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It was too early for the phone to be ringing, yet here he was, rolling over in a panic to place the cellular device up to his ear.
“Atsushi!”
“Sir?” Atsushi sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He wasn’t supposed to be awake for another hour or so. If President Fukuzawa was calling him, it was important.
“I need you and Kyoka to report to the office as soon as you are able.”
There was a moment of silence before the line went dead. Atsushi blinked at the phone as he pulled it away from his ear. He let a long yawn escape his lips as his closet opened and Kyoka tumbled from her sleeping space.
“Who was that?” Even at this hour, the girl was more awake and alert than Atsushi. She had her blade, still fortunately sheathed, in her hand while her eyes were cautiously scanning the room.
“The President. We’re needed as soon as possible. Well, that’s what he said.”
~~~~
No matter the hour, the office of the Armed Detective Agency was always lively. Jun’ichiro, Kunikida, Kenji and Ranpo were present, but Atsushi was almost positive that Ranpo never left the building, and for the fact he had a mini fridge at his desk, it was likely he spent most of his hours here. What was surprising, however, was that almost every single agent was here, except the President.
“Anyone know what this is about?” Atsushi yawned.
“We’re missing someone, yeah?” Ranpo’s feet kicked up to the top of the desk and he leaned back, just to the precipice of falling back against the wall. “I’m sure even with minimal deductive capability you can figure out the ‘who’. And I don’t mean the boss.”
“We’ve been missing someone for the better part of a month.” Kunikida bit from the opposite side of the desk, not looking towards anything but the door, his posture stiff and his arms crossed tightly across his chest. “Everyone knows that. No one cares. I’m sure it’s a more important matter.”
Atsushi furrowed his eyes together, as if he had entirely missed the punch line. “Who are we missing?”
“You think he finally killed himself and didn’t bother to tell us he was dead?” Kyoka let out a sigh, her hand going to the phone around her neck.
“If only we were so lucky.” The blond opted to fix his glasses rather than roll his eyes, but it was a close call. “The odds are higher that he’s playing footsie with the Port Mafia or accidentally boarded a boat to India.”
A few of the others nodded in agreement to that.
It was then that Fukuzawa entered, a solemn expression etched into his face. "I have bad news." No preamble. No pretext. "Dazai has gotten himself into a bind and I daresay it's time we retrieved our lost delinquent."
The announcement was followed by a chorus of groans.
"Specify 'bind'." Despite being practically second in command, Doppo hadn't heard anything about Dazai from any of the usual sources. Clearly Fukuzawa had heard something when the others had not.
"The boss wouldn't be concerned if it were the kink kind of bind, and he'd be on his own if it were financial in nature…" Ranpo’s deduction was probably tongue in cheek, but sometimes it was hard to tell. "So it's likely medium to high severity."
"Illuminating." The blond flatly spat.
"Dazai was last seen thirty-two days ago in the Port Mafia's territory. He was in the company of Nakahara and Akutagawa." Fukuzawa continued as if no one had said anything stupid. After all, he knew better. "This wouldn't be the first time he had been imprisoned by Nakahara, but this time it feels different.
"I want you to investigate and bring him back. I've assigned you teams and districts to cover. Report back when you have more information."
True to form, there was a stack of manilla folders with everyone's names and a report in each.
The teams were Kunikida, Atsushi and Ranpo, and Kenji, Jun'ichiro and Kyoka.
Each took the folder offered and began to sort through the contents, which were surprisingly sparse.
"This is a broad distance. Can't you narrow it down any more than that?" Jun'ichiro sighed in defeat.
"We've done more with less." Kunikida assured. "He's not exactly subtle. Unless he's purposely dropped off the radar this should take no time at all."
"Are we sure he didn't, you know," Atsushi frowned and drew a line across his throat with the back of his thumb.
"I'm positive." Fukuzawa furrowed his brow. "If he did, I wouldn't be able to feel him. He's alive. Of that I can be certain."
"In which case, team one will be heading to the docks to begin the search." Kunikida said confidently. He wasn't one to waste time unnecessarily, and he'd rather get back to more important tasks. "The shipyard located here tapers into privately owned marinas on both sides. It seems a likely location as well as one with low surveillance."
"And team one is?" Atsushi furrowed his brow looking down at his packet of information.
