(A/N: I've kind of been obsessing over Bungo Stray Dogs and wanted to write this out. xD It's been a long time since I wrote a genderbent fanfic with a main character. Granted, Atsushi is adorable no matter what. Of course, I'm sure Atsushi might have ended up attracting a lot of the guys in the series if his gender had been swapped. Not that I plan on turning this into a harem story, but I do see Akutagawa developing slight feelings for Atsushi because I know they're a popular pairing themselves. Dazai and Atsushi are just my main end game just because I find them so cute together. And I honestly don't think 18 and 22 is that big of an age gap. xP
Anyways, enough of my rambling. Hope you all enjoy. ^_^
A gentle breeze, the setting sun reflecting on the sparkling water...It was such a serene and peaceful setting. So beautiful and perfect. Yes. The perfect place to die, the young woman known as Atsushi fully believed. If the grumbling of her stomach was any indication, the choppy white haired eighteen-year-old was certain she would be wasting away from starvation any day now.
I suppose I should be lucky the orphanage let me stay as long as they did, but they could have at least kicked me out with some provisions Atsushi thought, laying on her stomach upon the soft grass where tears trailed down her cheeks. All she had were the clothes on her back, nothing more. At this rate, I really might have to steal...I don't want to...but I want to live!
"Get out, you failure! No orphanage would ever welcome the likes of you!"
"The world would be a better place if you just died in a ditch somewhere!"
Gritting her teeth as she slammed her fist upon the ground, the words of the orphan directors echoed loudly in her head. It was as if they were looming over Atsushi's form once again, staring down at her with the pure hatred she never understood why she deserved.
Atsushi stumbled when she stood. Taking in a deep breath, she then screamed at the top of her lungs, "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! How could they say something so cruel...I-I refuse to do what they said! I'll live, no matter what it takes! That's why I'll mug the first person I see!"
Flipping around, the very first person Atsushi glanced upon was a man speeding by on a motorcycle.
"Th-there's no way I could have caught him on an empty stomach...Definitely the next one!"
A gulp escaped Atsushi's lips when seeing a group of military officers marching by, and she gave a shaky smile while continuing to argue with herself, "Th-there's no way military police would have their wallets on them during training, right? But the next person who comes along...for sure this time!"
The sensation that someone was behind her caused Atsushi to flip around; the determined countenance she sported instantly fading away when she noticed a person was floating by in the river. His legs were stuck almost comically straight up in the air, twitching every now and then, while the rest of his body was submerged.
"Um...I can't possibly count him..." Atsushi mumbled, wondering what in the world she was witnessing. She squinted one eye closed when hearing the male gurgling. "Y-yeah, I'll pass, please."
A brood of crows had landed where they pecked upon the drowning figure's legs.
"I-I'll pass..." Atsushi mumbled, trying her best to ignore the peculiar situation. Unleashing a groan, the girl pulled at her hair where she yelled out an "oh fine!" and then dove into the thankfully still warm water. She had a feeling she was going to regret this, but her consciousness would eat away at her more if she allowed this person to die.
The male might have been lithe, but he was taller than Atsushi and she struggled to drag him onto the shore. On her hands and knees, Atsushi wheezed as she tried to catch her breath. She already had very little energy to begin with and that ordeal had just taken what little remained completely away.
Still...
"A-are you okay?" Atsushi asked with a small cough. She really hoped she wouldn't have to give this stranger mouth to mouth.
The man's eyes opened wide, and Atsushi couldn't help but squeak when he abruptly shot up. He blinked a few times in a way as if he were trying to comprehend what had happened, soon muttering out, "I made it." The man than gritted his teeth and unleashed a harsh "damn!"
"Damn?" Atsushi questioned, wondering if she heard him right. Maybe some water was still lodged in her ear?
Slowly standing up, the man demanded, "Are you the one who interrupted my drowning?"
"I was just trying to help!" Atsushi said with a small huff. It took a moment for it to dawn on her what the stranger had accused. "Huh? Drowning?!"
"You don't know what I mean by that? I was trying to commit suicide." the short and wavy dark brown haired male uttered out with clear annoyance.
"Suicide?!"
"That's right, I was trying to commit sui-" Turning around to face the one who 'saved him', the man blinked his equally dark brown eyes since he hadn't realized right away the person was in fact a young female. From her uneven bangs and rather short hair that only reached the nape of her neck, it looked like she herself-or some very cruel person-had butchered her hair job. Yet she was honestly quite cute; her confused large eyes standing out the most. The top half of her iris was purple while the bottom curve was yellow.
Segmental heterochromia. Certainly, a rare trait a person could inherit.
