. 001. Yosano Akiko . - Tumblr Posts

everyone had been prepped a month in advance the second kunikida had conjured up his contingency plan, after numerous attempts of getting dazai to show up to regularly scheduled training sessions and failing miserably. yosano cared little for the office shenanigans, simply showing up to complete the necessary paperwork, patch, and occasional case should it require her expertise. other times were spent at the clinics, with her colleagues, pretending as if she did not have the chaos of the agency to return to each day. but she couldn't lie and claim that it didn't amuse her the slightest, even now as she sat there looking down at the person in question. the agency's most wanted, and kunikida's ever - growing thorn. he was lucky she didn't have much to focus on, or perhaps, unlucky in this instance, allowing her the luxury of time to play with him when she would've otherwise ignored his presence. forced pout formed over her lips, brows furrowing as he flicked her shin, but it was mocking, taunting. “ was there loyalty when you ransacked my supply cabinet ? that now has to be kept locked because of you ? ” it was ages ago, it hardly peeved her, but she would bring it up as she deemed fit.

head cocked to the side as if inspecting him with scrutiny, with false pity, just as he requested. “ you had to have known you were just biding time. the man knows how to get results. ” the doctor crooned, leaning forward in her seat easily, end of her pen reaching just to be placed under dazai's chin, gently lifting up so that she could meet his gaze better. the agency had one job today and that was to ensure dazai would not miss another session, and it would be fairly easy to discern who gave in. it would not be yosano. magentas narrowed, maroons pursing in faux thought. “ you know i'd love to help ... ” tongue clicking over the roof of her mouth, defeated sigh leaving her lips. “ but my hands are tied. ” she really did not want to help. the condescension in her tone was evidence enough. “ begging doesn't really do it for me at this time. ”

much like a magician's assistant, dazai found it surprisingly easy to twist his limbs into even the smallest of places. in the past, he had hidden in the vent, inside the bottom of the couch in the waiting area, in the trash - can and more importantly, in his own locker. alas, that was when training regimens were planned and timings emailed out in advance, the message show up or die always readable in kunikida's sign off, which was always intended for dazai only. he had thought it strange when the email hadn't found him during the third week of the month, usually a tuesday morning, usually sent before ten in the morning and wherein kunikida could watch dazai open it, let optics scan the screen, and then promptly drag it to the digital trash bin, laptop echoing the little crumpling paper noise loudly. he'd hoped that he had forgotten, and what a foolish choice to have made. it was the fourth week of the month, a wednesday, eleven in the morning when kunikida announced that in the next hour the regimen would be implemented, staring directly into dazai's hollow soul with a smile that said gotcha.

dazai had excused himself on the pretence of needing the bathroom, immediately tried the elevator - broken. suspicious that it hadn't been upon his arrival this morning, and he felt too lazy to use the stairs, thinking it all too likely that in tanizaki's absence upstairs kunikida had him posted outside of the entrance. he tried his usual spots, all lockers fitted with three new shiny padlocks, which must have cost a fortune, the vents would be too obvious, as they had been his last hiding place, and the trash bins had been left strategically unemptied. funny, that kunikida had a shred of respect left for dazai to assume he wouldn't crouch into week - old banana peels and half - eaten lunches. he wouldn't, only because it clearly would not have made a difference. kunikida had caught on and if he wasn't careful, dazai would be face - down on the dirty gym mats within the hour, both ego and body bruised. that only left one viable option, and even that now posed the risk of being compromised by yosano herself. at her words, dazai made an attempt to shush her quickly. “ shh - shh - shhhhh. have you no sense of loyalty? ” a flick to her shin, and he bent forward with what little space he had to look up at her from his low, low position. “ yosanooo, ” her name a quiet whine. “ take pity on me! not only have i been outsmarted by kunikida, of all people, but last week i ate his lunch. i'm surely a goner. ”

enough to conjure an image of murky waters filled to the brim with dirt, oil, trash, and apparently — treasures of the deceased. it would be a far more entertaining story should it end up true, and though she gathered she'll likely never get it, it was easier to take his answers with a grain of salt. made for a fun game to dissect them, piece them together later, create a somewhat completed image of the finely crafted bullshit he spewed on a daily basis. she would have to give him credit for that, it was simply that she was just as meticulous, and it made her a pain to deal with in that regard. so she didn't press any further, caring little for its origins, instead quirking a brow in response just to acknowledge the tale. she wondered how nauseatingly affectionate they looked, if it was too much or just enough. but it still excited her nonetheless, catching the wandering eyes of men that were clearly taken for, paired with the mixture of scrutiny and adoration from their counterparts. at least she knew she'd succeeded in this aspect of her job, she certainly was a spectacle.

