Hello and welcome to chapter 4. Last time, the Horyus met Maria Hill and the Avengers and were offered a chance to join the famous superhero team, but were also forced to consider either joining S.H.I.E.L.D. or be independent and risk being attacked by other parties who would look to do them harm. I introduced some like Hydra, the individuals Shin Uchiha, Isshinsai Ogata, and Kūgo Ginjō, and Pete. But Pete also represented five individuals whom I have yet to properly introduce, but I'm sure you can all guess who they are from the description. Anyway, in this chapter, not only will I properly introduce those individuals, but I will also introduce more threats the Horyus will have to face. Also just to remind all of you, the focus will mostly be on Sakura and her struggles since, unlike her fellow Horyus, she actually lives in the World of Science and can't simply retreat to any of the other worlds (or eras in Inuyasha's case).
PS: This chapter may be a bit of jumbled mess so be prepared.
Chapter 4:
Shin, Kūgo and Isshinsai then left the room as Pete presented something for Viper. "In the meantime, I could provide you with individuals who could help you get started."
Pete represented several individuals who looked like they were from the Shinobi World. One was a tall chubby fair-skinned man with orange hair; one was a dark-skinned six-armed man with black hair; one was a fair-skinned woman with long red hair that reached her thighs; one was actually two men fused into one as parasitic twins with light blue-grey hair; and one was a man with pale skin, vivid green eyes, angular facial features, two scarlet dots on his forehead which all the members of his clan possessed, and hip-length white hair.
"Identify yourselves," Viper told the shinobi.
"I am Jirōbō," said the chubby one.
"I am Kidōmaru," said the six-armed one.
"I am Tayuya," said the woman
"I am Sakon/Ukon," said the twins
"I am Kimimaro Kaguya," said the pale-sinned man. "And we're known in the Shinobi World as the Sound Five."
Pete then explained, "Originally these five were killed in action about 6 years ago by several individuals. They were later brought back briefly for the Fourth Shinobi World War, but were sent back rather quickly. Now our man Hades has brought them back, for real this time, and has aged them to where they're all now adults. And they're not alone."
Pete then represented three more shinobi brought back to life by Hades. One was a man whose face was wrapped up in bandages like a mummy say for his left eye, one was a woman with long black hair that almost reached down to the ground and tied by a violet ribbon right near the end, and one was a man with spiky black hair and dark eyes.
"And who are you," Viper questioned.
"I am Dosu Kinuta," said the man with bandages.
"I am Kin Tsuchi," said the woman.
"I am Zaku Abumi," said the spikey-haired man.
"They were known as Team Dosu and all eight of these youngsters were once part of a village known as Otogakure, the Village Hidden in the Sound," Pete explained. "That village has been long since reformed, but in its day, it threatened to destroy the village Naruto Uzumaki lives in. While the Sound Five went on the help Sasuke Uchiha leave, Dosu and his "friends" were all sacrificed. I doubt that these three will be as much use as the Sound Five, but they might come in handy as scouts and backup soldiers. Of course, you could always refuse."
"I'll take them all," Viper told him. "Hydra could use as many employees as possible to combat the Horyus."
"Well, good luck with them, you'll need it," Pete then left through a corridor of darkness and returned to Maleficent and the others, leaving Viper with the former sound ninja.
"Alright, Pete explains that you eight were ninja from a village in the Shinobi World known as Otogakure," said Viper to the sound ninja. "Could you explain your abilities?"
All eight sound ninja began the process of explaining their abilities to Viper.
Elsewhere in the world on the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, there was a small crescent-shaped island located to the northeast of Madagascar known as Genosha. On this island country was what appeared to be a rich and advanced civilization. The inhabitants looked human and some even act human, but in reality, they were not. Several individuals had strange features that made them different from humans, features that could only be described as… mutations. These were not humans but a species of humanoid beings born with special abilities known throughout the World of Science as mutants.
In Genosha's capital building, a mutant wearing red, black, and purple armor and helmet was sitting in a throne as another mutant approached him. This mutant had green hair and eyes, stood 5' 7" (1.70 meters) tall, and wore a green jumpsuit and crown. Standing on either side of mutant sitting on the throne were two other mutants. One was a male wearing a blue and white jumpsuit, a pair of goggles, and a silver leather jacket with white hair; the other was a female wearing a red and pink jumpsuit and crown (identical in design to the ones the green haired girl was wearing) and a scarlet leather jacket with brown hair. These were Max Eisenhardt (aka Magneto), Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver), and Lorna Dane (aka Polaris).
"What did you learn, daughter," said Magneto.
"It would seem that these Horyus have been offered positions as either agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or members of the Avengers," said Polaris. "However, they haven't said yes or no to either offer, and they're taking their time to think about them. They said they'll make up their mind in about a week."
"I see," said Magneto. "That gives us only one week to come up with a plan of attack. We must eliminate them before they make their decision."
"But father, why are we attacking them," Polaris questioned Magneto. "They never attacked us or any other mutant for that matter."
