ꜱʜɪɴᴊᴜ | ᴏ. ᴅᴀᴢᴀɪ

十二 [J ū N i]

十二 : Numb Without You

"let's get this straight
You are a fever in the cold
yet I'm not shivering
you are a shudder in
the voice that screams inside of me"

___

[Last Name] [Name] couldn't believe time has passed that fast. Her life at the agency has been boring yet pretty eventful. As a part of her precautions, she requested to the President that she'd lay low and to only reveal her identity when necessary.

[Name] got up from her futon and left her dorm. She grabbed the keys then locked the door to her room, then the door upfront.

She tugged her coat closer, embracing the warm aspect of it, as she shivered from the cold of the crisp freezing night.

She ventured her way into the nearest post office that was open during this time of night. She clutched the envelope on her hand tightly as she put a stamp on it. She then sent her mail and took her leave.

[Name] then walked to wherever her feet brought her to. Once she she pulled herself out from the cloud that she had created in her head, she observed that her feet brought her to the humongous bridge that stands tall over the waters in Yokohama.

[Name],  seeing the peace in the city, couldn't help but reflect upon those recent events.

Izumi Kyōka has been accepted into the Armed Detective Agency. Many were reluctant at first yet most of them warmed up to her.

'Izumi shows too much sympathy. How did she manage to survive Port Mafia with that?' [Name] thinks to herself as she recalled her, Dazai's and Kyouka's conversation where the youngest showed remorse for the thirty-five people she has killed in a span of six month.

Nakajima Atsushi has been brought back from his not so recent kidnapping. The teen fought not only for himself but also for Kyouka. As a result of this aforementioned event,  Akutagawa Ryūnosuke landed on a coma.

Francis Fitzgerald offered a hefty amount of money in order to buy the Agency. Fukuzawa Yukichi, however, didn't flinch and flat out rejected the ludicrous deal. Just then, detectives from the Agency  started disappearing.

The Guild, made a scene that wasn't so subtle. During Izumi Kyouka's first mission, the young girl wrecked havoc instead. In the midst of this chaos, Ozaki Kōyou thought it would the just the perfect time to take Kyouka back. The same day, a three way conflict has been started between Port Mafia, Armed Detective Agency and The Guild.

Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, now awake from his coma, has slaughtered everyone on sight at the Guild's luxurious  liner, including Nathaniel and Margarette of the Guild. On the other hand, the Armed Detective Agency Split themselves into teams of offensive and defensive. At the same day, Nakahara Chuuya appeared and challenged the agency.

Naomi and Kira were almost captured yet Tanizaki and Kunikida managed to rescue them. Dazai and Atsushi was yet again faced with members of the Port Mafia.

These all ended when Ranpo and Dazai devised a plan to destroy Moby Dick. Atsushi and Akutagawa by a  certain twisted fate, meets each other at the Moby Dick. Despite their hatred for each other, the duo continued to fight for their beloved city.

At the end of the day, Izumi Kyouka passed the test as she 'sacrificed' herself for the greater good. Yokohama was saved. The destruction of Moby Dick was pointed at the water for less damage. Francis Fitzgerald fell from the ship. And at long last, Akutagawa Ryunosuke earned Dazai's acknowledgement.

"Penny for your thoughts, mademoiselle?" [Name] heard an oh so familiar voice call out to her.

"I'm proud of them." [Name] mused out.

"Yeah, yeah, same." Dazai agreed, nonchalantly. His demeanor took a strong 180º as his carefree attitude left and his eyes was replaced with coldness that could rival the night.

"Now, when are you going to tell me you're still in contact with Chuuya after leaving Port Mafia." Dazai asked, with a smirk on his face that would scare anyone. Anyone but [Name] as she stood her ground.

"It's Chuuya. We're friends." [Name] replied curtly, deathly calm.

"Oh, friends you say? Care to enlighten me what happened for the past four years that I have been away?" Dazai said, feigning an innocent look. Looks could be deceiving, it really could.

Flashes of sweat, hot nights briefly flashed through [Name]'s mind in forms of pictures. [Name] gasped as she put her fingers on her red colored lips.

The way Chuuya's lips felt against her own. His sweat covered body against her own. The sound of skin slapping against each other, clothes thrown on the other side of the room. It all came back. Dozens of them, from the past four years.

"No wonder why he helped you escape, huh?" Dazai said as another smirk found itself plastered on his coy face.

"What? Did you expect that I'd wait for you? After you left?" [Name] asked, raising her voice.

Dazai took [Name]'s face in between his fingers as he lift her head up, enough for them to see eye to eye, literally.

Dazai closed the gap in between their faces and [Name] couldn't help but kiss back. A familiar warmth bloomed inside their stomachs as it did cartwheels.

Dazai was the first to pull back and when he did, he pulled [Name] closer, close enough to place his lips on [Name]'s ears.

"All I ever wanted was your time." He whispered as he placed a kiss.

"All I ever wanted was your words, your promises." He whispered as he placed another kiss on her cheek.

"All I ever wanted was you, is you, and will always be you." Dazai finished as he placed a final kiss on [Name]'s lips. [Name] didn't know whether it's the weather or Dazai's coldness, nonetheless, it sent shivers down to the tip of her very being.

"But of course, you wasted time on that bastard, Chuuya." Dazai said as he pulled back and turned his back to her.  In a blink of an eye, [Name] couldn't find any traces that could be left by Dazai.

All the [Hair Color] haired girl could do was grip the fencing along the bridge as she sighed and muttered,

"Despite how smart you are, there will always be some things that you won't understand, Dazai Osamu."

Under the moonlight, her red lipstick-stained lips was the only thing visible. Perfectly painted crimson lips that formed into a gruelling smirk that would've sent shivers down the spine of who ever lived to see the sight.

___
Numb Without You
The Maine