Chapter Summary: Zoro and Mihawk have an… unconventional way of greeting each other.

Wally West is the fastest man alive.

It's not hyperbole. Or an idle boast, despite how he may act sometimes. It is simply fact. He is the fastest man alive, and there isn't anyone that can challenge that. Well, besides Superman, but even Superman couldn't quite match the speeds Wally could reach when he bothers to really push himself.

That being said, even he is having a hard time comprehending what exactly just happened. First, the arrival of the green-haired samurai-looking dude, probably one of the champions le Fay had been ranting about. Then the arrival of the Spanish-looking dude with that huge cross on his back, probably the other champion. The two recognized each other (which was weird, considering how different they looked from each other) and there was momentary shock, before both their eyes (or eye, in the case of the samurai) narrowed.

And then — and here is what the Flash had a hard time wrapping his head around — they drew their swords. The samurai-looking dude put one in his mouth (why and how that worked was kind of lost on Wally) and other two in his hands, while the Spaniard(?) grabbed the top part of the cross, which soon revealed itself to be the hilt of this absolutely massive black sword that had the speedster gaping. It was quick, even for him, and before he knew it they were clashing. Which was the precipitation for the insane shockwave that blew the roof off of the castle and sent everyone, including him, ass-over-teakettle.

Quite frankly, Wally has no freaking idea what the hell is going on, and considering he's been doing this superhero gig for a good couple of years at this point, that is really saying something. He's not the only one, either; the others, along with le Fay, are recovering, and even they can't quite believe what they're seeing. Only Mordred is out, the little shit for some reason laying on the ground with foam trailing out of his mouth. Huh. Last Wally checked, concussions didn't do that.

In the center of the room are the two…swordsmen (well, they are wielding swords), their blades in a deadlock. The massive black blade is holding up against the three smaller ones, but they're both struggling, trembling against each other. And their wielders — everyone else in the room had seen some pretty nasty looks in their line of work, but all of those expressions paled in comparison to the vicious exchange these two men were having. The sheer bloodlust… it was like being in the presence of two predators, furiously ravenous and ready to swallow up any prey they came across. A pair of alphas, neither of whom could stand the idea of a rival in his presence.

And it is obvious to everyone watching that these two men consider each other rivals. Fierce rivals. The glares they are exchanging could melt steel. They are only offset by the absolutely savage grins that accompanied them both. For the warriors in the room, such as Diana and even Bruce, those grins are familiar.

Bloodthirsty. Battle hungry. Diana had seen them on Themyscira, upon many of her sisters. She had even adopted it herself from time-to-time, during a particularly good battle. But the expressions of these two men, they had a different tilt to them. These two do not just love fighting, she realizes, they live for it.

Then, the world stills again as the swordsmen separate. They separate, and they swing, and they clash again, and this, this is different. Because right before they meet in battle once more, Wally can see all four black blades illuminate with weird lightning. The three with the samurai took on a purplish-black edge, while the Spaniard's was green. And when they collide, they don't really collide. He can hear the sound of two great opposing forces meeting, but the blades aren't even touching.

Another shockwave, even stronger than the first one, bursts into existence and obliterates what remains of the castle. The Justice League can see le Fay panicking (she clearly had no idea how powerful her would-be champions were), holding her son aloft with her magic as she teleported away. They have no such luxury, forced to face the full brunt of this newest confrontation, and all of them, even Superman and Martian Manhunter, are sent flying.

John, after reorienting himself and catching Flash before he could faceplant onto the sharp rocks below, forms a bubble around his best friend and himself to protect them from further damage. Considering the ferocity of the attacks, everyone seems to have gotten away with scratches and bruises at best — a lucky break if there ever was one. The Green Lantern looks down, back at the two interlopers. The two are no longer in a deadlock, but are now exchanging blows at a speed that only Superman or Flash could ever hope to match. Each attack rings with the harsh meeting of metal, flames flying with every touch.

