Anime hotty lover.18 – I hope this chapter makes up for Itachi's shortcomings last chapter. He does care about her. He just has a funny way of showing it. Their relationship dynamic is so fun to write.
Andresskorskiruiz – I'm glad you liked it!
Brave2000 – I know, I know. But I can't have him breaking all of the villains. I feel like I let him loose a little bit more in this chapter.
Rio Skyron – Here's how Itachi is a suspect; Artemis is the one who brought him on and got him to join The Team. If they suspect Artemis of being a mole, then why wouldn't they suspect the friend she brought with her to The Team? It's more of a guilty by association situation.
1968 – Things will heat up again this chapter for sure. The plot will explain itself fairly quickly.
Keybladelight – I'm definitely continuing the story. You're just gonna have to wait and see if your theory is correct or not.
Lachyfrost – There's nothing wrong with a promise, mate. We all know Itachi is a goody guy, but Itachi has to realize that as well.
Theronjohn325 – Yeah, lol, not my best work. Thanks for pointing that out though. I definitely meant roundhouse kick. I'm defiantly gonna go through the earlier chapter and fix my many mistakes for the sake of future readers. I don't want to leave a bad first impression.
AUfan62 – I'm glad you enjoyed the flashbacks. I wanted to do Itachi's past justice.
Itachi currently had his back against the wall, all avenues of escape were blocked off, and he was facing one of the biggest conflicts if his life. But what could possibly force Itachi into the predicament that he was currently in? Did Penguin suddenly break out and decide to pick a grudge fight with him? Maybe Riddle and he were having a war of the minds as the two geniuses clash for the first time. Perhaps it could be that Bane was sent to kill him by the League of Assassins. Or maybe Joker decided to have a reunion with his soulmate. No, none of these are what had Itachi pinned.
It was his pissed off lover, Carson Collins, who had the former rogue shinobi wondering what to do next as she had him against the wall with a serious look on her face and a raised brow as if Itachi was supposed to know why this was happening. She even used both of her arms to block his path of escape. Sure, he easily could have gotten out of the situation without even breaking a sweat, but he knew that he must have done something wrong to warrant this behavior from her.
She tapped her foot impatiently before speaking, "You really don't know what you did to get here, don't you?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be here. I'd be out front selling masks like how my job dictates I do. Yours too." Itachi dryly responded which got Carson even more annoyed.
"Think back, boy genius. I'm sure it'll hit you eventually." Carson responded. Itachi thought back and eventually figured why she was upset, "The dates…"
"Yes! The dates! You have canceled on our last three dates! The last one, you chose ten minutes prior to the date to inform me that you had some mission to go on. You have to do better, Itachi." Carson complained.
"Killer Croc was threatening to eat a school full of children. I had to get involved. Now the children are safe and Killer Croc has been spending all of his time since being locked away in Arkham regrowing all of the limbs I severed. It couldn't be helped." Itachi responded seriously.
Carson shook her head and let out a sigh of exasperation. She smiled to herself after a few minutes as Itachi wondered where this was going. She looked at him with a warm smile, "Oh, you dork. I know it's your job to help save people. Just don't forget about me. I want you to pay attention to me too…"
"I'm always paying attention to you. That's why we're going to the Botanical Gardens this weekend. Are we done here?" Itachi asked. Carson was excited by this news because it was always her who had to plan out their dates because Itachi normally was indifferent about it. She figured he must really be sorry if he was willing to go as far as to plan out a date over a bust of some crime lord in Gotham.
"Not yet. There are still two more things I have to get through." Carson said mysteriously. Itachi didn't know where she was going with this, "And they are?"
"One is this," Carson suddenly closed the space between the two and kissed Itachi. It was innocent at first, but she started pouring more passion into it after a while. Itachi could feel her body press against him as the kiss got more and more intense. Before things went too far though, Itachi gently broke the kiss as Carson was a little breathless. He could see the desire in her eyes. Itachi was completely shocked by the move, but he did have to admit to liking the kiss.
"I wanted to kiss you since I didn't get the chance because of our canceled date. You're getting more comfortable with this. Maybe you're willing to put a title on us finally?" Carson suggestively asked.
"One day at a time." Itachi responded as he heard the front door open. It meant that customers were inside, "Let's go. Ms. Yumi may be out front but I don't want her having to deal with customers when she has two able bodies working for her."
"Yeah, you're right. I guess making out on the job isn't very professional or productive." Carson said with a hint of disappointment.
Itachi nodded his head before heading to the front. Carson shook her head at him before following him out, 'Maybe if you let me kiss you more often I wouldn't have to do it in such a forceful manner even though we both know you like it. I guess I understand his hesitation. I would be only his second girlfriend ever. But that leads to my second gripe. I have to ask him something serious that could change how we progress towards our future together.'
Ms. Yumi was currently out front in her store as her two employees were 'talking'. She knew that it was more than that based on their relationship, but decided to let young love blossom as it should. She considered Itachi to be like a son and thought what mother could possible hinder their son from finding true love.
'Probably one that has already lost a son in the name of love.' She thought sadly. Ayumi rarely thought back to her previous life before coming to this world. But the closer she got to Itachi, the more it seemed to weigh on her just how much time had passed and everything she sacrificed to get to this point.
She was interrupted in her thoughts when the front door rang signaling that customers were inside. She looked up to see two strong, handsome young men walk into her store. The man with the glasses gave her a friendly smile before he introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Clark and this here is Bruce. Nice to meet you."
"It is nice to meet you young gentlemen as well. Welcome to the Chinatown Mask Shop. Would you like to purchase a mask?" Ms. Yumi kindly asked.
Bruce smiled as he politely declined, "Sorry, already have one that I'm keen to. We actually came here to speak to one of your employees. Itachi is his name."
"Well, what business do you have with Itachi?" Ayumi asked with curiosity.
"We are here to let him know the good news that he has been accepted into the apprenticeship program he applied for. Is he in right now?" Bruce asked.
"Apprenticeship program? I never knew he applied for such a thing." Ayumi responded. Before either of the undercover heroes could make up another lie on the sly, Itachi and Carson walked in. If Itachi was shocked to see them, he didn't let it show. He stayed calm and unreadable like always.
"What are you doing here?" Itachi asked. Carson shook her head at his bluntness, "Didn't your mother teach you any manners? They are customers. How about you greet them with a hello and ask about their day."
Itachi had to try his hardest not to respond not only to her, but to the stifled laughers of Clark and Ms. Yumi, and the smug smile of Bruce as well. Itachi ignored them as he responded for appearance's sake, "Hello, how is your day going?"
