Chapter 27: Mission

Steve had finally given the okay for our first mission. The men had recovered from their ordeal at HYDRA and this was our first run together. Phillips had been furious to hear that Yori and I would be joining him, but even he wouldn't argue too much with Steve. Howard had assured him that he would be giving us the kind of gear we needed to come through this alive.

Yori and I had a curtained-off section of the changing room. I could hear the men cracking jokes and giving each other a hard time as they got changed into mission clothes and checked over their weapons. Steve, in particular, was getting quite a ribbing for his star-spangled costume. I didn't blame the men for that one. If I was out there, I probably wouldn't be able to resist teasing him either.

My 'uniform' consisted of a pair of brown cargo pants with patches on the knees stuffed into a pair of combat boots. The patches were for easy repairs – I tended to force bones out of my knees and this way repairs would be easier. That was the same reason my white collared shirt had a zipper on the front instead of buttons. Under it was a simple tube of fabric that covered my breasts and torso. I could unzip the shirt and shuck the sleeves and it would hang around my waist, leaving my arms and shoulders free. The fabric tube was easily replaceable as well, in case I forced out my ribs.

As far as weaponry, I didn't carry much. I didn't really need to carry much, seeing as I could make my own knives and fire bones from my fingers almost like bullets. Howard had given me Browning A-5. Strapped to my right thigh was a standard M1911A1, the same sidearm Bucky and Steve carried.

Yori was dressed and ready as well. She wore combat boots and cargo pants just like me, only hers were sans patch and instead had a slit in the back for her tail. Her shirt was a regular button-front with slits in the back to make room for her wings. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, her mask firmly in place over her face. Her sword was tied to her left hip and on her right was a Type 94 Nambu pistol Howard had scrounged up for her.

"You ready?" Yori asked as she tightened her ponytail. I nodded back.

"Everyone decent out there?" I called out. I heard various calls of assent and pushed back the curtain. One the other side I would see Falsworth in his beret and Dugan in his bowler hat. Most of the men had semi-automatic rifles slung over their shoulders or leaning next to them. Dugan carried a shotgun like I did. Steve had only his shield and a pistol.

Almost instinctively, my eyes went to Bucky. He wore combat boots and dark pants, and somewhere he'd found a thick, dark-blue double breasted jacket. His ranking patch was sewn onto one shoulder. A brown leather utility belt was wrapped around his waist with a strap across his chest. His rifle was already slung over his shoulder.

I could see his eyes roaming over me just like I observed him, from my combat boots to my braid. I saw his eyes darken slightly at the sight of the firearms I carried, but they outright burned when he saw the zipper on the front of my shirt. My face flamed with heat as I guessed where his mind had gone. I couldn't blame him though.

"Do you have to wear that thing?" Dugan demanded of Yori, observing her mask.

"I always do," she replied, which wasn't really an answer.

"Yes, but it's not like we don't know what's under there," Falsworth pointed out. "Go on, take it off. It must be hot under that ghastly thing."

Yori reached up, touching the mask. I wondered how long it had been since she went into a real fight with her face showing. I saw her turn her face towards Steve.

"Taichō?" she asked simply. Steve shifted uncertainly.

"Well, it's up to you, Yori," he assured her. "It must restrict your vision though?"

And that was that. I knew that the mask did just that, and now that Steve had pointed it out, Yori would feel like she had to take it off. I wasn't surprised to see her moving a little slowly as she reached up and untied the ribbons holding the mask in place. She set it aside and looked around, uncertain, but her eyes were daring any of them to comment.

Morita walked over and clapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you're still scary as hell," he promised her, and drew a startled laugh from her lips. We all picked up the laugh, amused.

"Ready?" Bucky asked, moving closer to me. He put one hand on my shoulder and used the other to tilt my chin up to look him in the eye. "You don't have to do this, you know," he assured me. "No one will blame you if you want to back out."

It was clear that he wanted to see me back out, that he wanted me to say I wasn't going to do it. He wanted me home and safe and I couldn't blame him for it because I wanted the same thing for him. I didn't want him out there getting shot at and going on dangerous missions.

