Chuuya's job had never really been simple. Not when he was "leading" the Sheep and certainly not since he had joined the Port Mafia. As such, he had learned to be wary of the jobs that looked simple.

On the surface his current job wasn't even one that he should be doing. Kouyou's girls had been reporting that a scrawny white teenage boy had been scaring off their more troublesome clients for the past month. This wasn't a problem, and Chuuya was even inclined to give the kid a medal and a pat on the back, but the Port Mafia needed to know who was doing what in their territory, so one of their many rank and file members had been dispatched to make contact.

And then another.

And another.

And another.

Some of them never saw the kid. Some got their assess hand to them just as fast as the drunk assholes stumbling through the night. The most they had managed to learn was that the was, as reported, white (and specifically American based on the accent when he shouted taunts at the poor fools), had black hair and blue eyes, was skinny, probably didn't have anywhere to stay based on the state of his clothes, and wore a bulky collar around his neck.

And he was definitely an Ability user. Multiple people reported arms or legs simply slipping from their grasp without any struggle. One had his gun stolen without his holster being disturbed. Another watched the kid's hand fully disappearing after he seemingly pick pocketed a rude drunkard.

One month of tracking this kid, and he might as well have been a ghost.

One month of tracking this kid and Mori was only getting more interested.

So now it was Chuuya's job because clearly no one else was capable of just talking to a probably traumatized teenager.

Which lead to Chuuya wandering the red light district, greeting the girls and scaring off a few lowlifes. He was actually almost hoping he'd scare off the kid too. As much as no one was saying it, they all knew where he came from. Assuming they were right that he was an American Gifted. It was one month ago that they defeated the Guild, and one month ago that the kid first showed up. If he had been a guild member it would complicate things.

That, and Chuuya only knew of one Guild member that wore a collar.

A yell and a curse broke the air and Chuuya just sighed.

"Who do you think you are, you litt-"

A smack and a crunch.

"You fucking! I'll make you pay for that!"

"Please! You're drunken ass can't even walk in a straight line! How do you expect to 'make me pay'?"

And there's the American. By now Chuuya was able to see them both. A drunken man in a shoddy suit and a teenage boy that looked like he hadn't had a good meal in god knows how long. The drunkard takes a swing and the boy laughs as he side steps, bringing his leg up and tripping the drunk.

"I don't know about you, but I was always taught to treat people with respect if I wanted to get so much as the time of day from them. Much less sex."

The boy hadn't noticed Chuuya yet. But one of Kouyou's girls nearby had. Their eyes connected and she straightened her back, moving to stand next to the boy. "I think that's enough," she said, turning the boy so his back was to Chuuya. "He's been plenty humiliated. I doubt he'll cause any more trouble around here tonight."

The boy grumbled. "I'd rather he didn't cause any trouble here ever again." The man on the ground was wobbling as he tried to push himself back up, but the boy just absentmindedly shoved him with his foot, sending him toppling back over.

Chuuya was close enough now to see the collar. And he wished he'd been wrong. While the boy in front of him didn't share any obvious similarities with white haired Guild member Chuuya had fought once during the conflict, Abilities that changed the user's appearance did exist, as rare as they were. And the skill set displayed, and collar around his throat. Those were identical.

"She's right kid," Chuuya finally spoke up, his own hand resting on the boy's shoulder. "And if humiliation doesn't keep him in line, fear certainly will."

The boy turned to look at him. "And what are you? Her pi- Shit."

The moment before the boy actually looked at him, Chuuya activated his ability, increasing the gravity on the boy, hoping to pin him to the ground. But it didn't matter. In that moment of realization, the boy's shoulder simply stopped existing beneath Chuuya's hand and the boy bolted.

Chuuya sighed again, before turning to the woman. "You can head home early. Probably near the end of your shift anyway." he told her before turning to chase after the annoying American brat.

The chase took over an hour. Chuuya never lost the boy and never once actually worried that he would. It was almost child's play to keep up. And that was concerning on it's own merits. Chuuya had seen what this kid was capable of. It shouldn't be child's play for Chuuya to stay with him. It should have been child's play for the kid to ditch him. Capable of full intangibility, invisibility, and flight, Chuuya should have been left in the dust the second the kid knew to run.

