Spain Without The S!

Chapter 4: Prince Charming

  Akutagawa stood in the doorway. Some people had just left after helping Mori set up medical machinery.
  The quiet beeping of the heart monitor was the only noise in the room.
  Mori was in the middle of setting up an IV drip.
  Dazai stood a distance from the bed looking stressed as he rubbed his wrists.
  Akutagawa's eyes widened slightly, seeing that Dazai's bandages were missing. He remembered Dazai removing them earlier but now the reality hit him.
  Why would Dazai take them off?... he thought to himself as he covered his mouth.
  Dazai's eyes snapped towards Akutagawa with no perticular emotion in them.
  Akutagawa froze and carefully met his gaze.
  Dazai's syrup-colored eyes stared back, revealing nothing of his intentions. Then, he looked back towards where Chuuya lay only a handful of feet away.
  Akutagawa fully entered the room, catching Mori's attention as he finished.
  "Ah, Akutagawa," he smiled, "come to visit your beloved executive?"
  Akutagawa nodded slowly, "how is he?" He looked down at Chuuya, who was laying there seeming to have been delicately placed. His hands were laid over his stomach, reminding Akutagawa of a funeral. He didn't like the idea of imagining Chuuya in a casket. He drew his eyes away.
  "Well, he's not dead, at the very least. I can't tell anything about what's going on inside him, though." Mori sighed, sounding tired, "the Detective Angency's healer has a fascinating skill... I wonder if it could be honed to work on internal injuries as well." He chuckled, "that would save me a lot of time."
  Akutagawa nodded. "She is a part of our rival angency..." he reminded Mori carefully.
  Mori smirked, "I don't see you complaining about Dazai being here."
  Akutagawa steeled his nerves, showing no emotion, "Dazai-San is a former executive..."
  "Former." Mori stressed the word, "meaning he is more dangerous than the agency."
  Akutagawa bit his tongue.
  Mori giggled as he patted Akutagawa on the shoulder, "I'll be back later." He took his leave.
  Akutagawa watched the monitor's green line stabilize then jolt up and down. He sighed quietly. Oddly, he didn't trust the monitor as proof of Chuuya's life.
  "He's right, you know," Dazai said in a hushed tone. "It's more dangerous I'm here than Yosano..."
  Akutagawa paused, choosing what to say carefully, "Mori-dono seems to trust you..."
  Dazai chuckled mirthlessly as if he had just tasted something disgusting, "he was my mentor in the mafia. He likes to think he knows everything about me."
  There was a strange hint of amusement in Dazai's voice for a moment.
  Akutagawa turned to Dazai, "he knows that you would never do anything when Chuuya-San's life is in question."
  Dazai surveyed his old apprentice. "Glad to see you standing up for your beliefs..." he said quietly as he looked back at Chuuya.
  Akutagawa's charcoal eyes widened at Dazai's statement. Dazai was pleased with him? Even just a little bit?
  "You and Chuuya-san fight a lot..." Akutagawa continued, "but you've never hurt each other. There's no reason for that to change."
  Dazai chuckled, "speak for yourself, I've been bruised pretty badly by him several times."
  Akutagawa didn't like it, but he felt that Dazai had probably deserved it. He brushed the thoughts away, not wanting to think badly of his superior.
  Akutagawa turned to leave, having no more words for Dazai.
  Dazai watched him go silently. Rashomon billowing behind Akutagawa reminded Dazai of his mafia days and he began to frown.
  A small clawed hand formed at the edge of Akutagawa's coat and seemed to wave goodbye to him.

——

  Kouyo returned with Elise shortly after Akutagawa left.
  Dazai stood from the chair beside the bed.
  Elise looked around at the various machines hooked up to Chuuya. She looked up at Dazai, "you changed his clothes..."
  Dazai nodded, "they were all torn up and Mori needed him in something easier to cut if there's an emergency..."
  "Oh..." she lightly tugged on the sleeve of the hospital gown, "when will he wake up?"
  Dazai paused and looked over at Kouyo. She offered nothing in her gaze but sorrowful eyes.
  "I don't know..." Dazai said.
  Elise pursed her lips as she looked over Chuuya. She gripped the end of her dress tightly, "you know what this reminds me of?"
  "What?" Dazai asked.
  "You know how in all those princes stories how she needs true love's kiss to wake her up or save her?..."
  Dazai chuckled, a smile finally coming to his face, "you think he needs a Prince Charming to come wake him up?"
  Elise nodded slowly, beginning to smile, "maybe."
  Kouyo couldn't help but smile as well, "then you better start looking for one."
  Elise gasped as her eyes grew wide with excitement, "you think we can find one?!"
  Kouyo chuckled, "you never know until you try."
  "But wait, because Chuuya's a boy would he need a princess charming?..."
  Dazai smirked, "nah, I don't think it would work that way." He thought of Chuuya's hilarious reaction to being kissed by a man. Then he stopped and his smile faded. He looked back at Chuuya, it wasn't like getting a kiss would help this anyways...
  "I'm going to have Dazai help me because he knows Chuuya best!" Elise stole his hand and started pulling him towards the door.
  Dazai didn't object, he needed a distraction anyways. Entertaining a child didn't seem too hard, plus, Elise seemed determined.
  "Alright, just don't loose him," Kouyo giggled as they exited.
  Kouyo took the chair next to the bed and smiled down at Chuuya. She took one of his hands in both of hers. Even in this state Chuuya felt unnaturally warm.
  She felt happy that that hadn't changed at all. "Elise seems sure she'll find you a Prince Charming to come and save you..."
  Kouyo squeezed his hand, "wake up soon, please..."
  Of course there was no response, she hadn't really expected one anyway. Chuuya chest quietly rose and sank in tune with his breathing.
  Each breath seemed to be too far apart and every time Kouyo was about to panic he'd take a breath.

——

  Dazai and Elise returned late at night. Kouyo looked tired as she smiled up at them, "any luck?"
  Elise shook her head looking disappointed, "there's no one pretty enough to rival Chuuya, so they would never work."
  "True love has to do with looks now?" Kouyo asked.
  Elise shrugged, "kind of."
  "Why don't you hurry off to bed, I promise I'll keep an eye out for any beautiful men," she chuckled.
  Elise sighed, "good luck with that. The only other pretty male in this whole area is Dazai."
  Kouyo looked up at him. He gave her a toothy grin. Kouyo rolled her eyes, "if you say so..."
  Elise giggled, "he'd do a bit better if he would bathe more often, though."
  "Hey! I don't smell!" Dazai exclaimed with a bright smile on his face.
  "Alright," Kouyo stood, "off to bed."
  Elise sighed, "fiiiiiineeeee."
  After Elise left, Dazai approached the nightstand and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a set of gloves that seemed for too spotless to be the ones Chuuya had been wearing before his rampage.
  "Did you wash them?..." Kouyo asked.
  Dazai shook his head as he stepped back and pocketed his hands, "they were the only thing untouched in that whole room..."
  Kouyo knit her eyebrows together, "strange..."
  Dazai agreed, "did Mori come by while we were gone?"
  Kouyo shook her head with a sigh, "no..."
  "You should go sleep," Dazai placed his hand on her arm, "I'll watch over him..."
  Kouyo paused, then nodded, "alright... I'll be back first thing in the morning." She headed to the door.
  "If anything happens you'll be the first to know." Dazai assured her.
  She gave him a small smile, "you sure you can last the night?"
  "Of course," he smiled.
  "I'll see you in the morning, then," she quietly closed the door.
  Dazai's expression hardened as he looked back at Chuuya and took a seat.