"Oh, this is too good." Bruce responded. Clark burst out laughing as Itachi stood there with a blank look on his face and a lightly clenched jaw. He was definitely not amused by any of this. Clark could tell Itachi didn't find this situation as funny as they did and decided to get to the reason of their trip, "You've been accepted into the apprenticeship program that you interviewed for. I just wanted to deliver the news personally and say that I look forward to working with you."
"No thanks." Itachi responded. He knew what this 'apprenticeship' really was about. They came to let him know that he had been accepted into the Justice League. Itachi had no interest in joining them though. Mostly, because he knew that Roy Harper would also be joining the League. Ever since that mission where Batman tipped him off about his suspicions of Harper, Itachi had been wary of the archer. He decided the best course of action would be to watch from afar. In the end, Itachi ultimately preferred the comfort of his friends over that of the League.
"Any particular reason why?" Clark asked with disappointment in his voice.
"No reason in particular. You're free to go if you're not here to purchase a mask." Itachi abruptly responded.
Bruce smiled at his fellow vigilante. He knew that Itachi was playing it close to the vest and respected his decision, "I'm sorry to hear that. Well, the offer still stands should you choose to change your mind."
"I won't." Itachi responded. Clark sighed and took out his wallet. He figured he might as well buy a mask as a way to make up for wasting the store owner's time. Ayumi went to the back and got him a dog mask. He immediately liked it since it reminded him of the dog he owned while growing up on the Kent Farm. Ayumi rung him up and bagged the mask for Clark. Bruce shook his head at how childish his companion could be at times.
"Thank you and come again! It is always great to hear from Itachi's associates. I consider him to be like a son so it was warming to see that he is making such a good impression on people. It makes me so proud of him." Ayumi said to them as Bruce and Clark got ready to leave.
"No, the pleasure is ours for meeting you. And you must be Carson. Itachi tells us so much about you. I think he's quite smitten with you. Do try to help improve his manners please." Bruce said teasingly. Carson had a look of astonishment as she realized something important about one of the customer's identities.
"I thought I recognized you! You're the Bruce Wayne! Y-You're a billionaire! How do you know Itachi?" Carson asked as Clark chuckled.
"Through a friend." Bruce vaguely answered.
"Itachi, how come you never told me that you knew the most powerful man in the city?" Carson questioned.
"I didn't feel it was that important." Itachi responded. Ms. Yumi smiled at her ward before saying her final goodbye to her customers, "Well, it was nice having you in our shop. I learned quite a lot. I hope fate makes our paths cross again."
"I best be on my way. I have an appointment to go to that I cannot miss." Clark said.
"Do hurry and try not to miss it. The thing with appointments is timing. You miss one step and it throws the whole plan off. I do hope to see you all soon." Ayumi kindly said.
"We will. I have to get a mask for my girlfriend that matches mine." Clark said as he motioned for Bruce and him to leave. They walked out the door as the other three watched them leave. Carson and Ayumi were talking about how cool it was that Itachi knew Bruce Wayne, but Itachi had tuned them out. Itachi had a lot to think about with this chance encounter and knowing that the League had accepted him.
Carson saw that her lover was deep in thought and decided to take hold of his hand. Their fingers intertwined together as she looked up at him with a warm smile, "Whatever is on your mind, don't let it ruin the happiness that you've worked so hard to get."
She gave him one last kiss on the cheek before going to the back to count their stock. After she left, Ayumi walked up to Itachi as it was clear something was bothering him. She leaned her head on his shoulder like any mother would and gave him the support she felt he needed. It was moments like this that made Itachi feel the most human. She made him feel like he had a mother again.
Several days after that, Itachi found himself with his teammates in the Hall of Justice. They were there to watch the inaugural ceremony for the newly appointed members of the Justice League. They were also there to greet the newest member The Team, Raquel, aka Rocket.
They all watched as the ceremony began with Superman making his speech. It was important because it could another step towards regaining the trust the League lost after E-Day, "The Justice League was formed for two reasons. First, it was an acknowledgment that no single individual, no matter how powerful, can solve the all of the world's problems alone. And second, to uphold the values of truth, liberty, and justice. That last one's even in the name. These five heroes have sworn to uphold those values."
The five heroes being inducted were Doctor Fate, Icon, The Atom, Plastic Man, and Red Arrow. The entire Justice League had shown up to the occasion to celebrate the new members. Another bit of good news was that the League had allowed Billy to stay on as Captain Marvel. There was only one thing that brought the mood of The Team down.
"I still can't believe you turned them down, Itachi. It's the Justice League! Who turns them down?!" Wally asked.
"I do." Itachi responded as if it wasn't a big deal. When The Team found out he turned them down they all wanted to know why, but Itachi had been mum on it ever since they first asked. It was mostly Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash who were most curious. The others were just glad to keep their friend on The Team with them.
"Who cares? The important thing is that the family is still together." Artemis added. Speaking of family, Zatanna had to sadly watch on as the spirit that had possession of her father's body got accepted into the League. Robin saw how sad she looked and put a hand on her shoulder in support. Someone else had grievances about who was on stage too.
"You know, I was the one who convinced Icon to become a hero in the first place. I should be outside celebrating with him, not hidden away in here like a child." Rocket complained.
"Welcome to our world." Kaldur responded with an understanding smile. She smiled back at him and commented on here might be a few upsides to being stuck down here.
They saw Green Arrow shake Red Arrow's hand and welcome him into the League personally. While Itachi and Artemis couldn't care less about the scene, Robin, Kaldur, and Wally all were ecstatic for him.
"Way to go, Roy!" Wally shouted at the screen.
"At last, he has his wish." Kaldur added.
"The first of us to make it. No one will call him a sidekick anymore." Robin proudly said.
Rocket was confused by their excitement, "Wait. Since when is being a sidekick a bad thing? You sidekicks were my inspiration. And besides, Purple Eye over there didn't have a problem rejecting the League. And he has more respect from the League than any one of us."
Itachi decided to ignore her jab at his eye as he eyed the League on the screen. At first, Raquel thought she really offended him and got scared for a second. It wasn't until M'gann told her that Itachi is usually distant towards people that she began to calm down. She had heard of some of the things Itachi would do to people like putting them into a nightmare world to suffer and wanted no parts of it.
"Don't worry about him. He'll warm up to you eventually. You should have seen when we all first met, I swear the guy…" Robin couldn't finish his thought as his watch began to ring. That signaled to everyone that a mission was to begin.
