Hello and welcome to chapter 10. Last time, the Horyus all went back to their home worlds and began training innerness for the upcoming battles, Aang started learning chi blocking, Naruto started his road to learning both the Flying Raijin and the Adamantine Chains, Spiro and the Elemental Darts discovered a new powerup, Sora and Kairi started training with Riku again, and Sakura, Inuyasha, and their friends started training in the Feudal Era.
Now for this chapter, things are about to get nasty, starting off with the Diclonius, Kaede aka Lucy. Last time, some mysterious force knocked the keys out of one of the guards and into Lucy's cage, resulting in what occurs in both the beginning of the first chapter of the manga and the first episode of the anime. Now some might be wondering how that happened, and this chapter will answer that question. As I promised at the end of the last chapter, this chapter is where things start getting serious.
WARNING: Gore...!
Chapter 10:
One night in the World of Science, Lucy was sitting there in her cage, still restrained by the strait jacket and the helmet. She was looking down at the floor when suddenly, Vanitas, wearing his helmet, appeared in the room and walked up to Lucy's cage. He was using cloaking magic to keep himself and Lucy hidden from the monitors both visually and verbally.
"Lucy queen of the Dicloni," said Vanitas.
"Who are you and what do you want," Lucy questioned, clearly not in the mood for visitors, not that she's had any recently.
"I am Vanitas, a member of Organization XIII," Vanitas told her. "As for what I want, that is not important. I'm here to help you escape."
"What makes you think I want to escape," Lucy grunted.
"Have you forgotten Kouta," Vanitas pointed out. "You do want to apologize to him, don't you? I can help you get out, granted you do something for me in exchange."
Lucy was warry of Vanitas, but remembering what happened between her and Kouta, she gave into desperation and said, "Name your price."
"The Horyus," Vanitas told her. "As you probably know, the Horyus took out Xehanort some time ago. However in doing so, hundreds of monsters have begun lurking around the world and it's only a matter of time before they target Kouta. Your mission is to hunt down the Horyus and destroy them, but your primary target is their resident member named Sakura Kinomoto."
Before Lucy could answer, two guards who worked at the institute entered the room, unable to see or hear Vanitas.
"So this is the Diclonius known as Lucy," said one of the guards.
"Yes," said the other guard. "According to the manual, she has a meter range with her vectors and that we should keep objects away from her. It says she can turn a pen or pencil into a spear or a dart just by throwing it with enough force with her vectors. And she can use just about anything long and/or broad enough as a shield, even the bodies of her victims."
"That sounds scary," said the first guard.
Suddenly, Vanitas, still invisible, knocked the first guard's keys away and straight towards Lucy's cage.
"My keys," the first guard ran to retrieve his keys.
"NO DON'T," called out the second guard.
But it was no use. Lucy saw her chance and used her vectors to sever the first guard's left arm off. The guard screamed in pain as his severed arm landed on the floor, blood gushing from it as well as the severed area where the arm used to be. Both guards then stared at Lucy, with the first guard panting from the scream while instinctively holding the nub where his arm used to be. Lucy then looked towards the first guard and, using one of her vectors, decapitated him.
Afterwards, she took the first guard's keys and used it to free herself. The second guard tried to stop her, but his efforts were futile. Lucy quickly tore the cage and the strait jacket apart and dismembered the second guard. The moment the strait jacket was removed, Lucy was revealed to be naked underneath, but why she didn't remove her helmet was unknown. She then opened the door with the keys and walked out of the room, once again chanting that ominous song as she walked.
At Higurashi Shrine, Sakura and her friends returned from their training in the feudal era and were ready to rest up after four or five days of training.
"Home sweet home," Sakura sighed in relief.
"Yeah, it's good to be back," Tomoyo commented.
"And finally we can get some sleep in a decent bed," Meilin stretched her back.
"That's not to say that their beds weren't comfortable, right Meilin," Syaoran teased.
Meilin laughed sheepishly.
"But you have to admit, seeing the stars so clearly was worthwhile," Tomoyo told them.
"No argument there," Meilin admitted.
Suddenly, they were greeted by the arrival of Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Mockingbird.
"Welcome back Ms. Daidouji, Ms. Kinomoto, Ms. Rea, and Mr. Li," Natasha greeted them.
"Natasha," Tomoyo greeted with glee.
"What's been going on while we were away training," Syaoran got right to the point.
"Sadly the number of kidnappings has increased," Mockingbird told them. "Hydra has kidnapped at least 8 more individuals from two different cities."
"Haven't you guys found out where they've taken them," Meilin questioned.
"If we had, don't you think we would have done something about it by now," Hawkeye pointed out. "Each time they strike, they vanish and leave no trail behind them beside whatever collateral damage they leave. The only lead we have is what the masters of Ryuzanpaku told us when they fought the intruders."
"This is a real headscratcher," Tomoyo pointed out.
"Indeed," Natasha agreed. "The most we could do in response to this was tighten security around the remaining individuals who are under house arrest. But we still don't know where to find them. We asked Tony Stark to try and find them with his satalite but so far he hasn't turned up anything."
Then an idea came into Sakura's head. "I have an idea. You guys can use me as bait to lure them out."
Everyone gasped in shock upon hearing Sakura say this.
"I'm willing to bet that these Hydra agents are targeting all of these people because they see them as potential threats," Sakura reasoned. "But I'm one of the Horyus, so I'm already on their radar."
There was a moment of silence.
"I see where you're going, it's a trap," Black Widow realized it. "Those Hydra agents won't be able to resist such tempting bait. They'll flock to you like vultures to a carcass. But doing so will put you at risk and if we lose you, there's a chance we might not see you again."
Sakura looked down and answered, "I know, but our class is scheduled taking a cultural fieldtrip to Kamakura tomorrow anyway. We learned that the day we left to battle the leaders of Naruto, Spiro, and Aang's worlds."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Tomoyo acknowledged.
"That's fine and all, but wouldn't that put the rest of your class at risk," Hawkeye pointed out.
"Not if you guys come along," Sakura told them. "After the fieldtrip is over, we'll stay behind while the rest of the class returns home."
"I don't like this Sakura, this isn't like you," Syaoran told his girlfriend. "This is a reckless plan and if it fails, like Natasha said, we may never see you again."
"Don't worry Syaoran," Sakura told him. "If I'm the only one out in the open, I'll be the only one at risk. Besides, what could happen?"
Back at the Diclonius Research Institute, Lucy was making quick work of the guards as they came by. One group of four guards stood in her way, but she was able to decapitate one of them while the remaining three moved back to avoid being attacked.
(Lilium (saint version) from Elfen Lied starts playing)
"Stay calm," said the middle guard. "The manual says she can't hurt us from more than two meters away."
"Yeah, but didn't it say to keep objects away from her too," said the guard on the left.
As if on que, Lucy took out a push pen that was in the first guard's pocket and used it to kill the middle guard. The remaining two tried to stop her by shooting her down, but she dismembered them before they even had the chance to do so.
She then made her way to some stairs where four more guards were waiting for her. Upon her coming into their sight, they shot at her with their MP5A4 Sub-Machine Guns, but none of their bullets got passed or through her vectors. Once Lucy got close to the guards, she sliced two of them in half at the waist and ripped the other two to shreds. Making her way to an elevator, four more guards tried to gun her down, but with the same results. As they tried to reload their guns, she sliced three of them in half at the waist and decapitated the last one cleanly. Entering the elevator, she made her way up only to be met by yet four more guards who again tried to gun her down. Again, their bullets couldn't get passed or through her vectors as she easily caught the ones that were aimed at her. As she got off the elevator, the guards tried again, but it was no use and she easily decapitated three of them. The surviving guard tried to flee, but the door out was locked and Lucy caught up to him. The guard could only sit in the corner watch helplessly as Lucy sat in front of him and literally tore him to pieces.
