It had been yet another week since Chuuya had aged up, and Dazai was fully expecting their luck to escape them soon.

It had been a rather calm week, Chuuya staying inside of their apartment for most of the time. It was for the best that way anyways.

The week was blissfully uneventful, the old lady had stopped by a few times and Chuuya had to switch to the role of Dazai's child fast, which Dazai always found amusing.

Dazai didn't take Chuuya back to the agency, though Yosano did pay them a visit so she could formally 'meet' Chuuya. (Without her lab coat Chuuya reacted a lot better. He even seemed to like her.)

Chuuya seemed to become acclimated to the new environment more, Dazai noticed that the times he had slipped off to hide in the restroom and came back with teary eyes had lessened.

He was also getting his snark back, the attitude that Dazai had definitely not missed. Totally not.

And of course, there was the cat. Mackerel had betrayed him (not that they had an alliance going in the first place,) and followed Chuuya wherever he went like some kind of fluffy bodyguard.

Chuuya seemed happy with this development and even carried Mackerel wherever he went.

Whatever, if Chuuya wanted to give more of his attention to the cat, then it was less work for Dazai to do.

Not only was Chuuya's mental state starting to stabilize (though it would probably never be completely okay,) so had his physical state.

Dazai stopped having to wrap his whole body in bandages, to which Chuuya had proclaimed that they 'weren't matching anymore.'

While Chuuya was still scarred, the clothes covered most of them and Dazai knew that with Arahabaki they would fade quickly.

Despite this Chuuya's presence, Dazai couldn't help but wake up every morning to see if he had aged up.

It wasn't good to keep lying to Chuuya about his escape from the lab, he was becoming used to his surroundings and it would only hurt more when he woke up in that place once again with only the belief that this was some twisted daydream.

And Dazai missed the hatrack though he would take that statement to the grave.

Plus Chuuya would kill him due to the amount of work he had missed with the Port Mafia. He no doubt had mountains of paperwork piling on his desk and the Chibi was going to take his anger out on Dazai.

(Though at least that way he would be back to normal instead of the traumatized child who had just been a lab experiment.)

And Chuuya did eventually age up, though the Chibi was dramatic and of course he had to say his grand farewell with many events that would drive Dazai insane.

And first off... Dazai really shouldn't have left Chuuya alone in his apartment, though in his defense he would only be gone for a few minutes and Chuuya could take care of himself.

But when he returned Chuuya simply... wasn't there.

"Chibi?" Dazai called, opening the broom closet to come face to face with cleaning supplies. His eyebrow twitched and he quickly slammed it shut, moving on to search the restroom.

"This isn't a funny prank, are you anywhere?" Dazai checked the ceilings and once he was completely sure that Chuuya was not in his apartment, he thumbed through the contacts on his phone, pressing the contact.

"This better be good Dazai!" Kunikida yelled through the phone. Leave it to him to always answer when no one else would.

"Yes, we have a bit of a situation Kunikida-Kun."

———-

"I'll be fine," Chuuya shrugged, fingers carding through Mackerel's fur. He liked the cat, well, he liked cats in general. He hadn't seen too many before, and at that he forced Dazai to promise to take him to the zoo.

The bandaged man wasn't too sure how well Chuuya could handle crowds, Chuuya himself wasn't sure how well he could handle crowds, but he would do anything to see all of those animals.

But now he was not the one leaving the apartment to go to the zoo, Dazai promised him that if he could behave for the next few days then maybe he would consider it.

So Chuuya would bite his tongue on his comments, that place never liked them too much anyways which meant that he probably shouldn't be saying them.

Though that place also didn't like when he spoke at all.

Chuuya was just confused on what was right to do and what was wrong, the new teachings helping him see a new light, but the old teachings of the lab were still engrained into his brain.

So Chuuya was indifferent when Dazai requested him to do things, because they weren't orders, just suggestions.

"Will you stay put?" Dazai asked, and Chuuya wanted to scoff. As if he had many other places to go.

"It's fine," Chuuya repeated.

"Alright, then," Dazai said, tone light, "I'll be back in ten minutes. Don't burn the complex down while I'm gone~"

And Chuuya believed that Dazai was the more likely one to commit accidental arson.

So he sat back on the couch, grumbling as he changed the channels on TV, he liked to watch the news. Dazai teased him for it, claiming that old people watched the news, but Chuuya refused to watch those animated kiddie cartoons.

Chuuya grew so immersed in the live hostage situation being broadcasted on the screen that his hand slowly stopped to pet the cat.

