A/N: This`ll probably be the last to my Jason Todd series. I hope you enjoy this one and I look forward to hearing from you :PEACE! ^^V
Jason fell to his knees and pulled his hands to rest at the back of his head the moment he fell threw the barrier and onto the old stone floors of the All- chaste temple. Spears and all types of knifes were drawn on him before he could take another breath. Only once he took off his head like told did they realize it was him. Talia ah Ghul, daughter of Ra`s ah Ghul and once a good...acquaintance had taken him here to train for a few months before he left to take revenge on his murderer, the Joker, and the man who let him live, Batman, who had once been something like a father to him.
He never thought he`d ever come back but this place had been comfort at a hard time right now he was at his lowest.
"Pup..." Draca whispered to him, he barley even realized she had come to stand next to him, a comforting hand on his back. "You`ve lost sight of your path."
He nodded slowly before looking at her desperately, "I- I don't know who I`m supposed to be, my dreams haunt me Draca and-,"
"Hush pup, I didn't turn you don't the first time what makes you think I can do that again?" Draca asked, "You`ve been pushed to your limit so many times I can see this, but helping you will not be easy."
Jason swallowed, "I`ll do what ever it takes to make me who I used to be."
"Then we`ll start now." Draca said louder, "Ready pup, begin."
Jason flipped onto his back, eyes wide, as he blocked the blades that came down on him...
TWO YEARS LATER ...
"You are getting slow old man." Jason snickered and he just lightly increased the pressure on the man`s neck that was being held under foot. The man grunted and pushed Jason`s foot away, he obliged and took a few paces back, "Or your getting faster." The man smiled rubbing the red mark on his neck.
Jason blinked his icy blue eyes in the hint of amusement, "I hope so considering how long I`ve been here."
"Pup, quit bothering the man and come `er." Jason blinked and looked over his shoulder at the sudden appearance of Draca, the old woman was standing on the winding steps to the palace waiting for him. He looked back to the man who was getting up and picking a few of the brocken wepons off the ground, "See you later tuff, bring your A game next time."
"Ha! I`ll bring more then that!" The man mock waving the remains of a spear. Jason jogged up to the old woman, he nodded respectfully and the woman snickered, "You`ve come far enough to learn respect pup, but the road ends here."
Jason blinked in confusion, but the woman only gestured with a hand to follow her, he obliged and followed her along the winding path around the palace. He kept glancing at her waiting for her to say something, Finally once they reached the top of the stairs did she turn to him.
"Pup, You`ve come far, denying that would make me no dumber then what you were when you came here with Talia your first time, But since you`ve come here, asking for help, your fighting technique has improved more then I thought and you`ve been able to get rid of your worries and dreams that haunted you in your sleep, but your worries only came from the love you had for your friends, your family and taking that away has hurt you, your trials here are over pup, It`s time you lived your life beyond these walls."
"But there`s more I need to learn I-" He argued.
"No pup," Draca stated, "There is nothing more to teach you, a person as thick skulled as you should be happy to hear this, but don't you think two years is enough time wasted?"
"I- your right." Jason nodded taking a deep breath, "But there`s no real way I could persuade you to think other wise?"
The old woman shook her head snickering, "Not a chance pup, besides isn't it time your got back to your 'war on crime'?"
Jason smirked something shining in the corner of his eyes, "Yeah, something like that."
"Then you`ll need this." Draca pulled out something from behind the wall and handed him a familiar grey suit, he took it slowly and ran a thumb over the red bat symbol over the chest of the suit, the shoulders also held smaller bat symbols, everything just seemed to come back to him, the things he`d have to face, Bruce, Dick, Barbara, Tim...Kori and Roy.
He wasn't scared, or worried though, they`d lived two years without him and the best thing he could do is stay away, tracking them down would be immature especially when he was the one to leave, there`d be hard feelings between all, so seeing them was last on his list.
"Tell me pup, what will you do once you leave here, where to go?" Draca asked as if she already didn't know the answer to her question. Jason hefted a small breath of air from his nose in amusement as he looked into the eyes of his mask, "Where else to re-start my war on crime then...home."
"You`d better get started then, I hear those plane rides are depressing." Draca stated with a snicker Jason smiled and nodded but he didn't reply to the woman as he slipped his hood on and blinked past the lenses just like the many times before. He was back. and better then ever.