A World Without You: A Bungo Stray Dogs Fanfiction

Part 1: Favor

Ever since Dazai learned of the existence of the book, he has felt a burning in the corner of his mind. He knew that there must have been a version of himself who created a world where Oda was alive and writing his stories. Even if his friendship with Oda was written over, even if that world wasn't entirely real, at least his friend was alive. And maybe that should have been enough for Dazai. For some reason, it wasn't. But he had accepted that he would never be able to save him. That is, until now. Certain events of the summer had shifted his perspective. A near brush with death. A chance encounter with an interesting skill user. These events had given new light to the flame in his mind. And he could not rest until it had been quenched.

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A man strode down the hallway, briefcase in hand. As he walked, he loosened his tie and let out a small sigh. It had been a long day. Upon arriving at the door to his apartment, he swiftly extracted his keys from his pocket and unlocked it. Letting out another small sigh, he pushed up his round glasses and stepped into the dark of his apartment, carefully dropping his briefcase by the door as he closed it behind him. Turning back around he flipped on the light... and nearly jumped out of his skin. He might have screamed if he were any less trained to handle shocking situations. There, sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, was a man. Upon seeing his face, the man broke into a devilish grin.

"Heyyy Ango!"

Ango took a deep breath, stubbornly keeping his eyes fixed on the man. He wasn't willing to take any chances with this guy. "What are you doing in my apartment, Dazai?"

Dazai leaned back, pushing his unkempt hair out of his eyes. "Can't a man pay a visit to an old friend?"

"I don't think people usually break into their friends' apartments when they come for a visit. And I don't think you've called me "friend" since I left the port mafia."

Dazai chuckled, raising his hands in the air. "You got me."

Ango leaned against the wall, waiting for an explanation. "So?"

"I need a favor."

Ango looked Dazai up and down, trying to gauge his own personal safety. "I don't do favors."

"Come on, even for me?"

Ango opened the door and gestured for him to leave.

"You owe me one, Ango."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do I? What for?"

Dazai smiled. "For letting you live after you betrayed us."

A chill ran down Ango's spine, but he forced himself to remain calm. "Hardly. I did my job, as you did yours." He put his hands in his pockets, verifying his phone was still there. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to cover your tracks and erase everything from your criminal record?" He could have sworn he saw Dazai's smile falter. "And now it's time for you to go." Ango walked over to stand behind the door, waiting for Dazai to leave.

But Dazai didn't budge. When Ango looked back at him, his smile had completely disappeared. The air surrounding him suddenly grew tense. "If you won't do it for me, do it for him."

Ango froze. "That's a sick card to play, Dazai."

"I'm serious. This favor is for him."

"I swear to you, if you're bluffing-" But he knew he wasn't. Ango closed his eyes as a sense of dread crept into his veins. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to find someone for me. A skill user who's ability involves enhancing the abilities of others. In essence, the opposite of my skill."

Ango widened his eyes. "It won't be easy. Tracking down a person that powerful will take some time, even with my connections."