Mackerel bumped her head into his limp hand, but Chuuya's eyes were trained on the screen, not paying any attention to the cat.

Chuuya didn't notice that the cat had abandoned him until the scene had come to a climax and the man was being put in handcuffs.

Chuuya reached back to pet the cat only for his hand to swipe open air "oh- Mackerel?" He asked, sitting up, eyes searching the now empty room.

He was alone.

A shiver ran down Chuuya's spine as he slipped off of the couch, socked feet coming in contact with the wooden floor.

Chuuya liked the atmosphere of this apartment, though it never seemed right how it belonged to Dazai. It didn't seem like his taste would be such a fancy living area, but rather some small one room dump.

"Mackerel?" Chuuya called, but not too loud. He didn't want to alert the lady who lived next door, he could go the rest of his life without seeing her.

The cat didn't scamper back to him as usual, and Chuuya didn't know what to think, trying to stay calm as he looked around the whole apartment for the cat only to come up empty.

Mackerel wasn't even on top of the fridge.

"Mackerel I swear to-" Chuuya halted when he noticed the familiar ball of orange fur slipping out of the window.

They were on the top floor of the complex.

Chuuya lunged for the cat, fingers brushing against fluffy fur but swiping empty hair as the cat jumped down.

Chuuya felt panic cease him as he closed his eyes tight, waiting for the animal to hit the unforgiving pavement.

But instead of a Yelp or yowl, there came no sounds over the bustle of the city below him.

Chuuya slowly opened his eyes and peers over the cracked window just in time to see Mackerel make her last leap to the ground.

He took a minute to marvel on the way she had jumped from window ledge to window ledge to get to the ground safely, but the panic soon clawed back up his throat.

Mackel was loose in the city. She could get lost or hurt from anything. Chuuya didn't know much about cats but he didn't want her to be on her own in a strange new place.

It was the worst feeling and Chuuya knew it all too well.

Then another train of thought hit him.

What good would he be if he let the cat get away?

He had stayed here under this man's care and despite the darkness lingering in his gaze, he had been nothing but nice to Chuuya.

Would he kick him out?

Chuuya had to secure his position, he didn't want to get kicked out to the streets or get taken back to that dreadful place.

So he slid on a jacket and braced the cold weather as he swung his legs over the window ledge after opening it all the way.

Walking out of the complex would take too much time, Chuuya didn't know his way around this place anyways. It would be easier to just scale down the wall.

He could see mackerel slipping out of his vision as he slowly hopped from ledge to ledge just as she had done (though it would be impossible without his ability. He was just getting the hang of it but thankfully he didn't fall on his face.)

A couple of onlookers glanced his way, but didn't pay him much attention when he landed on the ground. Either they simply hadn't seen him or they were smart and kept their mouths shut out of fear.

Chuuya squeezed past a few adults to catch up to the cat, gritting his teeth when Mackerel turned the corner to an alleyway.

Chuuya ignored the crowd of people, ignored the feeling of fire ants erupting to life beneath his skin whenever he bumped into one of them.

There were a lot of differences between him and these other people, Chuuya had noticed. They were... bland. You could forget their features easily.

Chuuya did suppose that Japan was a homogeneous society, and was reminded of that with the way the people stared at his red hair and blue eyes.

He was an outlier.

Chuuya escaped their gazes by sliding into the alleyway to look for Mackerel.

The cat wasn't anywhere to be seen, so after he carefully studied the area Chuuya took a turn.

Then another turn.

And another.

It took him about ten minutes to realize that he was completely lost in the maze of alleyways and streets.

Chuuya huffed, sitting down on a nearby bench, electing to watch people pass by him completely oblivious to... everything.

Chuuya wished he was like them.

He was lost and all he could do was wait, he had already tried retracing his steps. Would Dazai be mad at him?

He probably wouldn't get to go to the zoo anymore.

Chuuya tried not to focus on the crowd walking all around him in different directions, well, that was until he spotted a girl who looked a little younger than him with curly blonde hair.

It was impossible to miss her with the way she was whining over the noises of the crowd.

Chuuya decided to avert his eyes and ignore it, resisting the urge to cover his ears and just block out the whole world.

But unfortunately the girls shrill voice grew closer until it was right in front of him.

"Rintaro look! Doesn't that kid look like Chuuya!"

Chuuya's eyes snapped open at that and he slowly lifted his head, muscles tensing at his name. He was about to ask the little girl standing in front of him just how she knew his name, but the dark haired man next to her interrupted Chuuya.