she took a sip from the flute, allowed the glass to linger over her lips, though she was skillful in the barrier of her lips — could never be too careful, the doctor was no lightweight, but it was easy to find distraction in them. so she watched dazai with intent, planning to cut him off after a certain threshold that she'd learned from their many nights out at bars and restaurants and wherever drinks were served. “ after. ” she murmured, more for her own confirmation than his, spotting the key players to the game of the night. the planted guests who'd rile up the auction, the one staff who'd plan to keep the target from leaving early by all means — whether with drinks, treats, or lavish company of the secret menu. it was a twisted world of the rich and the wealthy, yosano was learning, how the moving pieces worked in tandem with little forms of corruption. she would be so disgusted if not for the intrigue and curiosity.

if there was a role to be played, it was to be performed with little regrets. yosano was milking it out, and she knew that he knew it. the level of focus she maintained on him was not to be missed, lips parted with rising anticipation as she watched him tease, his touch a hair's breadth from her skin, distanced and yet close enough that she could feel his fingertips. it was dancing between the lines of scandal, how careless would a young woman in love be when all that mattered was the man who promised her the world ? “ hm ? what — ” she, however, was only human, not immune to the whims of a well - seasoned actor and it only left her with a dead glare towards him, something threateningly fearsome, more so than the blade that rested underneath her dress or the claws of her nails that ached to dig into him until she could discern if he truly harbored the blood of a human or something more uncanny. “ smart decision to walk away, because there are worse things to do to you than skin you alive. ” but then she remembered the whole point of it all, and snapped into bubbling laughter, eyes crinkling with enough effort that all of the distaste had washed away with ease.

placing the flute back on the tray of a passing staff, she managed to catch sight of the target looking in their direction, poor attempt at subtlety from their end as she could spot their eyes tracing the silhouette of her figure from the distance and she sighed, something resigned and expected. she made use of dazai's brief absence to look over the crowd, wave at the incoming guests who'd complimented her dress, and then she took her time in finding where the painting had been hung, and where her date had gone. the gallery was quieter, nearly empty save for the odd pair at the entrance, more interested in their conversation than the art on display. she gently squeezed the edge of dazai's shoulder to signal her arrival, then allowing the same hand to travel down his back as she moved to stand beside him, hand now resting by her side. “ i think the target found my laugh really amusing. should expect him to come around soon talking about how funny you must be. ” soft hum left her lips as she stared at the painting. “ why do we want it ? ”

perhaps dazai hadn't expected yosano to play along quite as well as she did, because her words, the rubescent glow of her cheeks and the sparkle captured in her gaze, all part of a glorious scheme executed at their expense, lit a fire of amusement. brows raised in surprised acceptance of her words, the action that accompanied them, before he tipped his head to her in something of a surrender, carmine optics meeting hers, a silent apology for having possibly underestimated yosano until this moment. to the other guests enjoying the extravagance it looked as though dazai had leaned into her touch at his hairline, bending to her will, anything said between them some deeply affectionate lover's oath, other than what it truly was. “ it's interesting what you can find on the bodies at the bottom of the river. ” words spoken with enough earnest, and his entire being a vessel to prove they could be true, but the laugh that threatened to break the quiet within the space between them suggested otherwise, perhaps it would remain a secret.

