A/N: Wow! Um, first and foremost! Thank you everyone for your positive feedback! One of the most nerve wracking things while writing this story was the thought that no one would take the time. I was terrified that not very many people would find it interesting. So thank you to all of you who added this to your favorites, alerts, and reviewed. Please enjoy this week's chapter.

Also! Please remember Chiune=Tadashi!

It just takes some time; you're in the middle of the rid.

Everything will be just fine. Everything will be alright.

-The Middle by Jimmy Eat World

One year later

"Don't tell me you stayed up all night," groaned Vera. Chiune heard her walk up behind him, her heels clicking on the linoleum.

He didn't look up at her. He just kept working. "Alright, I won't tell you that then." Chiune told her with a shrug.

Vera gave a snort as she sat something down by his hand. The aroma of coffee hit his nose and he smiled broadly. God bless Vera. He took a sip and instantly gagged. Nevermind, he took it back. God don't bless Vera. "What are you trying to do?" he sputtered as he stared at the cup in distaste. "Kill me?"

"Quit being such a baby Chiune." she told him as she rolled her eyes. Currently she was searching through the files on her own desk.

Chiune took another careful sip. "Is this decaf? Why did you make decaf this morning?" he whined.

"Um, because I know you were up all the night before and you don't need anymore caffeine to keep you up." she explained. He was certain an eye roll accompanied it but since Vera had her back to him it was hard to tell for sure.

"Excuse me, but I'm pretty sure some other bonehead pulled an all nighter last week because she decided that she just absolutely had to read just about every case document dealing with electronic property and corporate data storage to prep for a discussion the next day." Chiune told her as he leaned over the back of his chair to watch her.

"That was different," she insisted without looking at him.

"Oh? How so?" he said.

"It just was alright. Ugh! Have you seen my case notes?" she asked him in exasperation as she threw one folder closed and grabbed another one.

It was Chiune's turn to roll his eyes. "In the green folder, where you put them every day." he reminded her.

Vera looked up at him and blinked. "Oh! Right!" she said, snapping her fingers together. She began rifling through the green folder in the bin she kept all her folders in. The two of them had shared an office space since they'd first began living together a year ago and it was almost comical to him just how organized they both were. It was weird to him. He felt as though Vera's space, at the very least, should've been organized chaos. It wasn't that there was anything in her character or mannerisms that made him believe her to be disorganized. She obviously hadn't gotten to be top of her law class at NYU by being disorganized. It was just something he'd expected, like he was used to sharing space with people who were disorganized. That little niggling fact bothered him sometimes. He wondered if it stemmed from who he'd been before Chiune, before the Scientist. It must have been because there was no other logical explanation for his feelings. "Yes!" Vera said, pulling her notes from the folder, "Here they are!"

"Big day in court today?" he asked her.

Vera nodded, "Professor Harnwell is letting me shadow him on the big Briorsworth case today. I'm the only one he's letting do it."

"Teacher's pet." he teased her.

"And worth every second of it if I get to actually participate in big cases like this." Vera turned to him with a grin. Chiune returned it with equal brightness. It was good to see her happy. She'd been so broken for so long after the incident at Hydra that there had been weeks where she'd gone without even cracking the hint of smile. She still had bad days where he would go into her room and find her curled up in a fetal position but they were getting fewer and farther between. Besides, when she did have those days...well, that was the reason he'd moved in with her. To look after her as she battle her post traumatic stress disorder. It had made him feel useful. Still did.

Chiune shook off his thoughts. "Briorsworth, that's the guy who was assaulted by that police officer and nothing was ever done right?"

"Yeah, the DA refused to press charges so he's going after a civil suit. Prof Harnwell is pretty positive that we can get this resolved today though in a settlement. And that's all you're going to get out of me nosy." she said.

"I wasn't asking for the full court briefing." He told her simply. "You volunteered that. Guess midterm break doesn't mean much to you does it?"

"Nope! Not one bit especially when there are exciting things going on in the courtroom. I am definitely glad midterms are over now though. What are your big plans today robot boy?" She asked him. Now she was rearranging her briefcase, double checking to make sure she had everything she needed for her day in court.

Chiune shrugged, "Still working on this project Coulson asked me to work on."

"I hope you plan on sleeping at some point today..." she reminded him with an upraised eyebrow. Then she took another look at him. "And make sure you eat something while you're at it. I think I can see your ribs through that t-shirt."

