ｂｌｏｓｓｏｍｉｎｇ （何-引）/ fem!atsushi x akutagawa

Part 1

Love was never something that crossed the mind of the 18 year old girl named Atsushi. 

      It wasn't a topic discussed that much in the agency she worked for, other than Dazai's rambling of his desire for a suicidal woman and the fuss of Kunikida's ideal woman.  He once joked about falling in love with Atsushi when she flung herself on the fake bomb during her entrance test.

      "Atsushi~" she perked up when she heard Dazai's chair roll up next to her desk.  His bandanged hand held a canary yellow file, probably confidential.  "What is it?" Atsushi's eyes fell on the file.  "Oh, you need me to send this to someone?"

      "Bingo! Send it today at Mitsuzawa Park in the afternoon around 6," he shot a smile at her before pushing away, hitting his back on his wooden desk and  proceeded doing work.  Atsushi didn't dare to open the file like she always did with others.  She set it aside and continued her work.

      It was oddly a peaceful day.  Dazai didn't take any hallucinative mushrooms and neither did he brag about a new suicide technique he found.  Kunikida wasn't yelling and scolding anyone.  Kyouka decided to have her own time off, which made Atsushi surprised but relieved the ex-assassin was taking a break.  Thinking about her immediately brought another person about.  Her stomach lurched thinking of him.

      Her encounters with Akutagawa didn't have the slightest pleasantness in them.  First, he tried to kill her, but thanks to Junichiro he couldn't get away with it.  Then he interrupted her and Kyouka's peaceful afternoon 'bonding' by piercing Atsushi everywhere with Rashōmon's painful sharp attack.  It could've killed her, but her regeneration ability didn't allow it to happen.  The conflict revolving around Kyouka clashed with the Guild's evil scheme to destroy Yokohama, which led Atsushi and Akutagawa to finally cooperate for once and face an intense battle between them and Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, the Guild's leader.  Things went back to normal afterwards, with their grudges against each other staying the same.

      For lunch, Atsushi always went to the cafe within the same building as the ADA's office.  As she entered, Dazai was flirting with the cute waitress.  Seeing both of them made her question if Dazai badly wanted a suicidal woman.

      Noticing her, he waves her over and dismisses the waitress.  Maybe he wants to talk about something Atsushi thought, sitting down on the comfortable green cushioned seats.  The first thing she saw was Dazai's mouth curved into a sinister smile, waiting to tell untold silly things to her.  She gave a silent sigh of reluctantness.

      "You can trust me with this, correct?" said Dazai.  Atsushi just nodded her head.  "You ever thought about...loving somebody?" Dazai asked.  Atsushi felt nervous, but kept a straight face.  "N-no.  What of it?"

      "Oh, it's just," Dazai paused for awhile as he peered out the window that viewed the streets.  "Someone likes you, Atsushi."

      Those words struck Atsushi like a knife.  To her, that sentence can mean some evil organisation or an enemy was targeting her.

"W-well, that isn't too surprising. Many criminals want my head, that's worth a fortune anyways."
"My my Atsushi! Can't even recognize the other context to when someone likes you!"
"W-what is the other context?"
"That someone genuinely loves you!"

Atsushi knew that Dazai loved toying with people during his spare time, and she took this as another one of his jokes. "Ha ha, really funny Dazai-san," she brushed it off, hoping it was just a joke. "You thought I was joking?" Dazai facepalmed and slowly let down his hand. "I mean, it would seem more like a joke if I told you who it is that has a silly crush on you."

"Who's the person?" Atsushi asked out of curiosity. "Let's just say, he will kill me if I revealed it to you," Dazai replied. "You deserve it because you sold off his precious secret," snapped Atsushi. "But I don't want to die like that! My motto is simple; Have a pure, cheerful, and energetic suicide!" Dazai laughed like a maniac, with Atsushi sitting at the corner like a loner.

• • •

      Atsushi took off at 5:30.  She never been to Mitsuzawa Park but heard it was beautiful.  She came earlier than usual to confirm what others said.  They were right.

      Since it was close to the evening, the sky was shades of warm colour.  It made the cherry blossoms around look majestic.  She always liked cherry blossoms and was glad that the meeting was arranged at that spot.  Perhaps Dazai knew Atsushi would get nervous meeting clients and to solve the problem, he rearranged a spot at Mitsuzawa Park.

      "Come to think of it, this is a romantic spot," Atsushi muttered to herself.  Eventually, she met the client who was sitting on a bench admiring the waters that reflected the sky.  "Ah, thank you," said the woman, receiving the file in her hands.  It was silent for awhile until the kind woman spoke again.

      "The cherry blossoms here have never been as beautiful," she stared at Atsushi and her eyes went wide.  This made the girl worried.  "What's wrong?"

"Is he with you?"

      The woman pointed behind her.  Atsushi hesitated to turn around.  But that wouldn't be too brave of an ADA member.  So she did, and he was there standing under the rain of cherry blossoms.  Atsushi clenched her teeth.  Damn it she thought.

      "Please stay away miss," she ordered the woman, who fled as soon she was told to.  Atsushi now paid attention to the potential threat in front of her, ready to scratch him with her razor sharp claws and call it a day.

      "What is it do you want?!" Atsushi blurted out, clearly showing she was angered by his presence.  Cold eyes fell on her as a shiver trickled her spine.  It was a sensation she got whenever she met him.  "I agree with that woman.  The cherry blossoms here have never been as beautiful," he said as he inched over. 

       Atsushi tried to see every side of her plan.  She can book an escape behind her and try to hide in a bush until Akutagawa leaves.  Even if he doesn't and still searches her, she could sneak out through the back entrance.  Akutagawa must be familiar to these kind of antics, so I must be careful thought Atsushi.

Waiting for the right time, she watched the clueless man wander around and muttering things under his breath. She wondered why he was there. Akutagawa always has a reason to do something. Well, his tendecies to kill doesn't Atsushi thought.

She snuck silently out the bush and booked it out of the park's back entrance, running down the street. She didn't want to deal with him, not at a time when she was supposed to be home with Kyouka.  She collapse onto the wooden floor when she reached home.

      "Atsushi, what's wrong?" Kyouka asked. "Oh it's nothing. It's been a tiring day," Atsushi replied. "Come, I have made dumplings for both of us," Kyouka pulled Atsushi into the room, where a plate of dumplings sat on a round table.

Atsushi was lucky Kyouka didn't press anymore questions about her day. She promised herself to confront Akutagawa the next time they meet. More prepared for a fight. She flipped her phone that greeted her with a message from Dazai.

"Are you okay Atsushi? I heard you met Akutagawa at the park."