Responses!

EvilMindedZ: Thanks, man, but of course you knew that was coming because I text you almost every detail I think of.

Guest: Thank you! I'm happy you're enjoying it!

Dragon77: Yeah, that part kind of hurt to write. This was Atsushi's best idea of how to get revenge... To be fair, I'd be less than happy if someone used all my shampoo...

TheSilverHunt3r: I hope you catch up soon. It's kind getting heated and I find myself hurting inside quite a bit.

jilnachtaugen: Glad this had such an effect! =D I think that deep down Yosano and Kunikida would act like parents, just with a few... unconventional methods, but if I ever have kids, I'm probably going to make sure they know the skeletal system. We're almost to Atsushi meeting Kyouka, honestly, I'm getting really hyped about future chapters!

Happy (Somewhat belated) New Year! As you all have probably guessed by now, I am not very good at being on time when trying to post on holidays and stuff. What can I say aside from "I tried"?

But... I wrote it, and that's the important think. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of 2018!

Dazai's hands were chained, he hadn't eaten for a day, his wrists had been rubbed raw by the bindings on his wrists that had managed to wear through his bandages.

More importantly though, he was BORED! It'd been more than a day, he could tell that much. He'd taken at least four naps by now, which didn't feel too great since he was standing with his hands chained the whole time. Ugh. He thought tiredly. Where the heck is the hatrack with I actually need him?

Footsteps. Dazai didn't so much as tense. He didn't recognize who they belonged to, but he had a few guesses. The sound of the footfalls didn't match Akutagawa's who practically focused on making his steps sound demanding and more powerful. Chuuya hardly had footsteps when he wanted to or his footfalls put cracks in the cement, especially when he was pissed. The sound of these footsteps were new to him. They were quick and quiet, and somewhere in there, he could hear just a trace of hesitation.

Dazai opened his eyes, yawning as though he was just waking. Someone who's new. He thought, listening to the sound of the steps. Young, but still trained well enough. The steps came to a halt altogether. He groaned. "You may as well come out," Dazai called casually. "I already know you're there, seems like a waste to come all the way down here without doing anything, doesn't it?"

Silence. Then a slight shuffling sound.

The man didn't look completely helpless like most prisoners did when chained to the wall, and Kyouka doubted he was actually scared in the slightest. There was a chance he was faking his overconfident smirk, but Kyouka doubted that too. He was just as she remembered him in the prison: skilled, experienced, and calm.

"Ah, it's you, the child who abducted me," he said when she came into the light. Kyouka felt her grip tighten on the notepad in her hands. "It's okay, I forgive you," he said gently. "I guess I should say it's good to see you again, but I don't think we actually know each other." He smiled. "Now is as good a time as any to make introductions. My name is Dazai Osamu, but if you're Akutagawa's subordinate, I suppose you already know that."

Kyouka didn't reply. She scrawled words onto her notepad. My name is Kyouka. I am an assassin for the Port Mafia. She wrote them the best she could with her broken fingers.

"I figured as much," Dazai muttered. "You just found out about the transmitter?" Kyouka nodded. He paused, thoughtfully tapping his fingers against the clamps on his wrists. "It was nice of you to feign unconsciousness when I rescued Atsushi. Made the escape easier." Kyouka blinked in surprise. "Yes, I knew that you were awake. My ability doesn't put people to sleep, they only deal with the initial shock when I do something like that, but I'm sure you had Akutagawa fooled." He glanced at her fingers. "What did he break them for?"

Kyouka awkwardly held her pen and wrote her answer. Trying to leave.

Dazai released a sigh. "Yeah, not very easy is it?"

The girl looked down at her fingers regretfully before crawling on he notepad again. You left.