He looked down quickly. "You cannot." he mumbled under his breath as he sat back in his chair and pulled his Yankee's ball cap down over his head to hide his face from her. Truth was that he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually had something substantial and not the standard sour gummy worms and coffee. It couldn't have been that long ago. Vera had made lunch the day before. Sheesh! He hadn't eaten since lunch the day before! His thought must have played on his face because Vera laughed a little under her breath. She snapped her briefcase closed and walked over to the coat rack. "Did you want to go to the gym and spar tonight after class?" Chiune asked her, trying to change the subject.

"Travis and I are going to meet up to go do some park clean up and then we're going to get dinner tonight so probably not." Vera answered apologetically.

"That's fine." he shrugged, "Guess some habits die hard for you former Superheroes. Good deeds and all that fun stuff."

She turned to give him a brief, cold glare though the look on his face made it obvious that he was only joking with her. "My therapist says that community service is good for me and I like hanging out with Travis." she told him, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Which is why I have to slave away all day and night working for S.H.I.E.L.D. to pay the bills."

"You are not paying the bills by yourself you big baby."

"Tell me, exactly how is it a former Superhero and spy turned law student helps pay the bills?"

"By being an assistant to Prof Harnwell in his undergrad classes."

"Yes because that makes such a huge dent in the expenses Miss Teacher's Pet."

Vera responded with an oh so mature raspberry. Chiune laughed. He then caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. "You need to get going otherwise you're going to be late and I'll have to drive you on my moped that you hate so much." Chiune said as he pointed to the clock.

Vera made a face but started to scramble to put her coat on over her crisp suit. "Who buys a moped in New York City?" she mumbled under her breath.

Chiune let her continued hatred of his moped go as she turned to look at him. "Seriously though Chiune, eat something and take a nap. Be a functioning member of the world today."

She came over and kissed his cheek. Then pulled back with a grimace on her face. "And maybe take a shower before you decide to go outside. You reek."

"Of course imouto." he laughed as he reached up and ran his fingers over the top of her head. He was careful not to muss the tight bun she'd put her hair into.

"Okay, come on Chiune. We're the same age. Stop calling me your 'imouto'." whined Vera.

"Or you could just give in and call me Nii-chan every once in awhile." he suggested. He kept his tone playful but a small part of him wouldn't have minded Vera calling him her older brother. Not in the least.

Vera hugged his shoulders before pulling away. "You are like my brother Chiune but you can't be an older brother because we're the same exact age." she told him in exasperation.

"You don't know that!" he told her. "I'm amnesic so I could technically be older than you."

"Yes, because the fancy doctors at S.H.I.E.L.D. have definitely not verified that you are most likely twenty-two, just like me."

"Do you want me to explain to you all the ways that there could be an error in their tests?" he offered.

"No," Vera shook her head a little too quickly, "because you'll get all science-y and techno-babble-ly and it will all go over my head anyways."

Chiune laughed. "Have a good day Vera."

"You too roomie." Vera gave him a wave before turning and heading out the door to catch a cab downstairs.

His lips twitched at the sight of the caller ID. He could almost set his watch by these phone calls he thought as he hit the answer button on his phone. "Vera's trying to kill me." he said dramatically.

"Do I need to send an extraction team?" Director Coulson asked him jokingly.

"She tried to poison me with decaf coffee this morning. I am in serious fear for my life right now. Who knows what else she's done. There could be some sort of trap in my bedroom for all I know!"

That earned a laugh from Coulson. "You stayed up all night again didn't you?"

"That's besides the point." he answered.

"Speaking of Vera, how's she doing?" Coulson asked, his voice sobering.

"Do you want the answer that she tells me to give you every time you call to check up on her or do you want the truth?"

"The truth if you please."

"Better." Chiune answered after a moment of thought. "I thought she was having another nightmare last night because she kept tossing and turning. I went to wake her up but by the time I got to her room she seemed alright again. She was quiet for the rest of the night."

"Is she taking her anxiety medication?" asked Director Coulson.

"When she needs it." he answered.

"She's going to her therapy sessions?"

"Hasn't missed one. Apparently her therapist told her she should try community service would help her deal with her post traumatic stress. She and her boyfriend are going out and cleaning up the park tonight." Chiune said as he walked away from the window.

"And her studies?"

"Goin' great. She getting to sit in on some big case with her Prof today. Really excited about it."

"And her powers?" Coulson asked.

Chiune slammed on the mental breaks. And this was why he was always wary when he informed on Vera to Director Coulson. "Director, you've asked me that how many times and how many times have I actually given you an answer to that question?"

"I just thought that I'd try asking anyways." Coulson said.

