Well, it has been a long time since I've posted anything for... any of my stories. Make no mistake, that has been eating away at me on the inside. I managed to get this chapter written up, and posting new chapters makes me happy, and I could really use some happiness right now. We're close to finals week and there's so much to do, and it feels like there isn't enough time to study and write essays.

But anyway... I hope you enjoy this chapter!

There was something so, so familiar about Dazai and Kyouka. He didn't know how to respond to it. It was the small things that he recognized, really. The coppery color of Dazai's eyes, the feeling of shrinking under those eyes. The occasional monotone sound of Kyouka's voice, the vibrant color of her kimono.

With Atsushi… He couldn't figure out what the problem was with Atsushi. Akutagawa hated him, he knew that much, and overall, there wasn't much of a need to investigate the matter any further. He didn't like him despite the gentle voice and soft appearance. Being near him put him on edge.

Akutagawa kicked his feet as he sat alone in a room with Atsushi. He stared at his legs, clothed in children's jeans that the detective in the overalls-Kenji, if Akutagawa remembered correctly- had grabbed for him from some nearby thrift didn't like his new clothes. The shirt was scratchy, and the pants weren't quite his size. However, he did feel like the second hand clothes were better than drowning in the shirt and heavy coat he'd been draped in when he'd woken up.

It was silent, something that seemed to make the gray haired detective fidget. It didn't bother Akutagawa in the slightest. He glanced down at his feet. They couldn't reach the floor from this height. He kicked his legs harder as the feeling of being utterly powerless came over him.

He hated it.

"So…" Atsushi began. "You really don't remember anything?"

Akutagawa glared at him. It was as fierce a glare as he could possibly muster. He didn't know what he actually expected. Maybe for Atsushi to shut up or drop the topic. His scowling, irritated expression should have gotten people to go silent.

Nothing like that happened.

Instead, Atsushi turned to the side and covered his mouth. Fragments of a laugh escaped him.

The child could feel red creep into his face, inch by inch. He swallowed the wrong way, leading him to cough hard into his hand.

He didn't know when Atsushi stopped laughing like an idiot, but at some point he must have because after coughing for a few seconds, he felt a gentle weight on his back. Then it turned to a kind of gentle rubbing. He swallowed again, wiping the tears that had risen with his arm.

Then, he became aware of Atsushi's hand on his back, of the look of pity in his eyes.

A faint yelp escaped his mouth as he slapped the hand away. "Don't touch me!" He roared, but his voice didn't sound like a roar. It was a raspy, young cry. Even to him, it sounded weak. And it added a layer of gravel to his sandpaper walls of his throat. However, his outburst did have the desired effect. Atsushi withdrew his hand, and got up to grab a cup of water.

"Here," he said, holding the paper cup out to Akutagawa. When the child made no move to take it, Atsushi put it on the table next to him before sitting back down. "Jeez," he muttered in exasperation. "It's like you haven't changed at all."

What does that mean? He wanted to ask, but said nothing as he pulled his knees against his chest and glared at a spot on the floor. It was a few times now that he'd heard something like that. Something about his long or recent past that he couldn't remember at all. He wanted to ask because words failed to express how confused he was, but at the same time, he didn't want to ask. Akutagawa couldn't quite tell if he was safe or if he was walking on eggshells with these people. Just because someone said he was safe somewhere didn't mean they were being truthful.

If he were to ask someone, he wouldn't choose to ask Atsushi. There was little reason not to ask him about it aside from that fact that he just didn't like him. He wouldn't ask any of them, not the people he'd simply seen around. He would consider asking Dazai. Goodness knew he felt like he always wanted to stick close to the man… But in some strange way, Dazai terrified him. He figured that if he did decide to ask, he'd try to talk to Kyouka.

This was all just a hypothetical, of course, but he did like her more than he liked everyone else. She was familiar, and having something that was familiar gave him a nice feeling.

He coughed hard into his hand as he considered all these hypothetical situations.

Atsushi looked at him for a moment before gesturing to the water he'd tried to hand to Akutagawa earlier and suggesting he drink a little.

He did, all while scowling.

Just like last time, Atsushi seemed to struggle to suppress a smile. And just like last time, it irritated Akutagawa quite a bit, but he'd prefer not to choke on his water and end in a coughing fit again, so he ignored the idiotic look on the detective's face. Though he could feel the corners of his mouth twitch downward in annoyance.

