Summary: The Super Soldier Serum undeniably had roots that connected it to demons. Super Soldiers weren't meant to exist, and Kagome, burying down her own personal feelings, resigns to accept that. She ends up being pulled from both sides of her heart when the man she's grown so fond of is framed for a bombing that was orchestrated by her vengeful uncle.

Pairing: Bucky/Kagome [+ other implied pairs.]

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Note:
Flashbacks are written in bulk Italics.
Kagome is Zemo's niece in this.

Chapter One

Concerned shone in her eyes as she once again tried to dial a number that she'd been calling at least twice weekly, and it now fully plagued her call log. She paid attention to her surroundings using her senses as she walked and searched through her phone's contacts, eventually finding it in between names she never called anymore, yet kept saved all the same.

She waited with baited breath as it rang, only to feel a surge of sorrow and disappointment when it was sent to voicemail. She had it happen so often that she'd begun to figure that he'd never listen to her voicemails, so she'd since stopped leaving them. Today she decided differently, in hopes that it might work this time, despite never having such luck before.

"Uncle Helmut… I," she paused, silently cursing herself when she realized she didn't even know what to say in the message. "I-I've been trying to get in touch with you for the past year. When I lost Mama, Souta, and grandpa you were there for me, and I-I just wanna be able to do the same for you. I-I'm worried about you." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Whenever you're ready to talk, day or night, I just want you to know that I'm here. I'll drop everything and come to you."

She sighed softly and hung up her phone, glaring silently at it. She knew it wasn't her phone's fault, but she couldn't help but feel angry at it. She knew her genuine intentions could only go so far through a phone call, and sometimes that wasn't easy to pick up, unlike during an in-person conversation. There were so many things that couldn't travel through a phone call.

A hand reaching for her own took her by her surprise, but only for a second. She turned and looked down at the figure walking beside her, offering him a small smile.

"Are you okay, Mother?" Shippo's concerned question made it clear as crystal that he'd been able to pick up on her disparaged mood. She hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Yes," she said after a brief pause. "I-I'm okay." She knew there was nothing she could do about her uncle, not until he was ready. All she could do was wait until that day came, whether it was tomorrow, or ten years from tomorrow. "He taught me patience, and I'll be sure to make good use of that until things can change."

She looked back at Shippo and felt her smile grow a bit bigger. It'd been a few months since he'd come to stay with her- this time permanently. He had grown as the years went by, but he was still young in appearance by human standards. She knew demons aged slowly, but she didn't expect it this much- not that she was really complaining about it, anyway.

He was about eight in appearances, and she could still carry him when the desire struck her, and she was content with that. Despite never willing to admit it, she was worried that after the five-hundred years had gone by he might've been closer to full grown.

Sesshoumaru had explained that, for full-demon children, every one hundred years was the same as a single year to a human for physical appearance. They grew slower in order for them to have the time to harness their powers as they grew into them. Once they grew to a certain age, dependent on demon species, their aging would slow even more.

She shook her head and grinned at him. "Anyway!" she exclaimed, and he perked up instantly. "Let's not worry about all that gloomy stuff," she said, turning forward. "I have only a few more errands to run, and then we can head back home, okay?"

"Okay!" Shippo exclaimed with matching enthusiasm. She giggled and squeezed his hand as they kept to the path they were heading.

They were about to head back to the shrine when she felt her phone ring. Kagome jumped at first, not expecting the device to go off, but she soon hurried to dig it from her bag. She had been hopeful to see her uncle's name flash across the screen, to no avail.

She hid her slight disappointment as she answered the call anyway.

"I haven't heard from you in a while, Sesshoumaru," she said upon answering. "What's going on?"

"I've managed to gather some information," he responded, and she perked up instantly.

"Yeah? Great!" She breathed a sigh of relief before continuing, "all the silence was really starting to wear me down, if I can be honest." She'd been worrying about the worst possible things, and she hoped the information Sesshoumaru had would be a bit positive. She had been worrying about Bucky, and on the chance that something could go wrong. It wasn't hard to tell she was fond of him- even a stranger could tell, she knew. "I'm out with Shippo right now, but how about we meet at that diner we went to last time?"

"That's fine," Sesshoumaru responded. "I'll meet you there, then."

Despite knowing he couldn't see it, she beamed as she nodded. "Okay!"

