Chapter Text
A simple bowl of Chazuke.
Tea over rice, something that wasn't everyone's favorite or really anything to them.
But to Atsushi, Cazuke was her favorite meal and it may seem silly to many but it meant everything to her. A bowl of rice with pickled plums, shredded seaweed along with leftover chicken and heated tea, all of it topped with dried straps konbu. A meal that warms you up as you eat.
"It was delicious." Atsushi whispered to herself, curled on the ground. She could remember the nights spent sneaking into the orphanage kitchen and doing her best to keep quiet as she made a small bowl of Chazuke.
Atsushi felt weak as her stomach grumbled, twisting and contorting in pain. She could barely focus on the ground before her, it was all so blurry. The female couldn't help but whimper as another wave of pain came over her. She curled into a tighter ball, wrapping her arms around her torso.
"I'm starving." Atsushi sniffles, tears filling her sunset. Her eyes were a vibrant yellow blending into a plum like purple. Her short hair was covered in dirt and grime, the locks cut unevenly and choppy, tangled in a few parts. She wore torn, filthy clothes and tattered slip-ons. The clothes particularly hang off her frame.
After a set of unlucky circumstances, Atsushi Nakajima was left in a difficult situation. She was homeless and starving, as well as exhausted. She felt like she could be at death's door at any minute.
Atsushi slowly sat up, barely holding herself up with her trembling arms. She slowly crawled to the nearby river, dirt and rocks digging into her knees. Sunset eyes stared back as she looked into the reflection of the river.
'Kicked from the orphanage, left with no food or shelter.' Atsushi dug her fingers into the ground, dirt collecting beneath her nails. 'I'm not brave enough to steal but…'
"We don't need scum like you here!" Words that she heard before rung in her ears, echoing.
"Curl up in a ditch and die!"
"No.." Atsushi whispered, glaring at the water. "I won't die, I won't perish so easily."
She'll prove them wrong! They were wrong, she was more than what they saw.
Atsushi took to her feet with new determination, ignoring the slight shakiness in her limbs. It was decided, to survive she would steal. The next person that came along was losing all their money. She needed to survive no matter what.
But just as she came up with her master plan, movement in the river caught her eye. She squinted at the floating thing.
Was that a person? Those were certainly legs above the water. That couldn't be a person right? Why would someone be floating down the river?
The legs twitched and air bubbles floated to the surface.
Atsushi flinched at the movement, stepping back. They were okay right? Just swimming? They wouldn't need her help!
The legs twitched again.
They were fine! They didn't need help! Atsushi looked away as she tried to convince herself that the strange pair of legs weren't in need of help.
But what if they did? And she just stood by as they drowned? Oh god she couldn't live with that on conscience. Atsushi whimpered quietly, biting her lip in a nervous manner as the gurgling was heard. The legs began to sway from side to side, aggressive in their movements, as if the person was drowning and didn't know how to swim.
She couldn't leave them like this! They could die!
And with a scream, Atsushi threw herself in the river. The female fought against the surprisingly tough waves of the water and latched on the stranger, dragging them to shore with all of her power.
She pulled them from the river as soon as she got out of the water. She spat out and coughed the water out that made its way into her mouth, cringing at the taste of it. She probably wouldn't be able to get that taste out of mouth anytime soon.
The stranger she pulled from the water suddenly shot up—nearly giving Atsushi a heart attack. Their eyes snapped open and looked around. "U-um…" Their attention shifted to her. "Are you okay?"
The stranger was a young looking male, strangely covered in bandages. His brown hair was wet but still kept it's wavy locks, it was short and framed his face. Atsushi couldn't help but feel anxious under the narrow, dark brown eyes as they stared her down. He was a tall and slim male, dressed in a brown trench coat with simple pants and dark vest atop a light blue dress shirt. Everything came together with a bolo tie, a turquoise pendant decorating it.
"I was saved?" He questions. "Damn."
Damn?!
"Was it you that saved me?"
Atsushi panicked and squeaked out a reply.
