THE FALL OF SHIELD

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Disclaimer: Natsume Yuujinchou belongs to Yuki Midorikawa. Fukigen na Mononokean belongs to Kiri Wazawa. Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman. Iron Man and Captain America; Winter Soldier belongs to Marvel

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Genre: Angst

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Warning: Typo is my most loyal fan. Spelling mistakes because English is not my mother language. Possibly OOC. Fluff. NOT BETA so beware of grammar mistakes

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Summary: The fall of SHIELD was a disaster for the agents. But a miracle in disguise for Tony

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(A/N): Hey, look! This is the first angst in this series! I had to stop writing with my songs on cuz my playlist was being a douche and kept playing sad songs, it made me get too into it and almost cry like a baby, again. Like in my other fanfic lol :'D

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It was a week after the Killian fiasco, after he apologized to his kids and consoled the children by renting the whole amusement park just for themselves for a whole day. That weekend was actually fun, even though Ichigo kept hovering over him and didn't let him wander too far from his sight. Especially as Tanuma, Tooru and Zenko finally had time to visit America. Also, don't forget the Kurosaki twins. Oh, and speaking about twins, Danny brought his not-by-blood-but-essentially-by-his-blood little sister along. Dani is a sweet, sweet kid, she got along with Yuzu and rouse everyone protective side really quickly.

Tony was lounging around the living room area, watching a Disney movie (Brave) while Clint was having fun cleaning his guns (and giving a pointer here and there, that this movie was by far the very accurate depiction of real-life archery, even though the film itself was not a real-life movie). The Mistress, playing with his locks as usual, suddenly perked up, it frightened the billionaire. Because the last time she did that, Danny was almost dead in his own pool of blood, giving him an unhealthy dose of a panic attack. Before he could ask her, JARVIS voice echoed inside the room. His butler may not have his own body to express his emotion, though he could tell he was in a state of panic if the sudden influx of red light beeping from the camera on the corner of the ceiling told him so.

"Sir, you need to see the news, now."

The television suddenly turned on, showing Christine in her usual news reporter attire. But her demeanor was dark, scowled marred her forehead and lips thin as she coughed once and brought the news.

A sighting of a Winter Soldier.

Nicholas J. Fury is dead.

A manhunt for Captain America and Natasha Romanova.

And SHIELD fell.

Spreading every single information of the agency personnel private files to the whole world.

"No..." he saw Clint watched the news with horror, eyes dilapidated and sweat started rolling down the side of his temple, "that's...that's my files. W-Why Director Fury didn't destroy it the moment I'm out of SHIELD?"

Tony sharply turned back to the television. And he was right. It was Clint's name, displayed clearly on the screen; complete with his data, address, and his family's bio.

...wait.

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HIS FAMILY!

"No!" Clint shouted, dread laced his tone. He ran to the front of the screen like he was hoping to reach his wife by the television alone, "no. No, no, no no! Not my family! They didn't do anything!"

"Clint, calm down!" Tony hissed, although he could felt his own blood boiled from anxiousness. He fished out his phone and start dialing, "I can send my jet and help them get out of there—"

"No! Not enough time! My house is out of the city. Even using your jet, it'll take about half to one hour!" Clint gritted his teeth, gaze still fixed on the news. Then he abruptly started, "the Mononokean!"

"But your wife can't see the Youkai. They can't use the Mononokean!"

"N-No..." he lowered his head, orbs blank yet sorrow was drawn as clearly as the grey sky. Before another jolted went through his entire body and he swiveled his head, locking his glassy orbs with the black socket of the Mistress, "Mistress...Mistress...can you help them? Please...please can you teleported them here. I—"

"I cannot involve myself between the intended fate directly," when Clint's complexion contorted into a blind sadness, that he was ready to beg and even bow himself to the being, she continued, "I may be the God of Spirits. But I never like mindless killing. It always destroyed the balance."

She waved her hands. Something in the air rippled and shimmered, she said, "I lend them the Sight temporarily. The moment they're out from the door," she pointed to the bathroom door, "I'll take their Sight back and erased their memory. They will never know the answer to how they're suddenly here. Do you accept?"