To which he was flattened with a look from Kunikida, one that was an exasperated sigh personified. “Team two will decide on their own which of their locations to search first.”
The other three, who were significantly quieter during the discussion, looked to one another and each nodded. Jun’ichiro turned back to the group and flicked his file folder. “We’ll be searching the warehouse district. Two of the three of us are good with recon, and Kenji will be our backup and lookout in case things go awry.”
Atsushi opened his mouth, closed it. Opened it again, and finally closed it in defeat after realizing he was being entirely ignored. Since what he assumed was group two walked off, he slunk back to Kunikida, head dropping and his cheeks slightly pink.
~~~~
Exactly forty two minutes later, which was twelve minutes later than scheduled, team one arrived at the shipyard. “Okay, so I’m not trying to be dumb, but what is the plan again? How are we supposed to find clues after a month?”
"You mean beside the fact I've been looking for clues since we left the base?" Ranpo looked at the younger man as though that much should have been obvious.
"It's unlikely we'll find something to track in the traditional sense." Kunikida cut before the detective could spew any more nonsense. "And people in this area are unlikely to talk, so our best bet is to, instead, find evidence of Port Mafia activity and then use that as a jumping point. He's clearly somewhere, hopefully not trapped in some sort of unbreakable ability."
"Is that a thing?" Atsushi's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you think I could smell him with my weretiger?" Saying such, the younger boy took a long sniff in through his nose. "Ugh! This place smells HORRID!"
"Scent tracking is more of a dog thing." Ranpo said flatly, popping up from yet another bush with something unidentifiable in a plastic bag that he slipped into his coat. "But I mean you do you, even I'm getting a pretty strong whiff of dead fish, piss and garbage."
Kunikida had stepped aside while the other two flapped lips and eased his growing headache by pushing gently against his temples. "Atsushi, you may want to wait until we're looking inside containers . Ranpo’s right. There's too many smells out here and we don't have anything of Dazai's to track with."
Atsushi wrinkled his nose and frowned in defeat. It was almost as if, in this instant, he was entirely useless. "Okay. So, containers?"
At this point Doppo led their youngest team member toward the shipping containers, which were in plain view, alone. He didn't bother worrying about Ranpo once again wandering off on his own. If there was anyone he wasn't worried about, it was Ranpo.
"I'll need to examine the locks to make some keys, in the meantime I need you to be my ears."
"Ears! You got it! '' Atsushi nodded once with fervor before turning his back to the bespectacled man. He perked up his ears. Unlike smells, it seemed relatively quiet.
Skittering mice and other small vermin were everywhere and the splashing of the ocean against the docks was pretty audible. Ranpo was making enough noise for the lot of them, banging on containers and diving into bushes. Besides that, it was almost too peaceful.
"Now if you hear anyone. Anyone, you notify me. What I'm doing treads on the border of legality." And that was being kind. Kunikida didn't like the thought of doing things this underhanded, but couldn't think of a better course of action.
"Not besides Ranpo's humming." Atsushi confirmed, pressing his eyes shut to let the weretiger take control of his senses. He could hear everything his companions were doing, and the moment the lock popped, Atsushi turned with a grin.
"That was easy!"
"That was one." Kunikida snipped. "There are fifty, probably with different keys. It was a start. Now hurry so we can lock it back up before anyone realizes we were here."
Like a kicked puppy, Atsushi trotted into the shipping container and let his sniffer go to work. "Smells like fish. A whole lot of fish. "
"We are portside." The older man wasn't making fun of Atsushi, so much as relaying a simple fact as he passed back the key he used to grant them entrance. "With luck you'll get used to it and find something else beneath it." Kunikida had already moved on to the next container, knowing his part required him to get there first.
Atsushi frowned, once again following Kunikida from the shipping container. He closed the door and clicked the padlock back in place. By the time they'd made it through five separate containers, Atsushi's spirits had fallen and he was feeling very defeated.
"You really think Dazai is in one of these containers? " Atsushi was crouched next to the blond, eyes closed and ears pricked to attention.
A slow breath pushed through Kunikida's nose as he considered. "To be honest, I have very little faith in it." Really he was just attempting to be useful until Ranpo popped up with a lead.
"I'm more concerned with the fact we've found nothing, not even the mundane, in these containers. Almost like the little intel we did have was either leaked or collected from a ruse."
This container, like all the others, was entirely empty.