"Did you forget that they were the ones who up opened those portals and brought forth those dark creatures a few weeks ago," Magneto pointed out. "If they ever decided to attack us we wouldn't stand a chance against them. The Brotherhood is already engaging the X-Men and I don't want those Horyus getting involved at all. We must eliminate them before they become a problem."
"This is a bit uncharacteristic of you, father," Polaris pointed out. "I know you've been against Professor X's beliefs in coexisting with humans, but this…"
"This discussion is over," Magneto told his daughter.
Polaris then left the throne room without another word.
"Lorna isn't wrong old man," Quicksilver pointed out. "We don't have any reason to attack the Horyus and they've never attacked us. I just hope you know what you're doing."
"I agree with Pietro here, dad," said Scarlet Witch.
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver then left the throne room to join Polaris as Magneto said to himself, "So do I my children, so do I."
Elsewhere in the world in the mountains of the Himalayas, there was city-sized dome sitting atop one of the mountains. Inside this dome was a city known as Attilan, home of another kind of humanoid creatures known as the inhumans. Like the mutants, the inhumans had special features and abilities that set them apart from humans.
At Attilan's capital building, several inhumans were looking over the battle with Xehanort which they witnessed a few weeks prior. One of them was a man wearing a dark blue and grey winged jumpsuit, one was a woman with red hair wearing a purple and black jumpsuit, one was a man with black hair and wearing a black and white trench coat, and one was a woman with long orange hair and wearing a yellow and black jumpsuit. These were Blackagar Boltagon aka Black Bolt, Medusalith Amaquelin aka Medusa, Maximus Boltagon, and Crystalia Amaquelin aka Crystal.
"Why do you want to kill the Horyus," Crystal questioned. "They did nothing wrong."
"It's because of those children that those Heartless and Nobody creatures attacked Attilan in the first place," Maximus argued. "We have never seen those things before until the Horyus came along. Not to mention that Kinomoto kid's cards caused a lot of harm to all inhumans in Tomoeda and that incident in Tokyo years ago where a masked monster killed several people, some were inhumans as well."
"But wasn't it the Horyus members Sakura and Inuyasha who stopped those both of those incidents," Crystal argued. "If it wasn't for them, those incidents could have taken a turn for the worst."
But Maximus argued, "If it wasn't for them, those incidents would never have happened in the first place."
"Enough both of you," Medusa ordered. "My husband has spoken. The Horyus are indeed heroes, but they also pose a threat to the existence of inhumans. They must be hunted down and killed."
Crystal was shocked to find that Black Bolt and Medusa favored Maximus' argument over hers. She knew that the Horyus did cause the mess that the world was in, but she also knew that they were just children (mostly) and probably didn't know how to handle this. Maximus on the other hand seemed rather pleased to see that his brother and sister-in-law favored his argument.
Back in Japan, the Horyus were all being escorted back towards Tomoeda Middle School after their meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. All in one day, they were given 3 options, join the Avengers as junior members, join Maria Hill as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, or be arrested by the government just for being possible threats. This was not even mentioning the political problems in Draco Sanctuary, the Shinobi world and the Bending world. But among all of them, the one who seemed to be the most conflicted on what to do was Sakura. All she wanted was to be an ordinary girl, but ever since she first discovered the Clow Cards all those years ago, that became difficult and ever since Xehanort, it was no longer an option. Now the Japanese Government and S.H.I.E.L.D. were both putting a lot of pressure on her and her new team which meant that her days of being an ordinary girl were over forever.
"Man this stinks," said Naruto. "I'm not talking about joining these Avengers, I think it's kinda cool. I'm talking about all of these government matters."
"I know what you mean," said Aang. "I'm the last of the Air Nomads and that makes me part of the joint convention between the Four Nations of my world to help restore balance. It doesn't help either that I'm the Avatar."
"And I'm the leader of the Elemental Darts in my world as well as the leader of this team we all formed," Spiro added. "I wouldn't mind joining those Avengers if I didn't have so much weight bearing down on me already."
"Same with me," Sora agreed. "I'm the key barer and I'm a member of the Guardians of Light, not to mention I've arguably been to more worlds than the other Keyblade Wielders out there. All me, Riku, and Kairi wanted was to explore the worlds outside of our own, but not like this."
"Yeah, whatever," Inuyasha sighed. "These politics have us by our throats and they expect us to make a decision that makes them happy."
"At least you guys have it easy," said Sakura, getting the others attention. "The four of you can just return to your home worlds and Inuyasha can go back to his home era whenever you please. I don't have that option. This world is my home."
There was a moment of silence.
"I'm sorry," Sakura sighed.
"It's okay Sakura," Naruto reassured her. "I know this will be hard, but you're not alone. Even if we're not here for you, you still have Syaoran, Tomoyo, and your family and you're still here for them."
