---In some corner of the Universe---
Thanos sat on his throne. His massive frame rested forward, elbow on one knee, chin on his fist. He looked bored, but his purple eyes missed nothing. Ebony Maw knelt before him, head bowed low.
"My lord," Maw said carefully. "The mission to take the Space Stone has failed."
Thanos did not move. He waited.
Maw continued. "The Chitauri army sent to Planet C-53, called Earth by its people and Midgard by Asgard, was almost completely destroyed. The portal closed before we could send more soldiers. Thirteen percent of our total Chitauri force is gone. It will take at least a year to breed replacements."
Thanos finally spoke, voice deep and slow. "Earth is a primitive world. They have not left their own solar system. Their technology should be poor and I don't believe that their species have any special abilities. How did they stop us? Was it Odin? Did Loki lie about the All-Father being in some kind of deep sleep? Did Asgard fight back to protect one of the nine realms under it?"
Maw shook his head. "No, my lord. From the data taken from the mothership, it was not Asgard. Thor Odinson was there, but no other Asgardians. Odin did not act."
Thanos leaned back slightly. "Then who?"
Maw's voice trembled. "A small group. No more than ten people. They stopped the entire invasion."
Thanos repeated the words. "No more than ten people. Interesting."
Maw hesitated again. Thanos noticed.
"Speak," he ordered.
Maw swallowed. "My lord, I studied the battle records. One man alone destroyed almost ten percent of our army. He cut the leviathans in half. He fought with skill I have rarely seen. His movements were perfect. His power was strange. I have never watched a single warrior control a battle like that. The number of abilities that he seemed to possess is unknown but it's quite a lot..."
Thanos stared at his servant who hesistated to speak once again. "And you think this man could stand against me in a battle?"
Maw quickly bowed lower. "No, my sire! Never!"
Thanos waved a hand. "It does not matter."
He stood. His armour clinked softly as he walked to the edge of the throne platform. Stars moved slowly outside the massive window.
"The universe is sick," he said quietly. "Too many lives. Too little food, water, space. Worlds fight and die for crumbs. Children starve while others waste. I have seen it on Titan. I watched my home die because no one would choose who lives and who dies."
His voice grew stronger.
"I will bring balance. Half of all life gone in an instant. Fair. Random. Painless. The survivors will have enough. They will live better lives. The universe will thank me one day."
He turned back to Maw.
"They will call me a monster. They will hate me. It does not matter. I am not doing this for love or praise. I am doing it because someone must. I am saving them, even if they never understand. And this warrior might be stronger than me but he is not stronger than my resolve."
His eyes were sad for a moment, but the sadness hardened into stone.
"What of Loki?"
Maw's face twisted. "He escaped with the Mind Stone. He betrayed us."
Thanos nodded once. "He will not hide long."
He walked back to the throne and sat again.
"What is the name of this warrior who impressed you?"
Maw answered quickly. "Kakashi Hatake."
Thanos repeated the name slowly. "Kakashi Hatake."
He rested his chin on his fist again and stared into the dark.
----Loki Point of View----
Loki spun the scepter in his hand, the blue Mind Stone glowing softly. He grinned at his own reflection in the blade.
"Thanos will already have hunters looking for me. How exciting. A game of cat and mouse across the stars."
His grin turned into a snarl.
"But who is the cat and who is the mouse? Did that purple fool truly believe I would serve him forever? I am Loki Odinson. Rightful king of Asgard. The throne is mine by birth. And I answer to no one not even my own father."
He calmed and began pacing.
"This failure will slow Thanos. He will need time to rebuild his army. That gives me room to move. My plans can grow for now."
He stopped and looked at the scepter.
"Kakashi did not disappoint. He is strong. Almost as strong as Father in his prime, but not quite. Still, he showed me something useful."
Another Loki stepped out from behind a tree. The second Loki was perfect in every detail: same armour, same smile, same eyes.
Loki looked at his clone and laughed softly.
"Kakashi, You gave me a wonderful gift."
He had combined his illusion magic with the power of the Mind Stone. The result was no longer a simple trick of light. It was a real, solid copy that could fight, bleed, and fool even gods.
He had taken the inspiration of this by watching Kakashi form clones. And it was a clone that had fought the Avengers while he watched from a distance. It was quite amusing to Loki as he watched his brother and the other Midgardians give it all as they fought his clone while he watched from a distance.
Both Lokis spoke at the same time, voices matching perfectly.
"This will make things very interesting indeed."
-----Author Notes---------
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Also you can also now read exclusive one shots on it.
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