Just like the other containers, Atsushi took a step inside, using his nose to look for any hints of something suspicious. He was finally starting to pick up on the scents of things other than just fish and musty bay water. “Iron. Something very sharp like a chemical. Citrus? Oranges maybe?” Atsushi took several blind steps forward, still crouched low as he tried to figure out the scents.
“I think someone really cleaned this container right before we got here.” Atsushi took another step forward, and tilted his head. In that moment, there was a loud metallic grinding. He turned, eyes opened wide as the shipping container shifted under his feet. He was too slow to react to the bars sliding in between him and his companions.
While Kunikida was absolutely fuming, Ranpo had reappeared just in time to witness the closing gates with fascination. "Wow it's a shame there's no way out of that mundane contraption, isn't it, kid?"
Atsushi made it to the bars, hands wrapping around them. Just as he was about to agree with the man, a pulse of electricity moved through the bars and into his hands. Stunned more than anything, he hopped back.
"I don't think there is?" Atsushi spoke once the tingle from his fingers had subsided.
"Too bad there's not a way to dampen electricity, either." Ranpo supplied, again, in the same suggestive tone.
"Fine!" Kunikida pulled his book out of his jacket, yet again, his face steaming red. "I'm going to blow the container to smithereens, energy and discretion be damned!"
"Wait! What? You can't do that!" The primal anger that belonged to the tiger inside him bristled outwards, his arms and legs bursting out with fur. "I'm still here!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The cool voice came just from Kunikida's right. Chuuya was leaning up against the shipping container, arms folded over his chest.
"As though a tiny hand grenade would have any effect on the weretiger." Kunikida scoffed, immediately bristling and on the offensive, while Ranpo quickly took a dozen steps back. "Though it seems we were on the right track, all along."
Perhaps Kunikida was correct, but Atsushi still didn't like the idea of being blown up, even if it seemed that his healing powers would patch him back up.
"I'm afraid I can't let you leave with the kitty cat.” Chuuya hadn't moved from his position, instead he lazily glimpsed over at the other two. "We're gonna take him, but if you play your cards right we'll give you Dazai."
"Let go of Atsushi and you can keep Dazai!" the blond snapped back.
"Hey, that's not the mission!" Ranpo waved from behind. Of course he'd also already broadcasted their position for the three seconds he could manage before the signal was blocked.
"Yeah. Let me and Dazai go!" Atsushi growled from the other side of the gate. He reached out again and was greeted with another, more powerful burst of electricity. He yelped as he pulled back once more.
"How about we just keep them both? " Chuuya smirked, finally pushing himself upright. "Oh. And the more you struggle against those bars the more it'll shock you."
"Why would you even want them both?" Kunikida threw his hands up, clearly displaying both his pen and book, very conspicuously. "Atsushi is powerful but a barely trained kitten… and nobody wants Dazai!"
In the background Ranpo had slinked away entirely, having felt the heat rising between the two men in the forefront.
"You really don't know just how powerful those two are?" Chuuya shrugged, a cocky smirk forming on his lips. "Your loss, but if you want to play, I can entertain you "
"For Atsushi I did, but I said nothing about Dazai's power. Clearly you aren't very good at listening. I meant his personality, but I'd suppose you'd know him better than most. And you've had him for a month, but only now pretend to start bargaining?" How much more time was Kunikida going to have to kill? It was starting to get ridiculous. At this point he was going to have to deplete his power entirely.
"If it was up to me, I'd just give you Dazai and leave.” There was a quiet huff. “But it's not." Chuuya clenched his fists, and took a step towards the bespectacled man, hands firmly in his pockets. "We figured you'd miss him more. Apparently not. My nerves are already on edge. We're taking the cat. You and Sherlock will have to come to terms with that."
Atsushi growled, crouching down predatorily. "You don't just get me!" He lunged fiercely for the side of the crate and slashed.
A loud electric crack echoed through the air and Atsushi was tossed from one side of the container to the other before he collapsed on the floor.
That wasn't good. The kid was strong but foolish and clearly didn't understand Ranpo's earlier prompts. Now they'd have to save him despite himself.
Kunikida just hoped said detective had scurried away to help rather than hide. Sometimes it was hard to tell. "Look what you've done now, Chuuya. He's not going to be much use to you braindead."
