a vampire where he has any sort of speech or thought bubble assigned to him. Just sound effects.

Not a single point. EXCEPT.

This panel here. Right after Dazai supposedly ‘dies’ we get to see Chuuya going ‘…’

But why would they include that? We know he’s a vampire and we know he doesn’t talk. (I’m thinking they can’t speak unless ordered to and/or Chuuya has been ordered not to speak to Dazai). Chuuya could have just stood there silently and emotionless without the ‘…’ bubble and it would have had the same effect. Unless this was a way to highlight that Chuuya is specifically choosing not to say something rather than being completely unable to. Which. Interesting to think about. (I won’t discount the possibility that it’s supposed to highlight Dazai’s silence but personally that would have made more sense if they put it on the empty Dazai panel instead. Plus I think this idea is way more interesting.)

Anyways if you stuck around to the end I’d love to know what y’all think of this

[videogamelover99]

Not to be that guy again, but Dazai's ability 100% works through clothing, we see that with Steinbeck during their fight.

So when Dazai decided to touch Chuuya on the neck when he first met him, that was 100% unnecessary ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[reminisce05-20]

Dazai - The Book - Double Black

Dazai couldn't remember being a child, one of elementary age. He had only started to remember when he was around 14, which was when he first met Mori.

Sometimes, he wondered if he should be searching for answers, of who his parents could've been or where he came from, but he had easily moved on. Perhaps too easily, but he had no regrets. After all, the past didn't define him. He could write his own story from the present.

Only after words started to be written on his pale skin did he start to wonder who he really was.

Long sleeves could suffice, but just in case, Dazai wrapped bandages around his arms. Then his torso. Then up to his neck and finally his eye to give the air of an injury. The words hadn't spread quite that much, but it made his stomach crawl whenever he saw the squiggly lines all over his body. It was simply a precaution in case more words suddenly appeared.

Dazai soon met Chuuya, who was loud and angry and short, which made it even funnier when Dazai riled him up. Chuuya insisted that he was still young and growing. For the first time, Dazai wanted to laugh at the words he had seen yesterday on his elbow. Chuuya will never grow.

Although the words brought occasional joy, when he was 18, he saw words on the back of his left arm that said, Sakunosuke Oda will die. Sakunosuke couldn't die. His ability allowed him to see things moments before they actually happened, and Sakunosuke wasn't dumb. He would be fine.

He never had allowed the words on his arms and body to ever affect him. Words, in general, had never affected him since Dazai believed actions could speak much more.

"Be on the side that saves people. If both sides are the same, then choose to become a good person. Save the weak, protect the orphaned. You might not see a great difference between right and wrong, but... saving others is something just a bit wonderful."

For once, he took the words to heart.

Once, long ago when he was still young, not in the Detective Agency nor even the Mafia, Dazai had written something on his arm, something that tattooed itself to his arm for just a second before it burned away with terrible pain.

Dazai experimented. His ability, "No Longer Human", obviously canceled out abilities with no exception. The words were things to happen, things that were happening, and things that had happened. The timing for when the events actually took place differed, from as small as a minute to as long as a year. Dazai couldn't change events that were going to happen or create an entirely new one. It was probably a strange mix of the words and his ability.

Dazai had considered going to the President to inform him of the words. He was fairly sure that everyone else in the agency believed the bandages to be a fashion choice, excluding Ranpo and the President. He walked in front of the office door for a few minutes, pacing, before walking back to his desk. Perhaps the talk could be moved to another time.

The words were often too ugly to be shown to others.

Dazai was good at planning things, which made it entirely his fault that he hadn't prepared ahead for this.

A few days ago words had appeared on his collarbone, ones that said, "Chuuya will unleash Arahabaki once more. Secrets will be revealed." If Chuuya was going to showcase his powers, Dazai would no doubt be sent along unless Chuuya had managed to somehow subdue his powers effectively. Sure enough, he was sent to settle a dispute that would benefit both the Mafia and the Agency. It was always nice, seeing the top of Chuuya's hat, showing that he had indeed not grown a single bit.

He had misinterpreted the "secrets" on his arm. Dazai had expected it to be Chuuya's secrets, of how he stayed so short all the time.

