Soukoku Angst Week 2019 – Day 5: Any AU Day or Mind Control/Possesed

"Dazai-!" "Get out of here, Odasaku! I'll hold them off!" Celestial bronze bullets are wonderfully effective for killing monsters at a distance, and Dazai sends a wave of gratitude towards his friend for teaching him how to shoot – ignoring the voice in the back of his head that tells him to be grateful to Athena, who had decided to give him the gun in lieu of sending him directly to Camp Half-Blood.

They're in the heart of Hephaestus's favourite forge in Mount St. Helens, which is overrun with telkhines – dog-like monsters which have a terrifyingly good grasp on making weapons and throwing lava. Dazai and Odasaku had been separated from the rest of the team earlier, when Atsushi and Akutagawa split to follow the scent of the long-lost god Pan. Dazai still doesn't know what to think of it – on one hand, he's worried about finishing the quest and figuring out a way to stop Fitzgerald from attacking the camp, but on the other, well, Atsushi's been searching for Pan for years, and this is the only solid lead on the missing god.

But enough on that. Dazai ducks under a spear and shots the rope next to the telkhines, sending a wave of rocks crashing down on the monsters. He runs out onto a platform above the lava that heats the forges, intending to bring the focus away from Odasaku so that his friend can escape – and it works. The horde of monsters that had been following him howl in anger over their fallen comrades, and they swarm the bridges over the platforms, chasing after him with sharp weapons. How wonderful.

Later on, he remembers reaching a small platform with no other bridge – a dead end. He remembers turning around and shooting desperately into the crowd of telkhines, aiming for weak spots and for the stronger telkhines. Remembers running out of bullets, remembers pulling out his knife. Of lava being thrown at him, of screaming at the pain. And of finally sending a prayer to his mother, Athena, for a way to end the pain.

He remembers the mountain shaking and erupting, of falling into the lava below, and gods – if the earlier globs of lava hurt, this felt like being thrown into River Styx itself. He remembers an explosion, of being shot up into the air, just a small, fragile demigod caught up in a million pounds of built-up pressure. And the last thing he remembers, is of flying so high that the stars seem close enough to reach, before falling back down, hurtling back to the ground so far away below.

He blacks out.

Dazai wakes up, feeling as though he's still wading through the lava, skin still burning from the heat. He sees a blue sky and tropical trees. Hears the gurgle of a fountain, waves lapping at sand. Smells juniper and cedar and a dozen other plants. If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought he was in the Land of the Dead, but Hades' realm didn't have a blue sky. Didn't have plants that grew and swayed in the wind.

And most certainly did not have a redhead that just came into his vision and frowned at him.

"You're awake." Said redhead speaks, laying a cool cloth on his burning forehead. Dazai tries to reply, but his throat is parched – he barely manages a squeak. The redhead shushes him, tilting his head up to pour a spoonful of something sweet – nectar – into his mouth. It tastes like sake. It tastes like home.

"Who?" He manages to croak out, still winded from his ordeal. The redhead's mouth quirks up.

"It's okay, hero. Just rest and heal. No one can hurt you here." His eyes are so blue. "My name is Chuuya."

The next time Dazai wakes, he's in a cave. It's the nicest cave he's been in so far, but considering the last few ones had him running for his life, it's not a fair comparison. He's lying on a comfortable bed, which makes him want to stay in it and not move forever, but.. that could be a trick. Magic could've made him feel that way, and he's not about to submit to anything without knowing everything about it, so he struggles his way off the bed and makes his way out of the cave into the next.

He's pleased to see his possessions laid out neatly on a table in the adjourning cave, all clean and gleaming. He picks up the gun, feeling the comforting grip of the handle in his hand, and checks the barrel – it's full, to his surprise. His benefactor – Chuuya, if he's remembering correctly – must've had access to some weaponry himself.

Wariness grips him again, and he picks up the rest of his stuff before heading out of the cave into the sunshine. His shoes are missing, but that's okay – the ground is covered in grass, and he follows the path made by flowers to the beach. As he walks, he catalogues the sights around him: a meadow, a garden, groves with centrepieces of fountains – it looks like paradise, which makes his hackles rise. The last time he'd been in 'paradise', he had almost been eaten by a half-blind Cyclops. Fun times.