"What. The Hell," he can hear Hotshot saying, and John can't really find it in himself to disagree. What the hell indeed.

"Everyone!" J'onn shouts, and everyone turns to the Martian. Wonder Woman is carrying Batman (who seems to have gotten the worst of the backlash, judging by all the tears in his costume), and Superman is floating right beside her. Unsurprisingly, he is the least injured. John angles his ring so they are floating at the other side of him.

J'onn, meanwhile, looks stunned. His red eyes are blown open, and he's staring up at the sky. Slowly, he lifts one hand to point, and everyone follows his line-of-sight. And just like that, they're staring too.

When they had first arrived to le Fay's castle, it had been in the midst of a cloudy sky, the billows gradually darkening every second. The onset of a storm, they had all concluded. It only made them all the more eager to reach le Fay and defeat her as quickly as possible, in hopes of avoiding the rain, or whatever the hell she might use with it.

Now, those abundant clouds had receded. Parted. It was as if someone had cut the…sky…

Slowly, as one, the Justice League once again return their gazes to the dueling swordsmen.

"What the hell," Wally repeats, something akin to terror in his voice, and once again, no one has it in them to disagree.

"We need to separate them," Batman speaks tersely, brokering no argument. "They're powerful. If this fight spills out elsewhere, it could be catastrophic for any surrounding civilians."

Clark nods in agreement. "I'll go down there and—"

"LOOK OUT!"

The speedster's warning almost comes a second too late. The Kryptonian only just barely manages to avoid the twin wind blades the swordsmen had shot towards his direction, but his cape is not so lucky. It's split horizontally, the lower half fluttering down to the crashing waves below. He glances at the source of the attack, at the pair of swordsmen who are both glaring at him, all but daring him to interrupt their impromptu duel. Clark swallows, and once they both are sure he won't interfere, they return their attentions back to each other and begin clashing again.

John sighs. "We're not getting near them, are we?" he asks, almost resigned.

"No," Diana concurs, looking equally grim, "I believe not."

The swordmasters don't notice, of course. They don't really notice anything, except for each other, their swords, and anything that might intrude in this magnificent dance of blades they're in.

And it is magnificent. Zoro's blades are a blur, a whirl of black, flaming, liquid death as he swings, thrusts, and parries with his three katanas against the greatest sword ever crafted in this world. Mihawk is similarly entranced, Yoru moving fast and hard, occasionally half-sworded but never stilled, green fire rushing from every blow. Only less than an hour ago, he had feasted upon the skill of this man, a duel greater than any other, even those he had shared with Red-Hair, and the fact that he got to binge upon it again so soon after the battle that had taken his title away from him was almost like ecstasy. Secretly, he hoped it would never end.

For Zoro, it is different. Because the chasm of time is much larger, so much greater. That duel, the duel that where he had achieved his life's goal, was ten years gone. A decade since he had last clashed with Yoru, and with the only man in the world that could have ever properly wielded her. That fight had been the fight of Zoro's life, and not a single battle since had ever been able to compare to it. To have it again, even a taste, was just what he needed after the last few months.

For the first time since Luffy's death, Zoro feels alive.

He catches Yoru on Wado, his mouth as strong as any of his arms, and deflects upwards. Yoru rises high, leaving Mihawk open for a blow from Shodai Kitetsu. Of course, it isn't that easy; Mihawk twists away as Yoru follows through on a horizontal swing, blocking Kitetsu's attack. Zoro isn't disheartened and tries to follow up with Enma, only for Mihawk to push through with brute force. The other man jumps back to avoid the slice, before snapping his neck just so to retaliate with a wind blade from his most prized sword, his head turning in a sharp motion that only he could manage. In reply, Mihawk draws his kogatana from his necklace, blackens it, and counters the attack with it, flicking the wind blade away.

The fight begins its first lull after that, and they begin circling each other, trying to find an opening. Zoro breathes in and out, his pattern a match for his opponent's. Nothing else matters but this.