The woman's features became even more bewildered when the man had dropped down onto his knees and grabbed both of her smaller hands in his larger, slightly callused ones.
"Ah, I see! Perhaps you were actually hoping to drown alongside me, miss?! I'll forgive your interference if that was the case!"
"...Just how long were you floating in that river?" Atsushi inquired, her right eye slightly twitching. Feeling awkward about the close contact, she pulled her hands away and gave the much too chipper man, considering the dark statement he had made, a tired expression. "I'm sorry if I caused you trouble..."
It seems like I tend to do that a lot for most people...
The male chuckled and stuck his hands inside the long sand colored trench coat he wore once he was back on his feet. "Seems I'm the one who troubled you, so the fault lies with me. I should apologize in some way." He tilted his head when the girl flushed with color when her stomach let out a rather loud grumble, an amused grin soon stretching out across his face. "Oh? Sounds like someone is hungry?"
"A-actually...I haven't eaten in several days..." Atsushi confessed, once again stumbling onto her flat black shoe covered feet, placing a hand on her stomach.
The man rose a brow at this, his grin having changed into a smile. "Isn't that a coincidence. I'm also hungry,"
Atsushi's eyes lit up. "Then...!"
"By the way, the river seems to have taken my wallet," the slightly older man confessed, displaying his empty pockets.
"N-no way..." Atsushi whined, her shoulders slumping.
"There you are, blockhead!" Turning to the embankment on the other side, Atsushi was a bit surprised to see someone else all the way out here. And from what she could tell, this other male sounded and looked extremely angry.
"Oh, hey. Nice work, Kunikida-kun,"
The man known as Kunikida crossed his arms and voiced disdainfully, "Nice work? And just who caused all this work, you suicidal maniac?! I've had enough of you disrupting my schedule!"
"Oh, right. I have a great idea. He's a colleague of mine from work. Let's have him treat you to a meal,"
"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!"
Atsushi flinched at the glasses donned male's temper. She was surprised the 'suicidal maniac' could remain so calm as he asked Atsushi rather pleasantly, "What's your name?"
"Huh? Oh its...Nakajima...Atsushi..."
"Well, come along, Atsushi-chan! What would you like to eat?"
It was a bit odd hearing a man she just met referring to her by her first name along with 'chan', but more so that he was asking her what she wanted. Unless Atsushi sneaked down into the kitchens to fix her own food, she normally ate whatever was provided.
The orphanage rarely gave her the chance to have her own opinions...
"Well, if it isn't too much trouble...
"You're quite the timid one, aren't you? You don't have to hold back,"
Playing awkwardly with her one longer right bang, Atsushi spoke up softly, "I'd like to eat tea on rice."
Staring at the girl for a moment, the still unknown male was soon bursting out into laughter. "So a girl on the brink of starvation wants to eat tea on rice? Very well, let's have Kunikida-kun treat you to thirty bowls!"
"Don't get all generous with my money, Dazai!"
The wind seeming to pick up, Atsushi queried with a small tilt of her head, "Dazai?"
"Yeah, that's my name."
Atsushi wasn't sure why, but her mouth parted a little for the breeze was causing grass to get caught in the wind and blow past the one called Dazai. It was almost picturesque in a sense. For a man she had considered very bizarre, the glow of the setting sun gave him an almost otherworldly appearance. If she was being honest, it left her feeling a bit entranced.
"I am Dazai. Dazai Osamu."
"You're unbelievable. Who says, "What a nice river!" and then jumps into it in the middle of a job?! Thanks to you, see how off schedule we are now!?"
"You sure like your schedules, Kunikida-kun,"
Slamming a green notebook onto the restaurants table, Kuniukida practically hissed out, "This isn't a schedule! This is an ideal! My guide in life! And nowhere in this book is it written that my work partner is a suicidal maniac!"
Having been stuffing her face since Kunikida's one-sided argument began, Atsushi managed to get out through a mouthful of food, "Suicidal maniac?"
"Shut up! Nowhere on my projected expenses page will you find written that I will buy a million bowls of tea on rice for a snot-nosed brat!"
"Snot-nosed brat?" That was a new insult Atsushi surprisingly hadn't heard.
"Like I said, it's a job!"
"What kind of job?"
"Our job today? It involves the military."
Dazai looked from Atsushi to Kunikida perplexed. He could barely understand the girl's mumbling. "How exactly are you two communicating?"
"I'm more amazed you can't understand her." Kunikida shot back, giving his partner a blank expression.
Having finished her final bowl, Atsushi placed her hand on her now satisfied stomach. "So good! I don't think I want to see another bowl of this for at least ten years."
