Hi! I'm back! I've had quite a good time lately. Sat around, fell in love with Over the Garden Wall, drank tea, put up with writer's block, experienced death of my soul by chlorine, that kind of thing. Sorry for taking so long in posting this chapter. Thank you for all the reviews! Just to answer a question: Yes, Atsushi will still have the bounty on his head. Anyway... Enjoy!

"I must admit," Dazai began, dodging Atsushi's claw. "I didn't think you'd be something like this." Atsushi lunged at him and Dazai ducked another blow even though his didn't really need to. If the tiger landed a hit, he'd turn back to a child thanks to No Longer Human. Dazai was simply trying to gauge his power.

He was strong, and his speed could have matched Chuuya's. Not bad. He thought as he sidestepped the tiger. They went on like this for a few more minutes, Dazai gathered what he could from the way Atsushi attacked. "This has gone on long enough," he stated when he noticed that fighting a tiger in his small dorm unit would create a quite a large mess to clean up. Dazai stood still as the glowing tiger attacked and stretched out a hand.

The second he made contact, ribbons of sapphire kanji wove around Atsushi.

The tiger transformed.

Atsushi fell against Dazai's leg, weakened and exhausted. Dazai smiled slightly as he picked up the child. He'd be able to reside in the Agency with an ability like that. Some sense of victory rose inside of him.

Atsushi stirred, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What happened?" He asked in a soft voice.

He actually talked. Dazai thought with some degree of surprise at discovering that Atsushi was not really mute. Must have just been fear or trauma. He concluded mentally. "Don't worry," Dazai said, taking him back to the spare futon. "You were just sleep walking."

Atsushi looked around, his wide eyed gaze taking in the mess of the dorm unit. "But-" he began.

"It was always this messy," he responded quickly. "You were really sleepy when I brought you here, so you probably just forgot what everything looked like." Atsushi frowned slightly, but decided that he believed what Dazai said in the end.

"Is that why they always chained me? Because of sleepwalking?" Atsushi asked innocently.

Dazai inhaled before answering the question, and Atsushi flinched as if he'd angered Dazai by asking. "Maybe," Dazai responded quietly. "I'm not sure. I don't know why they would do something like that." The man set the child down on the spare futon and ruffled his hair. "Sometimes there are bad people, but they'll never get you again." Atsushi stared back at him, his face several times more serious than it should have been at his age.

"Promise?" He asked, extending his hand and sticking out his pinky finger.

Dazai held out his hand and linked pinkies with Atsushi. "Promise." A pause. "You'll become one of us." Atsushi nodded, though based on his expression, he didn't entirely understand. He doesn't have to understand yet. Dazai thought. He's not ready, not yet. Not for another few years. We'll protect him until he can take the Agency's test and learn how to control his ability.

"Go to sleep, okay?" Dazai said, pulling the covers up to Atsushi's chest. "You've had a long day, child." Atsushi nodded again and sank further into the futon. "Good," he murmured before he returned to his own bed. "Good night," he said quietly.

"Good night," Atsushi replied, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Don't react. He turns into a tiger. Dazai wrote on a slip of paper. Can't say for sure when it happens, but I'd predict at night. He glanced back at Atsushi, who still slept soundly. Healing is probably due to his ability. He paused, drawing his pen back and taking in a deep breath before writing one last, crucial detail. He's not ready. Keep it secret for now. He pressed his lips together before adding. Tell everyone at the agency, I'll explain more when I get the chance, but it would be best for me to stay with Atsushi until we know more. Dazai folded the paper in half, he would pass it to Kunikida when he got a chance.

His colleague would have to inform the agency. They couldn't talk about Atsushi's ability with him around. Dazai glanced at the curtained window. Sunlight would stream into the room within an hour or so. For now, he couldn't leave Atsushi anywhere, not until he had a chance to fully observe the limits and stimuli to his powers.

The boy wasn't ready to know about his powers. Not yet. He was a child, too innocent and completely unready to understand the magnitude of his ability.

Atsushi kicked slightly in his sleep, squirming around as he began to wake up. Dazai pulled his coat on and slipped the paper into the pocket. "How did you sleep?" He asked when the sound of Atsushi shifting under the blankets implied that he was sitting up.

"Good, Sir," Atsushi responded quietly.

Dazai turned around to see Atsushi rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Don't call me 'Sir,'" he said as he came over to the futon. "I don't think we were properly introduced." He held out his hand, shaking off the fact that Atsushi tensed at the extended hand before him. "My name is Dazai Osamu."

Atsushi glanced at Dazai before shaking his hand. Based on his reaction, he had a few trust issues that he couldn't easily leave behind. "I'm Atsushi," he said.

Just Atsushi, huh? Dazai thought. It didn't matter too much if the child didn't want to give Dazai his full name, for in a matter of days, the agency would get his records. That would help, to an extent at least.

"I'm going to make some breakfast," Dazai said, standing up. He was about to tell Atsushi to get dressed, but immediately remembered that they had never gotten a change of clothes for him. It had been past 9pm when they had returned to the agency, so they never really got an opportunity. Guess that's on the to do list for today.

"Hey, Atsushi," he began as Dazai locked the door behind him. Atsushi looked up at him. "What do you remember from last night?"

The child frowned. "You told me that I was sleepwalking and promised that bad people wouldn't hurt me." He said it all so simply, so easily. "And then we pinky promised," he added, holding up his little finger.

"Yes," Dazai said, moving forward with Atsushi a few feet behind him. "I remember. I mean did you remember anything while you were sleepwalking? Did you have a nightmare or anything?" Atsushi shook his head. He glanced back at the child and held his hand behind him, which the child instantly gripped with his thin fingers.

"Where are we going?"

"Town." Dazai suddenly saw Kunikida making his way to the office. "Kunikida," he called, waving with his unoccupied hand. His partner threw him a serious look, and glanced at Atsushi, who held onto Dazai's hand.

"Skipping out on work today again, Dazai?"

Dazai doubled over and pressed a hand to his chest melodramatically. "I am shocked and appalled that that is your opinion of me!" He gestured to Atsushi. "Don't verbally abuse me in front of Atsushi." Kunikida's normally straight face deppened into a frown, but he said nothing. "Oh!" Dazai said, reaching into his pocket and handing over the paper. His partner read it, raising his eyebrows and glanced at the child. "See you later," Dazai concluded.

After a few minutes, Atsushi asked another question. "What did you give him?"

Dazai shrugged. "A note, that's it."

Oh! Potatoes and molasses! (Still thinking about OTGW...) Just today I thought about how much I love chapter titles. The chapters will now be titled. =P So, please review. I love everyone's support!

See ya!