"But what if I'm not enough," Sakura questioned. "I can't protect them all by myself and if Hill was right, there are terrorist organizations out there who will take advantage of me. I don't know what to do."
Before the others could answer her, the vehicles drove up to Tomoeda Middle School and dropped everyone off.
Upon exiting the vehicles, Sakura was surrounded by her friends who began to ask her a lot of questions. Naturally the other Horyus tried to keep them under control, but while they were doing that, a random woman walked up to Sakura.
"Are you Sakura Kinomoto," said the woman.
"Ah, yeah," Sakura answered, unsure why this woman would ask her something like that.
Next thing she knew, the woman pulled out a gun and fired it at her skull. Fortunately, Kurama sensed her hostility and Naruto caught the bullet before it reached Sakura, but the sound of the gun fire caught everyone's attention
"Okay Ma'am, what's going on," Naruto questioned.
"Stay out of this," said the woman as she prepared to fire again. "This doesn't concern you!"
"It does now," said Naruto as he dropped the bullet he caught.
Feeling scared, Sakura naturally started to run, but the woman noticed this.
"You're not getting away that easily," said the woman as she fired another bullet.
Again, Naruto caught the bullet.
Before the woman could fire again, Black Widow showed up and struck her with a high frequency electrostatic charge that stunned her upon contact.
"Sorry about that," said Black Widow as she picked up the woman's motionless body and placed her in the vehicle to take her away.
"What the hell was that all about," Inuyasha questioned.
"Like the prime minister said, there are a lot of people out there who believe you guys are vigilantes," said Hawkeye. "However, there are also those out there who seem to blame you for whatever misery they're going through."
"I'm used to it," Naruto sighed.
"Same here," said Aang.
"I've heard it all before," Inuyasha shrugged it off.
"I've seen my fair share of it," Sora added.
"As a dragon, I know how that feels," Spiro pointed out. "I got that all the time from most humans in my world."
Sakura remained silent for a moment or two as all this news sank into her psyche until she answered, "Good for you guys."
The other Horyus looked at Sakura in surprise upon hearing her answer.
"Sakura, are you okay," Naruto asked.
"I've got to get to class," Sakura started walking back into the campus.
"What was that all about," Inuyasha asked.
"I get the feeling that Sakura's never had that kind of luxury before," Aang deduced.
"That's probably the case," said Kero. "Up until now Sakura has lived a relatively peaceful life. Even when she faced off against the Clow Cards and later transformed them into Sakura Cards, everything was pretty much okay in the end. But now, she has to carry the weight of being blamed for things she may or may not have been responsible for. It was hard enough when she helped you against Xehanort and Organization XIII, but with these offer from both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers…"
"Now she's faced with a difficult decision," Yue continued what Kero was saying. "Either she joins S.H.I.E.L.D. and gets forced into a life of working for a government organization or she stays independent like she always has and risks her friends, family, and home being attacked by bad people."
"What about that offer from the Avengers," Katara asked. "We may not know about them, but…"
"That just makes things even more complicated," Syaoran interrupted. "I may not know Stark personally, but I have heard of him. He's the richest man in the World of Science, but he got all that money by making and selling weapons of mass destruction."
"All in all, we're all shouldering this burden," Tasha pointed out. "But obviously some of us are better at handling it than others and vice versa."
"Let's give the lass some space for now," said Spiro. "It will take time for her to come around and make her decision, but we also must consider our own options."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Naruto before he remembered something. "Hey guys, there's something I need to tell you."
In her classroom, Sakura was looking through her locker for her cheerleader outfit, trying to keep her mind off of the news she and her teammates. But as hard as she tried, nothing could make it go away.
Flashback:
"We saw your battle with Xehanort," said Stark.
"And we were wondering if you young heroes would like to join us as junior members," Thor offered them.
"You want us as part of your group," Inuyasha questioned.
"You've all proven to be capable fighters in your own way," said Rogers. "But the choice is yours and yours alone. Take however much time you need to think about it."
The Horyus were all reluctant, but were thankful that the Avengers wanted them on their team and respected that they needed time to think about it. However, while Naruto, Inuyasha, Spiro, Aang, and Sora were all open to the idea of joining the Avengers, Sakura was unsure as to what she wanted to do.
End of Flashback:
Having found her cheerleader outfit, Sakura walked off to her class only to bump into someone who was heading in the opposite direction.
"I'm sorry, I was looking the other way," Sakura apologized.
"Well, at least things didn't get out of hand," said the person Sakura bumped into.
Sakura got a good look at this person and saw that it was a boy about her age with tan skin, light brown eyes, and black hair. One thing that stood out about him was a red cap and jacket that he wore on top of the Tomoeda Middle School uniform. At the same time, the boy looked upon Sakura and was surprised by her appearance.
"Oh my Kami," said the boy. "You're Sakura Kinomoto of the Horyus…!"
Sakura wasn't too surprised by this. "I've been getting that a lot recently. And you are?"
"I'm Akira Akatsuki," the boy identified himself.
