Trainingc2

Training

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used that you may be familiar with, they are all owned by DC comics. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes rather than profit. I earn nothing from its creation or display.

If you want to display this anywhere but on Fanfiction.net please ask, I don't mind but it's nice to know.

This is my first attempt at fanfiction, I'd be grateful to any reviewer who posts a message or e-mails me, all constructive criticism is appreciated, I have a pretty thick skin, and I would like to improve my writing skills. Thank you. eclectic-adam.

Hi, I've never kept up with any comic all that well, but trying to find the spelling for Ra's al Ghul name, I came across the cover and synopsis for Azrael: Agent of the Bat 50# where Batman does supply a new costume, I didn't know about this when I started writing (great minds think alike.lol) So my fanfic would have to occur before this comic. Any idea where I can get info or images of the new Azrael?

Specks of dust weaved in and out of the artificial light on their journey to the floor. They rushed away from Jean Paul Valley's fast flowing body as his exercises displaced the air. Watching him warm up, literally took my breath away. His sword never seemed to be in any less than three places at any one time, never did he cease moving smoothly from posture to posture, defence to attack and back again. His speed, the very fact that something so vital and alive was juxtaposed against the dead background of this decaying warehouse made him stand out.

The silence between us was becoming uncomfortable, the air growing heavier by the second; our relationship had never been particularly friendly. At times it had even become downright hostile, but that was between Azrael and Nightwing, not Jean Paul and Dick. To someone who doesn't maintain two separate identities this distinction may not seem to make any sense at all. We few with alter ego's that remain unknown to the world at large, behave differently according to whichever role we are playing. Sometimes the two can overlap but in Jean Paul's case Azrael was in many ways a totally different entity, I know that they share the same body and skills but that's where there similarities diverge.

Azrael is subject to the system, he is not nearly as autonomous as he can sometimes appear to be, as St. Dumas' very own angel of death he is fuelled by rage and leashed via his preconditioning, where as Jean Paul can perform as his own man. Batman has tried to curb the actions of Azrael but it's only when Jean Paul is in control that he succeeds. Thinking about it, maybe our family isn't the most conducive place for his recuperation but we're unwilling to unleash him upon the world again and more importantly he has expressed a desire to stay. I hope that these few nights we spend together can ease the strain that I usually feel under when going into action with him. It becomes very hard to focus on your own task when you fear what an ally might do to the enemy or to himself. It's a sad statement of fact that Jean Paul suffers the company of so many personal demons, who are his alone to fight. In some ways I really feel that he is more alone in his struggle than Batman has ever been.

As Jean Paul stops practising the sweatmarks on his t shirt become a lot clearer, we're both wearing sweatclothes, because I thought that keeping it a little bit informal and out of costume had seemed like a good idea. Shouting "catch" I threw him a cold bottle of water, he leapt up, cleanly decapitated the bottle and caught it before performing a textbook landing and pouring the contents onto his head. His smile was clear as he shook off the excess and whatever the tension that existed between us seemed to fade as I applauded his display and we started to laugh together. I felt a lot more comfortable now, Azrael does not laugh, Jean Paul on the other hand is learning to.

Honestly I didn't think that Azrael had been allowed any release within Jean Paul for the last few months except in the briefest of mid battle seconds. I don't know what the consequences of this are for Jean Paul, assuming the Azrael costume but not his persona, is in some ways a good thing. It shows that he is coming to terms with himself, but bottling such a demon could prove even more dangerous than allowing it out.

I'm not the only one in our family who would like to see Jean Paul take up a new costume. It is not something that we openly discuss because it has to be his decision, changes of costume are very significant, my history has taught both me and Bruce that this is true, so has Azrael's past. A costume says a lot about who you are I could never be comfortable in Batman's cowl because its not who I am, the associations that go along with the costumes we wear make our reputations. You don't want to wear the persona of another man unless you have to. The armour that Azrael currently wears is sharp edged and proclaims that he is out to do grievous violence, the gold and red colouring suggests his superiority and arrogance. Watching him move outside of it is a humbling experience because Jean Paul is so amazingly lithe but when he is inside the armour he terrifies even me. I know for a fact that Alfred who despises Azrael has several more appropriate designs worked out in the Batcave's computer, out of his growing affection for Jean Paul.

The warehouse that we stand in was a recent acquisition of Wayne enterprises, it had a good security system installed and would soon be put to legitimate use but for the next three nights it was to be our studio. There was more than enough room for our purposes, and we had seven sword wielding automated mannequins standing inactive but ready for use against the western wall.

Jean Paul was quick to reposition my stance as I held the katana for the first time; my previous experience with blades did not extend beyond the sabre and rapier. I'd never taken to bladed weapons, they didn't hold interest for me, and I saw them as a tool for the fatal combat that I had been trained to avert. Mimicking the moves that Azrael made with his blade I tried to become as comfortable with this length of metal as he seemed to be, I could see the grace in his moves. I'd always admired the beauty possible in swordplay but never aspired to an art that ended so regularly in one combatant's death. Azrael's association with blades had always seemed appropriate, considering that apart from Batman the best blade fighters I knew were all killers, Azrael, Ra's al Ghul and Lady Shiva.

With my very basic skills and Jean Paul's hard, fast and efficient teaching methods I became proficient with many types of edged weapon in the first night. Or at least that's what I thought as dawn broke and he stopped the lesson allowing me to catch my breath, I don't care how fit you are, hours of intense training has to takes its toll. As Jean Paul handed me a towel he gave me a slice of humility "Dick you are a talented young man but swordplay does not come naturally to you, you lack the fluidity that you exude whilst performing acrobatics or fighting with blunt weapons." As I tried to control the smile that I knew would be breaking out upon my face he continued "You'll never be an expert but under my wing you may place in the top hundred fencers on earth if we continue your lessons regularly after these three days have elapsed."

How could I help but laugh deep and long, he spoke so sincerely, so seriously that his next comment made me laugh until I cried, "I'm sorry Dick but its true, you need more training and you will never be the best". It took Jean Paul a couple of heartbeats but he joined me in the laughter, we both knew I was never here to become the best, and I think he cried not from laughter but the realisation that I was here for him as much as I was for myself. With emotions running as high as the adrenaline Jean Paul excused himself "until tonight Dick Grayson, farewell".