"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Harry jumped and flinched slightly from the angry voice. The bag of food in his arms shifted slightly and he hurriedly readjusted it. Turning, Harry struggled to keep his discomfort from his face. Kunikida appeared to be in a fine mood now. The man's blonde eye brows were scrunched in the distaste usually reserved for bugs and his eyes seemed to be dissecting Harry layer by layer. It was rather off-putting. A heavy stack of folders shifted dangerously in the man's hold before he readjusted it.

"Err, I'm sorry?" Harry offered in confusion. He wasn't quite sure what he'd done to make Kunikida so mad but figured an apology was a good place to start. Unfortunately, his apology only served to stoke the flames of the blonde's rage.

"Such lackluster mannerisms. Its no wonder you ended up as you are." Harry grit his teeth to keep from growling. Honestly, he still didn't know what the man was throwing a tantrum over and there was no reason to be so rude or callous. And manners? Really? Was an apology so rude as to deserve that kind of rebuttal?

"Excuse me? I'm still not quite sure what I've done that requires an apology yet. Also, I'm supposed to be delivering this to the main office room, so if you'll pardon me," Harry returned fire curtly. He hefted the bag a little to indicate what kind of delivery he was making to the office. Kunikida wasn't done yet, however.

"Really? You've got a seven-billion-yen bounty on your head, and you don't have a clue as to what kind of danger you've brought the agency into?" Kunikida said lowly. The man's deep gray-green eyes glittered dangerously with burning emotion.

"Oh, that." Harry had thought he'd done something different, like snubbed him accidentally or stolen his favorite marker for his notebook.

"Yes. That." Kunikida snarled. Harry shrugged.

"Its not like I asked to be here. If I had my way I'd already be halfway across the country by now." Harry replied flippantly but with a frosty edge of annoyance hidden in his tone. Within him, Harry could feel his tiger instincts beginning to pace agitatedly. This man really did manage to rub his fur the wrong way every time he opened his stupid mouth. It was as if he was trying to rile Harry up.

"How ungrateful! You're daring to blame this on the agency!? If it weren't for the curiosity of my partner and the President's ill-timed mercy you'd have already met your death by an execution squad." Kunikida spat venomously. His shoulder's tensed in barely controlled rage while his grip on the stack of folders tightened until his knuckles turned white. Harry straightened and looked Kunikida dead in the eye.

"Like I said. The only people keeping me here are you and your agency. If you let me go you wouldn't have to deal with me and my ungratefulness!" Harry rebutted.

"Why you little-!"

"Kunikida-kun! Hari-kun!" Dazai's voice was Harry's only warning before he found himself glomped by the curly haired detective. The taller male looped one string-bean arm around Harry's neck and pulled him close. The burning tension that had been festering died a sudden death at the cheerful detective's appearance.

"Kunikida-kun, do you have the files President-san asked for? He's been waiting over ten minutes you know~! If you leave him waiting too long, his long-term memory functions will begin to deteriorate without any stimulation." Dazai said with a grin.

"Wait, really?" Kunikida asked in surprise. He tilted his head slightly to the side and furrowed his brow in thought.

"Yes! Hurry and write it down! When a person waits too long for something, their long-term memory suffers because they aren't getting enough mental stimulation." Dazai dictated. Harry's eyes widened as Kunikida hurriedly pulled out his note book to begin scribbling frantically in it. Hadn't they already done something like this at the restaurant? And then…

"Wow, I never knew that!" Kunikida murmured in surprise.

"Just kidding." Dazai said flippantly, as he threw the arm not looped around Harry's neck into the air to wave nonchalantly.

SNAP!

Kunikida's pen snapped ominously and all the tension Dazai's appearance had washed away, suddenly flooded back. A dark aura shrouded Kunikida and the man's steel green eyes suddenly appeared red with blood lust. Harry chose that moment to politely remove himself from the situation by running for his life. It was very efficient. Really.

BOOM!

An explosion rocked the wooden floors beneath Harry's feet and he stumbled to his knees. The take-out bag skidded a few feet in front of him but thankfully did not spill.

What in the world?

Harry gasped and hurriedly stood. "What was that?" He asked aloud. When the were-tiger went to look out the window, he was unnerved to see a plume of dark smoke rising from a few blocks away. Sirens sounded and the few pedestrians on the street began to hurry in-doors. A fire truck wounded the cornier before speeding down another street. It was quickly followed by a gaggle of police cars and ambulances.

"Oh? Looks like some one made the port mafia angry again." Harry squeaked when Dazai's voice sounded from right behind him. Harry whirled to face the irritating detective. Claws formed at the ends of his fingertips before he quickly fisted his hands. Darn it! Was the man trying to get skewered?

"Don't do that!" Harry exclaimed.

"What? Make an intelligent comment on the state of life outside the office? Oh, Hari-kun you wound me~!" Dazai placed both hands above his heart and took a few trembling steps back as though truly harmed by Harry's request.

"No! Don't sneak up on me!" The were-tiger growled back in irritation.

