The morning air was slightly chilly as he walked among the lined rows of apple trees. It worked perfectly fine for Sasuke. The thick black coat he was wearing was doing wonders to his slightly shivering body at the moment. The weather matched his everyday mood, cold and aloof. Though he had trouble making friends because of said mood, he was quite content with what he had. The only person who was close enough to consider a friend was Kakashi, the Sorcerer Supreme but it was mainly because the silver-haired magician had helped him at his lowest moments when his brother killed his entire family. Otherwise, he didn't have much friends. In fact, he didn't have any friends at all save for a few Avengers he seemed worthy of his acquaintance.

His attention turned to the woman he was visiting for the first time in five years. In their battle against Madara, (who sometimes referred to himself as Thanos just like he referred to himself as Dr. Strange even though his original name has no such connection to it), he had forced the redhead to give up the Time Stone to Thanos. It resulted in the death of her loved one, Vision. Not to mention her partner called Suigetsu also died during that battle. It was a battle where everyone lost at least one precious person; Ironman, Captain America and Black Widow amongst others.

He breathed in deeply, catching the smell of apples as he neared his destination. The woman was dressed in casual blue jeans and brown boots which showed off her curves with a thick fleece jacket and was currently occupied with pruning an apple tree. "Quite the chilly morning, isn't it?" he said as a way of greeting as he stopped behind her. She turned around, her red eyes widening fractionally behind her red glasses. "Strange," she spoke as she put away her trimming scissors and dusted her hands on her jeans.

Sasuke looked at the tree she was pruning, plucking a leaf and smelling it. "Hmmm, it's natural," he commented as he pocketed the leaf. "Yes, I didn't use any witchcraft," she retorted with a smile as the two began walking in the orchard. "To what does the Scarlet Witch owe this pleasant visit?" she asked as she put her hands in her pockets. Sasuke was a moment too early to answer. She looked at him with thinly veiled curiosity out of the corner of her eye at his reply. "I didn't come here for the Scarlet Witch, I came here for Karin," he said, prompting the woman to stop.

"Okay, what do you need Sasuke? You're rarely one to ever ask for help," she said with a slight smirk as she adjusted her glasses. Sasuke noted that her red hair was held up in a loose bun, something he had never seen her do. "We found a girl who can travel the multiverse, or so she claims. Monsters of different sorts are being sent after her and we noticed that there was the use of witchcraft to track and attack her," he told her, mentally going over the conversation he had with Kakashi the night before. It was the reason why he had decided to seek her out.

"So how can I assist you?" she asked. "We need to find whoever is sending those monsters after her. It's a bit difficult since it isn't magic. You're the only witch we know," he replied as he stared at her intently. Karin turned around and began walking forward, taking slow deliberate steps. "Why don't you let Sakura stay with me?" She turned around to look at him. "I can protect her," she told him, looking as innocuous as possible. But Sasuke knew better. She also caught on to her mistake as her expression morphed to sheepishness. "You never told me that her name was Sakura," she said as she turned again and began walking.

"No, I didn't," Sasuke confirmed. The dark-haired magician watched her as she raised her hand, turning everything upside down with a flick of her wrist. The apple trees morphed to dry, scorched trees and the sky turned dark with a red glowing moon which reminded him of Madara's Sharingan. The land was barren, a stark contrast to the plush green it was moments before. The witch herself had changed entirely. Her red hair which was now darker was flowing freely down her back with red glasses still in place but with horns attached to them. The bodysuit she was wearing was made of pure leather, blood red in color. There was another movement of her fingers and a book on a pulpit came into existence.

"The use of Darkhold is prohibited by any standard," he commented, disgust evident in his voice. "I know but I don't care," she spoke with arrogance . She turned around to look at him, red painted lips twisting into a sneer. "The Darkhold showed me things I would've never imagined to be real. It showed me the truth," she declared as her powers radiated around her in an eery red glow. "What truth?" he asked, genuinely curious to hear what sick lie she fed herself. She stared at him with a smile, her teeth bared.

