"You're always so bossy." She rolled her eyes before taking the keys. She also knew where to go instantly after seeing the tag. "You might want to hurry up, the ship isn't going to wait for anyone before sinking." Natasha carried you on her back and ran where Yelena was headed.

If there was one thing that Natasha has taught you that was ingrained in your mind, that was to have a contingency plan.

Opening the door with the key, there was a jet boat ready for them. Yelena jumped into the captain's position and started the engine quickly. Natasha laid you down at the back of the boat and noticed you had gone considerably paler. She checked for your pulse and prayed to the god she had not spoken to for a long time to make sure you were going to be alright in the end.

After setting the boat in the direction that they needed to be headed, Yelena went to the back to join Natasha. "Here." She held out something like a sewing kit, and Natasha immediately snatched it off her hands.

"You're only giving it to me now?"

"Be grateful I even gave it to you at all."

After seeing you getting wheeled into ER, Natasha slumped down on the plastic chair outside, the events of the day catching up to her. Yelena didn't know what else to do there, so she did what she did best, to leave the scene.

"I tried finding you." Natasha said when she saw Yelena turn her body. "I know that day when you threw Pietro out of the bar, you saw us. We raided it the next day, but you were already gone on another mission for Dreykov."

Yelena didn't say anything and stared at the exit, so Natasha continued. "I tried finding you after we released the rest, but I failed. It was Y/n who told me that Bucky found you and you were going on board The Campania. But, what were you there for?"

In the end, Yelena didn't respond to anything and left, leaving Natasha to sit alone, waiting for any news of your surgery. A nurse came out of the surgery and reported that they had just started your surgery not too long ago, but it wasn't looking too promising due to the massive loss of blood. "How about I give you a change of clothes to change into while you wait." Natasha looked at her getup and nodded before muttering a small thank you.

She realised she should call Bucky and the rest when she took out her phone. Thankfully, Bucky answered his phone, and they were all safe on shore. She told Bucky the gist of what happened, and they all rushed to the hospital after hearing about your critical condition.

"How is she?" Wanda asked immediately when they arrived.

"The nurse just came and told me... it was going to be a really tough fight." Nat forced it out of her throat before trying to stop her tears from falling. When she felt the slightest hint of failing at it, she hid her face behind her hands.

"It's okay. She's going to be okay. Y/N is the toughest person we know."

After calming herself down, Nat realised that they were still in the fancy clothes they were in when they were on the cruise with traces of blood, so she gave her the credit card to get themselves comfortable. Also, to get a hotel because they were in another city, and it was likely they were going to be staying there for a long time.

Several hours later, the doctor finally came out and announced that they had done their best and were going to move her to the intensive care unit. Bucky bought Natasha a sandwich, knowing she didn't have much of an appetite to eat, and Wanda bought some change of clothes for the duration she was going to be staying here.

Weeks passed, and there was no movement from you. The doctors, however, decided that you were stabilised enough to move out of ICU into a private room. As much as Natasha would like to stay by your side and take care of you, she needed to take care of her business and finish her report for Fury.

Fury's side was easily settled, she did her report by your bedside and had Fury come down personally to collect it. She even had a serious conversation with him that she was not going to be attending any mission any time soon. No matter how serious it was. The rest could fail for all she cares, but she isn't going to leave your side until you wake up and get better.

Her company, though, was a bit tougher to settle. Sure, she could ask Wanda to take care of it for a moment, which she did, but it was only a temporary solution until she had to go down to her various factories, and her investors asked for her presence.

Once she got the clear that you were stable enough to travel under close monitoring, she made all the preparation to make sure it could happen as smoothly as possible and no harm would come close to you. She oversaw everything on the day herself and had a close look at whoever went close to you.

She stayed another day once you were relocated to a hospital in New York before going back to work. "Bucky, stay here and look after Y/N. Pietro, you're taking over Bucky's job."

Wanda has already done a great job at managing the company, but there were still a significant amount of documents that she had to go through. With a sigh, she dropped her bag on the couch before heading to her cooler to take a glass of wine out and poured it into a glass to accompany the multitude of papers she had to go through. Even when all the employees when back home and all the lights were off except for hers, she continued looking through the papers with the same focus as she started in the beginning.

Before she worked past midnight, she told Wanda and Pietro to head home. Both were alright to work overtime, but Natasha insisted they head home.

Back at her table, she changed her wine for something stronger. Taking a few moments to herself, she looked out the window into the city lights, reflecting on what she had done, what she had achieved.

Her house got caught in a fire, lost her parents, was used by Dreykov, opened her own company, hired a ton of people, was scouted by SHIELD, participated in tons of dangerous missions, fell in love and found her sister.

She could say she has gone through a lot in her life.

---

"Morning Nat!" Wanda came into the office with a Starbucks in her hand. "Figured you're going to need coffee if you're going to stay awake. I heard caffeine is great for helping."

Natasha watched as she placed it down on the table. "You would be right."

"Well, Pietro bought you a change of clothes if you're up for it. Bucky told him that Y/N would often bring you one."

Natasha nodded her head. "Thank you." She said softly. "You can ask him to bring it up."

For the rest of the day, Nat met with her current clients and potential new ones. Some meetings occurred in her office and some either at a café or their office. After her last meeting of the day, she heaved a sigh of relief after doing everything in 48 hours.

"Bring me to see Y/N." Nat said once she entered the car.

Bucky was reading a book when Natasha arrived and stood up immediately. "I'll get you something to drink." He said, in order to give some privacy. Nat nodded her head and proceeded to sit next to you where Bucky was.

"Hi, Y/N, everyone is doing great. You have taught them well. There's no rush to get up. Just rest until you're ready." Nat only intended to rest her eyes. But no matter how much she tried opening them after, it didn't seem to work, so she finally succumbed to the sleep that was long overdue.

At that time, you finally opened your eyes and took in your surroundings. Once you made sure you weren't in heaven or hell, you noticed Nat sleeping next to you on her chair. You knew it must have been hard on her the past few days when she didn't respond to the pats on her head.

Bucky came in with drinks in his hands and almost raised his voice if not for your swift action of placing your index finger on your lips. You waved for him to come closer.

"I need your help again." 

"Natasha. Natasha. Wake up." You shook Nat's shoulders after giving her a few hours of sleep.

She stirred for a bit before shooting up. "Y/N! You're awake!" The sun had gone down, and the moon was high up in the sky.

"Yep! And you're late to the party. The doctor has come and gone." Your bed was set at an incline as you looked at Natasha with a teasing smile.

"You think this is funny? Do you think almost dying and me having to bring you across the ocean with scares along the way is funny? You think lying in a coma for weeks is funny?" She raised her voice and screamed at me. Bucky came in, hearing the commotion, and you waved for him to go back out.

"Nat, I'm sorry." You started. "I know I made you worried, but I'm here now. I'm not leaving you." Her tears were uncontrollable as she tried to blink them back. "Come here." You opened your arms for her, and she laid in them softly, not wanting to hurt your injuries. "Is it a bad time to say someone is here to see you too?" Without lifting her head, she looked at you with a curious look. "Your sister is here. I told her to come."

"How is it you always manage to work behind my back?"

"Well, five years working under Miss Romanoff makes you do that." You smiled softly. "Just talk to her okay?"

"Fine. Since you're asking so nicely." She sighed. "I'll be back." Nat kissed your forehead softly before swapping with Bucky.

"Thanks Bucky. I know it's a lot asking you to find Yelena." You said when Bucky stepped closer.

"That's the least I can do."

"No, you're a great help at the cruise. Couldn't have done it without you, truly. The ship would have sank a lot quicker and it would have been really hard for Nat and I to get out of there."

---

Yelena was not waiting outside as she was told when Nat looked around. There could only be a few places where she could be if she wanted to be found. Making her way to the rooftop garden, she found Yelena there looking at the city.

"You don't have to run at every possible chance. No one is chasing you anymore." Nat announced her arrival and took a seat on the bench not far behind her sister's back.

"There's always a voice at the back of my head to be aware of others. There's no time to rest. There's always people to chase, or they'll be chasing me."

"There's no need to rest so quickly. I know it's hard to change the habit. You just need things to occupy you and distract you from such thoughts." Nat tried speaking to her sister. "You've been in there longer than I did. It's only natural that you would take longer to come to terms with it." She tried to get Yelena to sit with her. "I have been planning on expanding my business so I don't have to listen to Fury anymore. And I would like to have my sister to join me." She passes Yelena a name card with her legal business on it and her home address on the other side. Yelena was hesitant in accepting the name card, but nothing states that she has to agree if she accepted the name card.

Deciding that she should give some time for Yelena to think and process, she got up and made her way back. "I really missed you, sis."

---

"The doctor said you could leave tomorrow if everything goes well." Nat mentioned it the instant she walked in. "And it's time for all of us to have a vacation."

"I asked you to speak with your sister, not to my doctor." You retorted.

"And I did both, baby. Not only you can do things behind my back." Nat smirked before sitting on the bed. "I can't wait for you to get better."

"Sorry to interrupt. But Wanda and Pietro are coming to visit and they are wondering what you would like for dinner." Bucky came in holding a hand at the receiver of his phone.

"Chinese?" You looked towards Nat for confirmation.

"Whatever the patient wants, the patient gets."

"Wow, I am so going to abuse the system."

---

After going home, you spent most of your day sleeping due to the painkillers the hospital had given you. The doctor required you to have a check up in three weeks to make sure you were healing properly. The only time you were awake were during meal times and even then, there was little interaction. When Nat woke you up from your deep slumber, there were times when you didn't have control of your limbs and you felt like your head was moving away from you. Everyone was at home and they all ate beside your bed with Nat insisting on feeding you.

You'd usually put some movie on the TV, but never pass the halfway mark. Usually, Pietro would be the one to bring down the plates as the rest quietly made their way out. However, this time, you were still awake watching The Intern. Everyone stayed in the room with you perfectly content at this peaceful moment. Except for the pain, this was everything you wanted. Your girlfriend in your arms and friends around you.

Weeks later, you were up on your feet more, slowly getting back to being Nat's assistant. When employees received news that you were back, they were all elated. Even though Nat tried to keep her emotions in check during this period, there were times she flared out and scared her employees to a new level, an upgrade from her usual standoffish attitude.

She called you into her office one day without giving you a reason. There was a paper facing you and you noticed it was the contract agreement you signed when she first hired you. "What's this for?" You took that piece of paper and sat in front of her desk.

"I think given the relationship we are in, there is no need for such a contract. If you agree to it, we can shred this now."

"Are you sure? You don't want to save this as a backup? No one can tell what will happen to us in the future."

"I trust you. And I have trust in us." If Nat was this confident then you have no problem as well. Tearing the paper into half and further half, you crushed it and threw it in the bin.

"Come here." You went round the desk and stood next to her. "I love you so much." She said, cupping your cheeks and giving you a deep kiss.

"I love you too." You said sweetly. "I think someone is here to see you." Just at the next moment, the door opened, revealing Yelena standing behind it.

"I heard there was a specific job opening."

Right now, they were together eating dinner, choosing from the buffet. Seeing how Natasha was holding the napkin to control herself, you went forward to ask. "Do you want me to approach her?"

Finally, she pulled her eyes away from Yelena and looked at you. "... No. It would be too dangerous." Following her words, you continued eating and drinking the soup of day served by the dining crew of the cruise.

When you finished whatever was on your plate, you stood up to get more. Free flow, why not right? Make the most out of the money that was definitely not yours or Nat's that paid for this trip. I went closer towards the woman trying to get mac and cheese for the third time. "Are you on a vacation?" You asked casually.

