Death Becomes Us (Dazai x Reader)

Chapter Ten

A/N I have two new stories up on my account!! The first is an Akutagawa x Reader story called Leo, Leonis and the second is a Fyodor x Reader one called The Past Hunts. That's my big fun new announcement.

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Y/n looked up at Dazai, recognition dawning on her features quickly chased away with panic, with fear. He had expected her to cry, to fall into his arms. She straightened herself up, still breathing heavily.

"Why are you here?"

It was almost an accusation. Dazai was stunned.

"I came to rescue you." he half heartedly responded after a moment.

Y/n threw a nervous glance over her shoulder, her wings tucked tightly behind her back. Dazai couldn't help but notice they looked a little... odd. A little shadowy. He assumed it was the dim lighting. She turned back to face him.

"Osamu..." she began before trailing off into silence, a sudden anger filling her to the brim, "god dammit!" she exclaimed, stomping a foot on the ground as she checked behind her once again.

"Y/n... what... what's going on?"

"You shouldn't have come." she sighed, her voice thin and stressed, her hands pulling at her hair, "Fuck! Osamu, why did you have to come?"

"Y/n," he took a step closer to her, gently taking her hands in his own so she would stop causing herself pain. They were wet. He didn't have to look down to know why, "please. I'm here to help. What is going on?"

The closeness between them throwing her face into sharper relief, Dazai could see now what he thought were shadows cast onto her body by the poor lighting were bruises, dark purple and red. There was a cut on her cheek and her dress stuck to her back with blood.

"What did they do to you?" he asked, not meaning to have spoken the words aloud.

Y/n wrenched her hands from his grasp.

"Get out of here, please." she insisted, taking a step back.

He matched her movement away from him with a step closer.

"I'm here to help." he repeated his earlier sentiments, "Let's get you out of here."

She observed his outstretched hand for a moment before meeting his eyes once again and shaking her head. It was a jolted, hesitant motion. Dazai's eyes grew wide.

"What do you mean 'no'?" he asked, moving his hand closer to her.

"I... I have to keep you safe." was all she replied, taking another step back.

"Y/n, I can keep myself safe." he insisted, "Besides, you're the one in danger."

She didn't reply, merely throwing a cursory glance over her shoulder back the direction she had come from.

"Y/n-"

"You need to get out of here, Dazai." she stated, her voice cold, colder than he'd ever heard it, "Please."

A tear snuck its way out of one of her eyes, trickling down her cheek. Dazai sighed. In a split second, he had pulled her into his arms, lifted her feet off the ground. He could feel her feathers against his arms as he lifted her up, they were cold to the touch.

Y/n yelped, a strangled sound, a mixture of surprise and pain.

"I'm sorry!" Dazai exclaimed, her cry hurting him more than he thought she could, "I just... you're not really giving me a choice."

He began to walk back towards the staircase he had come down earlier. He could feel Y/n biting into the fabric of his coat to stop her tears, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"We just need to get you to Yosano." Dazai said, trying his best to comfort her. Comfort had never been his strong suit, "She can fix you right up."

He knew she knew that. He didn't know what else to say.

"It'll all be okay." he reassured her.

At the faint sound of footsteps coming from behind them, Y/n's head popped up. Dazai felt her go stiff in his arms as she looked over his shoulder into the darkness.

"They're walking, they're not running." Dazai reassured her, "We'll be out in the main warehouse before they get to us. I can take them there, whoever they are."

"No, no Osamu, you don't understand." Y/n insisted, trying to pry his arms off her, "No... you need to go. You need to leave me and go, it's the only way."

"That's not going to happen and you know it."

She had begun to struggle more frantically against his grip.

"Why did it have to be you!?" she cried softly as she managed to pry one of his arms off her, still mostly caught in his grip, "God fucking dammit Osamu!"

With irritating ease, he pulled his arm from her grip and wrapped it back around her, holding her tight to him. She continued to struggle, forcing him to stop and readjust his grip. He threw her over his shoulder in a fire man hold. She grunted as his shoulder hit her stomach.

"I'm sorry." he said again as he continued forward.

The door was maybe twenty feet away now. Y/n banged her fists on his back.

"Let me go, god damn you!" she hissed

"You know I can't."

Before he could register what was happening, Y/n spread her wings, forcing his grip off her. She pulled herself down from his shoulder and stumbled a few feet back. Dazai stopped, turning around to face her.

"What the fuck!" he exclaimed in exasperation, running a hand through his hair, "Why wont you let me help you? I'm literally just trying to help you!"

The footsteps were closer now and Y/n threw a frantic look over her shoulder. Whoever was approaching them was still shrouded in shadow.

"I... you don't understand! Please, Osamu, I am asking you to trust me! Leave me!"

"No." Dazai responded firmly.

Y/n closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. Her efforts failed however, and they began to slide down her cheeks in earnest as she looked at him again.

"I... I'm sorry." she pleaded with him, "It's... it's all I can think of. Its the only way. I need you to listen to me. I... I...." she searched for something to say, her eyes moving wildly about the tunnel, "I don't love you anymore!"

Dazai almost laughed. He took a step closer to her.

"You and I both know thats not true."

"You're so... why do you have to be so stubborn! Why can't you just trust me!"

"I need you, Y/n."

"Yeah? Well I don't need you! So get lost, okay?"

Dazai shook his head.

"And you say I'm the stubborn one."

The man had reached them now. Y/n turned, a look of horror dawning upon her face. He was strong, his muscles clearly visible through the white of his dress shirt. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and there were flecks of red spattered across the white material, flecks of blood. Y/n stumbled back a few steps, almost losing her balance in the process.

"Dazai, run." she commanded, her voice shaking despite the firmness of her tone.

"No." he immediately replied, slipping his hands into the pockets of his coat and taking a step closer, "I am not leaving you."

The man reached into his pocket. Y/n turned to Dazai, a pleading look in her eyes. He shook his head. The man pulled out a gun and cocked it. Y/n's eyes went wide. The world stopped for a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

The man, aiming the gun, Y/n, throwing herself between them, into the line of fire because the gun was pointing at him. Y/n: spreading her wings, a metallic quality having been given to them by the light of the room. Y/n: emanating a bright light. An animalistic cry. A crash. A flash of pain.

The world went dark.

"No!"