the other side of paradise | bsd x gn!reader

thirty-six.

Jouno Saigiku's sword would have sliced your head in half, had he not stopped it in time.

Admittedly, teleporting to Jouno of all people, right in the middle of the Hunting Dogs' vicious hunt of the Armed Detective Agency wasn't your best idea. The chances of you teleporting to him and risk startling him was close to a hundred, but it was the easiest out of all the options, at least emotionally.

Despite knowing that the Agency's behaviour and opinions have been influenced, whether by the Book or something else, you are still pretty nervous about your reunion. The last time you saw the members, they accused you of betrayal. Rejected your pleas for trust. Your brain tells you that they were forced to act that way but your heart won't let the painful memory of it go away. It was different with Ranpo and Osamu. There was proof that the two never really stopped believing in you, even though all evidence and logic pointed against you. That was enough.

You don't want to throw yourself into the deep end. You don't know how you'll react when you see them again. There is no way to predict their reaction either. Will they still be affected? Will they still treat you as a traitor? You don't think your heart can take more of that pain.

Which is why, instead of teleporting to an Agency member and risking crying your eyes out or saying something you might regret, you teleported to Jouno's location, hoping he could prove to be a welcome distraction for your shaky nerves. Seeing Jouno meant jumping back into the mindset of that brave detective, who left the Agency and infiltrated two organisations, all while collecting data for yourself with a pretty clear head. Seeing Jouno would help distance yourself from the you, that was still a little hurt.

The Hunting Dogs were already hot on the Agency's trail, that much you were sure of. Ango had warned you of it, based on his reliable sources in the government. 'The Hunt has begun.' That's what he said, before you entered Anne's room.

You hadn't explained to Chuuya of your relationship with the Hunting Dogs in detail. Just enough, so he could get the gist of your belief in the two you connected with. You hadn't mentioned their names, wanting to be as careful as possible. You still don't know how wide the web Kamui has spun is, and the last thing you would want is an unnecessary slip of the tongue blowing your plans up. For that same reason you haven't mentioned the sword Soluz Levni and its location to anyone other than Lucy. Either way, officially (or well, unofficially being informed in a public space should anyone be listening) knowing the hunt has begun meant that teleporting to Jouno, a Hunting Dog, wouldn't be an unreasonable scenario. From an outside perspective, teleporting to Jouno would mean ambushing an enemy. Only to the two of you would it mean reuniting with a friend.

By the time your body solidified before him, Jouno seemed to be already aware of your presence. His sword stops about a centimeter from your forehead, its shadow hanging over you menacingly. Chuuya is quick to push it away and pull you behind him, arm outstretched, like a barrier between you and Jouno, but you're too preoccupied with Jouno's expression to really give thought to anything else. You scan his uniform clad figure for any damage. Nothing stands out and you breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'm-"

He interrupts, before you can get the words out. "Well, well. What do we have here? If it isn't the little detective, who left after stealing from our superior." His expression is calm and confident. Smug, almost. Like you did exactly what he expected you would. He stands straight, his sword now resting in his hand. He lowers it, but the tight grip on the handle signals his preparedness both to you and to Chuuya. He covers for you, before you have the chance of saying something you shouldn't. In front of Chuuya, perhaps. Or perhaps, in case anyone else was listening, watching. His words, ones that would normally feel threatening, convey a hidden meaning.Your plan worked. "It seems you're still in one piece." I'm glad you're okay.