In Arahabaki form, Chuuya had never attacked Dazai, at least not to kill. He had to have some semblance of control to not kill the only person that could bring him back, even if Chuuya hated him. But this time, right after defeating the enemy, Chuuya turned on him in an instant, giving Dazai no time to nullify his ability.

It would have been fine. Dazai only took a few hard hits before he tapped Chuuya on the head, nullifying his ability. They both staggered for a moment before Dazai laughed.

"Well, that was awfully close wasn't it, Chuuya?"

Chuuya huffed, angry but too tired to anything about it.

"Only if you had touched me a little earlier maybe you - hey what's that on your arm?"

Dazai froze before he looked at his left arm, bandages slightly unraveled, revealing the inky text on his arm.

"Some tattoo shit? Or maybe weird scars..."

Chuuya took a step forward while Dazai hurriedly rebandaged his arm with a hopefully winning grin.

"How observant of you."

Chuuya scowled for a second before staring at Dazai.

"Seriously, was it just some weirdo tattoo? Show me what you have written there."

Dazai made a mental note to seriously work out and train with Kunikida. Then again, it probably wouldn't bring him near Chuuya's level for a long time. Even after using Arahabaki, Chuuya stomped forward, grabbing his arm and unwrapping the bandage with unreasonable strength and speed. His control must have actually been getting better. Or maybe they had just defeated the enemy faster today.

"What the - what the heck is this Dazai?"

He didn't have the strength to stand properly, staggering a little bit while unsuccessfully trying to get out of Chuuya's iron grip.

"An occult tattoo I got when I was 14. It says 'fuck off Chuuya'."

"It literally says 'Sakunosuke Oda will die'. I've heard of that name before... who was that again?"

Out of all the sentences Chuuya could have seen, it had to be that one. Why not the one about Atsushi dropping his ice cream, or maybe the one about Chuuya's height? They could have laughed over that.

"This actually happened didn't it Dazai? Like, a few years ago?"

At this point, Dazai simply didn't care enough to wrench his wrist away from Chuuya. He had wanted to tell someone about this for so long. Chuuya and he didn't have the best relationship, but they could certainly trust each other. After all, they had been partners, right?

"It tells me things that are going to happen. Well, at the time of course. This already happened a while ago."

Chuuya simply stared, unsure of what to believe.

"I tried changing history once. It hurt really bad, I think it's got something to do with my goddamn ability, I hate seeing the words every day and having to bandage them - "

"Um... Dazai, calm down."

He hadn't realized he was breathing so heavily. His chest felt like it was burning.

It felt like it was burning just like when he was young - why was it like this when he hadn't written anything down on his skin?

"Dazai, what's going on?"

Dazai turned away from Chuuya before throwing his jacket off, then his vest, then his shirt to reveal the mass of bandages covering every inch of his skin.

"What the fuck Dazai, stop stripping in front of me - "

Dazai for once ignored Chuuya instead of sending back an angry retort. He unwrapped the bandages, not caring if Chuuya saw the words or not since the pain was burning as if he was dying and he wanted it to just stop. Stop stop stop.

The bandages were off to show the mass of writing on his back and arms and stomach and even up to his neck. Chuuya's breathing became softer, more confused and curious.

Chuuya will never grow.

Dazai will trip and fall on the doormat before meeting Akutagawa for the first time.

Sakunosuke Oda will die.

Atsushi will drop the ice cream Dazai bought for him and will be horrified.

More evil will soon come in Yokohama.

Chuuya will unleash Arahabaki once more. Secrets will be revealed.

Chuuya simply stared, dumbfounded, trying to read everything written on Dazai's back. Dazai on the other hand, looked down at the center of his chest to see just a few words.

Yokohama's Page - By Osamu Dazai.

The words were a gleaming gold, burning his skin before suddenly cooling into the familiar black, only a small golden border on the edges of each letter. Chuuya had now walked in front of him, kneeling, reading the words that had just appeared.

"So. You're some special shit."

Dazai let out a flat laugh. Indeed he was.

"It says 'More evil will soon come in Yokohama'. Right, Dazai?"

Dazai nodded blindly. He couldn't remember that one, but maybe it was because it was on his back. It was hard to read from a mirror.

"You should tell your agency this. Have you told them?"

Dazai's silence was the same as a confirmation. Chuuya mumbled something about how he always had to make his life worse, although Dazai knew that it was halfhearted.