(Lilium (saint version) from Elfen Lied ends)
After killing the guard, Lucy, for whatever reason coated one of her vectors in the guard's blood and used it to pull down the lever that opened the door. Not surprisingly, she was met by yet more guards. This time though there almost two dozen, among them was a man with glasses. There was a standoff for a moment or two. But then a girl who worked at the facility came running by carrying a mug on a plate, only to clumsily trip and fall right in front of Lucy.
"Kisaragi," the man gasped upon seeing the girl.
"Chief Kurama, I'm so sorry, I messed up again," Kisaragi apologized as she got up.
Chief Kurama tried to get Kisaragi away from Lucy, but the guards rightfully stopped him as he called out, "Kisaragi run…!"
But Kisaragi was confused as to what was going on. Looking behind her, she saw Lucy who placed one of her vectors on Kisaragi's shoulder.
"No Lucy, don't do it," Kurama begged.
But it was no use. Lucy, out of spite, coldly decapitated Kisaragi by twisting her head off her shoulders, suspending it with her vector while her headless body slumped to the floor. Upon seeing one of his employees getting killed before him, Kurama ordered the guards to open fire on Lucy. But, likely to add insult to injury, Lucy used Kisaragi's headless body as a shield against the incoming bullets. While she was at it, she took out a pen from Kisaragi's pocket and threw it clean through one of the guard's heads.
Once the shooting had stopped Lucy dropped Kisaragi's body.
"Hurry, shoot her," Kurama ordered them.
"We're out of bullets," said one of the guards.
As Lucy walked up to them, one of the guards recklessly tried to attack her physically, but she literally removed his heart and it landed on another guard, much to his horror. She then either decapitated or dismembered a few more guards while the rest ran away in terror. But Kurama stayed behind and watched as Lucy walked by, unaware that a handprint of blood was present on his back.
"She's on her way to the emergency exit," Kurama radioed the remaining guards. "Bring the partition down and keep her locked in!"
Upon reaching the emergency exit, Lucy found herself unable to open it. If that wasn't bad enough, the blast door closed behind her, trapping her inside. She tried to break through it with her vectors, but the door was too thick and there were no switches to open it that she could reach. But just as it looked like she was trapped, the emergency exit opened up and Lucy saw Vanitas once again.
"Need a hand," Vanitas teased.
"Thanks," Lucy walked towards the door.
On the other side of the blast door, Kurama was informed about what happened. "The outer partition has been opened? That can't be right…!"
The employee tried to explain that some boy in a helmet did the deed, but Kurama wasn't having any of it. "Don't give me excuses, just send a sharp shooter…!"
Outside, Lucy and Vanitas were outside the facility.
"Don't forget your end of the deal," Vanitas reminded her.
"Kill the Horyus, starting with the resident member, Sakura Kinomoto," Lucy acknowledged.
"Very good," Vanitas smiled behind his helmet. "But don't underestimate them. They are formidable opponents and could easily kill you."
"I'll be careful," Lucy acknowledged.
"Then I leave the rest to you," Vanitas then disappeared in a corridor of darkness.
As Lucy walked up to a cliff side, a guard carrying an AW50F Sniper Rifle was preparing to shoot her down. Kurama was with him.
"Make this bullet count," Kurama instructed. "She isn't going to give you a second shot."
"This is a 50 caliber anti-tank rifle," said the sharpshooter. "As strong as her vectors are, there's no way she can stop a round from this rifle."
"The back of her head," Kurama instructed.
"Copy," the sharpshooter aimed the rifle carefully at the back of Lucy's head.
But just as he was about to shoot, Lucy turned her head at the last moment and the bullet blasted her helmet off. While the shot didn't kill her, it was enough to leave her head bleeding and she fell off the cliff and into the water below.
"God damn it, she's still alive," said Kurama in frustration.
At the Avengers Tower in Tokyo, Tony Stark was monitoring the data he collected on the kidnappings that have happened so far. Thanks to his hacking skills, he was able access S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files and gather as much information on the missing individuals as he could from their data banks.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, Uryu Ishida, and Yasutora Sado of Karakura Town, all kidnapped on night 2 of their house arrest," said JARVAS while showing images. "Kenichi Shirahama and Miu Furinji, both kidnapped the following night. Shirou Emiya, Rin Tosaka, and Sakura Matou of Fuyuki City, all three kidnapped the night after that. And finally, Will Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin of Heatherfield, all kidnapped just two nights afterwards."
"Why would Hydra kidnap all of these people," Tony questioned. "I understand Ichigo and his friends, but not the rest."
"According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data files, Fuyuki City was the setting 9 years ago for an event known as the Holy Grail War," JARVAS explained.
"The Holy Grail War, huh," said Tony.
"I have heard of the Holy Grail War," said Thor. "It is a competition that decides the ownership of the Holy Grail through intense battle royale. I myself wanted to participate once until I saw what it does to those who compete and fail."
"Not sure if I want to know the details," Tony turned back to JARVAS. "What about the others?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data files seem to indicate seem to indicate that the Heatherfield residents are known as the Guardians of the Vail," JARVAS continued. "They protect not just our world but a mysterious world called Meridian."
"Meridian huh, that's interesting," Tony acknowledged. "I'm guessing that explains why Hydra targeted them."
"But the question is what does Hydra plan to do with them," said Steve Rogers. "I'd hate to think what they're doing to them as we speak."
"We'll find them, Cap.," said Janet Van Dyne.
"And when we do, I'll smash them," Hulk punched his hand.
"I wish there was a better way to handle this, but that time has passed," said Hank Pym.
"You never change, do you Hank," Janet smirked.
Everyone laughed, including Hank, until JARVAS interrupted with recent news. "Sir, I just intercepted a transmission."
"What do we got JARVAS," said Tony.
"It seems that the diclonius queen Lucy has escaped the National Research Institute on Human Evolution," JARVAS showed security footage.
Everyone was shocked upon seeing what was shown.
"That's horrible," Janet gasped.
"Agreed," Thor acknowledged. "She's about as gruesome as one of Spider-Man's enemies, Carnage, and Agent Venom's arc enemy, Jack O'Lantern."
"According to database, she has an attack range of 2 meters," JARVAS explained. "Be advised however that she can extend that range by using any object her vectors can hold and either throwing them as projectiles or using them as melee weapons."
"Vectors," said Janet.
"Invisible hands that Dicloni use to infect humans with a virus," Tony informed them. "Their range depends on the individual. Lucy's range is typically two meters."
"Oh no," said one of the researchers.
"What is it, Dr. Nozomu Akatsuki," said Tony.
"My younger son, Akira," said Dr. Akatsuki. "He's going on a fieldtrip tomorrow to Kamakura…"
"Which is exactly where the institute is," Tony finished that sentence.
"Oh no," Janet gasped. "Sakura and her friends are going on that same fieldtrip! We need to warn them!"
"Wait a minute," said Tony. "If we're aware of Lucy's escape, it's likely that both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra are aware of it as well, and knowing Hydra, they'll send their goon squad after them."
"What are you saying, Stark," Thor questioned.
"He's saying that we should let the fieldtrip go on and send everyone off it to their deaths, is that correct," Steve guessed.
"Morbid much, Rogers," Tony accused. "I'm saying that even if we cancel the fieldtrip, it would only be a matter of time before Hydra comes in and attacks Tomoeda and we still don't know where they're keeping their captives. As much as I hate to do this, we might have to use Kinomoto as bait, and I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D. will be doing the same."