"That I did," Dazai responded bluntly. He offered a knowing smirk. "You want help, don't you?" Kyouka nodded again. "Just where do you plan to go?" Kyouka shrugged. Dazai sighed. "Kunikida is going to kill me for this, but there's a place I can take you, an organization you can join. Even if you didn't officially join, there's a job I can give you." A flash of distrust lit in Kyouka's eyes. "Relax, no killing involved, and if I'm right, that's the part of this place you hate so much." His eyes flashed understanding. "How many?"

Thirty five.

"Not many, but it's best to end this soon."

Kyouka tensed, and she began to write on her notepad. "I'd like your help with one thing first." She stopped and looked up at him. "I need to know where the records are. You remember the child Akutagawa captured about a week ago? I want to know who's willing to pay such a sum for him. Can you tell me where it is?" She wrote the answer. "That's what I thought," Dazai muttered, snapping his fingers, making the shackles clatter against their pillar. A bobby pin rested in his fingers. He stretched his arms out casually. "Well, I was going to wait for Chuuya so I could irritate him and get him to tell me where to find the records, but I guess this was easier."

He gestured Kyouka closer and grabbed the sword at her side. "First thing's first. We have to take care of that transmitter." The girl shied back, staring at her sword in his hands. It glinted threateningly in the dim light of the dungeon. "Stay calm. I'm not going to kill you. We just have to cut it out. Won't be too much blood. You have to trust me for this."

Kyouka looked over her shoulder to the exit, but took a deep breath and took a step closer to Dazai. He smiled, not in the scary way she was used to see people smile in the Port Mafia. The smile he gave her was somewhat calming. "That's good," he said as he adjusted her sword in his hands. He instructed her to tilt her head, she obeyed, baring her neck so he could have a clear view of what to cut. "Just relax," he muttered, prodding a space on her neck before cutting into her delicate skin with the tip of the blade.

She didn't make a sound as her skin tore cleanly. It felt enough like a shallow cut, though Kyouka knew it had to be deeper than it felt. Something was scraping against the transmitter, she could make out the sound. If she had to guess, she'd say that Dazai was using the bobby pin he'd used to pick the lock as makeshift tweezers.

"Got it," Dazai said as Kyouka felt something small and metallic get pulled from her flesh. She suppressed a yelp of pain. "You did great," he murmured as he unwound a worn bandage from his arm and wrapped the transmitter chip in it before slipping it into his pocket. Then, he took unwrapped some of the bandages that covered his neck, wadded them up, and pressed them to the gash on Kyouka's neck. "Apply pressure," Dazai instructed, releasing Kyouka when her fingers made contact with the bandage. "I apologize in advance for any infection. We have a doctor who can take care of it." The girl nodded seriously.

Like "kidnapping" Atsushi, deciding to bring Kyouka along with him was not a spur of the moment decision. Dazai didn't have those. Every move or choice he made was thought out. All the consequences were considered. Taking the girl was, without a doubt, a risk. He knew that. She could betray them, the Agency could take a hit from housing a killer, the Mafia could retaliate.

It was that empty look in her eyes that convinced him. That cry of hunger for redemption written on her face.

Save the weak, and protect the orphans.

Dazai paused as he searched through the records, that familiar voice of his friend rang in his head. He swallowed and kept going as though nothing happened. Kyouka didn't seem to notice, she just kept pressing the wad of bandages to her neck.

"Who would pay seven billion for a tiger?" He muttered to himself, partially to fill the silence that had set in. For the second time that day, he bodily reacted. He stared at the screen, not quite believing it. The Guild… It took him a half second to calm down, and consider what to do. They'd need to protect Atsushi more, which was saying something because aside from that one time the Port Mafia abducted him, the child was well protected. There was another problem, Atsushi was growing up. He was beginning to understand what Dazai had been hiding. I guess it's about time he knows. Dazai thought, sighing.

"Kyouka," he said, logging out of the computer and wiping his fingerprints from the keyboard. "Let's go."

I know there's been a lot of hope and questions about Kyouka, so here it is... Dazai just decides to "kidnap" another child. Any objections? None? Okay!

Thank you so much for your support. Please review! All feedback is good feedback for me!