"Yes, it's been a while since I got a vacation like this."

"You're here with friends?"

"No, I prefer to be alone."

"I see. I'll leave it to you then. Have a nice day."

You took your plate and went back to the table where Nat was furiously glaring at you. "You went against my orders! And weren't you the one saying we shouldn't approach her?" She whispered loud enough for the sibling at the table to hear us.

"You suggested, not ordered. Besides, I only said you cannot get closer to her, I never mentioned anyone else." Your defiance was not well appreciated by her as she turned away angrily. "Calm down. I know you are getting impatient. I just needed to stir the nest a little in order to get things moving."

For the rest of the day, Natasha reduced contact with you and stuck with Bucky instead. You didn't complain but it would have been better if she stuck close to you in order for your plan to work to perfection. You wanted to let whoever sees her there know that they are being targeted and that they should act quickly.

"The Campania is celebrating their first day of sail with a formal ball. Those interested can let the crew know your room number along with the number of guests attending. Thank you and we hope to see you there!" The announcement sounded.

---

"Please, I know you're still mad at me for approaching Yelena but please wear this suit on for the ball." You pleaded for Natasha to change as everyone was trying to get ready. You tried pushing your three-piece suit into Natasha's hands but she was not having it.

"I don't understand what's wrong with my current dress?" Natasha made a valid point there and she looked great wearing it but you wanted her to change regardless.

"Nothing is wrong. You look fantastic in them. But can't you just wear my clothes?"

"When you put it like that, how can I say no?" Finally, she relented and went to change as you got the others ready for what's to come as well.

At the door, you told the crew your room number and they directed us to our table. "Ouuu, I wonder what the organiser has in store for us!" Wanda excitedly said as she sat down looking at the exquisite decor.

Slowly, the ballroom was getting filled up and it was getting noisier. You leaned closer to Natasha and whispered. "Your sister looks really good dressed up." While looking in Yelena's direction. It turns out she has sat in a group, but we aren't sure if they knew each other.

The lights dimmed, signalling the start of the event and you could tell that Wanda and Pietro were getting excited about it. With the darkness, it was easier to look at others without raising suspicion, checking to see if there were any familiar Hydra faces, especially Rumlow. The room is huge, and it's hard to see the other side of the room. Signalling to Bucky, he stood from his seat in the faux pretence that he was going to the washroom. You did the same things on the other side as Natasha stayed behind keeping watch on Yelena.

You didn't see anything wrong with the audience, but rather there were suspicious things lying around outside the ballroom. Taking a closer look, you realised it was a bomb and immediately called Bucky to make him check his side. There were many lying around and you knew you wouldn't be able to diffuse them all.

Heading back to the ballroom as calmly as possible, you told Natasha your discovery. As we are in the middle of the ocean, it would be hard to evacuate large groups of people without causing distress. Eventually, she told Wanda and Pietro to head out and disarm the bomb at the back of the boat first. You didn't see a timer attached, so you assume that there has to be a detonator around.

There are only two choices to choose from.

1. Disarm the rest of the bomb

2. Find the detonator

While you were calculating the probability of succeeding for each choice in your head, Natasha noticed some movement from other tables and was about to leave when you stood up abruptly and screamed for the audience to evacuate. They looked at you like you were some sort of a mad woman. While all eyes were on you and some were whispering among themselves, they failed to make any inclination of moving. Enraged by their action, you took out your pistol from behind your back and started shooting above your head.

Crew members were about to step forward and reprimand you for your actions, but you showed them evidence of the bomb, and they finally understood what was happening. The evacuation code was announced, and crews were directing passengers to the nearest exit.

Surveying those that went in the other direction, Natasha and you ran to catch them but weren't able to in time as they pulled the lever of a machine. All of you froze and stared at each other. Crates breaking can be heard over the panic screams of the passengers.

"It seems like you were too late." Rumlow said as his companion ran out behind.

"You're going to pay for this."

"Let's do this, Romanoff. Only one of us is going to leave this ship." He pulled out his gun from behind his back and started shooting. Of course, Natasha wasn't going down easily, returning a few shots of her own.

"I order you to Bucky and the others and tell them to help the crew to evacuate with the rest." Natasha ordered you, and you have no choice but to leave her here alone before finding them.

Finding Bucky and the rest was difficult. There was a sea of people to search from, and he never seemed to be there. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I wasted more time searching for him.

Where could he be? He would head to where the bomb is. Think! Where would they plant the bomb? The engine room!

I searched for the nearest map of the ship before realising that it was at the back of the ship where Natasha told them to head to. "Bucky! Wanda! Pietro! Are you guys down here?" I shouted when I went below the deck and was met with lots of water and gas pipes. As I ran down the path, there were traces of bombs being disarmed, and I knew I was on the right path.

"Bucky! Pietro!" They couldn't hear me above the noise of the engine, and I didn't know how much longer I should be hanging here to search for them.

Suddenly an explosion occurred, knocking me off my feet, and I knew time was running out. I only hoped that none of them was caught up in the explosion. Water was seeping in at an alarming speed, and it was getting hard to move around. "Wanda!" I shouted when I saw something moving.

"Y/N!" It was indeed her, and I heaved a sigh of relief, knowing at least I had found one of them. "What's happening?"

"Is Pietro with you?" I ignored her, more focused on rallying people first. She nodded before pulling Pietro up to show me, I assumed he must have been trying to disarm the bomb.

"Alright, new orders. Head up the deck and follow the others to evacuate. If you encounter any zombies, hit them on their heads. It's their weakest place."

"Evacuate? What about you?" Pietro asked.

"I have to help Natasha. If you find Bucky, tell him the same thing. Evacuate, and we will regroup later." Water was rising quickly, and we could not afford to stay below the deck anymore. I tried to find Bucky to the best of my abilities, but he was so freaking hard to find when he wanted to be.

Natasha POVAfter sending Y/N off to find the rest, I was left to face off with Rumlow and Eleanor Crowder. We pulled out our guns, and a noise behind them caused them to turn behind. I should have taken this opportunity to shoot, but Yelena was there, and I froze.

I dodged out of the way when Yelena raised her pistol and I became 1 vs 2 vs 1. There were plenty of places to hide but I could hear the screams of people outside getting louder and louder. The sooner we can deactivate the machine the better. I'm not sure how much Yelena is helping me here but I can only hope.

I have no idea where they placed the crates that contained all the undead but they must have placed them far away from here because they have yet to show up here. I only have one spare magazine for the pistol left and I am fighting against three people. Hopefully, Y/N is able to find them and come back quickly.

"When are you going to stop hiding and come out?" Eleanor shouted. "Or are you going to wait for Y/N to come and save you again?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I shouted back as I checked the area before moving. Yelena was the only one unaccounted for as I haven't heard anything from her. I came out of my hiding position and aimed my gun at Eleanor who is very slippery for her own good.

This is the calm before the storm. Who knows what and where Rumlow's hiding. If there was another of such a machine, I'm going to throw hands.

If they are not going to attack, I'm going to push ahead.

Kicking the table down, I stood up and I started shooting at where I knew Eleanor was hiding. This was only a trick to get Rumlow to come out thinking I have shown my hands. Once I had located where he was, I shifted my focus on Rumlow since he was the bigger dog of the two. It definitely felt like fireworks were going off with the sudden amount we were shooting. This ship isn't going to be accepting new passengers after this.

Things were getting tough when Eleanor decided to be a part of this. There were times when I was close to getting killed but the brain just moves faster than you think. Also thanks to the fact that Yelena decided at this moment, which side she was going to choose. It was hard to reach for the machine and flick the switch. Each time I try to get closer to the machine, there would be someone shooting at me, preventing me from doing so.

Luck runs out though, as I end up getting shot by Rumlow while focusing on Eleanor. Y/N came in at the same time as I hit the floor. The horror on her face was not something I wanted to see. Especially not when it was because of me.

Second POVSeeing Natasha fall to the ground made you glare at the others. Lifting up the guns in your hands, you took over Natasha's place and started shooting at them. You didn't know Yelena was on Natasha's side though, so you fired a shot at her in a fit of anger. "Hey, I was helping. Fire at them, сука."

Fighting someone who was angry was not a good thing, they shoot better but end up taking more risk. You ran directly at Rumlow since he was the closest to you and emptied your magazine at him. He tried shooting at you too, but at one point, his magazine went out faster than yours. His body lay in a pool of blood as you stood before him, raising your gun the final time. "Always confirm your target." You muttered before firing a shot through his forehead.

You didn't get to do much else though, as another shot rang through before you collapsed to the ground.

Natasha was sure she was shot, she felt the bullet hitting her but she was fine in the end. She didn't quite understand how it happened. After sitting up, she realised the suit you had given her was bulletproof. The bullet was sitting right at the place where she was shot.

After standing up, you had just finished the shootout with Rumlow, but Eleanor, who was hiding behind a pillar, aimed a gun at you just enough to let Natasha see the ends of her gun sticking out. This time, it was her turn to shoot at Eleanor.

"Anyone coming to save you?" She sneered as she stepped closer to Eleanor who was clutching her pouring wound. "I won't blame them, who wants to save a worthless person like you anyways? Someone who is disposable, only waiting for instructions." Natasha whispered next to her ears before taking her gun out of her hand to confirm the target.

"You might wanna come and save your girlfriend." A familiar russian accent caught her attention. Her eyes drifted to you still laying on the ground, barely able to keep your eyes open.

"Y/N! Where did you get shot?" She looked at the blood staining multiple locations of your clothes. There's not enough hands to cover your wounds and in the middle of the sea with zombies everywhere.

"T-the.. switch..." You barely whispered. Natasha gave a pleading look towards Yelena, not wanting to leave you alone.

"Fine." The screaming got a lot quieter after but now people were desperate to get off the ship.

"You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. We are going to get out of here and get you to a hospital. You're going to be fine." Natasha told you desperately and herself. But it was going to be hard to fight against hundreds of people for a place in the lifeboat which is going to take a long time to reach the shore.

"The keys... in my p-pocket." You spoke so softly that Natasha almost didn't hear it if she wasn't leaning close to you. She moved her hands quickly and reached for the metal in your pocket.

Natasha POV I sighed when I saw her retreating back into her room. I didn't want to do this or make her feel this way, but this was something I needed to do.

When Clint almost saw the photo I kept in the book, I never felt so terrified. I don't know why. It was just a photo of my old family. Even though none of them truly know what happened, all of them know that they died in a fire. They knew I had lost my father and mother but didn't know I had a younger sister as well.

I thought I had lost her along with my parents in that fire. I tried finding her, looking through all the hospital records with our family lawyer since I was a minor at that time, but I couldn't find anything. I gave up thinking she died along with our parents, even though her body was never found.

I thought I saw her when Pietro was escorted out of the bar that day. She looked a lot like my younger sister. And my thoughts were confirmed when her face and name popped up on the screen when I was downloading Dreykov's file. However, when I tried searching for her, she was not with the group that Clint rescued. She must have been sent out on a mission by Dreykov.

I tried looking through the files to see where she could have been but there were no traces of her. She must have undergone a lot tougher training than I did when I was there. With Dreykov dead, she has no one to report to and I didn't want her to fall into the wrong hands again.

Taking a deep breath before knocking softly on her door, I waited for her answer before entering. When I entered, she had her eyes closed but her head was still resting on the headboard with her arms crossed. "Do you need anything?"

My heart was pumping out of my chest as I formulated an answer in my head. The way she closed her eyes and tried to act as if my actions didn't affect her. I blamed myself for letting her feel this way. "I just..." I could get the words out of my mouth.

