un: nolongerhuman

[thesettingsun]

Quick survey: do you know anyone from home here, or are you the only one who got brought from your world?

And is it weird to people from modern Japan to see Valentine's Day not being advertised in February? It was only really brought over after my death, but the last few years I've been around for it, you can't miss all the sales and promotions.

Comments

[thesettingsun]

People say Spring will come again
But I don't feel any relief
So what does that change—Spring coming?
That child ain't coming back either way

As I recall, it was just this May
I was holding you at the zoo
You meowed to the elephants
And even to the birds

Only when finally shown the deer
Were you captured, or so it seemed
You stared without a word

You were truly standing
In the light of this world then
Simply staring away...

[darkdisgrace]

[...Ah.

It's not elaborately worded at all, yet from the point of view it's written from, it's...

Love and helplessness. Mourning someone precious you'll never get back. Those emotions are universal.]

You're right. It is powerful.

[What else can he possibly say to that? It's both completely foreign and relatable, in a way.]

[thesettingsun]

Like I said, best poet I know.

[Dazai doesn't have anything to say about the subject matter itself. It feels like it's not his place to talk about, even though it's well known.]

[darkdisgrace]

We're pretty different in that respect. I don't think I've ever written anything in my life.

[Fighting? He was great at it. Writing poems, novels? He's never really tried.]

Can you tell me about some of his other poems?

[thesettingsun]

Tainted sorrow:
today too snow falls on it;
tainted sorrow:
today too wind blows on it.

Tainted sorrow
is like, say, a fox's fur;
tainted sorrow,
covered with snow, curls up.

Tainted sorrow
has no desires or wishes;
tainted sorrow
in its torpor dreams of death.

Tainted sorrow
frightens me piteously;
tainted sorrow
can't be remedied, and the sun sets...

[darkdisgrace]

[Chuuya nearly drops his device at the words on the screen.

tainted sorrow.

He'd thought it was just the names they had in common, but this...

There was no way.]

What the hell are you pulling here? He really wrote that?

That's impossible.

[His ability isn't even natural.]

[thesettingsun]

I'm guessing that's the poem your ability shares a name with? I heard a little about that. "No Longer Human" is my last and best novel, it's strange hearing that it's a superpower somewhere else.

[Surely it's the same between the Dazais and the Chuuyas.]

[darkdisgrace]

Yeah, that's Dazai's ability in our world. He can nullify any ability with a touch. It's a pain in the ass, but it's useful.

But mine having that in common with your Chuuya is a can of worms I don't even want to think about the implications of.

[Shit though, now he has to ask...]

Don't ask questions, just answer me this: Do the words Corruption or 'O grantors of Dark Disgrace, do not wake me again' mean anything to you?

[thesettingsun]

Corruption no, but that second one is a line from a different poem.

I can bring over some booze if you need some.

[Dealing with these revelations is a lot, he understands.]

[darkdisgrace]

You've got to be shitting me.

[That didn't make sense. What did that mean, about their similarities between worlds?

Dazai's offer is immensely appreciated right now.]

Grab something strong, then.

[That's a yes.]

[thesettingsun]

Be there in 15.

[As promised, in about 15 minutes Dazai is at Chuuya's door, holding a bottle of the hardiest vodka he could find on short notice.

Knock knock, sorry about the brainbreak.]

[darkdisgrace]

[Chuuya will open the door, reach out, and immediately grab the bottle of Vodka.

...Yeah, it's that kind of day.]

Come on in, I'm not destroying my liver alone.

[It is very much that kind of day. He's twisting the cap off and taking a swig straight from the bottle.]

[thesettingsun]

[Rude, but it's Chuuya so he can't be surprised. He steps inside.]

If I'd known it would be that weird I wouldn't have brought him up.

[darkdisgrace]

[Chuuya settles down to sit, taking another swig from the bottle before offering it to Dazai. The alcohol burned from drinking so quickly, but he didn't mind as long as it got him where he wanted faster.]

You wouldn't know. The amount of people who know could be counted on one hand with fingers left over.

[The ones alive anyway.]

It's fucking weird that of all the things I could share with your Chuuya, that's one of them.

[thesettingsun]

[Dazai has a drink, not as big as the gulp Chuuya had taken. He's not as fast a drinker as any Chuuya.]

You've also got the signature hat, that's something.

[darkdisgrace]

Huh.

[He takes off the hat to peer at it, expression wry.]

This is... a hand me down, of sorts.

[thesettingsun]

I like it. It's stylish.

[Not going to question who it's a hand me down from, if Chuuya has no family.]

[darkdisgrace]

Same.

[No family, no. But...]

I killed the last guy who owned it.

[thesettingsun]

...Okay, that part's a little different.

[Chuuya's angry and violent, but not a killer.]

[darkdisgrace]

I really doubt that's the only difference on that front.

[He chuckles dimly, taking another drink.]

I never told you what my ability was, did I?

[thesettingsun]

Considering we started floating when we were drinking together, I have a pretty good guess.

[Don't know if Chuuya remembers that still...]

[darkdisgrace]

..Oh. Right. I did that, didn't I?

[He has a habit of that, when he's not thinking clearly...]

Yeah. It's gravity manipulation. Anything I touch, I can change the gravity of.

[thesettingsun]

That's cool. Way more interesting than just nullifying stuff.

[darkdisgrace]

It is.

[He smirks.]

The Dazai I know can't even handle a fight on his own. He's all brains, no brawn.

[thesettingsun]

If I ever see him I'll kick his ass.

[he sounds like a loser!!]