"Why do they even keep you around?" Chuuya took yet another step forward, letting a long, slow breath from his lips. He was trying hard to contain the pent up rage that trickled slowly into his gut. He was staying composed, but couldn’t help balling and flexing of his hands in his pockets. "You really know nothing? He'll be fine."
Despite his best efforts, the red head was starting to lose his cool. One more push, and the carefully curated temper was going to blow.
"Maybe in the future you'll learn how to come up with creative and original comebacks instead of recycling the ones thrown at you." Kunikida didn't actually want to fight the shorter man. He wasn't an idiot. Even without using his gravity Chuuya was very likely more powerful than he was. At this point he was putting faith in a childish detective and a passed out tiger.
Maybe he should reconsider his faith.
"Recycled?" Chuuya continued forward. "You’re just half a detective! Good for nothing except pissing me off!"
Chuuya lunged, moving quickly and with brutal, but not deadly, force.
And apparently Kunikida was good at his job, if the sloppy move was any indication. Instead of blocking he spun out of the way with grace, letting Chuuya stumble across the asphalt.
At that moment there was a large pop of light and a crackle from behind the cargo container containing Atsushi.
There was a groan from inside as Atsushi opened his eyes "What happened?"
In the meantime Chuuya stumbled, catching himself with his gravity manipulation. "Now you've done it."
There was a choice to make between Atsushi and Kunikida and his big, flapping mouth. With a grin, Chuuya decided he could easily take care of both. "It's your lucky day. I'm gonna show you exactly what I think of you."
Shifting back, but staying just above the ground, Chuuya advanced towards Kunikida once more. However, the rage was growing which only fueled the red heads power and blood lust.
"You guys are fighting? Seriously? I thought we were finally going to have that beach episode I always hear so much about. Brought a plank to walk off of and everything…"
There was only one person that could be.
The punch landed square, Chuuya's fist colliding into the side of Kunikida's face. The blow didn't contain nearly all of Chuuya's strength, but it still was enough to force him from his feet and through the air. It was satisfying, but not satisfying enough.
"So you planned this all along." Chuuya growled, suddenly not liking the odds. His options for a successful mission were growing slimmer by the second.
Dazai whistled as Kunikida hit the ground, flipping up his sunglasses, though not leaving his spot sitting atop a nearby container, his legs dangling casually from the edge. "Probably. He seems to enjoy getting punched. Probably a masochist or something."
Without turning around, Chuuya let out a breath. "Part of being kidnapped means you stay put ."
He didn't have time for this. The mission was still to take the weretiger into his possession and Dazai being around that severely complicated things. It was part of why he'd been abducted to begin with.
"But I was bored." Dazai whined, digging heels into the metal. "And Port Mafia beach parties still suck, by the way. This is no way to treat a guest.” He paused and sucked in a small breath. “Oops, Kunikida is getting up, hit him again."
"Shit." Chuuya's head snapped to the side, seeing that the blond man was in fact moving. He cursed again under his breath as he rushed to the top of the shipping container where Atsushi was contained. "Get lost, Dazai! "
"Well that's mean. Here I was not getting in anyone's way and you're still being a jerk." The brunet hopped down onto the asphalt, not too far from where Doppo was struggling to his knees. He didn't help the man stand, but he wasn't actually going to let Chuuya hit him again… probably. "Did the last month mean nothing to you?"
"I am one hundred percent positive you understand what I mean, Dazai." There was a special level of anger that came with a conversation with Dazai, and Chuuya was starting to lose his temper. "Did the gag not indicate I prefer you silent?"
"It was uncomfortable. You tie it too tight." A line in which the tone of Dazai's voice almost dropped down to serious. Then he turned to start calling at his teammate. "Hey, Atsushi, are you awake yet? The metal is fourteen gauge corrugated steel, you're not going to be able to slice it so you'll want to dislocate the bars, instead!"
"I think-" The garbled response came from within the cargo container.
"Osamu Dazai! I swear I'm gonna kill you." Chuuya had lost it. He turned from moving towards the container and flung himself at the insufferable suicidal maniac.
"Mm, I don't really want to die by your hand, sorry, you're too angry to make it a good death." Dazai reached out right before the other made contact, but Chuuya was something else when he was mad.
Dazai wasn't able to fully dodge, much as Kunikida hadn't before. He wasn't as keen at getting punched in the face, though. Spinning to the side, he only managed to grip the redhead's jacket as he attempted to slide out of the way.