After Dazai put on every single one of his bandages, thoroughly covering every inch of skin along with his other clothes, Chuuya and he walked in silence for a little. Usually, they would've been arguing all the way back, making the silence feel even worse.

"Oy. Dazai."

Chuuya growled when Dazai didn't make any move to answer before sighing and backing down. Dazai blinked, seeing that for the first time, Chuuya had backed down from an argument.

"We were partners before. Are we still partners?"

Dazai smiled.

"If we're partners, I'll be annoying you all day! I think that'd be pretty nice ~ "

"Well fuck you too!"

It was nice, feeling the usual annoyance flowing through Chuuya, the same remarks they always passed forth to each other.

"So you're saying we are partners, Dazai."

Dazai's eyes narrowed. What was with Chuuya being overly... nice all of a sudden? Being so calm?

Chuuya, catching Dazai's eyes screeched again before kicking over a trash can.

"I'm saying I can help you with this goddamn book shit! Words! Partners! The fuck is wrong with you?"

Dazai stared as Chuuya knocked over a few more trash cans while screaming about how utterly dumb Dazai could be for someone that was supposed to be so smart, so crafty, and so manipulative.

The familiar tickle of more words caused Dazai to flinch, hand moving toward his neck where the words seemed to be. Chuuya, who was done with his little fit, stopped for a second before walking over, no doubt intrigued. Dazai tugged the bandages down a little bit while Chuuya read the words out loud.

"Fyodor Dostoevsky is looking for another part of the book in Yokohama."

Dazai's eyes widened when he heard the name, and Chuuya no doubt understood that this man was someone dangerous if they could elicit such a reaction from Dazai. They looked at each other, understanding passing through their eyes.

"Well, I guess we're partners again Chuuya!"

"Only because I fucking have to!"

Dazai supposed that he would also have to tell the Agency about this. And as more people knew, the news would inevitably spread to the Mafia too. He only had to make sure that Fyodor didn't receive the information, and that was if Fyodor didn't already know about him.

"Fucking Dazai."

Chuuya grabbed Dazai's hair and pulled, forcing Dazai to yelp while batting Chuuya's hands away.

"We're going to crush this bastard Fyodor."

Dazai laughed at the sheer amount of determination in Chuuya's name, laughing like he never had ever before.

Indeed, Double Black would crush the enemy like they always did.

___________________________

Kind of an abrupt end, but you get the idea :>

[harukatomoe]

Special (Yumeno x Reader)

Originally posted on January 4th, 2017. Yumeno’s birthday.

So like, I imagined you to be in your twenties in this one-shot bc I have yet to think about a young!Reader, interacting with Kyūsaku. BUT LIKE DON'T GET ME WRONG ABOUT THIS THIRTEEN YEAR OLD AND A TWENTY-SOMETHING YEAR OLD BEING TOGETHER. More friendly? ------------

Special

There was no difference.

There was no difference to him.

There was no sign of any concern in his deranged eyes. Only focus on the individuals that "hurt" him. The madness that welled deep in his veins was definitely displayed in his actions. He seemed soulless almost; just his words kept your thoughts back that he was still sane. Screams were audible from half a mile away, the area being the source of the screams. Red, warm liquid everywhere; consistently being shed within every few seconds another swing was given at a person.

But, he was only a child.

No, he is a child.

Your eyes could not follow the various different activities going on around you. There was bloodshed everywhere. Bloodlust in everyone's eyes. Constantly they attacked each other, brutally.

They didn't know.

They didn't know that they were being controlled.

They didn't know that they were being controlled by Q's ability; Dogra Magra.

You had to live with this. You were Yumeno's partner after all.

After the threeway clash with the Mafia, Agency and Guild, it was decided that Yumeno would be released from his containment and allowed to roam freely as he pleases; as long as he had someone watching him, that someone was you. You could still remember the dryness in your mouth when your boss had informed you that you'd be the one supervising Yumeno Kyūsaku, a.k.a. "Q". You could remember being unable to speak upon his order, remembering your boss asking if you were okay; you were pale.

Even though it was multiple times that you've seen Yumeno use his ability - with his twisted laugh, you could never get used to how much he looked like he enjoyed hurting others. Never being able to succumb to the amount of body bags you had to see after a large mission that was given. Never being able to-

"(Last Name)-san?"

