It was already night and the black vehicle cruised along the dusty backroads. Raizen sat in the back seat arms crossed eyes closed but fully aware of his surroundings. Coulson drove in silence while Natasha Romanoff "Black Widow" sat beside him occasionally glancing at a tablet tracking gamma readings.
They were hunting signs of Dr. Bruce Banner whose fluctuating energy signature had reappeared. SHIELD believed that locating him might complete the next step of the Avengers Initiative. And will help them see all of Raizen's cards.
Suddenly the vehicle let out a low mechanical groan and rolled to a stop near an open field by a small lake.
Coulson: "Damn it. Looks like a coolant issue. Give me a few minutes."
He stepped out lifting the hood and clicking his comm for an update from HQ. Natasha followed checking the tires and sensors.
Raizen uninterested, quietly stepped away and walked toward the serene lake that shimmered under the stars. His shoes made no sound on the grass as he reached the edge.
A breeze rustled the nearby trees. The moon glistened above.
Raizen (thinking): Konoha...
Footsteps.
He didn't need to look to know it was her.
Natasha: "You always this quiet?"
Raizen: "You always this curious?"
Natasha: "Occupational hazard. You're not an easy read Raizen."
He turned slightly one eye catching her reflection in the lake's surface.
Raizen: "That's intentional."
She walked closer hands in her jacket pockets wearing a soft smile casual but calculated. The kind of approach honed from years of psychological warfare.
Natasha: "Most try too hard to impress me or are after my body. You don't do either. Makes me wonder… what gets through that brain of yours?"
Raizen was silent. Natasha came closer to him
Natasha: "Don't tell me your not attracted to my beauty...or are you gay?"
He didn't flinch. But something shifted in his presence.
He turned fully now facing her golden slit eyes unreadable in the moonlight. Then without warning, he vanished. A whisper of motion and she was pinned against a tree.
Both her hand were held by Raizen above her head. She tried to free herself but it was of no use.
Raizen: "If I wanted you, Agent Romanoff... you could not resist, don't mistake my patience for weakness."
Natasha: calm but voice lowered "Testing boundaries. Reading reactions. You passed. Impressive."
Raizen: "Don't provoke a dragon Romanoff."
His words were calm but they carried the weight of someone who had walked through wars and crushed legends. A beat passed.
Natasha: "Is that what you are? A dragon?"
Raizen: "Think what you want"
He stepped back releasing the tension. The silence returned but the stillness remained broken.
Natasha adjusted her jacket hiding the slight shake in her fingers. She had faced many people but Raizen had just reminded her what it meant to feel truly outmatched.
Natasha: "Coulson's almost done. We'll be back on the road soon."
Raizen turned his gaze back to the lake.
Raizen: "Good."
She left him alone after that, walking back to the vehicle. As she disappeared into the darkness, Raizen looked up at the stars again a slight smirk pulling at his lips.
Raizen (thinking): Fu*k, I was so close to loosing my cool image.
----
Back at the car Coulson finished up the repair.
Coulson: "We're good to go. Anything happen?"
Natasha: "Just a minor... recalibration."
Raizen stepped back into the vehicle silently eyes calm again. The engine purred back to life and the night resumed its course except now an invisible line had been drawn between them.
One of respect.
One of warning.
[Author Note]
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