Racing toward New York Airport, Kagura Hitomi and Natasha boarded a S.H.I.E.L.D. private jet and arrived in Boston.
Stepping off the plane, the sun still hung high in the sky, giving them ample ti before nightfall.
Following Natasha's lead, Hitomi headed to the local S.H.I.E.L.D. operations base for final mission preparations.
"Are you scared?" Natasha asked during their break in the lounge.
"Hmm?" Hitomi blinked in surprise.
"Not really scared—just a bit nervous."
"That makes sense." Natasha smiled.
"You're a strong girl."
Hitomi's calm deanor was partly due to her formidable abilities.
Since becoming an automaton, the innate fear and resistance toward combat and killing seed to vanish from her.
Only faint traces of anxiety from her human soul remained.
Initially, adapting to this new state unsettled her.
She even feared she might beco a cold, heartless machine.
But over ti, she accepted her existence and learned to think more rationally and comprehensively.
In so ways, she thought she could almost understand Ultron's way of thinking.
Of course, Hitomi was not an artificial intelligence—nor would she ever be. If anything, she was more akin to Vision.
But this was still 2009. There was no Ultron, no Vision—yet.
Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Hitomi refocused on Natasha.
"You know," Natasha began, "looking at you always gives a strange feeling."
"Strange?"
Natasha nodded.
"It's like seeing a younger version of myself."
She casually flipped her red hair behind her shoulder. "But I wouldn't want you to go through what I did..."
"I'll be fine, Natasha." Hitomi smiled warmly.
"The tis have changed, and I believe I'm doing the right thing."
Natasha sighed softly, lowering her gaze.
"I used to think I was doing the right thing too."
Her sharp eyes t Hitomi's.
"But I want to ask—why did you choose this path? Why do you so fearlessly throw yourself into battle with your abilities?"
"I rember the mont you walked toward Obadiah. You didn't have the air of a teenage girl at all. Back then, you were like a battle-hardened warrior, calm and fearless."
"Are you asking why I fight?" Hitomi clarified.
Natasha nodded.
"I suppose... I'm trying to prove the aning of my existence," Hitomi admitted thoughtfully.
"That's an unexpected answer."
"Well, if I were just an ordinary person without any special powers, I wouldn't fight. I wouldn't even be here. I wouldn't have applied for a job as Stark Industries' assistant."
"But I do have these powers—abilities that could change things. Why ? Why not soone else?"
Hitomi's golden eyes glead as she t Natasha's gaze.
"I don't know the reason. But I believe that having this power must an sothing."
"So, regardless of the reason, since I have the ability, I should use it."
"When I realized I could help others, change their fates, and make a difference, I thought—why not?"
"Whether it's fighting or working, these are ways for to validate my existence."
Hitomi smiled confidently.
"If I don't do sothing, wouldn't these powers go to waste?"
Natasha was silent for a mont, then gently brushed her fingers through Hitomi's silver hair.
"I admire you. Having your own creed and believing in your path is a blessing."
"Do you have doubts about your past, Natasha?" Hitomi asked.
"Of course," Natasha admitted.
"I won't tell you everything, but let's just say... my past isn't filled with happy mories."
"Then why are you here now? Why work for S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Maybe to atone for my past mistakes." Natasha's voice was steady.
"I can't feel proud of myself or claim I'm living a aningful life. I'm just a woman trying to sever ties with her past."
"But I think the present matters more than the past," Hitomi said earnestly.
"From what I see, you're a good person now—and that's enough."
Natasha chuckled bitterly.
"You're too trusting, Hitomi. That's not a good habit. You need to learn to doubt people and think for yourself."
"Maybe, but..." Hitomi smiled brightly.
"I trust you."
Her words weren't naïve.
Hitomi knew Natasha's past well.
As a forr Soviet spy, Natasha had carried out countless covert operations—assassinations, espionage, deception.
Hitomi had no interest in judging Natasha's past.
What mattered was that Natasha had chosen to cut ties with it and joined S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect the world.
That decision alone was enough to affirm her worth.
Many might never trust Natasha Romanoff, keeping their distance from the infamous Black Widow.
But Hitomi believed that beneath the layers of deception and masterful interrogation techniques lay a pure heart.
After all, Natasha was worthy enough to lift Mjolnir and brave enough to sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone in a distant future.
"We could beco great friends," Hitomi said with a radiant smile, cracking a small fissure in Natasha's icy heart.
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