"Then get lost!" Chuuya turned and swung at Dazai again. "You ruin everything!" The anger surrounding the man was visible as he continued ravenously at Dazai.
Chuuya was so preoccupied that he didn't even stop when there was a violent crashing of metal from the crate.
Considering he was able to rile up their opponent twice as badly in half the time, Kunikida opted not to aid Dazai but to check on Atsushi, who hadn't been looking so good before Dazai's appearance. When he made it to the scene, Edogawa was already there, trying to wave away the dust across his face.
From the dust, Atsushi limped. His clothing was in shreds, singed from where he'd been tossed into the wall. His skin beneath was sizzled and scorched. "I need to transform." Atsushi grimaced in pain. The problem was it looked like Atsushi was about to pass back out.
Shocked, Ranpo started to tap Atsushi’s face with both hands, doing his best to keep the taller man upright. “Oh no, no no… you’re not leaving me here with those two!”
“I’m here, too!” Kunikida reminded the detective through clenched teeth as he came up to offer Atsushi a shoulder to lean on. “We can get you back to get healed up if you just stay awake. Dazai can handle himself from here, now that we know where he is.”
“And I sent the signal.” Ranpo shrugged. “That’s not what I’m worried about. We’ve collapsed part of the Port Mafia’s property, and their backup is closer. They’ll get here a whole ten minutes earlier than anyone from the Agency.”
“No,” Atsushi’s eyes went wide with fear, “Not Akiko.” And that didn’t mention he was having an impossibly hard time staying conscious. The pain was unbelievable. “I need to change.”
“Then change!” Came the command from Kunikida. “We don’t have time to let you limp around! Ranpo, an update on our situation, please?”
Ranpo looked from the scuffle some meters away, where the collateral damage was still impressive, despite the fact they were locked in good old fashioned fisticuffs, to the broken container beside them. “We should throw him in the water.”
Atsushi stood taller, regardless of the pain, and looked wide eyed at the short detective. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Either way, he was in no shape to resist if they picked him up and tossed him into the vile harbor waters.
“Who’s the superior detective here?” Ranpo worded it like a question, but it was rhetorical. “Up you go. Besides, on the .005% chance it kills you instead, it will be a short enough time that we’ll still be able to revive you using Akiko’s ability.”
Surprisingly, it took both men to lift Atsushi, though maybe it was because Doppo was still a touch uncertain. “This is a terrible idea. You’re lucky you’re always right.”
“Okay, count of three we toss him in, then take cover.”
Kunikida’s eyes widened. “Wait, what do you mean?”
“Trust me.” Edogawa led the way to the edge. “One, two. Three!”
“I don’t think-” But Atsushi never finished his sentence as he was underwater. The cold was a shock to his system. As quoted, Ranpo was always right. The tiger inside felt the threat of death and the new adrenaline pushed the beast from hiding. With blue light, Atsushi transformed, just as a rain of bullets hit the water and the edge of the dock.
The other two men took shelter in the remains of the destroyed shipping container, up to the point a series of black spikes erupted from the ground. Then they were on the run. “We need to get out of here!” Kunikida shouted to his companions, whichever ones would listen. Unfortunately Chuuya seemed to have Dazai in a headlock and it was never clear what Atsushi could understand while in his weretiger form.
“I really hate this mission!” Ranpo shouted back. “I’m not supposed to be on the dangerous ones! Just the hard to figure out ones!”
Atsushi in full weretiger slashed from the water, right between Akutagawa and his companions. Fully hunched, it was obvious that he was protecting them.
The dark, thin mafioso didn’t seem even a touch frightened, however, and only redirected half of his attacks toward Atsushi, while creating a black cage around the perimeter of their battle. “No one leaves until I say so!”
Atsushi didn’t hesitate to lunge, moving on all four legs with intense speed. While he was quick when just using his weretiger legs, he was quickest in this form. He dodged a spike from the ground and went for a bite into Akutagawa’s shoulder.
Despite splitting his attention and the trajectory of his power, Akutagawa spun away, becoming a rolling wheel of black spikes. He was aiming for Atsushi’s back. If it hit a human he had no doubt that human would be in ribbons, but he was fully aware of the strength of the white tiger.
