IVANOV ~ yelena belova

𝟎𝟐𝟏

Because of the chaos around her, Karina's helpless whisper went unheard. Natasha kept running in the opposite direction, completely oblivious to the person who called her name.

As Karina tried to regain her bearings, the sound of the Winter Solder firing a grenade launcher next to her rang in her ears. But the shock and nostalgia were too much for her to bear; seeing the redhead brought back memories of Yelena.

She felt an overwhelming sense of homesickness for a period of time that she knew she would never be able to return to. Nonetheless, the longing that crushed her chest knocked the breath out of her, causing her to return to the present.

While the gunfire raged around them, the Winter Solder grabbed her elbow and shook Karina free from her thoughts. "What's wrong?" As his gaze scanned her face, he asked, but Karina only shook her head and readied her gun.

The Hydra agents closed in on Natasha and Sam, who were doing their best to defend themselves with the few bullets they had. The Winter soldier continued to fire the grenade launcher at Natasha as Karina watched her jump off the bridge onto the road below with baited breath.

Karina could feel a sliver of herself cheering in the back of her mind, and she despised it. But the resentment she felt for Natasha abandoning Yelena was too much for her. The arguments raging inside her head felt like they were tearing her mind to shreds.

But the only thing she knew was that anger was a constant in her life. The brief time she spent with Yelena felt like a blossoming love, but her happiness was snatched away once more. The sibling relationship that bonded her with Natasha was short-lived, but it provided her with comfort during the time they spent together. And Bucky, Bucky had been the person who had stayed with her the longest, but she had a feeling that their time together would be cut short as well.

So she let that anger blossom and bloom like a red rose that was stained with her victims' blood.

However, the bullets that rained down on Bucky from below told her that Natasha was still alive. Karina huffed and tilted her neck side to side until she felt that satisfying pop, which matched the sound of her machine gun as she shot at her victims beneath her.

Natasha's figure shrank as she ran away from her, yelling at bystanders to move out of the way. "Она у меня. Найди его. (I'll take care of her. Find him.)" Karina shouted out to Bucky as she leapt over the bridge's edge. As the shards of glass sprayed upwards, the glass beneath her boots made a satisfying crack. Karina heard Bucky land behind her before they both stepped off the car.

Natasha's red hair glinted as the sun danced like a halo around her. Karina, on the other hand, paid no attention as she looked through the eyepiece on her sniper rifle. But she paused as her finger twitched against the trigger. Would Yelena forgive her if she murdered her sister? With that question in mind, Karina shifted her gun to the left, centering the target on Natasha's shoulder. She didn't think twice about pulling the trigger this time.

Natasha's hand flew to her shoulder until she collapsed, relying on the car to support her weight. Karina jumped onto the car to get a better look at the Black Widow, but when she noticed America's Golden Boy charging at her at full speed, she turned to aim her gun at him.

She saw Bucky sprinting towards her from the opposite direction just in time. His metal arm collided with Steve's vibranium shield just as he was about to launch it at Karina. Her stomach somersaulted as the sound vibrated through her body. She jumped off the car, watching them fight out of the corner of her eye.

Karina approached Natasha's crouched figure, curious as to how their reunion would unfold. As she stepped in front of her, the redhead's gun was aimed at her head. Karina raised her hands and smirked behind her mask. Natasha's gaze never wavered as she kept her weapon aimed squarely at Karina.

"What? You don't recognise me?" Karina asked, sarcastically tilting her head. Natasha stood up, shaking her head and leaning against the car to support her weight. "Maybe this will help," she said as she removed her mask and dropped it on the floor.

Natasha's eyes widened as she looked at Karina. It's no surprise she couldn't recognise her; she'd lost the baby fat on her face, revealing her sharp cheekbones, most likely due to malnutrition. There were also a lot more scars, and her physique appeared to be stronger. There was little resemblance to the sixteen-year-old she remembered.

Natasha was taken aback by the adult in front of her, the one she thought she had saved by murdering Dreykov's daughter. Her heart plummeted when she realised that Karina had fallen victim to another terrorist organisation.

"K-Karina, I'm so sorry," Natasha said, her voice cracking as she reached out to the girl in front of her, the girl who reminded her of her own sister. Karina, however, took a step back before Natasha's hand could touch her.

"You left me Natasha. You left 𝘩𝘦𝘳," Karina said as she stepped away, unaware of Natasha's efforts to demolish the Red Room.

Natasha went to respond, but the commotion next to them ended their brief reunion. The Winter Soldier's mask clattered to the floor, but Steve's shocked expression revealed the truth: he had discovered the Winter Soldier's true identity.

"Bucky...?" He asked, disbelief etched into his voice.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" He replied with the same amount of disbelief. And Karina was wondering the same thing, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘉𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺?

Bucky pointed his gun at Steve, but before he could pull the trigger, the Falcon kicked him off his feet. Natasha moved away from Karina, picking up Bucky's discarded grenade launcher and fired at him.

Karina cast a long glance at Natasha, who was also staring at her with the same heartbreak in her eyes, before disappearing with Bucky through the thick black smoke.

ⴵ

As Karina and Bucky sat facing each other in the back of the truck, the tension was palpable. She wasn't sure whether to ask about what happened during the fight or just leave it at that, but Bucky beat her to it.

"Who was that back there? It looked like you were having an interesting conversation," he said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. His tone was conversational, as if he didn't care, but the look in his eyes told her he was curious.

"That was Natasha," she said, averting her gaze from his. When he heard the name, his eyes widened; Karina had told him everything about Yelena, Natasha, and the Red Room, so he knew this wasn't something to be taken lightly. Although he had met the red head before, he never thought she was the Natasha Karina was referring to in all her stories.

"I know you won't be happy once I say this, Karina, but I need you to listen to me," Bucky said, taking Karina's cold hands in his. "Natasha could be your ticket out of here, out of Hydra," he said quietly enough for the drivers not to hear.

Karina ripped her hands away from him as she looked at him, appalled. He was aware of Natasha leaving them, so what made him think that was a good idea?

"I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, do you really think I'd leave you here?" Her voice trembled as she asked, but she smiled as if Bucky was saying the most stupid thing in the world.

"I don't want you to worry about me, I've been here a lot longer than you," he joked, but the sadness in his voice overshadowed the message he was trying to convey.

"Let's worry about that another day, 𝘉𝘶𝘤𝘬."