"I gave Vera my word that I wouldn't talk to you guys about her powers or lack of them. She doesn't even like talking about losing her powers to me." Chiune told Director Coulson firmly. He twisted around to look at the door just to make sure that Vera wasn't going to come bursting through it again. Even just discussing the fact that he wouldn't discuss her powers with S.H.I.E.L.D. felt like a betrayal.

Hydra had robbed her of her metahuman abilities. The last time she'd formed a shield was as the two of them were escaping. Vera never really talked about it but it was clear that she'd never gotten over it. Or used to it for that matter. She still sometimes, in a knee jerk reaction, would throw her hand out in front of her if something was falling towards her or being thrown at her as though she was going to form a shield. There was never a shield and Vera always looked incredibly lost for hours afterwards. In fact, there were some days when that sort of incident happened that he would find her curled up in bed crying. He didn't need to be the genius that he was to realize just how badly that sort of thing had messed her up.

"Besides, even if she does get her powers back, she's not coming back to S.H.I.E.L.D. You know that right."

"I know that." Director Coulson admitted. "Doesn't stop me from hoping that her powers do come back some day."

Coulson fell silent on the phone and Chiune rubbed the back of his neck. Guilt. That was what he heard in Coulson's voice. Vera was, or had been at least, a Superhero and law student with a keen eye for details and picking things apart. Coulson had taken her and trained her to be a spy. It had been his orders that had sent Vera into the Hydra compound the day she'd been captured. Of course Director Coulson hoped her powers came back. He felt responsible for Hydra taking them in the first place despite the fact that he couldn't possibly have predicted what would happen that day. Coulson was well aware of the fact that Vera would never be a Superhero or a field agent again. They both were. He sighed and mumbled, "Me too."

Coulson cleared his throat. "I also called to talk to you about something else..."

"Let me guess," Chiune started to say. His eyes were drawn to the notes he'd been working on throughout the night. "How's project BH6 going?"

"Any headway?"

Chiune picked up the notes and frowned. "Director Coulson, I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm not sure if I see how this is much different than what Hydra likes to do. Tracking down metahumans and Superheroes…"

"The difference...Chiune, is that we're trying to figure out how these kids from San Fransokyo got their hands on these gadgets and somehow managed to become Superheroes so we can protect them."

"Coulson, one of these kids can't be any older than, like, seventeen." he pointed out. There was a blurry picture of the so called Super team Big Hero 6 taped to the top of his desk. Even though the picture wasn't clear, he could make out the youngest member perched on the back of the biggest member which appeared to be an armored robot.

"Which is why we need to keep these guys safe even if we never approach them. I don't want to see what happened to Vera, happen to these guys." Coulson told him.

Chiune winced. Director Coulson knew exactly how to play him. Bring Vera into the matter was a bit of a low blow in and of itself but there wasn't a single agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. that didn't know just how far he'd go to help someone in need. He sighed and skimmed over his notes. "The technology itself is fairly new but it's sophisticated. These kids have to have someone really influential footing the bill for their gear because it isn't cheap. Have you talked to Stark to see if he's funding any new prodigies lately? He's been known to encourage young scientists with both materials and financing."

"Sources tell me no. Stark's not in this one and neither is Oscorp."

"Have you talked to Alistair Krei? His company is based out of San Fransokyo and these people did save his life as their opening act."

Coulson groaned, "Krei remains evasive and more irritating than Tony Stark."

"I would keep looking into him. He might be your best bet to figure out who these Superheroes are."

"What have you been able to determine about the technology they use?"

"Not much. None of them appear to have metahuman abilities and Vera agrees with me. From what I can gather their tech ranges from chemical reactions to plasma laser swords, which is really cool by the way."

"Incredibly so." Coulson agreed before he continued.

"There also seems to be a bit of robotics throughout all of their suits to hold it all together. That chemist heroine girl... her purse alone must be pretty impressive on the inside as well as the inner workings of the kaiju hero's suit. I'd love to be able to get a closer look at those."

"Would it be possible to trace that technology back to it's creators."

"Possibly," he said hesitantly as he rubbed his chin, "All technology is fairly unique to those who invent it, almost like a thumbprint. No two inventions alike y'know. There would definitely be a personal stamp on each of these guys' equipment but..."

"It would be difficult."

"Really difficult." he nodded. He pulled the picture of Big Hero 6 off his desk and raised it up to his face to study it. Plasma lasers. Chemical reactions. Magnetic suspension. Exosuits with flamethrowers. Robotics. There was so much diversity in just that small group, all over the map as far as science went. That made them really hard to pin down.

