Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham

Chapter Three:

Fellowship in Blossom

This night does not want to end. There are drunken scums out in the hallway, racking me up a headache and there is Red Hood, squatting in the window awkwardly. All I want was some sleep so that I can face the morning but what do I expect from this part of the city? Apparently Red Hood and I had to meet again but I didn't picture it like this, not at 2:00 AM in the morning, not in a crappy hostel room crawling with insects.

"Were you following and watching me the whole time?" I demand.

"Pretty much."

"You sick bas—!" I growl but he jumps towards me and tackles me to the ground. "Wha—" The room fills with gunshots.

"They have guns," He grunts. "Call me a sick pervert later but we gotta get out of here."

He leaps up and starts shooting with two guns. We're outnumbered but they're just cheap, petty criminals with intoxicated minds. This will be easy.

I join the fight. I knock their heads together, hit their pressure points, and shatter their bottles on their heads. They're firing blindly and incessantly, which almost challenges my agility. I find my back making contact with Red Hood's. Seven down, two to go.

"Hey, you good at acrobatics?" He says, both of us staring down the two men.

"Try me." I do a backwards somersault, over Red Hood's head and kick down the man he's facing with my leg. Red Hood doesn't even have to deal with the other guy because he passed out.

"Good work." He says, pocketing his guns.

"Good work?" I repeat, glaring at him. "Mind explaining me why you're here?"

"Okay, you have to understand that it's for your own good. I'm not going to be like Batman or Nightwing — I'm going to be straight with you. Whoever you're looking for might not be who you think she is. We don't want you finding her first and becoming victim. For now you have to stay under our watch. We placed a tracker on you so—"

"Seriously?!" I shout. "Why can't you believe me when I say I know who I'm looking for? She is not a criminal! When I find her I'll show you she's—"

"Calm down," Red Hood interrupts. "I think there's a way we can settle this."

"And what's that?" I cross my arms.

"You help us catch the murderer. Prove to us that they're two different people."

"Fine," I say. "I will."

Red Hood lifts the window and puts one foot over the sill. He looks at me over his shoulder. "You coming?"

"No, of course not," I say, pulling my shirt down my head. "I need to sleep. It's freaking 2:00 AM."

"You're not sleeping here with nine men lying unconscious in your room. And I saw a rat somewhere. I have a hotel room a few blocks away from here. You can crash there."

I hesitate. He notices.

"I'm not hitting on you, Tomoe. Jesus Christ."

"I know you're not! I just thought—never mind," I say. "Just let me get my things."

"Nice digs," I comment. "Swanky."

I'm happy I chose to go along with Red Hood. The hotel room is large, expensive, and absolutely lavish. From the ivory silk sheets embellished with gold embroidery to the beautiful round marble surface under the huge bed to the large glass windows overlooking the glorious, exuberant night of Gotham City, it's a luxury I've never imagined. It's surprisingly toasty but I still want to cocoon myself like a baby in the thick blankets. Dokutokuna appears and is nestled in the fruit basket. Well, he's already comfortable.

"You've been staying here?" I question.

"Just rented this morning when I found out I'm still going to be in Gotham."

"Why can't you stay at the manor?"

"A man needs his space."

I rub my elbow and I feel my fingers against the only yuan left deep in my pocket. Maybe about twelve.

"Hey, I'm sorry but I can't repay you," I gulp. "If there is anything I can d—"

"Don't worry," He waves a hand. "As long as you're on our side."

"Thank you, of course. We're equals," I nod. "And I'm tired, I'm going to sleep now." I yawn and put one foot on the bed.

"That's my bed, get off."

"Please?"

"If you want me to treat you like an equal, you hit the couch," He says, taking off his jacket. "I don't usually do this, consider yourself lucky."

"Oh, whatever, kind sir. I'm taking advantage." I say and plop into the couch, which is the size of the bed back at the hostel.

I hear him shuffle into the bathroom and turn on the faucet. I stare up at the ceiling and find my thoughts drifting back to Ms. Wei. I hope she's safe and sound wherever she is.

I'll find you and take you home. Soon. Right after I prove these people that you're not that insane murderer. You're my teacher, my guardian, my—

"Hey, Tomoe," Jason says. "Mind if I ask for the name of your guardian?"

"Wei," I sigh. "Wei Zhihao."

"And what's yours? The full one."

"Tomoe Namakettei."

He comes out of the bathroom. His helmet is off.

"Nice name."

"Um, thanks. What's yours?"

"Red Hood."

"Hah, funny," I sit up on the couch and watch him move about the room.

"Jason Todd," He says. "Only fair I tell you."

"Of course, I'm helping you lot," I say. "So…tell me about yourself, Toddy."

"Don't call me that," He shoots me a dirty look. "Uh, so…I'm vigilante with nowhere to go unless needed. That's pretty much that."

"I see," I murmur. "You remind me of myself."

He sits down on the chair across the couch, polishing his red helmet. "How so?"

"I'm an outlaw too."

"I thought you had someone taking care of you."

"No, Jason," I sigh. "China is not where I belong. Or want to belong. I was…not accepted in Japan."

"What did you do?"