"Ahh, you interrupted my attempt?"
"I was just trying to hel- wait attempt?! You're trying to drown?"
"Oh?" The male frowned softly before speaking in a tone one would take when talking to someone who had a low IQ. "Suicide, do you know what that is? I was simply trying to kill myself, deprive myself of oxygen and die."
"I know what suicide is! Why were you trying to kill yourself?!"
The male brought a hand to his forehead, resting against it and sighed heavily. "I was trying to venture into the afterlife, rid myself of this body, and you just had to stop me."
Oh dear, he was a weirdo.
'Is he upset with me?' Atsushi wondered.
"My purpose for being in that river was to die, without being a bother to anyone and having a clean suicide." The man began to stand, brushing off the dirt that clung to his wet clothes. "But it seems I bothered you, I should offer you a-"
groooowwwl
Atsushi jumped at the sound her stomach released and flushed a bright red. The two stood in silence, Atsushi stared at her ruined slip-ons as if they were the most interesting in the world. She intended to keep quiet until the male spoke up. "Hungry boy?"
"Ah, well I actually haven't eaten for several days and I-" Atsushi stopped, realizing he called her boy. "Ah but wait I'm not a b-" Before she could correct him, she was cut off by another loud growl but not from her. "I appear to be hungry as well." He reached into his trench pockets, rummaging for a second before moving to his trousers. "But the river has made off with my wallet."
"What?! I thought you could treat me to some food for saving you?!"
He tilted his head as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "Eh?"
"Don't 'eh?' me!" Atsushi whined, hungry and upset at the same time.
"HEY!!" A scream stopped Atsushi from her one sided argument, the voice coming from across the river. "So this is where you've been, idiot!" They screamed again. Both Atsushi and the male looked to the other side. The newcomer was a bit too far for Atsushi to see who they actually were but she could tell they had blond hair.
The brown haired male brightened up at the new person, grinning as he threw his arm into the air and waved. "Kunikida-kun! You found me!" That seemed to piss the blond off.
"You suicidal manic!" He screeched, seething. Atsushi cringed and took a careful step back, even though he wasn't anywhere near her. "You caused so much disorder today!"
"Oh!" Atsushi turned to the male as he spoke, brown eyes on her instead of the screaming and ticked off blond. "I have a wonderful idea boy!"
Atsushi tried to speak. "I'm not a b-"
"Kunikida-kun is my coworker, he can feed us!" He just talked over her, not noticing—or caring— his enraged coworker.
"Listen to me!" Atsushi peeked at the other, wincing at the look on his face. It was like watching a pot of hot water boil over. He looked ready to explode.
"What's your name lad?" The dark haired male asked. "Oh, uh, Atsushi Nakajima." The words stumbled off her lips awkwardly, forgetting to correct him as he confused her gender again.
The male began to walk away, coat flowing behind him, and motioning forth Atsushi to follow him in 'come along' with the twist of his wrist. "Follow me, what do you want to eat?"
Atsushi hurried to follow and nearly tripped over her feet but managed to catch herself before she could even go flying forward. What did she want to eat? Atsushi fiddled with her fingers, picking at the dirt in her fingernails. It was a question she wasn't asked often, you either get food or you don't. The only thing that came to mind was her favorite food. "Chazuke?" She almost whispered. "Can we get Chazuke?"
Brown eyes caught her and Atsushi bloomed a bright red as the male started laughing. He threw his head back and cackled. "Chazuke? You look like you're inches from death and you want Chazuke?" He stopped laughing and smiled at the light haired girl. "Of course, Kunikida-kun will buy thirty bowls!"
"Don't offer up my money stupid Dazai!!"
The name caught Atsushi's attention and she raised a brow. "Dazai?" She asked.
"That's my name Osamu Dazai."
______
The trio headed to a nearby restaurant, nothing too big, just a small ma and pop kind of restaurant. It didn't take long to get a table since not many people were in, it looked to be in the slow business hours. The waitress came to the table, smiling kindly as she asked for their orders. Atsushi choked up, stumbling over her orders for a second before Dazai spoke up and ordered a few bowls of Chazuke for her.