"Are you going to stay? I'm going to sleep." She shifted herself until she was covered. I stood there alone in the dark as the entire household was trying to sleep except for me. I took a step closer to her bed before slowly lifting up the cover and getting in with her.

I didn't manage to sleep for the entire night but I never felt Y/N move. Either she was the type that doesn't move in her sleep or she didn't sleep as well.

By the time she made any indication of moving, it was time to wake up. "I was searching for my sister." I blurted before she got to leave too quickly. "I saw her in the files of Dreykov. And I went to look for her. She wasn't with the girls that got rescued. I thought it would be better if I --" She walked out of her bedroom without letting me finish. I sighed and ran my hands through my face. What have I done...

I went back to my room to change before heading down to the kitchen, where Y/N was talking to Bucky. But as soon as she heard me entering, she told Bucky to do his job before facing me. "Your coffee. Breakfast will be delivered to the office later. There are meetings with the team to discuss the new budget, it's probably going to take a lot of time. I will meet you in the car."

She didn't give me a chance to say anything before turning away. I don't understand how suddenly this house felt so lonely.

Her coffee was still fucking perfect though.

---

Bucky was nowhere to be seen. He usually would be guarding outside but I haven't seen his shadow for a long time.

I was going through each team's budget until it was time for Wanda's team. Surprisingly, she wasn't the one presenting, it was Pietro. "Where's Wanda?" I noticed she wasn't present.

"She said she had things to do and told me to take over." I nodded before giving them the go-ahead to continue.

Each one of the budgets looked challenging but attainable, hence, with minimal correction, I approved each of them before heading for another meeting, this time, with Fury.

Never once on time yet insisting on others to be, the one and only Fury finally stepped into the meeting room after being 15 minutes late. I know Y/N and I may not be on good terms now, but when Fury looked at her I told him she would be staying as well. What surprised me was Y/N saying she would be waiting outside before Fury could even get a word in. I let the hurt be visible on my face, but she didn't even glance at me before walking out.

"Trouble in paradise?" Fury said as he passed me a file. I ignored him and focused on reading the text. But once I figured that it was going to be on a cruise, I already formulated an answer in my head. "I know what you're going to say." He raised his hands to stop me. "The head was impressed with how you dealt with the school issue and decided that it would be better if you handle it. We have information that whoever tried to transform corpses into zombies are going to be on the Campania Cruise. This is our chance to bring them all in."

I looked at him with an emotionless face. If this was before I confessed to Y/N, I probably would have accepted it without thinking. I would probably accept anything that came to me, wanting to fill up as much free time as possible. But I no longer have that desire to risk my life when I have so much riding on it.

"I suggest you present this to Carol. She would probably be happy to get this mission. Maybe ask Sam to go as well."

"But with your previous experience with facing such creatures, you would be better suited for it. Coupled with your extraordinary employees that I never understand how you hired them, it wouldn't be much of a challenge for you." Fury continued to persuade me.

"So it's not about my previous performance, but rather the exposure and my resources." I stood up from my seat. "I'll tell whoever ends up accepting this mission what they need to know. Take it or leave it." Finally it was my turn to leave someone behind.

When I exited the room, Y/N was on the phone with someone and didn't manage to hear me until I tapped her shoulder. "Alright, I got to go. See you later." She pocketed her phone before asking if I was ready to leave.

The ride back was quiet and awkward. The atmosphere between us had never been so bad, even when she had just started working for me. "Are you mad at me?" I asked, unable to stand this situation anymore. "Just say something."

She took a deep breath before speaking. "I wished you would have told me that you were looking for someone, even if you didn't want me to know about your sister. Rather than making me worried that you're out there alone or staying in your office. What if you were in danger and I didn't know about it while I was waiting at home for you?"

"I'm sorry. I was selfish and thought that I could find her very quickly. I didn't want to trouble you with my personal problem."

"Let's just move on from this and not do this to each other. Let this be a lesson that, same as you, I could ignore you just as easily and only interact with you when I have to."

We talked about it further in the car as we drove home.

"Ah! I just wanted to add. I found Yelena." Y/N casually said as she exited the car.

Natasha POVI froze. "How..." How in the world did she say this so casually? There were so many things going through my mind. How did she manage to find her when I have been trying so hard this week? She hasn't stepped away from me long enough to make any search. And how did she know her name?

She gave me a smile as if being able to look through me. "You're not the only one who knows how to use people, Romanoff." She stood by the garage door, waiting for me to enter the house. But she knows I'm not moving until I get answers. "I looked through the files you downloaded and matched them to the photo you threw in the fireplace, and had Bucky look for her."

"The photo? I thought it burned."

"It did, but not fully. I had a hard time trying to match it to the data we retrieved. It's not easy when the age gap is quite huge too. But nonetheless, you always love to make things difficult for me."

"B-but how? I tried finding her too."

"Because you are a woman." I raised an eyebrow at my statement. "Dreykov was hiring women. Naturally, she would be more wary of women around her. That's why Bucky managed to get closer to her. But she still managed to slip away. Bucky only knows that she is taking the Campania Cruise."

"What? Come again? What cruise?" I raised my head when I heard the name of the cruise.

"The Campania Cruise?"

"You gotta be shitting me. Fury just told me that there were going to be Hydra men on that cruise, and the zombie case is likely going to happen there as well. I just rejected that case." I brought my hands down my face.

Reader POV "Woahhh! This ship is so big!" Pietro exclaimed when we finally boarded the cruise.

"Pietro!" Wanda whisper-shouted at her brother, her face getting red that her brother was embarrassing in front of other first-class passengers.

"It's fine. Let him be. Feel free to explore wherever." Natasha said, ignoring other passengers' gaze at her. It is likely that they don't know who she is or why she has so many servants around her in this day and age.

Our bags were already transported to our room by the valet service provided by the cruise. Once I unlocked the door, Natasha and I went in to sort the room out, making sure there was no bug hidden. "She has to be here." I heard Natasha mumble to herself as she looked at her phone for any indication of listening devices.

I suggested we head out to find where Bucky, Pietro and Wanda are at. Knowing Pietro, he would have found a number of interesting activities. But Natasha was too focused on finding her sister to relax on the cruise.

"Nat, we can only confirm if she's really here when the ship leaves the dock. I promise you, once the ship departs, we will search for her." I stepped forward and took her phone out of her hands.

Turns out the other group was already getting into the activities on mini golf and we got there in time to split into two groups. Even though my group only consists of Natasha and I, I'd say we are fairly even. Bucky is doing consistently well but Pietro likes to think he can do it in one shot which makes it even worse. Wanda has her ups and down, but for her first time, she ain't doing badly.

Though we started out strong, Wanda and Bucky pulled their strength together and ended up beating us by 2 points. Close call, perhaps I shouldn't have given her pointers after all. Since they won, they have decided that they shall have the power to choose the next game.

We walked around a bit discovering bits and pieces of the ship. Wanda pointed out things that they saw when they walked around earlier such as the zipline, swimming pool, casino, gaming center and eateries. As much as Natasha tried to look like she was enjoying it, I knew that her mind was elsewhere.

Once the horn sounded, Natasha started making excuses to leave the group but Wanda was having none of it. "Please, Nat. We won earlier. You have to do this." Nat glared at me, but I just shrugged my shoulders, letting her be dragged to the racing simulator.

Nat grabbed the lapel of my shirt and pulled me closer as Wanda was setting up the station. "You promised me this." She whispered.

"I said we would search for her after. But never specified when after." She took a deep breath and I internally chuckled as I could see she was figuring out ways to kill me. "But your reward will come after this." Only when the sound of the engine running indicated the start of the game did Natasha release me before adjusting her seat to make sure she was comfortable with the pedal. Naturally, racing was not a game that Natasha would lose, and even though she was going against Pietro, she came out victorious by 5 seconds.

Before she could get out of her seat and march towards me or perhaps beat me up, I went towards her and showed her phone screen. "I found her, she is on the ship and she's close. Right... over... there..." I directed her view to her left where she could see a lady demolishing the punching bag. At her last hit, we could clearly see that she managed to beat the previous high score with the bright lights surrounding it.

"Yelena..."

I pushed Nat back down on the seat when she tried to get up, her sight never leaving her sister once. "You can't be seen near her. It's possible that her contact person is keeping a lookout with who she is in contact with."

"Then what am I supposed to do? Leave her, again?"

"Natasha, calm down." I raised my voice slightly, before looking at the others and waving for them to leave us alone. "I'm not saying never meet up with her. I'm saying to wait for the right time. There has to be a reason why she entered this ship and Fury's info of the zombie being here."

That was the first time I heard Nat's broken voice.

"What am I supposed to do?"

In honesty, I wasn't sure if it was for the reason I stated that Yelena was here. I wasn't sure if she was meeting anyone or if she was unfortunate enough to be on this ticking time bomb of a ship. While it meant that Natasha was able to confirm the presence of her sister, I'm sure that she would prefer to meet her in a safer setting.

Nevertheless, it was better to be safe than sorry and keep an eye on Yelena until the ship docks at the destination.

Eventually, it was night time when I was done with what I had to catch up on. The lights outside were off and the rest of the household had already gone to sleep. This used to be my lifestyle before I hired Wanda, Pietro and even Bucky, Working late into the night and starting early the next day. I thought it was going to be it for the rest of my life and I was content with it then.

But now, it feels a bit lonely. I'm not exploring my life and the things beyond my work. Those were not things that made me happy anymore. I want to pass milestones with Y/N and experience new things with her.

I can no longer imagine a life without her.

"Finally done with your work?" Y/N asked coming out from god knows where.

I let out a sigh and nodded my head. "Yeah..."

"Time to rest then, there's no escaping work tomorrow." Y/N suggested. I nodded my head. Work is a constant, but at a slower rate tomorrow as compared to today.

---

I was in such a nice slumber, perhaps I worked too much these few days. Coupled with the Cricket Tournament I did and working overtime, I passed out pretty quickly after my head hit the pillows.

I woke up naturally the next day and was surprised no one came to wake me up. "Morning. I thought you would like breakfast in bed today after all the hard work you've done yesterday." Y/N walked in with a tray of food and placed it in front of me. "I thought the usual American breakfast would be easier eaten on the bed."

Pancakes, eggs and bacon paired with my coffee at the corner. "It's wonderful. Are you eating with me?"

She shook her head. "I ate with the rest this morning." The scowl on my face told her I wasn't too happy with her answer.

She chuckled slightly. "Eat up. We are heading out later." She removed herself from my bed and plopped herself on my ottoman next to my bed.

"Out? I still have work to do."

"I did them yesterday. So today's schedule is free. I thought it would be great to bring Bucky, Wanda and Pietro out today."

She did my work yesterday? Was that why I didn't see much of her? I just thought she was just allowing me to do my work in peace.

"Sure? Where do you want to go?" I nodded at the idea while cutting into the pancake.

She just smiled at me. "It's a surprise."

---

Everyone dressed casually, even Y/N, who I never saw her out of her suit and mission related clothes, was dressed in a plain shirt and jeans. All of us took the same car since only Y/N knew where we were going.

The sitting arrangement was different though, Wanda, Pietro and Bucky were squeezing behind the back and I'm sure this was the first time Bucky sat at the back.

Y/N drove for quite a bit before parking and she told us that the place was the biggest mall in New York. Wanda was very excited to see what they had to offer and Pietro wanted to get some sports equipment.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" The salesman asked.

"Something as cool as the Empire-" Y/N stopped him before he was able to embarrass himself.

"He's looking for a pair of running shoes." Y/N said.

As Y/N assisted with the talking, I looked around seeing if anything caught my eye. Someone did though. Wanda was still standing outside the shop looking at the sign intently. I thought she was afraid of coming in, but she entered when I was about to go to her.