I smiled at him softly. "Yeah, but if I stay here then I'm gonna worry about you. Someone has to go along and make sure you don't get yourself in trouble," I said teasingly. Bucky smiled and gave a little snort at that.

"I thought you were supposed to make sure Steve didn't get in trouble?"

I shook my head. "I'll let Yori watch his back. I've got different priorities. Bucky," I began slowly, "I need you to promise me something before we go out."

"Anything," Bucky said immediately, frowning slightly. "What do you need?"

"If you see me get shot, if you see me go down… don't stop. Don't come back for me. Don't panic. Just keep doing what you need to do and trust that I'll be okay."

Bucky visibly struggled with that, his indecision clear in his stormy eyes. He didn't want to promise that, but he knew that I needed him to. "Belle," he said quietly, "I can't promise I won't panic. But everything else… I'll try," he stressed. "I will try, but I can't make you any promises on something like that."

I nodded. "That's good enough," I said, and boldly reached up to cup his cheek, smiling at him. Bucky grinned back at me and placed his hand over mine, his thumb stroking the back of my hand.

"Everyone ready?" Steve asked as he looked around the room, pointedly not staring at Bucky and I in the corner. He pulled my hand away from his face and kissed the back of it before letting go.

"Then let's go."


We headed out crammed in the back of one truck with Steve leading the way on his motorcycle. The factory was situated in enemy territory, on a bit of farmland just outside of Prague. It would take us nearly a week to get there, and we knew that heading out. What we didn't know was just how absolutely boring a week long road trip in the back of a truck could be.

"I spy with my little eye something blue," Falsworth announced boredly.

"Huh, is it the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan?" Dugan offered sarcastically, gesturing in the general direction of Steve. Falsworth feigned disbelief.

"How did you guess?"

"Probably because he's the only colorful thing for miles," Morita said dully. He nodded in the direction of Yori. "Except for you."

Yori groaned aloud and leaned her head back against the wall. "My wings hurt," she complained. "I'm not used to keeping them this close for this long."

I shifted along the bench, squishing myself nearly into Bucky's lap to try and give her room. I knew how sensitive her wings were and I knew that if she kept this up much longer she'd end up with a cramp in her wings and then she'd be grounded. "Better?"

"Loads," Yori said appreciatively, fanning her wings out slightly and sighing in relief. Curiously, Falsworth reached out a hand towards the wing closest to him.

"What do they-?"

"Ah!" Yori's tail whipped up, pointing threateningly at his hand. She narrowed her eyes at Falsworth warningly. "Nobody. Touches. The wings," she said firmly. Falsworth held up his hands and backed away obligingly.

"Geez Limey, who do you think you are, grabbing at a lady's wings like that?" Dugan teased him.

"Terribly sorry," Falsworth apologized. Yori looked him up and down suspiciously before prodding her tail in his direction one last time and letting it drape across her lap. The truck hit a pothole and we all jolted around in the back, shoulders banging together. I put out a hand to steady myself. Instead of hitting a bench, my hand landed on something warm and fabric-covered.

Startled, I looked around, whipping my hand back when I realized I'd put my hand down on Bucky's thigh.

"Sorry," I apologized, flushing brightly. Bucky smiled at me, eyes glinting, and wrapped an arm subtly around my waist, tugging me closer to his side.

"Not a problem," he assured me. I smiled shyly and stared at my lap.

Dugan banged loudly on the bench and yelled towards the cab. "Oi, Dernier, I thought you said you could drive these country roads!"

There was a rapid mutter of French and then Jones laughed and called back, "If you think you can do better, you're welcome to come up here and drive!"


It got dark about an hour later. Steve signaled to Dernier in the cab and we peeled off the road towards and abandoned barn to pass out for the night. Steve rolled up first, opening the door and holding it back for Dernier to drive the truck in. He followed us in, the door banging shut behind him.

"Everyone out," he called as Dernier shut off the engine. We all gratefully spilled out as Steve guided his motorcycle into an empty stall for the night. Yori was the first person out.