"Ohhh… well then. Don't let me catch you unawares." Dazai grinned. Harry grimaced and forced down his irritation. No, it would not help him to growl or bat at the annoying detective. Despite how much the man was asking for it.

"So that was the Port Mafia?" Harry asked as he gestured back to the smoke rising in the distance.

"Mmm… it would seem so. Their Black Lizard group likes to cause a ruckus and generally muck about like the little attack dogs they are." Dazai sniffed disdainfully. "They have absolutely no understanding of the word 'restraint'."

"So, they're basically a bunch of explosion happy people allowed to run wild?"

"Not wild, per say. Just a very long leash. And a more correct term would be violent-happy. They don't always cause explosions; just most of the time."

"Ah." Harry grimaced. He was still pretty confident that he could take care of himself, but having such a dangerous group after him would make looking for Sirius more difficult. Harry sighed and turned back to the fallen take-out. He lifted it and headed past Dazai and into the office.

"Hey guys, I've got the take out!" He called to the working detectives.

"Yay!" Came the collective cheer. Sniffing out crime does make one very hungry after all.

Some time later…

"Huh, so the worst-case scenario didn't happen today." Kunikida murmured as he snapped his book of ideals shut. The man peered out the window before going to clean up his desk.

"Worst case scenario?" Harry parroted in confusion. He stood over by the filing cabinets, working on some back work Dazai had been too lazy to put away. About the office, the other senior members of the Armed Detective Agency meandered about as they either finished their work for the day or tried to act busy while waiting for the clock to strike five (Dazai).

"Fufufu…" The doctor, Akiko Yosano, chuckled as she saved her document and booted down her desktop. "Its Kunikida's turn to go around the neighborhood apologizing after a raid. He also doesn't like how it throws our business expenditures out of budget." She snickered.

"Um… a raid? Like an attack?" Hari questioned tentatively as he furrowed his eyebrows together. They were a detective agency. Surely events like earlier today didn't normally happen…

"Mmmhmmm," Dazai hummed happily as he sidled over. "Every once in a while, the Port Mafia likes to make fools of themselves by sending their Black Lizard Group to us. Its rather fun and refreshing." Harry blinked in confusion. An attack on the agency was fun?

"Speak for yourself! Every time they raid we have to replace the windows, the dry wall, paint it, acquire new computers, either fix or buy new furniture! Not to mention it totally massacres that day's schedule! Raid are the definition of absolute waste!" Kunikida belted out furiously. One of Harry's white eyebrows rose in incredulity at Kunikida. The man seemed entirely unconcerned that people randomly tried to kill him, rather, the man was only worried about how it would affect his schedule and business plans.

"Really? But… I kinda thought they were like stress relief or a nice fun exercise!" Kenji Miyazawa said thoughtfully. Harry blanched at the cheerful tone. He had known the Detective agency was capable of supernatural violence… but really? This was pushing it too far!

"I agree with Kenji. It is a good workout and it keeps a lady on her toes. Also, watching you freak out over something so insignificant is amusing." Akiko practically purred with a devious grin. Kunikida groaned and put a hand to his face in disbelief. With his cat hearing, Harry could catch a few mumbled words like 'can't believe' and 'working with such improper'. A wry smile snuck onto Harry's face despite his incredulity, as he observed the agents bantering with one another. It somewhat reminded him of the easy comradery Hermione, Ron, and he had shared. It was obvious that these people weren't just good co-workers, they were good friends as well. Still… could they be a little less casual about being attacked regularly? Their tones made it sound as though they were just children dealing with a slightly unusual chore.

"Well, in any case," Kunikida turned back to the room at large. "The work day is over and its time to head home." The blonde announced with a gesture at the clock. Indeed, the digital device proudly stated that it was exactly two minutes after five. Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief. Finally, he could get a break from the crazy people!

"Oooh! Good! I can't wait to go home to write my letter to Ma and Pa!" Kenji crowed happily as he hopped off his chair and stretched.

"Oh, it is Wednesday, isn't it? Have you gotten a letter back yet from last week?" Akiko asked thoughtfully as she gathered her purse and sun glasses. Her delicate hands carefully unfolded her coat before draping it across her form. Harry frowned at her. Wasn't it still pretty warm out? Maybe it was a girl thing?

"Mmhmm! Bessy's doing great thanks to the medicine you sent. She's even back to producing milk!" Kenji grinned cheerfully. Harry blinked and tilted his head to the side in confusion before taking another look at Kenji's overalls and straw hat.

"Were you a farmer before coming to work at the agency?" Harry asked curiously. If so, that would mean Bessy was a milk cow.

"Oh! Good guess! I'm from Ihatov and I used to herd cows for my parents." The farm boy nodded eagerly. "One of our cows, Bessy, got sick a few weeks back but Akiko-san sent some medicine and now she's all better."

"That's great. So, you'll be writing your folks when you get home then?"

"Yup. I do it every Wednesday. What are you going to do when you go home?"