"Both of you can get anything you want as well." I told them just in case it wasn't clear for them.

Pietro did not hold back on spending and acquired two pairs of running shoes and a couple of dri-fit tees. He was very happy with his purchase and happily held the bags as Y/N paid.

We walked around a bit more and entered some shops but neither Bucky nor Wanda saw anything that caught their eyes. Eventually, we had our lunch as we were feeling a little peckish and we wanted to avoid the lunch crowd.

"Is there a bookstore nearby?" Wanda asked.

"Yes, it's at the fourth level if I'm not wrong." Y/N answered. "We can head there after lunch."

"Thanks."

Books and Bucky don't go well together so he was waiting for us outside together with Pietro. I'm sure they were able to find something to bond over.

This time, all of us went our separate ways as Y/N wanted to find some books as well. I came across some games and puzzles and my eyes drifted to those maps that you can scratch out places you've visited. I decided it would be a nice piece of decoration in my office and took it to find one of them.

Wanda was in the young adult section but in her arms was a book about marketing. "I hope I am not making you work too much."

"Not at all. It is the marketing aspect of things that intrigues me, like what makes them decide they want our products."

I nodded my head. I thought she'll be more interested in science considering she has a lot of knowledge in chemistry.

"Looks like all of us got something from the bookstore." Y/N came from behind us showing us she got a book, The Maid by Nita Prose (google the movie, there'll be a fun surprise). She took our items to the cashier and before she was about to hand her card, Wanda added another book, a fictional book this time.

"Sorry."

"No worries."

When we exited the bookstore, Bucky and Pietro were chatting and didn't even stop when we started walking around again. There was a lot fist bumping going on but I had no idea what they were talking about. Y/N seems to know where she was taking us as she walked without hesitation. She has that cheeky smile on her face which means she has something planned.

"Bucky." She called out to him and his head immediately turned to her. She pointed at the store in front of them and I could see his eyes lit up.

"I can... really buy anything?"

"Yup. Don't go overboard though. Yours is different from what the rest of us bought. If you want to show Pietro around, you can." Y/N told him. This was the first time I saw him this excited since I hired him.

"Did you plan all this?" I asked her as it was our turn to be waiting outside.

"I did. That day, when I was in the car with you?" I nodded my head. I thought she was checking where she wanted to meet Nicole.

"How was it like working in Natasha's company?" Y/N turned the conversation to Wanda. She was shocked to hear this from Y/n and looked between the both of us. "I think the employee would speak more liberally if the boss were to excuse herself for a moment."

I raised my hands in mock surrender before heading into find Bucky talking to the salesperson.

"Hi ma'am, how may I help you?"

"It's alright, I'm here with him." I pointed toward Bucky and Pietro. I stood and watched as Bucky disassembled the guns to look through the parts before assembling it back again. There were a couple of models in front of him and he was making a hard choice on which one to choose.

"Why not take all of them?"

"Miss Romanoff!" He didn't expect me to walk in. "I can't do that. It'll cost a lot."

"I'm not doing it for free. I'm asking you to teach Wanda some self defense."

"What?" Pietro was alarmed.

"It's what you have to do if you want to work for me." I looked him straight in the eyes. "Especially..., if you're living with me."

When he had no words to reply, I asked the salesperson who and where I should pay. We were going to carry it around with us so I arranged it to be delivered to our house.

"Why did Pietro come out looking gloomy?" Y/N asked when we exited the store.

"I told him Bucky was going to train Wanda self defense." She looked behind her shoulder and saw Pietro speaking to Wanda.

"He didn't take it too well then."

Y/N checked the time on her phone before turning around with a clap. "Natasha and I have something to do before we head back." She pulled me closer by the waist. "So all of you can take an Uber home. Just charge it under the company card." She looked at Bucky at the last sentence. 

"Where are we going?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders before walking off. She kept adjusting her collar so I knew she was nervous about something.

"You don't have to agree to it, but I'm meeting Nicole here. I was thinking you can see what she's planning?"

"Of course, I'm interested in knowing who dares to drug you." I linked my arms with hers and she started walking to the cafe. Of course she also made the reservation for the place. This whole day has been according to her plan. She took a seat next to me as we ordered a drink for ourselves while waiting for Nicole.

A woman walked closer to us, which must be Nicole and I gave Y/n a slight nudge to let her know she was coming.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so I didn't order anything for you." Y/N said as Nicole sat in front of her. I vaguely remember her telling me that she doesn't treat her friends the best, was that what she meant? "By the way, this is my girlfriend, Natasha Romanoff." Y/N introduced me.

"Girlfriend?" She looked at me surprised. "I never thought you would ever get in a relationship! You were always so cold to everyone and I thought you would have scared everyone away." She laughed slightly before extending her hand towards me.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Nicole Turner, you can call me Nicole. I've been a friend of Y/N's since High School." I shook her hand with a smile. So she's been Y/N's friend longer than Victoria.

"Likewise, call me Natasha."

"I still can't believe that you're in a relationship! With Natasha Romanoff, no less, the CEO of Romanoff Corporation. You don't date, but once you do, you take the big shots huh."

"It wasn't part of my plan, but I'm happy it happened." 

Watching Y/N and Nicole interact, I can believe that they have been friends for a long time. The insults they dared to throw at each other and the bantering were evident.

"So, did you make a police report on your ex-boyfriend?" Y/N asked after we had finished their food. She shook her head. "Yeah, well, since it has been so long, I doubt there's much evidence incriminating him. I won't push you to put charges against him, but it was me, I won't stop here." Y/N said. I looked carefully at Nicole's facial expression. The perk of being the one interviewing and negotiating all these years was that I was able to tell the microscopic muscle movement.

"Yeah, Y/N is just protective like that, even to her friends. I couldn't imagine what would happen if I were to betray her." I wrapped my hands around hers and rested my head on her shoulder.

"Only people who matter to me."

With that, the lunch meeting was over and we went our separate ways. From our car, we were able to see where Nicole parked and followed her to her next destination. I've never been on this side of the mission. Usually, I would be the one giving a mission to Y/N. Now, we are embarking on a mission together that's hers.

Maintaining a safe distance, Nicole finally stopped in front of a bar. A bit early to be partying, but who's to stop a lady? I was about to get out of the car when Y/N stopped me. "I know this kind of bar. It doesn't start until 7pm and only starts preparing at 5pm. It's way too early to be entering this bar, even if she's working here."

"Well, that's a simple fix. We can ask Wanda or Pietro to come. They don't know about them." She nodded her head as she thought about the idea I presented. "One of them could act like they are drunk as they survey the area inside." I continued to pitch my idea.

"Alright, I think let's call Pietro."

Pietro POVY/N gave me an address and told me to head over as soon as possible. To say that I was surprised that Y/N wanted me to enter the bar was an understatement.

"You look alright, but you could do better. I want you to act as if you've just got dumped by your girlfriend, act all drunk and ask for some drink while looking for this person, and who she's with." Y/N showed me a picture of a lady and I nodded. "Here, change into this." She gave me a suit that she got from her trunk and gave me some privacy as I changed in the back row of her car.

Y/N gave me a weird look when I stepped out of her car. I looked at myself thinking perhaps I buttoned the shirt wrongly or didn't tuck in my shirt but I looked alright to me. "You're way too put together for someone that is sad." With that said, she scrunched up my shirt and unbuttoned the top button before spraying some alcohol on me.

"Should I ask why you have a spray bottle in your car?" Natasha spoke my mind before I formed a sentence.

"It helps in ironing the shirt. In case you didn't realise, you love to change your schedule on a whim." I looked between the two women, eying each other.

"Should I go in now?" Y/N gave me the go ahead while Natasha got in the car. I took a deep breath before channeling my inner drunk self and pushing the heavy door open. Lots of women were inside chatting and turned to look at me. I ignored them and continued making my way to the bar, making sure to bump into a few tables here and there. "One screwdriver!" I quoted from Y/N what to say as I plopped down on the bar stool and placed my head on the cold wood.

My eyes scanned the area looking for Nicole and when she didn't appear, I turned my head to the side. "Excuse me Mister, our bar isn't open yet." Well, what do you know? It was Nicole who approached me.

"One screwdriver. My girlfriend just dumped me. I know the bars are already open, I've been to two." I stuck the peace sign right in front of her face.

"Sir... perhaps you don't understand. We are not serving." I turned my head to look at the guy behind the bar. His accent was different from what I usually hear around here. His black frame glasses stood out to me the most and his hair was combed to the back. He really doesn't strike me as someone who is a bartender. In fact, he was the only guy in the entire bar.

"WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ME TO GET ONE SCREWDRIVER?" I banged the table and glared at him. He didn't say anything but nodded for another lady to drag me out. I shouted all the way, resisting. And I mean, resisting. These ladies are stronger than they looked.

"Don't show up here again." Her accent was deeper than the guy inside. When she slammed the door in my face, I walked back to Y/N's car across the street and got in.

Natasha POVI got a glimpse of the lady who dragged Pietro out but she was too quick to let me see any distinctive features. Once Pietro got in, Y/N asked him what he managed to get.

"Nicole was definitely there. There were a lot of ladies in that bar but only one guy. There is something about them that makes me feel like they don't look like they work there though." Y/N sighed when he listened to what Pietro had to say. He would have been able to gather more data had he been working with us longer.

"My reports tell me that Nicole has been visiting that shop almost every day. While she is the type to party, I don't think she would be there every day." Y/N said.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Force her to make a move."

---

It was a few hours later on the same day, it was definitely darker and the streetlamps that were functional were working and bars were definitely open for business. We could have sent Wanda in but we wanted a drastic move to make sure Nicole would start acting. We weren't sure if she was the head of it all or if she was working for someone.

"I'm going to leave you alone to plan what you need to do. I'm sure you can handle yourself." Y/N told me as we got prepared to enter the bar once again.

"Yes... yes... I just need to make her feel threatened and jealous. Isn't that what I do everyday?" She shook her head before looking at Wanda and Bucky who were going to enter after us.

"Alright, let's go."

She walked ahead before I pulled her back and placed my arm around her waist. "Follow the master." I smirked before walking in confidently. We found a place in front of the bartender and ordered our drinks as we waited for the guest of honour to arrive.

"9 o'clock." Y/N said as I saw our target greeting the guest. "Waiting for the target to approach."

"Y/N! I didn't think you'd be here. Natasha, nice meeting you again." Nicole came round to serve us as she saw Y/N.

"I didn't think you'd be working at this sort of place."

"I needed some income and this was the fastest way of getting paid. Should I refill your drinks?" She questioned at the end.

"I think I saw my friends entering. I'm gonna catch up with them for a moment. Catch you guys in a minute."

When Nicole returned with our drinks, we talked for a while before I started the plan. "Don't you dare try anything with Y/N. I know what you've done. And I'll be damn to let it happen again. She's mine and mine only. I won't let anyone touch her and that's you included."

"How is it going ladies?" Y/N came back cheering and I just smiled at her before giving a quick kiss on her cheek.

"It's great, I'm getting to know more about Nicole. I think we are going to be great friends." I flashed her a genuine smile before looking back at Nicole. "Don't you think?"

"Y-yes. I'll leave you two alone. I have other guests to serve."

"Do I even want to know what you said to her?" Y/N shook her head when we were sure she was out of earshot.

"If you ask, I'll tell you."

"Nevermind, let's just take a seat with Bucky and Wanda before you do any further damage." 

Reader POVNot wanting to leave Pietro out for a long time, we decided to head back home after Wanda had a few experiences with getting tipsy, saving the experience of being drunk another time. Her face was almost matching her hair after a few drinks, and it wouldn't be wise to get drunk at this point in time.

