A warehouse is shown by the port, the sun has completely left the sky. In the distance, a foghorn is heard as Dazai and Atsushi are shown sitting on crates inside the warehouse. Dazai is reading a book even in the dark.
"Dazai," Atsushi begins cautiously. "Sorry to interrupt but what are you reading?"
"A good book," is all Dazai says.
"I'm surprised you can read when it's this dark."
Natasha had to agree with him. She didn't take Dazai as much of a reader, let alone that he'd have good enough vision to read in the dark.
"I have excellent nighttime vision," we now see the cover of the book. A cover that has a translation written under it stating the title, 'The Complete Guide to Suicide'. "Besides, I've read it before. I know everything that happens in this book."
"Huh," Tony covers his mouth. "I didn't expect a book like that to legally be allowed to be published."
Atsushi takes note of the title and looks uncomfortable. "That's funny, then why are you reading it again?"
Dazai doesn't seem to take offence to this. "A good book is always good."
Bruce hums, "Well, that's true but I can understand Atsushi's reasoning for being uncomfortable."
Thor could understand why Loki was uncomfortable, as well. He was so in his thoughts that he didn't realize he accidentally called him Loki instead of Atsushi.
Atsushi can't deny that fact as he straightens up losing the small, nervous it may have been, smile. He faces away from the detective as he questions, "Do you really think the tiger will track me down and come here?"
Please, Thor thinks. Don't say that this tiger will come for my brother.
"I know it will," Dazai's response does nothing besides bring a gasp from the boy who lifts his head with a look of pure fear.
Natasha curses in Russian under her breath. Tony wants to ask her why Russian but then realizes that it's either because English doesn't have the right words or that she doesn't want the Norns to hear her.
Unfortunately for her, she forgot that they were the reason she could understand everything going on in front of her. They could hear her, and they knew exactly what she was saying. At least, they didn't take offence to her language.
"But don't worry," Dazai continues. "When it shows up it'll be no match for me." He is still reading his book even as Atsushi has a mini panic attack not ten feet away. "I may not look tough but I'm with the agency for a good reason."
"No offence to Dazai, but yeah. We know he has a power but we don't know what it is," Bruce states. He didn't want to be rude, but the fact they didn't know Dazai's ability and the man was lanky as hell didn't encourage much confidence.
Atsushi makes a sound of acknowledgement. "I admire your confidence. In fact, I'm kind of jealous." The boy grows quieter now, "They called me a good-for-nothing at the orphanage as far back as I can remember." Atsushi is shaking now.
Steve clenches his hand into a fist. He remembers back when he felt like that. No one had called him a good-for-nothing before, but he felt like some wanted to.
"And now I don't even know where I'll sleep tonight or how I'll get through tomorrow."
A flashback begins, this time closer. The Headmaster is right there in front of Atsushi, shouting at him. "Get out you good-for-nothing!"
"Jeez!" Tony jumps. "Get your ugly ass face away from mine!"
The Headmaster is no longer front and centre, but that doesn't stop the onslaught. "No matter how long you search, you'll never find a place where you belong!"
Atsushi's face grows progressively more distraught. The sound of a gate closing is heard before showing Atsushi outside the orphanage gates.
"No one would mind if I died in a ditch somewhere or just disappeared forever." The boy is curled up with his head on his knees and arms wrapped firmly around his legs. "Yeah, maybe I would be better off getting eaten by a tiger." Dazai doesn't look too impressed with Atsushi's statement.
Thor is positively fuming. How dare they! His brother should have gotten a better life after dying for him. Thor couldn't believe that this was the childhood Loki ended up living. It hurt to know that his brother might never get his happy ending…
"Well then, I think it'll be soon," he responds, staring up at a panel of windows as the clouds shift to reveal the moon. In the lighting of the city around it, the moon looks blue.
"That is not what you should be saying right now," Clint groans. Sure, he doesn't like to guy, but he sure as hell didn't want to see him die. Especially not by a tiger.
Something crashes behind the two causing Atsushi to jump off of the crate. "What? I just heard something back there!"
"Yes, me too," the brunette doesn't seem as scared as one would think a person who was about to face off against a tiger should be.
"How can he be so calm in this situation?" Steve questioned. He couldn't fathom being this calm in the face of danger. It was unthinkable to him.