"That's fine, Mr. Stark, but leave my son out of it," said Dr. Akatsuki.
"If you want to make your son miss that fieldtrip, that's your choice, Doctor," said Tony. "But don't blame me if he decides to disobey you and go on it anyway."
Nozomu was about to leave, but looking at his more logical side, he realized that Tony was right.
"I'll tell you what, you let him go on that fieldtrip with the others, but you go along with him," Tony proposed. "That way, whenever things get harry, you can take him away at any time."
Dr. Akatsuki pondered for a moment before answering, "Well as long as I'm watching my son… Alright, I'll go. But the moment things get nasty, I'm pulling my son out of it."
Nozomu then left the room to get some sleep.
"This is uncharacteristic of you, Stark," said Hank. "I know you've been reckless in the past with your decisions, butting a bunch of kids in danger like this!? I don't like it at all!"
"Neither do it," said Tony. "But unless you want to wait for one of Hydra's prisoners to somehow escape and tell us where their base is, we don't have any other options."
No one had anything else to say.
The next morning, the Tomoeda Middle School cultural fieldtrip was on its way to Kamakura. Driving the busses were Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Bobbi Morse, and two more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Flash Thompson and Andi Benton, aka Agent Venom and Agent Mania. The two had been assigned to accompany the class just in case things got out of hand after Natasha reported Sakura's plan to lure out the mysterious Hydra agents.
Flashback:
"So Sakura has decided to join S.H.I.E.L.D.," Maria questioned.
"I don't think so, not yet," Natasha answered. "But she is agreeing to help us lure out the individuals who kidnapped Ichigo, Kenichi, Shirou, Will, and the others. She's willing put herself at risk in order to stop these kidnappings from Hydra. I guess what you and the Prime Minister told her and her team at that meeting affected her quite a bit."
"Well keep an eye on her," Maria ordered. "And just so you know, I was just informed that Lucy, the Diclonius Queen, has escaped the Diclonius Research Institute."
"That's not good," Natasha acknowledged. "And the institute is just off shore from Kamakura. Should I call off the operation?"
"No, we won't get another chance at this," Maria told her. "Just keep an eye out for her, and let her and her friends know what she'll be up against once you arrive. But just to be safe, I'll send in reinforcements."
"Yes Ma'am, over and out," Natasha ended her communication.
"Flash, Andi, get in here," Maria ordered.
Agents Flash Thompson and Andi Benton then entered the room
"You called for us, Director," said Andi.
"Yes, Andi," Maria told the agent. "You and Flash are to accompany Sakura Kinomoto and her classmates to Kamakura. She's going to try a plan to lure out the Hydra agents who have been kidnapping people lately, but a fugitive named Lucy has escaped from a facility near Kamakura where the operation is to take place. If Lucy happens to show up, you must keep everyone else away."
"You've got it, Ma'am," said Flash.
"We'll keep an eye out for her," said Andi.
End of Flashback:
On the bus, Sakura was feeling nervous. She knew that she was going to use herself as bait to lure out the Hydra agents who've been kidnapping so many people as she volunteered to do so, but this was still scary for her. Naturally sitting next to her was Syaoran, who was still concerned for his girlfriend and Yūko's words still echoed in his mind. Sitting on the seat behind them were Tomoyo and Meilin, who despite not hearing Sakura and Syaoran mutter a single word could tell that they were conflicted. On the seat across from them were Akira and Jessica, the former of the two stared at Sakura, something that the latter took notice of.
"I saw that, Akira," Jessica teased.
"Huh," Akira gasped.
"You like Sakura, don't you," Jessica teased.
"Huh, oh well, I don't know," Akira blushed. "But even if I was, she's already got a boyfriend with that Li guy."
"Don't worry too much about it," Jessica told him. "After all, there are other fish in the sea."
Akira then teased her, "Like you?"
"Very funny," Jessica sighed.
"Okay everyone," said Mariko, who was also with them. "Once we arrive at Kamakura, we will all be placed into groups of 5 to 10 individuals. I want you all to stay close to each other so we do not get lost, understand?"
"Yes Ms. Yashida," said the students.
"Those kids don't know what they're getting themselves into," said Andi.
"Fortunately, nearly all of them will be going home before the operation begins," Flash pointed out. "Our main concern is how Ms. Kinomoto will handle the Diclonius Queen."
"I hear you," Andi agreed. "Let's just hope Ms. Romanoff and Director Hill know what they're doing."
"So do I Andi, so do I," Flash agreed.
"Sakura, are you okay," said Tomoyo.
"I'm really nervous," Sakura admitted. "I still can't believe I actually volunteered to go through with this. Not to mention that this was my idea. What if something goes wrong?"
"Don't worry about it, Sakura," Syaoran told her. "Whatever happens, we're here for you and we'll back you up in any way we can."
"It's not just me I'm worried about," Sakura told her boyfriend. "What if something else happens during the operation? What if I have to make a choice of saving you guys or saving the lives of complete strangers? What if… what if…"
"Calm down, Sakura," Syaoran told her. "None of us can predict what will happen next, even Clow Reed couldn't predict everything. Don't worry about what hasn't happened yet, just focus on what you have to do right here, right now. But remember, sometimes it's necessary to make difficult choices, but you must make them when the time comes, not before, not after."
These words struck Sakura like a ton of bricks. While she wasn't willing to accept the idea of making such a choice, she knew that Syaoran was being honest with his words so she knew that he wasn't wrong.
Soon enough, the busses reached their destination, one of Kamakura's most famous landmarks the Kōtoku-in. Once the busses had parked in the nearby Kanagawaken Dorokosha Daibutsuzen Parking Lot, everyone exited the busses and lined up.
"Okay everyone," said Mariko. "We're here at our first destination, the Kōtoku-in home of the famous Great Buddha of Kamakura. Now remember to stay close together and to stay in line. We don't want anyone wondering off. Do you understand?"
"Yes Ms. Yashida," said the students.
Without any further delay, the students started marching up to Kōtoku-in, with Clint, Natasha, Barbara, Flash, and Andi close behind. Once they were at the temple, the students naturally flocked towards the Great Buddha like a flock of vultures.
"So this is the Great Buddha," said Akira.
"I've only ever seen pictures of this thing," Jessica admitted.
"It's said that the Great Buddha of Kamakura was once a giant guardian who was turned into a statue long ago," Takashi began telling one of his tall tales.
As usual, Chiharu comically strangled him in response to keep him from continuing his story, much to everyone's amusement. "Will you quit it, Yamazaki?! How many times do we have to go through this before you finally stop…?"
"Well, there's a sight we'll never get bored with," Rika giggled.
"You've said it, Rika," Naoko agreed.
While they were having their amusement, Natasha had taken Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Meilin away to discuss something important with them.
"Natasha is there something wrong," Tomoyo asked out of concern.
"I'm afraid so, Ms. Daidouji," said Natasha. "And it concerns you, Kinomoto."
"Hoe," Sakura gasped quietly.
At the Diclonius Research Institute, Chief Kurama and a small crew was inspecting the scene of the crime, trying to determine the cause of Lucy's breakout. Currently, they were in the cell that the Diclonius queen was being held captive. The blood of the guards she killed last night was still wet and the cage was badly twisted. With him was Shirakawa, a scientist in her mid-30s.
"The cage, the partitions, five locks, and the security system, everything was perfect," said Shirakawa. "The cause of the shutter system anomaly has yet been determined."
"In time, we'll sort it out," said Kurama. "Right now, the priority is finding Lucy and killing her."
"You said kill, not capture," Shirakawa questioned.
"A special assault team has been assembled," Kurama told her. "If we don't stop Lucy, the blood of mankind is on our hands."
"Not quite," said a voice.