The waitress left and the trio sat waiting for her appearance again. It was a bit but she came back with a tray, Atsushi perked up at the bowls of food—almost like a dog would when they're owner approaches them with treats. "Enjoy!" The waitress placed the bowls on the table, bowing right after and wandering off.
Unable to help herself, Atsushi instantly dug in. She nearly inhaled the food and choked on a few bits but she kept shoveling as much as she could. She was just so hungry, no food for days makes you a little crazy about it when you actually get it.
As she finished her third bowl, Kunikida spoke. "We have to get back to work, Dazai." He grumbled. Kunikida was a very tall and lean male. He had dirty blond hair with a low ponytail and parted bangs, his eyes were a dark green olive covered by a pair of glasses. He wore a beige vest over a dark dress shirt, a red ribbon tied into a bow around the collar, and beige pants. He looked very neat overall. "We wasted enough time because of your little stunt." The blond growled, fiddling with his pen. It looked like he was moments away from stabbing Dazai with it.
"Who goes 'Wow, what a fine looking river!' and drives right in without a second thought?!" Atsushi looked at the male, he was writing in a small green book with a beige cover and blacking writing. "We're far behind schedule now because of you!" Kunikida reminded Atsushi of an angry feline just then, hackles raised and hissing while baring his fangs in annoyance.
Dazai just chuckled, waving him off. "Oh you love your book, huh Kunikida-kun?" That seemed to push his partner as he shot out of his chair, nearly knocking it over in the process, and slamming his book on the table. Atsushi stopped a bowl of Chazuke from tripping over with quick reflexes. Food shouldn't be wasted and it wasn't going to be on her watch.
"It's not just a book!" Kunikida screeched. Did he ever lose his breath? Dazai only watched him, not looking very interested. "This contains my ideals, how my life should be going! And it didn't include having a manic with a suicide fetish!"
"Now that's just mean!" Whined Dazai.
Atsushi stopped shoveling rice into her mouth to speak, not caring that she didn't even finish the food in her mouth. It didn't sound like actual words.
"Quiet you." Kunikida sat back in his seat and leaned back. "My book didn't say anything about taking in a homeless boy and feeding him."
Atsushi finished the mouthful and pouted slightly. They called her a boy again. "I'm not a b-"
"You can understand him?" Dazai questioned, talking over Atsushi. "Wooow Kunikida-kun, maybe those glasses aren't just for show!"
"Why you litt-!!" And the two launched into another one-sided argument, Kunikida screaming and Dazai giggling at his reactions. Sunset eyes switched between the two as they continued on with their antics, she continued to polish off her bowls. She probably wouldn't be able to get a word in if she tried.
After some time, the two stopped yelling and Atsushi finished her food with a big smile.
She was stuffed! She hadn't eaten that much before, it wasn't a thing she was used to but it did feel nice to have a full belly and a warm meal.
"Ah, that was great!" Atsushi chirped, smile wide and bright. "I don't think I can take another bite!"
This seemed to irritate Kunikida as his olive eyes narrowed at the girl as soon as the words left her mouth. Atsushi was quick to thank them, not wanting to face Kunikida's wrath. "Thank you, you guys really saved me!" She said quickly. "After being kicked from the orphanage, I've been homeless and starving. I thought I was going to die!"
Dazai perked up, listening closely as she spoke before he spoke up himself. "You're from an orphanage?" Atsushi appeared to grow quieter, voice soft. "I was but they forced me out. They didn't really tell me why, just something about low funding and having one less mouth to feed." The silver haired girl sighed.
The yells of the orphanage caretakers and how everyone didn't even look her way as she was forced from the only place she ever knew. She remembered having to rush and collect what little belongings she had, only to lose them later as she wandered the streets. Atsushi could still feel the sorrow of losing her belongings, they weren't anything of importance but they were hers and meant something to her.