"Have you ever heard of dream walking?" she asked. Sasuke continued to stare at her in muted silence. "I take it you don't. It's the ability to possess yourself in another universe for a certain period of time," she told him. "I dream of my children every single day then wake up to this wretched world without them," her voice was bitter. "Your children don't exist. As you mentioned, they're part of a dream," he pointed out monotonously. "Oh, they do exist. Just in another universe," she corrected him with a slight huff.

"How does Sakura fit in all of this?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. "I think it's quite obvious. I want to take her powers so that I can use them to see my children," she told him. "Children who don't exist," he scoffed with an eye roll. "Don't you dare mock my love for my children," she warned as her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What about their mother in that universe? What about Sakura? Don't you care that you're forsaking her life for your own selfish benefits?" he asked coldly as his eyes bore into hers. "I don't care Sasuke. I don't give a damn at all," she replied as she shook her head, as if pitying him.

"Plus your other self in the previous universe didn't seem to think otherwise. You were going to do the same thing had she not come to this universe," she pointed out with a knowing smirk. "What you're doing is wrong Karin. Be reasonable," he said as he purposefully avoided her jab at him.

"Oh, I am being reasonable Sasuke. I'm being very reasonable."

Sakura was halfway through making the Eiffel Tower using playing cards when Sasuke burst through the door. She almost knocked over the tower, shooting the older magician a glare. "You know, there's this thing called knocking to notify others of your arrival," she called out as he rushed past her. She pouted as he ignored her, flying up to God-knows-where. "Hmph, prissy pants," she mumbled as she went back to her tower.

She had made another layer when a light tapping sound caught her attention. The pinkette looked around, nothing in particular catching her attention. "I wonder what that was," she thought out loud when a voice spoke behind her.

"Boo."

The girl jumped, accidentally knocking her tower in the process. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as the cards collapsed, scattering all over the table in a pitiful mess. She turned around in a fit of anger, her glowing fist cocked as she punched the imbecile who dared to disturb her. The figure flew back in a blur and crashed into the nearby bookshelf, splitting the entire wooden structure in half and knocking him unconscious. Sasuke was already in the room before she could blink and comprehend what had happened. "Sasuke, I-" her words died in her throat at the harsh glare he shot her. His anger was practically radiating off in waves. "Sorry," she muttered almost inaudibly as she hung her head in shame. A few tears had made themselves present in her eyes and she blinked furiously to keep them at bay.

A long drawn out sigh prompted her to look up, green teary eyes looking at him under thick, wet lashes with the most pitiful look he'd ever seen. "I'm sorry, I couldn't control my powers. I just-" her voice broke at the end as she sniffed miserably. Sasuke eye rolled, face pinched in exasperation. "I'm really sorry-" "It's okay. Don't sweat it, we'll work on controlling your powers later. Right now we need to get out of here as soon as possible," he said as his eyes went to the prone figure lying on his favorite bookshelf, or what remained of it. She wiped her eyes and patted her cheeks a few times. "What about him?" she asked. Sasuke let out another sigh. This was the third time he sighed in less than five minutes.

"We're taking him with us to treat him. And maybe to find the extent of your powers," he drawled out tiredly as he splayed out his hand towards the figure, causing him to float in the air as a teleporting rune formed. "C'mon, let's go."

Of all the Avengers he had to encounter today, it just had to be Spiderman.

"So his name is Spiderman?" she asked as she peered curiously at the sleeping figure. "Yes," Kakashi replied as Sasuke's brow ticked in annoyance. She had asked the question several times in a row. The duo's magic was running in his system, probing and investing any and every thing. "Does he crawl like one on the walls?" she asked again as she poked his bicep. "What point of he has the powers of a spider don't you understand?" Sasuke snapped, his impatience finally get the best of him. But the girl was unfazed. "Does he shoot spiderwebs out of his butt?" she asked with a thoughtful expression. Sasuke took a second to digest the curious piece of information. "Maybe?" came Kakashi's muffled reply.

They were currently at the Kamar-Taj in one of the many rooms at the sacred temple. Sasuke had informed both Kakashi and Sakura of Karin's intentions. Kakashi had been rather nonchalant, having experience in handling 'the-world-is-about-to-end' dramas for a greater potion of his life. Sakura had been quite the opposite, ready to jump at even the smallest disturbance. But their little experiment with Spiderman seemed to have gotten her out of her shell.