"Oh, well, nice to meet you," Sakura bowed to Akira before remembering what she was doing. "Oh yeah, I'm gonna be late…! Nice meeting you Akira, thank you…!"
Sakura then ran off to cheerleading class, leaving Akira smiling that he managed to meet with the only girl of the Horyus. However, he was satisfied that he met Sakura for more reasons than just that Sakura was a Horyu.
"Akira, come on," said a red-haired girl. "We're going to be late for class."
"Oh, coming Jessica," Akira called out.
In Karakura Town, Ichigo and his friends were returned to their homes and were placed under house arrest, just as Prime Minister Ogata said. This was annoying to them, particularly to Ichigo, especially since their fate lied on the Horyus' decision on whether they would join S.H.I.E.L.D. or not, but there was nothing any of them could do.
"Oh for god's sake," Ichigo grunted. "I can't believe that we have to be under house arrest until those guys make their decision."
Suddenly a random man came out of nowhere. "WELCOME HOME, ICHIGO…!"
Ichigo's father, Isshin Kurosaki, came out of nowhere with a powerful high jump kick to Ichigo's head. However, Ichigo got out of the way and he crashed into the floor instead.
"Well Ichigo, you haven't lost your touch," Isshin commented jokingly. "Seeing as you dodged my high jump kick and all."
"Will you give it a rest old man," Ichigo sighed. "I'm not in the mood."
Isshin then got up and took on a serious tone before saying, "Yeah, I know. The Prime Minister and S.H.I.E.L.D. place you and the others under house arrest until those Horyus make up their mind."
Ichigo's eyes widened upon hearing what his father said. "You followed us in Soul Reaper form, didn't you?"
"You caught me red-handed," said Isshin. "But in all seriousness Ichigo, this is going to be quite the predicament for all of you. Those Horyus didn't mean to get you and the others involved and yet your fate is in their hands. I can only imagine what you must be going through right now."
"What's worse is that it's been 13 months since I lost my Soul Reaper powers and there might be more and more Hollows out there doing who knows what to everyone," Ichigo added. "Ever since the battle with Xehanort, the number of Hollows has been increasing and there's nothing I can do to help without my powers, and that's my only way to avoid S.H.I.E.L.D.'s detection."
"If that's how much pressure you're feeling, just imagine how the Horyus are feeling right now," Isshin pointed out. "From what understand, those guys have the responsibility to protect not just their own worlds, but other worlds as well. One of them, Sakura Kinomoto, even lives here in our world. And with your fate resting on their decision, I can only imagine how much pressure they have on their heads. In a way, what they decide will determine your fate."
"That's exactly why I'm so angry," Ichigo punched the wall. "This isn't fair…! Not only are our fates resting on their decision, but some of them are just little kids, especially Sakura Kinomoto…! Why does it have to be this way…?"
Ichigo then panted after that outburst, letting all his frustration pass by.
"I don't know son, I don't know," Isshin answered.
Just then Ichigo's two sisters, Yuzu and Karin came in.
"Hey, what's all the noise about," Karin asked.
"Ichigo, did you actually meet the Horyus," Yuzu asked excitedly. "Did you get Sakura Kinomoto's autograph?"
At Ryuzampaku, Kenichi and Miu were dropped off and again place under house arrest until the Horyus made up their minds. In the dojo waiting for them were Hayato Fūrinji (Miu's grandfather), Shio Sakaki, Apachai Hopachai, Shigure Kōsaka, Akisame Kōetsuji, and Kensei Ma. When the two entered, they told the others about their situation.
"So S.H.I.E.L.D. is having you two under house arrest until the Horyus make up their minds," said Hayato. "That's unfortunate."
"Yeah, and what's worse, I won't be able to stay here throughout the house arrest," said Kenichi. "That means I'm gonna have to move back into my house. I'm only here to pick up my stuff and say goodbye."
The others could see the sad look on Kenichi and Miu's faces. While Kenichi was somewhat relieved that he would get a break from all the training, this was not what he had in mind since he wouldn't be able to see Miu, even if it was just for a week. But Miu was even worse. Not only would she not be able to attend school, but she couldn't see Kenichi throughout that entire time. And it all hindered on the Horyus decision.
"Come on Shirahama, move it," said one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Kenichi then walked off to pick up his stuff.
At Tomoeda Middle School, Sakura was in cheerleading class and she and the other students were practicing baton throwing. While this was nothing new to Sakura, these were just warm ups to ensure that they all knew how to do baton throwing. Throughout this time, Sakura couldn't help but feel the pressure on her head that both Ichigo and his friends as well as Kenichi and Miu were under house arrest until she and her fellow Horyus made their decision.
"This is getting out of hand," she thought while throwing her baton. "Why do those guys have to be under house arrest until we make up our minds? It's like the prime minister and S.H.I.E.L.D. was trying to force us into joining them. Maybe I should discuss this with the others after school. After all, we're all in this as a team."