Abruptly, his hands snap up, and he catches Yoru in another cross-guard. And they're at it again.

About an hour later, the Justice League are still up in the air, still watching the dueling masters, and thoroughly sick of it.

"Have they even drawn blood from each other yet?" Diana asks, having lost any sense of interest, awe, and dread, in favor of pure exhaustion. Because it is exhausting watching these two men duke it out. Other than the occasional lull, the two had been going at it hard and had shown no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Clark furrows his brow as he activates his Super-Vision. "By the looks of it… no."

Diana is mature enough not to groan. Wally is not. Everyone else is mature enough to ignore him, even if they agree with the sentiment. "So what? Are we going to wait here all day and night until one of them kills each other?" the speedster demanded.

"It's like I said," Bruce growls, "We need to break them up."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" asks J'onn, almost acridly. The last time they had tried to interfere in the fight, one of the swordsman had managed to nick him with a pretty severe (if shallow) cut. It was healing, but that didn't put him in a particularly charitable mood. "We cannot even get near them."

Clark groans. "And every time we try, they somehow know and manage to ward us off!"

"A precognitive ability, no doubt," John speculates, "Maybe one they both share? Since they know each other and all."

"It doesn't matter," Batman asserts, "We need to stop them." He glances at J'onn. "Do you think you can connect to their minds from this distance?"

Diana snaps her head towards her sole non-powered teammate. He had been transferred to John's floating bubble with Flash once it became clear that they were going to be floating in the sky for a while. "Do you honestly think they'll listen to us? How do we know if they even speak the same language?"

"Do you have any better ideas?" is the reply.

She does not, and they both know it. The Amazon turns away with a scoff, as J'onn's eyes begin to glow.

Both Zoro and Mihawk are in the midst of another agressive exchange when J'onn invades their minds. They sense him immediately, of course, but barely pay him any mind in favor of each other. In a duel like this, everyone else is insignificant until they make themselves an interloper.

So J'onn goes ahead and makes himself an interloper. Stop your battle now. I know not what grudge you have against each other, but it can be settled later. You are not in your world.

The two are content to ignore him until he speaks that last sentence. They do not freeze when they hear the words, but their exchange becomes less… intense. What do you mean? Mihawk's inner voice is sharp, demanding nothing less than the unvarnished truth.

An enemy of ours used a magical ritual to summon you from your world to ours. We need you to stop fighting and see if we can find a way to send you back.

For a moment, J'onn receives no reply. And then, First blood? Zoro asks, and it's obvious that J'onn isn't the intended recipient.

First blood, Mihawk agrees, and they're at it once again. J'onn retreats from their minds, and turns to his teammates.

"They agreed to fight until first blood," the Martian explains. "They will not end the duel any sooner than that."

Diana shrugs. "If these two are the kind of warriors I'm thinking of, that is probably the best we could've hoped for."

Bruce doesn't say anything, which is probably the closest to approval they are going to get.

"So, what should we do in the mean time?" Wally asks, staring dully as there was another clashing of steel. That one took out a chunk of the floor and the mountain beneath it. "Find le Fay?"

"Hotshot, it's been over an hour," John points out. "She's probably long gone by now."

Batman grunts. "Even so… J'onn?"

"On it," J'onn says as his eyes glow again.

"You are… different," Mihawk notes, during another brief pause in their duel. He's sweating, and breathing hard, but is pleased to note that Zoro is a similar state. "That sword in your left hand is not Sandai Kitetsu."

Zoro feels a small pang of pain at the reminder, even as he smirks. "Heh. Unfortunately, no. He was broken a few months back by the previous owner of this blade. I took this one as recompense, after taking his original owner's life, of course." He flicks his wrist, and another cut appears on the stone floor, creating a deep gouge. "He's an even bigger problem child than his predecessor, if you can believe it."