Atsushi seems to believe the same thing with his frantic response, "It's probably the tiger, Dazai!"
Dazai is now staring directly at Atsushi. "Not quite. I think the wind just knocked something down."
"It's the maneater! It tracked me down to eat me!" Dazai's words do not affect the terrified orphan.
None of them can fault Atsushi for his outburst. After all, if it had been them in this situation they'd have had a similar or worse reaction to his.
Dazai slams the book shut, "Calm down, Atsushi." The man's eyes are closed but the intensity of action was enough to stop Atsushi in his terror-filled rant. "Tigers don't suddenly appear out of nowhere."
"Maybe, but that doesn't negate the fact that this is a tiger you are hunting down," Thor states. "I might not understand what a tiger is but I can tell that it is dangerous. So you should never underestimate what it could do."
No one could disagree with him, he was right after all. It's the same with any other battle situation. Never underestimate your opponent, otherwise, you might end up dead.
Even if Atsushi stopped shouting that didn't mean he lost his fear of the situation he ended up involved in. "How do you know that for sure!"
"Because something's not right with your story."
Natasha focuses more intently. She has her theories, but she has nothing to say if they have barrings. She wants to know if any of her theories could have weight.
"Huh?" Atsushi was confused. He told the truth, so what was wrong with his story?
"Just because their finances went south, why would an orphanage banish a poor helpless child?" As Dazai speaks, the moon becomes more visible, shining light over Atsushi. "It's not in some provincial farming village from a bygone era. Banishing 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 orphanage."
Tony's eyes widen. Why didn't he pick up on that? It felt like something so simple, something that should have been easy to pick up on.
Steve, on the other hand, wasn't surprised that he didn't pick up on that being unusual. Back in the 40's, it made sense, but that was due to the depression.
Dazai finally gets down from his stack of crates, coming to stand in front of Atsushi, even at a distance.
"I don't understand," Atsushi is confused and scared. "What are you talking about, Dazai?"
The man in question takes on a slightly lecturing tone, "Think about it. You came to the city two weeks ago." Atsushi turns to face the moon which is almost fully uncovered, as if in a trance.
"Why does it look like he's in a trance?" Clint finally questioned. Like he said before, he could care less about the boy, but that look made him uncomfortable.
"The tiger also appeared in the city two weeks ago and you told us you were in the Tsunami ward just four days ago. According to reports, the tiger was also sighted there four days ago."
That's when it hit everyone like a ton of bricks. Atsushi was–
The moon reflects off of Atsushi's eyes as the boy continues to stare intensely. "Remember what Kunikida said? The Armed Detective Agency is comprised of individuals with supernatural powers."
Atsushi's heart beats faster as the whites of his eyes glow yellow, his pupils dilating. He groans and whines in pain, clutching at his face.
Atsushi was the tiger… But then why would have have risked going there with Dazai? Sure, the reward was shown to be the reason, but if he was the tiger he wouldn't be the one getting it. That would be Dazai for catching him. So then why?
"Well-known in fact, quite a few people possess supernatural abilities in this world," Dazai continues to speak even as Atsushi is in pain.
"Some people use their abilities to achieve great success while others fall into ruin, unable to control their powers." As Dazai is explaining, Atsushi's body changes. His arms and legs bulk up, shredding his clothes as claws form where nails used to be.
It's like the werewolves from Twilight, Tony thinks. He doesn't dare speak it aloud. It would not have gone over well with Thor, at all. Tony liked his body in one piece, thank you very much. Thor wouldn't know what he was talking about but the fact his brother was in pain, he wouldn't take anyone joking without showing them why they shouldn't. The Norns might stop him from doing any harm, but Tony wasn't going to take that chance.
"I'm guessing the orphanage staff knew who the tiger was but out of fear they declined to enlighten you." Where the boy used to stand, now stood an albino tiger, bigger than normal ones.
Bruce gasps, "An albino tiger." He was amazed. Never in his life had he thought he'd get to see an albino tiger. Sure, it wasn't right in front of him but that didn't change the beauty of it.
"You were the only one in the dark, Atsushi. You see, you also have supernatural powers," the tiger, Atsushi, growls getting ready to pounce. "In the moonlight, you can transform into a wild beast." Dazai doesn't seem too concerned, even as Atsushi pounces toward him.