They all got dressed and got into M'gann's Bioship to head towards the mission. After hours of flight, The Team found themselves in the Smokey Mountains. The reason for the sudden alert was because Robin had a ping go off on a facial recognition scan of Cheshire Cat.
"Are you sure it's her? I mean, are you absolutely positive?" Artemis nervously questioned.
"See for yourself," Robin showed the security footage of the assassin boarding a plane, "Facial recognition confirms that's Jade Nguyen. But you and Itachi have both seen her without her mask. What do you think?"
"It's Jade…Cheshire…"Artemis confirmed.
"Agreed, but that's not important. What she knows and what she is carrying is what's most important. That's the case from back in New Orleans. The one we let slip away. I don't intend on letting that happen again. There also something else that she has that I want." Crow explained.
"Okay, I'm guessing from the mug shot that this Cheshire is the bad guy, but what's so important about that case?" Rocket inquired.
"Remember the Injustice League?" Robin asked.
"And their giant evil plants? Uh, yeah." Rocket answered.
"The Team and the League put them in prison, but their allies still scheme. And whatever is in that containment case seems important to their plans." Aqualad explained.
"We had a chance to grab it in New Orleans but a certain pair screwed up." Wally harshly said as he glared at Artemis and Itachi.
"It's in the past, so drop it. We don't need to bring up old wounds right before a mission." Itachi corrected much to Artemis's relief.
"Of course you're on her side…" Wally muttered to himself. Itachi ignored his comment as he activated his Sharingan.
"Approaching Cheshire's jet." M'gann and the others were shocked to see that the jet had crashed and seemed to be attacked. Itachi stayed focus despite the scene, "There seems to be no survivors, but be careful just in case. This is the perfect scenery to spring a trap in."
They went on foot to investigate the scene, hoping to find any clues on who might have done this and where they might have been heading to. Wally wondered why Homeland Security wasn't all over this, but Robin explained how Cheshire being identified was a League alert. The authorities never picked it up and her jet didn't follow the flight plan. It literally flew under the radar. Good thing for them, the Watchtower auto-tracked the jet and recorded the crash.
"Why isn't the League here then?" Rocket asked.
"Because our Boy Wonder has some mighty hacking skills and arranged to get the alert first." Zatanna explained.
"And because of Cheshire and that case represent our unfinished business." Aqualad added.
"This is wrong," Itachi commented as he drew a kunai out. Everyone turned to him to see why he was on the defensive. M'gann spoke first, "What's wrong?"
"A plane fell from the sky and crashed into a mountain. But I have yet to see a single body here." Itachi replied.
"Here's one." They all looked to see Cheshire looking down at them from a mountain cliff, "And it is stunning. Wouldn't you say, handsome?"
Itachi was about to attack her when he heard someone else speak from the distance. He saw that armored men were around the entire mountain top, along with Riddler, Shimmer, and Mammoth.
"I am flora, not fauna. I am foliage, not trees. What am I?" Riddler asked as The Team now had to solve his pointless riddle. He snapped his fingers and pylons rose up from the snow and started emitting a dome like prison that had the heroes trapped. Riddler also insisted that they try to solve his riddle, "Hey, come on, you can get this. I am shrubbery, not grass. What am I? I…"
"Ambush" Crow answered as her tried to figure a way out of this mess.
"Didn't you think we'd be tipped that you were on Cheshire's trail? We're tired of your interference, kiddies. This is the end game. Ordered from above and executed by their master strategist, me." Riddler gloated.
"Miss Martian, is everyone linked?" Itachi mentally asked.
"Yes." She responded.
"Go." Aqualad ordered. The Team dispersed to apprehend all of the gathered villains.
"Ekahs siht ebolgwons!" Zatanna casted a spell that caused a blizzard inside of the dome as the others used it for cover to sneak up on mercenaries. Itachi shot a fireball at a group of them to knock them all away. One came at him with an electric staff, but Itachi easily subdued him via an ax kick and took his staff. Itachi found one of the pylons and threw his staff at it. He used Almighty Push to enhance the power behind the throw and as a result, the staff easily destroyed the targeted pylon. As easy as taking that lone pylon was, Itachi knew that he needed help in order to get the others.
"Superboy, help me take out the pylons!" Itachi requested as he got done using his Timeshadow to reverse time so that a mercenary that he had just took down was brought back to his feet to take an energy blast that was intended for Itachi.
"Give me a second!" Conner said as he went for cover. He took out his container that held his Shields and noticed that it was his last one. He put it on and used its power to help tip the scales. As that was going on, Artemis and Cheshire were fighting amongst each other. Artemis used her arrows while Cheshire used her dual katanas. Cheshire taunted her sister on how it was like old times when their father used to pit them against each other as children.
The rest of The Team were all trying to hold their own, but the sheer numbers of the enemy made it hard. Rocket was blasted with an energy blast from behind and knock out of the sky. Itachi saw this and immediately retaliated by using his Universal Pull to drag the mercenary down to him. Itachi summoned the skeletal fist of his Susanoo and used it to crush the mercenary down to the ground. Even with the snow cushioning his fall, Itachi could still hear the sounds of that man's bones being broken.
Aqualad went to help Rocket as she was still being affected by the energy blast. Just after he helped her though, he was attacked from behind by another mercenary who used his weapons to shift the earth so that Aqualad would sink into the ground. Itachi threw a kunai that had a paperbomb wrapped around it at the assailant. It exploded and sent the man airborne where Miss Martian was waiting for him. She used telekinesis to lift a giant rock and throw it at the man. It knocked him out of the sky and into unconsciousness.
Superboy landed next to a pylon and used his heat vision to melt it down. Right after accomplishing this, Mammoth attacked him from behind and knocked him across the field. Itachi was about to help Superboy out, expect he saw him fly and knock Mammoth out of the sky, which shouldn't be possible since Conner couldn't fly last time Itachi checked.
"How are you flying?" Itachi asked. He was ignored by Conner, whom decided to pummel Mammoth. He threw the villain into the shield and watched him ricochet painfully onto the ground. Superboy flew at him and used his heat vision to blast the villain until he got close enough to unleash a barrage of powerful punches towards him. The result of this was that pieces of the mountain fell as debris unto the unsuspecting people down below.
