I lay on my four-poster bed, my eyes dull as the credits of the most recent Naruto Shippuden episode rolled. I cast my gaze around the room, needing to look anywhere but at my television. I had thought it was too much when Alfred first presented it to me, the walls coated in earthy beige. A large fireplace made of glossy cherry wood took up the north wall, my source of heat during the winter. I had only felt the need to build a fire once since we arrived. It had been a small and controlled fire that I had lit with a Katon jutsu. It had filled me with pride, knowing I could light a fire without Sasuke or Kakashi.
My eyes flickered to the small figures on the desk, tracing their silhouettes with my eyes. I had gathered more in a fit, most likely to torture myself with. They each had a little move that they performed, showcasing a talent I'd known them for.
A chill travelled down my spine and I had to look away, the emotion threatening to boil over my carefully made mask.
I knew that I was not dealing with my 'situation'. I knew what they quietly said at dinner when I pushed my food around for ten minutes before declaring I wasn't hungry. I could feel the sad looks Naruto and Dick gave me when they didn't think I was aware. I wondered if they hoped that one day I would wake up and decide I was okay—like Naruto had. It was more like he'd decided the past was the past… And anyone who had a problem with it could take it up with him.
No one seemed to notice how bad of a liar he was.
Maybe that was why he was a better Shinobi. He tried to seem normal, like none of it affected him.
I've lied quite a bit in my profession as a kunoichi. I had never had issues with it. However, this was the one thing I could not lie to myself about.
I wasn't real.
My parents, my friends, my home, Naruto. Hell, even using chakra for anything wasn't real here. No one had even a drop of it in their bodies. Logically speaking, they shouldn't even be alive.
And yet they were. The people around me were living proof everything I knew and believed was a lie.
I ignored the knocks on my door, staring absently at the ceiling. The door pushed open and I felt rather than saw Bruce's presence, his worry dampening the air.
His steps were light and soft, just barely louder than Shinobi standards. The bed dipped from his weight and I felt his hand on my shoulder, warm and demanding my attention.
"Sakura?"
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, respecting him enough to give him an outward sign that I was listening. I blinked, rolling my eyes back up to the ceiling.
"I have something for you."
I exhaled, counting to five before I looked up at him as he stood, the empathy in his eyes made me bite my lip to keep myself from letting my emotions get the better of me. If I could just stay numb like this—then I would be okay. No one would see the weakness I felt. Or the doubt I had.
I pulled myself up, allowing him to take my wrist to guide me from the room and down the hall. I wondered, as we walked, how he might have taken the news if he learned he was nothing more than a fictional character.
I inwardly scoffed. He would take it better than me. He would smirk and inform them that they would be admitted into an asylum by morning. Or sue them.
He led me to the grandfather clock that hid the entrance to the Batcave. He opened it and pulled the dial. He didn't look back at me as the clock slid to the side to allow us admittance into the cavern or as we walked down the stairs.
My mind pulled up the outfit Naruto had paraded in two nights before, dark and slim fitting armor, orange streaks lining it, that allowed him plenty of movement and an ANBU mask to hide his identity.
"I am not Uzumaki Naruto; I am Sage! Master of Jutsus and soldier of LOVE!"
He had looked disappointed to not receive a smack upside the head.
I didn't have it in me to be annoyed. I had forced a smile and went back to my staring out the window, holding a miniature version of me from our genin days in my hands.
Our footsteps echoed loudly in the cavern, bouncing off the walls and blaring into my ears. I looked up at Bruce when he released my arm, noticing finally that he had his Batman getup on. He pulled on his cowl, covering his face effortlessly and then continued leading me past his giant computer (that I had easily learned how to use) and to the tubes that held several costumes. I noticed that three were empty. Bruce, Dick, and Naruto.
"Naruto and Dick went out to patrol. And we have a mission."
I perked up, my body standing a little taller. A mission? My mind flashed through all the missions I had gone on throughout my life, the failed and successful. There had once been a time when I would throw myself into a dangerous mission in an effort to forget myself, to be more than just me. In a mission, you could forget about yourself and put your team first. Your teammates and you almost become one entity.
It was the best stress relief.
He drew my attention to a new uniform, made to look like a healthy medium between everyone's uniforms. It was every bit as form fitting as theirs, but instead of a mask, I had a hood that pointed over the nose, giving a bird like appearance, concealing my hair and face. (I knew I would have to wear a mask like Dick's anyways, just in case.) While Naruto wore a jacket similar to the Fourth's and Dick had a black cape with yellow lining, I had the tails of a men's formal jacket that jutted out in the back and at the sides of my waist, the fabric reaching the knees. It was black (of course) with a red lining that would flash when I moved. My ninja pouches were there, only improved and expanded into my own utility belt. That too was black with hints of blood red to highlight them.