"Well that's a rather cold-blooded thing for an orphanage to do." Dazai rested his elbow on the table, leaning his head against his fist and watched the small female. To him, Atsushi was rather small for a boy, too skinny and pale. He could tell the last few days have been rough.
Kunikida broke the silence. "Dazai, we have to get back to work." He grumbled and at his mention of work, Atsushi pulled herself from whatever thoughts were rattling around her head and asked about their work.
Dazai smirked, dramatically pointing his finger for some kind of effect. "We're detectives." Kunikida growled next to him but did nothing to stop him, but Atsushi could guess that he wouldn't do so even if Kunikida tried. "We're not some detectives that go searching for lost cats or erratic spouses." Dazai nodded in agreement, smiling with no care in the world. "Our work is more along the dangerous side, ever heard of the 'Armed Detective Agency'? A place for people with certain abilities?"
Atsushi's colorful eyes widened at his words, recognizing them in an instant. She couldn't exactly remember where she heard the rumors from, a fuzzy memory in the back of her mind, but she knew. It was a company that was specified for work that was too risky for even the police or military to handle themselves. It was said that the group was called in for threatening situations a lot of the time. It was also said that a few of the members of the company had "special" abilities, some of the inexplicable kind. But Atsushi didn't even think they were real, she thought they were just rumors. Maybe even something that someone made up.
If they were real, what did that mean? Atsushi mulled over her thoughts, face falling to a serious look. What were they doing in this area? What if it was a dangerous job?
Dazai brightened up, head turned up toward the ceiling with a small giggle. "That beam there looks quite sturdy. It could probably hold a whole person's weight!"
Obviously Kunikida didn't like his comment and grew pissed off. "Stop looking for opportunities to kill yourself! You do this everywhere we go!"
"Ahhh, but Kunikida-kun didn't you know that it's a healthy method to stretch your neck in such a way?! It really helps with back pains!"
"Wait really?" Kunikida quickly grabbed his book and began to scribble words in, voice softly mumbling the words as he wrote. Dazai could barely hold his giggles in and watched his partner fall for the trick. He waited until Kunikida was almost finished writing before he fussed up the truth with a shit eating grin and Kunikida blew his top. The blond screamed again, reaching for the dark haired male to strangle him.
Atsushi observed them and couldn't help but wonder, could they really be the dangerous rumored company that she heard all about?
It looked as if Kunikida was getting ready to lunge Dazai out of his chair and to the ground, Atsushi decided that now would be a good time to change the subject so no one died. (Mainly Dazai)
"S-so!" Atsushi squeaked, nearly flinching when two pairs of eyes landed on her. "What kind of job are you guys on?" Kunikida stopped trying to commit murder, fixing his clothing and straightening his glasses. "We're looking for a tiger."
Hearing those words, Atsushi physically recoiled in her seat. She wiped her hands against the fabric of her pants, the palms had become clammy and she became antsy. A look passed over Dazai's face but it went as quickly as it came before Atsushi could even identify it. "Yes, a man-eating beast, its been terrorizing the city." The brunet was completely serious, face suddenly void of any emotion.
"It's destroyed warehouses, ravaged acres of land. It's been running rampant and has been sighted in this district." Atsushi flew out of seat like a bullet, tripping over her legs and falling to the ground. She paid no mind to her tumble and started to scramble away on her hands and knees. "I-I-I should be on my w-way!" Squeaked Atsushi, trembling violently. The small female was grabbed by her shirt collar and hoisted into the air, feet dangling above the ground. "Hold it!" Kunikida maneuvered her by the collar to face him. "I can't stay here!" Atsushi shrieked, petrified. "No one can beat that thing!"
Kunikida looked surprised at the genuine fear that Atsushi showed, not expecting her to act in such a way. "You know about the beast?" At the mere mention of the Maneater, Atsushi wiggled and squirmed in Kunikida's hold. She kicked her legs and swung her arms, grunting as she fought for freedom. "It's after me! It's trying to kill me!"
