One Of Us

I'm An Odd Combination Of "Really Sweet" And "Don't Mess With Me"

Sayuri Rei

"Get up, Sayuri. Strike at me again! Move!" The President isn't exactly yelling at me, but his voice is low and strict, and it feels like he's snapping at me every time he says something.

I'm on my hands and knees, panting. I know I've just torn some of my still-healing stitches from our Katashi encounter from a little while ago. Dazai's going to hound me for that one...

Speaking of Dazai, I hear their muffled voices through the window of the training room — him, Chuuya, and Kunikida are standing infront of the window, and it looks like they're arguing, but Dazai turns quickly to catch me staring at him. I drop my head as I will my feet to support me, standing on shaking legs now. The President has been beating me up for the past hour now and I haven't even been able to land a hit — not one damn hit — while he's given me a ton of bruises and cuts everywhere.

His metallic blue eyes flick over me as he lunges again. My arms scream at me as I lift them to protect my face. He punches me so hard that I groan as I stumble back, catching myself against the wall and sinking down to the floor. I'm exhausted. I can't take this anymore. He's just too fast...

I look up at Dazai again, almost pleading him to step in before I get my face smashed into the floor, but he only stares back at me and gives a tiny shake of his head. I don't have time to dwell on how my heart aches when he doesn't help me.

I roll over onto my back, then flip onto my feet. I let the President come at me again and right when he's about to hit me, I twist to the side and drive my foot into the back of his knee, sending him stumbling, but he recovers quickly.

I duck out of the way as he tries to punch me in the jaw, and instead twist around and drive my heel into his gut. That's when I feel another one of my stitches tear. Blood seeps out of the gash and trickles down my side, my high-waisted black leggings absorbs most of it, but now the waistband is wet and sticky with my blood. The President is pressed up against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Deciding the fight is over, I turn and fling open the door.

"Well done, Rei! I knew-" Dazai begins with a genuine smile, but I cut him off as I shove past him.

"Whatever, Dazai." I murmur, "I have to go deal with torn stitches now."

He's following me upstairs now, "do you want me to fix them up for you? I know how-"

"I'll have Yosano do it." My voice is sharper than I mean I to be, "I'd rather have a qualified doctor fix me up than some suicidal maniac."

With the way Dazai sucked in a breath, I knew I'd hurt him with that one. Good. He didn't help me when I needed him during the spar, and now my stitches were ripped and I'm bruised and cut all over. If he thought I would be in a good mood, then he thought wrong.

"Heyyyy..." he says almost childishly. "That wasn't nice-"

"Dazai, leave me alone!" I snap at him, then take a deep breath when he flinches away. "Please just... go away."

He looks me in the eyes, more concerned than anything. "So... are you coming to Kunikida's New Year's party tonight?"

I turn away from him, "I wasn't invited."

"Yes, you were. He sent me after you to make sure you're coming."

"I don't know-"

"Rei..."

"Fine!" I growl, and Dazai takes a step down and away from me, "fine I will go if you will just leave me the fuck alone!"

He looks at his feet and nods, "I-I'll umm... I'll let him know." And then he's gone, taking a piece of my heart with him.

"I shouldn't have yelled at him like that," I whisper to Dr. Yosano as she stitches me up. I'm sitting on one of the hard metal operating tables in her doctor's office.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," she replies gently. "Dazai will probably forget about it anyways."

"You didn't see his face... H-he looked like a kicked puppy. I think I actually... I think I really hurt him."

"I doubt it," Yosano says dismissively before looking up to see my face. She sighs, "but if you are really that worried about it... talk to him. Apologize." She ties the knot on the last stitch, cutting the threat and sterilizing the skin. "You're all done. And I'm serious, Rei. If you're worried about him, maybe just... I don't know, invite him to get lunch with you downstairs and talk to him. It's obvious you like him, so maybe tell him how you feel."

"Like him?" I force a laugh that tugs at the stitches over my rib cage, "Yosano, I don't like him."

"Oh sorry," she smirks, "you love him, don't you?"

"What-?! No!"

Yosano laughs, "go, run along now."

I stand slowly and take my bag with me as I go to change into black wide leg jeans and a black fitted turtleneck. My coat and scarf, as well as gloves and earmuffs are still in my bag — after all, it's freezing outside.

I lace up my combat boots and walk back into the main office. I drop my paperwork on my desk, but stay still long enough to hear a snippet of Dazai's voice. He seems to be talking to Chuuya, by the sound of the second raspy, male voice with him.

"-I didn't think you were the type to lose your shit over a girl." Chuuya finishes as they draw closer.

"Me neither," says Dazai right as he walks through the doorway. Upon seeing me, he opens his mouth to speak again but I cut him off.

"Coffeeshop, downstairs. Now." I say simply before brushing past him and starting down the stairs without him.

Dazai seems to take a hot second to process what I've just said, because I'm already sitting in a booth by the time he walks in. He sits down infront of me and before I can open my mouth to speak, Dazai asks a question that takes me by suprise.

"Sayuri... Why do you hate me?"

I pause, then sigh dramatically, "I don't hate you, Dazai... I'm just... not particularly excited about your existence."

Dazai smiles, "I knew it. Now... what's all this about? Did you want to... talk to me?"

"Well... sort of..." I swallow, and we fall into an uncomfortable silence. Dazai's smile fades and his eyes fall to the table.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," I say after a couple seconds. "I didn't mean to yell at you... I'm sorry." I too drop my eyes to the table, hoping he will respond, but when he doesn't, I keep going, "I was in so much pain back during sparring and the President was... was..."

"Being really hard on you. I didn't like it, but if I stepped in, it would have made him angry, and then he would've really given you a difficult time. He knows you're injured and exhausted and for some reason he's still drilling you into the ground." Dazai speaks up, raising his head. I keep my eyes glued to the table.

I suck in a breath, "I looked over at you and... and you just turned away. And then my stitches ripped, and earlier, I blamed you for it... but it wasn't your fault. And I really didn't mean to yell at you... or call you a suicidal maniac."

"It's okay, I get that a lot." I look at him and he only shrugs. "It's Kunikida's favorite nickname for me! I've just... never heard someone yell it at me like that. So it um... it stung a little."

"I could tell, I'm-"

"If you apologize one more time, Rei, then you're going to make me feel bad."

"Sorry."

"Hey!" He lets out a soft chuckle, "What did I just say?!"

"S-" I start, looking up finally.

Dazai gives me a look, and I stop... and I smile. A real, genuine smile. And that smile is because of Dazai. I don't know why or how, but I know it is because of him.