When the tiger was about to slice him, the man jumped into the air landing well behind where he once stood. Instead of flesh, the tiger rips into the concrete floor.
"Okay," Tony nods. "Turns out we're now seeing how Dazai is going to not die."
Natasha says nothing. Not because there isn't any comment she wants to make toward Tony, but because she was positively giddy with the knowledge her first theory had been correct. She wasn't exactly paying attention to what was happening around her, but she knew exactly what the threads were showing.
Dazai bounces from spot to spot for a moment, avoiding the tigers' claws each time.
"An impressive display. You could snap a person's neck," Dazai hops onto a stack of crates, jumping off before Atsushi slams through them.
Clint groans. Why did he have to express his suicidal tendencies during a time like this? He wasn't irritated by it, but this simply wasn't the time. Well, it was never the time, but it was always going to be an uncomfortable situation.
"You could tear a man's heart from his chest." When Dazai lands he extends his foot behind him, sliding until he hits the wall. Atsushi jumps through the dust, aiming straight for the detective.
Thor agrees with Clint, even if he doesn't know what the archer is thinking. He had gotten used to Dazai's… tendencies, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear it this much.
"Come to think of it, this isn't a bad way to meet my doom," he removes his hands from his pockets, something that he hadn't done the entire 'fight'. "Being eaten by a tiger. But even all your strength can't kill me."
Dazai's once-clenched fist opens as a ring of light shines from his fingertips. The tiger takes one last leap before he mauls the brunette. "My ability is, 'No Longer Human," the man states softly while extending a single finger, touching it to Atsushi's nose. The light shines all around the tiger's body, surrounding it.
No Longer Human? What a weird name for an ability. That didn't give them any ideas on what it could do, though.
"My power allows me to reverse anyone else's power. It works through a simple touch."
"Huh, that's rather useful," Steve nods.
"Well," Tony starts. "Only if your main opponent list has abilities. Otherwise, it is pretty useless." Steve wants to chastise the man but can't. Tony was right.
The light consumes Atsushi before shattering, leaving the boy's normal, human body to slowly fall toward the ground. He ends up landing on Dazai's chest and is passed out.
"If you're flirting," Dazai begins before throwing the boy to the side, letting him fall face-first onto the floor. "I'm not interested."
Clint and Tony smirk, both for very different reasons.
Clint thought it was amusing that Atsushi was just thrown to the floor.
Tony, however, thought Dazai's statement was amusing. To him, Dazai felt like a classic womanizer, just a different kind than what Tony used to be. Yes, he is a former womanizer. He has a girlfriend, thank you very much.
"There you are Dazai!" Kunikida is heard and when Dazai looks up he can see the blonde running toward them.
They startle. They hope they'll get used to Kunikida randomly shouting, but they also believe they'll end up with more people doing that soon.
Dazai has to irritate the man, "You're late, Kunikida. I've captured our predator." He turns to the boy still lying on the floor as Kunikida stops next to his partner.
"What do you mean? It's the boy?" He is confused, he hadn't expected that turn of events.
"Yep, he can change into a deadly tiger."
Kunikida sighs, "Oh geez." Dazai turns to the man who now has a frustrated look on his face as he holds up the note Dazai had given him a the teashop. "What was with this note, huh?"
"Oh," Bruce adjusts his glasses. "I had been curious about what information Dazai gave Kunikida. It wasn't anything about his suspicions of Atsushi being the tiger based on his reaction."
Dazai reads, "The tiger will be in the 15th district's warehouse. Secure the perimeter so that it can't escape. My lovely and concise note!" Dazai tries to act as if it wasn't his handwriting.
"You left out one vital detail. Next time you better tell me what's going on." Kunikida grumbles. "Thanks to you I brought in agents who weren't even on call!"
They realized that meant they were going to meet some other agents.
"I wonder what the other agents are like," Thor grins. His thoughts were valid, if Kunikida and Dazai acted like this, what would the others be like?
Dazai turns to the entrance of the building as three silhouettes walk toward the light. "First rounds on you," the blonde states.
A boyish giggle is heard as someone in light blue overalls hops over to Atsushi's unconscious body. "Hey!"
"It's a child," Steve exclaimed.
Natasha nods, "I'd estimate he'd be around fourteen."