Atsushi was still off from his near death experience. As he tried to stop, he found it was too late. He was suddenly impaled by Akutagawa’s attack. He let out a wild roar, as he lay flat against the ground. He would need help unless the black haired man decided to let him free.
"Flash Bang!"
No warning was given, and as the bright light and piercing sound enveloped the area. Akutagawa hissed and recoiled despite himself, his blackened spikes immediately retracting back into his coat as a hand came up and wrapped itself around his throat.
Atsushi snarled and he was back on his feet. He was stunned, but didn't need his eyes to find his target. His injury healed as he padded toward Akutagawa. He stopped short when a different scent caught his attention.
"OSAMU DAZAI! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?"
"Sshh." The man in question hushed toward his weretiger colleague. Though the bright light had already dulled, anyone who'd been unprepared for the blast would still be unaware of the world around them.
There was a strangled, guttural sound that was dampened only by the sharp ringing of ears from the flash bang. Shortly after, there was a soft thump as a body hit the ground. Dazai had appeared only in time to take Akutagawa by surprise and thus, take him out.
Turning from the mafiosa, Dazai reached a hand out and gripped around Atsushi's front leg. He activated his power. Instead of leaving the boy conscious in his human form, Atsushi lay unmoving on the moist asphalt. Now, two unconscious boys lay at Dazai's feet.
"I'm gonna kill you, Dazai!" Chuuya now had a straight shot at the man without Aktagawa’s spiked cage keeping him out.
"You keep saying that! And I keep telling you I'm not interested! What part of double suicide don't you understand?" It wasn't that Dazai necessarily found Chuuya's threats empty so much as he'd never actually been able to get to the point he could test it. Not truly. Instead he took several steps forward, staying in front of the two unconscious young men, but not directly. He wanted to be able to stop any attacks Chuuya might throw, but not at their expense.
Akutagawa was already going to be livid when he woke up with bruises around his delicate little neck.
"Come on, notice your men stopped firing some time ago? And that your pet subordinate is napping on the concrete? Oh, and that your cat trap is in shambles? Come on, Chuuya, let's call it a draw and go our own ways." Dazai gave a smile, though there was something under the edge of it that told that he was serious. "Besides, I still have two good men cowered behind some of the scrap heaps out there, and you're alone."
"I can take you all." Besides, Chuuya’s super speed and strength weren't attributed to his power. The real question was could Chuuya get away with Atsushi and Akutagawa. Maybe he'd just leave the grumpy boy. Dazai wouldn't hurt him seriously. Chuuya squared up to Dazai, ready to go for real this time.
As much as Dazai didn't want to fight, he knew that Chuuya seemed to be obsessed with being frustrated and was hard headed like no one's business. "You know you can't. Not without incapacitating me. You're strong, but I'm your kryptonite, so stand down, Mr. Kent. Before my partner and the genius detective take off with your prize and you go home sad and lonely."
If Dazai was trying to change Chuuya's mind he was doing a poor job of it. On one hand he made a good point. He was outnumbered. However, he was certain he could take them out if he really tried. "You have no idea what my home life is like."
"Pretty sure it's sad and lonely." Dazai repeated, lifting up his pinky and wiggling it as if to make a point. "You guys had me for almost a month and you went home, what? Three? Four times? Maybe you should adopt a cat. Yeah, you seem like a cat person. Oh. Or a cockatoo!"
Regardless of what Dazai said, he really did want a fight, or at least wasn't shying from one. Chuuya charged, fueled by anger and on the verge of corruption.
Dazai knew he was taking a gamble, but also knew that the others would have a good chance of escape if he could just be quick enough. It wasn't the first time he'd had to pull Chuuya out of a rage.
He had only a split second, but a split second was enough. Chuuya dove at him like a bullet,
Dazai ducked a shoulder, dug in a heel and spun around, catching Chuuya the moment he heard his shoe contact the pavement. If he didn't have the size advantage there was no way it would work, but-
There was still only about a fifty percent chance. It wasn't wise to underestimate Chuuya Nakahara.
His leg kicked between Chuuya's, hooking around his shin to unbalance his stance. He grabbed the smaller man around the waist, and by the time he heard the distinct gasp of surprise his right hand wrapped around Chuuya's shoulders to pin his arms.
It wasn't exactly a typical or strong hold, but he was still banking on that fifty percent.
