Author's Note : RedRosey10 mentioned a lack of Tokyo ghoul/Avenger crossovers on Tokyo Ghoul x Avengers one-shots. So here I am.

Misplacement

by: Finary Lane

It was no question that Natasha Romanova was a beautiful woman. She was all citrus-scented shampoo and dangling diamond earrings when she caught Mirumo Tsukiyama's attention. But that had been three days ago, and now she stood under the water pouring from the shower head of the Ghoul Restaurant. It was a rare and subtle horror that made her shiver under the warm water. Her lemon scent, her shadowy makeup, the entire persona she had made for this operation was being slowly washed and drained away. How clever of them.

Steeling herself against the coming task, she dressed herself in the blouse and pants provided by the Restaurant. She had her tricks, and managed to sneak in a few knives, but with the security and control over her clothing, she hadn't dared risk more. She would have to, at least in part… improvise. She went through a few possible scenarios in her mind, but it was difficult to determine any real plan due to her lack of information.

Indeed, it had been quite some time since S.H.I.E.L.D. had come to know of the Ghoul restaurant. But knowledge about Japan's ghouls was hard to come by, let alone about such a specific and secretive organisation. As if the ghouls themselves weren't secretive enough, what with the masks and the need for secrecy in order for them to hunt, the CCG and the state of Japan both kept tight lids on the information about them and what little was to be found was of dubious origins. For once, S.H.I.E.L.D. could not provide much information.

However, they could provide some. They knew there was a Ghoul Restaurant. And although most members were difficult to track, the Tsukiyamas were… less than subtle. Natasha, as much as she would hate to admit it, was nervous. Frightened, even. They had spent months waiting for information, but the trickle of details was slow and insufficient. She needed to take down the Ghoul Restaurant from the inside on too little information, in a territory she knew too little about and against enemies she understood too little. It was nerve wracking knowing so little, but she would be damned if she let her facade crack.

She observed the windowless hallways they passed bemusedly and refused the offered refreshments, knowing, not from reports but from experience, that they were poisoned. Or at the very least spiked with something. She idly wondered if eating a poisoned human would be lethal to a ghoul as she stared at the ceiling. Anytime now.

She waited. And waited. Her eyes had scoured over every surface and she had catalogued every potentially useful bit of knowledge when she finally admitted to herself that she was bored out of her wits. She could barely hear something in the distance, but couldn't make out what it was. Wary of being watched and blowing her cover, she simply listened more closely. It sounded like a scuffle… Perhaps some other human was up and giving a fight. She blanched at the suggestive squelching and scream. Well then. One more human life on her conscience. Joy.

But then another scream came. And another. Soon, there was a cacophony of screaming and the air was vibrant with the tension of massacre. There was no way they had that many people in just one night, right? Of course not, she told herself, that would catch the attention of the CCG far too quickly. Could it be the CCG taking down the Ghoul Restaurant?

"What..." she whispered to herself. Looking around herself, she found that she was no more free to leave as she was an hour ago. No windows, no vents. A single bolted shut door. This was getting unnerving. Something was very, very wrong. She felt like a schoolgirl finding herself in the wrong hallway on the first day of school. Where was everyone? What was going on and why wasn't she at the centre of it?

The sounds died out, but the tension still filled the air. She was trapped. She forced herself to breathe. The door slowly unlocked and opened to reveal a young man standing before.

"Good evening, Frau Romanoff," he bowed dramatically, "Deepest apologies for the wait."

What impatience had found its way into Natasha dissolved as she came to several realizations. First, she had a way out. Second, the man before her was most certainly a ghoul, with that mask covering his face. Third, with that dress and behaviour he must be at least in some way related Mirumo. Shuu, she recalled from a previous conversation with him. It must be his son. She donned her persona with ease as she noticed the blood staining his suit.

"With such sincere apologies, how could I hold it against you? But of course, I must say I was expecting Mirumo, Mr...?"

Playing dumb was a marvellous way of having someone underestimate you.

"Mr. MM, if you please. Now please come this way."

She felt her muscles tense. It was happening now. She would figure out whatever had happened later. She would need to be prepared for the fight coming up. Shuu opened a door and beckoned her forward. She slipped a hidden knife into her hand as she stepped forward.

And felt like a fool as the door closed behind her, leaving her in the empty japanese street, knife blatantly in sight. Taking a look around at the lamp posts and garbage cans littering the street, she put away her knife. As she did so, she noticed another figure slipping out of the same building she came from. He was dressed in black covered in blood and wore a leather mask. A single eye blazing red, he licked blood off his fingers.

A ghoul. And she had thought she had been less than subtle. A righteous hatred bubbled in her gut, surprising her. He must have been the cause of the screaming earlier. And with that much blood...What did he do? Eat an orphanage? Jeez, no wonder the CCG had such a hard time. These people were crazy. And the ghoul before her seemed awfully pleased himself. Their eyes locked. An awkward silence passed.

"Yo," he greeted. More silence.

"Yo..." Natasha returned, her gaze full of judgment and questions.

"...you aren't screaming," he pointed out.

"Indeed not," she replied, unimpressed.

The silence was beyond awkward as neither knew what to make of the other. They would both endanger each other. Neither could walk away easily, nor were they eager for a fight if it wasn't necessary. The masked man broke the silence first again, his thoughts spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"So, um, what are you doing here tonight?"

Natasha wanted to facepalm. Who started small talk in such a situation? Still, she played along, if only to gain new information. Everything about this operation was going sideways, anyways. And with no one around, this was a perfect opportunity to take wheedle out some information while she was alone with a ghoul. She could salvage something from this mess.

"My date took me to this restaurant," she answered.

"Oh," he shuffled awkwardly, "I might have eaten your boyfriend."

Natasha took a moment to be amused by the statement before resolving to waste no more time and struck the stranger in the eye with a small but powerful dose of sedative, catching him off guard. He fell limp in her arms after a few moments.