After threatening Nicole, sitting in the house and waiting isn't the way to go. I was a bit skeptical of letting Natasha plan this, but she managed to convince me to let go of the reins. Her methods require a bit of luck and understanding of the enemy which can be hit and miss at times. "You've done so much for me. Let me do something in return."

You know, in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have let Natasha do this. I knew she would get back at me for that one time she had to go blindfolded into an underground auction for human trafficking. Now, I'm trapped on a chair facing who I once called my best friend.

"Why are you doing this? You're not like this." I said when she turned to face me. Even though she didn't say anything I could tell there was a bigger force behind this. "You used to jump at the chance to help people."

"I had enough of people using me. Leaving me. I lost my job, my boyfriend, my house. There wasn't any purpose in my life until he came to rescue me. Everything was so... dreadful..."

"Who's he?"

"Dreykov."

"He took me in, gave me a place to stay, gave me a job, gave me a purpose. I finally felt like I had some sort of light in my life." She picked up a parry knife and continued speaking. "But he knew about you. Knew what you have been doing with Natasha. He couldn't allow someone like you to be near me. And I knew what I had to do."

"And you decided to rape me?"

"He gave me a test. I needed to pass it in order for him to accept me. So I used the new house he gave me as an excuse to lure you in. You were always a people pleaser even if you refuse to admit it. You are way more noble than me. You think of others more than you think for yourself. You give others the credit even though you were the one who thought of the idea. You're the shadow behind us."

I shook my head at her words. Where the heck is Natasha? How long am I sped to be talking to her? "So he gave you another task? To kill me?"

She shook her head. "I am supposed to keep you here until he's done with what he needs to do." This made my head turn. What is it that Dreykov needs to do? Is Natasha safe? I don't even know where the heck I am.

"That being said, I think that's enough talking. I fear I have revealed far too much." Where the heck is Natasha? I started struggling against my restraints, pulling whatever I could hold on to and trying to wiggle out of it. I shouldn't have trusted her to be the hero this time. Finally, I managed to free one hand without her knowing and it was a lot easier to free the other.

When she came closer, I caught her wrist and pushed her onto the chair as I disarmed her. "You know what I work as and who I work for. You're no match for me when you've only done this for a few months." She continued looking at me with determination in her eyes. "Please... you don't have to do this anymore." I watched as she visibly relaxed and I moved the knife further away from her.

"I know... but I have the element of surprise." She pushed me harshly causing me to drop the knife and lose my footing. Using that to her advantage, she placed both legs at my side and started punching me. "I know you had feelings for me. Dreykov told me to never forget it." Her repeated punches render me unable to see my target. I could only choose to either protect my head or flail my hands trying to get her to stop.

"Ohhh you don't have to forget it alright. You won't even get a chance to think about it. Get your filthy hands off my girl." A gunshot rang out and Nicole flopped down beside me.

"Took you long enough. I thought you weren't coming." I pushed Nicole off my body before looking at Natasha. "What happened to your face?" I noticed there were a few cuts and blood on her face but it doesn't look that bad for a cause of concern.

"Yeah... about that... I was on the way but Bucky told me someone ransacked our house and I had to go back and settle some things, that's why I was late. Sorry." Natasha kept her gun as she came closer. "You alright? Sorry I couldn't come here quick enough."

"What happened?" I asked as I tried cleaning up this place. A murder is still a murder, even if it was not under the order of SHIELD. There can be no evidence left behind even if there was no one to help us clean up.

"I think it was the work of Dreykov."

"You know him?" I asked, she talked as if she knew how he performed.

There was a beat of silence. I thought Natasha wasn't going to answer until she spoke again. "I used to work for him for about a year and a half before I joined SHIELD. I knew that if I wanted to open my own company, I needed a strong backing that could at least prevent Dreykov from taking action on me."

Even after working for her for five years, there was still something I didn't know about her. Something as big as this. We worked silently for the rest of our time there before Bucky came to fetch us and disposed of the body.

When we got back to the house, there were still people cleaning it up. The house was really turned over, was there something they were finding? Most of them were trying to put things back where they thought it belonged but I knew that I had to make adjustments later. For now, I'll let them clean the place and bring the broken pieces of furniture out.

Surprisingly, even Clint was there. Was he there to help? I couldn't really tell, he was sipping his coffee while barking orders to other people who were putting their backs on it. "Oh? There's a photo sticking out of a book." He bent down to pick it up but was swiftly snatched out of his hands before he could get a good look on it.

"My things are none of your concern." She crumpled up the papers and threw it in the fireplace that still had some light in it. Clint raised his arms in surrender before going back to sipping his coffee and giving out orders.

Soon, it was night time and Clint stayed behind for dinner. Thank goodness whoever did this decided to be kind enough to leave the food alone but there were a few things missing from the pantry. Nothing too important that dinner couldn't be made but there were a few spaces left empty that should have been filled.

"We need to bring down Dreykov." I raised my eyes when Natasha said that, speaking it in front of Clint? Should I assume that he was going to participate in this as well? "We have to act soon before he moves base again. We'll strike tonight." Natasha turned very authoritarian as she gave out orders on what she had planned for that mission. Apparently SHIELD had given approval of such a mission and the after work can be dealt with by them. I have a feeling that Natasha is emotionally involved with this. Granted, she was trying to eradicate this group that she was working with but I feel like she was hiding the true reason for wanting to take out this group so quickly. Even Hydra was not dealt with such importance.

"Pietro will stay behind to protect Wanda. Bucky will come with us and Clint as well. We are doing this with as few people as possible. Find Dreykov, kill him and free the other girls." The briefing was short and clear cut before we got out of the house and into our cars.

Instead of waiting behind the line this time, Natasha was the first to walk right in after picking the lock. I even had a hard time trying to follow her. When I looked behind to check if Clint was following, he was no longer there. I had no idea if he went off on his own or got lost. And when I turned back, to my horror, Natasha was gone too! I looked left and right, trying to hear footsteps but it was silent. How am I supposed to find my way into where everyone is? I should have followed Bucky and stayed at the rooftop instead.

Using my best and educated guess, I continued walking and seemingly in the right direction since all the doors were opened. I could feel the bar was not as it looked. From a deceivingly small bar in the front, there actually had a large underground system.

As I walked along the long hallway, there were many small rooms but no occupants. There were traces of someone living there but the living conditions were so bad that it wouldn't be any different compared to a prison. My eyes scanned each of them swiftly as I continued walking and my back nearly hit the wall when another pair of eyes stared at me. I regained my composure swiftly before moving forward hoping to find Natasha soon. In my haste, I didn't see the trip wire and set off an explosive that no doubt brought attention to the unwanted.

"You'll always come back to me." I heard Dreykov saying and Natasha was standing in front of him looking fine. My eyes flickered between both and I had to make a decision either to create a distraction or let Natasha solve this problem herself. With Clint's location unknown, it was very hard to determine what his plan was.

I pulled out my gun just as Natasha slammed her head on the table and smashed Dreykov's head down as well. They began fighting and it was very hard to aim at him as they were moving so much. I went in when they were distracted and tried assessing Dreykov's computer but it was protected with a passcode.

"I need a passcode!" I shouted when they were mid-fighting. Dreykov was definitely more shocked than Natasha was when he noticed I was standing by his computer. He attempted to get near me but was stopped by Natasha pulling him back.

"It's his ring!"

Instead of protecting his ring, he went ahead and smashed it to the floor and tried stepping on it but was stopped by Natasha who dove for it. There was a distinctive crack followed by a loud scream. Taking advantage of the shock, I went forward and punched him right at his jaw, taking over Natasha's position as she went to the computers.

"You're going to pay for that." I seethed as I punched him over and over again, making sure he wasn't able to get up.

A projector lit up and there were numerous pictures flashing while Natasha downloaded the files. "You! Are the lowest form of human life and I am going to end it with my own hands." Natasha screamed as she pulled the USB out and took out her knife before beginning to stab Dreykov over and over again. "You claimed to give them a place to stay but you use them for your own benefit without getting your hands dirty. You took advantage of their situation, you despicable person."

Natasha was heaving by the end of it and in the pool of his blood. Just then, Clint rushed into the room. "Natasha! Oh... are you guys done here? I just finished evacuating everyone that I could find. Bucky is with them."

After hearing that, she immediately got up on her feet and ran towards the exit. Clint and I gave each other a look before following after her. She was looking through each of the girls, not registering that we were calling for her.

"Natasha!" She finally got out of her stance. "Who are you looking for?" I asked.

She shook her head before walking away. "Don't follow me." 

I caught her wrist before letting her slip away. "You injured your hand. At least let me fix it." I knew I wasn't going to be able to persuade her to stay, the least I could do was to make sure she was alright. I placed her in the backseat before taking the first aid kit from my boot/trunk. "I think you fractured your bone when you tried to save the ring. Please have someone check it and don't exert too much on it." The bandage can't do much other than to remind her.

"That won't do."

"Huh?"

"You said you would win, didn't you? As your assistant, I naturally came prepared." She presented me with the uniform I was supposed to wear with the other players.

"Thank you, really. At least I know I always have you supporting me."

"I told you, I'll always stay by your side and never lie to you."

After taking pictures, Bluer was going through what's going to happen for the boat parade. " We'll get on the boat and go along the river. Once we approached the center. We'll take off our hats and salute the president. Then we'll throw the flowers from our hats into the river and return."

Theoretically, everything should go well. Natasha sat at the head of the boat since everyone agreed that she deserved that spot. It was also great since she doesn't have to row the boat. Lanterns were lighted when the sun set and flames of St George were lighted once again. Some lanterns drifted into the sky while some floated above the water.

"I'm getting nervous."// "Fools! Don't lose pace!!"

Fury was there at the ceremony as well, sitting next to the governor. I know I'm almost at the truth, I just need some more time before I uncover everything.

"Rushman, We've managed to win this tournament due to minute calculations. However, there was one fatal miss. We never thought we'd actually win, so we didn't practice for the parade even once." Bluer said as he stood up. The boat started wobbling as the players were unstable on their feet and it was only inevitable that they ended up falling into the river.

People started laughing but it wasn't that sort of a bad laugh. Everyone was having fun, it was kinda on brand for Blue House to do something like this. A boom was heard and fireworks were going off, lighting up the sky even more.

"Natasha!! That was so amazing, the way you defeated Green House with all the tricks. No wonder you were able to bring the truth out." Pietro excitedly said. He was jumping up and down on his sister's shoulder after I dried myself off.

Food was distributed to everyone and it was a party with a huge success. Everyone had a smile on their face. Purple House provided the music and Red House accompanied the guests for some dance.

---

"Ahhh... that was fun." My dorm mate said when we entered our room. " I ate too much!" // 'I'm so tired..."

I noticed something on my bed as I got closer.

"That's amazing!" Jones jumped on me when she realised what it was. "You've been invited to the midnight tea party!" I did it, I finally acquired the right to see the Principal. "They say that when a beautiful flower blooms under the moon at midnight, they'll come for you. So if you put that on your chest, you'll be able to attend." I'll make sure to ask Jones the next time I don't know anything. Everything happening in the school, she seems to know.

Midnight came quickly as the students were sleeping except for me. A knock on the door showed Clayton coming to show me to the gathering area before heading in.

"Welcome, Rushman. To the elegant, traditional, high class, bizarre Midnight Tea Party." Bluer said as I entered the room. Once the clock struck midnight, the organ sounded like someone was playing with it. The music was not pleasant at all.

After walking through a series of doors, I was finally led to a garden where the Principal was seated and the Vice-Principal standing behind him. "Thank you everyone for coming, please sit down." Mr Agares said.