"How dare you be so shameless after eating on my dime!" Kunikida fumed. "I'd expect a young lady to have better manners than that!"
"You're a real lifesaver! After leaving the orphanage and coming to Yokohama, I've had nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep," Atsushi confided with a sad smile, her words causing Kunikida to deeply frown and cease in his ranting. "I thought I'd have an untimely death."
"You're from an institute?" Dazai asked, resting his elbows on the table and cupping his hands.
"You could say that. But they chased me out."
"That's some non-profit there..."
"Hey, Dazai. We're not some philanthropists going around helping brats down on their luck, okay?" Kunikida reprimanded, holding up his book. "Let's get back to the job at hand."
"That reminds me, you said earlier that your current job involves the military," Atsushi brought up, her tone curious. "What is your line of work, exactly?"
"Oh, we're just detectives," Dazai replied mysteriously.
"That's not to say we only handle lost pets and infidelity," Kunikida added. "The armed detective agency, an organization of supernatural detectives. Perhaps you've heard of us."
Atsushi's eyes grew big. She had indeed heard of the agency, even if they were only through rumors. They were said to be an agency specializing in missions that cannot be entrusted to the likes of the police or the military. A twilight armed force positioned between the world of night and day. Many from the agency supposedly possessed supernatural powers.
It's just hard to imagine either of these two possessing those powers Atsushi thought, her features sheepish as she watched Kunikida scribble furiously in his notebook while Dazai seemed to be daydreaming.
"Check out that nice beam up there," Dazai gushed, staring at the wooden plank right above Atsushi.
"Don't analyze whether you can hang yourself in a random tea house we found!" Kunikida scolded.
"Don't get me wrong. We're talking the hanging health method," Dazai explained, letting out a startled gasp when Kunikida didn't seem to know what that was. "How can you not know that?! It's so good for shoulder cramps! Hey, write this all down!"
Doing as Dazai said, Atsushi knew she was sweating. The look on Dazai's face said he was trying not to laugh. That became all too clear when he said much too casually, "I'm messing with you.".
A-are these two really with the Armed Detective Agency Atsushi wondered in pure disbelief. Kunikida had snapped his pen in two and was strangling Dazai who sported a goofy expression. She would have believed such mysterious agents would be cooler than this, possibly a little on the scary side.
"Um, so about your job today..." Atsushi interrupted hesitantly.
"YEAH?!"
"EEK! Sorry, I shouldn't have asked!" Atsushi squealed out in fright when Kunikida's livid form turned on her, and she defensively held up her hands as if to shield herself from the long-haired blonds clearly short temper. "R-right, of course your jobs are classified!"
Back in his seat, Kunikida said a bit more calmly, "Today's job doesn't really require secrecy. We're looking for a certain tiger on behest of the military."
"A tiger?"
"A man-eater who's recently appeared in these parts," Dazai continued. "Well, not that we know for sure its devoured anyone, but its ransacked warehouses and eaten farm produce and the like, doing whatever it wants. Its been spotted around here lately."
Dazai, who had closed his eyes, opened them when he heard the bowls falling to the ground. That wasn't the only thing. Atsushi had taken a tumble out of her chair, looking panicked.
"Something the matter, Atsushi-chan?"
"I...I think I should be going now. G-goodbye!"
Trying to crawl away, Atsushi was stopped when Kunikida grabbed onto the back of the plain, and slightly tattered gray shirt she sported.
"Wait, girl. You know something, don't you?" Kunikida interrogated. That became even more clear when Atsushi was trying to run away in his grip.
"You can't. No one can take it on!" Atsushi screeched out, ceasing in her struggling. When Kunikida asked if she knew the tiger, Atsushi's already pale features turned that more white. "It's after me. It almost killed me! If it's been seen around here, I have to run, now!"
Atsushi cied out from both shock and pain when Kunikida released her, only to instead pin her arm behind her back, pressing her form into the hard floor where she couldn't move.
"Hey, brat! You'll either pay for the food with your arm, or by telling us everything,"
"Now, now, Kunikida-kun. You shouldn't be so rough on women like that. This is why you'll never have a girlfriend," Dazai lectured with a click of his tongue.
"I DON'T NEED TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!"
Kunikida's features now red from a mixture of anger and embarrassment, he did release Atsushi when Dazai knelt beside the girl who had a slight trace of tears in her uniquely colored eyes.
"So, what do you know about this tiger?" Dazai asked a little more gently.
Holding onto her now sore arm, Atsushi spoke up quietly, "My orphanage was decimated by that tiger. It ravaged our fields, it destroyed our chicken coop, and even our warehouse. No one died, sure, but the orphanage was already on a shoestring budget. I got kicked out so they'd have one less mouth to feed."