"Finally!" she said in relief as she hit the ground and spread her wings. She jumped up and flapped a couple of times, carrying herself into the loft. "I call the top bunk!"

"She's cheerful," Jones observed as he and Dernier climbed out of the cab. Bucky jumped out of the bed and reached back, offering me a hand down. I took it and hopped out, staring up at the loft in amusement.

"Yori prefers action," I explained as I stepped aside to let Dugan out. Dugan hopped down and Morita started pitching bedrolls out of the back. Dugan caught them and tossed one at each of us. He was left with one tucked under his left arm and an extra under his right.

"Hey up there, you gonna want something to sleep on?" he called towards the loft. Yori leaped off the loft, visibly startling a couple of the men. She landed easily in a crouch and straightened up, gesturing for Dugan to toss her the bedroll. He did so and she caught it.

"I call this stall," Morita said, moving towards the stall next to Steve's bike. He opened the door and promptly shut it again. "Never mind."

Curious, Falsworth ventured closer and peered over the top of the gate. He wrinkled his nose. "The last resident left a gift," he explained to the rest of us. We all laughed.

"Alright," Steve said, brushing his hands together and looking around the barn. "We'll bed down here for the night and then head out at first light tomorrow. If all goes to plan, we'll be at the HYDRA base by eleven hundred hours and maybe we'll spend the night here again tomorrow. Two of us should keep watch." Steve gestured to the large double doors at the front of the barn and a slightly smaller pair in the back. "Anybody want to volunteer?"

"Why not, my room's not ready yet," Morita said with a shrug. "There's a little more than a mint on my pillow."

We had a quick dinner of rations and then everybody moved off to find their own place to settle in for the night. Yori returned to the loft, Dernier and Jones both grabbed stables for themselves. Falsworth bedded down in the small tack room and Dugan passed out on an old stack of feed sacks. Bucky bedded down by the truck and I got my own stall.

I lay there, shivering. It was December and it was freezing here. The sleeping roll could only keep out so much of the cold, and I ended up curled into a tight ball. On the plus side, the smell of hay and animals was familiar and comforting to me. It helped me drift off into something like a doze. I jolted out of that, suddenly aware that my fingers and nose were freezing.

Sitting up with a small groan, I sat up and pulled out my mother's pocket watch. Angling it so that a bit of moonlight coming through the boards illuminated the face, I realized it was nearly midnight. Barely three hours since I'd laid down and I knew if I didn't warm back up I wouldn't be getting any sleep at all tonight.

Deciding to heck with it – I could go without a night of sleep – I tossed aside my sleeping bag and exited my stall, considering relieving someone one watch. I saw Steve still sitting by the big barn doors, but Dernier had replaced Morita at some point. I figured Steve could use some rest, so I headed towards him.

"Belle?"

In the dim light I could pick out Bucky sitting up by one of the truck's tires. I moved closer to him as he squirmed out of his sleeping bag and stood up. In the dim light I could just barely see the glint of his eyes and his teeth as he gave me a smile.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He reached out, hand swatting at my side. I realized what he was going for and slipped my hand into his. He flinched. "Jesus Belle," he hissed quietly, snatching up my other hand and holding both of mine between his. "Your hands are freezing!"

"I'm too cold to sleep," I whispered back to him. Bucky brought my hands to his face and breathed warm air on them, I sighed in relief as a little bit of feeling came back to my fingers.

"Come on," Bucky said, reaching down to grab his sleeping bag and tugging me back in the direction of my stall. "You may be a big, tough mutant, but you need sleep just like the rest of us," he chided as he bent down and opened up my sleeping bag. He sat down on it and worked his open.

I had a pretty good idea, but I still asked uncertainly, "What are you doing?"

"Come on Belle," Bucky said, opening his arms instead of answering. I bit my lip, uncertain.

There was something between us, that was obvious, but neither of us had ever said anything about it and we'd never really clarified what we were to each other. But this? Holding me and keeping me warm in the middle of a barn in Prague? That wasn't something just friends did for each other. Or was it? Even if it was, it still felt pretty intimate.