"Everyone, the tea is done."

"It's a bit irksome, but I guess we should toast with tea." Redmond said.

"Well then." Bluer took on the task. "To having successfully protected tradition and finish June 4th for another year. To Weston, a toa-"

"Wait!" I stopped the toast. "I can't toast from the bottom of my heart like this."

"What's wrong?"

"That's something bothering me. It's about Derk Arden and his friends. I can't toast until I've met them." I placed the cup back down. "Mr Principal, will you hear my story?"

"Rushman, that's rude."

"I know it is. But the school 15th school rule states the following, at all times you should share your heart with your friends, and help them out with love, that's what it says." Hearing that, Bluer kept his mouth shut.

"Derrick Arden, Richard Greenson, Hans Hardy, Robert Isaac, Ewan Thewlis. I have heard that since about a year ago, none of them have returned home even once and have been cooped up in their dormitories during that time. Actually, when I entered the school, I was asked by their parents to persuade them to come home just once. But when I tried to meet up with them, I was met with the most bizarre circumstances. I couldn't even lay eyes on them."

"In any case, it's the truth that they weren't at purple house. 5 people have disappeared from a strictly supervised school. This is obviously quite strange!" I slammed on the table and stood up. Supposing from my investigation up till now... Derrick and the rest probably aren't at this school anymore. In the best case, they've escaped. In the worst, they're dead. It's obvious these people are hiding something. Before, they got away with 'the Principal decided on it', but with everyone gathered here, they can't use that anymore.

"So, Mr Principal, I'd like you to call the police."

"That would not be necessary." Mr Agares said. "That's because, look, they're right there." He pointed at the door we came through. The door handle creaked open. Everyone had the face of horror when they saw his face, Derrick Arden, wearing his pristine uniform and flower.

Derrick Arden? He's fine? Why did he disappear until now, then?

"What the hell, he's right there." Chesslock said, not sure why I was making such a fuss about it.

"Arden? Are you really..." Greenhill looked ghastly as he looked at him.

"Hey, the tea smells good." Arden's voice was like a scratchy microphone.

"Ar- Arde-" Without saying anything, he leaned forward and sunk his teeth into Greenhill's arm.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Midford shouted as he jumped over the table and kicked Arden to save his prefect. Arden stumbled away and showcased his bloody mouth from the biting but people were more focused on the Frankenstein scar that ran across his forehead.

Recognising that I need more help, I ordered Y/N to come and capture Arden before worse things can happen. I didn't know where she was hiding but she was no longer wearing her disguise when she came out. Like a magician, she pulled out the table cloth without disturbing the dishes and used it to tie Arden up.

Greenhill was whimpering from the loss of his flesh and Midford was rightfully worried for him. Both their faces were pale. Y/N the first aid the best she could but he definitely needed more medical attention.

"The reason I entered this school was to find Derrick and the rest. However, I couldn't get hold of his whereabouts. Because Derrick was already dead." I explained.

"Dead? What do you mean? He was just moving." Harcourt said.

"He..y Th..e tea smellzz goood..." Derrick's head turned in a way it was not supposed to be.

"Hee!" Harcout jumped in fright and moved further away from him.

"Well." I pulled out my gun and pointed it at the Principal. "Let's have you explain what is going on here. Spit it out! What did you do to Derrick?"

Instead of the Principal answering, Greenhill spoke up. "We just wanted to protect..." It took quite a bit of effort for him to speak. "The saint that symbolises our school... Saint George... The legend goes that he defeated a dragon to protect the country."

"In other words, if you don't cut it off from the source, you won't be able to run from the disaster." Bluer continued. "We obeyed those teachings."

"That's why we... set out to... kill Derrick." Redmond finished it.

They began explaining how they made a mistake but they weren't going to let Greenhill take the blame all by himself. Due to the connection that Redmond has, he had found a way that would cover everything up. "And so, we set up a contract with him."

"I see.. Now everything falls into place. Derrick Arden, the student who disappeared, body and soul. The Principal, the one who was able to escape from my pursuit. The Kraken society, the association researching human regeneration. But the one who wrapped all of this in such a difficult mystery... to figure this out would have been a trivial task." I smiled, the truth was right in front of me all along. "It was you wasn't it?" I pointed at the Principal.

"The Principal has nothing to do with it! Us prefects did it all by ourselves and-" Redmond rushed to protect the sacred person he looked up to.

"No one said it was the Principal. Hey, why don't we both drop the teacher act here?" Y/N said.

"Ah man... I really liked this job too. It was truly pleasant to watch your struggle from the grant tier. You've offered me your best of laughs..." She said as her long hair flowed down from her tall hat she was wearing.

"Eleanor Crowder. We meet again." I said, tightening my grip on the gun. "I was wondering why you've gotten so silent after our last meeting."

"Aww, nice to know you miss me."

I ignored what she said and focused on the others. "You four assassinated Derrick Arden and then requested his resuscitation from the Kraken Society. What was so important to protect that you would resort to such means?"

"Derrick... he was not supposed to be at this school." Bluer said.

"What do you mean by that?'

Flashback

Third POV They succeeded in becoming the prefects for Weston College after four years, finally gaining the right to step on the lawn.

They did their job to try to make the school a better place. They started out with the right heart and intention but it just didn't last to the end.

"Bullying?" Greenhill asked

"Yes. It was put into the complaint box. They want us to have eyes in every nook and cranny." Redmond said, after picking out what he thought deserved the most attention.

"School rule no 15, every student has to be equal under the principal."

"We can't allow that! Let me stand watch." Derrick, Redmond's fag, stepped up to do something about it.

"How admirable of you Derrick. We'll leave it to you."

In everyone's eyes, he was reliable. The captain of the local cricket team, embroiders like a true craftsman, gets high marks for his reports and his poetry is genius as well.

He was a governor's bloodline, a cheerful personality, overflowing with talent. Derrick Arden was dazzling. But because of that, they didn't notice... the deep dark shadow that light had casted...

---

"Unpermitted leave is against the school rules!" Redmond caught two students in his dorm leaving the school grounds. "And on top of that, you have alcohol?"

"You should think of the disorder you've caused while dragging the name of your school and family through the mud!!" Derrick said while shaking his head.

After Redmond gave the punishment to them, he asked Derrick about any updates about the bullying case. He gave a negative response claiming that the complaint box received lots of fake in the first place.

---

"Today, we had two entries in the complaint box. Please increase the different types of food served in school and... what's this? A poem dedicated to the prefects?" Derrick said as he passed the note to Redmond.

"A poem dedicated to the prefects huh... I guess they must look up to us." Derrick said as he passed the note to Redmond. He looked at it with a serious face while reading it through again.

After lights out, Redmond gathered the other prefects. "What is it? Calling us out so suddenly." Violet asked, he much rather be in his room sleeping.

"The poem had the date and time weaved into it quite skillfully, and it was directed at us. Thursday is a word derived from... the God of Thunder, Thor. A harp of bent pearl refers to baroque music, which must mean the music room. I think the torch went out, referring to after lights out." Redmond said, after deconstructing the poem.

"So they wanted us to come to the music room on Thursday night?" Bluer confirmed.

"But... it's still amazing that you managed to pick up on that." Greenhill said as the rest of them looked at the note.

"Only the word with a special meaning were written differently. With some education of poetry, you would pick up on a message like that. But I don't really get the last, deprived of light bit." Redmond admitted as they continued making their way to the music room.

Before they even reached the music room, they could hear sounds and light coming from the room.

"Hey! What are you doing over there?" He rushed in to see what's happening. He would have never thought to see five students bullying three others. And of the culprit being his fag. The tree of them were stripped of their clothes and you could clearly see the bruises on their body. One of them was holding a cricket bat like they were practicing and using the student as the wicket.

"Derr...ick?"

Deprived of light meant the following. Derrick Arden's dazzling results were all fake. The cricket, the embroidery, the reports, the poems, everything. He took other's talents through despicable means, and used them to make himself shine.

Bluer picked up victim's clothes and gently guided them out and told them to return to their rooms while Redmond tried to come to a conclusion about his fag.

"I should have known when you couldn't decipher that poem..."

"Sheesh..." He looked unapologetic about his action, not even trying to cover up or give excuses about his actions. "I only needed one more year. My family have been prefects here for generations and all. I'm so over that. I didn't even want to go, but they just threw me into this place." He complained. "So, can't you just overlook it when I want to let off some steam? In return, I'll supply you with a much bigger donation than everyone else, from my dad."

"STOP FOOLING AROUNd!!" Greenhill shouted. "The Principal will hear about this from the Vice-Principal. Be prepared for a fitting punishment!!" He gripped his cricket bat tighter in his hands from anger.

"Did you hear that?" He talked to someone behind him. Someone stepped out from the shadow and it was the Vice-Principal.

"What is the meaning of this? Why are you..." Redmond couldn't understand why the Vice-Principal was there.

"I've understood the situation. Derrick Arden and four others. You will receive two Y for being out at night."

"I'm soooo sorry." He said it without energy and even a three year old could give out a better apology than that.

"Being out at night?! That's not right!" The prefects were stunned at the reasoning and punishment that the Vice-Principal gave. "They were bullying! We have to report this to the Principal and-"

"This year's prefects are quite rude. Voicing your opinion against the Vice-Principal?"

"N-no, we didn't mean to..." Greenhill replied.

"Then there is no problem. You can all return to your rooms."

The prefects couldn't believe what they were seeing. The Vice-Principal was acting so kindly to him like he was his friend. That was until he saw what he was holding in the Vice-Principal hands. A bottle of alcohol. The Vice-Principal was in cahoot with Derrick all along.

They couldn't let this happen, they couldn't let this go without doing anything. They are not going to let Derrick be the prefect next year. As long as they are there, the school's tradition will crumble.

Without thinking, Greenhill picked up his bat and striked it on Derrick's head forcefully. Seeing their friend commit an act of such crime, they race to close the door and prevent anyone from leaving, there can be no witness left behind.

"He's not... breathing." Violet said after everything they've done.

"This is all my fault... What did I do?"

"Calm down Greenhill. We had no other choice."

"Yes.. but what now? As it is, Greenhill will get the blame."

"I have an idea."

Flashback end

Your POVEveryone stared at the prefects with horror.

"Our actions are inexcusable to our relatives. But there was nothing else we could do to protect our traditional order. We didn't want to stir things up and damage the school's good name." Bluer said.

"I see." Natasha has the business smile on her face. "I was asked to investigate this incident by a certain high ranking individual. They won't sit by and do nothing after hearing the truth about this matter. However, I'll ask them to consider the circumstances"

"Well then, that just leaves you. What do you think we should do, Natasha?"

"Since I received a copious amount of payments just now, I'll tell you for old time sake." (She was talking about the laughing)

"Derrick was certainly conscious, if only for a moment. Even the dead can evolve. As long as there are episodes." She explained her grand scheme.

"Episodes? Do you mean those fake memories you made?" I asked.

"Close, but not quite." She did a cross with her arms in front of her body. "What's driving them now is... their yearning for a future. In their dying moments, humans review their past life. At the same time, they crave the future they were supposed to have. They are fragmentary of course, but those fragments are the episodes. Like a predictive map of the future. My self-created memories are nothing compared to these, future memories. So, if we stuck these to the record... wouldn't it become complete?" She talked about her vision, it did nothing but scares us into what she could possibly do if she achieved it. No dead will stay dead.

"Well, the succession rate is still pretty low." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's dependent on the quality and quantity of the episodes."

"I don't understand." Natasha shook her head. "Why would you do that? What purpose does bringing back the dead serve?" She asked angrily.