Clint instantly nodded, his shoulder sagged in relief, though not completely, "it's okay. As long...as long they're alive..."

"Okay, let's move!" he dialed Haruitsuki's phone number—ten o'clock in the morning. That means it was eleven PM in Japan. Please, please, please Itsuki-chan, please pick up the phone!—and the dial tone was cut short as the blonde's sleepy voice could be heard from the opposite of the line. Tony's face tightened and he spoke, "Itsuki. I need your help."

Time was not on their side, they have to move quickly. The ex-SHIELD members were suspicious when a Japanese looking boy suddenly appeared inside their house, their weapon was ready to launch. Yet the moment they saw Clint was also there, convincing them he was trying to save them from the HYDRA personnel coming to end their life, they obeyed quickly. Sometimes Clint need to fight as the enemy was already there, was ready to kill the archer's previous teammate, and Haruitsuki will hide in the corner of the Mononokean. Sometimes, Clint covered Haruitsuki's eyes while he turned his head away, they were too late. Although they couldn't stop. Clint may curse and Haruitsuki may blanch at seeing the gory scene, but they have to keep moving. They have to save as many people as they could.

Tony himself was busy deploying every fastest jet he had to pick up the agents that live near the city—he was sure if HYDRA wanted to eradicate the evidence, they'll start at the very far locations because help couldn't arrive on time and they have time to interrogate them; the reason why he focused his SP on using the Mononokean to fetch those who were out of reach ASAP. The genius was kicking himself for destroying the Iron Legion after the extremist incident. His armors could really help this horrible situation immensely. But he shouldn't keep blaming himself and needed to move forward. He nodded at the confused agent SHIELD, expression was clear that they were wondering how did they get here (the Mistress swiftly erased their memories already); some of them were too trigger happy after the sudden influx of assassins coming after their life, they almost shot the others. They stopped the moment they saw Iron Man standing at the center of the room and people that surrounded them were actually their teammate, however.

After he ordered his AI butler to sorted and delete the files from the internet—it didn't really help that much, as he knew HYDRA had surely saved the files to their own database. Still, at least normal citizen won't see the bios anymore—he discovered that not all of the members are the infiltrated HYDRA. Fifty-five percent of them actually just a normal, honest to God people doing their job behind the desk, twenty-five percent of them are field agents and five percent of them are retired like Clint. The rest fifteen percent is the HYDRAs, and they were all in the higher ranks.

Yes. Captain America and Natasha Romanova just doomed a whole lot of innocent people.

Clint and Haruitsuki stepped out from inside the Mononokean, bringing another one—a man in forty and his daughter—into the living room, "is everyone okay?" Tony asked and they hesitantly nodded. Clint immediately searched for his wife and kids among the cluttered agents and their own family. When he found them standing near the television, the archer gave them the tightest hug he could and almost cried in relief right then and there. The billionaire wanly smiled, "for those who are injured, you can treat it at the medical bay. Clint, please show them the way."

Clint sharply nodded and guided half of the agent and his family to the elevator. Haruitsuki, still wearing light blue pajamas, flopped to the couch and let out a long sigh, Tony followed him. It was a long, tiring day. But Haruitsuki's Mononokean helped exceptionally at that, "I'm sorry for waking you up but thank you so much, Itsuki-chan. I owe you one."

"You don't have to, Tony-san," he grunted, cracking his back to let out the tenseness from his bones, "it was right of you to ask my assistance. I don't know if we can save a lot of people like this if you only relied on your jets alone."

"Yeah. I know," he bitterly chuckled. He should rebuild his Iron Legion, he couldn't keep asking Itsuki to help the lives of other people from a different country. And besides, he's the hero here, "I need to thank the Mistress for borrowing them the Sight. That was the reason why they could enter the Mononokean."

"Huh...so that's why. I was wondering about that," the blonde hummed, "it was too convenient for a group of people that work in the same Agency to have a Sight at the same time."