"We don't need worthless louts!"
"You'll never find a place where you belong!"
"Just go! I hope you rot in hell!"
These detrimental words ringing in her ears, Atsushi bit at her lower lip to stop from breaking down in front of two people she barely knew. Not used to the gentle touch, she couldn't help but jolt a little when feeling a hand being placed on top of her head almost affectionately.
"That is indeed tragic," Dazai voiced in an understanding tone.
Atsushi didn't say anything to this and found she also couldn't look Dazai in the eyes. She did turn to Kunikida, however, when he asked what she had meant about the tiger almost killing her.
"Since that day, the man-eater always shows up no matter where I go. Just a while ago, when I was working around Tsurumi..." She trailed off, remembering how she had spotted the piercing blue eyes of the tiger out of a street sign, not long hearing the terrified shouts of people who had seen the beast. "I'd seen it out of the corner of my eye many times, starting two weeks before I was chased out of the orphanage. I'm sure its come all the way to the city in search of me."
"When was the last time you saw the tiger?" Dazai asked, seeming almost nonchalant.
"I think I saw it around Tsurumi about four days ago..."
"It's true that it's been focused around there for the past two weeks," Kunikida acknowledged, looking at the notes he had jotted down. "In addition, it was sighted around Tsurumi four days ago."
Letting out a small hum, Dazai looked at Atsushi with faint interest. "Atsushi-chan, are you free?"
I suddenly have a very bad feeling Atsushi thought as a shiver went down her spine, not liking that much too innocent look Dazai was sending her.
"You being the man-eater's target presents an excellent opportunity. Please help us find the tiger,"
"No way!"
Holding out a slip of paper to Kunikida, Dazai continued, "Kunikida-kun, please go back to the Agency and give this to the president."
"Hey, don't tell me you plan to catch the tiger with just the two of you? We should first confirm whether her information is accurate."
"It's fine."
"I'm not doing this, okay?!" Atsushi exclaimed, stomping her foot on the ground. "You just plan on using me as bait, don't you?! Who in there right mind-"
"There's a reward," Dazai sung out with a smile that came close to a feline's.
"Wh-what sort of reward?" Atsushi nervously asked, the reminder of being broke abruptly coming back to her. Though she rapidly shook her head and turned her back on the coy male. "W-wait! I won't let you tempt me with that! N-no matter how much you might offer..."
"Not even if it was this much?"
Slowly turning around, Atsushi squealed seeing more zero's than she ever had in her lifetime and snatched the notepad out of a now snickering Dazai's hand. He swore the girl looked like she was going to start drooling more than she had when the food had been brought out to her.
Looks like she could be tempted after all.
Having been brought to an old warehouse, Atsushi had taken to sitting on a crate a few feet from the one Dazai was languidly stretched out upon. They had been sitting in the dark in silence for some time, but the loud horn of a ship sounding off caused an already tense Atsushi to cringe.
"Um, Dazai-san, what are you reading?" Atsushi asked meekly.
"A good book."
"I'm surprised you can read when it's this dark,"
"I have good vision. Besides, I already know everything that happens in this book,"
Atsushi gave a sheepish smile. "Why are you reading it, then?"
"A good book is always good no matter how many times you read it."
Atsushi wasn't sure about that, pulling her legs closer toward her chest. She thought talking about something random would stop her mind from worrying, but it hadn't.
"Will the tiger really show up here?"
"It will," At the frightened noise Atsushi made, Dazai smiled and finished, "Don't worry. Even if it shows up, it's no match for me. I may not look like much, but I am an operative of the Armed Detective Agency."
"You're really confident," Atsushi mused with a small, sad laugh. "I'm kind of jealous. They called me a failure at the orphanage for as long as I can remember. And now, I don't even know where I'll sleep tonight , or if I'll eat tomorrow. No one would care if someone like me were to die in a ditch somewhere. Yeah, I may as well be eaten by a tiger."
Dazai stared at the downhearted girl silently, peering over at the windows where he noticed the darkened clouds were parting. "Now then. I think it'll be soon."
Letting out a yelp when hearing something shatter, Atsushi tumbled off her crate, yet quickly scrambled to stand.
"I-I just heard something back there! That has to be the tiger, Dazai-san!"
"No, I think the wind just knocked something down," Dazai clarified unperturbed. Seeing the girl continuing to panic, he shut his book closed. "Calm down, Atsushi-chan. Tigers don't just show up like that."
"H-how would you even know that?!"