"I want to see what comes after the pre-determined end. You never thought about it? There might be an interesting development lurking behind the ending credits... I've told you all I can for the current price. I should get going. It's be a hassle if I got found out by a certain annoying individual."

"No, you don't get to leave so easily." Natasha fired a shot and I knew it was my time to step up.

Mr Agares came to stop me and I saw the same Frankenstein scar on his forehead. "I knew it, you're dead as well."

"He was full of episodes. He's my masterpiece. For now, at least." Crowder said as she jumped to leave. Snapping her fingers twice, corpses which were Derrick's friends rose from the ground and this instantly turned into a set for a zombie movie.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Run! Get out of the garden! Quick!" Midford said as he lifted Greenhill over his shoulders and attempted to carry him out. Natasha stayed at the exit and ushered them out.

Harcourt wasn't like the rest, her legs gave way and she stared at the moving corpses unable to move. "Come!" Natasha went ahead to grab her.

"You don't seem to be in a hurry." I said as I have Mr Agares clinging onto me like a slug. Despite being Crowder's masterpiece, he has absolutely no sense of fighting skills. He was growling next to my ears but made no actions to attack me, only ever counterattacking. "Did you think you could keep me down like this? You underestimate me." I asked Crowder.

"I'm not underestimating you at all. It's just that... we have different goals." My heart stopped at the thought of her capturing Natasha.

At this distance, she was closer to Natasha and she would be able to get to Natasha before I could. Once it came to me what she meant, I smashed Mr Agares head onto the floor and rushed towards Natasha.

"As expected of you, Y/N." Crowder said. She ran along the ledge of the walls of the garden. "You should keep protecting Romanoff, with such devotion. See you!" She tricked me into thinking she was going to attack Natasha in order to escape.

"Y/N?"

"Stay back." I kicked the moving corpse in front of us.

"Why didn't you capture Eleanor Crowder? What am I supposed to tell Fury without a culprit in front of him?"

"Can't you just tell him the truth? Hydra is expanding and the Kraken Society is reviving the dead."

"As if he'd believe."

"Rushman!" Midford came back to inform her that everyone was safely evacuated when he accidentally stepped on a head.

"Be careful, there's a lot of blood if you don't want to dirty your shoes." I kindly reminded him before he continued stepping in.

"Rushman... I'm scared... If this had continued, I might have become like these prefects. The kind of person that mistakes the sin of murder for justice." He clenched his fist at the thought as he was the next in line to be a prefect.

"Don't worry. As long as you're afraid of that, you're still normal. Unlike me." Natasha whispered the last part but I heard it clearly. Wanting to diffuse the problem and end the awkwardness, I told them it was better if we waited for SHIELD personnel to arrive outside with the others.

Natasha POVWhen I saw Maria Hill arrive, she only gave me a look before heading in with Culson behind her. I went ahead to find Fury and prepare myself for what's to come. It's going to be difficult to convince him what happened, he doesn't trust anyone, or anything easily.

"You know I have to give something to the press right? Something this big that happened in a prestigious school isn't going to keep itself silent." Fury said when he heard the end of my story.

"I know you have something in your sleeve to give the press for their attention until this dies. Don't forget, I went on this stupid mission that was obviously on a lower grade than I usually do." I rebutted. Though, this ended up being something I usually get assigned to, and Fury would know that when he reads the report, but until then, no harm done.

When I finished speaking to Fury, I saw Y/N keeping her phone in her pocket. "I told Bucky to come and pick us up. He should be here any moment."

"Who were you speaking to?"

"... Nicole." I nodded my head, remembering her as the one who drugged Y/N that time.

We stood in silence until Bucky arrived at the front gate picking us up. As usual, Y/N opened the door for me to get in, but when I looked back at her, she had already closed the door and moved to sit in the passenger seat. I immediately got out and opened her door abruptly.

She looked at me like I just caught her cheating on an examination. "Natasha?"

"Why are you sitting here? You're supposed to be sitting with me!" I dragged her out of her seat as Bucky watched the interaction between us. "Do I have to tell you to drive?" I shouted at him before he gripped the gearstick and drove off.

When we were in the car, Y/N was restless, she couldn't sit still and finally took out her phone after a while. I saw that she was scrolling through a map and bouncing between places but I couldn't tell if she was looking for something specific.

"What are you going to do about Nicole? Don't you think it's about time she gets what she deserves?" I looked at her but she was still scrolling through her phone, not answering me. I gave her a nudge and she finally looked at me. "What are you looking at, so engrossed?" I nodded towards her phone.

"Um.. just a place to meet her and to eat. Checking out the area." She tilted her phone for me to see.

"What are you going to do to her?"

"I think there's more to find out about her motives. I mean why did she want to drug me in the first place?"

Third POV The first match in the Cricket Tournament, was Sapphire Owl vs Scarlet Fox. Each match comprises 2 innings of 20 overs.

The players stood in front of their opponents (like the Civil War poster). "I didn't think you were going to join, Odinson."

"Of course I am! Australia has a great Cricket Team."

Once the game started, the majority of the people were cheering on Red House, even those that were in Blue House knew they wouldn't stand a chance.

Once the first ball was thrown by the Red House, Blue House was immediately bowled right away. There were definitely hidden gems that were found amongst first years as well.

After getting bowled again and again, the Blue House players rotated quickly. And soon enough they collected 10 overs and were due for a switch. At this point they only gained 21 points.

Once it was the Red House turn to be the batter, the wind was even stronger in their favour. Even with Blue House's tactic of throwing softer balls making it harder to it hit boundary 6, they still managed to gain a lot of point.

It was a one sided match for the first half. During the break, Blue House was trying to strategise. Bluer wanted to be the bowler for the second half but Natasha stopped him. "Weren't you going to save that for the finals?"

"But if we lose here there will be no final." Bluer rebutted. "We still have half a game left, we have a chance. We can't let them score more points. Do you agree, coach?" Bluer turned to find Y/N but she was nowhere to be found. "Where is Professor Y/L/N?"

"Maybe she went to the bathroom?" Natasha offered a suggestion. "Anyway, we shouldn't change the strategy without the coach's approval." Bluer was still hesitant at not using his trump card. "I'll be the next batter. Leave it to me."

With Red House, after having a snack from the buffet table, they were very relaxed and confident with their chances to secure a win, and even started planning their attack on Green House who was their real enemy.

"I'll let Harcourt bowl in the second half." Redmond decided.

"With those skinny arms?" Odinson asked.

"As a gentleman, I'll give them a handicap. Cricket is a game to watch. I'm sure the audience prefers to see something beautiful."

Right before the second half begins, Y/N came back from wherever she was from and Blue House was so distraught that they weren't able to rely on her advice. "Sorry, I was in the bathroom."

Natasha started as the batter and she did a great job at defending but it wasn't enough. She was basically just defending and trying to make sure Red House doesn't get as many points as possible.

"Deliver the final blow, Harcourt!!" Even though Natasha played a part in taking down Maurice Keller and therefore making space for Harcourt to be Redmond's fag, she wasn't going easy on Natasha. She did her wind up and dropped the ball suddenly.

"What happened? Harcourt?!" Redmond shouted from the bench after seeing his fag lying on the ground. People around him started clutching their stomach and dropping to the floor before he felt his own excruciating pain in his abdomen.

The ball rolled to Natasha's feet who picked it up with a sinister smile on her face. Looks like the time has come.

The meat pie they ate during their snack time was not a regular meat pie. Removing her disguise, Y/N replaced the original with the one filed with laxatives. They knew it was a matter of time before it took effect and they weren't able to play.

"Due to Scarlet Fox's inability to continue the match, this will be considered a forfeit. The winner of the first match is the Sapphire Owl dormitory!!" The MC announced.

"Ehhhh?" The entire stadium shouted except for Y/N and Natasha. Even Bucky, Wanda and Pietro who were there to support them were surprised that they won. Even though they weren't huge on sport, they were prepared to console the players. Not that Natasha ever needs consoling for such an event.

"Bucky!"

"Y/N! Great work out there. I see you still have what it takes to bring people down from the inside. Literally."

"Well, they are just a bunch of students."

In the meantime, the match between Violet Wolf and Green Liion dormitory was still ongoing. It was a close fight as Chesslock,  Violet's fag, was the one bowling. His super low bowl hit many by surprise and they were unable to defend it. To give a ball a topspin with your fingers is an extremely difficult skill. He was only able to do this because of his magical fingers, he can play any musical instrument instantly, hence his sorting into Violet Fox dormitory. However, it wasn't enough for them, Greenhill lived up to his name and kept on a hitting streak, which ended up hitting up earning the win for their team.

Throughout the game, Violet didn't not participate at all even though he was on the field. He was busy doing his own art, plucking out weeds to make his dormitory emblem. "Don't step on it okay?" It was a rather large piece of work for one person.

(pic of the emblem)

"And so, the fight for the title will be Green House against Blue House. Is there going to be another blue miracle?" The MC excitedly announced as the last match was about to start.

"Our opponent for the deciding fight is the certain victor, Green House. Can we really win?" There were some doubts surfacing in the locker room of Blue House as it was getting closer to the start of the match. People say history repeats itself, and it certainly has for a few times in the history of this annual cricket match.

Luck was never on their side.

"Let's win! I know we can win." Natasha said when she saw no one was stepping up.

"We will now commence the deciding match. Sapphire Owl dormitory versus Green Lion dormitory." The drum sounded and

"It's like the adults versus the children."

"Go for it. Nat!!" Wanda and Pietro shouted after hearing others thinking less of their boss's team. Bucky knew they needed no cheering, Natasha was going to win no matter what, even if she had to snatch it by force.

"Well then, as their coach, let me put my all into cheering them on as well." Y/N said as she turned to a band. "Everyone, get ready."

"Music as cheering? How boorish." The house master of Green Lion sneered. "What is Miss Y/L/N thinking."

"I see Green House can't even afford to listen to music." Y/N said as she picked up her conductor wand. "Then, our first song. The Radetzky March." The band players started playing the piece.

Green House started bowling first and Blue House held the bat. Everyone thought it was luck but Blue House has won 4 runs. Everyone in Green House thought the Blue House players weren't going to be able to hit their fast ball but they were keeping up.

"They just got lucky. Don't let down your focus." Greenhill shouted towards his teammate. He nodded at his captain before trying once again.

Their form was terrible but they were hitting their shots where they needed to. Greenhill looked closer into the players that were batting and realised their eyes were closed. How were they able to hit the ball with their eyes closed?

Flashback

In their meeting, they were coming up with plans to go against Green House. Natasha knew they have no chance against them unless they have something that others haven't tried. "I don't think that we, Blue House, the lowest ranking in physical strength and sports can handle fastballs." People started shouting that it was a bit harsh to call them that but Nat did not pay them any attention. "Therefore, we don't have to watch the ball."

Since cricket is all about taking the wicket, it's likely that the ball will pass through a range of about 28 inches high and 9 inches wide. So if you swing the bat in that vicinity at the right time, theoretically, you would hit it."

"As if you'd know when to swing if you don't look at the ball." One of the players called out the preposterous plan.

"You can!" Natasha immediately replied. "We just have to hear it. We'll have a signal at the right time to swing the bat. The batsman just has to swing accordingly."

"Can we do that?" He asked skeptically.

Natasha wasn't used to someone doubting her. "Yes, in fact-"

"No." Bluer interrupted. "If the bowler and the batsman don't face each other in earnest, it's not cricket."