Itachi saw some of the debris heading towards Artemis and her sister and used his Almighty Push to push Cheshire into Artemis and save them both. Before Artemis could ask why or say thank you to her sister, Cheshire bounced to her feet after revealing that despite being on opposite sides that they were still sisters and she had no desire to see Artemis dead. She also told Artemis to give Itachi a kiss of thanks for her next time.
Itachi and Robin both had eyes on Riddler and Shimmer and threw smoke bombs at them. Once the smoke was dense enough, Robin threw a pair of shuriken that wrapped around Shimmer's body and trapped her arms in a bind. Itachi came up from behind her and suplexed her into a wall behind them to knock her out.
Riddler tried running away, but Zatanna got to him with one of her spells, "Tekcajtiarts!"
A long binding wrapped around Riddler as the man began to panic, "No, no! I am not the straightjacket type. I am strictly Belle Reve, not Arkham."
Itachi walked up to him as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, "I wonder what you're afraid of, Riddler."
Itachi put the man under a genjutsu and in seconds, Riddle fell to the ground screaming in terror. Itachi shook his head while Zatanna had the wraps gag him to stop the screaming. Robin gave Itachi a curious look as they started walking away, "Geez, what's he so scared of?"
"Two things: having his genius eclipsed by another and being punched in the face really hard." Itachi answered.
"Wow, that's it? That's…kinda lame." Robin commented.
"Aren't you scared of-" Robin cut off Itachi before he could finish the sentence, "Okay, okay! Not in front of Zatanna."
Rocket flew up to join the trio, "Is it always like this?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Hguone htiw eht ebolgwons." The snow stopped as all of the villains had been apprehended.
The Team made sure to alert the proper authorities so that the villains could all be transported to prison and decided to head back to The Cave where they knew a reprimand was waiting for them. That didn't matter to them because they were all happy to have another mission completed, all except one. Despite all of the joy of everyone else on The Team, Itachi was deathly silent.
Artemis knew that whenever Itachi got like this it was because he just got some dangerous intel about something very vital was debating whether or not to share it with the others. Too bad for Itachi, when they all got back Artemis was determined to force the information out of Itachi if it came to it.
"Tell me if this sounds familiar. You hacked League systems, disobeyed protocol, and endangered your lives. And your initiative resulted in the capture of three escaped felons, proving Warden Strange runs Belle Reve as a cover for criminal activity. Well done." Batman said with a smile. The Team could believe their ears. The Batman had actually complimented them.
"And then there's this. Biotechnology integrated with some form of nano-circuitry." Batman said as he examined the specimen.
"Though I am unfamiliar with this species, the bio-component is clearly not of Earth." Icon said as he put the specimen back into the case.
"We'll take it to the Watchtower for further study." Batman said as he left to the Zeta-Beam. Icon stopped her uncle before he left out to say her congratulations, "Congratulations on the League thing. Sorry I skipped out,"
"Yes, well, we both seem to have found teams to call our home now." Icon responded. Canary told him that they should go so that they don't miss the League's private induction party. She then turned to address Itachi, "It's still not too late. You can still join the League too, Itachi. We want you."
"My answer is still no." Itachi abruptly said. Canary looked down in disappointment before teleporting with Icon to the Watchtower.
After the pair of heroes left, Itachi addressed The Team, "We were set up. Cheshire and Riddler were tipped about our pursuit and ready for us with a trap."
"Not you too with the mole thing again." Artemis said in frustration. She guessed this was why Itachi was so silent on the way back. Rocket was surprised that this was the first time she was hearing about this mole situation.
"Mole thing? Again?" She definitely wanted answered. Wally explained the situation to her, "We had intel that there was a traitor on The Team."
"Mainly Artemis, M'gann, Itachi, or myself." Conner angrily elaborated.
'And Red Arrow.' Itachi made sure to omit the suspicions of the fifth suspect. Not that he didn't trust his friends, but sometimes he knew that personal relationships tend to blur the line of harsh reality.
"It is more complicated than that. But your recent behavior does concern me. Your attack on Mammoth would have gotten Artemis killed if Itachi wasn't there to save her." Aqualad reprimanded.
Conner didn't have a chance to respond before a high pitched sound mentally rang through his head, meaning that his father, Lex Luthor, was trying to get in contact with him, 'Superboy, I believe you used up the last of your shields. I have more. Meet me outside of Prisca.'
They all were waiting for Superboy to respond when he turned to them with a frustrated look on his face, "There's something I need to do."
Superboy made his way to Santa Prisca to meet up with Lex Luther. When he got to the location he was greeted by not only Lex, but a few of his friends as well, "Welcome Superboy. I'd like to introduce you to my associate, Queen Bee. I believe you know everyone else; Sportsmaster, Mercy, Blockbuster and our new friend, Bane, who's allowed us use of his island in exchange for certain…considerations."
Conner was starting to put two and two together about what was really going on, "So the Injustice League was just a distraction. You two have been behind everything from the start."
"That is a flattering notion, son. But we have many friends. We cannot take all of the credit for this." Lex responded as a helicopter began to descend onto the island.
"Is this one of your friends now?" Conner asked.
"No, my boy. One of yours." Lex answered as the door to the helicopter opened to reveal Artemis and Cheshire inside. Artemis gasped when she saw that Conner was there too.
"Artemis?" Conner said with shock. Artemis walked over to stand by Sportsmaster and Cheshire, "The hero thing wasn't working out. You get how it is over there, no trust. This is where I belong."
"It's a fast growing club." Queen Bee said as the Bioship flew above the island. And from it, M'gann dropped down to join the scene. She also gasped when she saw that not only was her friend in Artemis there, but her boyfriend in Conner was too.
"Why are they here? You promised." M'gann nervously said. Queen Bee didn't have time for her childish insecurities, "I kept your secret and your promise. Now, you keep yours."
"Give me more Shields and I'm in too." Conner said with determination. Lex walked up to him and give him a stern glance before smugly smiling, "My boy. You're a terrible liar. Red Sun."
Conner suddenly went blank and stood there obediently in front of Lex. M'gann looked down sadly as Artemis stepped up to take charge, "What do you want us to do?"
Sportsmaster signaled for Artemis and M'gann to follow him towards the mission. M'gann asked what would happen to Superboy. Queen Bee looked down at her with a vile smile, "He'll be fine. He simply requires a few…adjustments."
Superboy stood timid as he remembered what transpired after his confession to his friends.
(A few hours earlier)
"There's something I need to do. Something I need to tell you. Last month, right after Wrath killed Itachi, I went back to Cadmus and found a few things out. When I was cloned, only half of the DNA was Superman's. The other half was human. That's why I don't have…will never have full Kryptonian powers." Conner revealed.
