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"Random Subject Prompts"

Chapter 061: James "Bucky" Barnes

Sequel to: "December" (Chapter 4), "Dance" (Chapter 21), "Supermarket" (Chapter 33)

Movie: Captain America: Civil War

Prompt: none

Chapter Warning(s):

Author's Note:

KH*BB*KH*BB

Once they were apprehended by the Bucharest police and War Machine – also known as James Rhodes – Kagome and Bucky had been immediately separated and confined. Although they had fought to stay together, there wasn't much they could do with the company they currently kept.

Hands cuffed, Kagome sat at a fancy conference table in a room that should have been located in a corporate building instead of a police station. She idly tapped a finger against the table's surface, wondering what they had planned for Bucky. He was obviously the target from the very beginning. She didn't like the setup they were walking into. Everything seemed too… coincidental.

From life experience, she had learned that there was no such thing as coincidences.

The door opened, and Kagome turned her attention onto the handsome blonde man who walked in still wearing his Captain America suit, except his mask was pushed up and away to reveal his face. His expression was guarded, his blue eyes staring at her as if trying to uncover the secrets of the universe. In response, she closed her own expression, her beautiful features becoming a porcelain mask.

"Ma'am," Rogers greeted, nodding in her direction. He took a seat across from her, folding his hands in front of him to show he was unarmed. "My name is Steve Rogers."

"Kagome," she replied. "I would say it's nice to meet you, but these aren't very favorable circumstances."

"That's fair."

Keeping her hands placed on the tabletop, she leaned forward. "Where is Bucky?" Her tone was serious, demanding an immediate answer.

Rogers remained unflappable. He returned her question with his own. "How do you know him?"

"Don't you know it's rude to answer a question with another question?"

It was Rogers' turn to lean forward, his voice becoming deeper with his roiling emotions. "I don't think you understand the position you're in right now, Miss Kagome. You are not in any position to bargain."

"Whose bargaining?" she retorted. "I asked a simple enough question." Suddenly, she cocked her head to the side as she considered him. "Unless you don't know where he is either." If that proved truthful, Steve Rogers was useless to her. When she escaped, she was headed straight for wherever they were holding Bucky. No one was getting in her way.

Rogers sighed. "All I know is that you were with him when that whole situation blew up. I just want to know how you know Bucky, and where did you two meet?"

Kagome was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Have you ever once considered that maybe he didn't want to be found?" she inquired softly.

Blinking, he said, "What?"

"Didn't you think that perhaps he wanted to be left alone? Hydra really messed him up. He wanted to heal. To not have to constantly look over his shoulder, and wonder when the next enemy would show up on his doorstep. However, you and the others have made that quite difficult with your persistent searching."

With a deep frown, he said, "That wasn't my intention. I just needed to know that my oldest friend was okay."

She waved her hands around in the air, indicating the building they were in. "You're certainly doing a good job," she sarcastically said.

KH*BB*KH*BB

Her conversation with Rogers didn't last much longer before alarms started blaring and people started running, all shouting the same thing:

Bucky had escaped and was making his way out. He was to be captured and contained once more, no matter what.

Natasha Romanoff did her best to try to slow Bucky down, using her hand-to-hand combat skills to battle the enhanced solider. However, every time she tried landing a punch or kick or used one of her secret gadgets, he would soon break free again and toss her aside like an annoying insect.

Bucky threw the spy over his shoulder, barely winded, as he continued walking forward. When she grunted in pain, gasping for breath, he knew she would stay down for a few precious moments that he would use to continue his escape.

"Bucky!" a feminine voice called out.

His body froze, his mind whirling with why he would react that way. His brain was fogged, his only thoughts focused on the orders Zemo had given him. But that voice… It had sounded so desperate. So familiar. His heart beat faster from just hearing it. It had to mean something. But what? His brows furrowed, confused.