But the kid didn't use those skills. He stayed in sight, didn't walk through walls, and kept his feet firmly on the ground. Most of the time following the kid was honestly just Chuuya following him to see if the boy was trying to lead him into a trap.

It ended when the kid turned down a dead end and jumped to climb a fire escape. Chuuya switched his gravity and ran up the wall like it was solid ground. One solid kick and the kid's grip on the ladder failed and he fell back to the ground. Chuuya scowled and dropped on him, foot planted firmly on his chest.

"You're not even trying are you?" he said. "You can get away from me. I know you can. Why aren't you?"

"Fuck off," the boy snapped, wiggling slightly and glaring with more life in his eyes than he'd had the last time Chuuya had seen him. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

God, Chuuya hated "simple" jobs. There was nothing simple about this kid. With the recent history between the Port Mafia and the Guild, this was in no way a "simple" conversation. There was no way the kid was going to trust him with anything, and no way to report anything about why back to Mori without making the whole situation worse, which would only make the kid less likely to talk.

And that collar. It wasn't some choker like Chuuya wore. It looked a hell of a lot more like one of Ace's collars, bright green polished stone and all. And given how Ace treated his pawns, Chuuya doubted that collar meant anything nice.

"Unfortunately, leaving you alone stopped being an option when you got involved in Port Mafia business," Chuuya finally said after cataloging all the ways he regretted taking this job.

"How the fuck was I supposed to know? It's not like they wear badges or anything."

"Kid, it's Yokohama. You should probably assume that anything less than a hundred percent legal and respected is Port Mafia business."

"One, my name isn't kid. Two, I was just trying to help them out."

"Are you going to tell me your name?"

The kid just glared at him harder.

"Thought so. And don't get me wrong. You are helping. The girls love you. But that doesn't mean the Port Mafia can just ignore it."

The boy struggled again, trying and failing to get out from under Chuuya's foot. He went limp. "Fine. You can't ignore a good Samaritan. Now what."

Judging the kid to finally be done. Chuuya lifted his foot. "Now,-"

The boy grabbed Chuuya's foot and sat up, pushing Chuuya off balance and sending him onto his ass. And then he bolted.

Again.

Fuck this shit.

Chuuya pulled on his ability twisting gravity and space and pushing off the ground as though repelled from the surface. He twisted in the air, leg up and knocking full force into the back of the boy's head. The kid crumpled.

"You better be fucking worth this," Chuuya muttered to himself as he bent down and hefted the boy up into a fireman's carry. "Who am I kidding? No one is worth this." And he began walking.

The kid woke up not long after Chuuya started walking and immediately began struggling. He was hissing and spitting like a feral cat and would periodically try to ask one of the passing early commuters for help between creative English insults. He was even managing to avoid actually swearing at Chuuya most of the time while still making his feeling about the situation and Chuuya abundantly clear.

And Chuuya cussed right back at him. There was a familiarity to it all that Chuuya actively ignored. Though it was missing a certain dramatic flair and romantic outlook on death that would have made it impossible for Chuuya to ignore, so all things considered, Chuuya thought he was doing a fantastic job.

Even with that Chuuya hated ever step he took with the boy on his shoulders and nearly toppled over twice before Chuuya started using his Gift to keep him rooted to the ground.

By the time the boy realized where they were going, they were already at the front door of the familiar brick five story building.

"Oh, no. Absolutely not," he said. "I thought you said this was Mafia business, why are you bringing me here?"

Chuuya pulled the door open and began climbing the stairs. Fourth floor if he remembered correctly. "Would you rather I take you to my Boss? He really would like to have a conversation with you."

"How about neither? Neither seems like a good option to me."

"Keep up this shit and it's gonna be both, brat. Does that sound better? Or would you rather deal with people that actually try to help people on a regular basis?"

"Why the hell should they help me?"

Chuuya shrugged, jostling the boy. "I don't know," he said twisting the handle on the door to the Armed Detective Agency's office. "Why don't you ask them and find out?"

He dropped the kid on his feet and pushed him through the open door, quickly stepping through after him and shutting the door behind them, closing off the exit.

Well, closing off the sane exit. He had heard stories of Mafia members being shown the exit through the windows.

