there's angst in this and the next few chapters, whether you like it or not 🥰

-SOME RANDOM ASS FOREST, YOKOHAMA-

You sat there, Chuuya curled up on your chest and your hands resting on his head. You were both feeling better now that you weren't freezing in the cold.

The train had already stopped moving by the time daybreak arrived. You awoke still weary and in the same position. You heard a man speaking from an unknown direction, and his voice only became louder. He was nearing your train car.

You

"... Chuuya!..."

You whisper-yelled. You were attempting to shake him awake.

Chuuya

"... Huh?..."

He carefully raised his head away from your chest, embracing you for support. The door to the train car swung open, and...

Man 1

"Oh god- I told you this would happen."

Man 2

*Sigh* "It's good that nothing in these crates were too fragile."

Man 1

"What, was the train conductor just violently driving this thing?"

Man 1 and Man 2 saw the crates strewn around the train car, as well as the blanket laid out in the middle. Chuuya and you were standing directly on the railway car's roof. You observed the men upside down.

Man 2

"It's fine. We've got the stuff now, and nothing's broken... From what I've checked."

You and Chuuya hurried out of there, laughing, as soon as the two men departed.

Chuuya

"Hey, you know what I've noticed?"

You

"What?"

Chuuya

"You haven't used that uncontrollable ability of yours for a long time now."

You

"Oh... Right. Well, I'd rather not use it. Probably never again. Tell me, Chuuya, how are you so good at controlling yours? I've had mine ever since I was a kid, and was never able to control it once."

Chuuya

"Oh- You think I'm good at controlling it? Heh, are you blind?"

You

"Hm? I'm being serious! You're able to use your ability without going completely berserk."

Chuuya

"Well, that's only what you've seen."

You

"... What do you mean by that?"

Chuuya

"There have been... A couple of times where I went out of control."

As the two of you attempted to make your way out of the forest, Chuuya began kicking twigs around.

You

"Really?..."

Chuuya

"... Well I only resort to that when I'm really in trouble. Like... Say that there's an enemy who I can't defeat. I'll resort to Corruption."

You

"Corruption?..."

Chuuya

"Yeah- That's what I call it. The only way for it to really stop is by..." *Scoff* "... Letting Dazai de-activate my ability."

You

"You too?!"

Chuuya

"... Huh?"

You

"I and Dazai used to do the same thing. I was only ever allowed to use my ability, but only if Dazai was certain that he could use his own ability to de-activate mine."

Chuuya

"Oh, really?"

You

"Yeah. But now that I and Dazai aren't really in... The best terms right now, I don't think I'll ever be able to use my ability again. There's also the fact that I nearly killed Dazai with my ability, so..."

Chuuya

"I know what that feels like."

You

"... I can tell."

You and Chuuya exchanged a smile as you continued your walk into the forest.

Chuuya's smile faded after a while, and he turned his head in terror to stare at the sky. It was then that you noticed the air around you become cooler as a large shadow fell over you. A massive boulder was falling from the sky in the exact spot where Chuuya was staring. Directly at you two.

Chuuya

"It'll be fine! I've broken larger boulders before!..."

Chuuya pumped his fist with tons of strength, lifting one sleeve.

Chuuya

"But..."

Chuuya looked down at the ground, particularly bothered, as the boulder's shadow grew larger. Chuuya returned his eyes to the boulder, then to you.

Chuuya

"Y/N, I need you to get as far from me as you can!"

You

"Why?!"

Chuuya

"Just do it! That's an order!"

You were staring at the boulder, it was so close. You began sprinting in an unpredictable pattern, suffering several scrapes from the twigs you had to push through in the forest.

You

Why am I running?! I want to help- I need to help!

Looking behind you, you could see pieces of the boulder flying about. There were a lot of them flying toward you, but you were able to avoid most of them and even burst some of them with your weaponry. Chuuya had smashed the boulder with his bare fist.

You hid beneath this log despite knowing it wouldn't help much. Chuuya could be heard screaming from afar, sounding even more agitated than normal. There were also bomb-like blasts in the back, which were actually boulder fragments falling from the sky. It was almost as if it were raining huge rocks.

You

What do I do... Should I go back?... I should've asked how we would meet up again...

When the boulders stopped falling from the sky, you continued your sprint, attempting to find your way out of the forest. You could now travel using the sun because the enormous shadow had vanished.

Cars driving by in the distance could be seen through the leaves and twigs of the trees. They were extremely blurry and far away, but they were clearly visible. You dashed towards the cars, figuring that was where you were headed. Everything was startlingly bright as you got out, temporarily blinding you. Kunikida, Atsushi and Dazai were seated on rocks to your left. They had no response to the issue.

You

"Uh-"

Your shuffling feet produced the biggest noise imaginable, capturing everyone's attention. They stared at you with scratches all over your body and twigs and leaves in your hair.

Atsushi

"Hey!"

You raced back into the forest without thinking. But you reasoned that concealing yourself in the forest would be easier than trying to find a method to hide out in the open.

Kunikida

"Y/N!"

Dazai

"We just need to talk!"

You

"'We just need to talk!' My ass! Stop chasing after me, will you?!"

Kunikida

"Sorry, no can do!"

Atsushi

"Wait!..."

Atsushi had observed your line of explosives, which caused them to re-route. They could hear your rushing footsteps shuffling through the leaves, echoing across the forest. They did, however, lose you.

You

They lost me!...

You peered behind you; happily, no one was there. When you turned around, you ran into someone and didn't even get a chance to see who they were. You swiftly got yourself up off the ground.

You

"Chuuya!"

He turned around faster than he normally would. His arm whirled around with him, forcibly throwing you against a tree.

Chuuya

"..."

Pain struck your back. You could hear the tree's timber creaking and realized it was going to topple over. It was ready to collapse over you and Chuuya.