Suddenly, Sakura lost her focus as she suddenly sneezed (most likely from Yuzu talking about her). Next thing she knew, the baton she threw fell on her head.
Outside the campus, the other Horyus were discussing what was going on.
"So let me get this straight, Naruto," said Inuyasha. "Your Five Kage want to meet us?"
"Yeah, and I have a feeling they mean business," Naruto answered. "They aren't sure about me joining you guys on this team. I wasn't expecting this S.H.I.E.L.D. to come up and try to force us into joining them."
"Interesting," said Spiro. "The Elemental Darts and Queen Crystal aren't that comfortable with me being leader of our team either."
"Same could be said about the leaders of the Five Nations in my world," said Aang.
"There are politics every world," Sora sighed. "King Mickey wants to see us as well. We should tell Sakura after the school day is done."
"Yeah, I agree," said Naruto.
"Something tells me she's got a lot of pressure on her right now," Inuyasha sighed.
Elsewhere in Japan, Maria Hill was being escorted to Helicarrier Lucky Dragon by Agent Flash Thompson.
"Director, are you sure this was necessary," said Flash. "They are just kids after all."
"Only two of them are kids, Thompson," Maria pointed out. "And as I told them, there are organizations out there who will not hesitate to take advantage of them, namely Hydra and A.I.M. If we don't reach out to them right now, those people will and they will turn them into weapons. I'm sure you read the reports on the Weapon X and X-23programs."
"Yeah, but still that's a lot of pressure the have to deal with," Flash replied. "I just hope you know what you're doing Ma'am."
"So do I Thompson, so do I," Maria sighed as the vehicle arrived at Helicarrier Lucky Dragon.
At the same time, the Avengers had arrived at a large tower where two individuals were waiting for them. One of them was a woman wearing glasses with black shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. The other was a man with the same colored hair and eyes. These were Doctors Chika Tanaka and Nozomu Akatsuki, two of Stark Industries' scientists in the field of engineering and biology respectively.
"Welcome back, Mr. Stark," said Dr. Tanaka.
"How was the meeting with the Horyus," said Dr. Akatsuki
"They haven't made up their minds yet," Stark answered. "For now, all we can do is wait for them to make up their minds."
"You're being unusually patient, Tony," Steve mentioned.
"Ai, what have you done with the real Stark," Thor teased.
"Maybe I could smash the imposter," Hulk teased.
"Ha, ha, ha, very funny," Tony replied. "I learned that trying to rush someone into anything only leads to disaster. I guess you can say I took some notes from Charles Xavier's handbook."
"I hope those New X-Men he's got are doing okay," said Janet.
"And I hope those Horyus will be okay as well," said Hank
At Tomoeda, Sakura was walking through the campus while rubbing her head after being hit by her baton. By now cheerleading class was over and Sakura was preparing for what came next. However, the thought of what the both Japanese Government and S.H.I.E.L.D. were doing never left her mind and really bothered her.
"What am I going to do," Sakura asked herself. "I want to do what's best for my world, but what if I make the wrong decision? If I join S.H.I.E.L.D., I can protect my friends, family, and home even if I'm not here, but then I'd have to do whatever those people tell me to do. If I join the Avengers, I'm free to choose what to do and I can work with my world's mightiest heroes, but I'll probably be stretching Mr. Stark's resources thin. If me and the other Horyus decided to stay independent, we can do things the way we believe works without anyone restricting us, but then I can't protect my friends, family, or home while I'm away in another world. This is way too much pressure."
"Sakura," said Syaoran, catching Sakura off guard.
"Syaoran, don't sneak up on me like that," Sakura exclaimed.
"You look rather flattered right now, Ms. Kinomoto," said Meilin. "Were you hoping to show off our endowed you're body has grown since the Sealed Card Incident?"
"Meilin," Sakura and Syaoran both shrieked, completely embarrassed.
Meilin just laughed.
"And what about you Meilin," said Tomoyo. "I heard you've been talking to Sota a lot since Tokyo Disneyland."
Meilin sweat dropped while Sakura and Syaoran both smirked teasingly at her.
"In any case, it would be wise that you consider all of your options as soon as possible," said Eriol as he entered the fray.
"Eriol," Sakura asked.
"I know you're going through a tough time right now Sakura," said Eriol. "But be warned that this is only the beginning. Ever since the Xehanort Incident, your secret has been exposed and it's only a matter of time before new enemies arise to challenge you. But no matter what, you must remember that you're not alone. You have me, you have Syaoran, you have Tomoyo, you have Meilin, you have all your friends and family, and you have your new teammates."
Sakura knew that Eriol was right, however she knew that she and the others still needed to make a decision sooner or later and she wasn't sure if one week would be enough time to make that decision.
"Anyway, we'd better get to our classes," said Eriol.
The five friends then went off to their classes.
Outside the campus, Kagome, Hinata, Kairi, Katara, and Tasha were having their own conversation, getting to know one another better, while their "mates" were having theirs. They were all discussing how each of them had met up with their respective "mates". Hinata went first, explaining how she and Naruto met.