he made a questioning sound at the relay of their target's location, gaze drifting to spot them for himself, a moment of brief study in the way they carried themselves, the way the others in their lavish circle seemed to gravitate to them, unknowingly hanging on to every word uttered from the planner's mouth. every detail, from the way they spoke, to what they had decided to wear said, easy enough. a simple target with perhaps enough of an inflated ego to be flattered by their proposal be taken on as clients, with more than enough money to spend, at their disposal. dazai turned back to her with a affirming nod, and when an attendant passed them by with a full tray of flutes, free hand raised to claim another, bringing it to clink neatly against hers in agreement. “ after. ” the trap had been set before they had even entered the building, one of the paintings up for auction belonged to a man indebted to ranpo, for a case he'd solved that had saved him from the depravity and shame of becoming a poor man, and his brother, the auctioneer, who had agreed to only sell the painting to the affianced couple, for as high a price they needed to go to outbid all others. the painting itself the perfect segue into conversation, wealthy people couldn't help but to congratulate others on whatever finery their affluence could afford.

dazai released the laugh he had been holding, good - natured, gaze wandering to the strap hanging off of yosano's shoulder. “ now it looks like you're really enjoying this. ” he simpered, touch leaving her waist in order to continue the charade and ghost his fingers across the soft skin of her arm, achingly slow, fingertips stopping just shy of the string of fabric before his eyes darted to her neckline instead, a small, ouh? leaving him. “ yosano, ah — you have a little something . . . ” tone dripping with faux concern, dazai waited for her to fall for the deception, and when she looked down he flicked her chin upwards with an amusedly empty grin. “ juuust messing with you. ” the best recipe for laughter, though he thought it best to make a swift exit, too much time spent evading kunikida's advancements after a trick like that, but before he took a step he made sure to fix the strap of her dress, anyway. “ i'm going to investigate the painting, seeing as i'm paying for it, join me when you look a little less like you want to wear my skin as a hat. ”

the choice to walk and rely on public transportation was always something regrettable, to the extent of her shoes hurting at the last leg of their commute — the doctor had grown quite the tolerance, mastering the art of archaic beauty, and still found new heights to tackle. but finding distraction in a box of puppies was enough to have her forgetting her poor choices, slender digits gently petting each of the small, squirming puppies and the patient mother who only seemed to be staring her co - worker down. “ who said that the good home couldn't be the agency dorms ? we could adopt them to give to someone who needs it ! or have them as the agency's official mascot and support team ? aw, they're so cute, yes you are — yes, you're cute ... ” she'd begun to coo at them, making indistinct noises along with the soft whimpering of the babies.

she could feel his gaze burning into her with every urge to get them moving along and she turned slowly, head craning to meet him, brows downturned and eyes sharpened as if she meant to shoot daggers in his direction. there was a moment where she simply stared, imagining him diced into tiny pieces and kept in a jar. “ the detective agency's a dysfunctional family, wouldn't you say ? ” a curt smile made its presence, somewhat of a mix between forced politeness and a threat, emphasized as it dropped with ease. “ don't rush me. we have time, don't we ? ” soft huff emitting as she begrudgingly forced herself to stand upright, patting down her skirt.

head cocked to the side as she inspected him with skepticism, curiosity. hand reached out to straighten the crook of his tie, the wrinkled collar of his shirt. habit. “ why do you look at them as if they're the enemy ? were you mauled by dogs in your youth ? or just petty because you're far too alike with them ? ”

working side by side with the agency's doctor was an opportunity that presented itself far too little. or rather, for far less reasons than dazai's own pain and discomfort, patching him up after kunikida knocked him down yet another peg, or in the aftermath of dazai having attempted something wild and dangerous in the name of finding himself in an early grave. though, a courtesy call to a former client who had required treatment in their aftermath of their case saw them paired together, yosano to check the healing of their injuries and dazai in accompaniment to collect the final notes on the outcome of the case.

they should have driven, dazai had began to think he would rather have suffered behind the wheel or in the passenger's seat than where he'd truly ended up, standing at the edge of an alleyway whilst yosano cooed and fretted over a box of puppies further inside. he'd already made firm eye contact with the mother, had been unable to tear his eyes away from her lest she suddenly sprout up and attack him, but the longer yosano stayed crouched with her arms reaching into the box, the more he began to fidget.