Tony nodded. Maybe that was also the reason why the Mistress wanted him to meet the master of the Mononokean two years ago? Because she saw this clusterfuck of an event will happen in the near future? He mussed, as he saw the being floating silently on the corner. Sensing his gaze, she turned and gave him a knowing smile.

He was so lucky to be blessed by such a superior being.

Granted, she's the Mistress of the Death, basically, a Shinigami that will reap your soul after you die. Still, she's the Mistress of the Death, who mother-hen everyone like her own children. He was repeating himself right here but, god.

He was so lucky to be blessed by such a superior being.

He let Haruitsuki sleep in his room—as the Time Zone finally caught him—while the agents wandering around the tower, he explicitly said not to contacted anyone outside this circle of people as not to warned the HYDRA members that were still hunting for their lives out there. Tony himself decided to visit the med bay, to see how the injured agents wellbeing. His eyebrows rose when he saw Bruce, treating the stranger's wounds with skills.

"Brucie, you up?" he tiredly smiled and nodded at the greeting ex-SHIELD member threw at him, "sorry the tower suddenly become this rowdy."

"That's okay. JARVIS told me about the news," he chewed his lips, hands moving on their own to bandaged the leg of one of the agents, "what were they thinking? Dumping all of those files to the internet? If they knew HYDRA infiltrated SHIELD, they should never do that. That was a suicide!"

"They're stupid, enough said," Tony huffed and plopped to the nearest wooden chair. A hologram appeared in front of his face, showing the news and their report about the aftermath of the situation. Anti-Riot succeeded in capturing some of the HYDRA's agents, though the side of Justice sustained a lot of damage and a lot of personnel themselves. Tony needs to donate his resources to them, they've done their best, "I'm just glad we could save some of them..."

"How did you do that, though Tony?" Bruce asked. He smiled at the child when she thanked him profusely for treating his father's wounds, "I asked them and they said one moment they were risking their family and their own life and then they just...transported here."

Tony cheekily smirk but didn't say anything. After a moment passed, Bruce sighed.

"Fine. As long as they're okay..." he huffed in resignation as Tony patted his shoulders soothingly.

"Uum...Mr. Stark," he tilted his head and saw a woman in thirty and hair tied in a bun approached him. He stared as he knew the woman's identity; Maria Hill, assistant director of SHIELD. She wore an apron and was holding a pan, most likely she was cooking her family a meal when Clint and Itsuki saved them, "what should we do now? We couldn't...we couldn't go back to the SHIELD anymore."

Aaaand that's the problem.

"Open the transmission to everyone available, J," his butler complied and several more holograms appeared, showing him the agents that were dispersed all around the tower, "hey, guys. You having fun there?"

Flat look met him and he involuntarily chuckled. At least they still have their humor in check even in this bleak situation.

"As Maria here just said to me, you people need a new job," he grinned, "I can erase your files—for real this time—and change your name. Rest assured, I'm going to hide your file in my own database so nobody, not even Romanova, can steal them and—"

"Mr. Stark," one of the hologram reverberated. It was a man with a goatee and sharp eyes, "can I work for you?"

Tony almost gaped. He...didn't see that coming, "your name, agent?"

"Leopold James Fitz. But you can call me Leo," he straightened his figure like he was ready to report to his own boss, "you save our life, Mr. Stark. The least I can do is to help you in your company. I may not be as smart as you are, but I'm also an engineer."

"I agree with Leo, Mr. Stark," another one piped up. She was a woman with long, wavy hair and slightly pointed chin, "my name's Jemma Anne Simmons. I want to repay you by working for your company. I'm not an engineer though, I'm a scientist and prominent in biochemist."

"She can help Mr. Banner, sir," JARVIS helpfully continued, as the doctor himself was startled by the offer and how Simmons practically beamed at the suggestion.

After those two told him their opinion, the other started speaking onto each other too; they have the same thought as them, that they were grateful for his help, this was a small payment for the genius and please, let us help you we want to thank our savior. Tony himself gawked, disbelief clearly written on his face.