"So you're saying that you've known Naruto since you were 8," Kagome asked.
"Yeah," Hinata confirmed. "He was a complete stranger to me but he saved me from bullies."
"The old knight in shining armor angle, I see," Tasha smirked. "Well, I've known Spiro since we were hatchlings. We both lived on an island known as Dragonhead Island. We lived a relatively peaceful life with his brother, Spentor, and our parents. But it all got taken away from us when humans arrived on our shorelines and drove all dragons off the island. We managed to escape, but our parents weren't so lucky. Spiro and I went to the ruler of Draco Sanctuary at the time, King D. Raven and asked him for his help."
"You guys went through a lot," said Kairi. "I've known Sora and Riku for a long time on Destiny Island. But our real adventure began when the Heartless swallowed our island and I was sent to another world. Sora and Riku managed to find me and bring me back to our island, but they weren't able to get back themselves for a while."
"You really must be close for them to go to such great lengths," said Katara. "I met Aang after my brother Sokka and I found him trapped in an iceberg with his sky bison, Appa. He took a liking to me early on but as we traveled, it grew. I didn't think anything of it at first, but after being heartbroken and betrayed a few times, I guess he became my light."
"Well when I first met Inuyasha, he was bound to a tree for half a century," Kagome explained. "We didn't get a long at all at first, but as time went on during our search for the shards of the Sacred Jewel, I eventually fell in love with him. I even became jealous whenever he got close to a certain other girl, but I kept going."
"Well, it looks like we all have different ways in how we met and ended up the males we care about," Tasha stated. "I wonder what Sakura's relationship with Syaoran is like."
"Well, maybe you ladies could ask her yourself," said Hawkeye, who was eavesdropping on their conversation.
The five females all looked at Hawkeye with raised eyebrows and obviously annoyed expressions on their faces.
"Okay, obviously you girls have no sense of humor," Hawkeye then walked off.
"Who does that man think he is," Tasha questioned. "Eavesdropping on us like that…"
"At least he isn't as annoying as that Deadpool guy," said Katara.
"Yeah, and who was he talking to when he said things like writer," said Kagome.
"I'm more concerned about what Maria Hill mentioned back at the Prime Minister's Office," Kairi pointed out. "This government organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. wants us to join them… no scratch that… they want our boyfriends and Sakura to join them and they threatened to arrest us if we say no and fail "one day"."
"Yeah, but just think of how Sakura and Syaoran are feeling right now," Hinata pointed out. "We're lucky since we can retreat back to our home worlds, the Shinobi World for me and Naruto, the bending world for Katara and Aang, Draco Sanctuary for Tasha and Spiro, Destiny Islands for Kairi and Sora, and even the feudal era for Kagome and Inuyasha. But Sakura and Syaoran don't have that option."
The other girls knew that Hinata was right.
In the campus, Sakura and Syaoran were in their class when they both suddenly sneezed.
"Syaoran, do you think someone's talking about us," Sakura asked.
"Probably," Syaoran answered before blowing his nose.
As the class went on, Sakura again thought about Maria Hill's and Tony Stark's offers.
"What am I going to do," Sakura thought to herself. "I want to do what's best for my friends and family, even what's best for my home. But what should I do?"
In Fudal Japan, an elderly monk and his seven followers were traveling through the woods, on their way to the next town. This was Ungai, a monk known for being utterly ruthless when dealing with yōkai demons. He and his followers soon came across a cloaked individual who looked like he/she had been expecting them.
"I see you've made it, Ungai," said the cloaked individual.
"Who are you and what is it you want," Ungai asked.
"For a long time we have witnessed you and your followers kill hundreds of demons," said the cloaked individual. "However, the way you've been killing them has upset the delicate balance between the worlds. So I ask you, stop what you're doing at once. If you do not, the worlds will be out of balance."
Ungai's followers were shocked upon hearing this, but Ungai himself wasn't fazed.
"You have asked this of me two times already and this is the third time," said Ungai.
"And yet you failed to heed my warning on the last two times," said the figure. "By now you must have seen how humans and demons can help each other for the benefit of the world at least a few times. So what is your reply? And just so you'll know, this is your last chance, Ungai. Your decision will decide the fate of you and your followers."
Ungai thought about it for a while. He remembered girls Rin and Kagome from a few years ago and how they interacted with Sesshomaru and Inuyasha respectively. He especially remembered Rin mentioning that humans were scarier than demons were and that she decided to go with Sesshomaru of her own free will. After thinking about it, Ungai gave the cloaked figure his answer.
"You've asked me to change my ways three times and I respect that you've given me time to consider my options," Ungai sighed. "However, my answer is still no."
"Then, I'm sorry old man," the cloaked figure sighed as it took out what appeared to be a sword. "But I cannot allow you and other monks and priestesses like you to continue to upset the delicate balance between the worlds. I tried to handle this without violence, but it would seem that you have made up your mind."