Kurama and Shirakawa jumped and looked behind them. There was Viper, looking quite intrigued by what she was seeing.
"Viper, what are you doing here," Kurama questioned.
"To inform you that Lucy is the property of Hydra and should you even think about killing her, you will suffer the consequences," Viper threatened him.
"You fool," Kurama shouted. "You don't know what you're dealing with! Lucy could decapitate you with ease if she wanted to…!"
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," Viper took out a gun and shot Kurama in the head.
Shirakawa gasped upon seeing this.
"My apologies, doctor," said Viper. "But I cannot allow anyone to interfere with our affairs. HAIL HYDRA…!"
"HAIL HYDRA," shouted all of the soldiers in the room.
Viper looked at Shirakawa, waiting for her response.
Perhaps out of fear or shock or both, Shirakawa shouted, "HAIL HYDRA…!"
Back at the Kōtoku-in, Natasha had told Sakura and her friends about the situation involving Lucy.
"What," Sakura gasped. "There's a killer named Lucy on the loose here in Kamakura?"
"Yes, but not so loud," Natasha told her. "We don't want to panic the other students."
"Sorry," Sakura apologized.
"But Natasha if there's a killer on the loose, why didn't you inform us earlier," Meilin rightfully asked.
"Because the assault team Hydra has been using to kidnap "gifted" individuals is still out there and it's only a matter of time before they go after Lucy," Natasha explained. "Could you imagine what a terrorist organization like Hydra would do with such terrible power if they got their coils on it?"
"I see your point," Syaoran agreed. "But this also makes the operation a lot more dangerous for us. If this Lucy can easily decapitate and dismember people from a distance, then what could we do about her?"
"You're smart kids, you'll figure it out," said Natasha. "Besides, Hawkeye, Mocking Bird, Agent Venom, Agent Mania, and I will be watching from a distance. If things get too hairy, we'll be on standby. But this if you don't want to go through with this operation anymore, we won't force you."
Sakura thought about it for a moment, and while she was scared by the possibility of being killed, she knew that she would have to face that possibility sooner or later when she faces Suì-Fēng. So she agreed to go along with the plan. Syaoran also agreed to go along with the plan, knowing that Sakura might need help and Tomoyo and Meilin agreed to it too.
Sakura then walked back to the Great Buddha as Eriol looked at her with concern.
"Oh, Eriol," Sakura gasped. "I guess you heard what we were talking about?"
"I heard everything I needed to know," Eriol told her. "I hope you know what you're doing, Sakura. And remember what Syaoran told you on the bus, sometimes it's necessary to make difficult choices and you must make them when the time comes, not before, not after."
"But how could I," Sakura questioned. "What if I make that choice and people suffer for it? When I had to capture Dash, it ended up with Rei and I didn't want to make Rei unhappy. Then when I had to take the final judgement of the Clow Cards, I had to face off against Yue, who as you know is Yokito's true form. I didn't want to fight him because I still saw him as Yokito. I don't want to go through those again. I don't want to go through such experiences like that ever again!"
Eriol then told her, "Unfortunately, it can't be helped."
"Hoe," Sakura gasped.
"We all must face difficult choices every day of our lives," Eriol told her. "Some more extreme than others, and every decision you make has consequences, either for you, or for those around you, or both, and you must live with them."
Once again, Sakura was left speechless and Eriol walked away.
In Naruki City, an extremely tall young man with black eyes and wavy black hair that is at shoulder length was looking at the city from the balcony of the building he was on. This was Shūkurō Tsukishima. Next to him was a short teenager who sported a shaved head with a buzzed mohawk in the middle, and grey eyes. This was Moe Shishigawara
"Master Tsukishima," said Moe.
"What is it, Moe," said Tsukishima.
"How long can we expect Hydra to keep their word," said Moe.
"I don't trust Hydra," Tsukishima answered. "However, we cannot make a move until Ginjo gives the word."
"I suppose," said Moe.
Suddenly, someone showed up. "Well that's a shame, sugar."
This caught their attention and they saw Rogue standing just meters away from them.
"I was hoping to have a little more action from a group called Xcution," said Rogue.
"And you are," Tsukishima questioned.
"Name's Rogue," Rogue identified herself. "And you are?"
"Shūkurō Tsukishima," Tsukishima identified himself. "I'm a Fullbringer, you want to know what I do with it?"
"Humor me, Sugar," Rogue told him.
"It's known as Book of the End," Tsukishima manifested his Fullbring. "With it, I can cut through anything."
"Nice to know," Rogue walked up to him. "Want to know what my power is?"
"I'm listening," Tsukishima smirked.
"It's more of a demonstration," Rogue took off one of her gloves.
Inside Xcution's headquarters, several other Fullbringers were sitting around doing random things. One was a tall, middle-aged man who possessed short dark hair, brown eyes and a thick mustache. One was a young, slender girl with magenta eyes and long hair of matching color, styled into two pigtails, and between which she wore a light-colored hat that had two extensions in the back, made to look like rabbit's ears. One was a tall dark-skinned woman with straight chin-length dark hair, brown eyes and full lips. Last but not least, one was a young boy with green eyes and spiky, blonde hair with bangs that are usually covering his left eye. They were Giriko Kutsuzawa, Riruka Dokugamine, Jackie Tristan, and Yukio Hans Vorarlberna.
"Ah, why do we have to wait for another four months before we make our move," Riruka complained.
"Time is our best ally, Riruka," said Giriko, looking at his pocket watch. "If we make our move right now while we are unprepared, we might as well be walking into the lion's den."
"Perhaps you could find a way to entertain yourself," Yukio pointed out while playing a video game. "I've found my entertainment by playing Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire on the Gameboy Advanced. Perhaps you could find entertainment by collecting Pikachu or Eevee plush toys considering that you love cute things."
"Okay, since when were we talking about Pokémon of all things," Riruka questioned. "The anime isn't a perfect adaptation of the games and most of the Pokémon are not exactly cute and cuddly. Pikachu, Eevee, and Mew are the only exceptions for me."
"I suspect you prefer Digimon then," Jackie questioned.
"Hell no," Riruka retorted. "Gatomon and Patamon are the cutest things in there, but the rest can go to hell. And don't even get me started on Yu-Gi-Oh. Karibou is cute, but the rest are as good as dead to me."
"So rather than finding a way to entertain yourself, you would rather run your big mouth," Yukio teased.
"Watch it, rich boy," Riruka retorted.
"Enough," Ginjo shouted. "I know you're all frustrated, but we must…"
Suddenly they heard a loud scream.
"Tsukishima," they all gasped.
Without hesitation, the group made their way outside only to find Tsukishima and Moe lying on the ground, looking pail. Behind them was Rogue who was looked like she was ready to pick a fight.
"Who are you and what did you do to them," Jackie questioned.
"Why nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you," Rogue manifested Tsukishima's Fullbring, much to their surprise.
"Wait a minute," Riruka gasped. "That's Tsukishima's fullbring…!"
"Yes it is," Rogue agreed. "You want to know what my power is?"
"Kill her," Ginjo ordered.
All members of Xcusion charged at Rogue, but using Tsukishima's speed, she was able to avoid their assault. Next thing they knew, Rogue touched Ginjo's forehead with her bare hands and he started feeling shocked.
"My power is your power and I can take more than one," Rogue told them.
Moments later, Ginjo fell to the floor, unconscious, while Rogue manifested his Fullbring and attacked the other members of Xcusion. Before any of them could react, she touched each and every one or their foreheads, sapping their powers away. Once she was done, she slashed them with Tsukishima's Book of the End, even Tsukishima himself.