"You seemed to have them earlier when you were busy caving Mammoth into that mountain." Robin joked.
Conner rolled up his sleeve, "I've been using these. They're called Shields. They suppress my human DNA. I get the flight, the heat vision, but I think I also get really angry when I use them too. More than usual. I'm sorry."
"Where did you get those?" Itachi asked wanting to know who was responsible for this and to also confirm a theory he was developing.
"From my human father, Lex Luthor." Conner revealed. Most of them were shocked by the reveal. Only Itachi saw it coming, 'The intel checks out so far.'
"He's summoned me to Santa Prisca."
Lex ordered Blockbuster to take Conner with them. Artemis reacted fast and shot an arrow at the villain before any of her family members could react. She knew that she couldn't be afraid anymore or else it would cost her dearly. She, too, thought back to the confession she made about her origins to her friends.
(A few hours earlier)
"Ahh, listen. Superboy isn't the only one suffering from bad DNA," She walked over to the monitor to bring up images of Huntress, Sportsmaster, and Cheshire, "My mother is Huntress, an former con. The rest of my family isn't even at the former stage. My dad's Sportsmaster. And he's sending my sister, Cheshire, to fly me to Santa Prisca, too."
"That's why-" Kid Flash started. Artemis knew what he was about to say, "Yeah. I was so desperate to make sure none of you found out."
"I knew about Artemis. It's why I decided to help her. I know a thing about a child wanting to separate themselves from the sins of their family." Itachi revealed. Artemis's reveal also confirmed another part of his theory as well.
"I knew too," Robin revealed. They all looked at him in shock. Though Itachi had his hunches, he could never confirm whether or not Robin actually knew about Artemis, "Hey, I'm a detective. But it never mattered. Just like with Itachi, you are not your family. You are one of us."
She smiled knowing that she had the support of her friends.
Before Blockbuster could get a hold of Superboy he got an arrow to the chest that trapped him in clay to restrict his movements. Artemis then turned her bow towards her family, "Sorry, dad, I wanted to play you like how you tried to play me but I can't let them mess with Superboy's head."
"M'gann, be a dear and take Artemis down." Queen Bee ordered. M'gann did what she was told and used her powers on Artemis to lift her up. She also had a confession back at The Cave.
(A few hours earlier)
"So, uh, who's next?" Wally joked. He didn't really expect for M'gann to be the one to confess next, "I am."
"I swear I was kidding." Wally responded as he held his hands up.
"Queen Bee's been blackmailing me. She wants in Santa Prisca, too." M'gann revealed.
"How has she been blackmailing you?" Itachi asked. Though he had a guess of how. Itachi knew that the one thing that is strong enough to make M'gann go against her friends was the threat of her true identity being revealed. Queen Bee must have discovered it somehow, "It's your true form, isn't it?"
"Yes, she knows my true Martian form." M'gann said with shame.
"What, Bald M'gann? Who cares-" Itachi stopped Robin from making more of a fool out of himself, "That wasn't her true form. She lied to you all."
"What?" Zatanna didn't know a thing about what was going on.
"Itachi is right. That wasn't my true form. I only showed Itachi what I really look like and even that was by mistake. I promised him I'd be honest with myself and wound up chickening out at the last second. I lied to Itachi's face and knew that I had disappointed him so much. Then Wrath killed him and took away my chance at apologizing for that and finally being honest. I thought you had died angry at me and couldn't forgive myself." M'gann revealed as she started crying.
"I was never angry at you. I was sad that you didn't see how much all of us loved you. Your looks don't matter." Itachi responded sincerely.
"I know that now," M'gann then morphed into her true form, a White Martian. Most of The Team gasped at the transformation. She looked like something out of an Aliens movie. Itachi, Aqualad, and Conner were the only ones who kept a straight face and didn't back away from her, "I thought that you would never accept me if you saw what I really am."
"M'gann, did we truly seem so shallow?" Aqualad asked with hurt in his voice.
"I couldn't take the chance. Being a White Martian among the Green on Mars, I endured constant rejection. I couldn't face that from-" She didn't get to finish since Conner interrupted her.
"From me," Conner walked up to her and took hold of her hand in a loving gesture, "I've known since we melded minds back at Bialia."
"But that was before we even became a couple. Why didn't you say anything?" M'gann asked.
"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready." Conner answered understandingly. Itachi was glad that her fears were proven incorrect. Unfortunately, this revelation also confirmed another part of his theory as well.
M'gann used her powers to send Queen Bee back into a tree hard and Artemis used the distraction to shoot an arrow at her criminal family. M'gann let the others know that her part was done, "Queen Bee is down. Superboy, you're safe from her control."
"May not be much of a liar, but I sure fooled you." Superboy said as he walked towards Lex and Mercy.
"And I'm so proud. Who was it that cleaned Red Sun from your mind?" Lex inquired.
"The Crow, that's who! He and Miss Martian were also able to confirm that Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash rescued me from Cadmus before you had time to install any other programming." Superboy revealed.
"All true. Personally, I blame Dr. Desmond." Lex said as Blockbuster broke out of his prison and attacked Superboy by slamming his head into the ground and dragging it across the clearing. Bane and his men joined in as they began firing on the young heroes. Sportsmaster and Cheshire stalked Artemis down with the intention on attacking her.
"You have been a very naughty girl." Artemis knew they were in trouble and signaled the cavalry, "Guys, reinforcement time."
Bane and his mercenaries were then all attacked from behind now that the battle was starting, "Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
A barrage of fireballs was unleashed on the mercenaries. Itachi even had shuriken hidden in the blasts to cut up anyone who had managed to dodge his initial attack. Rocket joined in and also started picking off any stragglers that had escaped. Kid Flash and Aqualad joined in the fight not long after.
Itachi was face to face with Bane as the brute activated his signature Venom serum to make himself stronger, "I will crush you, Crow!"
Itachi back flipped away from a double hammerfist by Bane. The villain caused a crater from his strength alone. Itachi knew that one hit from him would mean instant death, but it also meant that he wouldn't have to hold back so much on the brute. He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and got ready to attack.
Lex went over to retrieve Queen Bee so that they could make their leave. Aqualad stepped in front to intercept their path, "Neither you nor Queen Bee is going anywhere."
"Young man if you expect to detain me, contact my attorney," Lex responded as Mercy morphed her arm into an energy gun and blasted Aqualad away. As they made their escape, Robin and Zatanna were taking out the rest of the mercenaries.
