Code: Execute

Code: Black Lizard

She ran through the crowds towards the blip on her map before finally spotting his white hair bobbing in the distance. She slowed to a jog and began to squeeze through the crowd before she laid a hand on the boy's shoulder and whispered into his ear, "I sure hope you didn't go outside without me, your loyal bodyguard, because you think that leaving the Agency will take the target off their backs."

The boy turned to nervously meet the (h/c) haired woman who had a somewhat somber look on her face. He looked down to the ground and grabbed the strap on his bag whispering, "None of this... no one would be hurt if I was gone. It's all my fault..."

She took her hand from his shoulder and used it to make the boy look at her eyes before she said, "Atsushi, I told you to listen to me good once, but I doubt you did that since you still decided to run. You have no fault for being born as a weretiger. You have no fault for someone placing a bounty on your head. You have no fault for a maniac attacking your friends because of that bounty. Those are all another's actions, so this is their responsibility to carry whenever someone gets hurt!  The Tanizaki siblings were hurt because that Akutagawa guy is a murderer.  The only thing that would actually be your fault, is if you don't accept your abilities and use them to help save people who are working their asses off to save yours.  At least, that's what someone told me when I had first run from the Agency with a bounty on my head."

The boy's eyes widened before he anxiously said, "Y-you have a bounty too?"

She nodded her head before saying, "But I've yet to find out who placed that bounty all those years ago.  I stayed hidden pretty well, and not to mention everyone had pretty much forgotten about my abilities until I risked my ass to save you yesterday.  So, it's better for Yukichi to have me watch over you with my experience at staying hidden for so long.  But when you run off like this, your target just grows bigger.  Trust me, I know, I've been in your shoes before."

Atsushi smiled softly before saying, "You really are just like me...  can I really do this?  Is it really okay to stay at the Agency?"

(Y/n) sighed in relief before saying, "Of course you can, and next time you want to run away let me know and I'll let you run away to my apartment or something.  Somewhere safe, got it?"

Atsushi nodded and was going to say something, but the shattering of glass behind drew their attention away from each other.

It didn't take long for the pair to notice what was going on as Atsushi breathed out, "The agency..."

"Atsushi, we're off!""

The pair made brief eye contact before they made their way back into the Agency.

As they were running through the fleeing pedestrians (Y/n) said, "Atsushi, you might have to fight today, are you prepared to use that ability of yours to save others, just like you saved me yesterday!"

The boy gripped his shoulder bag as they ran down the sidewalk and he yelled out with determination, "I will protect them! I promise!"

She smiled and threw open the door to the agency before saying, "Good."

They ran up the stairs, the promise of a fight pulsing through their veins as they near the commotion. Though (Y/n) knew the chances of the situation not being dissolved by now was slim. The Agency was more than able to handle anything the Mafia sent to them, maybe not the Nakahara guy though... he was a bit of a wild card.

Atsushi reached the door first and flung it open to reveal the Agency beating the hell out of none other than the Black Lizard.  (Y/n) recognized their faces from multiple reports she ran earlier about the bombing from earlier.

She sighed and put her hands on her hips before taking Atsushi by the shoulder and saying, "Atsushi, do you know who this group is?"

He thought about it for a second before saying, "Are they... are they the Black Lizard?"

"Yes! Spot on! You know, you're oddly good at deducing for a second-day rookie.  But, this should go to show that we may not have numbers like the mafia, but they're no match for us, got it?"

The boy nodded his head and said, "Sorry..."

"I told you to stop apologizing, didn't I?"

He just smiled softly and nodded once more before saying, "Yes... thank you though, for coming to get me. I really don't know how to pay you back for troubling you."

She smiled before ruffling his hair roughly and saying, "That stuff doesn't matter...  But while Kenji-kun tosses the bodies out the window, let's clean up this mess, okay?"

"Yes,, [Y/n]-San."

...

(Bonus chat with Kunikida whole cleaning up some books)

"Oh, you found him."

"Yes I did, Kunikida, no thanks to you."

"Good."

"Good."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Oh no, did I make it too obvious?"

"You remind me of Dazai..."

"Good."

[end chapter]