Atsushi screamed when Kunikida dropped her, kicking out her legs as soon as her feet hit the tiles. He pushed her forward, grabbing her arm and pinned behind her in a painful position. Atsushi's chin smacked into the ground, jaw snapping shut, but she thankfully avoided cutting into her tongue. "I told you-" Kunikida pulled her arm tighter behind her back. Atsushi whimpered at the solid grip around her wrist. "We are the Armed Detective Agency, we deal with dangerous cases." Kunikida growled, leaning down slightly. "So you pay for the food with your arm or tell us everything you know."
Tears gathered in sunset eyes, Atsushi tried to wiggle away but only cried out when the grip tightened. Dazai decided to step in. "Come on now, the president told you questioning doesn't need to turn into a full blown investigation." His partner scoffed but let go of the small wrist. Dazai then kneeled in front of Atsushi and smiled. "Now, made a decision?"
Atsushi sat up, cradling her wrist, and sniffled. She sat in silence and Dazai only waited, cupping the side of his head with the same smile. She was silent, gently massaging at the sore limb before mumbling. "The tiger destroyed my orphanage."
The orphanage had been completely trashed after the tiger's appearance. Nothing was safe from its path of destruction. Everyone had been horrified at the damage and for some reason….They took their anger out on her.
"It destroyed the fields, the storehouse and our livestock." Atsushi could still see the damage and how the orphanage really took a hit. "No one died but they already had low funds so they kicked me out."
"This is because of you, you're nothing but a curse!" Atsushi was surrounded by a group of people dressed in long white clothing. She could only stare in misery as they yelled and screamed, throwing insults after insults. "We have no place for something as evil as you. There is no place for you!" A male stepped forward, getting in her face and snarling. "You're a stain on the world!"
Atsushi had to resist the urge to just break down right then and there, her emotions becoming overwhelming and it felt like they were choking her. She felt too much, it was too much. Too much. Too much. Too much. Why was everything too much? Atsushi bit her bottom lip to distract herself. She couldn't break down.
The partners took their seats once again. "Sounds like a disaster." Kunikida closed his eyes, humming under his breath in thought. "So boy, the tiger is trying to kill you?" Atsushi didn't even try to correct the blond, feeling overwhelmed. "It wasn't satisfied with the destruction of the orphanage so it followed me here!"
She then explained afterwards she had left the orphanage, she was made to wander the streets. At some point she ended up wandering the Tsurumi River when she heard screams of fear and people running away. They were screaming about a tiger and Atsushi whipped her around frantically in search of what was causing so much terror. She caught something in the river and couldn't help but slowly walk toward the water and look into it. The female froze at what stared back, she stopped breathing as a shiver shot down her spine.
An enormous tiger, stripes black as midnight against a snow white pelt. It's paws were larger than her entire head. It had eyes with yellow irises and dark purple pupils, the look in them was sharp and dangerous, they stared deep into her eyes. The large feline let out a low growl, narrowing its eyes and pupils shrunk. Atsushi snapped out of whatever trance she was in when the beast growled. Her flight or fight kicked in and she chose flight, taking off into the night. She didn't stop running even when her legs screamed and lungs burned.
"It even chased after me here!" She wasn't sure how she had escaped, too focused on her fear and getting away. She was so scared that it would catch her and kill her. Dazai held his chin, a curious look in his eyes. "When was this?"
"I was kicked two weeks ago but I saw it by the river four days ago."
Kunikida perked up, popping in the conversation. "The attacks began two weeks ago and we have records of the tiger appearing by the Tsurumi River four days ago."
It was still, none of them said a word. Dazai looked to be deep in thought, like he was going through the information they had gathered. Atsushi fidgeted nervously in her seat, not liking the absolute silence surrounding them and how Dazai was analyzing her with his eyes. What was he thinking?
"Atsushi-kun, are you free?" He asked out of the blue.
Atsushi gulped, scooting away slightly. She had a bad feeling.
"If the tiger is stalking you then this is perfect!" Dazai said cheerfully, practically giggling. "Would you help us hunt down this tiger?"