⅋ @leventar, yosano akiko . . . “ they’re so cute, i could steal them and take them home. ”

“ mhm. ” a curt response, dazai uneasily shifting from left to right and heaving a sigh, head tilting towards the sky before he shook himself right again. “ it's not stealing if they're free to a good home. ” from his safe distance, he pointed to the words scrawled on the front of the box, then shifted his gaze to yosano's form with pursed lips, trying once again to see if he'd mastered mind control in an effort to silently make her move. “ we should go. ” he was forced to say instead, when that didn't work. not usually eager to work, dazai knew he would be only a matter of time before she questioned his true motives. the thought of having to admit his ... dislike for the animals in question forced a frown to take shape upon his lips. “ i'm sure some dysfunctional family on the brink of divorce will take pity on them thinking it'll save their marriage. let's go. ”

there existed no law in sparring within the port mafia, just no death. and even then, forcing one to the brink of it was always discouraged and yet occurring at a frequency she'd suspect only due to her presence. they'd gotten too comfortable, too dependent on her ability that they mock the power of death, the meaning of it. they spit in its face with every unnecessary means of violence, of near - overkill for the sake of gloating. what was victory when it was not genuine, born for appearances and not in gravity ? if not for the research opportunities each injury provided, she would have outright rejected their demands to be healed — let them sweat, squirm, writhe under the power she wielded. but, he, demon prodigy — or so they say, having been slotted alongside him more often than she'd like, he'd become the source of her intrigue. and now he had her pinned, lack of that foolish hubris most of the members carried. it was different with him, his confidence was factual. and she could not break him.

short gasp escaped her lips from the impact, flat of her back hitting the mat with a dull thud and she could've fought back more, used the momentum to attack him anywhere else he wasn't paying attention to but instead she relaxed further, muscles softer under his touch. ends of her lips twitched, slightly curving at the ends. she made no effort to squirm under his hold, not even to test the extent of the pressure he maintained. it was a rarity to be in such a position and she would allow him the once - in - a - blue - moon chance to soak it in. “ mmm, valuable lesson. thank you. ” velvety smooth, octaves settled and balanced as she shifted under him comfortably, bending at the knee. magentas flickered towards the small cut on the side of his cheek from where her nails must've grazed him. “ you're bleeding, you know. or do you like it when it's something i point out ? ”

sparring with yosano had its advantages, at least when dazai was slammed into the floor, she'd have to pay special attention to him afterwards and tend to wounds she purposefully inflicted. it was interesting, and dazai felt he learned quickly what to expect when she huffed and blew a stray strand of hair from her face, shuffled her weight onto her back foot and breathed in before lunging for him. her timings were impeccable, and though her techniques weren't ground - breaking, dazai struggled in evading her advances and a few times had ended up sprawled beneath her before both retreated to their respective corners of the makeshift arena, only to begin again. no shame to be had in losing to her, humiliation would only serve as a greater deterrent and cause greater mistakes, and after all, this was for fun if nothing else.

⅋ @leventar, yosano akiko . . . “ too rough for you? ”

her voice swam into the forefront of his mind once the blow from the cement floor had subsided in waving over him, dazai peeled open his eyes to meet her gaze with lips pressed together, sparing a look to the wrists she'd pinned beneath her palms before tutting, and in an instant hooking a leg around her to turn the tides. in a swift movement, he had her underneath him with a roll of his eyes, one knee applying pressure just above her elbow, other hand mirroring her earlier position, her wrist in his palm and pressed to the floor. the press of the rest of her body had been weaker, almost as though she'd expected him to give up after taunting him ⸺ not likely. nothing to prove between them, but dazai would be a fool to let her walk away with so many victories under her belt. simply, he'd been waiting for the right time to strike, and yosano had provided the perfect opening. “ you shouldn't gloat until your opponent is fully incapacitated. that's just common sense. ”

the tunnels beneath the building were more ominous than she'd like to admit, flickering lights and echoed footsteps following the path she made, heels a metronomic tracker. most of the members had been stationed in most access points of the property, for safety, for inspection, and while it was the premise of yosano's task for the night, she was much more concerned with tracking the dried streaks of blood, the path a labyrinth and much more than she garnered for with the blueprints in the back of her mind. a wave of unease travelled down the length of her spine, mechanics of the building creaking naturally, droplets of water loud in the near distance. the forced quietness creeped into her, enough that the immediate buzzing of her phone brought her out of her thoughts, relieved to have had the company amidst the eeriness of it all, sound of his voice a welcome presence.