"Is he gonna die?" she asked as her face morphed into horror. "No, though he seemed to have suffered heavy internal damage and a concussion-" "Oh my god! He's gonna die, he's gonna die!" she shrieked in panic. "Internal damage means internal bleeding. Unless we can dissect him and stitch together his ruptured organs, there's no hope for him," she whined dramatically as she wiped a few imaginary tears. Kakashi seemed to believe her act as he was quick to reassure her but Sasuke knew better. Or maybe she wasn't acting? They weren't really medical experts.

They performed a series of healing runes before running a bolt of electricity into his system. Sasuke added more spark than usual punishment for breaking his favourite bookshelf. "I'm up!" the masked Avenger exclaimed as he sat up. "Ow, I feel like an entire building dropped on me and a massive bolt of lightning brought me back to the land of the living," he said as he rubbed at his masked face. He groaned in pain as he stretched his back muscles before he slid off the table, standing on two wobbly legs. "Are you okay?" Kakashi asked as he studied his form. "No," he muttered. "Hmmmm, that's weird. I thought Strange had healed all of your injuries," the silver-haired magician with a pointed look at the only dark-haired man in the room. "Hn," Sasuke as he turned his head away to look at a random bug which was crawling on the wall. He mentally began to countdown. 3, 2, 1...

"Dr. Strange! So good to see you!"

The Avenger, who was clad in a red metallic suit that had been designed by Ironman personally and specifically for him, exclaimed as he clapped Sasuke on the back twice. Sakura held back a snort at the furious look on his face. "Stop doing that before I teleport you back to New York," he growled as he moved out of his grasp. "Sorry, I just can't help myself when I meet people I adore," he gushed as he clasped his hands together like a fangirl. Was he supposed to be a hero? Spiderman turned to Sakura, his voice warm and soft.

"Hie, the name's Spiderman, your friendly neighborhood hero. Who are you?" The girl looked at him with a guarded expression. "I'm Sakura," she said tonelessly as she took an unconscious step back . "No need to be so guarded with me. I'm just super excited to meet you, believe it," he said as his mask gave way to lightly tanned skin with sky blue eyes sporting a warm smile. There were three whisker marks on either side of his cheeks, did he get them tatooed or something? The girl was slightly taken aback, why in the world was he acting so friendly? She didn't drop her guard as she asked,"Why would be excited to meet someone you barely know?"

His mask closed as he laughed, the sound of it merry to her ears. "I actually saw you when you first arrived here. With the glowy purple portal thingy and a person who weirdly resembled Dr. Strange. I had bunked class to watch the New York skyline in the late afternoon, pretty cool if I may say. So I decided to follow you but I lost you in the crowd, the streets are very busy no matter what time. Then I was sitting at home watching the news, hoping that my aunt didn't find out that I skipped school, I see this giant eyeball thingy with tentacles. And guess my luck, I saw you, believe it!" he made wild gestures as he explained. "Being the naturally curious person I am, I decided to get to the battle only to get knocked out before I could do anything. Luckily for me, I landed in a dumpster and no one found me until I retained consciousness at nightfall. So I decided to refresh and look for you the next day. I knew you were at Dr. Strange's shrine because it was pretty obvious he would take you in after your abrupt appearance and magicial powers. I came just as Dr. Strange entered the shrine looking as pissed as hell so I decided to approach you first. And I have to say, that was one killer punch you have there. I think I would've died if you had used your full powers," he finished with a self-satisfied smirk hidden behind his red metallic mask.

"Uh, that's just weird. Were you stalking me?" she asked as she cocked her head to the side. "No, I don't know. Maybe?" he said as he scratched the back of his head. "Either way, it was entirely for good reasons. I'm here to help you with whatever you need coz it seemed like that eyeball freak was intent on getting you," he said in a determined tone. "I don't think Sasuke would appreciate that, given how he looks he's about to murder you any second from now," she pointed out. The Avenger didn't seem to take the hint as he rounded on Sasuke curiously. "Woah, you're on first name basis? I thought you'd kill if anyone apart from Kakashi called you by your real name. Can I call you Sasuke?" he asked with a hopeful tone.