You felt a strong tug on your jacket sleeve. You instantly snapped out of your thoughts, feeling like the breath you just took was your last. A slight chill ran down your spine as you felt like all over you just sweat. You looked down your right arm, to see Yumeno smiling ecstatic up at you.

"I'm done~"

He sang.

You nodded as you followed him.

"Would you like to play?" You could already hear his sick laughter, he was trying to scare you; and honestly, it was working a little.

"Kyūsaku, let's just get back to base."

Yumeno spun back around to you on his heels, an unamused face given to you. His mouth was tugged to the right of his face as he blew a raspberry at you, booing at you afterwards.

"Boo...(Last Name)-san you're no fun~"

You rolled your eyes, ignoring the boy. He was always like this; after every mission, asking if "you'd like to play" with him. He knew how you felt about him, how much you couldn't stand looking at his work. He barely cared, he'd say. But, he knew what he was born with; he never wanted it, he wanted to be happy. He didn't want you to know that though, he kind of liked the thought of you being scared of him, but yet again; he wanted to be happy.

You were only slightly scared of him though. Knowing what he could do. The only reason you were his partner was because of your ability. It was similar to that of the great ex-executive of the Port Mafia; Dazai Osamu. You heard many stories about him; his nullifying ability, how he became an executive at a young age, how he betrayed the mafia - you heard everything about him. Though, you were much different than him, they told you. You were less of a threat than him, which made it easier for them to control you. With their ability to control you and your ability, you were to watch over Yumeno. You had the power to drain the physical energy out of a person, with a single touch. You could render them unconscious even; so if Yumeno ever decided to go against you, or the mafia mainly, you could stop him.

"(Last Name)-san, I'm hungry. Can we go for dessert?"

"Yes...we can."

❣  Some time later  ❣

There you sat, watching the white and brown haired boy scarf down on his many desserts. He mostly ordered the brown sugar flavoured desserts that he was very fond of.

As he was sitting there, you became lost, deep in your thoughts.

❣  Flashback  ❣

"I don't understand why you don't talk to the boss about this," Chūya shook his head softly, gulping down another sip of his wine. You sat beside him, staring down at your wine cup as well. The atmosphere was a little depressing, you had to admit; but you couldn't blame it, it wasn't something to be happy about at all.

"you could get hurt, or worse even; killed."

"I know..." you sighed, lowering your head even lower than before. You raised your head for a moment, just to have a sip of the expensive wine Chūya presented to you a few minutes before. You tasted the bittersweet liquid in your mouth, savouring it as you felt a bit of your worries lighten. Your eyes half lidded as you gazed over to the side to listen to what he had to say next.

"You 'know'. Shit, (First Name) are you even listening to me? I don't want to see you in a body bag, alright?" You felt a bit honoured that you were really close to one of the five executives. Chūya cared deeply for you, maybe even more than just one of the people he's working with; but a friend. After all, it was you that saved him from his mass injuries; you could still remember the pain in his face when he arrived back at base a few years ago. You didn't know what happened and didn't question it, you used your ability; not only could you drain, but give as well to heal any injury. Not too grave though.

"Last thing I need is another person I know to disappear out of my life." [dammit, Dazai why-]

❣  End of flashback  ❣

You rested your chin in the palm of your hand, staring glassy-eyed at the boy who was in his own little world of sweets. You could feel the table shake as he swung his legs back and forth in his seat. You observed him without any thought: his porcelain-like skin, pink-hued cheeks, odd shaped pupils, and his different coloured hair.

"You should kill him." You remembered Chūya saying. You were capable, but unwilling.

"He's only a child," you remember replying. It was those four words that kept you from ever hurting the boy. Even though Yumeno's ability was triggered from pain to him, with your ability, you could counteract that.

"He's only a child," you were right, he was only a child. With all the consistent comments about Yumeno, you could tell what kind of trauma he's been through just by looking at him. The white hair on his head; it's not anything from having bad blood, it was having tons and tons of emotional trauma that caused his hair to turn white. Also known as the Marie-Antoinette Syndrome.

You could never find yourself to blame him for anything that's happened; you didn't know about his past, but what you did know was that he was raised in the mafia. Who knows what the mafia was capable of, what he's seen; all there was to know was it wasn't anything pleasant.