"What if we were to send someone to San Fransokyo to talk to some of the leading experts of the fields?" Coulson asked him.

"Huh?" he was thrown out of his reverie. It took him a couple of moments to actually recall what Coulson had just said. "Yeah, that would be a good start I guess especially if you can't get Krei talking. The people at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology might be able to provide some more insight into the team."

"It would have to be someone who had a better working knowledge of science than the basic principles." Coulson told him.

"Oh most definitely. I can guarantee you that these people, whoever they are, are pioneers in their given fields themselves. It would take someone who could think on their level scientifically." he agreed as he replaced the picture back on to his desk. "Fitz-Simmons would probably get a kick out of chatting up today's up and coming scientists. They'd be good people to send."

"Chiune..." Coulson sighed, "I'm trying to hint at you going."

"Wait, what?" he sat up a little straighter in his chair, eyebrow shooting up. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," the answer was completely serious. He hadn't left New York City since he'd moved in with Vera. Coulson was still worried about Hydra looking for him. He'd never been authorized to go on a field trip outside of the city. To go to San Fransokyo, a place where some of world's most leading experts on robotics and other sciences, now that would be something! He'd wanted to visit San Fransokyo Institute of Technology and bury himself neck deep in their labs and libraries. He'd kill to get that chance. "Or at least we're considering it..."

And just like that he felt all the wind taken out of his sails but he kept his voice light as he replied, "Right of course. It's probably just as well. I don't think that I'd be comfortable leaving Vera on her own just yet and I don't think she'd want to take an impromptu trip to San Fransokyo at the moment... even if she's on midterm break right now."

"Now hold on a minute." Coulson said quickly. "Don't act so deflated. There are some... things going on in San Fransokyo and California at the moment and we're trying to get to the bottom of it before we make any decisions."

"What's going on in San Fransokyo?" he asked curiously as he raised his eyebrow and leaned back in his seat.

"Don't worry about it. I've got a couple of field agents looking into it." Coulson said. He got the distinct feeling that he was getting the brush off. Why he wasn't certain but after working with Coulson for the better part of a year he was more inclined to trust him than he had with Williams. Coulson had never kidnapped and tortured anyone at least... or forced him to make weaponized robots. Besides, Vera trusted Coulson and he trusted Vera, so he let Coulson's obvious dismissive action go for the time being. "I'll keep you updated about going to San Fransokyo. We really need to find these kids."

He sensed the conversation coming to a close. However, Coulson's words sparked something in the back of his mind. Well, something that was always there whether he was conscious of it or not. "Hey Coulson, uh, one more thing before I let you go."

"Yes Chiune?"

"Um, have you... have you found anything else about me yet? Y'know about who I was before Hydra?" he asked, shifting forward nervously in his chair as he waited for Coulson to answer him.

Coulson was silent for an imperceptible moment. That was enough for him. "Skye is working on it. Hydra did a bang up job erasing your past or at least hiding it. Skye seems to think that if she could narrow down when you came to with your burns and how long Hydra spent rehabilitating you then she might be able to work backwards from there."

"Of course that would work so much better if I actually knew that." he mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Chiune hadn't realized just how tightly he'd been wound until he slumped forward. He sagged deeper into his desk chair, pushing away the notebook he'd been writing in. Disappointment surged through him. It had been nearly a year and nobody had been able to find anything out about him. He really didn't know what he'd been expecting. He shouldn't have expected anything. He lifted his ball cap off his head and threw it down on the desk. "You know Director...I try to stay pretty upbeat but sometimes you guys make it really difficult." Chiune said as he massaged his temples tiredly. Maybe he shouldn't have stayed up all night to make sure Vera wasn't going to have a nightmare.

"I know it's hard but you need to stay positive Chiune. Hydra is good, but Skye is better. I've seen her hack some of the most secure computers in the world. If you existed before three years ago, she'll find you." insisted Coulson.

"I hope so. I'd like to know if I've got a family somewhere out there in the world."

"Until then, we're glad you're with us. Please just give us some more time."

"There really isn't much more I can do about it." he said at length quietly. He raked his hand through his hair in frustration and desperately tried to shake off the disappointment he still felt. Then he grit his teeth and tried to force himself to smile despite the lackluster information he'd received. "I know and trust me, I'm glad I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D. now too. I'll let you go. Vera says I need to shower, eat, and be a functioning member of society today."

"Yes, and knowing you, you should probably take a nap."