Atsushi's response was immediate. "No!!" She began to yell about how dangerous it would be and there was no way that she would ever be willing to help them. There was no way she was facing the beast of a cat!
"We offer payment." Atsushi stopped her yelling, narrowing her eyes at the dark haired male as he scribbled quickly on a napkin. He finished whatever he was writing, folding it and handing it to Kunikida. "Deliver this to the president." Kunikida eyed him as he took the napkin, eyes glancing at it before going back to Dazai. "You're going to hunt the tiger? Just you two? We need to verify the intel first."
"It's fine." Dazai turned his head to Kunikida, smiling lazily. "Trust me"
Atsushi looked between the two as they just stared at each other, as if they were conversing through thoughts alone.
A reward. She would get a reward for helping them. Atsushi frowned slightly, she didn't want to be swayed by bribery but she really needed money. She could use the money to buy food and better clothes. The uniform she was wearing now was very uncomfortable, it rubbed against her skin the wrong way no matter how she moved. "Um...How much would the reward be?" She asked.
Dazai thought for a quick second, calculating numbers in his head before he grabbed another napkin. He wrote a few numbers on it and showed it to Atsushi.
"That much?!"
______
Dazai and Atsushi ended up at an abandoned warehouse, the two sitting upon wooden crates. It was dark in the warehouse. Atsushi would have had trouble seeing her hand even if it was right in front of her face if it weren't for the moonlight slightly peeking through the large windows. Dazai sat on his own crate, a book in his hands, flipping the pages after he finished them.
"Can you really read like this? It's kind of dark."
Dazai didn't take his eyes off the page he was on, eyes focused on the words. "I have really good eyesight."
Atsushi fell silent, glancing around before sighing softly. "What do you want to ask?" Atsushi jumped in surprise at Dazai's voice, not expecting him to ask that. "W-well, um, will the tiger really come here?"
"There's nothing to worry about Atsushi-kun." Dazai lowered his book, eyes traveling to look at Atsushi. She was curled up on her crate, legs hugged to her chest and fingers gripping her pants. "When it does, it will have no chance against me. I'm from the ADA for a reason." Dazai smirked and winked at the girl. Atsushi blushed a light pink, glancing away and shaking her head.
Focus!
But...Dazai was so confident. How was he not scared? He was going to face off against a giant beast that caused destruction wherever it went. Atsushi was scared out of her mind, she couldn't stop trembling.
"You're so brave." Atsushi whispered, resting her chin on her knees. "At the orphanage, I was always told that I was useless, worthless." Atsushi wrapped her arms tighter around her legs, unable to stop herself from talking. "I have no idea when my next meal will be or where I'm going to sleep." She could already hear the yells that stayed with her no matter what she tried to do to get rid of them. "No one would care if I died, I should just let the tiger kill me." Atsushi felt tears slip down her cheeks as a wave of emotions fell over her. God, she was so scared.
The two just sat there. Atsushi stayed silent as tears flowed down her cheeks, she hid her face in her knees. Why was this happening to her? It was like bad luck followed her wherever she went.
They sat there for what seemed like hours when Dazai opened his mouth. "Now then-" He said, shutting his book and shoving it into his pocket. "It should be arriving soon."
Atsushi was going to ask what he meant when there was a loud crash from behind her. She jumped off her crate, stumbling backwards to get away from where the sound came from. "Wha-what was that?"
Dazai crossed his legs, leaning his elbow on a knee, cradling his face with a palm. "Hm, couldn't be the wind. It's not a windy night." Atsushi could feel the panic wrapping it's hands around her throat and squeezing. "It's the tiger!" She yelled, standing up. The girl whipped from side to side, searching for any sign of a threat. "Sit down, Atsushi-kun."
"But-!!"
"Do you think it's weird?" Dazai interrupted. "Even with low funds, no orphanage would turn away a homeless child. This isn't old age." Atsushi backed away slightly, she didn't understand what he meant. "What's more, getting rid of one or two mouths to feed wouldn't do anything to help their financial troubles."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, they would have just sent half the children to another facility."
