...
I idly twirled the spoon inside the cup of coffee, my head tilted as it laid on my free hand, my gaze focused on the magazine before me. A cover that held a list of all the most well-known superheroes.
I had no intention of joining their ranks, nor any intention of joining their rogue gallery's and the best way to do that would be to know what I was up against.
Truth be told, I wasn't entirely sure if I even wanted to stay on this planet as it was. According to the memories, 'I' tended to spend an inordinate amount of time on the planet, all the while straining to make each world a better place, with no true incentive for myself.
It was Aizen Sosuke that had gone down as one of the greatest Shinigami in his history, all 'my' soul had to show for it was whatever crap Gremmy had installed onto it- amongst other things.
It was Doflamingo that had reaped all of the glory that 'I' had helped put in motion, and all I'd gotten out of it was knowledge on strings, and Haki, and a very unfortunate urge to diabolically laugh at inopportune moments.
Most would've jumped at that chance- Except, considering the ninja world adventure, it had wound up being one of 'my' main Achilles heels, given it had led to a large number of death-wishing dumbasses obtaining it themselves.
Haki, unlike most powers, tended to be rather indiscriminate in its scaling.
My tenure as... Kira was... Well. I wasn't sure whether to call it a blessing or not- On the one hand, it had amounted to a sandbox of cathartic release- On the other, it was downright horror-inducing on the mental state. Death Notes really weren't objects one ought to fuck with. Ryuk hadn't been kidding about the cost to using them- Though in hindsight, 'I' had taken it rather too far when I'd boot-strapped the things at the Shinigami themselves.
'My' tenure as Danzo Shimura, despite the aforementioned heel, might've been the most... Balanced one? And given it had involved marrying a psychopath, said quite a bit on the matter. Regardless, in the end, it had literally gone down in one fuck-off moment of destruction.
None of that, however, compared to 'my' tenure as Sirius Black. Which, in hindsight, based on the end result of that life... I wasn't sure if I ought to be glad to be nothing more than copy, with the benefit of not going through it. Still... One thing I know for a fact was that Sirius Black really screwed the pooch, for me, when he failed to bother figuring out how to transfigure gold from everyday things. Would've come in rather handy. Freakin' spoiled brat.
It was part of why I'd had to spend the past hour at a pawnshop, repairing random shit for a stranger for some quick cash.
Though at the very least, I knew how to obliviate.
Wouldn't have been a good idea to leave a civilian with the knowledge I was running around- A member of the Justice League was frankly bad enough. Though I imagine that owner was very confused about waking up to a literal brand new shop, filled with brand new merchandise, and a very empty cash register.
I idly waved a hand in the negative the moment one of the waitresses decided to make another round towards my table- In the furthest corner of the cafe, despite not having waved her over. I ignored the pout on her face, as I let out a sigh in the process.
If she thought constantly irritating me was going to get her a good tip, then she really needed better training.
In the end, all of those memories were mere copies of the originals. Not mine in truth... But they certainly painted a clear picture.
Being a hero meant dealing with a temporary headache based on the safety and security and goddamn mood of everyone around oneself. Hopes, dreams, and happiness were all a freaking bonus that came once on a blue moon when everyone, from enemies, to civilians, to even teammates, was goddamn asleep.
And being a villain, no matter the outcome, meant dealing with a rumbling migraine etched into one's fuckin' psyche.
And frankly, I wanted nothing to do with either.
But then, that didn't leave too many options, did it? I was a glorified, two-day-old clone without prospects in a world where the slightest red flag meant getting punted into either side of the law, with no in-between.
Physically, given the botched defense measure system 'I' had gone for, I was just younger than the original life 'i'd been born with had been. You know, before it was eaten up by a fuckin' shark of all things. Mentally, I had the memories of an off-and-on psychotic lunatic that had gone through the full emotional spectrum of the lantern force.
If I was a DnD character, I might as well have just rolled 0 on the chaotic alignment.