"I can, actually," Mihawk admits, eyeing the blade with interest. "The Shodai Kitetsu… well, if any man could handle that particular blade, it would be you, Roronoa."

"I'd ask if that was a compliment or an insult, but knowing you, it's both."

His old teacher lets out a shadow of a laugh at that, before looking up at the sky where the strange people are floating. "They are getting impatient up there. We cannot draw this out any longer."

Zoro follows Mihawk's line-of-sight, and narrows his eye. "Yeah, I guess not. Later though, right?"

"I would expect nothing less."

That final word said, they both steel their expressions and adopt particular stances. They tense, then dash forward at near-supersonic speeds. Another shockwave explodes from their latest clash and when the smoke clears, they are both still, their blades stretched out, pointing forward. Only the sound of their harsh breathing can be heard.

And then, a shallow cut appears on Mihawk's left sleeve. It's small, barely counts as even a paper cut, but it's still oozing blood.

Mihawk sighs, Zoro smirks, and as one, they sheathe their blades and face each other. "I concede first blood," the older swordsman says, crossing his arms.

"But not victory?" Zoro responds, still smirking.

His rival narrows his eyes but says nothing.

"Ah, that's fine," the younger man says, waving it off with one hand as his smirk morphs into an absolutely savage grin. "We can settle that debate later."

At that, Mihawk smirks in return. "Indeed."

"FINALLY!" Wally shouts to the sky. Everyone, as per usual, ignores him in favor getting back to business. The six members of the Justice League descend back to what had once had been a tall, imposing castle, and is now nothing more than dust and rubble.

They can already feel the dread in the pit of their stomachs.

The two swordsmen are waiting for them, the samurai with one hand on his sheathed katanas while the Spaniard had his arms crossed, his own blade resting on his back. They both eye the new group warily, still a bit wound up from the previous battle and no doubt remembering the words J'onn told them. Now that they aren't in the midst of fighting, both are clearly starting to process the events prior to their clash.

"Who the hell are all of you?" the samurai bluntly asks the moment they make landfall, repeating his original question to them before everything went sideways, and the superheroes immediately peg him as the rude one.

But not the difficult one. Judging by the dismissive, if not outright bored expression the other one is giving them, getting answers from that one is going to be like prying teeth. At least the samurai seems a little bit curious about what is going on. Curiosity is always a great segue to cooperation. Boredom…not so much, if the person in question sees it as too much effort and not enough fun.

"We are the Justice League," Superman answers, gesturing to his teammates and himself. "We are a team of superheroes that protect this world. My name is Superman, and these are my teammates: Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Martian Manhunter."

Each of said teammates give the two swordsmen a brief acknowledgement at each of their names, an indication of which name belongs to who. Neither of them react besides a quick flicker and notation in their eyes. "Those aren't your real names, are they?" the samurai queries in turn, sounding almost hesitant.

Superman shakes his head. "No. Just…codenames, on the field. The nature of our work is both public and dangerous, meaning that most of us cannot have public identities for the sake of protecting those we interact with in our civilian lives."

"Like in a comic book?" He sounds skeptical.

"Yes. Like that." So they have comic books in their world? Interesting. "Might I ask what your names are?"

The green-haired man mulls over the question for a bit, before sighing and giving a short nod. "Zoro. Roronoa Zoro."

Family name first. It should have been obvious from their clothing, but I guess their world's culture is a mixture of our world's eastern and western ones. "And you?" Superman asks the other swordsman, meeting his sharp, golden gaze.

There is a long moment as the man refuses to say anything, just staring at them with those unsettling eyes of his. As it stretches on, most of the JL are starting to get uncomfortable, until someone audibly clears his throat. They look to see it is Zoro, who is now crossing his arms himself and giving his companion a pointed look.

A silent battle of wills commences, before Zoro gestures with his head, telling the man to speak. The man blinks, only once, before glancing back at Clark, his expression dismissive but casual. "Mihawk. Dracule Mihawk."