Sasuke pinched his nose as he took several deep calming breaths. He didn't want to get pissed especially now when a lot was at stake. The Scarlet Witch could probably here any second from now. The temple's security had been doubled, everyone was on edge.

Sasuke ignored Spiderman's request, turning to look at the pink haired girl. "How good can you control your powers?" he asked her. She bit her lip in embarrassment. "I can't. All I know is that my powers act on their own when I'm afraid," she whispered but loud enough for everyone to hear. He turned to look at the only Avenger in the room. "I want you to keep her safe at all costs, you hear me?" he bit out, not bothering to hide his sneer. The masked head bobbed up and down as he saluted. "You got it Sasuke!" he exclaimed.

The two magicians in the room shared a look before teleporting out of the room.

"Hey, have you ever listened to kpop?" Spiderman mischievously as he took out a phone.

"She's coming," the Sorcerer Supreme spoke as a dark red cloud with red lightning approached them, looming over the horizon. The magicians held different sorts of weapons from bows and arrows to shields and spears. Others had magic shields glowing in front of them, poised and ready to attack at any moment. Sasuke watched as she stopped just outside their invisible barrier, which he was quite certain she wasn't aware of.

"You know what I've come for so why don't we skip the pleasantries and get over it? Give me the girl Strange," she called out as she floated in the air, standing on platform made up of red glowing energy. Dr. Strange allowed his cape to fly him to her, leaving just a small distance between them and the barrier. "Knowing how dumb you are, I think you would've figured out that the girl isn't going anywhere with the likes of you," he voiced out, cold and unmoving. "What do you gain from this Karin except robbing two children of their real mother and another child of her life all for the causes of satisfying your wishful thinking of a fanatical existence that is not real?" he spoke, each word measured. "I thought we were past that Sasuke," the redhead said with an eye roll. "Be reasonable and stop whatever hysterics you're planning," he added for good measure.

"I am being reasonable," she replied, her voice and features eerily calm reminding him of a Barbie doll. "Since you're unwilling to cooperate, I guess I'll have to do this the hard way then."

Twin blasts of red energy shot towards them only to stop a few inches in front of Sasuke. The invisible barrier became visible and glowed, allowing Karin to see the extent of their defences. She moved to a different spot, sending a large blast of energy at it. The barrier rattled but held firm. She narrowed her eyes at them.

"Strengthen the shield! And whatever you do, don't lose focus!" Kakashi shouted over the noise as the magicians struggled to keep the shield in tact.

Sasuke's neck prickled with unease and he activated his Sharingan, the basic version that he had managed to obtain and looked around, searching for the target Karin's conscience was going to possess. He was a second too late to discover that the one who lost focus was Juugo. He had always been one of the calmest people he had ever met but he could easily snap to the other side. Before Dr. Strange could react, the orange-haired man screamed in pain as he lost his hold on the barrier, creating a small opening that Karin took advantage of immediately.

He began running, his bulky framing crashing into others and sending them flying. "Shit," Sasuke muttered as the barrier dissolved entirely, leaving them at the mercy of the Scarlet Witch. "Archers, fire!" Kakashi shouted and arrows flew at the redhead at an astonishing speed. The witch created a red flame, engulfing the arrows before they reached her and resumed her attack on the magicians, breaking the invisible barrier entirely. The Uchiha cursed again as she began to attack them.

They tried to defend themselves but she proved to be too powerful for them. Sasuke felt cold fear grip his chest as he remembered walking in the small village he grew up in, the bodies of his clansmen littering the ground like dead flies. 'Not now!' he berated. He took a deep breath and with swift movements of his fingers and wrists, sent several blasts of golden energy at the witch. Karin retaliated with her own powers and let out a grunt as the duo fought to overcome each other.

