Fyodor had left them alone for half an hour, and already Chuuya and Nikolai were plotting a murder. He couldn't be prouder. When Fyodor ended a very stressful phone call with his sister, he walked into the living room, to find Nikolai standing in front of a very elaborate plan to kill Dazai. This plan was carefully laid out on a cork board, with pictures and sticky notes attached together by pins and red string. Fyodor couldn't believe they'd put so much together in that short amount of time. Then again, Nikolai did have a teleportation coat, so he probably kept these supplies on hand with his magic.
"What's going on here?" Fyodor asked. He saw a picture of Dazai in the middle with a big red ex through the middle of his face. "We're going to get revenge on Dazai." Nikolai said confidently. Chuuya looked unsure about the whole thing. This was probably a lot to take in. "By that, Nikolai means we're going to kill him." Chuuya said calmly. Fyodor just took this all in stride. He'd been planning on killing Dazai from the start.
"Well, then." He said. "I might just have to call my sister again, and get some reinforcements." Nikolai stuck out his tongue. "Boo." He said. "It's supposed to be our revenge." Fyodor shrugged. "This is Dazai we're fighting. We need to handle this carefully." Chuuya nodded. "Fyodor is right. If you can bring in the hunting dogs, then we need that. We need all the help we can get."
"Please just give me an hour before I call her again." Fyodor said. "She needs time to cool down so we don't get murdered. It'll also give us time to try and figure out Dazai's plan. We need to be two steps ahead of him, at least, if we're going to win this thing." Nikolai sighed. "Okay, fine, but can you do something for us first?" Nikolai asked. Whatever it was, of course Fyodor would say yes. He had such a weak spot for his jester. "Chuuya needs some new clothes." Fyodor blinked, not quite sure he'd heard that right. "You heard me." Nikolai said.
And that was the story of how Fyodor ended up in a clothing store when he should have been plotting. Fyodor sighed. He hated places like this, and Nikolai knew it, but Nikolai couldn't leave the house because of his desire to drink the blood of whoever he'd run across. It was a real inconvenience. Fyodor sorted through the clothes rack, looking for something that he thought would fit Chuuya, but also be something Chuuya would like. This was difficult. Fyodor didn't actually know all that much about Chuuya. This was harder than he thought. Fyodor liked white dress shirts and capes, and Nikolai had a...peculiar taste in clothes. Neither one of them knew much about shopping for a relatively normal person. Fyodor's hand closed around the hanger of a black leather jacket that looked like it was the right size. That might do.
"He looks way cuter in this. Trust me. I speak from experience." Fyodor turned around to find the person he was actively plotting to kill. Dazai was standing in the corner of the store, holding an anime maid outfit that probably wouldn't leave much to the imagination if a person was wearing it. Fyodor clenched his fists, and started to summon his power. "There's no need for that now. I'm not here to fight." Dazai said. Fyodor heavily doubted that. "I'm just here to make my declaration."
"Chuuya is mine, Fyodor." Dazai said coldly. "I spent seven years training him, and I refuse to believe that all my hard work went to waste in all of five minutes at your hands." Fyodor crossed his arms. "Believe it." He said. "You know what happens when I turn people like me. They don't turn back." Dazai nodded. "And that is unfortunate. The idea that I'd go a lifetime without my Chuuya is truly a tragic one. But it's a good thing I have many lifetimes."
It took Fyodor a minute to understand what Dazai was getting at. There were alternate timelines everywhere, sure. But was Dazai actually trying to cross into a different universe to steal a different Chuuya? Dazai grinned. "That's right. We both win in the end." Fyodor shook his head. Dazai had officially lost it. "You can't just cross multiverses trying to steal your perfect version of Chuuya." Fyodor said. "Two universes have never crossed before. We have no idea what will happen if you even attempt something like that. And even if somehow you manage to get to this other world, the other Chuuya will reject you just as much as the one in our universe did."
Dazai snorted. "I doubt that. I won't go so easy next time. I've found a gifted with the ability to alter a person's memories, after all. All I have to do is convince her to make Chuuya fall in love with me. And I can be very convincing when I want to be." A shiver ran down Fyodor's spine. Was there no end to this man's evil? "How does anyone actually perceive you as a good guy?" All of a sudden, Dazai's expression shifted to one that was kind and almost impish; a wide, innocent looking smile on his face. "Well, it's the greatest trick I ever played, isn't it?"
Dazai set the maid outfit down on a counter, and started to walk towards the door. "Hey, I'm being generous. I'm letting you have my Chuuya while it lasts. But I have to say, I don't know if my new friend will take very kindly to you when he gets here. He has this whole thing about killing all the decay of the angels, I hope you understand." Dazai smirked. "Every time you kiss your beloved Nikolai, remember that it could very well be your kiss goodbye."
It was like the temperature in the room had dropped by ten degrees. Dazai switched his nice face back on, and waved goodbye at the cashier, who waved back politely. Fyodor's heart didn't stop racing until the door had closed, and his archenemy was long gone. Fyodor sat down against the wall with his head in his hands. Dazai had made an ally out of some demon from the multiverse. Forget being two steps ahead, Fyodor was already four steps behind. Fyodor took a deep breath. This wasn't insurmountable. Fyodor had probably survived worse before. He had his sister and her teammates, as well as Nikolai and Chuuya. They could win this fight. Fyodor just had to keep telling himself that.
Fyodor paid for the clothes he'd found, and headed for home. Fyodor knew that he had to tell Nikolai and Chuuya about what Dazai had planned, but he didn't know how. He figured that the best thing to say would just be the truth, after all. They took it the way Fyodor thought they would. Nikolai got angry, and Chuuya got quiet. Fyodor wanted to stay longer, but he needed to call Teruko. They were going to have to act now, before Dazai managed to summon whoever he'd made a deal with.
Fyodor knew instantly there was trouble when Teruko didn't pick up until the third ring. She always answered on the first. "Fyodor." Teruko coughed out, her voice cracking. Something was well and truly wrong. It must be something really bad if Teruko was hurt. Fyodor always thought she was indestructible. "Please. My team needs help. They're all dying." Fyodor started heading for the door, motioning for Nikolai and Chuuya to come with him. Nikolai should be able to teleport them to wherever the trouble was, and they'd be able to save everyone. "Where are you?" Fyodor asked. "The airport." Teruko said, and it sounded like she coughed up blood. Fyodor's fingers tightened around the phone. What had happened over there? "You need to bring someone strong. He's here." And then Teruko said something that couldn't possibly be true. Because that man was dead. Teruko had killed him herself. "Fukuchi."