000

They made it to the diner not long before Sesshoumaru did, and they settled at a booth in the very back. Once ordering, and finally being left on their own by the waitress helping them, Sesshoumaru offered her the information he had gathered.

Kagome took it and went through it keenly. Although convoluted, she was able to make sense of part of it.

"In using demon DNA, they were able to create a sort of Super Soldier Serum?" she frowned and reread as Sesshoumaru waited for her to give her opinion. "How did they get it to work? Scratch that-" she said, " where did they even get the DNA?"

This told her what she needed to know, but it didn't tell her much else. Though she got her main answer, it had brought many more that she knew her companion wouldn't be able to answer.

They'd managed to isolate specific traits while removing the ones that couldn't mesh and leave an intact life. Boosted physical strength and physical limitations, boosted senses… those were basic traits all demons possessed, but… it shouldn't have worked.

"There have been many attempts to recreate the initial perfected sample, to no avail from what I've read," Sesshoumaru said. Kagome glanced at him from across the table. She could hear the disgust he spoke with, and she understood why he felt that way.

"The first successful example was Steve Rogers," Kagome said. She'd heard that name before on the news. It definitely sounded familiar. She shook her head, brushing off the thought altogether. "Why did it work for him, but not others?" she mused softly. There had to be a reason.

"There's more," he said, and Kagome hid her frown by looking back down. "I also allowed myself to do some research on than man you've grown so fond of."

Curiosity got the better of her, and she went through the rest of it. It wasn't much, not in comparison to the others, but there were some there. Incidents that painted a… bleak picture for her.

"... the Winter Soldier?" Her voice had gone cold. The few things he'd found were horrible, atrocious crimes, and it definitely weighed her heart down even more. She knew he carried his own burdens, but she never expected something to this extreme.

He had been an assassin.

"This is horrible," she said after taking a minute to compose herself. "I almost can't believe it, but…" she knew she couldn't deny it. Sesshoumaru wouldn't bring her false information. The demon was thorough, and he'd always make sure it was accurate. That's part of the reason why it took so long- it needed to be right.

She had never outright asked him what his past entailed, but she knew it weighed heavy on his shoulders. He wanted to move past it, and she was willing to help him through the pain he still felt from it. So… she had to try and convince herself that there was good within him- despite what he had done before he ever came to her.

She was a Miko after all. No matter what, she knew she had an oath to help humans who were in need of it. She was an odd Miko that cherished demon lives as well, but she was a Miko nonetheless.

The diner suddenly grew noisier, and it pulled Kagome from her thoughts. Not long after, Shippo's voice caused her to turn towards him.

"What's going on on the TV?"

The question caused a confused frown to appear on her face, and she looked to the TV in question. Everyone else in the diner had their focus glued to it as someone turned the volume up so that everyone was able to hear it over the murmurs coming from the gathered crowd.

It was a news report with footage of a bombing in a different country- in Vienna, Austria. Horror and grief painted her expression as she cupped her hands over her chest, instinctually giving a quiet prayer for the ones in danger.

"A bomb hidden inside a news van has ripped through the UN building in Vienna, Austria." All noise died down as a news anchor's voice accompanied the footage being played. "As of now, there are more than seventy people injured. There are at least twelve confirmed deaths, including Wakanda's King, T'Chaka."

She felt sick to her stomach when they flashed a black and white photo of the perceived instigator of the attack. She recognized him easily, but she couldn't accept it.

"Officials have just released a video of the suspect in question. They have identified him as James Buchanan Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier, the infamous HYDRA agent linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

"Bucky…?" she couldn't hide the horror from her voice, and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to push back her tears. It didn't work, and a few managed to slip out, making wet paths down her pallid cheeks. She felt Sesshoumaru's focus drift to her at the mention of the familiar name.

"Beings such as him cannot be allowed to exist," Sesshoumaru said, his voice lacking any sympathy. It was cold and casual, and it made her heart squeeze painfully in her chest.

"I-I know, but… He couldn't have done this…" Kagome denied, shaking her head as she tried to hold herself together, as to not break.

