ᴡᴇᴀᴋᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ | ᴅᴀᴢᴀɪ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ✔️

XXXII: A Walk in the Cemetery

Dazai POV:
The air.. crisp, yet cold, and ... lifeless.

"I am back here..." I mumbled to myself, and to all the dead that were buried in the cemetery.

There were but a few people that I can count on my fingers, yet, it was so quiet that my footsteps against the falling leaves turned heads to look at me.

I made it to his grave, I placed a flower I bought on my way there, and sat.

There, imprinted on the stone; oda

I came way too many times before, it had been years and I have been coming here and telling him about all the things that happen to me. This time, it felt different.

I looked down at my hand as they rested on my thighs. I tried to think of where to start, what to say, what not to say.

"Do I have to say anything at all?" I muttered. Looking up at his imprinted name on the gravestone, and down at the grass growing around it.

"Get up, dumbass. Stop being all grumpy like she already died," A raspy high voice said behind me. He placed a hand on my shoulder, I knew then immediately who it was. "Chuuya?" I asked as I looked around. There he was; wearing a casual outfit, his hair covering most of his face as always.

"Since the attack on the Jackals, you didn't come here as you did often," commented Chuuya as we started walking. Of course, he was the only one who knew how I came here.

"I had to go through the paper work and the monitoring since she had no one from her family or relatives to do so," I answered, looking at where the line of sky met the land. "You could've let someone else take over while you went outside for some air," There was a note of worry in his voice, though he tried his best not to show it.

"She's my girlfriend, Chuuya. I have to look after her," I said. I saw Chuuya's shoulders relax in my vision field. "So it was true ..." he said, releasing his breath.

"Something's troubling you," I said, noticing his aura of distress.

"I have always seen Yn in the puppy cafe. How did I not notice? " he mumbled, like he was voicing his thoughts out loud. I didn't understand what he meant. I looked down at him. His bangs covered most of his face from my view.

"Hina, she made a .. contract with the Port mafia, a contract to reveal your weakness through Yn," He started, My ears attentively listening to what he had to say. "The boss knew he made a contract with you not to tell Hina or anyone about your weakness, but he could do it through Yn,"

"What would he even gain from doing that? Money?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"money.. like he gives a shit about that," Chuuya spat. After a short pause, he answered: "to get to kill you, Dazai,"

Although I knew he wanted to kill me a long time ago, being a former port Mafia member, it disgusted me how the boss was going to do it through Yn. I couldn't begin to imagine how terrifying that was to Yn when she didn't even know what my weakness was.

What things could they have possibly done to Yn so she confesses?

"Dazai, I was the one who questioned her," Chuuya confessed.

I stood still in my tracks, and he noticed after taking a few more steps. "Why are you telling me this now? Did you do something to her?" I asked, holding on to the few crumbs of my patience.

His eyes narrowed at me. "No, I didn't do anything, mr. overprotective boyfriend. Listen to the whole thing first before you say anything," he said, his voice raising to the familiar high annoying tone.

He's right, what is happening to me?

"It is not in my power to do anything against the boss and you know that," he continued. I knew.

"I did let her go at the end, thinking she was just someone who got mixed up in that situation... but.. I was wrong," he explained. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Yn, she was in my head ... she was there... she manipulated my memories of her," He finally said, making Dazai shudder at that confession. "and that's not the worst part," Chuuya said, stopping in his tracks this time.

I looked back at him, his expression said it all. The confusion, the uncertainty of what's real and what is not. she really did enter his mind. "The real memory that she hid was about her family.." he continued, his eyebrows furrowing.

He ran his fingers through his bangs, I saw his troubled expression clearly. "It's Hotrau, Dazai," he said, finally meeting my eyes again. the puzzles in my head clicked.

this can't be, there was no way ...

How did I not notice?

"Her brother .. (Last name)s. This whole time... the answer was right there for me," I said, going through my own thoughts. "That's not the end of it, Dazai," Chuuya said, his tone shaking against his will. I only took a second to realize.

His next words.. stabbed me.. killed me.. and brought me back to life, only to suffer.

"he's ... long gone, Dazai,"

"Why do you tell me this only now?" I asked, desperate to turn back the time. "Only two weeks ago, when she fell into a coma, I remembered,

"The dread I felt when I knew who I was questioning that day. The look of true panic when she realized we were Hotaru's friends. I couldn't bring myself to tell you as soon as I remembered," He explained.

I couldn't blame him; she was only in my head and she didn't change any memories, and I felt confused for days, let alone have my memories manipulated.

"Her being unconscious breaks the memory manipulation skill off of people's minds. Still, it hurted my mind as hell. I didn't know what was real anymore," he explained, going through his own destructive and confusing thoughts.

Walking back to the hospital, Chuuya came with me. We reminisced about our memories of Hotaru. I realized how he was killed by Hina, the Serpent. She was dead already, if only she can be brought to life so I can kill her again,

slowly, to take pleasure in it.

Yn (last name) ... Hotaru's sister.

I remember when he talked non stop about her. Telling us about the day he wanted to run away; him, his mother, and his sister. Althoug he lived a life of cruelty, his smile never left his face. He was older than us, and we kept our friendship secret from both organizations.

It all made sense now..