"Ekoms dna srorrim!" Zatanna used her magic to take a mercenary out via a large python. When it wrapped around him, she used her magic to turn the snake into actual bindings. Before either of them could be warned by Itachi, Bane clotheslined both of them from behind. Superboy was also in trouble too as Blockbuster had just got down punching him off of a cliff.
Aqualad tried to chase after Lex and Queen Bee, but the two of them had already made their way into a helicopter that was airborne. Rocket went after it to try and bring it down, but was stopped by missiles. She wanted to try again, but Aqualad stopped her. They needed her more down at the battlefield.
Artemis was being overwhelmed by her father and sister. It was tough with it being a two on one fight, "You know I don't tolerate disobedience, Artemis."
"Sure dad. Jade and I learned that the hard way." Kid Flash sprinted over and tackled Cheshire away from his teammate. He quickly tried going after Sportsmaster too, but was thrown into a tree for his troubles as Artemis rushed in to attack her father.
Robin and Itachi were both currently going up against Bane now. Robin tried a leaping kick to Bane's chest as Itachi went for the villain's back. The result was Robin being thrown into a nearby grounded helicopter while Itachi narrowly avoided being grabbed by Bane as he flipped over the behemoth. Itachi planted a paperbomb on Bane that went off and sent the big man hurdling forward. Itachi then summoned his Susanoo's skeletal fist and had it crush Bane down hard onto the ground.
Bane showed how powerful he was by slowly lifting the skeletal fist off of him. Itachi would have been impressed if it wasn't for the fact the strength was acquired by means of a drug. Just as Bane was about to be free of the skeletal fist, Itachi added muscle and flesh to it and thoroughly crushed Bane.
"That is true strength." Itachi said as began to walk over to the crushed villain. He took a kunai out and slashed where the tubes that contained the Venom that was entering into his body to return Bane back into a normal human. Bane exploded forward with a punch while shouting, "I am still STRONG!"
"Wrong, you are a weak and small man." Itachi said after he caught the surprise punch. Itachi used his kunai to then stab Bane's forearm. Bane screamed as the blade pierced all the way through to the other side of his arm, "Get it out! Get it out!"
"If that's what you want." Bane screamed as Itachi yanked the kunai out. Blood started leaking from Bane's wound. Itachi then used his Timeshadow to bring Bane back to the point to where he was last standing, only he was still suffering from being crushed by Itachi's Susanoo and stabbed by his kunai. He looked back and gave an indignant sigh, "You can have a turn."
Robin came out of nowhere and kicked Bane so hard in the face that he broke the man's jaw, "Serves you right, creep. Thanks for the assist, Crow."
"Geez, I don't know what scares me more; Crow when he beats villains down with illusions or Crow when he beats them down with his fists." Rocket said as Robin went to help Zatanna up.
Superboy climbed his way back up the cliff for round two with Blockbuster. Superboy tried to get an uppercut in on him, but the monster used its length to hit Superboy with a strong overhand left that dropped him. Miss Martian helped out by used her powers to knock Blockbuster off of Conner.
"Superboy, Miss Martian, move!" Itachi ordered. The two did as was told as the black flames of Itachi's Amaterasu hit Blockbuster's body and started burning him alive. Itachi then used another of the abilities of his Rinnegan, "Planetary Devastation!"
That jutsu drew all of the loose Earth from the battle field directly to Blockbuster and sealed him inside of it like it was a cocoon. Itachi and the other could still hear the muffled screams of Blockbuster as the villain was still being burned alive inside of his prison.
"Are we really gonna leave him like that?" Rocket asked timidly. She was clearly bothered by Blockbuster's wailing. Conner was just glad that the monster was contained and was in no rush to release him.
"You want to open the prison and fight him, be my guest." Conner answered.
"When he stops screaming I'll put the flames out. I don't want to risk him attacking us while our guard is down so I decided to give him ample reason to be obedient. Would you prefer I used genjutsu like how I did with Riddler? I saw how it bothered you earlier and decided to avoid using it. It's why Bane took as long as he did to finish." Itachi explained as his right eye started bleeding.
Artemis was fending off her father while this was happening. Itachi saw her beginning to struggle and decided to offer her assistance too, "Planetary Devastation!"
Loose Earth began to imprison Sportsmaster like how it did Blockbuster, only Sportmaster's head was left uncovered. The more the man tried struggling, the more his bones were being crushed by his prison. Sportsmaster called out for Cheshire to help him but she decided to make her escape instead, "Sorry dad. In this family, it's every girl for herself."
"Jade!" Sportsmaster yelled as he saw his daughter walk away into the shadows. Artemis walked up to him and snarled before kicking right in the head. She kicked him so hard that his mask flew off. Kid Flash was there to pick up the mask and bring it to his friend. She smiled as she knew Wally would keep her father's mask as his souvenir for the mission.
"So it is always like this." Rocket commented.
"Told you." Zatanna said with a smile.
"Yup, disaster was averted and now I'm feeling the aster." Robin joked.
"Today was a good day." Aqualad added. The group all got ready to leave but Artemis ran to Itachi who was wiping blood from his face. She looked at him with both a look of concern and suspicion, "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Itachi said to try and quell her worries. Artemis took a cloth out and wiped the blood off of her friend's face, "I'll always worry. Today was a good day, right?"
Itachi smiled at her, "Yes, today was a good day. Now let's go home."
Itachi put his mask back on and walked away but Artemis did not like his answer. It wasn't his answer per say, but more the smile he gave her. She'd come to know that as his lie smile. It was the one he gave whenever he had something serious on his mind that he didn't want anyone else to know about, 'All of the suspects told their confessions, all except you, Itachi. I know you know more about this. You're just not letting on. Why didn't you tell us your true thoughts? Is it because you think we'll hold you back? Or is it because whatever it is, you plan on taking it on alone and you don't want us to interfere. But we were with you the whole time. What could you have found out that was so vital yet none of us were able to pick up on it too? You must think we're so stupid compared to you. You're always three steps ahead of us. But I swear, it won't be like that forever, Itachi. We will catch up to you and stand side-by-side with you as equals.'
After The Team returned from their mission, Itachi quickly left to go to a previously made obligation. Said obligation was his date with Carson at the Wayne Botanical Gardens. It was usually secluded at night and would give them the proper amount of privacy needed for their date He quickly changed into more casual clothes and met her at Carla's house. Casual being a buttoned up white shirt, dark jeans, and black dress boots. Carson came out with a casual look as well with a light blue jacket, short sleeved grey shirt, tightly fitted blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. The woman kindly greeted Itachi outside before wishing them good luck on their date.