“ yeah ? are you meant to be included in that bracket ? ” she tutted, velvety hum strung in her throat as she mockingly, wordlessly chastised, “ lying is a sin, you know. ” not that she particularly cared, but it brought the doctor great enjoyment to pick at him, twist apart his words just as he'd left them wrapped in a pretty bow for her devour. she readjusted her grip over the phone, switching hands where one arm supported her elbow, wrapped across her chest. out of the corner of her eye, she spotted what could've been man - made tally marks into the wall and took a picture of it with the agency's camera. glossed petals twitched into a half - smile, something mischievous, weighted with the scandal of his words that reverberated through. ivories bit down on her bottom lip, intake of breath filling the space before she spoke, “ maybe, could use the company ... you know i always like the sounds you make. ” voice was softer, lower, and she waited before adding, “ but what inquiries have you got bouncing around that head of yours ? i'm intrigued. colleague to colleague. ”

he should've been concentrating, even without the immediate drop of at least fifteen floors beneath his feet, the stake - out should have taken precedence over the brimming desire to hear her voice. albeit, dazai could juggle many things at once, and atsushi had reported no issues on his own patrols on the lower floors, so a small break taken in the chill of the night air, the breeze tousling his hair as he danced a delicate balance on the ledge seemed appropriate, in his head. dial - tone echoing in his ear as dazai spun on his toes, one arm outstretched for balance whilst the other held the phone to his ear, he tipped just slightly in waiting for her to answer ⸺ away from the edge, if a certain scolding voice in his head would be satisfied by at least that.

⅋ @leventar, yosano akiko . . . “ if you called just to get off on my voice, i’m hanging up. ”

the crackle of the connected lines and then her voice, tone in the static of her words bringing a smile to his lips, though he pretended to be disappointed, tutting into a sigh that hissed into the line but the tails of it lilted into a quiet laugh. “ expecting me? ” amusedly inquired, dazai stopped his circus act to allow his fingers to wrap around the railing, letting the adrenaline simmer beneath his skin. “ where's your head, tonight? some of us take our jobs very seriously, you know. ” if he dared refer to himself, the lie would be so easily caught, statement shared with air of wistfulness for the truth. “ i actually have some urgent medical enquiries to follow up on, colleague to colleague. ” tests and theories he'd share just for the definitive answer she would be able to give, the questions themselves working like challenges, puzzles to be solved, yosano more often than not the missing component to the answers. a beat of silence, in which dazai climbed the railing with a short huff once his feet touched safer ground, phone shuffling against his ear before he spoke again, tone a hushed purr. “ why? were you going to do the same? ”

out of the corner of her eyes, she could spot the mantel of previous donors, almost like some prestigious version of a trophy. gold - plated and engraved, she could understand the success of such a gala, of its yearly anticipation. the wealthy would rather take a blade to their throats than partake in simple joys of the mundane, and instead create meaningless competitions akin to pissing contests, a show of who was more wealthy, who cared about their communities more than the other. who could shell out the most funds in the name of whatever charitable focus had gotten their attention for the time. it was enticing, a drug, and she couldn't blame them. she wondered if their stint would land them upon their hall of fame, pseudonyms engraved and forever etched into this false story they'd crafted — a mockery of their livelihoods, a breach in their gated society.