Combat boots completed the ensemble and I was certain Bruce had put something more in it, a secret compartment or something. He wasn't one let something have only one purpose.
I looked up at Bruce, gratitude coursing through me. And in comparison to the despair and pain I'd felt for the last few weeks, it was a welcome reprieve.
"What? You didn't think I'd let you go out in your outdated ninja gear, did you? Without a mask?" Bruce smirked down at me.
I didn't try to stop the genuine smile that curled my lips and he patted my head lightly.
"We're going to be late. Suit up, Red Nightingale."
.
Red Nightingale. I wondered why I got a bird name (like Robin) while Naruto got away with 'Sage'.
Lucky bastard.
We made it to the antique shop quickly; Batman sped more than usual. He probably broke about seven traffic laws. But I was positive no one would attempt to pull over the Batman.
Police officers combed the area outside, attempting to find a clue that no one noticed before. We bypassed them and entered the building from the back, escaping detection easily.
"..All this junk, and the Joker only takes this one lousy statue!" the fat detective declared, stating the obvious. I couldn't help the little sigh that escaped me. This was Gotham's finest? Batman glanced at me over his shoulder, causing me to stand a little taller. He always got extremely serious when he donned the cape and mask.
"Word on the street says Joker's desperate for cash these days," the commissioner offered as he swept the room for any clues they might have missed.
Batman stepped into the light, "Things are never what they seem with the Joker."
"I guess the night brings out all the wackos," the fat one sneered. I had to restrain myself as I followed Batman to where the statue had once been, a sample left of the green stone. "Who's this? No kids should be at a crime scene!"
My hands rolled into fists as Batman broke off a piece of the stone left behind, inspecting it.
"It was made of jade," the commissioner offered, ignoring the large man's comment about me. "Worth about a hundred grand."
Batman dropped it into a plastic bag, putting it away in his utility belt, "I'd like a closer look. Nightingale."
I moved silently as I followed him out, glad to be leaving the furious fat man.
.
Bruce didn't explain as he tested the bit of stone, or what 'radiation' was when he informed Alfred about why every owner of the 'Laughing Dragon' died prematurely. I put the pieces together, however. The statue was somehow poisonous..
Five hours later, Bruce had both he and myself on a plane headed for Metropolis, finally explaining why we were going. He handed me one of Dick's old books, the one depicting all the heroes of America, from the Dark Knight to the fastest man alive.
The poisonous statue wasn't just bad for humans, it was the one weakness of the Man of Steel. Superman.
It was probably only because of how discretely Alfred could work that we made it out of the manor without either of the boys trying to tag along. They'd give me hell later, I was sure.
The plane lurched as the wheel hit the ground, causing me to sink deeper into my seat, my body giving off a blue glow as I sealed myself into the chair with chakra. I glared at Bruce as he comfortably sat, legs crossed and reading a book, totally at ease.
Sensing my gaze, he looked over the rim of his book, taking in my tense form. His eyes creased and my glare became darker, daring him to laugh at me. I was a ball of nerves, even he knew better than to provoke me.
He made no sounds, as if he knew what would happen if he did, but set down his book, revealing his smirk.
As we decelerated, the amount of turbulence lessened, allowing me to withdraw my chakra and slowly unbuckle my seat belt. I was fine when we were in the air and it was smooth, but the moment it became bumpy, I was certain we'd all die. We came to a complete stop and I threw my head back, letting out a sigh of relief before I activated my genjutsu. By Bruce's look, I could tell it was perfect. I looked my age—my actual age—only with dark, lush hair that cascaded down my back.
And not a second too late as the stewardess appeared, her skirt shorter than I remembered a few hours ago. She moved to Bruce, straightening his tie and shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles. From where I stood, I could see the way she flirted coyly with her eyes.
Sickened by the sight, I looked out a window, taken back by the sheer number of people waiting outside the plane, staking us out with multiple cameras and recorders being waved up at me.
Someone was not discrete with the press. "Did you tell them we were coming?"
"Alfred."
I looked back, watching as the woman ran out of invisible lint to roll off, smiling widely up at Bruce. "Perfect." She batted her eyes at him twice before turning to me, eyeing my appearance. She stared several inches above my head, where she thought my eyes were. It was something I would have to get used to if I continued cloaking myself with a genjutsu. I wasn't like Naruto; I couldn't stand someone belittling me or looking down at me because in their eyes I was a child.