In the Soul Society, the Gotei 13 was preparing for all-out war against the Horyus. At the moment, all 13 captains were assembled at a captains meeting where Head Captain Yamamoto had some announcements to make.
"Attention everyone," said Yamamoto. "As you are aware, we are all preparing to go to war against the Horyus and we are going to need all the help we can get. I have already dispatched Lieutenants Kuchiki and Abarai to assist Kisuke to restore Ichigo Kurosaki's Soul Reaper powers. They might only be temporary, but the specialized spirit sword should be enough to restore his powers for one night."
"Pardon me sir, but why only those three," Rose questioned. "Would it not be more effective if we all put our spirit energy into that sword?"
"Technically yes," Mayuri answered. "However, we do not know if the experiment will work or not, so we must test it out first. If the experiment is successful, then we will work on restoring Kurosaki's powers permanently."
"Now, as you were saying Head Captain," said Byakuya.
"Yesterday, an expedition unit had returned safely to the Soul Society," Yamamoto told them. "Their long term assignment has been completed without suffering a single casualty. This is a truly great accomplishment. As you all know, there have been officially 13 court guard squads within the Soul Society, with two exceptions. One is the Royal Guard which protects the Soul King, and the other is this unit unofficially known as Squad 14."
"There's a Squad 14, sir," Toshiro asked.
"This if my first time hearing about it," Shinji admitted. "It must have happened sometime after Sosuke Hollowfied us."
"Out of curiosity what does Squad 14 do, sir," said Kensei.
"As I mentioned before, Squad 14 is not officially part of the 13 Court Guard Squads," Yamamoto continued. "They have the task of patrolling other parts of the Soul Society that the other Squads are not assigned to. However, do to what had been happening recently and the info we have on the Horyus, I've asked Squad 14 to help us in our hour of need."
Yamamoto then raised his head and announced, "Now without further ado, allow me to introduce the captain of Squad 14, Shūsuke Amagai."
On que, Shūsuke Amagai entered the captains meeting and revealed himself to the other captains. From what they could see, Shūsuke was a tall, muscular Shinigami who had chin-length blueish hair that he wears in a somewhat ragged fashion.
Shūsuke Amagai has a rather unkempt appearance, due to his messy hair and chin stubble. He is a tall, muscular Shinigami who has chin-length blueish hair that he wears in a somewhat ragged fashion. As opposed to his predecessor, he wears a long-sleeved captain's haori. Aside from the extra sword sheath and the strange paper that he keeps in the fold of his uniform, his outfit is a standard Shinigami uniform.
In Kamakura, the Tomoeda Middle School students visited several more landmarks, learning about Kamakura's local culture, both traditional and contemporary. All the while, the undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents were keeping an eye out for Lucy in case she attacked. Once the fieldtrip was over, the students went back to the busses and prepared to head home, all except for a few.
"Sakura, Tomoyo, Li, Meilin, come on," Rika called out.
"We're going to stay here a little longer," Sakura told her friends.
"Are you sure," Naoko asked.
"No need to worry," Tomoyo told them. "Natasha here is one of my bodyguards. She'll drive us home when we're ready."
"Okay, if you say so," said Chiharu.
"Good luck you guys," said Yamazaki.
"Thanks," said Syaoran and Meilin.
"Are you sure that they will be okay," said Mariko with concern.
"No need to worry, Ms. Yashida," said Natasha. "My partners and I will keep an eye on them, and when they're ready, I'll personally drive them back."
"Well, if you say so," Mariko then walked onto the bus and they all drove off.
On the buses, Sakura's classmates were worried as to what will happen to Sakura and the others.
"Do you guys think Sakura will be alright," Rika asked.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Naoko told her. "She's a magical girl after all."
"I guess, but I'm still worried," said Chiharu. "Maybe we should go back and do something to help her."
"No," said Eriol. "The reason she doesn't want you to stay with her is because she doesn't want you getting killed."
"What do you mean," Yamazaki asked.
"As you know, Sakura was taken away to the Prime Minister's office last week," Eriol explained. "She was told by Maria Hill, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s directors, and the Prime Minister that there are criminal and terrorist organizations out there who will try to hunt her down and kill her. Perhaps you've heard of the kidnappings that have been happening lately."
"I think I've heard about that," said Rei before it hit her. "Wait a minute Sakura's trying to lure those kidnappers out…!"
"SSSSHHHH…!"
"Yes, she is," Eriol told them. "But keep it down. We don't want to start a panic here and there could be Hydra Agents nearby, perhaps even on this bus."
At Kamakura, one of Tomoyo's vans parked up to the temple and picked up the group. Sakura looked in saw two people she was familiar with in the driver and passenger seats.
"Toya, Yukito," Sakura gasped.
"I couldn't let you handle everything by yourself, Monster," Toya teased.
"Stop calling me a monster," Sakura retorted.
Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Meilin laughed.
"Alright enough," said Natasha "Everyone in the van."
Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Meilin then entered the van through the back door and Natasha took notice of the glare on Toya's face.
"To be quite honest Natasha, I don't trust you one bit," said Toya bluntly.
"And you're right to suspicious, Mr. Kinomoto," Natasha told him. "For all you know, I could be double agent for Hydra or any other criminal or terrorist organization. However, the fact remains that you and everyone close to Sakura is a target for her enemies and it's only a matter of time before the kidnappers who have been abducting "gifted" individuals come after her. Now, do you want to argue or do you want to be rid of those kidnappers?"
Toya stared at Natasha for a moment, but after thinking about what she mentioned, he knew that she was right so he agreed to go along with the plan.
Later that night, it started to rain and Sakura and Syaoran were wearing their new battle costumes, though calling them new would be a bit of a stretch. Their costumes were recolored versions of costumes that they wore in the past.
Sakura wore what looked like the final battle costume she wore when she fought Eriol and transformed the last of the original 52 Clow Cards, but with the colors of the costume she wore during the Sealed Card incident and the battle with Xehanort. The dress was pink and the skirt was split at Sakura's waist to show the bodysuit but there was also a gap along the center of the dress where the rest of the bodysuit. The tip of the skirt was fuchsia and had two fuchsia buttons on the front of the skirt. The bodysuit was yellow and it widened at Sakura's waist. The cape and the rest of the outfit was held together by a large fuchsia collar with two fuchsia buttons on the front and a yellow star. The edge of the collar was serrated and the collar had a pink and fuchsia rimmed fabric overlapping the cape, bodysuit and dress. The inside of the cape was yellow, the outside of the cape was pink and the bottom of the cape was fuchsia rimmed with two large yellow stars on either side of the cape. The boots of the outfit were knee high and on the top of the boots, there were pads of fuchsia and the rims went outwards and were fuchsia with two buttons on either side. Lastly, the hat was cylindrical and was pink and fuchsia rimed and on both sides of the hat were two buttons.
Syaoran also wore what looked like his usual battle costume, but with the colors of the costume he wore during the Sealed Card incident and during the battle with Organization XIII. As with his usual battle costume, there were three parts to his new outfit, his hat, the over garment and the bodysuit. The over garment was green with yellow rims on the outfit, each sleeve had a dark green rim and both of them had a small bell attached to the end. The undergarment was also green and so were the shoes. Keeping the whole outfit together was a yellow waistband. Last but not least was a pearl green hat with yellow rims, two black jewels were onyx surrounded by dark green rims. Everything else was exactly like his usual battle costume.
The two walked cautiously through the rain, carrying umbrellas to keep dry. Alongside them were Keroberos and Yue, both in their true forms. Hiding in the surrounding vegetation were Black Widow, Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Agent Venom, and Agent Carnage. Toya, Tomoyo and Meilin stayed safe in the van, Tomoyo videotaping the mission as usual.