"PETAL BLADES…!"
Suddenly, the blade of the figure's sword vanished as if it had turned into flower petals. Ungai and his followers didn't know what was happening, but the next thing they knew, they were all bleeding all over their bodies. Blood gushed out of their bodies from every blood vessel and they all fell to the ground, most died instantly. Only Ungai was left alive, but he would soon join his followers.
"Who or what are you," Ungai asked.
The cloaked figure took off its hood revealing itself to be a young woman with long waist-length magenta-colored hair with several curls and bangs brushed to the side, fair skin, light pink lips and bright green eyes. "I am an angel under the grace of Cupid. You will know me as Rosemary."
Rosemary then took out a rose and recited a poem. "Roses are red, violets are blue… Rats I forgot the rest…"
Ungai then died from blood loss.
"I was hoping for a peaceful resolution, but that didn't happen because of the old man's stubbornness," Rosemary sighed. "I only hope I don't have to do that again any time soon."
In the modern day, school was over for the day and Sakura was walking out of her class with her friends. She was still having a hard time processing everything that happened today and while what Eriol told her helped, it didn't break her out of her confusion. Syaoran, Tomoyo, Meilin, and Eriol took notice of this.
"Is Sakura going to be alright," Meilin asked.
"Let's give her some time," said Eriol. "All in one day, she and the other Horyus were represented with the options of either working for S.H.I.E.L.D., joining the Avengers, or staying independent. What Maria Hill mentioned was true, there are people out there who will not hesitate to hunt her down and either capture her or kill her. Not to mention that woman who tried to shoot her earlier. She already had it tough getting used to the new attention she was getting from everyone, but now all of this happens. What we told her earlier will help, but she needs to sort this out on her own."
"What about you Eriol," Tomoyo asked. "What part do you have in this?"
"I'd tell you but I'm not allowed to right now," Eriol answered. "I'll reveal it after Sakura and the others make their decision."
"It must be really important for you keep it a secret," Syaoran acknowledged.
"You have no idea," Eriol replied.
Meanwhile, Sakura continued to walk through the school halls, wondering what she was going to do. Just then, she bumped into another person. "Oh sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"Man you're clumsy today," said the person she bumped into.
Sakura got a good look at the person and saw that it was a girl about her age with fair skin, blue eyes, and long red hair in a ponytail. She also had a black choker necklace around her neck and a black jacket on top of the Tomoeda Middle School uniform. At the same time, the girl looked upon Sakura and was surprised by her appearance. Talk about déjà vu…
"So, you're Sakura Kinomoto," said the girl.
"This really is déjà vu," Sakura thought before asking again, "And you are?"
"I'm Jessica Shannon of France," the girl identified herself. "I'm sure you already met my friend Akira earlier."
"Oh, well, nice to meet you," Sakura bowed to Jessica.
"There's no need to be so formal," Jessica reassured Sakura.
"Hey, Jessica," said Akira as he came into view.
"About time you packed up your school work, Akira," Jessica called out.
"Sorry," Akira apologized. "Anyway… I guess you've met Sakura Kinomoto."
"Yeah, in fact, I just finished introducing myself to her," Jessica answered.
"Well it was nice meeting you two, but I'm not in the mood," Sakura sighed before walking away.
"Is she going to be okay," Akira asked.
"I don't know, but don't worry about her too much, lover boy," Jessica teased.
"Hey," Akira exclaimed, completely embarrassed.
Jessica just laughed and Akira covered his face with his cap so no one could see the red in his face.
Outside the campus, the Horyus were still talking to one another.
"The Dragon Force," Inuyasha asked. "What the hell is the Dragon Force."
"Legend says that it is an all-powerful cosmic entity that has been around since time began, perhaps even longer," Spiro explained. "I once tapped into it but almost destroyed everything around me in the process. Since then, I vowed never to use its power again."
"Something tells me that you had to use it again at one point," Sora guessed.
"You're right," Spiro acknowledged. "I used it against Killaflendor, the witch who caused the war between humans and dragons to begin with."
"Killaflendor, I'm not even sure if that's a real name," Inuyasha was baffled.
"Whatever the case, I assume that humans and dragons in your world now live in harmony," said Aang.
"I'm afraid not," Spiro replied. "In the end, it was decided that humans and dragons were not ready to live together, so we separated. I haven't seen Lilly since then and she's the one who taught me how to speak human speech."
"I'm guessing she could talk to animals," Naruto deduced.
Before Spiro could answer, Sakura showed up and saw them.
"What are you guys doing here still," Sakura gasped.
"We've been waiting for you," Inuyasha answered.
"What for," Sakura asked.
"There's something you need to know," Naruto explained. "I'm sorry to drop this on you Sakura, but the Five Kage of my world want to meet you and the others ASAP and I have a feeling that they mean business."
Sakura instantly became nervous.