"Ah, Elise-Chan it seems you have the wrong person," the man shot him an apologetic smile. Chuuya noted that he looked to be a doctor with the coat he was wearing.

The sight of it was enough to set Chuuya on edge, but he had recently learned that not all doctors were bad, and he wasn't getting the tunnel vision like he had once had when seeing a doctor.

So Chuuya would not let judgment cloud his mind, but still deal with the situation tentatively.

The girl frowned big, "but he has the same red hair and eyes! He's just smaller! Rintaro, why does he look so malnourished?"

Chuuya grit his teeth, moving to get to his feet to show that he wasn't malnourished, but the man put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"My dear Elise, we don't comment on strangers' appearances."

The girl- Elise- crossed her arms over her chest "but that's not a stranger that's Chuuya!"

Chuuya bristled and the man simply sighed like an overworked father "I'm sorry, she is thinking of someone else. Your name isn't Chuuya, is it?"

When he opened his eyes a shiver made its way down Chuuya's spine, they reminded him of Dazai's, an unspoken darkness swirling in them, but this man was colder. Less alive.

Chuuya instinctively backed up "what's it to you?"

The man chuckled, it sounded empty "no need to be so defensive, it was just an honest question. And say, what's a child like you doing out here alone?"

Chuuya was suddenly reminded of Mackerel and his failed search for the poor cat.

"I'm looking for my cat, have you seen one walking around anywhere?"

The girl's eyes widened "does your cat have orange fur and look like you?"

Chuuya nodded slowly, taken aback.

The girl pulled on the man's sleeve "I told you it was Chuuya.

The man smiled at her the way impatient parents did, then looked back to Chuuya. "You know that cats very rarely get lost. As long as you feed it the animal will always wander back to its food source. No need to worry."

While the information was enlightening, Chuuya's face still burned. The man was saying it as if it was common sense.

He probably shouldn't have went after the cat and gotten lost in this weird city full of weird people with weird intentions...

"I assume you're lost?" The man asked, and Chuuya knew where this conversation was going, "I can help you find your way home or we can go back to my workplace and give your guardian a call?"

The man's smile didn't reach his eyes, full of malice and ill intentions. Chuuya didn't get the vibe that this man was a kidnapper or some creep who picked kids up off of the street, but he was definitely hiding something dark.

Chuuya shook his head "no, I can find my way myself."

The girl shook her head vigorously "no! You can't go away, you look just like Chuuya." The smirk on her face was not one of a little girl asking for a friend to stay.

It looked equally as creepy as the mans.

Who was the real threat here?

Chuuya continued to slowly back away, fingers twitching with anticipation. He had gravity on his side, chances were, he could win a fight even if he had just learned how to manage it.

Though before he could call upon the power surging in his veins, a hand rested on his shoulder, nullifying the power and silencing Arahakabi's taunting whispers.

Chuuya whipped around, for once relieved to see Dazai.

He looked at the stranger in front of him with some unidentifiable emotion, Chuuya could tell that there was something lingering under their clashing gazes, perhaps some mental argument.

The doctor was the first to speak "my my, how nice to see you out and about for once Dazai. Though it seems that your... little friend had gotten lost." The man seemed strangely smug "keep a closer eye on your duties."

Dazai's hand tightened around his shoulder.

Chuuya could see his mental struggle and understood it all too well. He wanted to fight, to kick and scream in the mans face and make a fool of him.

Chuuya understood the feeling all too well.

But instead Dazai pulled a tight lipped smile "of course, but do make sure to stay away from him. I don't want the filthy hands of the port mafia boss all over him."

The name rang a bell in Chuuya's head as he recalled the conversation where Dazai explained what the port mafia was, and how Chuuya had made his distaste clear.

So this was the boss of the most feared crime syndicate in the area?

The port mafia boss's mask didn't crack as he nodded "come along now Elise, let's continue dress shopping."

For once the girl didn't argue against him, though she shot Chuuya, a look not too different from the one a predator gave its prey.

"I'll see you later Chuuya!"

Chuuya watched as the two disappeared into the crowd, then jumped slightly when Dazai knelt in front of him.

Chuuya tried to study his facial expression but it gave nothing away, devoid of emotion.

Panic crashed like waves against his body.

What was he thinking?

Was he mad at him for running away?

Chuuya had clearly disobeyed a rule even when he tried to do a good deed. He really couldn't do anything right-

"Hey," Dazai said, "stop, I'm not going to hit you."

Chuuya blinked, realizing that he had unconsciously moved his head to the side to prepare for a strike. He tilted his head back immediately, "sorry."