He finished half the cup before chucking the remaining water at Atsushi. The cup hit him in the shoulder, and the water spilled out. It splashed against him, clinging to his shirt and dripping down his arm.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Second by second, Akutagawa realized how idiotic throwing the cup at Atsushi had been. It was clear who held more power in that room, and it was clear who held less power. Akutagawa gulped, half convinced that he'd get some sort of punishment.

Atsushi simply exhaled slowly, seeming more irritated than angry. "I suppose I should have seen that coming from you." He picked up the cup off the ground and tossed it into a waste basket.

The door swung open quietly, and Kyouka stepped in. "Hey," she began. "I'm- Why are your clothes all wet?" Atsushi gestured to Akutagawa in response. "Oh," Kyouka muttered, seeming less than surprised or amused.

"What is it?" Atsushi asked, shaking his arm as though that would make the fabric dry faster. All it accomplished was sending water droplets in every direction.

Kyouka ignored the drops of water that almost hit her. "We're trying to decide what to do with…" Her voice trailed off and she subtly tilted her head in Akutagawa's direction. "Kunikida said he wanted you to be present."

Atsushi blinked dumbly. "Why wouldn't you be there?"

"Because I said I was alright with anything," she glanced at Akutagawa. "And someone has to watch him."

"You sure about that?"

"Yes," she replied easily.

He shrugged in the end. "As long as you're sure." Atsushi bent down so he could be at eye level with the child. "Be good for her, okay?"

Akutagawa only glared. They stared each other down a few minutes, and the child got the feeling that they could have gone on scowling for much longer.

"Atsushi, quit dragging your feet and get in here! Now!" An irritated voice yelled.

The gray haired detective jumped, quickly breaking eye contact and scrambling to the door. He looked over his shoulder to the boy, glaring daggers to discourage any bad behavior before the angry voice yelled his name again.

The scene brought a smirk to Akutagawa's lips, which instantly vanished when Kyouka glared at him. He glanced down at his hands again, lacing and unlacing his fingers. Then he glanced back at Kyouka, who sat beside him, her sky-colored eyes watching him. He shifted slightly, not comfortable with her gaze, but preferring her company to Atsushi's.

Neither said a word for a long time, the muffled speaking of the people in the office was the only thing that kept the room from being completely quiet.

He didn't want to ask. He didn't want to speak at all, but he was curious and it was Kyouka he was with.

"What are they talking about?"

Kyouka's eyes didn't change. They remained focused and prepared and unsurprised. "They're trying to decide what to do with you"

The way she said it almost made him flinch as her voice was so toneless. However, he found himself relatively unaffected by her tone. She was honest. Blunt, but clear. Somehow, it made him feel a rush of relief to hear an easy to understand answer in the confusion he felt.

A coughing fit seized him when he took a breath in. His muscles ached with it, his head throbbed. It took a moment for the coughing to subside. When it was over, he found staring at Kyouka's face as she held a tissue to his running nose. He blinked away the tears that had sprung up from his fit.

Kyouka tossed the tissue into the wastebin and took her seat next to him again. Akutagawa blinked and glared down at his hands, an action he'd grown rather accustomed to. He still felt her gaze on him, analyzing every movement.

"Here," she said softly, her voice still low and hard to read. She pushed a small, hard candy into his hand. "The doctor said it's important to keep your throat moist to reduce the number of coughing fits." And still, her voice was matter of factly, serious, and simple. But it wasn't quite cold.

Akutagawa slowly unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. He enjoyed it more than he wanted to admit.

The door swung open, and Akutagawa flinched. Atsushi stood in the doorway, his face forced into a neutral expression that was bordering on a frown.

"What's the final decision?" Kyouka asked though Akutagawa guessed she already knew the answer.

Atsushi glanced at Akutagawa, who stared right back at him, eyes narrowed and mouth twisted into a scowl. The sour expression on Akutagawa's face seemed to be contagious because, after a minute of staring each other down, Atsushi's expression had curdled as well. He let out a long breath through his nose.

"For now, he'll be staying with us."

Tada!

I think that might have helped me on an emotional level. I'm excited for this story to continue.

Please review.