Withering moon lit rose

Chapter 21

Inhuman howls leapt from Yuan's mouth. The pain was near unbearable for her, she clutched at where her arm used to be and only returned with a bloodied hand.

"Oh I'm so sorry, you just got too close!" Cried the hooded figure, waving their hands in a frantic manner. Their hood finally fell revealing her face. She looked to be in her late thirties but still held the air of a youth. He white hair cascading down her body perfectly framing her face. Chuuya felt like he'd seen that hair somewhere before but couldn't put his finger on it, but his focus was on Dazai. He feared how much longer the man could hold out with his current injuries.

"Lady it's nice to meet you and everything but I want my husband back." Chuuya spat out his words, he really was using the last of his patience which had run dry a while ago.

"Nakahara, I apologise for the state my subordinates have left your, friend, in. I would heal him for you; however his ability makes that impossible." The woman turned to Yuan whose sobs were now becoming a nuisance for her. She turned to Yuan and flicked her wrist towards the woman, then with her finger extended began to draw circles in the air. Cell by cell she reattached Yuan's arm.

"Is that enough payment now?" She questioned a smile evident on her face but behind her eyes held a cruelness which held no means to an end.

"Y..yes, Yes! It is plenty. Thank you, Madame Nakajima!" Atsushi felt the blood drain from his face. Nakajima? Did he hear that correctly? No he must have misheard?

"Now you've ruined the surprise I had lined up for him!" She whined like she was a little child, but clicked her fingers once done and rested her head in her hand shaking her head back and forth. The guards dropped Dazai to the ground and began to escort the other two out. Chuuya had a mind to kill the pair of them then and there, Nakajima didn't appear to be in a means of helping them. But the small groan from Dazai threw that idea to the wind.

He rushed over and threw himself onto his knees and helped Dazai lay himself against Chuuya.
"You took a while to get here Chibi?" He managed to force the words out but it was obviously a strain. Chuuya felt tears on the brims of his eyes but managed to hold them in and just hugged the man tightly to his chest not daring to let go as if he might disappear into smoke if he let go.

"Chibi... Let go... You're squeezing me too tight." Chuuya released him slightly but still not removing his grip on the man.

"Are you not mad I swapped Atsushi for you?" Dazai shook his head lightly at Chuuya's question and then moved his gaze to the pair which stood opposite one another at the time. "She won't harm him. Well not physically, I fear if he spends too much time with her she'll begin to break him even more than he is." Chuuya looked at Atsushi, feeling a slight regret for having to use him to get Dazai back but he knew if he was to redo this again he would definitely make the same choice.

"Atsushi my boy! How have you been?" The woman announced still not having explained who she was to anyone. Leaving Atsushi on guard, his expression determined and his posture framed to fight.

"How cruel, you really want to fight your own mother?" Atsushi felt his resolve falter slightly. His mother? Tears began to cascade down his face, old buried memories began to resurface. The woman's smile faded instantly.

"So you remember..." Atsushi began to step back slowly, fear the only thing in his eyes. How could he forget? The days of constant agony. The days spent laid across the floor. Unable to move. Unable to breathe. Unable to feel. When people at the agency had asked him why he had no childhood memories to speak of he had always said it was fuzzy due to him wanting to forget about the orphanage.

But he knew that was a lie.

He remembered before the orphanage perfectly clear, sometimes he prayed that they would hit him hard enough that he would get amnesia and forget it all. Alas his prayer was never answered. He couldn't remember their faces but each action, each cut, each rip. He remembered it, all.
"So that's a no on willingly coming with me?"