Stained (N.R)

Chapter 7

Natasha got out of the elevator, heading straight for one of the rooms that used to be Tony's lab, Jupiter by her side. She and the giant falcon had just came back on a quest with Steve Rogers, a mission to rescue hostages on a ship. Well, that was his mission. Hers? it was to save S.H.I.E.L.D's Intel. 

Steve was angry at her, and she understood why. Because she did not tell him of her other mission. She could have jeopardized the safety of the hostages, and even some of the rescue crew. But she was a spy, not a soldier. Her mission was to save intelligence, whilst his was to safe lives. To her, hostages and Intel were as valuable as each other. Besides, Jupiter was there to help anyways. 

Natasha sighed, a little frustrated with herself. She could never be like Steve or Tony, or the rest of the avengers, valuing lives over everything else. She did value life, she valued it a lot, but a mission was a mission, and orders always came first. 

Natasha walked into Katyusha's room, sinking into a chair. It has been two years, and the girl showed no sign of waking. She leaned closer, staring at the girl's calm and peaceful face. Diana raised her head from her position by the foot of Katyusha's bed, jumping elegantly to Natasha's side. Diana purred and put her giant head on to Natasha's lap, staring at Natasha with its shining sapphire eyes.

In the first three weeks of Katyusha's conditions, Diana did not allow anyone to be in a two meter radius of the bed, only allowing Natasha to approach Katyusha occasionally. Thor explained that it might have been Katyusha's self protection mechanisms, and that she only trusted Natasha enough in her most vulnerable state. The spy did not know what to think of it. They didn't teach you how to deal with trust in the Red Room, because they never thought you would be trusted. At least, Natasha never did. Besides, considering what she did in the past, Katyusha especially, should not be trusting her. 

Yet over the two years, Natasha had made this room her asylum. Katyusha was the only one who had been through the same things she did, if not more. Natasha knew that she would understand too, even more than what Clint might understand. 

But today, something was different. As Natasha's focus turned from the leopard back to the girl, she saw a pair of shiny brown eyes staring back at her. 

________________________________________________________

"Morning, Ilya."

It took a few minutes for Natalia's mind to process what happened. It was just enough time for me to pull myself out of bed, and drag her to one of the many laboratories just a few floors down.

"I woke up two days ago, a few hours after you left." I explained, "Tony got all nervous on me and did a bunch of checkups, but then I was free to go where I pleased. So I came here. I watched our battle records and found out that you didn't seem to have a good set of weapons which didn't need ammo so..."

I pulled a covering sheet from the work table, and opened a sleek black box. Inside, was a long knife, sleek, light, carefully balanced, and made of vibranium. It was the last chunk I stole from the panther guy three years ago.

The long knife was lying next to it's black sheath, lined with blue, just like the color of her Widow bite. 

"It goes with the outfit." I explained, pushing it towards Natalia, probably looking like Pluto when he wanted praise. "And it will always come back to your hand, because I added a soul marble into it, and its attached to you. "

I fell silent as Natalia pulled me into a tight hug, my hands dangling at my side, not knowing how to react. Natalia smelt like sandalwood, it was a good scent, warm and welcoming. She looked up at me and smiled, and I was surprised to see something shining at the corner of her left eye. 

"Na..Natalia..." I stammered, my ears feeling like they were just set on fire.  

"I like it more when you called me Ilya." She smirked, letting go of me, then she stiffened, as if remembering something, her smile dissipating . "You shouldn't have done this, Katyusha. I... I don't deserve this. "

"I regained my hearing two weeks after we caught Loki." I took a step forward, wrapping my arms around her, ignoring her light struggles, taking in her scent and her warmth. "I heard everything."

I heard her explanations on St Paulo, heard her regrets, her fears, her pains, and she told me everything in that first few weeks, after Thor confirmed that I would not be waking anytime soon. He was a very reliable source of information, and I was very grateful for it.

She froze in my arms, and I could swear I saw red creeping up her cheeks. 

"You are always Ilya to me," I said, pulling back slightly and looking her in the eyes, calling her by the nick name I gave her back at the Red Room, when I wrote in her hand to communicate. 

I backed for her to try out her new weapon, giving her some space to think over the things I said. 

She picked it up carefully, trying out a few slashes, looking more than satisfied, turning to me with a smile. "Lets go trying it out in the training rooms."

I dodged another slice which came too close to comfort, nearly grazing my cheek. Natalia did not give me the breathing time to draw a single rune since our spar, and me being bare handed, was forced to bolt like a panicked rabbit around the ring, whilst she chased after me like a hound. 

I back flipped, just in time again to save myself from a strike, but she surprised me by throwing her blade towards me, aiming to slice me in half. 

Her long knife was met with a slight 'ding'. She held out her hand, Thor style, and her long knife flew back to her. "I knew you have a trump card hiding somewhere, "she smirked. 

A black sword, similar in style to her long knife, floated in the air above me, on its cross guard, a soul marble glowed eerily under the florescent lights of the ring. 

"That was attempt of murder, Ilya." I whined.

Natalia smirked at me, about to say something when her phone rang loud and clear out side of the sparring ring. 

"I'd better get that," She frowned. "They shouldn't be calling me this late unless its super urgent."

Natalia sheathed her long knife, picking up her phone whilst wiping the sweat off her brow with a white towel. 

"Hello?" 

One second of silence, two, three. I looked up, confused. 

Natalia turned to me, her green eyes wide and empty, her lips slightly trembling. "Katya, Nick, he...he's down..."