Elsewhere in the world, on a remote island in the Pacific, four young individuals were training together in an abandoned theme park. One was a boy with tan skin, blue bushy hair, and light brown eyes; one was a girl with fair skin, blonde hair that tied into two bushy ponytails, and light blue eyes; one was a boy with dark skin, black hair, and pale eyes; and one was a boy with tan skin, long dark grey hair, and dark grey eyes. The three were being trained by several agents from Advanced Idea Mechanics to be very powerful agents for Hydra.
At the moment the four were training to retrieved a statue resembling one of the Horyus.
"Alright this is it," said the blue haired individual. "Our training montage to capture Sakura Kinomoto of the Horyus is about to begin."
"Would you stop stating the obvious, Makoto," said the girl. "The mission was briefed to all of us before this session began."
"Chloe's got a point," said the dark skinned boy. "You need to focus."
"Indeed," said the last boy. "If we're going to invade Tomoeda and capture that witch, we need to me serious."
"I know, I know," said Makoto. "But still… the fact that I'm working you all of you guys…"
"Let's talk later," said the grey-haired boy. "Makoto, you and I will go in with a frontal assault and draw their attention while Chloe and Adi sneak through the chaos and capture the target."
"Sounds like a plan to me Bruno," said Makoto as he smiled. "Let's get to it."
"Yeah," Bruno agreed.
Makoto and Bruno then got to work. Both came out with a frontal assault on the A.I.M. agents posing as police officers. Makoto created a powerful current of wind and blew some of the agents away. Bruno followed up by flying into the current and punching more of the agents, knocking them out as well.
While Makoto and Bruno distracted the agents, Chloe and Adi snuck around to get to the Sakura dummy. Chloe disguised herself as an ordinary civilian while Adi activated a car without the need of a key and the two drove up to the target. When they reached it, Chloe snatched the Sakura dummy and got back into the car as she and Adi drove off with the target back to where they started. When they arrived, Makoto and Bruno retreated.
"We got the target," said Chloe.
"Well done," Makoto praised. "We completed our mission."
Next thing the four knew, they were approached by a who stood 5'7" (1.70 meters) tall, had long black hair, blue eyes, and wore a green jumpsuit similar to Viper's. This was Doctor Monica Rappaccini, the leader of A.I.M.'s eastern division.
"Well done you four," said Monica. "Rather clever how you used a frontal assault as a diversion in order to launch a sneak attack from behind."
"Thanks Doctor," said Chloe.
"But in all seriousness Doc, when are we going to face the real Horyus," Makoto complained. "We've been at this for weeks and we haven't been off this island throughout that entire time, let along taken out either the Horyus or our original targets, the Avengers."
"In all seriousness, Makoto does have a point," Bruno pointed out. "Ever since the Horyus showed up, our attention has shifted from taking out the Avengers to taking out them and who knows what they might be doing."
"Well lucky for you, I just got a call from Viper," said Monica. "You four are to assist Hydra's new allies in taking out the Horyus, starting off with the one who lives in our world, Sakura Kinomoto."
In another world, a group of samurai-like individuals had gathered around in a large room where an old man with a long beard was sitting in his chair like a king or an emperor.
"Attention everyone," said the old man. "We are here to discuss the new heroes who have shown up recently in the World of the Living."
"The Horyus, sir," said one of the "samurai".
"Yes Toshiro," the old man confirmed. "Several weeks ago, the Horyus appeared for the first time and battled against the individual known as Xehanort. However, during their battle, they opened up portals into multiple worlds, including the Soul Society. As such they have exposed the existence of our world and have risked the existence of us Soul Reapers. We cannot risk them doing so again."
"So what are your orders, Head Captain Yamamoto," said another Soul Reaper.
Yamamoto turned to said Soul Reaper and told her, "Captain Soi Fon, take your forces to the World of the Living and hunt down these Horyus. And when you find them…" Yamamoto opened his eyes further. "Execute them!"
And that was chapter 4. Okay, so maybe this chapter was a bit of jumbled mess, but I hope I did a decent enough job with Sakura's struggles and the upcoming threats she and the others will eventually have to face. Also, I introduced Akira and Jessica from "Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers" as well as Makoto (aka Hurricane), Chloe (aka Charade), Adi (aka Codec), and Bruno (aka Twister) from "Marvel Future Avengers". Now I was originally going to wait for a little while before introducing them, but I change my mind, same thing with the Soul Reapers from Bleach.
Anyway the next chapter will have the Horyus face the Five Kage, and spoiler alert they will fight. However, before I get into that I will return to Flash Thompson: The New Super Soldier and Digimon Adventure: Six Paths. I'll also work on a fanfiction called The New X-Men: First Class which, as you can guess, will focus on the younger X-Men, namely X-23, Pixie, Armor, Surge, and Spyke. Like Flash Thompson, The New X-Men will be part of the Horyus Universe and will take place at the same time as Flash Thompson and Bastet, which also takes place in my Horyus Universe.
Chapter 5: The Horyus vs. the Five Kage