The flow of injuries slowed to a trickle, and Kaho let her spear rest on her shoulder long enough to grip Orihiko’s hand. “That was so brave.” She pulled him into half a hug. “And so stupid! That was 04, what were you thinking….”
“That she was Number 04,” the hacker admitted, just a little red in his cheeks. “She was going to kill me, or not. It depended on how bored she was. So I might as well go out stubborn.”
“Man after my own heart.” Iron Man didn’t raise his visor, even as he and Steve joined the loose circle of protection around them. “Bruce? Let us know if you need a break.”
Irrigating another pretty girl’s scrapes before Chisuru moved in with bandages, Bruce gave him a shadow of a smile. Ow. Made his face hurt a little. “I’m good. A little tired, but okay.”
Red-and-gold armor shrugged. “You’re the doc.”
Bruce had to stop squeezing his irrigation bottle a moment, startled. Tony trusted him. That easily. Just as easily as Iron Man would have snatched him up if he’d admitted he was losing it, to toss him somewhere Hulk wouldn’t do as much damage.
Tony trusted him. Barton was only keeping half an eye on him. And Widow hadn’t even drawn one of her guns, despite the nervous and uncertain looks she was getting from some of the Sekirei. He’d said he was in control, and the Avengers believed him.
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay another day, Bruce thought, as a tired Sakichi made his way back to Chisuru, wooden sword stowed over his shoulder. Just to read the Sekirei data. Bio isn’t really Tony’s field. He could use the help.
Orihiko was eyeing Widow as if red hair brought back odd memories. Flicked a glance at Iron Man, and Steve’s star-spangled uniform, and Barton’s deadly bow-
Glanced back at Bruce, and did a startled double-take. “Dr. Banner?”
Bruce felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. Oh no.
“It’s all right!” Chisuru gripped Sakichi’s arm to pull herself upright, bosom swaying. “Really, it is. You just surprised him.” She frowned at Orihiko. “Why are you surprised?”
“The last files I got to snoop through said SHIELD wasn’t sure the Avengers Initiative would get off the ground,” Orihiko admitted. And bowed to him. “Dr. Banner, my name is Orihiko Oosumi. And you wouldn’t believe how glad we are to meet all of you.”
Crossover Queen's Creative Chaos 
Bruce getting this acknowledgement and slow realization that there is actually a place for him here is really touching.
I was surprised about someone other than JARVIS, the brain Sekirei, or a major organization being able to hack SHIELD. Or did he get the files from someone else? I haven’t gotten into Sekirei myself and there isn’t that much information on Mr. Oosumi when I look him up.
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We don’t know much, but he was supposedly good enough to get into MBI files, so he had to be good!
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. . . .So I might as well go out stubborn.”
Better to die on your feet than on your knees?
Besides being stubborn was his only route of defiance that might actually do something. Being stubborn wouldn’t save his life if Karasuba decided to kill him but it would delay her from finding her actual prey – Minato and his flock.
Besides even if he caved and told her what he knew (he might not know much – through being a hacker he might know more than average), there is no guarantee that Karasuba wouldn’t kill him anyway.
Still have to agree with his Sekirei – that was both very brave and very foolish.
And Widow hadn’t even drawn one of her guns, despite the nervous and uncertain looks she was getting from some of the Sekirei.
Probably setting off their danger alarms.
After all, SEKIREI know perfectly well that pretty and female doesn’t mean someone cannot also be armed and extremely dangerous.
He’d said he was in control, and the Avengers believed him.
Must be nice.
“The last files I got to snoop through said SHIELD wasn’t sure the Avengers Initiative would get off the ground,” Orihiko admitted.
He can hack into SHIELD – this kid is good at the computer thing.
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Very. 🙂 Thanks!
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And Widow hadn’t even drawn one of her guns, despite the nervous and uncertain looks she was getting from some of the Sekirei.
Probably setting off their danger alarms.
After all, SEKIREI know perfectly well that pretty and female doesn’t mean someone cannot also be armed and extremely dangerous.