Wind sliced through the spaces between the boards again and I shivered. My decision made for me, I crawled into Bucky's arms. He draped his sleeping roll over us and tucked it in behind my back. He wrapped his arms around me, tugging me so close that my entire front was pressed along his side and my head was on his shoulder. My hand found a comfortable spot on his chest and I blushed slightly. All I could feel was his coat under my palm but the position of my hand itself felt a little presumptuous.

Bucky didn't seem to care though, he just placed his hand over mine and rubbed the back with his thumb. I pulled my other hand close to my chest.

"There, now we'll both stay warm," Bucky whispered. He placed a kiss on the top of my head. I wasn't even thinking about it as I nuzzled my cold nose against his neck. Bucky jolted. "Jesus Belle!" He chuckled. "You're gonna freeze me out of the stall."

"Sorry," I said, pulling away from him slightly. Bucky fought me, pulling me back against him.

"None of that," he chided. "Just surprised me is all." I felt warm breath fan my face as Bucky shifted and then lips pressed against my nose for a moment, warming it up. I was glad it was dark, because I was sure I was the color of Falsworth's beret.

"Go to sleep, Belle," Bucky whispered to me, and I felt my eyelids get heavy at his urging. "Get some sleep."


Steve sat in the moonlight on an empty crate, his sketchbook open on his lap. He glanced up and began trying to fill in the shadows of the farmland in front of him. His ears pricked at the sound of creaking from the loft, assuming Yori was shifting around up there trying to get comfortable. The swooshing sound of her wings being unfolded made him look up. Like some kind of bat-like demon, Yori leaped off the edge of the loft and glided down to land upright next to his crate.

"Don't bother Bucky and Josie for watch," she murmured, crossing her arms and staring out at the farmland. A slice of moonlight crossed her face, tossing the markings into sharp relief. The artist in him made Steve turn a page and start sketching her in profile.

"Why's that?" he asked absently as he drew the sweep of a gently-folded wing behind her. Yori smirked.

"Your friend's taken his Belle into her stall and is keeping her warm."

Steve flushed. "O-oh." He looked up when he heard Yori snort. She shook her head at him.

"Not like that," she chided. "Honestly… film star, war hero… pervert," she added teasingly, her tail flicking behind her adding punctuation.

Steve stammered, "I-I'm not-"

"No, you're not," Yori agreed. "You're almost unbearably innocent, in fact."

Steve couldn't help but be a little offended by that one. "Well, I'm sure you've met a lot of men of all kinds travelling like you have, but I-"

"None."

"-don't think that…" Her words reached him. "What?" Steve looked up at Yori in surprise. She stared down her nose at him, a smirk on her face and one eyebrow raised.

"Yes, because when a man looks at a woman for the first time, the first thing that runs through his mind is 'god, I hope she has a tail,'" Yori said sarcastically, pointing hers at him for emphasis.

Steve struggled. Yori didn't seem concerned by the fact that men didn't find her attractive, but he still felt like he should disagree with her. Wasn't that what you were normally supposed to do? Tell a girl she was pretty when she said she wasn't? Then again, Yori wasn't normal.

"That's not true," Steve said, shaking his head. "You're really…" Unfortunately the words that were running through his head were things like unique and sharp and dangerous, and those weren't exactly what girls liked to be called in his admittedly limited experience.

Yori stared at him knowingly. "Can't find a kind adjective?" she guessed. "You wouldn't be the first. I'm not too concerned, to be honest. Homo sapiens…" She shook her head in distaste and gestured to the team sleeping in the barn behind her. "You've managed to find some of the rare good ones. Maybe one day I'll find a nice man with a tail and settle down, but until then, I'm content to run around and shoot things with you gentlemen. I think I prefer it, actually," she admitted, staring contemplatively at the scenery.

For several minutes they stood in companionable silence, Steve sneaking glances at her to judge his sketch by, trying to shield his work with his arm. He didn't know exactly how Yori would take to being drawn.

Finally, Yori turned away from the door. "Oyasuminasai," she said quietly.

Steve tried to repeat the word – whatever it was – back to her. "Owasunim… uh…"

Yori smirked. "We'll work on that."


Oyasuminasai – Good night.