In the office was, well. Most of the agency. Two office clerks sat at the desk closest to the door, and one stood as soon as Chuuya entered and disappeared into the back. Kunikida was talking to Tanizaki, who was seated at his own desk to the right. Dazai was watching with a dangerous glint in his eye from his desk to the left, a pile of abandoned paperwork in front off him. Kyouka was actually doing her paperwork and seemed to be trying to coach Kenji through some of his own. And, at the far end of the office, Ranpo sat talking to a guest with a long black overcoat and poorly kept black hair that Chuuya remembered from his briefings on the Guild members as Edgar Allen Poe.

Or, that's what they were all doing until they noticed Chuuya and the boy enter. And the boy, standing under their watchful and confused gazes, looked like a caged animal, carefully sizing up each one and scanning the room for tools and exits.

Poe was the first to break the silence. "Daniel? Are you alright? What happened to you?" He stepped forward, hand out as though to comfort the boy.

"Danny," the boy, Daniel, Danny, snapped, halting Poe's movement as his eyes turned quickly to Poe in a sharp glare. "My name is Danny."

The moment passed and Danny shifted his gaze back to the windows, dismissing Poe.

Chuuya knew what was going too happen. It was all to predictable. Danny didn't want to be here and was remarkably durable. And the Agency employed Dazai.

Danny bolted for the window.

Kenji, Tanizaki, and Kunikida were up in an instant. Danny swerved around Kenji with ease as Tanizaki leaped over his desk only for Danny to vault over him.

Only to get tackled by Kunikida.

"Let go of me!" Danny screeched, thrashing and knocking an elbow across Kunikida's face.

Unfortunately for him, he was well a truly pinned. Kunikida using clear martial arts training and experience with Dazai to hold the young boy down.

The door opened again behind Chuuya, and with a quick glance and a respectful nod to Yosano Chuuya dismissed Yosano and Atsushi as they rushed from the infirmary down the hall, but not before noticing Atsushi's look of recognition and prompt exit after seeing Danny.

"Danny, please." Poe said. "I don't understand. What ever you need, just let us help you."

"Help me!?" Danny spat. "Now you want to help me!?"

"So Chibi, what brings you here?"

Shitty fucking Dazai and his inability to mind his own fucking business. "A brat," he answered.

Dazai hummed. "Maybe, but a brat you should have been taking to Mori. Instead, you're both here."

"Where was your help when Fitzgerald fucking collared me!?"

Chuuya, Dazai, and Yosano all flinched at that. "Does he seem like someone that would do well with Mori, Mackerel?"

"Where was your help when he threatened my family!? What gives you the fucking right to care now!?" Danny's entire leg seemed to waver and go transparent as it slid through Kunikida and pulled against Danny's chest until it returned to normal, the boy's foot now pressed firmly against Kunikida's sternum. The detective barely even had a moment to process what had happened before he was flung off of Danny, crashing into the edge of Ranpo's desk.

Wait. That immature idiot was just eating candy and watching all of this?

Danny jumped up and charged again. This time, he ignored the windows. He wasn't thinking about escape anymore. This time he went straight for Poe, his fist solidly connecting with the timid older man's cheek.

Yosano winced. "I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth on this one. This kid in the Mafia would be a bad time for everyone."

Chuuya nodded. "He's not even using his full strength right now."

Danny grabbed Poe's shirt collar and pulled him down to Danny's level. "What makes you think I would ever accept your help after everything your stupid Guild did to me?" His eyes flared with green light like they had during their fight.

The collar around his throat sparked and crackled. And Danny flinched, letting go of Poe and reflexively taking a few steps back.

"Danny!" A girl's voice this time. Also with a heavy American accent. Another Guild member. She was younger than most of the ones that played major roles in the conflict, with red hair and braces. Lucy Montgomery. She entered the room before Atsushi, rushing to Danny's side as his eyes closed and he took deep breaths. Her hands gently settled on his arm and she slowly pulled him to an abandoned office chair that belonged to Kyouka and sat him in it.

"Boring," Ranpo said. The first thing he'd said since the drama started. "If you're gonna have an impromptu soap opera in our office, you could at least make it interesting."

"Ranpo, perhaps now is not the time for your commentary," Kunikida said, getting back to his feet and rubbing the back of his head. "Leave it to those of us with more tact."

