(Here's the next chapter guys.)
Chapter 5: Great Gratitude
(Watchtower, a few days later)
Drew is in the training room. Several moving targets are swiftly flying around the room. The ninja keeps his sharp eyes on the targets, carefully studying where the targets are moving. Suddenly he throws several shuriken in several directions at the same time. The projectiles hit their marks, each on the bull's-eyes of the targets. Drew stood up, eyeing the targets. He heard it before it happened, several whooshing sound were heard. Arrows found their marks on the targets within seconds.
"Not bad, you're pretty good with those." A familiar voice said.
Drew turned and nodded to the young woman. Tigress smiled at him and walked over to the targets and pulled out her arrows. She took off the shurikens, carefully avoiding the sharp edges of the projectiles.
"Catch!" Tigress said, throwing the shurikens.
Drew caught each of them, one after another, without little effort or strain. He then put them away in the part of his robes which housed the weapons.
"Good reflexes." Tigress said, genuine surprise in her voice.
"Thanks. Come to train?" Chaos Chimera asked.
"Sure. Think you can handle it?" Tigress chuckled.
"I'm not as good in combat as you, but it'll be good practice." Chaos Chimera said.
Tigress raised an eyebrow in confusion, but nodded. They walked to the arena area. The two faced off against one another on opposite sides. Tigress smirked as she aimed an arrow at Drew. His calm stare caught her off guard, despite his calm demeanor there is something wild in his eyes. The ninja bowed to his opponent then stood erect. He raised his arms, one hand forward and the other drawn back slightly. He also spreads he legs some slightly, taking a stance to leapt at any moment. His eyes lock with Tigress. She fires an arrow, but Drew catches the arrow then twists around then throws it back. Tigress ducks under the missile then fires again, with three arrows launched from her bow. Chaos Chimera dodged to the sides, twisting his body to where his side is facing the archer rather than the front or back of his torso, evading each of the missiles back to back.
'Damn it.' Tigress grunted in her mind.
Drew stood calm, awaiting her next move. Tigress rushed forward, firing several arrows back to back. The ninja threw up his arms from the elbows up, back to back snapping the arrows in half as they hit his arms. Tigress shouted as she jumped forward, kicking out with her right foot. The ninja slid under her attack and quickly stood up. Tigress grunted as she leapt back at him, swinging her bow at Drew. The ninja dodged to the sides as the archer swung her bow at him again and again. Suddenly he caught the bow then swiftly swept her feet from under her. Tigress grunted in surprise as she fell to the ground, but the ninja caught her in his arms.
"Well…it seems you won." Tigress chuckled, a bit disappointed by the result.
"It's over already?" The ninja asked.
Tigress laughed as the ninja put her down. The archer latched her bow onto her back. She turned to the ninja.
"I didn't come here just to train…I came to say thank you for what you did." Tigress explained.
Drew cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"You saved my niece and mom a few nights ago." Tigress said.
"Your niece?...The little girl." Drew gasped.
"Yeah, thank you for saving them." Tigress said, a warm, grateful smile on her face and hugged him.
She released him from her embrace. The shapeshifting ninja nodded, blushing under his mask.
"How are they doing" Drew asked.
"Ok, but mom's still pissed that the guy who tried to rob them was gonna call her a…you know. I've heard from Robin that the guy said some 'things' that explained why my mom's paralysis." Tigress said.
Drew growled angrily. Tigress's eyes widened in surprise.
"Sorry." Drew said.
"It's fine…it's just…something about when you growl, snarl, etc…it's unnerving. When I say something like that, it definitely means something." Tigress said.
The ninja's presence and even the sounds he makes creates uneasiness.
"Oh, I heard it from him myself. I threatened him myself, he cowered before me. I also mentioned you'd pay him a visit." Tigress said.
"Want me to?" Drew asked.
"No, he's already terrified. He wasn't too thrilled to how you reacted when he disrespected mom." Tigress said.
"Let's just say I don't exactly tolerate disrespect to women." Drew replied.
Tigress laughed, amused by the shapeshifter's statement.
"Wow, that's something you don't hear everyday." Tigress chuckled.
"Well a woman was the first one to ever show me any kindness." Drew stated.
"True. Still, I'm surprised you have such respect for women." Tigress said.
"I owe my freedom and my life to a woman." Chaos Chimera replied.
"True. That's a deep sense of gratitude and loyalty." Tigress said.
"Well when you've experienced nothing but torture, pain, agony, fear, and despair all your life…one small act of kindness can go a long way." Chaos Chimera explained.
Tigress nodded. She didn't understand what the ninja had went through, she couldn't comprehend everything he'd experienced before he'd even met the mystery woman.
"Still, I wanted to thank you for what you did. I'm going to see them later. Do you…?" Tigress said.
"Thanks, but I don't want to intrude." The ninja said.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
The ninja nodded.
'This is between them. It's her family, I don't believe I have any true position in this.' Drew sighed in his mind.
(Gotham City, hours later)
Artemis is enjoying time with her family, her mother and niece watching TV. From a rooftop across the street Chaos Chimera watches over them. He smiles under his mask. Then his ears and nose twitch as his hearing and sense of smell detect something. He turns around, but there is nothing there. He jumps in the direction of what his senses detected. From a bit of a distance away, a feminine figure watches the ninja from the shadows.
"So he is the one? How interesting." The woman spoke, curiosity in her voice.
The ninja turns in her direction and sees a figure disappearing into the darkness. He raises an eyebrow beneath his mask in curiosity.
To be continued…