Diamond Skin[DISCONTINUED]

Just a Casual Conversation with Death

"How long have you been in Pandora's Box?"

"I was seven when they found me."

"Found?" Steve asked, confused at her choice of words, "Where?"

"A Hydra facility. That's all I'm going to say so don't push."

"Were you enhanced? No one should be able to move as fast as you did, or hit as hard." Natasha grumbled the last bit.

"Yes." She lied smoothly, how do you explain to these people she was born this way.

"Do you know me?" Bucky asked quietly.

Mariko looked down at him, studying his features before his face finally clicked in her memory. Mentally she cursed, but outwardly she had a tiny, soft smile on her face,

"Sort of, but nothing bad if that makes you feel better."

He nodded shallowly, not entirely believing. Then Tony spoke up, ruining any sort of tender moment,

"Have we ever slept together, you look vaguely familiar."

She smirked at him, a devious look, "If we had you clearly weren't that memorable." She crooned.

Some in the group snickered while a few smiled at her words. Natasha spoke up,

"You fight well, but I want a rematch."

The room went tense instantly at those words. Mariko studied Natasha with a predatory gleam in her eyes as her smile turned sharp, eyes cold.

"I don't doubt that, and I would love to see how long you could last against me but now is not the time to see how skilled we are. Now is the time for us to gauge how our relationship is going to be like while we work together." Then her cold gaze moved to Wanda whose eyes were flickering red, "Will you stop trying to get into my head." She snapped

Wanda broke her focus and finally spoke, "How come I can't get into your mind?"

"I was trained to have mental walls. Nothing can get into my head, not even the strongest telepath." A half-truth. She had once gone against Xavier and barely got away with her sanity. Best 'I'm sorry' sex she's ever had, but mind you he was still able to stand at the time.

"Anything else we should know about you?"

"Never call me a Bitch and we'll be just fine." She purred, messing with the handle of her folding sword.

"What's that?" Stark asked, Mariko actually let out a huff of laughter at the childlike excitement in his eyes when she flicked the blade out of hiding,

"Just a simple folding sword with a vibranium blade. Want to try?"

"Gimmie!" He held out his hands like a child too.

With a roll of her eyes, she gently placed the hilt in his hands. He looked down the slit where the blade normally shoots out, then tried to twist it just like she did. Only to have the blade almost slice through Thor who stood next to him, and then his own toe. Moving with impossible speed, Mariko caught the blade before it could do any more damage. Flicking it back into rest position.

"I want to study that a bit closer."

"It's not that complicated." She said, twisting it again so the sword shot out again, "Watch closely." Mariko moved her wrist slowly but it still looked beautiful as she did so. Then the blade slid back into place.

"Amazing. Simple, but Amazing!" He said as he traced the pattern on the hilt.

Mariko placed the hilt back into the small of her back with a faint smile before moving to sit by Bucky again. After that they studied each other silently, none of them had any questions.

"Hey guys? There's a base in India you should check out." Rosa finally spoke up. She moved a device to the side and a hologram of the building appeared, "Looks like a normal building right? But beneath all of that crap is a secret base owned by our best friends Hydra. There is a stupid amount a weapons in their storage and it also happens to be the leading base for creating Sleeper Agents. So, Reaper, how do you feel about kidnapping."

"I...I've never had the pleasure to be kidnapped because nobody has been successful."

"You've been kidnapped." Steve asked,

"Attempted, I'm still here aren't I?"

"Well, this is the only way you can get inside without sounding any alarms. Unless you want to switch up our usual approach?"

Mariko turned to the group behind her, "Do you guys have any plans?"

They shared a look with one another before Loki spoke up, "I wouldn't mind going with you. We could both be kidnapped and they wouldn't know they had two trained killers on their hands."

Natasha nodded, "We need to start being more subtle. This is a start."

"Tasha and I can watched the area for any activity." Clint nodded.

Mariko smiled in secret, they were forming a plan together and with ease. It was a shock but a good thing that happened. Even Peter found his way into the plan, leaving Kid Arachnid(Tom Holland) in charge of protecting the little guys while Thor and Bruce stayed in New York as well. Finally they had everything in a rough sketch as Rosa set on clearing up a few blurs in the blueprints.

"Why don't I lead you to your room?" Steve suggested,

"I'll make sure she doesn't stay up too late." Peter smiled, gesturing to Rosa.

Mariko nodded, letting Steve guide her back to the elevator. Her bag in his hand.

"I'm glad you joined us. Even if temporarily." He said with a stunning smile.

Mariko smiled back slightly, "I'm sorry for stabbing you."

He shrugged, "I heal, no permanent damage was done."

She nodded to herself. The small space settling into a sort of silence that was almost awkward but somewhat comfortable, a start to something good. They reached the floor where Stark had set up her borrowed apartment.

"You'll be staying with me. Unless you want to stick with Rosa?"

"Who is she staying with?"

"Natasha, after watching how the two interacted I thought it would be good for her."

Mariko nodded to herself again as she took in the simplicity of the place. Steve showed her to where she would be sleeping. Without a word she took her back and placed it on the bed.

"I'll let you get comfortable." He said, looking uncomfortable as he slowly closed the door. His heavy footsteps leaving her room.

Mariko flopped onto her back ungracefully as she finally let her mind wander. Her telepathic powers stretching over the Tower secretly.

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Steve thought about his guest while he cooked. Clearly she didn't like talking much, or show a whole lot of emotion when most would. She only smiled when talking to Rosa and Peter, also Stark but only because she was talking about the fancy flip sword she had. Whatever had happened to her why she was in Hydra must've scarred her, physically and mentally. Dinner was done and he set up two plates. Debating with himself before opening her door without thinking. Steve couldn't speak when he saw her scarred back, but it wasn't the marks on her back that stood out but the beautiful tattoo that traveled from her left hip over her right shoulder. It was a cherry tree from what he remembered, then her brown eyes looked over her shoulder,

"Like what you see?" She said flatly.

Steve felt his face warm as he finally averted his eyes, "I'm sorry. I-I forgot that..."

He trailed off when he felt her hand on his forearm,

"Don't worry about it. What's up?"

"Um...dinner...I made dinner."

He looked up, relieved that she was dressed in comfortable clothing. With a faint smile she nodded.