Suddenly, Yumeno stuck a piece of his brown sugar cake in your face, the piece stabbed by a fork. You raised your chin off the palm of your hand, tilting your head at the boy to question his actions. You parted your lips slight, very confused by him. Yumeno shook his hand a little, pushing the delicious dessert closer to you. You pursed your lips at him, shaking your head no.

"No, but thank you for offering it to me, Kyūsaku."

"Hmm~ You should at least try it, (Last Name)-san. It's good!" You could already tell that he really meant that last part, crumbs of the pastries and drink on his cheeks around his mouth. The boy waved it around, not seeming like he would give up offering it to you unless you accepted it. You let out a sigh of defeat, opening your mouth so he could feed you. Yumeno reached farther, sticking the fork in your mouth along with the sweet pastry. Once he pulled away, he continued with his food, letting out sounds to exaggerate how good they were.

"How is it, (Last Name)-san?"

You shrugged, picking up the napkin next to you, "It's good..." It's too sweet...! You thought, cracking an uneasy smile. Yumeno nodded excitedly, attempting to speak through the food in his mouth. You clicked your tongue, holding his face as you wiped the frosting and crumbs off of his face. "Don't speak when your mouth is full, Kyūsaku."

Whenever you two were together, which was basically ninety-percent of the time, leaving out some time for yourself (sleeping, bathroom breaks, etc.), you would look over him like a mother and her child. You were like a mother to him, or a big sister. There would be times that Yumeno would say inappropriate things regarding the chaos he could cause, and you'd be there to tell him not to mention it, scolding him then and there. There would be times where he'd be impolite and you'd teach him manners that were never taught to him. You were teaching him how to be a decent human being during your time together, despite the type of work you two do.

You and Yumeno lived together in an two-bedroom apartment, it was weird at first but, you two eventually got used to seeing each other everyday. You knew that when you were assigned, it meant keeping an eye on him 24/7, so you took him into your home and set everything up for him. He didn't mind it as long as you didn't pester him so much when he was at home.

Yumeno nodded at your lesson, only to start talking through his food again.

"Iwt's doh gowood." [It's so good.]

❣  On the way home  ❣

"I'm so full, (Last Name)-san, could you carry me?" He reached up to you. Your eye twitched at his request; Yumeno was thirteen years old, did he really need to be carried? Also to add, Yumeno was only inches shorter than you, just enough that it would seem awkward for you to carry him.

"You don't have any sharp things on you, do you?" With knowledge on how Yumeno went about on using his ability, you were cautious. It took a few seconds before he actually responded to your anxious question, shaking his head no with a smile on his face. A part of you felt queasy about picking him up, but you obliged anyway. You opened your arms as he wrapped his around your neck, you hoisted him up and jumped a bit to get him comfortable and secure.

Yumeno held onto you tightly as you started moving in the direction of the Port Mafia base, just to drop off your report before heading home with him. There was complete silence between you two, only the small light breathing that came from Yumeno was audible in your ear. You strolled down the streets with the cursed boy in your arms, rethinking your thoughts. Yumeno was a nice boy, despite his twisted personality.

Yumeno felt like he could close his eyes, just trusting you enough to relax. He knew that you wouldn't do anything to him. He inhaled deeply, inhaling your slightly rich, floral smell. It relaxed him, putting him at ease. The warmth he was getting off you soothed him so; he never experienced this kind of care before, but he had to admit, he loved the feeling.

Was this the feeling he was craving for his happy life? Were you the key source of his dream? Could he live a happy life with you in the twisted one he's living in?

No. He told himself, it couldn't be.

He's seen the way you look at him, with great disapproval. He knows how you feel about him, like he was some monster. He's heard you talking to others, looking down on him behind his back. He's thought about your thoughts, your plan. He's felt your fear.

Or was all that in his head?

Everything was going in slow-motion, as if this was something important playing in his life. The warmth he was feeling had gone cold, the scent he snuggled up against had gone sour. He couldn't understand, he couldn't believe his own two eyes. How did you two switch positions? How did it all happen so quickly? Why did you do it? Why were you shielding him?

A sharp gasp echoed in his ear, almost bloodcurdling. He felt a strong grip on both his arms, holding him in place. He felt the warm red liquid splatter on him, staining him from the torso up; it wasn't a huge amount though. His eyes couldn't focus in front of him, everything was a blur; in his peripheral vision, he could see the people around shrieking in terror, gasping, running.