– Also, empathy. Even if it’s only their akabashi who has it, they get feedback from him, and Black Widow? Has not been in a /vaguely normal/ emotional state in a very, very long time. It would be like standing next to a not at all tame, angry, injured lioness. Maybe she’s not hungry /now/…but she’s hurting, the red room is like a gigantic fault line in her mind, you know she’s hurting, you know she’s angry, and she’s right there. Add to that the complete perception whiplash of she /acts/ completely calm despite what is being felt? Being a little nervous here is just sense. A quiet, hurting, angry predator is a dangerous one.
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There’s another possibility that the ‘modifications’ done to Widow by the Red Room are pinging off their senses to some degree.
So while the rest of the Avengers might feel human (or just different in some way) Widow is close enough to them that she gives an uncanny valley vibe to their aural senses.
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Or all three of those possibilities . . .
Danger sense, empathy, and pinging their aural senses in a odd / unsettling manner.
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I’d go with all of the above.
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Bunnies: You know, X-Files could almost fit into the biological worldbuilding of the project universe.
Satoyama: I never got into that show.
Bunnies: With Ben Hur, Prototype, and Evangelion.
Satoyama: I have a headache.
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*nods* Bunnies . . . . just bunnies.
Mine’s latest crazy idea
Bunnies: You know what would be awesome? Sekirei and Stargate: SG-1 crossover!
Shiori: I’m sure it would be. But I’ve never seen Stargate – I only know it from Vathara’s fic.
Bunnies: Maybe Sekirei were designed to combat the Gao’uld from other alien race? Ancient experiment abandoned and completely forgotten about – Ashikabi too for that matter, the modern ones being the descendants of the originals? Maybe one of the team accidentally get themselves involved in the Sekirei Plan – probably Daniel because that is totally his luck with alien women and he works as latent empath . . .
Shiori: I still don’t know Stargate! Bother someone else with this idea!
Apologizes in advance to anyone who gets pounced on by this particular set.
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*Snrk* Mine are still gnawing on SG-1 seeing a honkin’ big train….
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There’s a version of Fate with a Watcher Servant Class. Summoning one is a really bad thing. So the bunnies are suggesting that Buffy did during the Halloween incident in a particular mess*. (Though Merrick is also defensible. One could rewrite that episode of Buffy’s life as an irregular grail war. Hmm, I hate LA, so that’s a plus…)
*It didn’t have Sekirei and SG1 in the same universe. But the methods I used to cram Sekirei and xxxxx into SAO could also be used for SG1. I’m also thinking of changing how I incorporated Detective Conan. Suppose the detective boys showed up in Sunnydale for Halloween, in costume, then get possessed due to the influence of an irregular grail war.
In conclusion, stress, lack of sleep, better things to do urgently, and not enough of those factors to shut down the creativity entirely.
Bunnies: You know, you don’t need Halloween for the Conan thing. Kogoro took a case in LA because of Yoko having a Hollywood job. The detective boys visit with Ran and Agasa, because Agasa is traveling for a conference. There’s a grail war, and Buffy summons Watcher Merrick. The timing wouldn’t be too bad for O’Neill and the Sekirei plan.
Satoyama: What do you want, Dark Grail Kurasuba winged by Jack? Persona BS? xxxxx? Military redtape I don’t want to think about?
Bunnies: Now that you mention it…
Satoyama: I am displeased by my lack of self-control.
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You know, if you’re having that many plotbunnies, you may as well just go totally rogue and start filing off serial numbers. You can become Tim Powers, destroyer of worlds. 🙂
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*Snrrrrk*
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I have project seeds that are ‘all legally identifying features filed off’.
I don’t talk about everything here, mainly stuff that might have direct interest, or which relates to frustrations.
I have hit the point where I’m not short on ideas, I’m short on time and ability to execute. I’m working on both.
I probably need to read Tim Powers.
Shiori, those are some pretty rabid bunnies.
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