I OWN A SHOE! FEAR ME!
They walked slowly down the street, not bothering to keep to the sidewalk. No one would be out tonight.
The news had flashed through this sector of the city. And, judging by the cop car that stopped behind them before pulling a hard u-turn, they would not be bothered tonight.
No one would stop them.
Other gangs had sent out their best fighters as well Shockers and Leaguers stood united for once against the threat of the Ravens. Even a few of the smaller gangs had joined up, mingling quite well on the new common ground.
Clark had given his little speech before they left John's apartment. And it always ended the same way.
They would come home together or not at all.
Skive was a good leader. No, he was the best around. He had organized his men into well placed teams. He knew the League would be bringing back up and he knew that he should as well.
His six best were around him, getting ready in their own ways. Each as unique as the Big 7.
First there was Tira, a beautiful woman, whose skills with daggers were unmatched.
Hammer, who, like his name suggested, dealt blows that were strong enough to knock a person out in just one hit.
Cliff, another beefed up brawler just like his brother Hammer but with speed to back it up. He could take hits and just as easily dish them back out.
Then there was Jay, a former Joker who used small homemade weapons to trick and taunt his opponent. His shrill laugh was more then grating.
The last two were not as outstanding as the others, but their cruelty and fight skills could not be denied.
Rick and Tobias were mean sons of bitches.
"It's almost time. You think they're gonna show, Cliff?" Hammer asked his brother, flexing a muscle needlessly.
"Don't be in such a hurry to get your ass handed to you."
Wally was standing a little ahead of the Big 7, cracking his knuckles and smirking at the Ravens.
Rick matched his smirk, almost happy to see he didn't break the feisty teen completely yet. He wanted to have a good victory party.
Skive smiled a twisted grin, and set his eyes down on Clark.
"Finally. I suppose you don't remember me…do you?"
Clark shrugged in his black shirt, meeting his eyes,
"Can't say I do."
Skive's sickly colored sick, glowed as he took a step out of the darkness of the corner and stood in the center of a strong warehouse light.
"You killed my brother."
He watched the looks of surprise and disbelief pass across the League's faces.
"Buddy, I think you got the wrong guy. Superman doesn't kill." Wally told him, bluntly making up his mind in a second and standing closer to Clark and John.
Rick bristled as he saw John put a hand on Wally's shoulder but remained quiet out of fear of Skive.
"Oh, but he did, pretty boy." His gaze never left Clark, "He did."
John narrowed his eyes, "Care to explain how?"
"You're the reason the Ravens exist, Clark. Perhaps, if I wasn't going to kill you, I'd thank you."
Now the other Leaguers blinked, looking towards one another for confirmation of the news.
It was Diana who spoke first, "The Ravens and Aces were made from a split in the Phoenix's gang. It's not Clark's fault."
"Oh, but it is," Skive started in the same manner as his other answer, "Clark killed the only one who could keep the peace, my brother was very good at keeping us altogether."
His eyes gleamed and his hand shot down to his pocket. "Now Mr. Kent, you die."
The gun went off with a crack and it took a split second for the Leaguers to realize he had fired above them.
"It was a distraction." Bruce announced as Skive's fighters rushed forward, each lining up with a rival.
Clark said nothing, his mind still racking itself to try to figure out what Skive was talking about. Then it hit him, along with the fist of a 280 pound Raven.
"No day dreamin' Kent!" Tobias shouted as ran by, heading for Diana.
Hammer had joined up with Jay, kicking and jabbing at Bruce, who hadn't even been given the chance to retaliate yet.
Bruce smiled wickedly as Jay's firecracker grazed too close to Hammer's arm. They weren't used to fighting with each other yet.
John had Cliff by the upper arms and both men were circling around, trying to get the upper hand in the battle. John pushed more weight into Cliff, but the other man was no fool and he kicked out into John's knees, forcing the man to let go or be crippled.
John took a step back, his face serious and his eyes seemed to glow. Cliff smirked before charging him again.
Shayera took one step back for every two she took forward as she swung her pipe sideways and downward as she attempted to hit Tira without getting caught by her twin daggers. Tira's grace matched Shayera's on the cat walk, she ducked and dodged efficiently and with style, taunting her opponent with small whispers of words not meant for children's ears.
Shayera, on the other hand, was a one woman wrecking crew, smashing at everything and anything to get at Tira; her taunts weren't whispered by screamed out in pure fury as the agile woman continued to evade her.
J'onn was a sturdy fighter. He made no unnecessary movements as he blocked Cliff's furious punches. The bigger man giving up on fighting while Jay was still around.
"I can't believe I had to settle for the old man!" He yelled, trying to cover his surprise that he had yet to land one blow on J'onn.
J'onn went smoothly underneath a feint and was moving right into the path of the man's true left hook, but without another delay he stepped to the side and out of it's path.
"How…how the hell did you dodge that?"
"You're just that easy to read." Was his calm reply.
Wally had knocked Skive towards Clark with a grimace as he hands came into contact with the man.
"Eww…"
"Aw, I thought you liked touching men, Wally."
"That's not a man, that's a nasty…" He paused and thought about his answer, "I do not!" He growled.
Rick smiled at him.
"Of course you don't." He walked slowly towards the teen, gazing at him up and down, lingering where he pleased.
Wally shot him a look of disgust.
"I'd watch it Rick. You don't have any buddies this time to help you…your ass is mine."
"Yours still is."
Wally charged him and Rick shot out a fist, but Wally, ducked under him, slamming his elbow into his ribs.
Rick took a step back, clutching his chest,
"Learned a new trick, eh?" he wheezed.