"What. Come on. It's simple. Don't tell me you guys haven't figured it out yet?"

"Ranpo, shut up," Lucy said, barely even looking away from Danny.

Well. Chuuya had done his job and he was done with this. "While this has been fun and all, I think I'll see myself out."

"No, stay. It's only right that you're here to understand what this young man has been through. You did bring him to us, after all."

Of course Fukuzawa finally comes out of his office when Chuuya was trying to leave.

"I really should be going."

"Nonsense, slug. You really should have a seat and relax."

"Fuck you, Dazai. And like your pet genius said. This isn't exactly hard to figure out."

"Maybe not," the agency president conceded, "but what we do from here may be more complicated. Young man-"

"Danny." Lucy corrected.

Fukuzawa nodded. "Danny. That collar is hurting you, correct?"

Danny nodded slowly.

"Dazai, if you would."

Dazai grinned and sauntered over to Danny. "Sure thing, Boss. Well, Danny. Let's get rid of this nasty thing. It does not go with your style. Chibi, on the other hand, could use a collar like this."

"Don't you dare."

"Danny, I told you they'd help you."

"He just said he was going to put this on someone!"

Chuuya snorted. "Don't worry about that. He wouldn't seriously try and he wouldn't succeed. It's just a shitty joke."

"Well, I don't find it funny."

"Doesn't matter either way," Ranpo said while eating a bag of chips. "The collar doesn't have a way to access the locking mechanism from the outside. Dazai won't be able to get it off."

Dazai frowned and grabbed Danny's head, pushing the boy around as he examined the collar from all angles. "Damn. I can see where the hinge is, but the seems are practically invisible. Atsushi, get over here."

Atsushi began walking over. "Is it really a good idea to use my claws on this?"

"Your claws can go through anything, it'll be fine."

"That's what I'm worried about."

"Um. If you can get the green rock out, I can get it off."

Atsushi paused, claws growing from his fingertips. "Just the green rock? The glowing thing?"

Danny nodded, glanced at the sharp claws sprouting from Atsushi's fingertips, and nodded again.

Chuuya scoffed. "Was Fitzgerald really that vain? He put the thing that makes it work on the outside?"

Lucy scowled from her place at Danny's side. "It's actually pretty well stuck in there."

"That, and I can't touch it at all," Danny said, tilting his head to the side to give Atsushi better access.

Atsushi glanced up at Danny briefly before refocusing on his work. "You can't touch it? Why not?"

Danny shrugged. "I don't even really know what the thing is, but it hurts to touch."

Atsushi frowned. "It doesn't hurt me?" His claw pierced through the seam around the stone and caught on the underside, flipping the stone out and sending it tumbling into his waiting palm.

Danny's hand came up and felt around the hole left by the polished stone. With both hands resting lightly on either side of the collar, he closed his eyes.

"What's he doing?" Kenji asked after the silence stretched on a moment too long.

Danny muttered something in English without opening his eyes, and Lucy translated, "he says 'Shut up. I need to concentrate.'"

Another moment passed, and the boy's face twisted as he focused on whatever he was trying to do. The collar began to flicker under his hands and his hold on the metal tightened, as it became transparent. Then, he pulled gently. Then swiftly as the collar shifted loose and passed straight through Danny's neck and came out the other side in one round piece.

Danny's mouth split in a feral grin as his hands lit up green and the metal twisted and crushed under his grasp. Chuuya winced slightly, he remembered that green light and how Danny, in his other form, had thrown it around and how it had burned despite Chuuya's resistance to most damage thanks to his gravity manipulation.

But that didn't matter. Multiple ADA members were cursing softly, and the Guild members, both Lucy and Poe, gave a few expletives in English as they looked at Danny's neck.

The skin underneath the collar was red and raw, having chafed near the edges. There were also holes. Larger than pinpricks and some seemed torn at the edges, evenly spaced around the middle of the band of paler skin, some slightly bleeding as Yosano grabbed Danny's head and inspected the injury. "This is infected," she said. "Badly. Kyouka, go get some disinfectant and cotton swabs from the infirmary. Dazai, give me your spare bandages."

Danny smacked Yosano's arm off him and tried to shift away, but Lucy blocked his exit. "You don't need to do that. I'll be fine."