"So far so good," said Sakura.
"Yeah, but no sign of the kidnappers or the Diclonius," Syaoran pointed out.
"Keep your guard up," said Kero. "There's no telling what we might run into."
Suddenly, Yue noticed a pink-haired girl wearing a white shirt and blue shorts running in the rain. "Hey, there's someone running towards the beach…!"
Sakura, Syaoran and Kero both noticed and immediately gave chase, something the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took notice of.
"Where are they going," Flash questioned.
"It looks like they're chasing some random girl," Andi noted.
"Wait a minute," said Hawkeye. "That girl has pink hair and cat ear-shaped horns on her head. I think it's Lucy!"
"I'll notify Sakura right away," Natasha contacted Sakura and Syaoran. "Sakura, Syaoran, can you hear me?"
"We hear you, Black Widow," said Sakura, keeping her true identity a secret in case anyone was listening. "What is it?"
"That girl you're chasing, she matches the description of Lucy," Natasha informed her. "Whatever you do, approach with caution. She killed at least 23 people in only five minutes. She's vicious…!"
"We'll keep that in mind," Syaoran acknowledged.
At the beach, the girl was staring out at the ocean with tears in her eyes. She looked like she was getting ready to cry her eyes out. She then bent down and placed her hand in the water as the waves came in and out.
Upon reaching the beach, Sakura and Syaoran saw what was going on and so did Kero and Yue. While the others were still cautious, Sakura could see that the girl was crying and couldn't help but feel sympathy for her.
"Oh, she doesn't look so dangerous," Sakura started to get closer.
"Sakura be careful," Syaoran reminded her.
Sakura soon got close enough for the girl to notice her.
"Nyu," said the girl.
"It's okay, I won't hurt you," Sakura reassured her.
"Nyu," said the girl again.
From the distance, Syaoran, Kero, and Yue were watching cautiously in case the girl attacked Sakura.
"Natasha, are you seeing this," said Syaoran.
"I see it but I don't believe it," said Natasha.
"Me neither," Syaoran agreed. "Are you sure that this is that Lucy you told us about? She doesn't fit the description you gave us, personality-wise."
"Believe me, I'm still confused," Natasha acknowledged. "But still, keep an eye on her. If she shows any sign of being a murderous intent, take her down, but don't get too close."
"Tell that to Sakura," Syaoran sighed.
Just then, the three noticed a young man walking towards the beach with an umbrella in hand. The young man walked up to Sakura and the girl and kneeled down next to the girl, catching her and Sakura's attention.
"What are you doing out here," said the man. "It's raining hard. Oh man"
"Excuse me sir," said Sakura, getting his attention. "Is this your friend?"
The man looked at Sakura and told her, "Well yeah, I guess you can put it that way."
Suddenly the man recognized Sakura. "Hey wait a minute…! I know you…! You're Sakura Kinomoto of the Horyus…!"
Sakura replied, "I guess my reputation precedes me."
"Well don't let it get to you," the man suddenly showed hostility. "I've heard about that battle you had at Tokyo Disneyland and Mount Fuji! You act like a hero, but you're not…!"
Sakura was shocked upon hearing the man's reaction, but she was able to calm down and simply tell him, "I'm sorry you feel that way."
The man then noticed the girl's unhappy expression and realized that he may have overacted. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I… My friend, Nyu here, destroyed something that… reminded me of… of my dead sister… earlier tonight… and I… I completely overacted towards her. And just now … I guess I just took more of that frustration out on you. You were helping Nyu just now and… I shouldn't have yelled at you."
Sakura looked concerned.
"Name's Kouta, by the way," Kouta identified himself.
"Nice to meet you, Kouta," Sakura then noticed a helicopter in the distance. "Kouta, you and Nyu need to get out of here! You're in great danger here…!"
"SAKURA, WATCH OUT," Syaoran called out.
But it was too late. Kouta was knocked to the ground by the back of a gun from a soldier.
"Kouta, are you okay," Sakura gasped.
"Wow, horns just like they said," said the soldier. "She's got them growing out of her skull."
"You probably shouldn't get too close Bando," said another soldier.
"I told you already to shut up," said Bando.
"Hey wait a minute," Sakura pointed her staff at the soldiers. "Who are you guys?"
Bando turned his attention towards Sakura and smirked. "Well, well, well, what do we have here, Sakura Kinomoto of the Horyus. I've been meaning to go after one of you as soon as I took out this horn-headed bitch here. This must be my lucky day."
Bando then pointed his gun at Sakura, preparing to shoot her.
"Stop right there," Syaoran shouted.
Bando took notice of Syaoran as he, Kero and Yue made their way to the scene to help Sakura. Syaoran drew his sword.
"Stupid kid," Bando pointed his gun at Syaoran.
Before Bando could shoot, Kouta got up and tackled him, causing him to misfire.
"Bando," said the other soldier.
Bando then punched Kouta in the face, sending him flying a few meters away from him.
"Kouta," Sakura and Nyu gasped.
"Huh," Sakura gasped upon realizing that Nyu just spoke.
"Son of a bitch," Bando grumbled upon getting back up. "You'll die for that…!"
"Stand down," Natasha called out.
Bando looked and saw Natasha standing near the seawall. "The Black Widow…?"
"I said stand down," Natasha ordered.
"I'm not taking orders from you, Bitch," Bando retorted.
"You want to be in trouble with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natasha questioned before turning her attention to Sakura, Kouta, Nyu, Syaoran, Kero, and Yue. "And as for you civilians, leave this area at once!"
Sakura was confused, but Syaoran picked up on what she was trying to do and answered, "Yes Ma'am…!"
Syaoran then gathered everyone and they all made their way to the fisherman direct sales office (漁師直売所, ryōshi chokubaisho) where the boats were. Taking refuge in one of the shelters, the group met with a small girl with a puppy.
"What's going on out there," said the girl.
"We don't know," said Sakura. "Just stay here and you should be safe."
Suddenly there was a voice. "I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you."
They looked and saw the Frightful Four, Medusa, Trapster, Wizard, and Claugh, glaring down at them.
"Who are you," Syaoran gasped.
"We are the Frightful Four," Wizard introduced himself and his team. "Prepare to die."
But then Sakura remembered what General Aso, Prime Minister Ogata, and Director Hill mentioned during the meeting last week and realized that if they were to fight there, they would only cause collateral damage.
"Not here," Sakura took out one of her cards. "Windy, form a rope and pull these supervillains away from this area…! WINDY…!"
Sakura then activated the Windy Card and moved the Frightful Four away from the shelter. Before she and her friends could go after them, Sakura told Kouta, Nyu and the girl to stay where they were and not to follow them.
Out in the open, Sakura, Syaoran, Kero, and Yue battled the Frightful Four on a four on four all out match, Sakura battled Medusa, Syaoran battled Klaw, Kero fought Trapster, and Yue faced Wizard.
"Prepare yourself, Kinomoto," said Medusa.
"Please listen, we don't have to fight," Sakura tried to reason with her.
"Silence," Medusa retorted. "You and the other Horyus are a threat to Attilan and the Inhuman race, one that I intend to rectify."
"What did we do to you," Sakura questioned.
"You exist," Medusa then extended her hair and attempted to bind Sakura with it.
"SWORD…!"
Sakura quickly activated the Sword Card and cut the hair strands that tried to bind her before they could reach her.
"So, you're part of the Li Clan," said Klaw. "I heard rumors about their innate magical abilities. I'm no stranger to magic."
"I'll bet you fought alongside or against magic users in the past because you don't look like you're a magic user yourself," Syaoran pointed out. "You look more like a man of science."
"True with that," Klaw aimed his sound converter at Syaoran.