The reason why he saved them because that was the right thing to do. They were just innocent agents, working for the good of the American government, for the safety of the citizen. Sure, some of them are jerks, some of them were ready to sacrifice others to save their own life (that was what Fury did to Coulson, right?) but like he said before to the media after Loki's invasion. He may loathe the agency, yet he never wanted them to die uselessly. And especially, by the stupidity of their own teammate and the Oh So Right Captain America—he snorted when a couple of them cursed the legend entire being and promised to maim Natasha on sight if they ever see her again.

"A-Are you sure?" Tony was overwhelmed. He never saw people he met before were this enthusiastic to work for him. An Intern like Peter, sure. They were still a child, a kid that was not tainted by the dark of the world and was protected by the rose-tinted glasses their parents provided for them. But this is SHIELD he was talking about; they knew how to kill, how to defend, how rotten this world sometimes, "I'm not forcing you, you know. I can contribute another company for you to work. And besides, I'm not the one who saved you all. It was Clint and Itsuki works and—"

"No, Mr. Stark. We're sure," Leo said, his glare softened though determination still glinted inside those black orbs, "yes, they saved us. But it was at your request, right?" well, yeah, "we're, of course, will not forget to thank Clint and your kid. And we're sorry for being so suspicious of you, Clint. We know that you're not to blame. We're just...drowned by our sorrow," the archer blinked at that and he slowly nodded, "but back to you, Mr. Stark. As the boss of our ex-teammate and the adult of your children, the responsibility rests on you and we're very thankful for that."

"Just accepted them, Tony," the Mistress leaned her chin on top of his head, whispering to him with a great amount of pride, "with them by your side, they can protect your employees and your family. You don't have to be worried if a rogue villain will strike the kids whenever they decided to visit you, it'll lessen your burden."

Vaguely, he saw Clint subtly nodded, agreeing with the Mistress words.

He gulped and ignored the butterfly inside his stomach. Perhaps he was smiling a little wider. And perhaps tear started gathering. But this was nice.

This is nice.

OMAKE

It was seven PM. He was inside his lab right now, tinkering with his unfinished projects and help the agents settled in for a couple of days. They need to lay low for awhile. And besides, this tower provided a lot of room for them to crash in and if they wanted to work for him, they need to familiarize themselves with the working of the building, Maria said with a grin. Haruitsuki was already up and gone to school, pretty sure he was trying to calm Hanae down after the jumpy kids finally saw the news and not to disturbed Tony with his incessant babbling. Takashi and Ichigo also called, asking the agents welfare and apologized for not being there. He waved their concern. Haruitsuki helped them enough with the presence of the Mononokean. Besides, Tony joked, Ichigo has a scary face for a high-schooler, the agents going to be suspicious and scared instead of relaxed if they saw him; Ichigo grumbled at that while Takashi laughed in understanding.

Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy were on their way to the tower, as a precaution. HYDRA may target the SHIELD agents, but that doesn't mean they will not target his people. His father was the founder of SHIELD after all.

His phone rang and he picked it up, instantly opened up a hologram near his work desk. It was Tucker, he decided to video-called him. Tony smirked, "hey, Tucker. You just woke up, kid? You know it was not good to take a nap more than two hours, right?"

The dark-skin teen was not amused though. His lips thinned and eyebrows furrowed. He could see Danny and Sam were just as apprehensive as he was and Tony's smile slipped, "seriously. What's wrong, kid? Was it ghosts? Or Vlad? Please tell me it was not Vlad or I'm really going to take an action."

He shook his head, "no. It's..." he spare a glance at his friends and they nodded, "I'm sure JARVIS will find this soon, but...this is about the files dump."

"You watched the news then," he leaned back and folded his arms in front of his broad chest, "yes, I'm aware. It was bad that those personnel bios were spread carelessly like that, but don't worry. I already asked J to erased them all."

"It's not that, Tony," he looked tired and maybe...a little bit angry? For what? To whom? Danny and Sam were clearly holding themselves not to punch someone too. Tucker played with his PDA for a bit and another hologram opened, it showed him a bunch of files the kids just sent, "you should...see that. There's also a video. I'm sorry, Tony. I'm sorry..."