Dazai took a moment to assess the stage Chuuya was in before shaking his head "you need to tell me where you go. Believe it or not you're still in danger and I'm supposed to watch over you."

"I'm sorry."

"And you shouldn't go out anywhere without me. If you're looking for Mackerel then she's a cat and she'll come back eventually."

"I'm sorry."

"And if you see a man like that come up to you on the street like that don't even talk to him. Just run. I know you can protect yourself just fine but don't needlessly throw yourself into danger."

"I'm so-"

Dazai tapper Chuuya's cheek lightly "enough with the apologies it's creepy. Where'd the feisty Chibi go~"

Chuuya no longer felt sorry. He especially didn't feel apologetic when he kicked idiot Dazai on the sternum, sending him to the concrete.

"Aww, there he is!"

Chuuya huffed, "shut up, you're drawing attention to us. Let's just go back."

Dazai watched as Chuuya confidently stomped one direction before cupping his hands over his mouth. "Hey Chuuya! You're going the wrong way!"

"I knew that!"

Dazai should have guessed that Chuuya would be gone when he returned from his short grocery trip. (Canned crab was a necessity) he was a trouble magnet and would always find a way to get into some kind of mess.

Dazai could easily guess that by the cats absence that she had slipped through the open window and Chuuya followed her.

Chuuya was not good with crowds or strangers, so Dazai found it in his best interest to track the redhead down before he got into anymore trouble.

Though he should have expected to run into him talking to Dazai's former boss and his 'child' in the middle of the city.

Chuuya looked like his fight or flight senses were about to kick in, like he didn't know his bearings. If he unleashed his ability right now and caused a scene in front of all these people then there would be an unbelievable amount of paperwork.

So Dazai quickly hustled to Chuuya and touched him before he could punch the mafia boss straight in the face or fly out of there.

What could Mori have even wanted from Chuuya? The armed Detective Agency agency was assigned to protect him but that was from Kouyou...

Could Mori have opposed of that plan?

Knowing the port mafia boss he possibly wanted to keep child Chuuya around to find out his secrets and weaknesses to use against him when he grew back to an older age...

Which was why Dazai should keep him away.

Dazai looked into Mori's eyes in a standoff, the silent conversations that flowed between them were so fluid that It was as if they were talking out loud.

But eventually Dazai pulled Chuuya way from his clutches and back to his apartment all in one piece.

Chuuya had learned his lesson about not wandering off and also that cats always returned.

"Mackerel!" He shouted, barley slipping off his shoes in time to dive for the frightened cat and hug the life out of it.

Dazai rolled his eyes but didn't comment on it. He would be sure to close the window from now on.

But now that things had settled down and Dazai was making his much needed canned crab, (maybe he would steal from Chuuya's wine cabinet. He definitely deserved it.) Chuuya had gotten quiet, and uncomfortably so.

Dazai sighed, it looks like his duties of babysitting for the day wasn't done after all.

"What's the issue?" He asked, not looking Chuuya's way as he focused on the pot of boiling water in front of him.

Chuuya didn't like it when people made eye contact when they asked questions such as this one, he was bad at answering them and half the time he never even answered.

"I dunno," the kid shuffled uneasily, and despite the tough demeanor he had put up, Dazai was reminded once again that he was still very traumatized. He was worse than Dazai at social ques and communication.

It looks like he would have to press further, "does this have anything to do with the man who you met today?"

"...the port mafia boss?"

"Yes, did he say anything to upset you?"

Chuuya shrugged, "he tried to get me to go to his workplace but I'm not stupid. I was about to punch his face in."

"Yes, you are very vicious."

Chuuya took Dazai's open response as a sign to continue "I could tell there was something strange about him from the look in his eyes."

For a child Chuuya was very observant, every age his skills at reading Dazai had been more than what some adults possessed.

It looks like no matter what age he would still know Dazai the best.

"Yes, Mori has a lot of nasty tricks under his sleeve."

Though that wasn't what was bothering Chuuya. Dazai waited in silence for about ten minutes before Chuuya finally asked the million dollar question that was on his chest.

"...Can I still go to the zoo?"

Unexpectedly, Dazai felt genuine amusement bubble in his chest. It was a feeling he had thought he had never been able to associate with anyone, but Chuuya was a walking contradiction in Dazai's life.

He made him so conflicted yet light at the same time.

"Yes, we may go to the zoo tomorrow."

Dazai felt that he was going to regret his decision, but for the moment he would watch as a smile lit up Chuuya's face.

It was the first time he had seen him smile so big after he had been taken out of the lab.