The Ghost: Chapter One
Sonata: Wassup?
Yami: -groans-
Sonata: Well, no need to contain your excitement!
Yami: Sorry, it's just that I'm rather bored...
Sonata: Wow, really feeling the love here! (sarcasm)
Tony: Hey hey hey, why is YAMI getting all the screen time?
Sonata: Well, it's because I have a surprisingly hard time socializing with the other Avengers.
Clint: Stark, you're needed on the Helicarrier.
Natasha: Ms Raye, you may not publish this story unless you complete the following. -hands Sonata a REALLY REALLY long list of requirements and a contract.
Sonata: 0.0 Uhh... does that have to be now?
Natasha: Yes.
Sonata: … Fine. -goes off to a separate room to fill out papers and mutters something about stupidity and SHIELD-
Yami: Well, now that that's over with, Sonata doesn't own Avengers, or any of it's affiliations.
Sonata: HEY! I WAS SUPPOSED SAY THAT! Wait... why am I mad?
(Note: Only minor changes this chapter.)
As I finished my cartwheel, I leaped into the air and spun while throwing four shuriken (ninja stars) from each hand. I flipped while still in the air and landed on one hand. I looked at my targets. One star was out of place... I needed more practice. I sighed and gathered my stars and was about to begin again, but I was stopped by my boss- Nick Fury.
"Agent Mikazuki, I need you to stop glaring at me and start listening. I have a job for you." My ears perked up at that. I haven't been on a mission in ages.
"So, who am I supposed to 'coerce'?" I asked with a bored tone, trying to conceal my excitement.
"Nobody. I need you to protect someone." I looked at my boss with shock (hardly hidden this time). "Is there a problem?" He asked with a quirked brow.
"No sir, it's just that I thought that it would be something more... interesting than baby-sitting." I replied with a raised brow of my own.
"Well Agent, this 'baby-sitting' is making sure that this man doesn't become stressed, angry and protecting his life." He said, his face never showing any expression (except for maybe boredom).
"Wow, this is sounding even more exciting~." I said, with my voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Maybe this will change your mind." He said while tossing me a file and a tablet. I caught both deftly.
I opened the file and immediately wondered what anyone would want with this graying man. That was, until I read the rest. I flipped through the pages, completely immersed and becoming more and more surprised the further I read.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect that." I said with a blank face, effectively hiding my newfound excitement.
"There's more." He said while gesturing to the tablet. I picked it up and played the video on the page shown (not without apprehension).
As soon as it was over, I 'hmphed' and said, "Well, that wasn't something you see everyday."
"You haven't heard of the Hulk before?" Fury asked me.
"No, I hadn't." I shook my head. "But now I have."
"Well, as you read, his powers came about through a Super Soldier Serum replication experiment gone wrong. Very wrong."
"Yes, I saw that. But that was an interesting concept- gamma radiation as the solution to one of the longest running mysteries. Next to Rasputin's death, of course."
"I'm sorry, Rasputin?" Fury looked quite confused.
"History joke."
"So.. will you comply, or will I have to find someone else?" He asked with impatience laced in his words.
"Well, considering the likelihood of anyone else accepting, and the damage he could cause if he were unwatched. Alright." I said with a smirk.
"Are you sure? You might not return from this mission if you're not careful." He said as though he were talking about the weather.
"Yes, after all, what kind of ninja would I be if I backed down from every challenge?" I said with every bit of confidence.
"Very good, you will be flying out in two days." Just as he was about to leave, I stopped him.
"When will I be debriefed?" I asked.
"On the way there." He finally left.
"Thought he would never leave..." I thought glumly. "Maybe now I can actually practice." I thought as I threw three stars at one target. All of which hit the centre.
As we flew above the Atlantic, Agent Romanov debriefed me on my mission.
"So, do you have any questions?" She asked me.
"No, thank you." Agent Barton entered the sitting area of the quinjet.
"Agent Mikazuki, we will be landing soon. Nat, they'll need your help in landing the thing." Agent Romanov nodded, and quickly said to me:
"Agent Mikazuki, when you return, try not to turn all the targets to tatters." She said with a smirk.
"No promises, Agent Romanov." I grinned.
It had been three months since I arrived in Calcutta, and Dr. Banner was, quite simply, boring. He had the same routine that any other doctor would. If they lived here, that is. I leaned back against the headboard of my bed and sighed. "Why on earth was I placed here? It seems that none of the good doctor's enemies know he's here, so I'm not needed, am I?" I thought with yet another sigh. I decided to stop behaving so gloomily, so I sat up and walked over to my telescope and peered through it.