He rolled his eyes at Coulson's suggestion. "Sir yes, Sir!" he told Coulson lightly.

"I'm serious Chiune. You should probably take a nap." Coulson insisted.

"Have a good day Sir." he told Coulson before hitting the end call button on his phone. With a groan he tossed it down on to his desk. It slid across his notebook with a muted thud. He rubbed his face, suddenly exhausted.

X X X

Approximately Twelve Hours Prior

"Lights out Doc." the correctional officer said, banging on the bars of the cell with his nightstick. Robert Callaghan looked up from the science journal he was reading in the dim light of a dying flashlight. Somewhere on the other side of the cell his cellmate groaned his agreement with the correction's officer. He shot the correctional officer a dirty look as the man continued to walk away. Unfortunately, when you were serving twenty-five to life no one particularly cared if you had waited nearly three weeks to read the article on advanced robotics. It should also be noted that no one cared if you'd previously been one of the leading scientists in the robotics field before incarceration. Everything that Callaghan had been known for, everything he'd achieved, everything he'd worked so hard for had been wiped away. All that was left was Yokai and the travesty he'd inflicted upon San Fransokyo.

Alistair Krei should've gotten what was due him. Krei should've been sitting in a cell just like he was now. Krei was just as guilty as he was. It had been his technology that had led Callaghan to stoop to revenge. Sometimes the world didn't work the way it should. The very laws of nature were thwarted against all possibilities. Yet, there were times when even impossibilities worked in a person's favor. Abigail, against all odds, had been returned to him. His only child, his pride and joy, was alive and breathing because the world had decided to break its own laws. That had been the only good thing to come out of the entire mess. He'd lost everything in his bid for revenge, but in doing so had gained back the one thing that mattered the most.

Callaghan shook off his thoughts, stowed his science journal under his pillow, and turned off his flashlight. He'd just settled himself into his bunk when a loud blaring noise ripped through the cell block. Instantly he jerked upright. His cellmate did the same. Neither one of them even tried to move any farther than that. Officers ran up and down the cell block, yelling directions to lock down the area. "Hey! What's going on?" yelled his cellmate as one correction's officer passed.

There was no response. From farther down the hall there was an unmistakable banging sound. "That's gunfire." Callaghan mumbled to himself.

"Prison riot?" his cellmate suggested.

"And where exactly would prisoners get guns at when the correctional officers don't carry one." he replied. He got out of bed and ventured to the bars of the cell. As he craned his neck to get a better look, another loud bang shook the cellblock. Heavy white smoke accompanied it and exploded down the hall. Callaghan jumped back in the middle of a violent coughing fit but it didn't do much good. Smoke poured through the bars and into his cell. Both he and his cellmate backed away from the smoke, coughing and sputtering.

There was a click and a metal deadbolt fell from its place in the cell door's lock. Callaghan looked up from his doubled over position. Through his watering eyes and hazy smoke he made out the shadow of man at the door. "Doctor Callaghan," the man said as he stepped through the smoke.

Callaghan stood. The man in front of him was young with dark hair. He tossed something to him. Callaghan barely caught it, clutching it close to his chest. It was a familiar, stark white kabuki mask with red stripes. A Yokai mask. Callaghan looked back up at the man before him. "I am Agent Williams. I represent Hydra. We have a proposition for you."

Thank you again to everyone who added this story to their alerts and favorites.

Special thank you to last chapter's reviewers!

JenniBaka2406: Thank you so much for your interest! I can't even begin to describe how nervous I was before hitting submit last week for this story.

InsanityIsClarity: Glad you liked it so much :) I plan on updating every week. Possibly twice depending on how editing goes.

akizaki14: I read "Brothers in Armor" story! Have you seen the original artwork that the creator of the AU has done? You should check it out. Runescratch on Tumblr. The artist also has a really awesome darkpath!AU.

Falcrow-42: It's not really a crossover of the typical kind. I didn't feel comfortable with the majority of the characters from Agents of Shield to be full blown characters. I didn't think I could do them justice. Williams of Hydra was almost Ward though but I scrapped that pretty soon after I thought of it. Coulson will continue to pop up though! And Hydra! I love me a good evil organization!

AwesomeWriter2013: Thank you! I really can't tell you just how excited I am that people other than me are excited about this story!

ThatGirlWhoWantsToBeAwesome: Trust me! There is plenty more on the way lol! This story just kind of exploded. When I started it in the middle of NaNoWriMo I thought it was only going to be about 50k words. That was before it doubled in size o.O