"Me? Oh…" Harry paused to ponder it for a few moments. He couldn't leave the city yet; they were still on high alert and would be expecting it. Thus, he would have to wait around for a while before making his escape. "I think I'll go swimming."

"Swimming?"

"Yeah. The water in the river hasn't gotten super cold yet and I love swimming. Going for a dip would be the perfect way to relax after the last few crazy days." Harry said brightly. He wasn't hungry anymore and a dip in the river sounded like a perfect way to make his inner tiger relax a bit.

"Ooh! That sounds nice! I might join you! Not today though, letters are hard." Kenji gasped and chatted brightly. Harry snickered at the expression on the kids face. It reminded him of Ron and a potions essay.

"You're going swimming in the river?" Kunikida asked in distaste. His nose scrunched as though he had smelt something particularly nasty.

"Yup." Harry grinned and made sure to pop the 'P'. He was still pretty irritated with Kunikida from earlier after all. Plus, Kunikida had once been a teacher. Acting like this way was guaranteed to get under any teacher's nerves; especially one as strict as Kunikida must have been. Perhaps it was petty but Harry did want a little payback for how rude the man had been earlier.

"Of course." Kunikida pinched his nose in irritation. "Someone like you would go find the dirtiest water around to immerse yourself in. Just for the record, making yourself sick on purpose does not excuse you from work."

"It's fine." Harry murmured with a roll of his eyes. "I won't get sick." He'd swum in dirtier, nastier waters before in tiger form. This couldn't possibly be any worse. And maybe it would unnerve Kunikida enough to make him leave Harry alone.

"That river contains billions of different, potentially harmful pathogen and chemicals from factory run-offs. As a doctor I will advise you not to swim in it." Akiko had been on her way to the door, but now half turned to look back. Irritation danced across her face in the form of a tight frown and pinched eyes. "Of course," She turned to continue her exit. "If you do still commit such foolishness and become ill, do not expect any healing form me. I only heal lethal wounds." And with that, the doctor left the agency with a click of foreboding heels against cheap tile. Harry shivered in unease. That woman was even frostier that his aunt before Halloween.

"Hmmph. See? Even a doctor is telling you not to swim in that dirty water." Kunikida argued. Harry rolled his eyes and shrugged. He focused back on Kunikida before replying.

"I'm a usually a tiger for about twelve hours every month. Do you think I check then to see if the water is dirty or not? It'll be fine. I've done worse before."

"You-!" Kunikida would have likely growled something derogatory but Dazai interrupted playfully.

"Maa… Kunikida-kun, Harry is his own person. If he says he can handle it, let him handle it." Dazai inserted himself before Kunikida's rage could escalate. "However," Dazai's countenance grew serious as he turned to look at Harry. "Taking a dip in the river as a tiger would be unwise, Hari-kun. If you feel the need to swim, please do so as a human." Dazai's tone remained light but Harry was unsurprised to see steel hidden in his rusty eyes. That was fine though, turning into a tiger would be stupid in the middle of a city so Harry hadn't been planning on doing it anyway.

"Of course." Harry nodded. "That's what I was planning on anyway. Fur is way harder to clean than human skin." He grabbed his apartment keys and the phone they had given him and headed for the door. He didn't have anything else after all.

"Wait just a moment please." Harry stopped at the aged voice that called out to him. Turning, he spotted the president leaving his office. Once again, the man wore a dark green yukata with some black fabric draped over his shoulders. Harry thought it was called a mantle…?

"In light of your lack of economic funds, I've taken the incentive to prepay half your check. This way, you should have enough to eat until the end of next week's pay period. Also, please note, that about thirty percent of your check is going towards paying off your debt and for your insurance working here." Fukuzawa handed over a white envelope that Harry supposed held either money or a check.

"Oh. Um, Thank you for your consideration, sir." Harry murmured as he carefully placed the envelope into his pocket. This would certainly be useful once he felt hungry again. Despite all the energy Harry had used recently, he still hadn't fully digested his tea on rise from the night of the full moon. "Have a good day." Harry dipped his head to the president, waved to Kenji and Dazai, and quickly made it out the door. So many unexpected things had happened since he had met these people, he didn't want to get into anymore today!

Need I even mention that this episode took me three tries to get through the first time I watched the series? Turns out, it takes me even longer to write about this episode. But hey, at least its finally over! I am so ready for this to be done! Also, this semester of college is somehow worse than my freshman year. Don't ask me how, I don't know, it just is and I feel like crap.

But anywho, for those who are confused, the black lizard only attack after Atsushi leaves. They want nothing to do with a dangerous were-tiger who has gone toe to toe with Akutagawa. So, when Harry doesn't run away, they don't attack. Yet. They will likely attack at a later date but as of today they have not yet spied an opening that will allow them to avoid getting their butts kicked for the umpteenth time.

And yeah, our little tiger likes to go swimming. Go figure.

If you have any questions please review and review even if you don't, its called good etiquette to someone who just slaved away her Saturday afternoon for you.

Enjoy~

Blitza