perfectly formed, endearing smile graced her features as she looked at him with stars in her eyes, as if she continued to fall further in love with him with every passing moment. he made it particularly easy to do so, the average women already fell for his whims when he played into his fabricated insanity ( but, who was yosano to judge ? she'd hardly seen him in practice outside of what he'd done with their interactions, she was no fair judge of the skills he, no doubt, had up his sleeves ). side of her body angled in his direction, comfortably flushed to his side as though fitted puzzle pieces. “ you could stand to be more obsessed with your fiancée, the men stared at me after your departure as though they wanted to ravage me. ” it was feedback, playful criticism, but the lilt in her words revealed another layer to them, she was hinting, baiting. “ the society here really value their gentlemen. i bet our target will talk primarily to you about everything except to tell me i'm stunning, and that you're so lucky to have me. ”

it was not rage, but resigned indifference. she was used to it, having grown well adapted to the weaponization of her standing, of her femininity. her attention fixated on the painting, slight nods to his explanations. she was no expert, but she'd visited enough galleries to identify the skill in craft, the use of lacquer to create a masterpiece. the name of the play stirred lost files of her knowledge that she'd forgotten she had. “ not sure the human aspect matters so much but i know this particular narrative contrasted the traditionalism of the time. it's very western in comparison, more direct and explicit in storytelling essentials. ” she'd gone through a phase, an obsession with the arts, and still tried to keep it in her life in some way or form. it was evidently coming to play when needed. she reached out to gently take his flute, bringing it to her lips to take a small sip. “ does it make you feel anything ? ” head tilted ot the side slightly as she inspected it further, as if it were supposed to instill something within her. it didn't. only awe at the skills it took to create such a piece. “ i've never understand when people get emotionally charged with most artwork. it happens very rarely for me. ” and head turned to face him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, lips lingering as she trailed over his skin before hardly pulling back, “ does it make me odd ? ”

amongst the static of the guests' chatter, it had started to come together. to say dazai hadn't understood it from the moment his eyes had been cast over the brief would be a lie, he and ranpo had exchanged looks and almost telepathically developed the scheme, though personally dazai had not cast himself at its centre. though his starring role made perfect sense, within the confines of his secret past - no longer so secret, it had been pointed out that a rather lavish house still sat empty underneath his name. dazai had scoffed, not having forgotten about it but having pushed it to the back of his mind, it made too much sense that the port mafia, that ougai mori hadn't reclaimed it, just another string keeping him tethered to the prodigy he so desperately wanted back, alongside another. it had been advised that he and yosano would stay there until the job had been completed, live their false identities for the period necessary in which to conclude their investigation, now he could see why.

though he cast his gaze to the painting, a fake no doubt, but still undeniably beautiful even so, a dance of watercolour and a distant memory, dazai was watching the hall in his peripherals, idly sipping from from his flute and pretending to have garnered quite the interest in the sight before him. there were two waiters, both of them scouring the crowd and lingering beside those of the wealthier class, eavesdropping. he could only assume that they served as gatherers of information, what kind of status and wealth a person possessed and how much they were worth stealing from, because they would circle back to their target with a new offering, a champagne flute or an hors d'oeuvres. to anyone else it might have looked seemingly innocent, though perhaps bothersome to be asked so many times, but dazai could see the whispers shared between them, could have made out the word if he had stood only inches closer.

the thought was interrupted by yosano's familiar presence, the warmth of her touch searing even with the fabric between them. it snapped dazai from his deductions and forced him to focus once again on the painting before them, huffing a gentle laugh at her words, body angling towards her and head tipping with a wicked smile. “ and he'd be right. ” leaning closer to share a secret once more, “ that was the story, wasn't it? i made you laugh and you've been falling for me ever since. ” to punctuate their tale, the ghost of a kiss to her cheek before dazai stood straight, gesturing to the painting with a tilt of his flute towards it. “ who wouldn't want that? ” an air of sarcasm to his tone, but he'd done his homework. “ a meiji era piece, farmhouse in the snow at sano on wood panel. gold and silver finishings on a scene from the noh play hachi no ki, where a former courtier offers his home to the lord tokiyori who has disguised himself as a wandering monk. see his horse? ” a step closer to her side, flute once again raised and an arm snaking around her waist for good measure, the eyes of the target dazai could feel in his back like daggers. “ and the miniature plum and cherry trees ... ? ” it was a known fact that art was supposed to evoke emotion, but dazai could only stare at it and see the objects, not their meaning. “ it's zeshin's only work to feature human figures, whatever that's supposed to mean. so like everyone else, we just want it to stare at it until we get bored. ”