Klaw then fired a powerful supersonic wave at Syaoran, causing him to cover his ears for a moment. However, realizing that he had to stop the attack, Syaoran activated one of his spells.
"OBEY THE COMMAND…! WIND FLOWER, COME FORTH…!"
Using his two fingertips, Syaoran created a whirlwind barrier which blocked the soundwave. Syaoran then used another of his spells, again using only his fingertips.
"OBEY THE COMMAND…! FIRE GOD, COME FORTH…!"
Syaoran summoned flames in the form of a flamethrower attack and fired it at Klaw, forcing him to stop his soundwave attack in order to evade the flames. With the added power of the whirlwind barrier, the flamethrower was that much more powerful, able to evaporate the water inside the rain-soaked sand and melting some of the sand into glass within seconds, something that Klaw took notice of.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty," Trapster tried to shoot Kero with his paste-guns.
The guardian beast however was able to avoid being pasted (no pun intended) by running around in a circle around the supervillain.
"Nice try," said Kero. "Now take this."
"SOLAR FLARE INFERNO…!"
Kero fired his Solar Flare Inferno at the supervillain, who countered by shooting his paste-guns at the attack. The two attacks seemed evenly matched as the flames from Kero's attack heated up the paste and evaporated the water, solidifying it on the spot.
"LUNAR ICE CRYSTALS…!"
Yue fired his Lunar Ice Crystals at Wizard, but the supervillain used his suit to create a force field that deflected the ice crystals. Wizard then used his gloves to fire energy blasts at the moon guardian, which he avoided by flying straight up into the air. Wizard continued to fire his energy blasts at Yue while Yue countered by firing his Lunar Ice Crystal attack.
"You cannot keep avoiding me forever," Wizard taunted.
"I was about to tell you that," Yue countered.
"I don't need to," Wizard then threw anti-gravity discs at some of the objects where Kouta, Nyu, and the girl were.
"Oh no," Sakura gasped.
On the other side of the fisherman direct sales office, Natasha and Bando noticed the floating objects.
"What's going on over there," Bando puzzled.
"The Frightful Four," Natasha radioed the other agents. "Hawkeye, did you see that?"
"Yeah, and we're on our way to help them," said Hawkeye.
But Bando had no patients and ran towards the battlefield and Natasha gave chase.
Back on the battlefield, Sakura, Syaoran, Kero, and Yue were all locked in combat with the Frightful Four. Wizard launched several of the objects that had his disks on at them, forcing them to dodge in different directions. Sakura jumped to the left, Syaoran jumped to the right, and Kero and Yue took to the air. But just as he wasn't looking, Trapster shot Syaoran with his paste gun, covering him in a quick-drying glue-like paste, immobilizing him.
"Syaoran," Sakura gasped.
"Don't worry about me," Syaoran told his girlfriend. "Keep your mind on the fight…!"
As if on que, Wizard threw another object at Sakura, forcing her to evade it.
Sakura jumped forward to avoid being crushed, but that was a bad idea as Klaw took advantage of this and shot her with his sonicdisruptor at her, causing her to cover her ears and scream in pain. But before Klaw could cause anymore harm, Hawkeye fired an EMP arrow at his sonicdisruptor, disabling it.
"Man you're getting sloppy, Klaw," Hawkeye made his presence known. "I would have expected you to try harder than that."
Hawkeye drew his bow again.
"I'm not the only one getting sloppy around here, Hawkeye," said Klaw. "You came in without backup."
"What makes you think that?!"
Mockingbird, Agent Venom, and Agent Mania then made their presence known as they also faced off against the Frightful Four. Agent Venom faced Medusa, Agent Mania faced Trapster, and Mockingbird faced Wizard.
In the shelter, Kouta, Nyu, and the girl were cuddled up together, trying to wait out the fight. But just as they were starting to get comfortable, Bando located them and pointed his gun at Nyu.
"You can run, but you can't hide, monster," Bando smirked.
Black Widow caught up and ordered, "Stand down…! That's a direct order…!"
"I don't take orders from bitches you bitch," Bando pointed his gun at Black Widow.
"Don't try it," Black Widow aimed her gauntlets at Bando in response.
Kouta, Nyu, and the girl all looked and saw the Black Widow, who ordered them to leave the area, which they did. Bando tried to shoot the, but Natasha beat him to the punch by knocking Bando's gun out of his hands. Frustrated, Bando tried to take out Natasha in hand-to-hand combat. However, he underestimated Natasha as she was able to block all of his punches with ease. Natasha then ended Bando's struggle by kicking him in the crotch, forcing him down to his knees in pain.
"Had enough," Natasha questioned.
"Hardly…!"
Bando tried to get back up, but Natasha kicked him across the face, knocking him to the ground. Normally, she would have used her Widow's Bite to take him out with an electric shock, but partly do to Hawkeye's EMP arrow and partly do to the fact that it was raining, she chose not to use it for obvious reasons. She then took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed Bando up.
"You're under arrest for interfearing with S.H.I.E.L.D. business and endangering innocent civilians," Natasha told him.
On the battlefield while the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents destracted the Frightful Four, Sakura tried to regain her composure after being struck by the supersonic wave. Upon looking up, she saw that the anti-gravity disks Wizard used to make the objects float were still working despite the effects of Hawkeye's EMP arrow. Realizing that she needed to take out those disks to render Klaw's meathod useless, she took out another card.
"SHOT…!"
Activating the Shot Card, Sakura fired multiple energy bullets at the disks from her staff, being careful to hit only the disks and not the objects they were attached to.
While that was going on, Kouta, Nyu, and the girl made it to the other side of the beach when they were met with by Bando's battlebuddy, who for whatever reason was waiting there the entire time. Panicing, the trio turned around and ran the other way with Bando's battlebuddy in hot pursuit. As the trio ran, they met Black Widow who was done cuffing up Bando, much to his battlebuddy's shock.
"What are you doing here," Natasha gasped. "Turn back…!"
But it was too late. Sakura, while still shooting down Wizard's anti-gravity disks with the shot card, was struck by one of Medusa's hair strands, causing her arm to point in the direction of Kouta, Nyu, and the girl. Before anyone could react, Sakura accidentally fired an energy bullet that grazed Nyu in the head, knocking her to the ground.
There was a moment of silence.
"NYU…!"
"Oh no," Sakura ran up to the group to check if Nyu was okay.
"Get away from us," Kouta shouted at her, tears in his eyes, his face filled with hostility.
"Is she okay," Sakura asked, more concerned about Nyu than about Kouta's angry face.
"What does it matter to you," Kouta shouted, still showing hostility to Sakura. "You shot her…!"
"It was an accident," Sakura tried to explain.
Bando's battlebuddy checked Nyu. "She's still breathing. It looks like the bullet just grazed her."
"Thank god," Natasha sighed.
"Well, that means I can kill her myself," Bando announced.
"No, you won't," Natasha countered. "You're going to prison for interfering with S.H.I.E.L.D. affairs."
"And you guys are under arrest for the same reasons," Hawkeye pointed an arrow at the Frightful Four.
But before anyone could say anything else, something happened and blood was seen flying out from Bando's battlebuddy. Everyone looked and saw a big hole where the man's heart should be.
"Run," was the last word Bando's battlebuddy said before his right arm was suddenly sliced off, followed by him being decapitated, much to the horror of Sakura and Syaoran (who was still stuck in the hardened paste).
Moments later, Nyu's body rose up, now dawning a menacing look that caught everyone's attention.
"It's her," Black Widow gasped. "The Diclonius Queen, Lucy…!"
"Oh shit," Medusa gasped. "Frightful Four, retreat…!"
"What's going on," Trapster questioned.