When he finally reaches the beach, he's not alone – Chuuya was there, arguing with someone that Dazai can't see quite well from his vantage point. He walks toward him slowly, gripping his gun in his hand – He can't remember anything about a 'Chuuya' in the myths, and there could be a good reason why – but before he can take more than a few steps, the other person disappears and Chuuya huffs out a groan, turning around and freezing as he spots Dazai.

"Well, look who's finally up!" The redhead says in a chipper voice, a hand coming up to wipe at the corner of his eyes – Dazai courteously ignores it. Instead, he lifts his gun to aim at Chuuya, who slowly lowers his hand.

"Where am I? Who was that? Who are you?" He shoots off the questions, cocking the gun in his hand. "And no lies."

The redhead blinks, then sighs. "You're in Ogygia, an island. That was … a messenger. And I'm pretty sure I told you that my name is Chuuya. Though," he adds quickly as Dazai gestures threateningly, "most of the stories talk of me with my former name, Calypso."

"Calypso." Dazai frowns as he ponders this new information. He can't really remember the exact story behind Calypso, and furthermore… "But you're a guy?"

Chuuya folds his arms, lifting his head in a clear challenge. "You've got a problem with that?"

Dazai tilts his head. "No. Just curious." And with that, he shoots Chuuya in the leg.

Or at least, he tries to. Sure, he manages to actually press the trigger of the gun and shoot the bullet towards Chuuya's leg, but that's the extent of his success – before the bullet can actually pierce Chuuya's leg, it's stopped by a red glow. Which coincidently also surrounds Chuuya.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The redhead demands, grabbing the bullet and storming towards him, and oh, he's cute, all short and bristling and flashing eyes, and Dazai doesn't know what he's thinking when he blurts out, "You're really cute."

That manages to stop the redhead in his tracks, and Dazai can see the red rush into those porcelain cheeks, making him look even cuter as he starts making flustered sounds. "You-you can't just say that! Not after you just shot me!"

"But you stopped it." Dazai begins to walk towards Chuuya, but he forgets himself – the next step sends him falling as his legs give out, and he finds himself in the redhead's arms. Chuuya's strong.

He says as much, just to see how much darker the redhead's face can go, and wow, he did not know anyone's face could become that red. His face literally looks like a tomato right now, and the orange-red of his hair is clashing horribly with the red on his cheeks. Dazai's never seen a more beautiful person in his life.

Chuuya swats him on the shoulder, but he doesn't let Dazai go until he's resting on the cushioned bench of the one of the fountains that he passed by earlier.

"Rest," he orders, and Dazai easily complies. He falls asleep to the sound of the fountain and the smell of fruity wine.

The next time he wakes, it's nighttime. He realizes this as he steps out from the cave earlier, and wow – he hadn't known that there were so many stars in the sky. Sure, there were the constellations that he'd memorized and used throughout the years, but there were hundreds, if not thousands more in the sky above him, and this is probably what the sky was supposed to look like, before human pollution had driven it all away.

"What do you see?"

Dazai brings his eyes down to the earth, and stares. No matter how amazing the stars were, Chuuya looks a million times more vibrant and brilliant. Yeah, sure, he's wearing a tacky hat and an ensemble that looks as though it would fit a mafia boss, but honestly, it only complements the redhead even more. He's holding a tiny plant in his hands, which glows red in the moonlight. He looks ethereal.

With a start, Dazai remembers that he's been asked a question. "Uh, what was that?" He listens to the smooth voice repeat the question once more, and he can't help but smirk.

"I was looking at the stars, but I didn't realize there was one standing right in front of me."

Chuuya looks as though he'd like to punch him in the shoulder, but he doesn't – instead, he tells him to help him plant the flowers if he's so chipper and energetic to be making jokes. Dazai wants to argue with him about the joking part, but Chuuya's handing the plant to him – it's as fragile as it looks, and he doesn't want to make a mess out of it.

Instead, he follows the redhead as he picks up the gardening spade and directs him to the edge of the garden, where he begins to dig.

"Moon camellias can only be planted at night," Chuuya explains, carefully setting the dirt aside. "It loses its ability to glow if planted during the day." Dazai watches the red light flicker around the petals, and asks a question of his own.

"Does it do anything?"