"I don't understand!" Atsushi yelled, clenching her fist in frustration.
Dazai ignored her irritation, standing on the crate and slipping his hands into his coat pockets. "You came to the city two weeks ago, as well as the tiger."
The moon shifted in the night sky and showered the dark warehouse in a shower light. Atsushi slowly turned to the window, staring at the pale moon that peered through the glass.
"You came to the Tsurumi River four days ago, and as fate would have it, so did the mysterious tiger.
A strange feeling took over Atsushi, her body began to ache and burn at the same time. Her beating heart grew louder and louder, she could hear it right in her ears as well as the blood rushing in her veins. They were too loud. Everything started to blend as one, she felt as if everything was closing in.
"Like Kunikida said, the ADA deals with dangerous cases and many of the members hold special abilities, mystical powers." Dazai jumped off the crate, landing perfectly on his feet. "Some use that ability to earn their place in life."
Atsushi screamed as the unknown feeling took her completely, gripping her head and pulling her hair. She couldn't focus, everything was too loud or too bright! Unknowingly to Atsushi, her eyes began to change. The iris turned a golden yellow, the plum purple turning a darker shade and fully taking over the pupils. Her entire being felt like it was pulling apart and slowly putting itself back together.
Dazai only watched. "While those who can't gain control of their ability fall victim to ruin." He took a couple steps forward and Atsushi couldn't find in herself to back away, she was losing herself. "I think the orphanage knew who the tiger was, they never told you. You were oblivious this entire time, unaware of what you are."
Dazai watched as the screaming female fell to her knees, clawing at her skin and pulling at silver hair. Her screaming turned into wailing, tears filling her eyes and flowing down her cheeks like a river. Eventually she slumped to the ground, a bright light slowly came to life and overtook her body, until a beast took the place where Atsushi once was.
"You're a human that takes the form of a beast in the moonlight."
A thunderous roar echoed through the warehouse and a white tiger stood before Dazai, it's eyes narrowing at the sight of the male. It lunged at him without a second thought, aiming it's massive paws to attack.
The brunet didn't waste a second, he dodged as soon as the tiger pounced. The animal ended up throwing itself into a pile of crates, effectively crushing all of them with its weight and causing a large dust cloud. It emerged from the cloud, unbothered by the impact and another roar came from deep in its chest. It charged once more, swinging it's paws with sharp claws striking.
Dazai dunked out the way and escaped what would have been a deadly blow. "Oooh, what strength." He said in awe. "You could easily kill a man." The male barely had time to avoid another attack when the tiger swerved around and tried another assault. The two continued the same routine.
Attack, dodge, swipe, dodge, lunge, dodge.
It was like some kind of twisted dance between them.
It was after another attack that sent Dazai flying, barely missing by a hair. He skidded away, unable to stop until he hit a wall, successfully trapping himself. "Oops." The tiger made no delay at the chance of finally getting a hit on him, it advanced as it darted from side to side in a zigzag motion. The large feline was trying to throw him off, trying to keep him guessing of where it would be attacking.
"Well, aren't you a smart kitty?" Chuckled Dazai, it was a good plan but it wouldn't work. "Unfortunately for you, I don't plan on dying to the paws of a furious beast." Just as the tiger closed in, he raised a single finger and gently touched its forehead. His hand glowed a light blue and the tiger vanished, once more taking the form of Atsushi. "My ability permits me to nullify someone else's gift with a simple touch."
When Atsushi fell, Dazai caught the unconscious girl in his hands. "Forgive me but I have no interest in m-" squish "huh?" Dazai looked down in confusion, his hand located on Atsushi's chest. But it wasn't flat like any male's chest, no, it had lumps. squish Very squishy, soft lumps.
Unsure how to react, Dazai flexed his fingers that cupped the lump. "Is that-" He flexed them once more, overall groping. His curiosity got the best of him and shifted Atsushi in his arms, holding her with one, and with the other hand he cupped the other lump. "These are breasts." He mumbled, dumbfounded. With another squeeze, he nodded to himself as if he were confirming it to someone else.
