Dazai's Childish Predicament

Chapter 20

Dazai awoke to clatter and banging as Chuuya rushed around his apartment making breakfast and checking his knife was sufficiently sharp and clean. His face looked calm enough but there was a frantic nature to his actions that wasn't usually present.

"What's going on, Chuuya?" Dazai sat up and rubbed his eyes, now noticing voices outside the door. "It's noisy,"

"Dazai you're awake, come and have breakfast now."

Before Dazai knew it, he was sat at the kitchen table being handed his knife and fork.

"Hurry up and eat now," Chuuya sat opposite him, made sure he was eating, then started explaining. "There's going to be a fight today, Dazai. Honestly, I wish I could just leave you somewhere safe but Mori won't have it. He wants me to stay near you no matter what, and that means leaving you in the middle of the damn crossfire while I fight. There's a squad who'll take care of you when I'm not right next to you, but today isn't a day to be silly, alright? You must do everything you're told." Chuuya spoke quickly and sternly as if he was debriefing his men, giving all the necessary information as quickly and clearly as possible.

"Um, is this a fight like when Akutagawa trains?"

"And if anything- huh?" Chuuya stopped mid-sentence as it dawned on him Dazai couldn't keep up. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Right, let me try again. God, how do I explain this to a damn kid...alright Dazai you know how Akutagawa trains? It's going to be like that but there will be probably over a hundred people all fighting at the same time. Understand?"

Dazai nodded. "A big fight!"

"Yes, a big fight, but Dazai this isn't a pretend fight. People are going to die, do you understand that?"

"Die?" Dazai paused for a moment before shaking his head. "What's die?"

Chuuya took a deep breath. He really didn't want to have this conversation right now but Dazai needed to know that this was serious. "You know how people get hurt, yes? And they bleed and have to go to the infirmary?"

"Um...yeah, like if they get hurt during training?"

"Yes like that. Well if they get hurt too badly, they die. They...go to sleep and never wake up."

"...never wake up? Never?"

"Never..." Chuuya could tell Dazai was still trying to wrap his head around this, but he didn't have time to answer all the questions he may have. "And in this fight, people will die. You understand that now?"

"Um...I think so...that's bad isn't it?"

Chuuya almost laughed. Here was Dazai questioning his entire set of morals when he wanted nothing more than to get this over with. "That's...a difficult question, Dazai, but let's just say it's bad for you." There was a pause as Chuuya tried to get back on track again, but at least Dazai sat quietly. "Alright so, to recap, there's going to be a big fight, people will die, it won't be nice so just...try not to look. I have to fight, but I need to take care of you, so there will be a group of people who will protect you while I'm fighting. You must do everything they say, ok?"

"Everything?"

"Yes, everything. Today you can't mess about no matter what. Do what they tell you, no questions, no buts, alright?"

"Alright..." Dazai had enough sense in his child's brain to tell Chuuya was acting differently for a reason and that for once he had to listen.

"Good." Chuuya sighed and stood, adjusting his hat. "Now finish eating and get dressed, quickly now I have a lot to do."