thicker than the mind | dazai o. ✓

thirty two.

"Taiyo-san?"

Sadly smiling at the hospitalized boy, she made her way to his bedside. Luckily, he had less tubes penetrated in his veins, but he still had some here and there. "Hey kid."

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he slowly sat up, "Checking on you." Atsushi sweatdropped since Taiyo looked much worse than him. Her hair was slightly tousled, her clothes even had some scratches (some were even ripped.)

"Are you sure you're alright yourself?" She raised her eyebrows in question, "Yeah, why?" Atsushi grunted at his superior's actions and decided to not ask any further.

A woman true to her word is something that describes Taiyo perfectly. She asked him how he's been feeling, and he answered with a mediocre reply. There wasn't much that Atsushi could say, really. He felt fine at the moment, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Can I ask, Atsushi-kun-"

"I have something to ask, Taiyo-san-"

They paused when they heard each other speak at the same time. Sweatdropping, Taiyo persuaded Atsushi to ask first, but then he persuaded her to do so, and vice versa. They were like an amateur couple who were bickering on who will hang up first. "Fine! I'll go first." She chuckled as she gave an annoyed smile to her subordinate. "What happened while you and Kunikida were out?"

"Oh. We were walking around, trying to find patients and nurses who need help," Humming, Taiyo urged him to continue further. "Until everything in the room turned red. The walls and the floors turned to blood." Her eyes widened- just by imagining it, she could smell the nauseating essence of blood. When she was a child, the minute she found out that her gift was accompanied with blood, she begged the gods to give the power back. She's never really had a thing for blood; she didn't have a phobia, nor did she like it.

"When we were dizzy in the smell of it, I saw a dart coming our way." Taiyo furrowed her eyebrows in aggravation. If only she went with the kid, then he would've never gotten madly hurt. "Then you jumped in front of Kunikida to save him?" He nodded, while she groaned at the youth's moral. His eyes and facial structure didn't show even a bit of regret at what he did. He's a great example for a good sport.

"I apologise for all the damage I've caused. Especially the hospital bills." She chuckled, deciding to let the matter go since the past is the past. "It's fine. Fukuzawa's got it covered."

Silence engulfed the room, the beeping monitor and the faint sound of nurses passing by were the only sources of sound. The room, unlike Dazai's, was dim. The curtains covered the beautifully risen sun that had vitamins good for your well being. Flowers, mostly given by the doctors, were resting peacefully in the desk side table. "Oh, you were going to ask something, right?"

"Ah- yes! Is Kyouka-san alright?"

Taiyo tilted her head, "Kyou...ka?" She was intrigued at who this person is. As far as she knew, Atsushi has never really talked about another person other than the ones in the agency. Her motherly instincts kicked in, and she asked all possible questions for the person. "Sh-She's a girl that helped us get out of the building! Her demon snow ability destroyed all the falling debris, so we safely got out."

Her eyebrows raised, "An ability user? Is she from the Port?" Atsushi shook his head, unsure of where the hell she came from. Taiyo raised herself up by pushing her hands on the knees, grunting slightly by the sudden action. "I'll ask a friend of mine if he knows her. If I find her, I'll tell you immediately." The albino obediently nodded; still respectful in such a state.

"Get well soon, kid. I don't want you dying on me when we still have many adventures to have, okay?" He optimistically agreed with a loud 'Yes ma'am' along with a bright smile that could compete with the sun.

"Oh, Taiyo-san, one last thing?"

"Yeah?"

"I couldn't help but notice, so... Who is Dazai-san to you?"

Without missing a beat, she smiled at the shy detective. "A partner in crime, Atsushi."

◎

"Dazai went to sleep?" She walked side by side to the redheaded executive, hands behind her back as his hands were inside his pockets. "That bastard kept on talking, good thing he did." She raised an eyebrow in suspicion, "You sure you didn't knock him out?" Chuckling as Chuuya bickered on how he would never, they reached the plaza nearest to the hospital.

Apparently, both fighters were craving some ramen for some odd reason, and they decided to buy one in the greatest shop there is. This was a bad idea, going so far in the open in the middle of the war, but you only live once. Plus, these two can handle themselves a couple members of the Plagues. "Hey, is it that one?" Taiyo pointed to a shop filled with people surrounding the entrance, hands on top of her eyes because of the bright sun.

"Yeah. C'mon." He grabbed her hands, cheeks heating up at the sudden action. She had no option but to run along with Chuuya's footsteps, since it would be awkward if she let go. "Why is there a crowd?"

"The end is near, my friends! Love your family, hold your boyfriend's hand, do it all for the end is close!" A madman of a priest was preaching something on how the end was near, and these people were somehow intrigued on the topic. "Come on, man! We just want to buy some ramen!" A young teen shouted to the priest, his girlfriend cowering in fear of the situation. The madman just went on, ignoring the other pleas of the people.

"What a loser." Chuuya sighed out, and that was enough to break Taiyo out of her staring contest with the priest's ugly shoes. Her eyes settled on the two intertwined hands from below, forgetting that she was holding hands with the executive of the Port Mafia.

"Uhm-!" Chuuya didn't seem to mind, in fact, his grip tightened. "Uh, Chuuya-" He shushed her, slightly looking down. He seemed like he was hiding?

"3 o' clock." Taiyo couldn't follow, until he tilted his head to his right. Being low key about peeping, she grabbed Chuuya's arm as a form of stand. A familiar man was standing normally in the crowd. If you hadn't seen his face in a PowerPoint presentation by your subordinate, you would assume he would be a normal kid amused by the priest's calls.

"Isn't that-?"

"Haru Akagi. He can change objects to blood. Very similar yet inferior to yours, Taiyo." He glanced up at the worried detective.

"It looks like ramen needs to wait, Chuuya."

have sum chuuya content! a fight is comin up! are you ready?

also, sorry for not updating much.. been distracted by twitter (ahem @muserryy) AHSJZJSJJj

love you all,
vel.