You're my Dog in Life and Death

An Invisible Door

"I understand what you're saying, Dazai, but there's one problem. I don't know how to get to this 'river of death,'" Atsushi said, looking nervously at Dazai as if he expected a reprimand. 

"Anyone can get there, according to the book, it's the getting back to your own body that's hard. It's easier at certain points, like where there has been a lot of death, or where a spirit has crossed over recently." 

"You keep talking about this book. I want to see it." Akutagawa demanded gruffly, though in all fairness that was how his voice sounded most of the time. 

"Uh, no~ you traumatized orphans don't need any more nightmare fuel, and I've already told you everything important!" Dazai chided, his tail flicking with annoyance. "Anyway, please try, Atsushi! after all, we have the perfect gateway right here!" 

"Gateway? I don't see anything- what are you talking about?" Atsushi asked, looking around the room as if he expected to see a door materialize out of thin air. 

"Come on, don't be dense. The gateway is right there," Dazai said, pointing at Chuuyas immobile body. "Just imagine an invisible doorway into the river. If you focus hard enough, you should feel it." 

Akutagawa grunted in acknowledgement, then walked up and stood by Chuuya. He closed his eyes, and a moment later froze in place, his breath puffing out in clouds even in this hot room. A second later, he was back in his body, coughing slightly from the cold. 

"Whaaat? Just like that?! How did you do that???" Atsushi exclaimed, running up and grabbing Akutagawa by the shoulders. "What was it like? Was it really cold?" 

"Yeah. I just went towards the cold, then came back to where it was warm. Now I'm here," he replied flatly, unperturbed by Atsushi's exuberance. He took the other boys hand, his expression not shifting in the slightest while Atsushi's face glowed bright red at the sudden contact. 

"Follow my lead," Akutagawa said, then stiffened again. Atsushi flinched away slightly, then froze in place as well, still holding his hand tightly. 

Dazai made sure to snap a few pictures of that for blackmail. 

One moment Atsushi was standing in that scorching hot room, feeling Akutagawa's hand grow stiff and cold, the next he was stumbling after the boy, feeling icy water splash around his knees. He stumbled, and would have fallen if he hadn't been holding Aku's hand. He steadied himself, then let go quickly, his face feeling like it was on fire even in this freezing river. 

"Dazai san?" Atsushi called, looking around in the mist. The demon was nowhere in sight, and there was no answer. The only noise was the roaring of water and the echoes of his voice. It sounded like there was a waterfall ahead, though the mist obscured his vision, and he couldn't see more than a few meters ahead. 

"Hush, Jinko. We don't want to attract unwanted attention." Akutagawa hissed. 

The two started wading carefully through the river, their heads down as they slowly moved forwards, fighting the current that was determined to drag them under. "Is it true that this ability space can weaken your life force if you aren't careful? The book said that if you have a strong spirit and will, you can go back and forth just fine though. Is my spirit draining away, or is it just my imagination?"

"Where is he?" Akutagawa asked after a few minutes, breaking Atsushi out of his inner monologue. 

"Uh, I don't know, that's why I'm looking for him!" 

"Use your tiger nose, you imbecile. I thought you were following the scent the whole time!" 

Atsushi facepalmed, feeling incredibly stupid. "S-sorry, I forgot! I'm an idiot!" He quickly transformed into a half tiger and sniffed the air. It was difficult to smell anything in the flowing water, but Atsushi caught a faint trace of Chuuya's scent somewhere in front of them. It was difficult to tell exactly where it was because it was nearly overpowered by the bite of hot metal. "He's just ahead; I think he's under water..." 

Akutagawa splashed on ahead, using Rashoumon to keep himself from slipping. Atsushi sighed and followed, already feeling sluggish from the oppressive chill. The cold crept into his bones, making him feel tired and miserable in body and mind. 

Just a little bit ahead, he could see Akutagawa pulling something out of the water with his ability, but the mist obscured any details. As he got closer though, he could see that it really was Chuuya, though he showed no sign of life. A thick black chain connected to a collar around his neck, the scent of hot iron rolling off it in waves now that it was exposed. Atsushi deactivated his tiger senses so that he wouldn't have to endure that nauseating odor. 

"Rashoumon!" Akutagawa cried, slashing at the chain with his ability. White sparks flew and sizzled, but nothing else happened. Chuuya still hung limply, chained up like a sickly dog. 

"He's dead. Let's go back." Akutagawa said, dropping him back into the water. 

"Wait, he might just be unconscious! Did you even check his pulse? Do spirits have pulses?" Atsushi asked frantically, running forward and pulling Chuuya's limp form back out of the water. His skin was as cold as ice, but his eyelids fluttered slightly as if he were trying to wake up from a bad dream. 

The sound of the waterfall stilled for a moment, then resumed again. Atsushi's ears twitched as he heard a faint noise, like something moving against the current. 

"Something's there," Atsushi breathed out, listening intently. He pulled at the chain with his tiger strength, but it didn't give. "Chuuya's alive, but I can't get the chain off!"

"Hurry and figure it out; I'll watch your back." Akutagawa said, wading farther down the river. Atsushi pulled as hard as he could, but the chain still wouldn't break. 

Without warning, the river suddenly exploded into noise and movement. A small, hairy creature sprang out from under the water with incredible speed. It had a head and face like a rat, but its body was long and segmented, and its arms ended in clawed human hands. Atsushi took in all of this in the blink of an eye as the denizen of death darted forward and sank its teeth into his leg. 

"Agh! Son of a-"

"Rashoumon!" 

Akutagawa skewered the rat-like creature,  which squealed horribly as it writhed on the point. It squirmed off, diving below the surface again. Akutagawa began stabbing the water all around where it had disappeared, only just managing to hit it again before it could take a bite out of him. 

"Damn it, I can't break this stupid chain!" Atsushi yelled in panic, shaking off the injury even as his blood drained into the river water. He'd lost his entire leg several times; this pain was nothing new. 

"The tigers claws are supposed to cut through any ability. If that doesn't work, then we're out of options," Akutagawa said, still trying to hit the rat-like denizen of death. 

"My claws, right! Why are you so stupid, Atsushi?" He mumbled to himself, pulling the chain taut. He slashed the links with his tiger claws, producing a spray of foul white sparks. He slashed the same link again, and the chain broke, the links dissolving into shadow. Atsushi picked up Chuuya's limp form and stumbled back towards life and his own body, but turned back at the last moment. 

"Run, you fool!" Akutagawa yelled, just barely deflecting a bite from the ferocious spirit. Reluctantly, Atsushi turned around and stepped back into the warmth of life. He blinked, feeling frost crack as he reentered his body. He felt disoriented by the sudden change; Chuuya was no longer in his arms, instead-

"Chuuya! Wake up, my love; it's me! Chuuya, please be ok, please please please!" Dazai cried desperately, flinging himself onto the bed and embracing Chuuya. Chuuya looked gaunt and sickly; his hair mussed and skin white as a sheet, but for once he finally looked alive. The ice on his body was melting, and he stirred, letting out a shuddering breath. 

"You're alive! Speak to me, please, Chuuya; wake up!" Dazai pleaded, cupping his love's face in his hands. Chuuya's eyes fluttered open, his lips trembling as he struggled to form words.

"You... bastard..." He gasped, then went still.