"What the fuck, Dazai?" The hold was easy to break and Chuuya easily pushed the man off. "That's not how you fight."
Regardless that Chuuya was still angry, he seemed momentarily more concerned that Dazai had left a stain on his outfit more than he wanted to punch him in the face.
"You looked like you needed a hug." Whether Dazai was being cheeky or dejected was difficult to discern. "And while I might not be your ideal hug, I'm probably the only one that can slip past your defense, right?"
Chuuya turned, taking a final brush to his shoulders as if dusting himself off this conversation. "You think too highly of yourself. "
"No I meant that literally." Osamu pointed out, as he dusted himself off, as well. He was certain his plan had worked, at least enough. He'd been lucky enough to get the smart guys coming to his rescue. They were excellent at catching cues without direct orders. "If someone tried to hug you without an ability canceling power you would have blasted them into the stratosphere, no matter who they were. Am I right?"
Again, Chuuya refused to answer the question. Instead, he turned back around and headed towards Dazai once more. His pace was slow and deliberate.
"You really should be nice to him." Chuuya's voice was quiet and low as he crouched down to scoop Akutagawa up. However, he carelessly tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Oh, I didn't have a choice. He would have torn all three of my colleagues apart if I didn't knock him out early." Dazai said, honestly. Normally he wouldn't have been concerned, but Atsushi was in a bad way before the battle even started. "He'll understand if you word it right. Maybe tell him I was intimidated by his power or whatever."
As he'd hoped, Kunikida had snuck in to retrieve Atsushi while Chuuya was distracted. Dazai figured it was that action that really turned the tides.
"You tell him." Chuuya grumbled as he stood and rolled his eyes. "I'm not your errand boy. Not now. Not ever."
Chuuya wasn't stupid, and when he turned around, he knew the battle was lost. He'd given up the moment he'd decided to retrieve his comrade. They'd both take the lashing that would come when they returned empty handed.
"Bye, Chuuya!" Dazai said with a wave.
~~~~
There was a distinct thrumming in Atsushi's skull as he lay on his back. His eyes were heavy as he tried to remember something. Anything.
He bolted straight up, eyes wide with panic as it came at him all at once. The room spun with the motion. "Where am I?" Since there was no manacle nor restraints, the sudden panic in his chest died down.
"You're on a couch at the office." Kunikida said calmly from the chair he pulled up to the end of said couch.
Slowly his breathing resumed a regular rhythm and Atsushi put his head back down. "What happened? " The last thing he clearly remembered was being shocked into a stupor.
"Dazai neutralized Akutagawa and defused Nakahara with very little intervention, allowing the rest of us to escape relatively unharmed. You've been resting for a few hours, now." Doppo was just glad the injuries sustained had been minor, including Atsushi's.
Atsushi lifted his arm, observing the completely unmarked skin. He had remembered the pain of the burns and the look of the blackened skin.
There was a long moment of silence before it was broken.
"Do you think they'll ever stop?" Atsushi's voice was soft as if the question was for the universe.
"You'd have to be more specific." Kunikida hummed, closing his book and tucking it away. He didn't even seem fazed by the fact the question might be rhetorical. "But if you mean the Port Mafia and their obsession with you, I'd say the answer is yes. Either they will get bored with the subsequent failures or they will realize it's a fruitless endeavor. Just be patient and vigilant. You're in good hands here."
Atsushi let his arm fall and shifted to look at Kunikida. This place was home, and these strange people were his family. "Thank you."
"Of course." The blond gave a nod. "Dazai has been banned from taking any important cases for a week or two, you might consider taking a break, yourself."
"Banned?" Atsushi frowned as he shifted into his side. "I don't feel that bad. Really. If I'm needed, can I go?"
"Just take the break and chase lost cats for a week, Atsushi. It's not a punishment. Not for you." Kunikida said with a sigh.
Atsushi laughed and let out a yawn. "Chase cats? I'm not sure I'd be good at that." But maybe he'd give it a go. He'd never been given the opportunity to do nothing before.
"It wasn't exactly literal." Kunikida sighed. "I meant just take on the simple missions. The type that you don't need a briefing or a file for."