"Dazai!" A familiar voice yelled, footsteps approaching fast.
"Oh Kunikida-kun, I caught the tiger."
"Wait really? It's the ki- what are you doing?" Kunikida questioned when he closed in, staring directly where Dazai's hand was.
He looked down to his hand, noticing that he was still groping Atsushi. Unable to help himself, he squeezed slightly. squish. "Oh…" He muttered. "It appears that Atsushi-kun is actually a female."
"A girl?"
"Yes."
Kunikida's eyes shifted between Atsushi's face to Dazai's hand to Atsushi's face and back to Dazai's hand. He was silent for a moment before he repeated the same action and finally exploded. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" He shrieked, snatching Atsushi from Dazai and holding her bridal style in his arms. "YOU SUICIDAL, IDIOTIC PERVERT!" Kunikida hissed the words out with complete and utter venom, staring Dazai down with a deadly glare. "You can't grope her like that!!"
"But I-!"
"Shut up dumbass!"
Multiple pairs of footsteps came into hearing range as a small group of people walked over.
"I didn't know you were such a pervert, Dazai." A feminine voice chuckled. The voice belonged to a slim woman with beautiful magenta eyes. Her hair was dark and cut into a bob cut that reached past her chin slightly, and she wore a golden butterfly clip. She was dressed in a white blouse that had puffy sleeves midway down her arms that tucked into a black, long skirt. She wore a pair of black gloves that reached past her wrist, a black tie, tights and red heels.
Akio Yosano—Gift: Thou Shalt Not Die.
"I would have guessed with his fetish for suicide." A short male giggled, he had short and messy hair but closed eyes. He wore a brown inverness cape over his shoulders, along with a matching hat and pants. Under the cape he was dressed in a grey blazer and white button up, tied around the collar was a striped tie. He had long white socks and simple black shoes.
Ranpo Edogawa—Gift: Super Deduction
"Is she the tiger?" A blond short haired male asked, his hair reaching to his nape . "Waaa, she's so tiny!" The blond had golden eyes and freckles covering his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He wore blue overalls, cuffed to the middle of his shins, with a light colored shirt and a belt around his waist. He had a black undershirt with sleeves to his elbows. He had a straw hat hanging from his neck and a pair of simple sandals.
Kenji Miyazawa—Gift: Undefeated By The Rain.
"She is." Kunikida answered the smaller blond, eyes burning holes into Dazai and shifting Atsushi away from him. Dazai finally broke from his dumbfounded daze, shaking himself back into reality. He glanced at Atsushi but Kunikida quickly shifted her from view.
Doppo Kunikida—Gift: Doppo Poet
"What are we doing with her?" Kenji asked, skipping closer to Kunikida and peering at the girl in his arms. "She had no idea right?" He gently ran his fingers through her hair and smiled softly when she unconsciously leaned into his touch. Like a little baby cat. The blond giggled and continued to pet her. "There, there."
Dazai completely ignored the fact that Kunikida was trying to keep Atsushi away from him and hidden. A small smile grew on his face at Kenji's question and he chuckled. "I already have a plan on that matter." He tilted his head to the side. He had a plan from the moment he figured out Atsushi was. The female was special and he knew it.
Osamu Dazai—Gift: No Longer Human
Atsushi's words from early on rang in his head. 'No one would care if I died, I should just let the tiger kill me ' Even though he didn't do anything, he could see her sitting curled up on the wooden crates from earlier, crying silently and he felt something grow in his chest. "We're taking Atsushi-kun to join the agency!" He cheered like he was announcing the most exciting news ever heard in history.
Everyone replied with the same thing at the same time "what?!"
Atsushi slept peacefully in Kunikida arms, unaware of the events taking place around her.
Atsushi Nakajima—Gift: Beast Beneath The Moonlight
And like so, Atsushi's adventure began, an abnormal and remarkable tale that told of odd events with strange people in a world of mystery.