The two of them left out and walked to Itachi's planned picnic. Carson shyly took hold of Itachi's hand as they made their way to their destination. He smiled at how shy Carson could be around him despite all that they had been through together, "It's only a date. Try to relax. You look great."
"I'm just glad that we haven't gotten any snow yet despite what time of year it is. Are you trying to butter me up or something? Thanks though. You look nice too. You even decided not to come with blood still on your clothes." Carson chided him.
"That-" Itachi tried to explain but she cut him off, "I know, I know. I'm just glad you didn't cancel on me this time."
"Sorry, I'll try to be better." Itachi said as they reached their destination. There was a blanket on the ground with a basket of fruit and a vase containing Carson's favorite flowers. She sighed in content at the smell of them, "You remembered that tulips are my favorites."
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and they sat down to enjoy the fruit Itachi had prepared. This was time that Carson has been requesting for weeks and it made Itachi happy to see that she finally could get what she wanted. After all of the fruit was eaten, Carson playfully tackled Itachi to the ground and straddled on top of him as she giggled.
"I'm the super deadly ninja now." She joked as she started waving a plastic knife around like she was Itachi handling a kunai. She then began playing around by pretending to weave hand signs and shouting one of Itachi's signature jutsu, "Fireball Jutsu!"
"That was terrible. Here, let me show you," Itachi then used his free hand to take hold of hers and show her all of the required hand signs needed for the Fireball Jutsu. He started with Tiger, and then went into Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and ended with Tiger. She was amazed at how second nature the hand signs had become to him.
"With practice, I was able to cut the needed hand signs from six to three. Everything in life, even jutsu or relationships, gets better with practice and patience." Itachi wisely said as they stared into each other's eyes.
Carson got shy before asking her next question, "Itachi…are you a virgin?"
Itachi looked down at the ground before his eyes went back to hers, "Yes."
"Wow, I would have thought that you had all of the girls after you. You're saying that you didn't do it with a single one of them?" She asked.
"Not one. There were many suitors, but I wasn't interested in that. Despite my partner's tendency to indulge in lechery from time to time, I knew I had to stay focused on what really mattered. Only my mission mattered. The redemption of my clan and the salvation of my village and brother was all that I cared about back then. Plus…I didn't want to risk fathering a child into my world. What child would want me as their father? I am a liar and a murderer. What right do I have to feel that kind of pleasure and love after what I did to Izumi? I repaid her love with death. I died smiling twice, and even that was too good for me." Itachi answered honestly.
"You do deserve happiness. You've more than earned it. Izumi would want you to be happy, not suffer for her sake when you don't have to. To live is to both love and die. They both come with the package and you've already done one of those things. Well…aren't you going to ask me if I've ever been with someone in that way since we're being honest about past exes?" Carson shyly asked.
"Have you?" Itachi asked since Carson brought it up. She gulped before answering, "Only once. His name was Daniel. He was my first love and I just knew that we would get married, or so I thought. He didn't love me. Being with you has shown me what real love feels like."
"Should I be jealous?" Itachi asked. Carson laughed at his dry humor, "Trust me, you have him beat in every way. There's an old saying; you're either a blessing or lesson. He was definitely a lesson. Took advantage of my daddy and mommy issues and added on to them with trust issues."
"You trusted me when I was a homeless stranger you met in the gutter." Itachi noted Carson shrugged, "I don't know what compelled me to help you out. Not even to this day. I only know that I was tired of being hurt and hurting others. I wanted to fix that by finally helping others. It would be my luck that you had that problem too, only now you're helping the entire world."
"…so how did you and him end?" Itachi asked.
"With a kick to his groin after I found out that he was cheating on me. I was so desperate to feel loved by anyone after my family was destroyed by Black Mask. I'd do anything to get it. Even give my body to a jerk like him who didn't deserve it. I regret it to this day. He wasn't even sorry about cheating on me, only that his 'booty call' was gone. That was all I was to him. I hadn't done it or been with anyone since…" She sadly said as hurt poured into her voice.
"You're so much more than that to me. Everything I have now is because of you. Because you showed me that I could change for the better and be a hero. You're my everything." Itachi said as he kissed the palm of her hand.
She smiled at his gesture and shed a tear at how kind he was to her. She fell harder and harder in love with him with each passing second. She decided to go for broke and ask him a serious question about their future, "Do you want to start a family with me? You know, one day in the future. Maybe start off with a pet bird or something and build our way up…" Carson nervously said as a blush started coming.
"I haven't really thought about it." Itachi honestly answered. Carson started playing with her hair, "Maybe you should. One day, you won't have a mission. But for eternity, you're gonna have me. And I want kids."
"You know what my response to that is, right?" Itachi said with a knowing smile. Carson laughed at him, "One day at a time right? When can we get to the next stage?"
"When you can weave all of the hand signs of the Fireball Jutsu without my assistance. Back in my world, my clan would use that jutsu as a rite of passage. You show me you can do that, and I'll consider it as your initiation into my clan." Itachi responded.
"Deal. And when I do, we're gonna get married and have kids. You deserve to have a normal life and I want to be the woman who gives it to you." Carson said with satisfaction. She looked down at him with a mischievous smile, "While you teach me about hand signs and fireballs, I'll teach you about…other things."
"What other-" Carson leant down and kissed him with all of the passion she had in her heart as the moon above the brightly illuminated the dark sky.
She broke the kiss and started breathing hard as she took her jacket off. Itachi held her waist as she went back into kissing him. He enjoyed doing this with her. It was one of the few times he didn't feel like he had to be the savior of the world. He could be just Itachi Uchiha and it made him so happy to know that that was good enough for Carson.
She started unbuttoning his shirt slowly as she peppered him with kisses down his neck. She started moaning when his hands went to parts of her body that weren't her waist. He didn't mean to do it, but she let him after feeling how it felt, "It's okay. I want this."
The heated session went to another level when she started grinding on him. His breath caught at how amazing it felt. She stopped kissing to gaze upon a now shirtless Itachi, "You look beautiful, babe. I guess it's my turn."
She looked at him seductively as she took her shirt off so that she was only in her. Itachi looked up at her as the light from the moon highlighted just how beautiful Carson was to Itachi, "You are the moon of my life. Always there to guide me from the darkness."
"I love you, Itachi." She went back to kiss Itachi but her stopped her. She gave him a concerned look as she wondered why he stopped this, "What's wrong? Don't you want this?"