"Do you really think so after what you've read?" he challenged, and Kagome instantly flinched at his ice-like aura hitting her strongly, knowing he had a very valid point. Bucky's past as the Winter Soldier definitely painted a horrific picture, and it made all of this seem very plausible for him to do "If you cannot get rid of him, then I will handle it, so as to to save you the pain." It was an attempt from him to be merciful to her feelings, she knew that, but it sickened her even more.

"No!" Kagome cried, not that anyone paid her any mind. The entire diner still had their focus glued to the TV. "I-I'll do it," she said, her voice dying down. Tears returned to her eyes. This time she didn't bother to hold them back. "If someone has to do it, then it should be me."

It'd be easiest for her to find him, anyway. She didn't want to help him locate Bucky, only to have to stay and wait for him to get rid of him. She stood up, stone-faced, and looked at Shippo.

"Let's go home," she said, and she could see the worry in his eyes. He followed suit, however.

She knew he'd insist on coming with her, and she wasn't willing to try and change his mind. She'd make it work.

She took her time in packing everything she might need, and she set out the following morning.

She smoothed down her dark blue hakamas and readjusted her black kosode so it was closed properly, breathing a soft sigh. It wasn't the usual colors, but she greatly preferred them in order to have a bit of difference between her and the memory of Kikyo. She fixed her bow so it was over her shoulder and shook her head as she left her room.

When she reached the sitting room, she spotted the few who where waiting for her.

Despite her wishes, Sesshoumaru was going. If she failed, or decided she couldn't do it, then he'd take over for her. It was an ominous thought, and she couldn't shake the pain wrapping around her heart at the mere thought alone. She cleared her mind and looked at them.

This… This had to be done.

"Let's go," she said softly.

Sesshoumaru turned and left through the door, wordless just like he often was. Kagome looked at Shippo, and offered him a strained smile. Kirara leaped from his shoulder and into her arms, nuzzling against her in an attempt to comfort her some. She patted the top of her head in gratitude, and they finally left to rejoin Sesshoumaru outside.

Kirara phased into her larger form, allowing Kagome and Shippo to mount her back. Once seated on her and ready, Kagome spared Sesshoumaru a quick look.

They had come to an agreement, and he would uphold his end. He would not involve himself unless it became apparent she couldn't do it. Either way, it still left such an awful taste in her mouth.

Despite being quite familiar with his aura, something else more prevalent was guiding her right to him. It was remnant of her own aura, and she realized that he still had the pendant she'd given him. It made her feelings that much more complicated, and she tried to hide it from her demon companions.

Once she was certain she'd come to the right place, she urged Kirara down to the ground a few yards away. She got off her back, and glanced back at Sesshoumaru. He met her complicated blue with frigid gold, and she sighed under her breath.

"I'll be back after I take care of this," she said. Her heart was heavy as she said those words, as if the weight of her impending actions had finally settled around her. She felt angry, sad, and torn. She removed her bow from her shoulder and readied an arrow on the drawstring.

The arrows normally made of her energy would have no effect on him, even with the demon aura that came from him.

The arrow felt like lead in her hand, and she blinked away the tears she felt threatening to fall as she pushed herself into closing in on him. As she got closer, she could tell there were more there, and she prepared herself for a confrontation.

There was another with a similarly complicated aura like Bucky possessed, but there was also someone in there with a normal, human aura.

She was silent as she went. While facing demons in the past during her days of hunting for the jewel shards, she had become adept at being quiet on her feet. She managed to make it through the door without being heard, and she had her arrow strung tight against the bow as she rounded the last corner.

"Out of my way," she said. She tried to keep her voice strong, but now that things were suddenly so real, it was hard. Her words had been quiet, but they startled the men present easily. They never knew she was there, she realized. "This must be done," she added then. As if recognizing her voice, Bucky picked his head up and met her gaze. "... I'm sorry," she said.

He didn't look much different than when she'd last seen him. He was subdued, his metal arm trapped beneath a weight that left him trapped. It pained her to see him this way, and she knew it must've shown on her face.

"Super Soldiers cannot be allowed to exist," she said resolutely. "No matter who you are."

"Put the bow down, and let's talk this out." A figure came closer to her, and she knew it was the other man with the strange aura. She cut her eyes at him, distrust showing in blue pools. She felt the other person coming up on her other side, and she decided not to humor him.

She put a barrier up that blocked both of them from reaching her, and she let her grip on her arrow fall some as she lowered her arms.