"Is that so?" Nat asked. "We're putting our pride as Blue House on the line fighting the other house. So it's only courteous to give everything we have. We have 'resourcefulness'. Green House's forte is 'power', but it wouldn't be honorable of us to fight them with power." Natasha started to show signs of when she was like giving a presentation as she was first setting up her company, she showed her charisma and determination in persuading others. Her voice of conviction drives others to believe her words even though no actions have been taken. "Blue house is weak! That's why we should work our strategies within the limits allowed by the rules, that will give us a narrow win and challenge them with all we have!!"

Finally, Bluer relented and allowed Natasha's plan to proceed.

End flashback

At the right timing, Y/N would sound direct the band players to hit the cymbal at the right time for the players to swing the bat. With his sound, there would be a swing leading to a point for Blue House. The swing is ridiculous but their timing is right.

"They really worked hard!" Greenhill said as he realised what was happening. He had true admiration for the effort the Blue team put in.

"That's right, we can't allow them to use the mu...- What?!!" Midford, his fag counldn't believe his words. Unable to believe his words and knowing that he cares a lot for the sport, he asked to bowl next.

When he stepped up, people didn't think much of him. Sure, he was a formidable force but his presence wouldn't make the opponent scared more than usual.

So far, Blue House earned themselves 40 points which was more than they ever did against Red House earlier, and they were still attacking.

However, when Midford did his windup, people noticed the difference in his stance. It was really similar to the one Chesslock had. Even with the help from Y/N's music, they were unable to hit the ball as it was travelling so low. Everyone was impressed with him. People thought he was an ordinary person.

He isn't jealous of other's talents, but genuinely respects them. With them as his role models, he tries to come closer to them through unwavering effort. Full respect, that's his talent.

Y/N wasn't affected by Midford stopping Natasha's plan, she was ready to move on to the next one when she heard someone witness the Principal. Looking back at Natasha, she got the go ahead to locate the Principal. If Y/N can come into contact with the Principal, the one who hold everything within the school, Natasha will be able to find out something about Derrick and the rest too.

Without Y/N as the conductor, the music stopped and the players didn't know when to bat. "Where is Prof Y/L/N?" Bluer asked.

"Didn't she go to the bathroom?" Natasha answered.

"Again?!"

They couldn't hit anything without the 'support' after all. They'll have to fight on their own here on out.

As Y/N reached the last seen location of the Principal, only the Vice-Principal was seen. Instead, he was already at the stand interacting with the players' families. Y/N tried her best to catch her but they were only playing a game of cat and mouse.

Natasha didn't want to use the next plan but since it has come to it, she has no choice. After double tapping her shoulders, their formation moved. It was Green House's turn to be at bat, but then somehow they were unable to focus. There were no tricks on the ground. The balls thrown were very easy to hit but Green team's form was all over the place. As the ball was approaching Midford when he stood at the line, he thought that the ball was very easy to hit, anyone on their team would have scored a boundary 6.

"Even you now? That ball was perfect!" Greenhill shouted. Natasha smirked when it even worked on him. Sadly, as one of the few women who were selected for the team,  she knew what would distract these young male teenagers.

"What's up with that shameless group?" There's a group of sexy women dressed in skimpy clothings showing off their skin. All the Blue House students have bad eyesight, so they didn't notice. Natasha planned on pushing them like this so they won't score a single point!

"I told you to leave! It's forbidden to watch the game in such lecherous clothing!" One of the guards came to chase away Tony's bunch of girls. Natasha didn't think they'd come to check so soon and it didn't seem like Green House protested.

"Why is everyone going gaga over these women, it's stupid." It wasn't Green House who complained. It was Nat's old enemy, Maurice Keller. Standing behind a wall, she watched as the guard chased them away.

Even though Blue House managed to stop Green House from overtaking him, the points difference didn't allow them to breathe easily. When it was their turn to be at bat, they employed another strategy, placing the bat firmly on the ground, protecting the wicket entirely.

During the planning, Bluer was surprised that there were more plans. But Natasha had even more in store in case the others end up failing.

With that method, they managed to score a sizable amount of points. It only worked because of the strength that Green House was throwing  the ball and the brains to be able to calculate where the ball would land from Blue House.

At the last Green House's offense, they managed to slow their opponent and were still clinging onto the lead. The difference between them was getting smaller. With 2 overs left, they have to step up their game if they want to stop Green House from gaining more points.

"I'm counting on you Rushman." Bluer placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Imitating a trumpet, the Blue House's players surrounded the player at bat. It was such a tight defense that it seemed ridiculous.

'The bowler is that pipsqueak? Her throw can't be much. She's hardly a threat to someone like me who's been a Green House regular for three years.' The batter thought when he saw Natasha stepping up with the ball.

Natasha threw the ball and it bounced before heading towards the batter's face. In order to protect himself, he lifted up his bat and the ball bounced once in the field before reaching Clayton.

"Hey, that's dangerous!" He shouted, thinking Nat has got no control.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, It's a dot, so do it over."

Natasha tried again and it headed towards the batter's face once again, earning an out. "I was just evading a dangerous ball there! Also, what are you doing, failing to throw properly twice is-" He started complaining about the referee's judgement.

Once the players started to realise what they were playing at, they started shouting that it wasn't fair and that they were breaking the rules. Their rage spread to the spectators in the stands who started booing.

"Breaking the rules? When? Who did?" Natasha said as he looked at the audience. "The bowler throws towards the wicket. The batman tries to protect it by hitting in front of it. So of course the ball will pass through the vicinity of the batsman." Natasha started explaining.

"This time my control was bad, and it went to the vicinity of the batsman's face. For 'some reason' the batsman swung and sent the ball flying. Then 'by chance' a player that happened to be near to the ball caught it with no bounce. So isn't it 'just' one out??" Like having her hostage in her hands, she explained what she was doing.

"It's not cricket!" The spectators started chanting and booing.

"Oh noo. Her terrible personality is showing." Thor muttered under his breath as the scene unfolded before him. Bucky was unfazed about what's happening but Wanda and Pietro wasn't sure how Natasha was going to settle this.

"Shut up!" Greenhill shouted as he walked closer to Natasha. "I won't have you booing during our sacred match! And Rushman, unfair?" He raised her hands without informing her. "Can you all see this?" He was talking about her rough calloused hands.

"This hand tells us everything. About his efforts, and commitment. To precisely throw towards the batsman's face. Saying is easy, but doing is hard. She must have done some heavy training to get this far. That from a small girl from the physically weak Blue House would have come this far... Do you understand what that means? The owl came to hunt the lion, in earnest."

He then turned towards his teammates. "Green House isn't so frail that we would lose over one simple trap! Let's give it our all and smash them!!"

Though Natasha wasn't satisfied that he called her small, the match was able to continue without much more commotion.

Knowing that Natasha would throw a ball towards their face, they prepared their bat much higher than they usually would. But this time... Natasha threw an off side low ball, catching them by surprise.

With the prior knowledge that Natasha aim's for the face, the batsman prepares for a leg side high ball. To react properly to an offside low ball in that tense situation is incredibly difficult. If the ball hits the batsman they won't get a penalty. Not to mention no one could imagine there'd be someone who purposely throws dangerous balls... If you defend, it'll be caught. If you attack, it'll be bowled.

Natasha kept their score stagnant for the most part but she was defeated in the end. "Well done, Rushman. Leave the rest to me." Bluer said as she took the ball from her.

After pushing up his sleeves, he got ready to throw. People saw the ball leave his hands but didn't see where it went until it landed behind the batsman and disrupted the wicket.

In the four years since Bluer have been a student, Blue House has never known any position but last in the tournament. For some reason, this became natural to them bookworms at Blue House. But having Natasha there was like a wind pushing them on. They thought they were find just excelling in their studies, but they were wrong, they wanted to win too.

What he could do was to make last minute calculations and create detailed schemes. And keep training so as not to lose to Natasha.

The crowd was silent before they blasted into surprised cheering, never seeing such an unprecedented move. Throwing the ball into the sky and landing accurately behind the batsman.

It's a simple trajectory calculation. It came straight at the wicket from the sky without a moment of hesitation at incredible speed. That ball was almost like... the hunter in the dark.

"As expected Bluer... that overcalculated bowling is just like you. However, there is no ball I cannot hit."

Bluer tried again with the sky high toss but Greenhill placed his bat behind his back and swung it down like it was a sword. Natasha, who was standing behind Greenhill, saw the bat swing just barely millimeters from her face.

He did it again. He did what others wouldn't have thought to do. Muscle, strength, eyesight, senses. It was a way of swinging that's only possible because Greenhill excels at all those.

105 to 103. Going against Greenhill with this score and the last bowl, Blue House wouldn't be able to hold their lead much longer. Bluer trained and bet everything on that ball, to have conquered it this fast, he has nothing else left to take him on with. Green House's students started cheering, thinking they were going to be the champions of the the annual Cricket Tournament once again.

"Bluer?" Natasha came over to pass him the ball. "Let's go at it one more time."

"That throw won't work!! Do you just want to let him swing it back into our faces?" He asked angrily. For once in his lifetime he wanted to win at a sports event, but it was getting snatched away right in front of him.

"You gave it your all that Blue House was able to stand united and do their best. That's why, I want you to throw a ball without any regrets. We are just one step away from victory, I ain't going to throw it away just because of one small obstacle. Please, give us your very best throw." Natasha said as she placed the ball in his hands.

With the new ball in his hands, and new found confidence, he placed everything he had on the final ball before throwing it out. Adjusting to what he saw, Greenhill took a step back before everyone heard a loud thud.

The bat had hit Natasha's forehead and she dropped to the ground. Getting hit by Greenhill's bat was no joke. "Are you okay?" Greenhill went to check on her, not caring about the match that was still on going.

Natashsa saw that the ball was near her and reached out for it, ignoring the blinding pain that was coursing through her. Using all she had, she threw the ball towards the wicket and shouted towards the umpire.

"Out! Greenhouse: 10 out! The match is over. Blue House wins 105 to 104!!"

The Blue Miracle has happened again. All the players ran towards Natasha and lifted her up, throwing her in the sky, shouting hooray. Natasha laughed with them as it wasn't an easy feat defeating Green House. It has been some time since she has done a mission of this size by herself as Y/N usually does it for her. Even the Red Witch mission didn't require as much planning as this.

"Wait a second!" Y/N came out from wherever she was from and brought her down safely. "How rash, your top priority should be to get medical aid." She said when she saw Natasha bleeding from her forehead.

"But I'm happy that we managed to win, that I can forget about the pain. Because we showed everyone that if we try, we can do it." Y/N sighed when she heard the words coming out of Nat's mouth. Whatever means necessary, shouldn't have taken this far.

As Y/N brought Natasha to the infirmary, people applause of admiration can be heard.

---

"Oww! Can't you be a bit more gentle?" Natasha hissed when the antiseptic came into contact with her skin. Now not needing to care about her facade as nobody was here to look, she was free to be whoever she wanted to be in front of her girlfriend.

"Weren't you so happy that you forgot about the pain?" Y/N teased.

"As if!"

"Everything went according to plan. You got a much nicer 'medal' than we expected." Y/N said, talking about the mark on her forehead that wouldn't be going anywhere for a few days.

"I know I can get a nicer medal... from you." Y/N didn't understand what Nat was talking about until she pointed at her cheeks. "Come on... I won the tournament, this is the least you can do." Nat saw Y/N cheeks turned red before leaning in. Nat turned at the right time, capturing Y/N lips in hers. "I want a true medal."

Y/N cleared her throat before saying. "As you ordered, I retrieved the ball." Y/N took out the ball from her pocket.

"Hmph, I don't think Bluer would see through our trick anyway. It's just the weight that's a bit different. But it's thanks to this, we could win according to plan."