𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ￤O. Dazai

𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 | 𝟬𝟵

     Yoshiyuki pulled the chair out from behind his desk and sat down. He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them, eyes fixed on (Y/N), who sat on the sofa across from him with her arms crossed.

He smiled.

"What. The. Fuck," she said in a low, agitated tone, enunciating every word clearly.

Yoshiyuki chuckled. "I'm sorry."

Her eyebrow twitched. "You could've sent Tanari or Zenaku instead!"

"I had my reasons," he said with another small chuckle.

"What reasons, exactly—"

"—You relate to him."

(Y/N) blinked, then furrowed her eyebrows. "I do not."

"You do," Yoshiyuki said, sighing. "And because of that, it'll make the job easier."

She raised a brow. "You're joking, right? How the hell does that make my job easier? I'm going to be sticking around a danger magnet. I will get involved! And on top of that, my family is going to be up my ass the second they find out I'm siding with the one guy they wanted me to kill!"

Yoshiyuki leaned back in his chair and rested his hands on his lap, still smiling as he looked at her. "Are you afraid?"

"No."

"Then why is this a problem?"

---

*•••••*

"You were supposed to counterattack." (Y/N) sighed and tucked her arms into the pockets of her coat.

Atsushi, who was sitting on the ground, frowned. He placed one hand over his chest, where her attack had hit him, and used the other to steady himself.

"It was too fast," he muttered. "I didn't even see it coming."

(Y/N) pulled her hands from her coat's pockets and crossed her arms over her chest. "You expect your enemies to attack you in slow motion?"

"That's not what I meant," Atsushi said as he stood and dusted himself off. "We've only been training for a week. I can't keep up with you."

"Your enemies won't wait for you to get stronger. In fact, they prefer their opponents weak and vulnerable," she said, picking up a pebble. She tossed it in the air and caught it before it could hit the ground.

Placing it on top of her thumb's nail, she aimed behind Atsushi and flicked the pebble toward the tree's thick leaves.

A loud thud followed.

Dazai groaned from his hidden spot, sitting up with a hand pressed against his now-red forehead. "That wasn't very nice," he pouted.

She shrugged. "I never said I was nice."

Dazai sighed, stood up, and smiled as if he hadn't just fallen out of a tree. Honestly, he was probably used to it by now. He'd fallen off so many things in his pursuit of a "painless" suicide method that tumbling out of a tree no longer fazed him.

He approached the two, hands in his pockets. "I came to check on the progress. How's it going?"

"He's slow," (Y/N) said flatly.

Atsushi felt those words stab straight through his chest like a sword.

"He lacks balance," she added, brushing a hand through her hair. "And his critical thinking? Needs a lot of sharpening."

Another sword to the chest. Atsushi slouched, defeated.

"Have you been feeding him properly?" (Y/N) asked Dazai. "He's too lanky."

And a third sword pierced through. Atsushi was now kneeling on the ground, thoroughly wrecked.

"He can be a tough one to train. I'm sorry," Dazai smiled.

'Tough one...' Atsushi dropped his head.

"But you'll get used to him soon enough."

"What do you mean by that!?" Atsushi snapped, voice sharper than usual, brows furrowed.

Dazai just laughed.

As Atsushi continued sulking under Dazai's teasing, (Y/N) suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her face twitched slightly, and she rubbed the spot.

Keogari growled—his deep, raspy tone echoed through her head, sending a cold shiver down her spine. She took a few steps back from the two boys, putting distance between them.

"Keo?" she whispered.

"You better find that temple. Soon," Keogari growled.

"How much time do I have left?" she asked, turning around.

The demon let out another low, harsh growl. Instantly, a surge of energy rushed through her body, needles pricking at her skin. She shivered.

That was her answer.

"Leave," Keogari ordered, his voice sounding hoarse, like he'd been screaming for hours. "Now."

"What?"

"Leave. Go somewhere far. Now, (Y/N)."

---

*•••••*

(Y/N) crouched on the cold floor of her dimly lit apartment. She clutched a fistful of her hair, tugging at it in frustration. A crushing pressure weighed on her chest—like a boulder had dropped on her, cracking her ribs and squeezing the air from her lungs.

Sweat beaded on her skin as she panted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her breaths came out in gray puffs, each inhale more desperate than the last. Her body shook violently. Her hair, messy and clinging to her face, pooled onto the tiled floor as she rested her forehead against it.

A pain-filled scream tore from her throat.

Her (e/c) eyes flickered—red, then normal, then red again. Over and over for nearly an hour.

She screamed. She punched her chest. She clawed at her throat. Anything—anything—to clear her airways.

Blood splattered from her lips as she coughed. Thick crimson droplets painted the tiles. Still, she gasped for breath.

"Keogari," she croaked.

No answer.

She clicked her tongue, groaning.

After what felt like forever, her breathing finally slowed. She leaned back against the wall, dazed and soaked in sweat. Her body trembled as the worst of it passed.

The curtain beside her stirred slightly in the breeze, brushing against her cheek. She tilted her head up and looked out the window.

The sky was painted a soft orange, streaked with white clouds—the sun already beginning to set.

With what little strength she had left, she dragged herself to the bed and collapsed onto it. She picked up her phone and dialed.

It rang once before a familiar voice answered.

"Hello? (Y/N)-san?"

"You live in Fukushima, right?" (Y/N) asked, breathless.

"Y-Yeah, I do. Are you alright, (Y/N)-san?" Tsui's sweet tone quickly twisted with concern as she heard the rasp in her senior's voice.

"I'm fine," (Y/N) replied, brushing a hand through her hair. "Can I ask for a favor?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?" Tsui said without hesitation.

"Great," (Y/N) sighed in relief.