"We'll have time for that later," Wizard told him. "For now, retreat…!"
The Frightful Four then ran off in the opposite direction. Lucy then began picking up objects with her vectors and started throwing them rapidly. Everyone quickly responded by dodging the oncoming attack either to the left or to the right. Realizing that he two needed to get away, Syaoran acted quickly.
"OBEY THE COMMAND…! WATER DRAGON, COME FORTH…!"
Syaoran activated his water spell, despite being immobile, and was able to free himself from from the hardened paste. Once free, he jumped in the direction of the ocean. But then the next thing everyone knew, Lucy started throwing objects again, but this time they were aimed directly at a specific target, Sakura.
"Oh crap," Natasha gasped. "Miss Kinomoto, watch out…! She's after you…!"
Sakura, using her acrobatics skills, barely evaded the oncoming projectiles.
"I'll lure her away," Sakura called out before running across the sidewalk back to the other side of the fisherman direct sales office, Lucy in hot pursuit.
"That stupid kid," Flash gasped. "She'll be killed…!"
"I'm going after her," Syaoran ran after his girlfriend, Kero and Yue followed.
"They're both crazy," Andi shouted.
"What about the Frightful Four," Flash asked.
"Don't worry about them," Natasha told them before pointing towards Kouta and the girl who were still in shock. "Right now, we have to get those two to safety."
Natasha then turned her attention to Bando. "And you are still under arrest."
Meanwhile, Sakura was running as fast as she could to evade Lucy's attacks. Luckily, her experience with capturing the Clow Cards helped her evade the projectiles, but even then, she knew she couldn't dodge them forever. Active fast, she took shelter behind one of the walk ways into the beach, which shielded her from the projectiles.
"That was close," Sakura panted. "I still can't believe what I saw back there. She blew that man's heart out and then cut off his head and right arm. I hope everyone else is okay."
Sakura then peeked a look at Lucy as she made her way down from the air. Sakura then ducked back down.
"Okay, it looks like she's calmed down," Sakura told herself. "I need to try and get her to stop this before anyone else gets hurt. I hope I can get a word out to her."
Sakura then worked up some courage and came out of hiding.
"Hey Lucy," she called out. "I know that…"
Before Sakura could finish, she saw that Lucy was holding the gun Bando's battlebuddy was holding before she killed him. What caught her attention was that she was aiming that gun directly at her. She could only assume that she was mad at her for that stray bullet from earlier.
"Hey, wait a minute," Sakura started to panic. "Let me explain."
But Sakura's words fell on deaf ears as Lucy fired the gun at her, knocking her onto her back landing on the sand. Sakura screamed in pain as she was shot, but to her surprise, none of her vital spots were hit. As she lied there in the sand wimpering in pain from the bullets, Lucy landed right on top of Sakura, her feet on either side of her head and neck. Sakura looked up and gasped in fear upon seeing Lucy standing over her. Her eyes widening in terror while her iris and pupil shrank while Lucy was glaring down at her helpless posision.
Syaoran arrived on the battlefield only to see what was happening.
(Lilium (saint version) from Elfen Lied starts playing)
Sakura trembled in fear.
Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam,
"Do you enjoy this," Lucy questioned hatefully.
Et lingua eius loquetur iudicium.
"I'm sorry," Sakura plead. "I didn't mean to hurt you, really…!"
Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem,
Lucy then brought out one of her vectors and brought both its index finger and middle finger in front of Sakura's eyes. But surprisingly Sakura's eyes reacted to the vectors, focusing her vision on the fingers.
"W-What is this," Sakura gasped. "It looks like a hand."
Quoniam cum probatus fuerit accipiet coronam vitae.
"So, you can see it," Lucy acknowledged, her expression unchanged. "That's interesting."
"What am I looking at," Sakura questioned in fear.
Kyrie, fons bonitatis
"What you are looking at is one of my vectors," Lucy explained coldly. "Hands that are normally invisible to all accept for myself and other Dicloni. With just a simple touch, I can use one of these to kill you."
Sakura gasped in fear.
Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison
"Now the question is Sakura Kinomoto how do you choose to die," Lucy then took out another vector. "Should I slit your throat, sever your jugulars, cut off your head, squish your brain, crush your skull, remove your heart, or perhaps even rip you into pieces? Your choice."
O quam sancta, quam serena
Sakura then answered, "You can do whatever you want to me. Just please, don't hurt anyone else."
quam benigna, quam amoena esse Virgo creditor
Syaoran tried to intervien, his sword in hand. "Sakura…!"
O quam sancta, quam serena, quam benigna, quam amoena
"No Syaoran," Sakura called out.
O castitatis lilium
Syaoran stopped.
Kyrie, fons bonitatis
"Don't get involved," Sakura pleaded Syaoran. Please, just stay away."
Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison
Syaoran held still. While he wasn't sure what Sakura was planning to do, he somehow knew that he had to trust her judgement.
O quam sancta, quam serena
"Let her go," Yue tried to fire his Lunar Ice Crystals at Lucy.
"No, Yue," Sakura gasped.
quam benigna, quam amoena esse Virgo creditur
Lucy easily caught the cyrstals and threw them back at Yue, aiming for his wings and forcing the moon guardian to the ground.
O quam sancta, quam serena, quam benigna, quam amoena
"Damn you," Kero tried his Solar Flare Inferno.
Once again, Lucy easily blocked it by making the hand of one of her vectors larger in size.
"Kero, stop," Sakura ordered.
Kero did as Sakura told him.
O castitatis lilium
"It would seem that you all wish to protect your friend here," Lucy coldly said. "But if any of you comes anywhere near here, either one of you or she will die. This is your only warning."
"Damn it, what can I do," Syaoran thought. "I can't use my new technique while she has Sakura captive like this. I might hit her instead."
Suddenly Toya showed up and upon seeing what was going on, instinctively ran towards Sakura to help her. "Sakura…!"
Sakura and Lucy turned their attention to Toya, Sakura with a worried expression on her face while Lucy's expression remained the same.
"No Toya, get away," Sakura called out.
But it was too late. Once Toya got within a 2 meter range from Sakura and Lucy, Lucy extended one of her vectors and promptly cut off Toya's head.
(Lilium (saint version) from Elfen Lied ends)
Everyone gasped in horror upon seeing Toya get decapitated. His body then slumped to the ground while his head rolled in the sand until it stopped just inches away from Sakura's.
"I warned him," Lucy said coldly before turning her attention back to Sakura. "Now, where were we? Huh…?"
Lucy noticed that Sakura's eyes were hidden by a shadow, tears rolling down from them and she gritted her teeth.
"How dare you," Sakura mumbled at first. "How dare you… How dare you…"
Sakura then showed her face, no longer showing fear, but anger and fury. "HOW DARE YOU KILL MY BROTHER…!"
And that was chapter 10. So yeah, I just killed off Sakura's brother Toya as well as Chief Kurama. As I mentioned, this is where things get serious. Okay perhaps I went a little too far in this chapter and if I did then I'm sorry. But as they say, you can't keep playing it safe forever. Also on a side note, Rogue took the Fullbring of everyone in Xcusion and I introduced Shūsuke Amagai from one of the Bleach filler arcs, the Kasumiōji Conspiracy arc. Now if you're wondering, yes, Makoto Kibune, Rurichiyo Kasumiōji, Hanza Nukui, Kenryu and Enryu will also participate in this. What roles will they play you may ask, the answer is, wait and see. Same thing goes for whatever Rogue intends to do with her newly acquired Fullbring abilities.
The next chapter will pick up where this one left off and that's all I'm going to say since I'm sure you can guess what that means.
Chapter 11: The Cherry Blossom's Wrath