"I'd rather not talk," she said. "I will at least be merciful. Other people- they will not," she said in a stern voice.

"What's your name?" The other man asked. "Name's Sam Wilson. Big guy on your left is Steve Rogers."

"..." She was silent in response, her gaze focused on Bucky. She saw a multitude of emotions flash through his eyes, and his free hand slowly went up to feel for the pendant around his neck.

"Kagome…" Bucky's voice was soft as he answered for her. "Her name is Kagome. She… she tends to a shrine in Japan."

She stayed stone-faced as he spoke.

"I never asked to know your past, but it's come to light now," she responded. "Bucky, you sought solace at my shrine and I gave it to you... but then the bombing-!" Her anger rose and she tightened her grip on the bow, despite refusing to draw her arrow back against it.

"He didn't do that," Steve said, and Kagome turned to face him.

"I didn't," Bucky said, and Kagome turned back to him. "I don't know how I can make you believe it, but I- I didn't do it."

Kagome frowned. She couldn't feel any sort of lie coming from him, or his companion, for that matter. But that meant nothing. If she didn't do something, then Sesshoumaru would.

Kagome dropped her bow at her side, letting the arrow drop entirely to the floor. Tears well in her eyes as she closed the distance to Bucky, and she stared down at him.

She didn't want to hurt him. The idea was starting to wear her down. She knew that she should follow through- Super Soldiers were a problem, and she couldn't humor their existence, but… she knew she didn't have it in her to do this. She had lost so many she cared for already, and she didn't want that list to grow any more.

"If I don't, then-" she cut herself off before she could finish her sentence. It felt like knives in her throat when she tried to say it.

She reached out, letting her bow hit the ground finally as she rested both hands on the sides of his face. She ignored the two onlookers and smiled wryly. "You kept it," she said, speaking about the pendant he wore.

A small smile flashed across his face. "... 'course I did," he responded. "It wasn't the same, but it still made it a little better."

She tried to ignore the lingering presence of tears in her eyes. When she closed her eyes, a few slipped free. "I just know I'm going to regret this decision," she whispered to herself. She felt Sesshoumaru approaching, and her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest. He could tell her doubt, and she knew she was out of time.

"I'm not going to let someone else kill you," she said quietly, her voice firm. "Even though I can't do it, not now, I refuse to leave the task to someone else."

She let go of him and lifted both hands as a large, pink barrier spread through the entire room. It blocked off the door from outside intruders. The three men present watched in awe and amazement as it cast a warm, pink glow through the room.

She whirled around and held a hand up, her barrier keeping Sesshoumaru from being able to get too close. She crafted an arrow out of her aura, pink sparkles forming in her empty palm. Her eyes narrowed as she picked her bow up and took aim at him, the pink, translucent arrow drawn tight against the drawstring.

"I refuse," she said, her voice resolute. "I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru. I can't do it, not now. I'd sooner kill you than let you hurt him."

"You're a fool allowing your emotions to blind you, Miko," Sesshoumaru sneered at her. "If you do not stand down, then I shall kill you as well. I do not wish to waste my energy on the likes of you." It was a warning that she refused to submit to.

"Too bad. I guess you'll have to kill me," she responded, her voice cold. "I wish you good luck, Lord Sesshoumaru."

Fire entered his eyes at her challenge. As strong as he may be, he couldn't get past her barrier- nor could he endure being burned by her spiritual energy. He gave her one last, parting glare. If she had been her old self, then she would have crumpled out of fear and intimidation, but she held her ground this time.

Sesshoumaru left with a sneer, and Kagome didn't move until his aura could no longer be felt. Eyes lingered on her, and she finally shrugged her shoulders, brushing off her prior disagreement with him.

"That could have gone a lot worse," she said after a second. "Just a mild squabble."

"Mild? Your friend is pissed," Sam said, and Kagome lowered her bow with a sigh.

"He's not my friend."

"He said he'd kill you," Bucky said, and Kagome snorted, seemingly unbothered by the idea at all.

"Eh," she shrugged, "not like it'd be his first attempt."

C.R: Kagome and Sesshoumaru are at a crossroads. She's taken a stand out of affection, but she still is in agreement that Super Soldiers shouldn't exist. She's in for a complicated road ahead.

They'll meet Shippo and Kirara in the next chapter.

Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed. Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~