Searching

Summary: Cale pays a visit to the Armed Detective Agency.

Lcfweek prompt, Day 4: Grief

It was a fine day with bright sun and few clouds. What fans people possessed were running at full power to keep out the heat. The office windows were half-open to let in some natural sunlight.

Several members of the Armed Detective Agency had been up late searching for some smugglers. The case ran long into the night and they wanted to sleep instead of do the reports detailing what happened. With argumentation and a vote, they had managed to persuade Kunikida to let them get some things from the cafe.

Kyouka and Dazai had gone to buy some coffee and iced treats from the cafe downstairs.

There was someone sitting in the Armed Detective Agency's reception area. He was slouching, wrinkling his expensive business suit.

"Hello," Atsushi said. "Is there anything we can help with?" His tone was a bit timid, but he had managed not to stammer. The shirt he wore was well ironed, upon Kunikida's insistence and with said coworker's help.

"I'm looking for Fukuzawa-san." The client sipped at the water he had been offered. His hair was red and long. A hat was on top of his head. However, his eyes were not blue.

The air seemed to move a bit quicker around him. A cool breeze that had no place in such a hot office with closed windows.

Ranpo was sitting on a table. There was a marble in his hand. "I don't think you gave us your name." He spoke casually, impolitely, and clearly did not care much about this situation.

Kunikida intervened. "What Ranpo-san means is that if we have your name, we can tell the President who is waiting for him."

Atsushi nodded. It had been drilled into him that the president was not to be bothered unless it was important.

The client sighed. "I'm..."

The office door opened and two people came in.

Kyouka seemed a bit surprised, but she smiled very slightly and called, "Chuuya-san." She was holding a tray of iced, sweet treats.

Dazai's response was different. The grip he had on the coffees spasmed and he almost let go before he put them on a desk. He seemed almost happy and teasing for a split second and then he walked forward. His pace was fast, unusual for him.

Purple eyes were under that hat, not blue. A strong purple, the shade of an evening sky at dusk, and not the blue of a cloud free sky like the one outside. They were kept half-open and light reflected in them unnaturally—this second part was normal for Chuuya's eyes. He was questionably human for many reasons.

What was important was that Dazai saw the eyes not of Chuuya Nakahara, his old mafia partner, but Cale. The mysterious being that lived in Chuuya's head and possessed multiple abilities. Cale could control elements and block with a massive wing shield. The one time he had used the ability he called Dominating Aura resolved an internal dispute about Chuuya being an executive.

Cale being in control always signified something very big was happening. He usually preferred to laze around and he was dangerous.

It was never really figured out by Mori and Dazai what Cale's goals were. They had so little to go off of because Cale was almost never seen on the surface. Chuuya was able to appropriately restrict and reason with his roommate, however, and thus Cale was not taken to be a more severe threat to the Port Mafia.

"Ahh, Cale-san, Chuuya-chan. How rare to see you out. What are you needing?" Dazai sat down opposite of Chuuya and crossed one leg over the other.

The rest of his coworkers broke into whispers.

Cale, for it was Cale in control of Chuuya Nakahara's body, smiled. It was a bit of a broken smile that made people very aware of how close this person was to shattering completely. "Dazai-san...it's good to see you," this was said very insincerely. He seemed unpracticed at pretending, rusty from his time of only observing and not living. His tone shifted a bit as he looked at everyone in the room. "I came here as a client for the Armed Detective Agency. I would like you to search for some people for me."

"Mori-san knows about this?" Dazai asked. He leaned forward and folded his hands together. "Making a deal with another organization?"

"I'm hiring detectives for a personal interest, and technically, I'm not even part of the Port Mafia." Cale raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Chuuya's the executive."

Dazai laughed.

"What kind of people?" Kunikida was suspicious. He had known of the name 'Chuuya' in connection to the Port Mafia vaguely. Information of the criminal organization was hard to come by and Dazai had only shared some bits with them as needed.

"People I know." Cale shrugged. He ignored Chuuya's mutters about old people and talking in circles. He didn't want to give the detectives too much. There was no way they would learn everything, but much of the old times and their ways—gods, demons, and magic—were dangerous. It was surprising and yet not that ancient powers had survived and grew more common as humans thrived.

Atsushi inched closer to the reception area and Kyouka. He was more concerned about the why than anything else. What relationship did their client have to these people, or to his coworkers? "Why do you want us to find them?"

"... they're my family. I wasn't sure if any of them were still alive, but I saw some things recently and now..." Cale trailed off. His gaze was focused on the window, but he wasn't paying attention to anything outside. "... there's a chance some of them are alive and in Japan. I'll give you what information I can and pay you well. Do you accept?"

Kunikida looked towards the president's office. "For something of this importance, we would have to discuss with-"

Dazai's eyes gleamed with curiosity in a way they rarely did. He put a hand over where his heart, if he had one, would lie. "Of course we'll take the case, Cale-san. I would never turn down the chance to take away all of the slug's money!"

"Why did Dazai call you Cale and not Chuuya Nakahara?" Ranpo asked. He was clearly getting interested now, since he had so few of the pieces. It irritated him not to have answers.

Cale grinned widely—it was the same expression that would get him weird looks from his friends, that scamming smile. He had very little hope, but hopefully it wouldn't be snuffed out in the next few days. "You don't need to know that. Now, about the terms..."

A/N

Finally doing a continuation for this crossover. The scene of Dazai realizing it's Cale and not Chuuya there in the ada office has been in my brain for years.

Also, I think this means it's aurora's turn to continue this au sometime.

-Silver

how dare you curse me like this!!!

-aurora

L

-Silver