All kindness seemed to leave Wally's eyes and he got into a fight stance.
"Yeah. You could say that."
Clark watched Skive as the man inched towards him.
"I remember your brother. But I didn't kill him." Clark said quietly, trying to vainly reason with the man. Skive twisted his face into a smile once more.
"Oh, you did."
Clark sighed.
He remembered Skive's brother.
A tall, bronzed man, a deep contrast to the pale one. He had been smart and people liked him. He could've left the streets in an instant if he wanted to. But yet, he remained, for what reasons Clark did not know.
But he did know that the man rivaled him in power and he had squared off quite a few times with the Phoenix.
The last time they fought however, had been a dark night.
Rain drenched the warriors and visibility was low.
There was so much noise and confusion.
Bruce had been hurt.
John was fighting off more then his fair share.
Diana was trying to help Bruce.
And Wally had been knocked silly.
Clark knew he couldn't spend time fooling around.
"Sorry, Jeriko." He muttered his mouth filling with rainwater as he spoke.
Jeriko nodded but did not release his grip.
"Sorry Clark. Orders, you know."
Clark had pushed him.
Not hard, mind you, but with enough force to make him walk into the street, where he was struck down by a car, whose passengers had been in a hurry to get out of the area when they saw the brawl.
Jeriko died on that night. And Skive had forever marked Clark for it.
The fights were getting vicious, each side low on energy and taking lashes right and left. John had slammed Cliff into the cement floor, striking the back of his head with his heel.
He wavered a bit in his stance, his hand going to cover a deep knife wound he now carried.
"Damn." His vision went blurry and he prayed that it was only the dizziness that made it look like Cliff was getting to his feet.
A blow into the wound proved him wrong.
Cliff's nose was broken and he was breathing heavily from his mouth, coughing out the blood his actions took in. He could feel the small bits of bone mixing around his nasal cavity and cursed.
"I…" He swayed more violently then John and crashed onto his side, jogging the wound and hissing.
Shayera saw John drop to his knees a few seconds after Cliff did.
"John!" She cried out, not tearing her eyes from Tira.
"Missing your boy, bitch? Don't worry, I'll see to him next." She winked lustfully and kicked Shayera in the jaw.
Shayera smiled though the attack, Tira had made her last move. She rolled her head back in the same instant she swung her pipe to the side, catching the dagger wielding woman in the neck.
Tira could not even choke out a cry as the bones in her neck cracked on one side and the force of the impact with the ground shattered them completely.
Her eyes, once cold and dark were now glazed over in a manner that could only prove she was dead. Her tongue was lolled out of her mouth and her inhalation had stopped completely.
Shayera dropped her weapon and ran for John.
J'onn watched as Hammer over swung yet again and gave him a push in his back as he stumbled past him.
"Stop this. You cannot win now." J'onn told him sagely, eyeing the man's over exerted body with a small frown.
"I can! I will!"
"Why?"
Hammer froze, "I…I owe it to Skive."
"Are you sure?"
The Raven's mind was jumbled from his battle and he focused on nothing as he glanced around at everything.
"I am…no…maybe?" He looked at J'onn for some conformation of his answer, but the man was stoic.
"TELL ME!" Hammer roared. J'onn smiled sadly. People were so easy to read.
He decided it was now time to end the battle. And with elegance, he struck Hammer with his fist, sending the confused and enraged fighter towards the ground.
Hammer felt his spirit leave him as he fell. He stole a glance up at the Leaguer standing above him,
"…what are you?" He gasped out, before closing his eyes to the limited darkness.
J'onn did not answer him, instead he picked up his jacket and medical bag which he had placed on the ground and walked towards his friends.
Bruce ducked behind another supply of crates as sparks flew all around him,
"Come out of the dark Brucey! What are you, a bat?"
Bruce clicked his teeth together to bite back the reply he longed to give.
He could feel the heat, even from his position, and knew that one wrong move could mean an end to his billionaire play boy appeal.
"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Jay was walking around the crates, ready to throw his weapon at a moment's notice. But, as he rounded the box corner, his prey was gone.
"What? Where did he go?" He yelled to himself, looking right then left in anger at losing Bruce. Where could the man have gone?
He froze when he heard a flutter above him.
Bruce Wayne threw back the black cover he had hidden under, dropping down on the man, the cloak fluttering behind him with an eerie sort of look around it.
Bruce's heel connected with Jay's forehead and the former Joker was knocked into the crate he planned to kill Bruce by with a force he couldn't withstand.
Bruce landed neatly on his feet, the dark cape floating to the ground behind him.
Sometimes it was good to hide in the dark.
Diana was helping J'onn when she saw Bruce emerge from the crates, looking tired, but in one piece.
"Bruce!" She ran to him as fast as her swollen ankle would allow and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank the Gods you're alright."
He gave her a slight smile, conveying his meaning without any words to her.
They held each other for a moment before Bruce pulled away.
"Where's Wally and Clark?"
Diana turned her head to stare at the others. Sure enough, the two were still not present.
"I don't hear any sound of fighting…" She mused, pausing to check again.
Bruce growled low in his throat and looked to the left.
A small side door had been opened and rain, that had been falling unnoticed for moments, was flowing in.
"They're outside."
The five remaining Leaguers all looked towards the door.
"Let's go."
OOO! NEXT CHAP IS THE LAST ONE! O.O OH NOEZ!
WHAT'LL HAPPEN? I DON'T KNOW! GAH! I'M IN SUSPENSE! O.o…ooo wait…I'm typing the dang thing
whoops