Yosano glared at him. "Your wounds need to be cleaned and wrapped and you need antibiotics or it is going to get worse. How long were you wearing that thing?"

"Too long," Poe spoke up for the first time since Lucy entered the room. "It's been at least six months. Danny, I- I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Danny's mood instantly soured again, and Lucy had to push him back into the chair to stop him from jumping Poe again. "You didn't know? Were you blind!? Did you just, I don't know, not notice me trying to leave? That I didn't talk to anyone!? Did you think the collar was a fashion statement?"

"Poe, it might be best if you weren't here." Ranpo said. "If you keep riling up her patient, Yosano is gonna kick you out."

"Oh. Alright then." Poe hunched in on himself. "I suppose I'll be seeing you later, then?"

Ranpo nodded, smiling brightly. "I look forward to your next story. It's bound to be more interesting than this!"

Danny looked at Lucy. "What is wrong with that guy?" he asked in English, nodding at Ranpo.

Lucy snorted. "Probably the same thing that's wrong with all of the detectives. Now, sit still and let Yosano clean your neck. Or do I need to use Anne?"

Danny snorted, but let Yosano start flushing the wound as best she could in the office. "You know Anne wouldn't be enough to hold me down."

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but I'm still confused about the rock?" Atsushi said, holding up the green stone. "You said it hurt to touch, but I'm fine?"

"I said I couldn't touch it," Danny said. "I didn't say no one could."

"But why can't you?"

Kunikida sighed. "It probably has something to do with his Ability, Atsushi. There's still so much we don't know about how they work or where they come from."

"I don't have an Ability."

Oh fuck that. "You what!?"

Danny looked at him. "I don't have an Ability." He turned to Lucy. "Am I saying that right?"

Lucy sighed. "You are, it's just a bit unbalivable."

"Please tell me the Americans haven't figured out how to make fake Abilities," Kunikida said softly.

"They haven't," both Danny and Ranpo said at the same time.

"Okay then," Chuuya stepped forward, "new rule. You never say that again." While Chuuya would love to have absolutely nothing to do with this, word of this kid getting out would be the worst possible outcome. "No one is ever going to say anything about this."

"Come now, Chibi, no need to get so violent."

"You know as well as I do what's going to happen when word gets out, you piece of shit. One wrong person finds out and it's all over."

Danny raised his hand like a student. Shit he really was that young, wasn't he. "I don't know what would happen."

"They'll lock you up, study you, and try to replicate you."

For once, Chuuya might like Ranpo's give no fucks attitude right now. Cut straight through all the bullshit.

"I don't know about you kid, but I don't want anyone reigniting the war because they figured out a way to make super soldiers."

"Would they really do that?" Atsushi asked. The poor, sweet, idiot.

"They already do," Dazai said, finally reflecting the severity of this. "Artifical Gifted are something multiple governments have shown an interest in over the years. Abilities have been a subject of intense research the world over for centuries. And Chuuya himself can vouche for just how bad that gets. Someone with extreme powers that don't come from an Ability? I think we shold count ourselves lucky that Fitzgerald didn't have the patience or foresight to try and copy the kid as it is."

Chuuya nodded. "Kid, I have one of the strongest Abilities in the world. I was subject to that research when I was younger than you are now, not that I remember it. Because of the way your… thing works, I couldn't fight you. I got the luxury of choosing my path. Any government that finds out what you can do will use you. Possibly worse than whatever Fitzgerald did. And clearly, you can lose."

Danny was watching the room again, but he was listening. He knew to be careful now. "How do I know you won't just hand me over to your government? If it would be that dangerous for the American's to get there first, wouldn't it be better for you to turn me in?"

The Tanizaki boy sputtered. "We're not in the business of selling kids to slavery! And none of us want to go back to war!"

Chuuya nodded. "I brought you here because they're good people. No one's completely innocent, but if you want to do good, you should stay away from the Port Mafia. Just give your "Ability" a name and let these guys get you back where you belong."

There was a long pause as Danny eyed everyone slowly, then turned to Lucy. When she nodded in agreement, he slumped into his chair. "Alright. Yeah, I'll stay here. Um… as for what to call it. You can call my Ability 'Half-Life.'"