Chuuya stormed into the palace with the sole intention of chewing out a particular rat. The mentioned rat emerged from his nest just as Chuuya entered the room. As soon as he saw Chuuya, he quietly slammed the door behind him, leaving his shapeshifter assistant locked in. He turned to the prince with a bow and said,
"How may I serve you, my prince?"
Chuuya, who had no need for niceties sharply cut in,
"A boy from Market district was arrested today. On enquiring with the guards, they said they acted on your orders."
"Ah, yes. My job is to maintain the peace of Yokohama. The boy was a criminal." Fyodor replied with a slimy smile.
"And his crime?" Chuuya demanded.
"Why, kidnapping the prince, of course."
"I wasn't kidnapped! I ran away!"
On hearing this, Fyodor adopted a grave expression.
"My my, that would indeed be a problem."
"Why?" Chuuya asked questioningly, voice laced with hesitation.
"The boy's sentence has already been carried out."
Chuuya's face turned pale with horror.
"W-What sentence?" He stuttered. Fyodor's sombre expression turned into a concealed smirk.
"Death. By beheading." He replied.
Chuuya gasped; if possible, his face turned even paler. He slowly sat on the plush cushioned chair, the terror settling in his stomach. Fyodor wrapped his long fingers around Chuuya's shoulders and said smarmily,
"Now, now, dear prince, It will be all-"
Chuuya shook him off with an expression that was a cross between rage and absolute disgust as he lowly hissed,
"How dare you!" With these words, he stamped off, anger clearly visible on his tiny shaking frame. Nikolai, who had finally succeeded in opening the giant door to Fyodor's nest, came and stood beside him.
"So, did he believe you, Dos-kun?"
"Of course." Fyodor smiled.
Both of them went back into their nest to share some cuddles to plot their next step. It's your time to shine, Shibusawa.
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In prison now, Dazai was thinking of a way to slip free from the chains that bound him to the walls. His sharp, watchful eyes spotted a greyish-black mouse on the ground, whom he immediately recognised as Akutagawa.
"Ryuu!" Dazai exclaimed, a smile evident on his face.
Akutagawa shifted back into a human and had a bunch of keys in his hand. He quickly freed Dazai, who clasped his wrists and massaged them.
"Nice work Ryuu!" Dazai said, and Akutagawa silently preened under the praise. Dazai looked around, observing if there was any way of escaping. As he surveyed his surroundings, he saw a hooded figure standing in the shadows.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Dazai ordered, pointing a finger to the darkness. The hooded figure obeyed and stepped out, and Dazai faced a stranger in his cell. The stranger was very pale as if he wasn't even a human, but rather a ghostly spirit. He had a crooked smirk on his face, and a wave of disgust washed over Dazai.
"I am no more than what you are, boy. I am a prisoner, just like you. But, if you would listen to me, I have a way for you to get out of here." The spirit-like prisoner said.