"Hmm... Anything noteworthy tonight?" I wondered humourlessly. Just as I was about to bring my telescope up to look at the stars, (or the lack thereof) I saw something. I tilted it back down and saw a man with a very large bundle heading towards Dr. Banner's home. I pulled my telescope away from the window and pulled on my boots. Afterwards, I slid my window open, hopped onto the window sill and leaped for the roof (while closing the window with my feet). As I grabbed the roof, I hoisted myself up and did a brief handstand then landed back on my feet. I promptly dashed across the rooftops until I came to Dr. Banner's roof. I soon saw the same 'inconspicuous-yet-completely-conspicuous' man with the bundle. I crouched down and blended in with roof. He seemed to be merely looking through the window, and then walked away.
"Did I get worked up over nothing?" I wondered while feeling rather annoyed at the prospect having wasted my time. That was until I saw him making his way to a house across the street.
"Where are you going now?" I wondered as I watched him. I waited for a bit, then saw him in one of the rooms... setting up a sniper rifle. I clenched and un-clenched my fist.
"There's no way you're going to kill this man. Not on my watch." I thought confidently. "But then, it's not like he even could." I realized with a frown. "He would turn green, but that would be about it. Wait! That could be his motive!" I realized and hurriedly made my way across the street (but still quietly) and snuck up into the room the sniper was in. I quietly walked behind him (not too close though).
"Hello, what are you doing up here?" I asked him. "Blast! I forgot to use the accent!" I remembered worriedly. He jumped in surprise. When he turned towards me, he was glaring.
"I could ask you the same thing. What's a British tourist doing here?" He asked with a raised brow.
"Oh, me? I'm merely... SHIELD Agent Yami Mikazuki. You are under arrest for attempted assault on a person under the protection of SHIELD." I said, assuming a professional air. His rage grew.
"What does SHIELD want with the Hulk?" He asked venomously.
"None of your business." I said while moving to apprehend him, but unfortunately, he grabbed my wrist, spun me around and pulled it behind my back.
"If you think I'll go down that easily, you have another thing coming." He remarked icily.
"Actually, I was prepared for this sort of thing." I replied right before stomping on his foot (since he's too tall for me to hit his jaw with my head), elbowed his stomach and turned back around for a roundhouse kick, thus knocking him out. I cuffed him, and left him on the floor.
"Agent Williams, I have apprehended a who has... questionable items in his possession. Most of which were probably illegally obtained." I said into my comm.
"Alright, I'm tracking you right now, and I'll meet you there." The man replied.
"Very good, thank you."
Soon after, we met behind the building and he took the sniper away. Once that was all over with, I went back to my home, and rested. And that was probably the most eventful thing that happened during my first three months there.
A couple months later, I noticed the good doctor being followed. The 'stalkers' weren't even being very subtle about it. I bounded after them from my bench (without blowing my cover), and walked along the street. As I neared the stalkers, I pretended to trip once I was near enough, and they were startled.
"Ow! My ankle! I think I twisted it!" I said while using the American accent. Two of the stalkers came to me and were a little worried. "Huh... Maybe they aren't all that bad..."
"Are you alright?" One of them asked.
"No, I'm not alright! My ankle's twisted!" Goodness, I sounded whiny.
"Here, let me check- I am a doctor after all." My eyes widened in shock when I realized that the one talking to me now was Dr. Banner. "I'm dead once Fury hears about this."
"A-are you sure?" I asked while still making myself sound American.
"Of course. Here, lean on me and I'll get you to a bench." The stalkers had left since staying any longer would make them obvious.
"Thank you." He helped me get to a bench that wasn't anymore than a few yards away. Once we got there, he sat me down on it and lifted my legs onto it.
"Which ankle?" He asked me.
"The left one." I answered while faking a hiss at having it moved.
"Okay, tell me if this hurts." He said while poking and prodding my ankle. It actually did hurt a bit- maybe I really twisted it.
"Ow ow ow..." I said with a real grimace on my face.
"Now here." He said while poking a different area of my ankle. I let out a hiss.
"Yeah, it's twisted alright. Come on, I'll take you to my place so that I can wrap it." Outwardly, I smiled at him thankfully, but inwardly I was berating myself relentlessly. "Wonderful, I have a twisted ankle. One word: unprofessional. Definitely dead now."