A blast knocked them backwards as the collision of their powers created an explosion. As Sasuke regained his bearings, he noticed the that Scarlet Witch was making her way to him, floating towards him at an eerily calm pace as she utterly obliterated those who dared to attack her. He watched with a heavy heart at the destruction and magicians who lay on the tattered ground lifelessy. With an unspoken agreement, both Kakashi and Sasuke teleported to the inside of the temple.

He dropped onto the floor with a grunt. He had been injured more than he had thought. He probably must've broken some ribs and suffered a heavy concussion. "Sasuke! Are you okay?!" Sakura was beside him in an instant as she helped him to get up. Spiderman was helping the Sorcerer Supreme to his feet. "The Darkhold must've increased her powers. She's fucking powerful," he said as he spat blood. He noticed that Anko, one of the senior magicians who supervised the new recruits, was also present plus three other junior magicians he didn't remember ever seeing. He gave her an impeccable nod which she returned with a wide grin. She was also good friends with Kakashi and just as unhinged as he was.

"So what do we do now?" Spiderman asked as he hovered protectively near Sakura. "Obviously, she's coming for Sakura. So we need to protect her with our lives. Karin must not at any cost get ahold of her," Sasuke told them as he straightened up. "And make sure to not to lose our lives in the process too. She's of the only villain what the world needs saving from," Kakashi was inclined to agree. The room was protected and there was no way she would be able to get in that easily. He eyed the small puddle of water near the-

A hand gripped one of the junior magicians ankle and dragged him down, disappearing entirely. "Cover all the reflective surfaces!" he shouted, his mind working quickly as the two remaining juniors were taken. Anko and the Avenger made quick work of covering all the water puddles in the room with rags. But the witch had already made her appearance. Her arm broke out of the mirror in front of them, followed by her leg. As if possessing no bones, the redhead came out of the mirror, her limbs in painfully awkward positions. She stretched, her limbs going back in place.

"Surprise surprise," she said as she shot Sasuke a devilish smirk. Sasuke wasted no time in summoning his sword from thin air. With his Kusanagi in hand, he charged towards her and aimed to slice at her neck. The bespectacled woman raised her forearm to block but was surprised to find herself flying backwards into the wall. In the blink of an eye, the Kusanagi had disappeared and Sasuke held several throwing stars embedded with paralyzing magic. He threw at her followed by a series of runes which sent several lightning bolts at her.

Karin's eyes widened comically behind her glasses and she moved to get out of the way but spiderwebs pinned her wrists to the wall behind her and covered her red glasses. She screamed in pain as the throwing stars nicked her arms and face, the lightning sending searing hot pain in her system. Three snakes were digging themselves into her thighs, rendering her immobile. "Bloody bastards," she groaned.

With a shout of anger, she sent a large blast of energy which knocked back everyone in the room. She burned the snakes and webs to a crisp and floated in front of them with her hands held high. Anko let out a war cry and charged towards her but the ground gave way underneath her before she took three steps and fell under. Two tentacles erupted from her back and aimed for Kakashi and Spiderman, catching them on their shoulders and pinning them to the wall before they could react.

"I told you to give up Sakura like reasonable adults but it seems that you didn't listen. Now look at everyone, all dead or waiting to die any second from now," Karin sneered. Sasuke glared at her whilst Sakura took a fearful step back. "Keep on dreaming, you skank," Strange told her as her he readied to attack. The witch was quick to send shards of red crystals at him, slicing his side. Sasuke dropped to one knee as he began to quickly tire. "I won't bother explaining what I did to you but just know you're dying," she spoke without sending him a glance as she stretched out he towards Sakura.

"No! Let me go you monster!"

Her cries went against deaf ears and Dr. Strange could only watch in horror as Sakura floated up, her powers being absorbed by the Scarlet Witch. "U-Urgh," he grunted painfully as he raised his hand in a feeble attempt to stop her.

Suddenly, a portal opened behind Sakura dragging her in. Karin tried to hold onto her but the pull was too powerful. Sasuke took the chance and latched onto her leg with his magic, his body being sucked into the portal like a ragdoll. The last thing he saw was Spiderman kicking Karin in the face and jumping into the portal after them before everything faded to black.

Sorry for any grammatical errors. I hope you enjoy.

Tozoonana

AfricanFire