ANGEL'S ASHES, bungou stray dogs [on hold]

xxviii. the other fucking traitor

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𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋'𝐒 𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨
𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳

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𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞

     THEIR PHONES VIBRATE SIMULTANEOUSLY on the cupboard beside the bed, and they instantly know that a long-time coming favour is being called in. Chūya groans in complaint, quite clearly not wanting to move from where he's buried himself in amongst their blankets and pillows, but ultimately crawls out from under the warmth and, grumbling the whole while, puts on his usual suit and boots. Snickering, Angel follows suit and slips into her usual black catsuit and soft-soled boots, knowing that she is going to need something more flexible than her usual suit or Executive dress for this fight.

     The trip to the government building where Ango Sakaguchi has holed himself up is quite short, Chūya using his For The Tainted Snow to carry the pair high above the fog in order to save them from wasting time defeating their own Abilities. Their arrival isn't too shabby, if she may say — with Chūya already being in a pissy mood thanks to Dazai's involvement, now heightened due to their being "summoned" by the other traitor — ending up with many government officials being rendered unconscious and several doors being crushed on their way.

     With a mass of manipulated sound swirling around her, none of the government lackeys can get anywhere near Angel to land a blow that will stop her Ability, and the sound also works as a barrier preventing bullets and pretty much any kind of projectile from piercing her body. In front of Angel, Chūya stops in front of the final barrier between the pair and the other traitor: Ango Sakaguchi, only pausing for a moment before kicking the door down quite easily — reminding Angel of the possibility of him having a separate Ability especially for his legs.

     "You've got some nerve ordering me out here like some errand boy," Chūya snarls at the man. "This better be good."

     Angel moves up beside Chūya and smiles icily at Ango. "You have two minutes before I rip you apart for what you did to Sakunosuke, and for betraying us, Ango-kun, and don't think anyone here will be able to help you. They'll be quite dead too, I'm afraid."

     Ango stands. "Everyone, please give us a moment to talk alone." He turns to Angel and Chūya as his subordinates begin to leave, eyes unreadable behind his pathetic glasses. "You do realise this is a government facility? There are consequences for assaulting our agents."

     Chūya walks forward, and, if Angel were on the receiving end of the look he gives Ango, she would most likely be a little more put-off than the spy is pretending to be. "I think you mistake us for people who give a damn. We make our own rules."

     "You have a debt to me that has yet to be resolved."

     "You've got that ass backwards."

     "What are you talking about?"

     Chūya narrows his eyes. "Don't play dumb with me. Do you really think I don't know what happened six years ago? Of course I know."

     Ango's expression turns anxious and he goes to say something, only to freeze as Angel makes the manipulated sound snake its way around his throat, silencing him in an instant. His light-coloured eyes dart to Angel as she skips towards the pair, a small but malicious smile on her face and darkness in her venomous silver eyes, and he knows that if he makes one wrong move, he's dead in less than the blink of an eye. Leaning against his desk, Angel watches on, enjoying the show that's about to happen.

     "You're a no good piece of shit, you know that?!" Chūya slams his fist into the wall, making it crumble.

     "What d'you mean?" Ango asks as Angel relaxes the sound around his throat.

     "Back when the Dragon Head Conflict was in full swing, it was you bureaucrats who sent in Shibusawa. He was supposed to be your trump card to end that bloody war, but he never had any intention of maintaining peace. Did he?" Chūya sighs. "It just made things worse in the end. But, even after all that, you still went out of your way to protect him. 'Cause, the truth is, his ability to combat a potential nationwide Gifted uprising was just too valuable. That's why, not only did you turn a blind eye to the high body count he created overseas, you covered it up."

     "We did it in order to protect the peace of this nation."

     Chūya growls and picks Ango up by his shirt collar. "You really need to shut up, doc glasses. If you hadn't released that monster to begin with, all six of my friends would still be alive right now."

     "Are you going to kill me? You're free to do so. I've been prepared for this ever since I decided to ask for your help."

     "Then it's a deal." Chūya throws Ango to the ground, and Angel can't help but grin widely as Ango looks up and watches in horror as red envelops Chūya. "I'll accept your job, and, in return, you'll pay me with your life."

     Angel giggles and hops off the desk, walking over to Chūya. "You better save some for me, dear demon. This man has a lot to answer for, and oh how I've waited for this day to come." Ango shudders as her violent gaze pierces into him. "You're going to plead and scream for death when I'm through with you, and, you know what? For once, someone will get that death. Consider yourself lucky, Ango-kun."

     As their transport to that blasted tower is being arranged, Chūya has made himself quite comfortable on Ango's chair, humming to himself as he spins the chair around every few seconds. Smiling softly at one of her lovers from where Angel is sitting on the edge of the spy's desk, in front of Chūya, she can't help but feel as though this is how life should be; one chaotic moment after the other, where one of them is always in the middle of danger. This is their life, and there's very little that can be done to destroy everything they've worked so hard to create — but there are two things that could bring everything crashing down around them if Angel were to tell either Chūya or Dazai.

     Angel wants them to be happy, together. She wants them to be able to one day give up on all this rivalry; all this friend and foe bullshit they've been faced with since they each joined the Port Mafia. But there's no chance in a peaceful life considering who they are and what they've done. They're the formidable Twin Dark, and Angel is the damned Ashen Reaper. There's no chance of escaping those names even when they are dead and buried, and there's no other option than to be okay with it and accept that they will forever be the most deadly people the Port Mafia created. Angel is okay with that, really, because it's all she has known, and it feels strange to not want a war to fight.

     "We've secured transport for you both," Ango informs, not overly comfortable with standing so close to the deadly pair. "Please head up to the roof when you're ready."

     Angel rolls her eyes and flicks her hand, shoving the glasses-wearing man back against the semi-destroyed wall. "Don't go thinking we're doing this for you government bastards. We're doing this to save Dazai, and our home. Nothing more."