After a few minutes we reached his home, and he had a bit of trouble opening the door (especially since I was leaning on him). When we were inside he helped me get to a couch and left me there for a bit. While he was away, I decided to analyze my surroundings. It was a pretty small home when compared to my apartment (how curious). It only had three rooms, a bedroom, kitchen and the main living area (which was where I was). The living area had one couch, a little stool and a small table. Bookshelves lined the walls, and books about various sciences filled them.
Soon, the doctor returned and he started wrapping my ankle.
"So, um... Wh-what's an American doing here?" He asked me nervously. I rose my eyebrow at this, then I remembered that I was using the American accent.
"Oh, I'm a researcher. I'm studying several plants here to see if they would be good for creating medicines, their properties and basically more stuff to fill textbooks on Botany." I said with a shrug. It was getting rather hard to ignore the pain.
"I see." He seemed relieved that I wasn't... something else. Probably a SHIELD agent... Oh well. This man was rather paranoid, but I didn't put it past him. How would you feel if you turned into a big, green monster every time you got angry or stressed?
"I'm currently studying the *Bignoniaceae of the asterids specie* to see if it has any healing potential." Dr. Banner let out a quiet 'hmm'.
"That's interesting." He said dully.
"Yes, it is." We- well, I sat in awkward silence as he wrapped my foot. I was relieved once he was done.
"Be sure to keep weight off of that foot, and if the pain is too much, you can come here and I'll give you some pain-killers." He said while showing me to the door.
"Okay, thank you. Um.. How much do I owe you?" I asked him tentatively.
"Nothing. All I did was wrap your foot." He smiled.
"Are you sure? I must have been a bother. At least take this." I said while handing him what equaled (approximately) $25 in the area's currency.
"No, really, it's fine."
"I insist. And I won't leave until you take it." He sighed and took what equaled about $5. I raised my eyebrow at him, and he took what was the equivalent of $10.
"Go ahead and take the rest." I said while handing him the rest.
"No, that's all I'll take." He said with an exhasperated tone. I shook my head, and smiled. This guy was really adamant about not taking payment. Or at least, what payment he deserved.
"Alright then, what can I do to fully thank you?" I asked him.
"Nothing. You owe me nothing."
"Alright then." I sighed, then smiled at the good man. "Goodnight, Doctor...?" I knew his name, but he didn't know that.
"Banner- Bruce Banner." He held out his hand for me to shake.
"Pleased to meet you, Dr. Banner. My name is Rei Minazuki." I said while giving him one of my aliases. I took his hand and shook it firmly.
"Well, if you ever need anything, you know where to find me." He said still smiling.
"Yeah, let's hope it's not because I accidentally made my ankle worse or something." I said with a toothy grin.
"Let's hope not." He grimaced.
"Well, goodnight, and thank you again, doctor." I said with a wave and left his 'home'. I let out a sigh once I was out of earshot. 'Oh dear... I really mucked it up this time... I'm quite out of practice... Fury better not complain since it's his fault." I thought as I headed towards my hotel.
"Six months... Six bloody months! I swear, how much longer is SHIELD going to keep me here!? Sure, the good doctor's nice enough, but that isn't enough! After people saw how easily I took down their second best sniper, they've left him alone! Eurgh, maybe I'll pay him a visit... I've nothing better to do anyway." I thought as I left my room. Seeing him usually helped me calm down anyway. As soon as I left the hotel, someone contacted me on my comm.
"Agent Mikazuki, we need you to bring in the doctor within the next month." I stopped dead in my tracks.
After the incident with my ankle, we often met for dinner, hikes through the forests, or even just meeting to talk. Naturally, we became friends. Good friends. I couldn't betray him, not after all this time.
"Agent Mikazuki?"
"Alright." But I had to do it.
Sonata: FINALLY! That stupid list Natasha gave me was SO FREAKING LONG! Oh, and please note that in my story Bruce is quite a bit younger.
Tony: Hm, I guess we wouldn't really want sort-of pedophilia happening.
Bruce: -glares at Tony-
Tony: Come on, Science Bro, you know I didn't mean it! By the way, are you any closer to 'hulking-out'?
Yami: -rolls her eyes- He's not gonna 'hulk-out' so long as we're in Sonata's room. She really doesn't want it to be destroyed.
Sonata: -nods- Please review!