Our Existence

Ch.24 Teamwork

"So what do you say?"

He leans in closer. But I was too deep in thought to care or notice.

"I...I..."

Tears form in my eyes.

"I don't want to be replaced..."

"You're...seriously believing...what he's saying?" a voice struggles to speak.

I look towards Kunikida to find him struggling to sit up.

"Kunikida-san...but-"

"You and Dazai are one in the same. You two are close...closer then you both know. You both act the same, talk in unison, and finish each others sentences. No one could ever get in between what you two have. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you two were partners in another life."

Oh the irony.

"What I'm trying to say is, Dazai would never replace you. I'm his partner, so I know him pretty well. The day he replaces you, is the day I'll kill him. And you know I don't kill people."

Kunikida...he's right. Dazai would never replace me. I'm his student, his old partner...his friend. I smirk at the guy.

"Nice try, but I'll never leave my owner."

"Well, I guess you'll die then."

"Okay, but tell us something first. Are you the boss around here?"

"You guys are definitely more trouble than the mafia. But you and your Armed Detective Agency are finished." The guy pulls out a key and shows it to us. "I have a key here. It's the release key for disarming the bomb. You can't stop the bomb without it. Do you want it?"

"No, I rather watch the city blow up." I sarcastically answer.

A metallic sound echoes as the key breaks in two. This little sh*t broke the key.

"Hahaha, there goes your last hop. It's all over, this is the end."

"You stupid fool!" Kunikida shouts.

He gets up and tries attacking him again, and I do the same. But we struggles against the guy's powers. We can barely get close to him, let alone attack him. The number on Kunikida's hand reaches close to zero, telling him the end is near. His number was 4 while mine was 11.

Cracks suddenly appear in the window of the communications room on the second floor. There was a giant man choking Dazai, crushing him against the glass. Man, that guy should go into the porter business. He has the arms for it.

At that moment, Dazai and Kunikida's eyes meet from their respective locations.

"Kunikida!" Dazai calls.

"I know, dammit!"

Kunikida uses his supernatural ability to create a wire gun and fires it at the blond-haired dude. The dude dodges it with ease, but Kunikida had anticipated this and was leaping to attack at the same time.

"This is getting old."

The guy blasts Kunikida away again. Kunikida is sent flying through the air, in the direction of the communications room where the giant man was preparing to finish off Dazai. Kunikida fires his wire gun into the wall of the communications room, shattering the glass in the process, and begins to retract the wire. Drawn in by the steel wire, Kunikida reels himself up to the second floor.

"Dazai!"

"I'm on it!"

At the same time, Dazai leaps from the window and for a brief moment they pass each other in mid-air. Dazai lands in the hanger below.

"Are you going to show me your number next?"

The numbers begin to gather again, this time at Dazai's feet... And then they disappear. The mark on my hand also disappears.

"That's impossible! Why aren't you marked with a number?!"

The guy couldn't believe it.

"Dazai-san!" I happily call out.

Seeing how happy I became, the guy figures it out.

"I see, so your her owner."

"Owner? I have no idea what your talking about. But I hate to break it to you, but your ability isn't going to work anymore." Dazai speaks.

"Oh, and you should tell your partner to switch careers and become a porter."

Saying this, Dazai darts forward and punches the guy across the hanger. The guy lands on the ground, face first.

"Hey, I was thinking the same thing." I say as I walk up to my superior.

Dazai and I smile at each other. I look up at the communications room to see Kunikida knock the big guy out. Wow, these two work amazingly together. Kunikida makes another key, using his ability, and stops the bomb. Good, everything is okay.

Dazai walks up to the guy and crouches down in front of him. He lifts his head up, by the hair, so he's looking at him.

"Tell me something."

A dark expression covers his handsome features.

"What did you say to my friend that made her cry?" he coldly asks.

He saw that? The guy just lets out a soft chuckle.

"...I guess you do care about her. I'm sorry for getting in the way of that..."

And with that, he passes out. ...What a weakling. Dazai sighs as he drops the dude's head and stands up.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Dazai looks towards my direction.

"..."

He walks up to me, being all serious.

"Dazai-san?"

"..."

I nervously laugh.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"..."

"Are you giving me the silent treatment?"

"..."

I sigh. I know what he wants.

"It's find. I'm okay. I just had something in my eyes. I wasn't crying."

"..."

"Fine! I can't take this anymore! He said...you were going to replace me. That you only have me around for entertainment..."

"And you believed him?"

"...I did, but Kunikida-san put a stop to it."

I lower my head in shame.

"I'm sorry...for doubting you."

"...Do you remember our promise? From four years ago? Before we parted ways."

"Yes..."

"What was it?"

"We promised to find each other again in the future. And when we did, we would never leave each others' side again."

Dazai places his hand on my head. I look up at him to find him smiling at me.

"That's right...my little copy."