The point being: I didn't really understand how DnD worked. Never played it. Me, or the dumbass I was based on-
The sound of the cafe's bell tolling idly caused my gaze to turn towards the entrance, my eyes briefly closing and opening as a sigh came out at the sight of Zatanna walking through it. The... Teen? Based on the school uniform- Because of course, Zatara would send his daughter straight back to class following a traumatic event, idly scouring the cafe, completely ignoring the waiters, as she locked onto me.
I idly took a sip of the coffee, grimacing in the process, as said heroine-in-training walked up towards my booth before taking a seat, albeit somewhat hesitantly.
"...You're not very hard to track." She eventually started with.
I calmly put the coffee down.
"I wasn't trying to hide."
"You would've gone more than twelve blocks if you were..." She pointed out.
Annd that was about as much small talk as I could take.
"Zatanna. I am, more or less, a walking, talking, nuke currently having an identity, existential, and frankly every crisis in between because of your father." I locked gazes with her. "So unless he has a really good reason for trying to set me off, I recommend letting me drink my coffee in peace."
Kudos to the girl, barring the mild gulp she took in, her gaze didn't waver.
"My father didn't send me."
I blinked, idly taking another sip of coffee.
"Actually, he doesn't even know I am here."
I held up a single hand.
"If you're here to ask me to teach you how to make reality bend over backward- Don't. I am not up for it."
Zatanna in response, simply frowned, bemusement coloring her features for a moment before she shook her head. "That's not what I am here for... I just want to apologize."
I blinked again.
"For what?
"My father... The spell? He was just worried- and I didn't really think it'd be a good idea to throw you out- And..." She bit her lip, her hands visibly shaking on the table as she closed them into a grip, before she shook her head.
I let out a scoff.
"Please. your father had no intention of that- He was going to poke his nose where it didn't belong regardless."
Something flashed across the girl's eyes at the words before she begrudgingly nodded. "He was just concerned... He still is... Which is why he's gone to the others-"
"Others?" I immediately cut in. "As in the Justice League?"
She nodded again.
"And you're here to warn me because..? I can't imagine your father would be too happy about-"
"He went because he's scared of what you can do- He was so pale after you disappeared-"
"That doesn'-"
"Please don't kill him." She let out, her eyes closing as her head tilted downwards.
I raised an eyebrow at the request, idly humming a tune. "What makes you think I can?"
Her gaze rose up, and for the first time since she'd gotten here, I finally noticed the fact there was genuine panic in her eyes. "Because... You're not scared at all..."
"Maybe I can talk my way out?" I remarked, idly picking up the spoon and staring into my reflection on the back of it.
"...They're not the type to listen... To what they don't understand... Especially magic- My father's one of their experts on the matter, and he doesn't understand you at all."
"Yes, I imagine it's very hard to understand reality-warping as a dyslexic spellcaster." She didn't react to the words. "You're revealing a lot about them."
"I am asking for a lot."
"Because he put me in this situation."
She nodded wordlessly to the words, as I let out another sigh, before locking gazes with me. "...What would it take?"
"You really think I could win?"
"...You don't have to win..."
"You're very observant for your age, you know that?"
"Villains don't usually care about winning..." She elaborated. "They just care about-"
"Revenge." I took in a pause, watching as her expression seemed to twist the slightest. "Tell me, do you think I am a villain?" Her awareness of the situation she'd walked into finally taking hold of her as she started avoiding eye contact, looking everywhere but my way.
"...Are you?"
"I'd like to think I am not." I shrugged, watching as her gazes darted back to my own. "I'd also like to believe that the Justice League would want to hear me out- Given the alternative," At the look Zatanna's expression took over, I let out a snort. "Oh, I don't mean fighting them, little witch." I gave off a humorless smile. "There's more than one way to take down a society of heroes- And sometimes, words are all you need." Confusion and bewilderment for a brief moment took over the girl's face as I slowly raised my gaze towards the ceiling.
"Isn't that right, Clark?"
...
Hope You Enjoyed! Don't Forget Feedback!