A man walks forward calmly while a woman's heels click behind him.
"Please don't tell me there are no casualties," the woman appears with her purple hair and golden butterfly hairclip. "Talk about boring."
"No casualties is boring to her?" Bruce was a doctor, even if he wasn't legally one. He knows enough to help in situations like that, but he has never heard of someone not liking the fact there were no casualties.
"You've gotten better at solving cases, Dazai," the man is shown in a stereotypical detective's outfit. "But, my logical skills will solve the big ones."
"He's a bit cocky," Steve glances at Tony, thinking the two would feed off each other's ego.
Tony, however, wasn't thinking about that. "He looks like a classic detective. Watch him be one of the founding members or best agent."
The boy in overalls kneels beside Atsushi, showing he has blonde hair with a straw hat hanging on the back of his neck. "He's not dead. What are we gonna do with him when he wakes up? He didn't know he could do this, did he?"
"Apparently, or so it seems. Now what, Dazai" Kunikida asks. "He's been designated a security threat."
That was something Thor understood. Security threat. He doesn't want his brother to be killed for something he couldn't control. By the Norns, please let Atsushi be alright.
Dazai chuckles lowly, drawing attention to himself. "I've already made my decision." He looks back at the boy lying on the floor with a soft look.
Dazai remembers back to what Atsushi said before he transformed.
"They called me a good-for-nothing at the orphanage as far back as I can remember. And now I don't even know where I'll sleep tonight or how I'll get through tomorrow. No one would mind if I died in a ditch somewhere and just disappeared forever. Yeah, maybe I would be better off getting eaten by a tiger."
Turning back to his coworkers, Dazai states, "We're going to make him one of us."
"Hmm," Natasha hums. "Understandable, take in the threat and let him be useful instead of putting him away."
"There's also the fact that it would give him a reason to stay alive," Tony states, clicking his tongue.
"Cool!" The blonde boy exclaims while the other three are flabbergasted.
"Seriously?" The woman asks.
"Dazai," the detective starts. "You are an idiot."
"Huh!" Kunikida shouts, waving his 'ideal' notebook in frustration.
Tony snickers. All those reactions were understandable in this situation.
Even as Kunikida shouts at the man, the blonde boy pats Atsushi's head softly. "There, there, my little weird tiger friend."
"Little weird tiger friend?" Clint mutters. He doesn't laugh even though he wants to. How else was he supposed to react? That was not what he had been expecting, but considering the boy was about fourteen he really should have.
"Up, Atsushi!" Dazai shouts stopping Kunikida's rant short.
'Here in a city teeming with the supernatural. In the Detective Agency full of eccentrics, a strange tale's about to unfold. This is only a sign of things to come. A premonition. It starts now.' As Dazai thinks this, everyone is shown with their own reactions to what's unfolding.
Atsushi groans, slowly waking up, "H-hello?" He mumbles, sitting up and facing the blonde boy. "Who are you?"
"Atsushi," Dazai draws the boy's attention. "Do you remember anything from when you where transformed?"
Atsushi faces the brunette fully confused. "What are you talking about?"
Dazai's eyes widen a bit. "Oh, look at that," he points at the boy. "Your right hand didn't change back."
"Uh oh," Tony groans. "Que the freak out."
"My right hand?" He trails off, lifting his still-transformed hand, and flexing it a few times before jumping back. He screams, waving his arm frantically. "What the-! What is this?! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!"
Tony hates that he was right this time. That was a very intense reaction from Atsushi and he didn't know if it could get worse for the boy in the future.
"Atsushi Nakajima," Dazai's firm voice brings the boy back to his senses, calming him down somewhat. He finally takes note of everyone before him, not having noticed them in his terrified state. "From this day forward, you're going to be one of us. You're the new member of the Armed Detective Agency." While Dazai seems proud of his statement, Atsushi folds in on himself in confusion.
"And what?"
Snickers ring through the room. Of course, that would be his reaction. What other reaction should Atsushi have to be told he got a job he hadn't applied for? Joy? No, that would be even weirder, that's for sure.
If that's the beginning of Loki's story as Atsushi Nakajima then they wonder what was to come.
Clint stands by his hatred of the man, but this seems interesting. So, he could continue to watch even if it involved Loki in his new life. Hopefully, he didn't have to come to terms with that hatred.