"Other than glow? Not really. But it's beautiful, isn't it?" Chuuya takes the plant from him. His fingers are warm.

"Yeah."

Chuuya finishes planting the flower, and steps back surveying the garden. With a start, Dazai realizes he hasn't introduced himself at all.

"I'm Dazai Osamu, son of Athena."

Chuuya turns to him, and smiles. "Nice to meet you, Dazai." His eyes are glowing blue in the darkness. Dazai's captivated.

"I'm glad we could meet."

Chuuya's smile wavers at that, and Dazai panics internally. What did he do wrong? He almost misses the next few words that Chuuya speaks.

"Are – are you healed yet, hero? Do you think you'll be ready to leave soon?"

"What?" He's thrown by the questions. "I don't – I don't know." His legs are beginning to feel like jelly, and his head is starting to spin – he can't stand too long. "Do you want me to leave?"

"I…" Chuuya's voice cracks. He doesn't look Dazai in the eye. "I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well."

Dazai watches as he walks off, too confused to do anything until he disappears into the dark.

Time passes by strangely on Ogygia. Dazai knows he should be leaving. Knows that his friends, that Odasaku at the very least would be worried about him. Knows that he should be going back and continuing his quest, that if he spends more time on Ogygia he might not have a camp to call home anymore.

But on the other hand, he still feels weak. His legs give out after a few hours, and his hands tremble whenever Chuuya gives him something to hold – he's glad that Chuuya has his ability, because if not, he'd have broken at least half a dozen items in the past few days. Whatever had happened in Mount St. Helens is still affecting him even now, and he has the wounds and bandages to show for it. To the point that Chuuya has jokingly called him 'bandage-waster' once, and the nickname sort of sticks.

The redhead is one of the most interesting people he has ever met. Short, loud, and spritely – all the things that should've made Dazai avoid him for fear of lowering his standards, but it is oddly endearing, when associated with Chuuya. He keeps up with conversations well, listening to what Dazai says and offering his own opinions whenever Dazai needs it, managing to call his attention to a facet that he's ignored. But there are times, when Chuuya keeps to himself, when his eyes grow as sad as that night, and Dazai's as confused as that very first time.

"Why do you keep pulling away? Why can't you leave the island?" He asks once, while they're having dinner at the beach, waves lapping at their feet. Chuuya stares into the distance. He looks forlorn.

"The island is my punishment. And it's – the pulling away is part of it."

"Why? What did you do?" Dazai can't imagine Chuuya ever doing anything wrong. He's proven right.

"It wasn't something I did. It was because of my father. His name is Atlas."

Atlas, the Titan who holds up the sky. Dazai can't imagine it. Chuuya looks so different, acts so different from the bloodthirsty Titan that Dazai wants to laugh it off as a joke, but he can't – Chuuya's telling the truth. Still…

"But why would they punish you for that? We can't help who our parents are. Just because you're related doesn't mean that you're on his side." Dazai pulls up short, watching Chuuya closely. "Are you?"

Chuuya sighs. "I supported him in the first war."

"What? But the Titans are evil!"

"Are they? All of them? All the time?" Chuuya turns to him, eyes flashing blue. "He is my father, and he was all that I had known at the time. Tell me, Dazai, do you support the gods because they are good, or because they are your family?"

Dazai doesn't answer that. He knows Chuuya has a good point, and it hurts. Athena has never favoured him, and all his life he's had to fight just to see the next day. But he still supports the gods, choosing them because they're family.

"Maybe I was wrong," Chuuya breaks the silence, looking away. "The gods have been kind to me, regardless. I know there are others who aren't as fortunate. Here, at least I have my garden, and the gods visit me from time to time. They bring me news about the outside world. But they can leave. And I cannot."

"You don't have any friends?" Dazai asks. "I mean, this place is beautiful. Who wouldn't want to stay here? With you? You're beautiful. And funny. And adorable. And–"

"Stop." Tears trickle down Chuuya's cheeks. Dazai snaps his mouth closed. He can't bear to see him cry. "I… I promised myself I wouldn't speak of this. But–"

He's interrupted by a rumbling sound coming from the sea. A glow appears on the horizon, getting brighter and brighter until Dazai can see a column of fire moving across the surface of the water, coming towards them. He reaches for his gun.

"What's that?"