She plastered on a blatantly fake smile, "You look great, miss."
I shrugged a shoulder in response, dismissing her as I turned away to gather my duffel bag. Alfred had prepared suitcases that were sent ahead to the summer house Bruce had in Metropolis. From what I understood, however, it was really just a penthouse somewhere in the city. (Because a summer house sounded like a place out in the country, not in the hustle and bustle of the city. If you were going on vacation from the city, why would you go to another city?) My duffel bag had everything Alfred wouldn't have thought to pack for me: my medical kit, my ninja gear I arrived in, and comfortable clothes I'd picked up at a thrift store—the bane of Bruce's existence.
I wore my sweats just to see him cringe. Stupid rich boy…man.
Bruce waved me forward as he eyed my bag. "Ready to swim with the sharks?"
The pilot opened the large door that I had eyed for most of the flight, revealing a staircase that led straight into the throngs of reporters, each vying for a moment of Bruce's time.
"It's been a pleasure, Mr. Wayne," the stewardess called. I rolled my eyes and waited for Bruce to begin his march to our doom. I could at least count on him to pave the way, if not sacrifice himself so that I could live. Especially since the moment I walked into sight, the reporters went wild.
"Lady! What's your relation to Mr. Wayne?!"
"Is this trip for business or pleasure!?"
"How long will you stay?"
I blocked them out; taking Bruce's offered hand at the bottom of the stairs, flashes went off rapidly in response. I concentrated on my breathing and the flow of chakra in and around me.
It was at that moment, as I followed Bruce through the throngs of people, that I felt it. The essence of a being.. whose genetic makeup was similar to mine.
I stopped, my eyes wide in shock. It was a feeling I had once ignored with all my might while still in Konoha, when everyone around me had at least a touch of chakra in their systems, keeping them alive. But since Naruto and I had been dumped into this world, it was a feeling we only experienced around each other, a common bond. To us, it was home.
I ignored the reporters that swarmed me like insects as Bruce and I were separated, his back impossible to spot from my grounded point of view.
But it didn't matter. All I thought of was pinpointing the location of that person.
It flared as I reached out with my own chakra, molding around it as I spread out my senses, eyes searching as if I could find its origin through all these people.
I was sluggish as I moved, pushing my way passed reporters until I could no longer contain myself.
I had found someone. They didn't have chakra persay, but I felt them. In the sea of reporters, they were the only one I could feel. They could validate my very existence. Tell me why I was here. What I can be in this world. If I can return to mine.
All of Bruce's training went out the window—all the rules and expectations.
None of it mattered.
I flickered, forcing my way through the crowd through any space I could find. I followed the flare like a moth to flame, coming upon a woman as she gathered her things from the ground, Bruce there to give her a hand. But I didn't care about either of them. I only had eyes for the man standing over the woman, a frown on his face as he watched them with distaste. His glasses looked outdated, as if he had not gotten new ones in years, his jet black hair impeccably groomed and combed back.
He looked strong, despite his suit doing what it could to make him look smaller, less noticeable.
Our eyes met, the bright blue orbs staring down at my actual height, seeing through my genjutsu.
He glanced at the woman and Bruce as they stood, the woman asking why Bruce was in town, and then kneeled down to my level.
"Hello there," he said with a smile.
The excitement I felt turned cold as realization hit me. Like a rubber band, all the rules I shrugged off a moment ago snapped back, full force, at me. To anyone else, the man would be down on one knee to a twenty-something year old, rather than to the twelveyear old he saw.
"Stand up now," I muttered quietly.
He looked confused and I knew I was in for it later. Every scenario played through my mind, tormenting me. I was connected to Bruce and as the Red Nightingale, Batman. If anyone learned my identity, they would just have to put two and two together. However, for him to see through my genjutsu—and to have such a sizable…essence about him, this man could not be normal, himself.
He had to be anything but.
Chastising myself for being so foolishly reckless, I let out a small giggle and pushed him up, forcing a bit of chakra into my arms to make me stronger. He reacted as if I'd barely touched him, however, sparking my interest. He should have stumbled back at the very least.
And the way he was looking down at me, his eyes wide in bewilderment, said he knew how much force I'd used.
Not normal, indeed.
I've returned! Sorry it's been such a very long time since you've last seen me. I plan to be making a comeback this month and next as summer approaches!
See you soon-
JaneSwan.