"Bucky!" she shouted again, and suddenly, he was faced with the physical manifestation of who owned the voice. Amethyst eyes flashed with worry, and he had the insane thought of wiping that expression away. The raven haired beauty that stood before him shouldn't have such emotions on her near-angelic face. She should only be happy, he thought.

Mask in place, Captain America stood protectively in front of Kagome with his shield braced and ready for anything. "Bucky?" he questioned cautiously.

Bucky didn't flinch at the sound of the other male's voice. His eyes narrowed the slightest bit, his attention now on the suit-wearing hero. He didn't seem to appreciate him being so close to Kagome.

Taking a menacing step forward with his metal arm raised to attack, Kagome threw herself in front of Captain America, arms spread. "Bucky!" she screamed again, desperate to have her silent and brooding guy back.

His entire body froze, gaze focused entirely on the raven haired beauty. The more he stared, the more his eyes cleared and filled with emotion. Before, his facial features were blank and lifeless. Now, they were becoming unfrozen. The only thought swirling within his mind was, I would never hurt her.

"Bucky?" Kagome whispered.

His metal arm slowly came down until he could gently cup her cheek. A small smile curved his lips upward. "Kagome," he softly, caressingly returned.

"Thank Kami-sama you're okay," she breathed out. Without hesitation, she flew into his embrace, her arms wrapping around his middle. She let out a happy hum when his body curled protectively around her, becoming a human shield.

He gruffly asked, "You weren't scared?" He had been. When Zemo had spoken those words from that red book, his mind had blanked and it felt as if his body had been taken over by someone else. It was like an out-of-body experience and he'd been a helpless bystander. If he had harmed Kagome in any way… If he had killed her… He knew he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Not even for a second," she answered confidently. "I knew you would never hurt me."

"You have more confidence in me than I do for myself."

Before the moment could carry any further, Captain America cleared his throat loudly and with an embarrassed expression on his face. When the couple turned to face him, having obviously forgotten his presence, he said, "We should get out of here." He gave Bucky a meaningful look. "We have a lot to discuss."

"Right," Bucky agreed reluctantly. "Time to go."

KH*BB*KH*BB

"So, let me get this straight," Sam Wilson said, crossing his arms, with a confused and slightly frustrated expression on his face. He had met up with the trio at the abandoned car repair shop, and Bucky had just finished explaining what Zemo had questioned him about before setting him free as a killing machine. "You're telling me that there are more soldiers – like you – in a Siberian Hydra base."

Bucky wore a 'duh' look on his face. "Yes," he answered. "They're kept in a cryogenic stasis."

"But why would anyone want to know their location?"

Rogers thoughtfully said, "Maybe this guy – Zemo – wants to wake them up to form his own little army."

"No," Kagome quietly intoned, catching the other three's attention. Bucky gave her a concerned glance. "I think there's more to this than that."

"What makes you think so?" Rogers questioned, curious. From their brief conversation in the police's conference room, Kagome Higurashi still remained a mystery he wasn't sure he could trust. All he knew was that she and Bucky were in a relationship, and Bucky seemed to act more like his old self around her. But there was something about her that inspired confidence and a sense of respect.

She answered slowly, "Just call it a hunch." Her eyes darkened to a violet color and the frown on her face was chilling. "However, I would like to have a talk with him about framing Bucky as the Vienna bomber…"

Bucky grabbed one of her hands, squeezing the appendage comfortingly, even as he smirked at her words. His raven haired beauty was fiercely protective.

"Well, what should we do then?" Wilson asked. "It's going to take a while just to get authorization to apprehend Zemo."

"I'm not willing to wait. Let's get this guy." Rogers gave the other three a determined look. "We'll do this on our own. We're just going to need a little bit of help."

KH*BB*KH*BB

After managing to get away on the plane and flying to the hidden Siberian Hydra base, Rogers, Bucky, and Kagome were greeted with the sight of the other Winter Soldiers still in their cryogenic containers. Each bore a neat, bullet-sized hole in their foreheads courtesy of Zemo.