He had a bad feeling about this.

Clint guarded Bruce and Tony's friends, guiding them to the lab Tony holed himself inside. When suddenly—

BRAK KRAK

—they heard a loud crash.

Clint was the first one to move, immediately ran out of the elevator and slid his card to open the glass door, followed by the worried friends. When they arrived, the lab was almost dark. The only light came from the holograms that were floating around the room. He saw Tucker in one of them and the kids also noticed him as he panicked, "Clint! Mr. Stark—"

His sharpened eyes instantly locked onto the hunched figure of the billionaire. He was sitting in the corner, cradling his hair in frustration. The Mistress, that was usually floated near him, was nowhere to be seen. Chair and desk were upturned, his projects broke into pieces. Dum-E and Butterfinger beeped worriedly. And—Clint's orbs narrowed—was Tony...crying?

"Tony?" Pepper slowly approached. She stopped when the genius flinched and huddled into himself a little more, "Tony, what happened?"

He didn't answer, just kept crying. Every sob tore Clint's heart. He knew Tony was not as media portrayed him be. That he was wearing a lot of masks to cover his real self. But this was the first time he openly crying. Openly showed them his feeling, without hiding it behind his famous snark and banter persona. It was painful to watch.

"Excuse me," JARVIS voice echoed. He sounded tired. Like his owner's emotion flew into him and distressed his entire core, "please...watch this."

One of the holograms started playing a video. And, as the second ticked by, everyone present froze in their place, orbs widened and face full of horror.

It was Tony's parents. It was the day Tony's parent had an accident and left this world.

But instead of a normal car crash, someone shot their tire and rammed their motorcycle onto their car, making them swerved and the car flipped with force.

Tony let out another flinched and JARVIS mute the video.

Yet, they could hear it very clearly. Could hear how the man's knuckles cracked Howard's skull, caving his entire face like it was a mere sponge. How Maria struggled to regain her breath but to no avail. That the man turned and watched the camera, showing them who was he with clear certainty before he shot the evidence down—

"Barnes killed my parents..." Tony breath hitched, "he killed them. He killed them, without mercy. Like my dad was not his old friend at all."

"Ooh...Tony..." she hugged the man. He looked so small, so fragile, Pepper swallowed her own sob.

"The Mistress..the Mistress knew about this. This...this is the secret that Rogers will try to hide from me and the Mistress knew..."

"You know it's not her fault," she cradled his hair, trying to soothe his nerves that bunched up in agitation, "you know she could not always help you. She's a God. She has her own responsibility to humanity."

"I-I know. I didn't blame her. I just..." he cried and wailed, "I just hope that she warned me more than that...that vague words, Pep..."

Rhodey, Happy, and Bruce approached the down billionaire, giving him their own reassurance. Clint stood at the center, staring at the still video blankly, "Tucker," he whispered. But in this chocked silent, he was practically screaming, "was that...really James Barnes?"

Tucker nodded, "it was Barnes. But in this file, it was written that he was brainwashed by the HYDRA. It...was not his own desire to kill them," he spoke carefully and Clint winced at that. Yes, that reminded him of his own situation with Loki. Something that he still preferred to forget, "can you...can you tell Tony that? It's okay if he will never forgive him—do you know Danny was ready to hunt him himself? It was fortunate Sam was here to pacify him," the said halfa huffed and Tucker wanly grinned, "but tell him not to...do something reckless again, okay? We can...we can avenge the death of his parents in a legal way."

"I still want to punch him, though." Danny grumbled, expression dark, "I'm sure Ichigo will be happy to help me with that. Actually, invite Takashi too."

"Rogers or Barnes?" Sam asked.

"Both."

Clint dryly chuckled at that. Honestly, he wanted to shot one or two arrows at them too. Still, he walked to his boss, kneeled beside the crying billionaire and shut his eyes. The important thing here right now is to be by Tony's side. Because they're friends.

And friend should never hide a secret, nor leave each other's back.

END

Reviews are appreciated

Best Regards

Akabane Kazama