"Yeah. That makes sense. I guess that wouldn't be too bad." Atsushi agreed with a yawn. "By the way, where is everyone? "
Kunikida's fingers grazed his forehead in a way that expressed he, too, was tired. "Team B ended up getting trapped in a subway for several hours and racking up a lot of injuries, collateral damage and therefore debt. They'll be working on those reports for some time. I don't know where Ranpo ran off to, and Dazai is with the boss. Probably trying to talk his way out of further suspension. Apparently his 'kidnapping' was exaggerated. Again." On the other hand, Atsushi had been granted an extension on his own report due to unconsciousness, but they'd cross that bridge when it was important.
"Is Kyoka okay?" Atsushi switched from sleepy to alert in the span of one breath. He was shifting as if he'd be able to see her if he strained just right.
"They've all returned from their session with Akiko, so I'm going to say yes, regardless of her previous condition." Honestly, Kunikida hadn't had time to find out all the details. He'd been put on tiger watch immediately after he'd handed in his report.
Atsushi nodded, falling back into the couch cushions. Sometimes he forgot, or tried to forget, about Akiko and her horrifying power. "Right. I'll ask her later."
"Don't rush it. As of now everyone is all right and accounted for. Our mission was technically a success." Kunikida stood, his job done now that Atsushi was conscious. "Once you wake up Naomi will help you set up your report. We couldn't have finished without you."
"Okay." Atsushi yawned, big and cat-like, as he pulled at the knitted blanket he'd been given to rest under. "I really don't think I was that important." Since Dazai wouldn't have been abducted without him.
~~~~
The underground holding cell was cold, damp and empty, yet that was where Chuuya headed with Akutagawa still unconscious on his shoulder. Should he have taken him to medical considering his condition? Likely. However, Chuuya thought it was favor enough to have not just left the boy in the Agency's hands.
What Chuuya really wanted to know was how Dazai had escaped. He had taken precautions to keep the man there. Chuuya knew that Dazai could escape regular handcuffs. He'd seen it plenty of times in the past.
Just as he'd expected, the shackles were sliced in two on the concrete floor. "How does he do that?" He grumbled, squatting down to examine the steel bands.
On his shoulder the younger man stirred before coughing, a bit more violently than usual. His hand immediately reached for his throat and his body shook, but still he pushed away from Chuuya's warmth as though he'd been shocked and burned by it.
Raising one eyebrow and not much more, Chuuya shrugged Akutagawa from his shoulder. "Forgot you were here." He mumbled, going back to his examination.
"Just used to dragging dead weight on your shoulders." It could have been a question, might have been a question, but it didn't sound like one. All the same, Akutagawa just barely managed not to let his head hit the floor, swaying as though he was drunk as he pushed himself towards the wall. Only then did he connect where they were and frowned. "I'm sure he cut it weeks ago."
"It's the one and only magic trick I know." Chuuya rolled his eyes, tossing the chain across the floor. The noise was deafening in the confined space. "You should go get medical attention. Prepare for a lecture." It was probably obvious at this point that they'd failed.
Akutagawa’s mouth had started to bleed a bit, but it wasn't anything too out of the ordinary and he wiped it away with a handkerchief he pulled from his breast. "I should have had the weretiger and been able to locate Dazai. I have more training to do. I'll skip to the inevitable."
"There should have been no way he could have escaped." Chuuya mumbled, grabbing the other cuff and examining it as well.
"Do we need to question the guards?" Akutagawa coughed, his eyes following the movement of the chain. He knew that Nakahara had specifically asked that the shackles be keyless and bolted shut. He also knew that Dazai had been searched upon arrival.
A real mystery.
"I guarantee he did it by himself without help, but it wouldn't hurt." Finally giving up, he pocketed the shackle and turned. "We woulda got him if Dazai could have stayed put. "
Chuuya was now looking at Akutagawa, and he looked rather uncertain on his feet.
"And why did Dazai let himself be captured? And for such a length of time if he could simply escape?" A slight whip of black and red energy flicked at the edge of Akutagawa’s coat and the young man pushed himself to stand taller.
"That is a question for him, not me." Chuuya huffed and took a step towards the smaller man. "You should get medical attention." He would ask the man later.
"I'll be fine a bit longer." Akutagawa turned, flipping his coat with unnecessary flourish, and started for the door as though nothing were wrong. If he was lucky he wouldn't see that cell again for some time.
Without another word between them, they ascended from the basement and up to Mori's office where, as Chuuya had predicted, they received a thorough tongue lashing.