Everything had seemed wrapped up, and Tony Stark – also known as Iron Man – had been prepared to let them walk away without consequence, but Zemo had a different motive. Not only had he wanted to wipe the world of the remaining Winter Soldiers, he had wanted access to a video file – a very specific one.

The one that revealed the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark in December 1991.

Armed with the truth, and at Rogers' seemingly betrayal by knowing about the incident, Stark had flown into a rage and immediately attacked. Bucky pushed Kagome to the side, not wanting her to be a part of the brawl.

The former Hydra agent knew he deserved whatever Stark threw at him. Under orders, Bucky had performed as expected and had killed on command. It didn't make things right, and he was fully prepared to handle the consequences.

But he didn't plan on dying to appease the other man's grief. He would still defend himself because he had someone important to protect, someone who he would live and die for.

Bucky grunted as Stark hammered at his robotic arm. He couldn't get the other man to move and he felt frustratingly helpless as he lay there.

"Stop! Please, stop," Kagome cried out.

Stark was thrown off of Bucky by Rogers. However, it was too late. Bucky's robotic arm was severed. Kagome was instantly by his side, hands frantically hovering over the injury. She didn't know what to do; there wasn't actually a wound to heal and she wasn't a mechanic that could fix it. Tears gathered within her eyes, threatening to fall any second.

"Bucky," she whimpered. "Are you okay?"

He grimaced, trying to form a reassuring smile. It was a bit difficult considering his current state of being. "Fine," he grunted. "You?"

"I'll be better when we're finally back home." And by home, they both knew she meant the house she had opened up to him all those years ago on a cold, December night and again when they were reunited.

Bucky let a small smile curve his lips.

When Rogers dealt the finishing blow to Stark, thus rendering the Iron Man suit immobile, he, Bucky, and Kagome made their escape. But not without first leaving behind the iconic Captain America shield. It symbolized the fractured Avengers family, a rift that may never be completely repaired.

On the plane once more, with one hand holding Bucky's, Kagome softly said, "I guess Zemo did exactly what he had planned: He broke the Avengers."

KH*BB*KH*BB

~Wakanda~

Bucky and Kagome stood in the waiting area, both gazing at their surroundings. One with a look of caution, and one with a look of curiosity. When they had received the offer of getting Bucky assistance with his arm and overall mental health, the couple had been curious, especially since the offer had come from the Prince of Wakanda himself. He had gone from wanting to avenge his father's death to wanting to help the former Winter Soldier.

T'Challa said, "There is much that we can do to help you. Our technology is far more advanced. However, the issue mainly lies in your mental conditioning. It may take a while to find a way to reverse the effects."

"But it is possible," Rogers commented in a hopeful tone. He had followed the couple to the hidden civilization with the hope of helping Bucky. As he had told Kagome in Bucharest, all he wanted was his best friend back and healthy, both mentally and physically.

T'Challa nodded, his resolve hardening in finding a cure. "Yes, it is certainly possible."

Bucky spoke up, though his attention was mainly focused on Kagome. "How long do you think it'll take to… fix me?"

"It's hard to say. It won't be a quick process. It could take years…"

"I don't have years," he replied, frowning with frustration. "If anyone else managed to get their hands on those trigger words… If they managed to control me again… I won't risk Kagome." His voice was stern, clearly drawing a line. Kagome grabbed his hand in a gesture of comfort, silently conveying her confidence that he wouldn't harm her no matter what, like how he had stopped himself in the police station.

Hesitantly, T'Challa suggested, "We do have the capabilities available to put you into cryogenic stasis. At least until we find a way to reverse the effects, and you'll be safe here."

Amethyst eyes focused solely on Bucky, Kagome answered, "There's no need. I know just where he needs to be." She smiled. "You just need to worry about rebuilding his arm."

"Are you sure about this?" Rogers questioned, brows furrowed in concern. "Where do you even plan on going?"

Understanding her silent meaning, Bucky answered with only one word:

"Home."

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XOXO,

Celestial Law