"I do, I'm just conflicted is all." Itachi said as he went to button his shirt back on. Carson sighed in confusion and disappointment as she also put her shirt back on. She laid down next to Itachi and cuddle up to him, "What's bothering you? Is it that I said that I love you?"
"No, it's not that. I want to do…that with you. I just don't know what comes after." Itachi quietly said.
"Um, rounds two and three?" Carson joked as Itachi shook her head at her. She giggled and decided to get serious, "Alright, alright. What's really bothering you?"
"…it's about the mission earlier," Carson groaned at him. She wondered how he could think of a mission when they were in the middle of something like this, "Really? We're together and alone under the beautiful moon on a night of romance and passion and all you can think about is some mission?"
Itachi gave her a sad smile and she knew that this was different. He lovingly kissed her shoulder before speaking again, "All I want is to live my life peacefully with you. Earlier today during my mission to investigate a hijacked jet, my teammates and I were ambushed. Afterwards, they all made confessions and became closer for it."
"They, but not we?" Carson asked. Itachi nodded at her, "I couldn't divulge what I knew. I didn't want to put them in danger or worry them."
"So instead you'll just put yourself in danger and worry me." Carson retorted with irritation.
"Just hear me out. Earlier during the ambush, I put Riddler under a genjutsu. I lied to my friends about the purpose for that. My friends think I only used genjutsu to incapacitate Riddler, but in reality, I used it to get intel out of him." Itachi revealed.
"…so what did you learn?" Carson reluctantly asked.
"I learned that the organization known as The Light has been behind everything. The conflicts, the suspicions, even this so-called mole on The Team was just a ploy by The Light to get us off of their trail. None of us was a mole. If we were, the Light wouldn't have used resources on having each of the known suspects shadowed by one of their members. Miss Martian, Artemis, Superboy, and myself all have been watched by certain members and it was all to gain access to parts of The Team that this mole couldn't get into." Itachi revealed.
"Wow, that is heavy. Talk about a mood killer." Carson stated. She saw how worried Itachi was and gave him a peck on the lips for reassurance, "Hey, whatever they have planned against you won't work. You'll beat them."
"But at what cost? Carson, when I peeked into Riddler's mind I saw their master plan. The Day of Golden Light is happening soon. In about a day or so. We have to stop them before it does." Itachi revealed.
"You'll do it, Itachi. I believe in you." Carson said as she gave a soft squeeze to Itachi's hand. He appreciated the gesture, but I didn't change how concerned he was.
"There is one last thing. When the Day of Golden Light occurs, and the Great Convergence reemerges, I'm supposed to lose someone that I truly love to it. The Masked Stranger will take someone from me if her plan succeeds. Whatever her master plan is, it involves taking me away with her." Itachi said as he stared into his lover's eyes. He wanted so badly to avoid the worst case scenario happening, but he knew that he had to be prepared for the worst, "There are only two people in this world that I love in that type of way…two people are in danger. Those people are Ms. Yumi and you."
"Me…did you just admit to loving me?" Carson asked as she started blushing heavily.
"…I do. I love you, Carson. So tomorrow, I'll do everything in my power to protect you and Ms. Yumi from my enemies. My friends can't know about this. If they did, they'd never let me out of their sight. It would limit how much I could protect both of you."
"Do what you need to do and end this so that we can finally live in peace. I'm all the way behind you." Carson said with a warm smile. Despite learning that her life was in danger, she had all the faith that Itachi would protect her.
"I will. You just may not like what I have in mind." Itachi responded.
"Does it involve you kissing another woman?" Carson asked with a raised brow.
"No," Itachi answered. Carson kissed Itachi softly on the lips before smiling against him, "Then I'll get over it."
Itachi smiled back at her and kissed her in thanks. They held each other through the long night knowing that it could very well be their last time being able to do it. They could only hope that Itachi's plan would work out in the end and all of his loved ones made it out safely, because if he was wrong, then The Masked Stranger wins and the world as they know it will end. The only thing that trouble Itachi was that he still didn't know The Masked Stranger's identity or endgame. He only knew that she wanted to change the world at its very core.
'But change it in what way? And how?' He asked himself.
Back at the Watchtower, Batman was bust scanning the biotech that The Team had acquired earlier today. Red Arrow walked up to him in amazement at his dedication to work.
"So, are you ever joining the party?" Roy asked.
"This bio circuitry is disturbingly sophisticated." Batman replied. Roy smiled at his response, "I'll take that as a no."
Roy then implanted one of the nanobots into Batman's head and before Bruce could react, he found himself under control of the nanobot. It wasn't just Batman under control either. The entire Justice League had been implanted with the nanotech and had all fallen under its control. Batman walked over to a computer screen and inputted his override codes.
The Zeta Chamber opened and Vandal Savage appeared before the League as the heroes bowed before him. Roy seemed to snap out of the gaze he was in and looked around in shock and fear after he realized what he had just done, "I-I was the mole?"
"Yes, yes you were," Savage then went over to the glass to observe the stars and sun, "And now, thanks to you, the Day of Golden Light is nearly upon us. In fact, it will transpire in about twenty-four hours. Just in time for New Year's Day. The world gets a new year, but the humanity will get a new start when the Great Convergence transpires. We only need two more people for this glorious day to happen. The Stranger and The Crow. A mother and her son. It is time to finally reunite the tragic family at last."
That's it for this chapter! We're almost there folks! We saw a lot happen in this chapter. We saw two fight scenes, The Team make their confessions and get closer for it, and we even saw Batman give a compliment. The plot just keeps on rolling as Roy finally realized that he was the mole. Now the heroes have to rush to stop The Light. We also got to see Itachi and Carson's relationship as things got steamy and they finally showed more of their hearts to each other. It was hard writing what type of lover Itachi would be so I hope most of the readers enjoy that part. Itachi's relationships with both Carson and Ms. Yumi help keep him grounded and has been so fun to write. His roles as a lover and as a son play such a great factor to the soul of this story. So image the pain he'd feel if one of them were lost, that's why next chapter we will see Itachi hold nothing back for their sake. Thanks for all of the support of last chapter. You make it so easy for me to keep writing this. If you haven't already, go ahead and favorite, follow, and review this story. I enjoy hearing what you all think about the chapters and responding to them. We're all just fans at the end of the day. PMs are welcomed too if you want to ask me about anything, whether it be story related or non-story related. Next chapter, we finally see the master plan. Till next time guys and gals!