It was only until you stomped down, snapping him out of his blurred vision that he could finally comprehend what was going on; blood running down and out of your mouth, your uncontrollable trembling, the bloody coughs that you choked back on when you tried to speak to him, the unknown object that was impaled through your back. He finally understood, there was an unknown man with an ability behind you.

"Ky-Kyū-" You called, more of the metallic liquid running over your tongue.

Had the man behind you mean to aim for him instead? Had you seen him while he was lost in his thoughts? Had you quickly spin around so that you would be the one hurt instead of him?

Yumeno knew what was going on, a hitman was sent to eliminate him, but you had gotten in the way. That was the only part that Yumeno could't follow was that, you were always so strict towards him, looked at him differently, feared him; or was that all in his mind? This whole time, were you actually caring for him? Was he seeing this all so differently?

"(L-Last Name)-s-sa-...?" he called, his breath hitching in his throat. He gulped down the hard lump in his throat, reaching out to you; reaching to touch your cheek. He could see how weak you were, how much you were struggling to keep standing.

"R-Ru..run..." What?

"Kyūs-saku...run.." What?

As his hand came closer, a burning sensation filled his eyes, tears pooling up in his eyes. He didn't know what to do, he just wanted to touch your cheek for answers; he always felt so calm when you touched him.

Just about when Yumeno was close to seeking for your feeling, you dropped onto your knees, then falling down flat. The unknown ability had been pulled out of you, blood pooling from underneath you. It took him a long moment that you had disappeared from in front of him. He blinked in realisation once, bringing his traumatised gaze down to see you beneath him, not sure whether if you were dead or alive.

He gasped. His heart hurt. His chest felt like there were knives in it. He didn't know if he was sad. He was confused. He was alone. He wanted you to guide him. He didn't know the man before him. His mind was fuzzy. He was trembling uncontrollably. He felt great fire inside of him. He felt rage.

It was only after Yumeno used a sharp object to injure himself by the "help" of the stranger, that his terrifying ability was activated.

❣  Hours later  ❣

You felt an itch on your arm, twitching in the darkness of your eyelids. You moved your head to the side, frowning in discomfort. Were there bandages wrapped around your arm? And your torso? Judging by the tight and rough feeling. You could feel that your breathing was weird, the feeling of tubes in your nose? Something strapped to your mouth?

You cracked open an eye, a bright white light flooding your vision. It took a moment before you could see what was around you. A few machines and tubes, some people you knew who were working in the medic area of the Mafia, and Chūya standing next to Yumeno. You sat up from your laying position, feeling the intense pain in your torso; a few of the nurses came to your aid, but you waved them off. You pulled off the mask and looked directly into Chūya's eyes, seeing him shake he head as he closed them.

Suddenly, you felt someone pull at your arm. You snapped your head towards the source, your (Eye Colour) irises meeting with Yumeno's unique pupils. You could tell that he's been crying, the redness underneath his eyes gave it away. You let out a sigh of relief, relieved that he was okay, that wasn't injured. Though, you watched as tears rolled down his cheeks, biting his bottom lip to stop himself from crying in front of everyone.

"Hey there...don't cry."

"I-I thought tha-that you were-" you hushed him softly, stroking his hair. Yumeno kept shaking his head as he clung to your arm. The anxiety that built up inside him when he knew that an operation was going on, on you. The fear he felt when he was told that you might not make it, the fear of losing you. You were the one person that ever treated him nicely, through the smallest things that he only realised when you were close to disappearing forever.

Yumeno realised after all this that you were important to him, special to him. He had never felt so enraged when watching someone he knew get hurt. That's when he knew that he never would want to use his ability on you, or anything that had to do with hurting you.

"But, I'm not, see?" You smiled, opening your arms for him. Instantly, he got the message, jumping into your arms. You giggled, resting your chin on the top of his head. You held him in a tight embrace, feeling him hold you as well. He was familiarised with the warmth and smell, his crying then dying down. "I would never intentionally hurt you, I would never leave you all alone, I will never stop loving you, Kyūsaku." you committed, leaving a long, endearing kiss on his forehead.

"I...love you, (Last Name)-san..."

End