Chuuya sighs and stands. "A visitor."

The column of fire reaches the beach, and Chuuya bows to it formally. The flames dissipate, and Hephaestus stands before them, in all his greasy glory.

"Lord Hephaestus," Chuuya greets. "This is a rare honor."

The fire god grunts. "Chuuya. As cordial as ever. Would you excuse us, please? I need to have a word with Dazai Osamu."

Dazai walks along the beach after Hephaestus leaves. When he finally comes back to the meadow, it's early in the morning, maybe four or five, but Chuuya's still in his garden, tending to the flowers. The moon camellias are glowing in the starlight, alongside all the rest of the flowers.

"He's ordered you to return to your camp," Chuuya guesses.

"Not ordered. He gave me a choice."

Chuuya's eyes met Dazai's. "I promised I wouldn't offer."

"Offer?"

"To stay here, on the island," Chuuya says quietly. "You would be immortal. You would never age or die. You could leave the fight to others, Dazai. You could escape your fate."

Dazai stares at him. "Just like that?"

He nods. "Just like that."

"But… my friends. My camp."

Chuuya rises from his crouch and takes Dazai's hand. It sends tingles through his body.

"You asked about my curse earlier. I didn't want to tell you." A pause, then Chuuya soldiers on. "The truth is, the gods send me companionship from time to time. Every thousand years or so, they allow a hero to wash up on my shores, someone who needs my help. I tend to them and befriend them, but it's never random. The Fates always make sure that the sort of hero they send…"

Chuuya's voice cracks, and he has to stop. Dazai squeezes his hand tighter. "What is it? What did I do to make you sad?"

"They send a person who can never stay," he whispers. "Who can never accept my offer of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero that I can't help… that I can't help falling in love with."

The night is silent except for the gurgle of the fountains and waves lapping on the shore. Dazai stares at Chuuya.

"You love me."

Chuuya nods.

Dazai's heart is beating painfully in his chest. He can't help but draw Chuuya close to hug him, feeling the lithe body tremble and sink into his embrace. He buries his face into the red hair, inhaling the fruity wine scent that is so uniquely Chuuya.

He thinks of staying. Of living here with Chuuya, of disappearing from the earth. They could grow flowers and walk on the beach, falling in love under perfect blue skies. No war. No prophecy. No more taking sides.

"I can't," Dazai says.

Chuuya pulls back, and Dazai wants to take it back. Wants to say that he can stay. But he can't.

"I would never do anything to hurt you," he tries to explain, tries to reason with the pain in his heart.

"But your friends need you. And your camp needs you." Chuuya answers, blue eyes sad and knowing. Dazai can't say anything to that.

Chuuya kneels and picks a flower from the garden – a sprig of moon camellia. He tucks it into Dazai's shirt pocket. Then he kisses him, and pulls away.

"Come to the beach, my hero. And we will send you on your way."

There's a raft waiting for them. It's a simple design, just logs lashed together with a pole for a mast and a simple white linen sail. It doesn't look seaworthy, or lakeworthy.

"This will take you wherever you want to go," Chuuya promises. "It's safe."

Dazai takes his hand, but Chuuya lets it slip away.

"Maybe I can visit you," Dazai says. Chuuya shakes his head.

"No one ever finds Ogygia twice, Dazai. When you leave, I'll never see you again."

"But–"

"Just go, please." His voice breaks. "The Fates are cruel, Dazai. Just remember me." Then, a little trace of his smile returns. "Plant a garden for me, won't you?"

"I promise. And," Dazai grabs Chuuya's hands, looking into his eyes. "I promise I'll find you again. I'll find a way to undo your punishment. We'll plant that garden together."

Chuuya's eyes glimmer with tears. "Dazai-"

"I swear it on River Styx." Thunder booms overhead, and Chuuya's crying now, tears breaking free of his hold. Dazai presses a kiss to his lips one last time, before letting go and stepping onto the raft. He watches as the shore disappears, waving back to Chuuya who's still crying, and he makes another promise to himself that he'll never make Chuuya cry again.

Chuuya watches the horizon every day after Dazai leaves. His garden is suffering for it, but he can't help himself – Dazai swore on River Styx for him, and he, he can't help but hope that Dazai can follow through on his promise.

He waits for a long time.