Loving Dazai

A MAN NOW

Tap! Tap! tap!....

Dazai drummed his fingers on the table and one of his feet tapped relentlessly with a quick rhythm of impatience. He took off his glasses and pinched his nose bridge, his mouth thinned with displeasure, he put on his glasses back and continued the rhythm with his foot and fingers.

He had gone to the metropolitan correctional center to see Filip Aron, the underboss of the polish mob. A war had broken out between the two crime organizations and Kato was ambushed and earned several gunshot wounds which left him in coma for three weeks. When Dazai saw the state of Kato, he was blinded with pure rage.

He looked up when the metal door swung open, he stared fixedly at Filip as he was ushered in by the guard. Filip stood still until the guard closed the door, then he walked and sat down opposite Dazai.

Filip was a big, brawny brute with tattoos all over his hands and up to his neck. he leaned backwards on the chair and clasped his chained hands together then sneered at Dazai. "I was told I was going to meet my lawyer not you, you son of a bitch."

Dazai put his hand in his breast pocket and pulled out a lighter and a cigarette. he placed them on the table and pushed them towards Filip "Spoke to the guard. You can have it."

Filip flared his nose "What the f**k do you want?."

Dazai peeled his eyes from the cigarette and lighter and sluggishly looked at Filip. His face was all bruised up. "I don't like your tone."

He knew that Filip had developed hate for him because he killed Antoni Bazyli, the Polish crime boss. He shot him with a special force sniper at a distance of eight hundred kilometers.

"Because you work for Kato doesn't guarantee your safety." Filip snarled "Last I heard, Kato was already a dead man. Is that true?"

"I need you to sign over your house that's in Caymans Island." Dazai's voice was flat yet feathery. It wasn’t just a house it was a sophisticated drug lab and if they were able to have it as one of theirs, they’d be able to expand their business more.

Filip placed his hands on the table and looked at Dazai with a blank expression.

"And the warehouses in Texas and Chicago." Dazai stared back. It was just a matter of time before Filip will sign the papers, many of Antoni’s men were dead or had fled, he had no choice but to sign.

Circling his watch with his fingers, Dazai said "I'd be going to the Czech next week but I have something to do in the Filipins and I might just pay a visit to your mother. Ha Labana Hospice, warred square, 6792. Opened Mondays to Sunday's and visit time is-"

"Stop."

Dazai stopped playing with his watch and slowly looked up, fear and anger was evident in Filip's eyes.

"I can assure you that no one will lay a finger on you. Not one person. If anything happens to you ...consider the person eliminated" Dazai said quietly and watched as Filip succumbed and nodded his head.

"How am I supposed to trust you? The rest of Antoni's men will come for me"

Dazai c****d his head. that was way too fast but then he pushed his chair backward and stood up "If you perhaps change your mind, your mother and your girls schooling in Hampshire will be dead. I'll kill them all." his voice turned thin and cruel. He then adjusted his glasses "I'll see you next week." he said then left.

He drove to one of Kato's mansions where he was still receiving treatment. Dazai went through the series of security and he nodded at them. He took the elevator and when it dinged open, he saw Michael. He stepped out of the elevator and started towards Kato's room but Michael blocked him.

"The doctor is around. No one is allowed in" Michael said.

There has always been a feud between them. From the very first day Michael saw Dazai as a threat and it got worse when Kato kept Dazai by his side. If anything went wrong, he was quick to fault Dazai.

On many occasions he had tried to kill Dazai. When they were both young, he forcefully pushed him into one of the pools and tried to drown him and when Kato found out, he slashed his face with a calligraphic pen.

Dazai now stared at the diagonal scar that ran from his eyebrow to his chin. He looked at Kato's door and looked back at Michael.

"It's important. It's about the polish."

Michael glared at him then stepped aside. Dazai went ahead and knocked on Kato's door then opened it.

"Waiting for an answer after you knock on a door is what we call normal ethics." Kato was sat on the bed as his torso was being bandaged by the doctor. His angry gaze sliced Dazai.

"Lacking in some ethics is quite normal," Dazai closed the door "Doctor" he nodded curtly at the doctor.

"What do you want?" Kato sighed.

Dazai met the doctors gaze and the doctor knew it was his cue to leave. He fixed up his first aid box and said to Kato "I'll see you Saturday"

"I have business on Saturday."

"I still need to tend to your wounds, sir," the doctor said then waited for Kato's response.

"Okay" Kato said, then started to button up his shirt.

"Please don't forget to take your medications, excuse me." The doctor bowed and left the room.

Kato winced when he got to the buttons on his torso. "I hate to repeat myself. What do you want?"

"The polish. It's a done deal." Dazai strolled across the room and slowly lifted Kato and supported him until they were seated on the balcony.

“I’d expect nothing less. Got a cigarette?”

Dazai brought out a pack from his pocket, took a cigarette and passed it to Kato. “Bet Doctor Kings was smart enough not to say no smoking,” he stood up and lit the cigarette for him.

Kato chuckled, “He knows I wouldn’t agree to it. If he wasn’t good at what he does, I would have fired him a long time ago.” he blew out smoke.

“You never told me about this ‘Dazai’ you knew.”

“The Dazai I once knew? Dazai, Dazai.” he looked at Dazai. “Why do you care about knowing him now?”

Dazai shrugged “Just curious.”

“While I was in Japan, we joined the organization at the same time. His real name was Hiroshi but everyone called him Dazai because he wanted to be a writer like Dazai Osamu. A well-recognized novelist. Long story short, we were best buddies but it turned out that he was from another organization. He came to spy and that got him killed. There,” he looked at Dazai, “Now give me a f*****g break and leave me alone.”

Dazai didn’t make a move to stand up; instead, he relaxed into the chair. There was a peaceful silence between them. The sun was bright and hot.

"Are you still going to Czech?" Kato asked him.

Dazai turned and met his gaze. "Seems like you're already missing me."

Kato scoffed and looked away but Dazai saw the little smile that danced on his lips. He also looked away. He didn't smile like Kato did, but his tense features relaxed. Being with Kato was easy. It came with great comfort.