"Apparently everything my parents and village didn't want me to. I protected and loved dragons. When they sought to slay them, they included me as one of their kind. The parents of the dragons I'm with now helped me escape to another country and disappeared. Possibly forever. I don't think I can ever go back to Japan without being called a disgrace and menace and being burned down with torches."

I get lost talking about it. The unresolved problem still borrows deep in my heart. I think about it and it never seems to stop. I can't move on from the fact Japan is no longer my home, my country. Telling someone about it doesn't help much either, it just reminds me over and over.

"That's…well," Jason rubs the back of his neck. He looks at me. "Pretty rough. But aren't you proud of yourself?"

"For what?" I lie back down and turn my back to him. I can't look at someone in the eye whenever I talk about something personal.

"You saved them. It sounds like to me that their parents trusted you with probably their most important things in their lives. And you raised them and loved them. I don't know anybody that could singlehandedly bring up three freaking dragons."

"Yes but…knowing my mother only gave birth to me to slay dragons stings. She doesn't love me for anything else. It's always "do better" and "you're not good enough". Those feelings were part of why I chose the dragons. I feel their pain from the way the village loathes them."

There's a silence. I understand Jason doesn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry," I laugh weakly, turning to look at him. "I don't know when to shut up, do I? We barely know each other and I'm already spilling my heart out…it just gets heavy in here."

"No, it's okay," He says, not looking at me. "I get it. I hope you can find your guardian…Good night."

He walks off to the bed and turns off the light.

"Good night…Jason."

Maybe I got too personal. I should learn to keep my mouth shut because Jason and I just met this night. But I already trust him. Well, not in such way that I'd throw my life into his hands but in a way I can tell him anything. Or is it that I'm way too comfortable and too trusting around strangers? And that would be just one of my problems.

"Jason, don't tell me you slept with her."

I jerk awake. The curtains are drawn so the sunlight attacks my eyes. Blinking rapidly I see a boy and Jason standing by the couch. Wait…I thought I was sleeping on the couch. Why am I on the bed?

"What? No. Tim, is that what you think I do?"

"Who are you?" I ask, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

The boy with neat ebony hair in the striped T-shirt and blue trousers looks at me and smiles. "Oh, hey, I'm Tim. Tim Drake. And you are?"

"I already told you her name, basically everything about her."

"Tomoe," I introduce myself, untangling myself from the blankets. "Hey Toddy, why am I on the bed?"

Tim stares him down.

"No! Ugh! I moved her there. I slept on the couch, dammit." Jason groans.

"What a gentleman you are, Toddy," Tim raises his eyebrow. "Anyway, we should get to work. We don't know what kind of disaster the witch is going to bring down on Gotham today. She strikes only in the morning which makes it a little inconvenient for some of us but you, Jason, I assume you have no trouble with it?"

Jason nods. "Yeah, of course."

"I assume you're working with us?" Tim asks. "Because I just revealed my identity and I'm hoping that wasn't a mistake."

"Yes, and don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"Splendid."

I smile but then I scowl. "Obviously you don't know what Mister Batman and Mister Nightwing were thinking. They decided that who I'm looking for and who they're looking for is the same person. And I'm here to prove you that they are not."

"Well," Tim glances at Jason. "I'm not jumping to any conclusions, if that makes you feel better."

"Thank you, Tim Drake. I like you already." I say appreciatively.

"You'll have to be in contact with us. Can you give us your cellphone number?" Tim asks.

"I don't have a phone."

"Why not?"

I stare at him. "I live in the freaking mountains."

"Fair point. I'll get you a comm link," Tim says. "Right after I interconnect it to the network, with Jason, Dick, and mine."

"I don't know what that is but count me in." I move into the bathroom, tying my hair sloppily.

"And teach you how to use one."

I wash my face and open one of the complimentary toothbrushes. I turn around. Tim is gone.

"So where are you going to start looking?" Jason asks, joining me at the sink. He grabs his toothbrush and waits for me to finish squeezing the toothpaste tube.

"I don't know," I say. I point at my necklace. "I'm using this to guide me. I would have continued my search in the sky if it weren't for Gankona getting tired. When I landed in Gotham I thought the locket grew a little warm. Just a bit. We'd been at it for days, without rest."

We both brush our teeth, staring into the mirror. I notice Jason's eyes dropping to my tattoos.

"You like?" I spit and rinse.

"I do," He says, bending over the large sink too. "I think they're really cool. Makes you look…masculine."

I smile. "Thank you."

We both exit the bathroom. Jason starts to remove his shirt so I whirl around, to respect his privacy.

"You do know we're both adults? Or at least I'm certain one of us is."

"Yes but…I'm not used to it," I cough. "Sorry."

When he's done changing he puts his red helmet on. I frown. "You're like a whole new person when you put that mask on."

"Sorry I can't be a nice, hot guy all the time."

"No, that's not what I mean…actually, yeah that is what I meant. With that thing on, you point guns and bark in my face and when you take it off you're a gentleman that gives up his nice, big bed."

"Don't get used to it."

"Never," I say, grinning. "Now please turn around, I need to change."

"Prude."

"Shut up."