Wally snorts. John elbows him in the ribs. Everyone else has enough self-control not to react to how a guy with an obvious vampire motif has a family name of Dracule.

"You said something about us being from another world?" Zoro asks, ignoring the byplay and getting things back on track.

Diana steps forward. "Yes. The woman you saw before your… clash, her name is Morgaine le Fay. An ancient sorceress that has lived for over a thousand years seeking to conquer the world with her son as its king. As her latest scheme to achieve that, she had decided to create a new army to fight us and summoned you two from your world to be two of its generals."

Both men scowl fiercely upon hearing that. "Like hell," Zoro snarls. "There's only one man I will ever follow, and it sure as hell isn't some pansy-ass brat in a dress still trailing after his mother."

Mihawk doesn't say anything, but it is clear he shares Zoro's distaste.

"You wouldn't have had a choice," Diana explains, a little gently. "She intended to magically bind you to both her son Mordred and to her. Luckily, you two turned out to be much stronger than she expected. Your duel scared her off and by the looks of it she's fled."

"And how certain are you that she will not come back for us?" Mihawk questions, finally deigning to speak a full sentence.

"We do not," J'onn admits, "But it is likely she will not be trying anytime soon, if ever. And even if she does, we have methods to prevent her from succeeding. For the time being, however, I assume you two want to get back to your world?"

Zoro nodded immediately and vigorously. Mihawk follows not long after with a small nod of his own.

"Then come with us," Superman suggests, holding out his hand. "We'll help you to the best of our abilities."

The younger of the two swordsmen observes him for a long while, eyeing him, assessing him. There's something in that gaze of his that is dark and demonic, but there's also something lighter in there too, something softer, kinder. After a moment of appraisal, he reaches out and takes Clark's hand and gives it a firm shake. "Alright. Hawk-Eyes?" He speaks the last word to his companion, glancing back at the older man.

Mihawk's gaze, if anything, is even more judgemental. He doesn't just look at Clark, he looks at all of them. Whatever he's searching for, they can't tell — but he seems to have found it, judging by the small, brisk nod he gives.

After that, it's almost elementary. The two hardly blink when they're told to join Flash and Batman as they're carried by one of GL's bubbles, only showing mild interest at the man's abilities but otherwise relatively unfazed. Ironically, it's when the group gets to the Javelin that either of the men shows anything close to something resembling surprise.

"What is that?" Zoro inquires in slight wonder as he stares up at the metal contraption. Mihawk remains silent, but even his wide eyes cannot be hidden.

"A plane," this time it's Wally who answers, before anyone sensible can stop him. "You guys don't have planes?"

"What can it do?" the swordsman further questions, ignoring and yet implicitly answering the speedster's own query.

"Fly."

And just like that, the excitement deflates in both men. "Oh," Zoro sounds almost disappointed at the answer. Flight, apparently, wasn't really a big thing where they came from.

"It can also fly into space!" Wally hurriedly adds, and just like that the interest returns.

"Huh," Zoro mutters, looking at the 'plane' with new eyes, "Like that Enel guy and his Ark Maxim."

Wally has no idea who 'Enel' is and what an 'Ark Maxim' is, but he agrees nonetheless. Mihawk is already following the others into the ship, and it's not long before both men follow, with Wally happily and animatedly chatting to Zoro about all the features of the Javelin has while the man listens attentively.

As far as first meetings go, they've all been through worse.

Current plan is to update every Monday and Friday. Depending on how much I can get written, that may change to just Fridays.

Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter, and the fight between Zoro and Mihawk. Yes, Zoro has the Shodai Kitetsu now instead of the Sandai Kitetsu, though how that happened won't be revealed until later. You can expect these two to spar frequently throughout the story (I can already think of two more clashes within the next fifteen chapters or so). You know how these two are, after all.

Now, we get to the Watchtower, and into the plot!