"Something wasn't quite right to begin with. Just because their finances went south, why would an orphanage banish a child? It's not some farming village from a bygone era. Eliminating one or two mouths to feed would hardly put a dent in their deficit. It'd make more sense to downsize by transferring half of the kids to a different institution."
"Wh-what are you talking about, Dazai-san?"
"You came to this city two weeks ago. The tiger also appeared in this city two weeks ago. You were in Tsurumi four days ago. The tiger was also sighted there four days ago. Remember what Kunikida-kun said? The Armed Detective Agency is comprised of individuals with supernatural powers."
Dazai wore a knowing expression when Atsushi turned to stare at the large bright full moon, the female almost seeming to become hypnotized by it. A unearthly blue glow surrounded her body, and he watched as Atsushi began to change right before his eyes.
"Though not a well known fact, there are quite a few individuals who possess supernatural abilities in this world. Some use their powers to achieve great success, while others fall into ruin as a result of being unable to control their powers."
Not fazed by the rather large snow white tiger that now stood before him, Dazai continued to speak despite Atsushi more than likely not being able to understand him any longer.
"I'm guessing that the institution knew who the tiger was, but declined to enlighten you. You were the only one who remained ignorant. You also have supernatural powers. You have the ability to transform into a wild beast in the moonlight."
Narrowing his eyes when the transformed girl lunged at him, Dazai dodged the tigers attack by hopping backwards. Keeping his hands in his coat's pockets, he continued to swiftly dodge the beasts' attacks.
"That's impressive. For a rather delicate looking girl, you could easily snap a person's neck," Dazai observed as multiple crates were smashed to pieces just from Atsushi's paws. Coming to a halt in front of a wall, it appeared as if the dark-haired male had been cornered.
"It wouldn't be terrible to meet one's end being eaten by a beast, but you won't be able to kill me." A light blue glow surrounded Dazai's hand. "My ability is...No Longer Human." Simply placing a finger against Atsushi's forehead, Dazai explained, "My ability allows me to dispel other abilities through a simple touch."
Back in her human form, Dazai caught the unconscious girl when she began to slowly fall. His features softened slightly when seeing how at peace she appeared. It was hard to believe how on edge she had been earlier.
"Still, this is pretty sudden. Falling into my arms when we only just met," Dazai teased with a small smirk. Lifting the girl up, he carried her and placed her against the wall where she could rest for the time being; turning when he heard a familiar voice calling out his name where he cheerfully waved. "Oh, you're late, Kunikida-kun. I've captured the tiger."
"What, it's this girl?"
"She has the ability to transform into a tiger."
Kunikida unleashed a heavy sigh. "Jeez. What was with this note?"
Sporting an innocent expression, Dazai read out his own written words. "A tiger will appear in the warehouse in the fifteenth district. Secure the perimeter so that it can't escape. It's an excellent, concise note."
"You've left out the most important detail! Next time, explain in advance. Thanks to you, I had to bring in guys that weren't even on duty," Kunikida voiced, glancing at three figures entering into the room. "Take them out for drinks later."
"What no casualties? How boring,"
"You've come a long way, Dazai. Though you still have a ways to go before you can compare to me,"
"But what should we do with her? She didn't know she was doing it, right?"
Kunikida nodded his head in agreement at his younger associates words and turned to Dazai. "What do you think, Dazai? The ward's designated her as a major threat."
The others looked at Dazai confused when he let out a small laugh.
"I've already made a decision," His face remained neutral as he gazed at Atsushi's still out cold form, recalling the cruel words that seemed to have been used against her since she was small. "We'll make her one of us."
"Nice!"
"Are you serious?"
"You're a real idiot, Dazai."
"What gives you the right to decide that?!"
Grinning as he ignored Kunikida's usual vexation, Dazai called out, "Atsushi-chan! Time to wake up!"
"Huh?" Atsushi got out sluggishly, slowly sitting up where she looked around in a dazed-like state. "I..."
"Atsushi-chan. Do you remember nothing at all from when you were transformed?" Dazai asked the clearly out of it female.
"...What are you talking about?"
"Oh. But your right hand's still transformed."
"Right hand?" Slowly lifting up her hand, Atsushi was instead met with a large paw. Clenching it a few times to make sure it was actually her own, the girl ended up unleashing an ear splitting scream. "WHAT EVEN IS THIS!?"
"Nakajima Atsushi!" Dazai shouted in order to get the female to stop running around in her little panic episode, even though he found the sight a little amusing. When he had the startled girls attention, he smiled. "You'll become one of us. From this day forth, you'll be a member of the Armed Detective Agency."
Wait? She was going to become what now?