Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham

Chapter Six:

Shadows

I'm still at the Wayne Manor as it becomes evening. I enjoyed Alfred's cucumber sandwiches and the coffee, feeling guilty for my indulgence but he made me feel all right about it, like I'm doing him a favor.

I left my bag in the "Batcave" so I go down alone to retrieve it. Jason said he had to run, probably to shoot more people. Robin stalked off and the little dragon Dokutokuna went after him. I'm happy Robin at least enjoys the company of my companion if he doesn't quite appreciate mine.

I try to be as quiet as possible so that Batman doesn't come popping up behind me. I get down and reach for my bag on the small table and when I turn around I face him. God, I knew it would happen anyway.

"H-Hey," I say, not sure of what to tell him. "Just…grabbing my bag."

"What's in there?"

"Nothing. Just some medicine, a book, and…"

"A weapon."

I look down. The zip is open and one of the prongs curving outwards from the hilt of my Sai is poking out. I bite my lip. I really shouldn't have brought these along.

I empty my bag, because I know that's what he expects me to do. Wrapped vials of Wei-san's medicines, bandages, liniment, a biography about a Japanese female warrior, six empty water bottles, tons of rice crackers, and a large packet of beef jerky. I take out my Sai the last and hand them over to Batman sheepishly.

"Very fine daggers," Batman says, inspecting the weapons from tip to end. "Almost in mint condition. The hilts are clean. You haven't been using them for long."

"Yeah but I got the hang of them…" I lie through my teeth.

"Fight me, then."

My eyes fly open in alarm. "No, wait—!"

Batman's fist propels towards my face. Instinctively I drop the weapons and block it with my two arms. A kick comes for my waist but as I stop it my chin explodes in pain from a vicious uppercut. I growl in frustration and get ready again. He dodges all my punches but then I jump and rotate, my leg colliding with the side of his face. He recovers quickly and throws these shuriken-lookalikes at me. His yellow belt sure has some interesting doohickeys.

I avoid them all but the fleeting moment of distraction cost me my face. I fall back on my bottom, the impact of Batman's fist knocking me off balance. My cheek swells as I hiss in pain. And when I look up I see the glint of my Sai right between my eyes.

"W-What are you doing?" I exclaim.

"You're not experienced with the Sai. They're not yours. Where did you get them? Did you steal them?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" A voice in my mind whispers, but you did steal them. "I…well…"

"Tell me the truth, Tomoe." He says in his gravelly voice, helping me back up on my feet. I rub my arm, looking down at my shuffling feet. My voice comes out sounding like a child who's been caught lying.

"They…aren't mine. Well, they were going to be," I sigh. "This was the prized possession of my family. They were supposed to be given to me when I turn ripe enough to slay the dragons but the time wasn't going to come ever. In the rush of escaping Japan I had only a few minutes to grab my belongings. When I saw the Sai in the glass case, perfectly untouched and waiting I couldn't help myself. So I took them with me. And ever since then I felt that it was wrong. The Sai were supposed to be for someone my parents were proud of. Not me. I don't feel right using them."

"You have to put that behind you. Stop living in the shadows of the actions you regret. This weapon, if it were the prized possession of your family, it's in the right hands. You don't have to earn them by doing what your parents demanded you of. You merited them because you had done what you're proud of. All you have to do next is appreciate it, learn it."

A smile cracks onto my face. There's no emotion in Batman's eyes or words but I know he means them well. He gently places the Sai in my hands. I gaze back at the nut-brown eyes in the reflection of one of the blades. The name of our family is carved into each hilt.

Did I really deserve to carry that name?

Even when I know I tarnished it?

Batman insisted I have to start practicing right away. He said there was no use of a weapon if it were in the hands of a maladroit wielder. And my lack of adroitness with the Sai is a hindrance. After demonstrating his very impressive martial arts, he's proved to me that he's more than qualified to teach me.

So now, I'm training.

With Batman.

It's been hours, with five-minute breaks in between.

Our weapons clash and push. Batman's katana is a mighty fine one with its long curved blade that shone with competence. I bring my pair of Sai together to shield myself as he presses harder. I kick him in the abdomen while he's focused and he staggers backwards.

"I know, I know, it's not fair." I say sheepishly.

"Keep going." He orders and charges at me once more.

"You're focusing too much on your body," Batman says, dodging my elbow. "You're still not regarding your Sai as your main munition. Having variety in your combat skills is good but sometimes—"

His katana slices past my shoulder and pulls back in. I glimpse a few strands of my black hair fall around my shirt. He strikes down my Sai with his katana and when I reach down to retrieve them I feel the cold edge of his blade on my neck.

"Don't neglect that they can do most damage! People will always try to disarm you and the second you try to pick them back up you're dead already."

"Got it," I murmur as he walks away. "What time is it? Night already?"

"10:42 PM. Take a rest, it has been several hours. You're staying with Jason, am I right?"

"Yeah…it was very nice of him to offer."

Batman sheathes his katana. "I'm proud of him and who he has become. I hope you two can be good partners…and good friends."

I furrow my eyebrows. The way he says it feels like Jason hasn't always been a good person. But I shake it off and nod. "I hope so too."

"Hey, Tomoe, Batman,"

Speak of the devil…

"Hey, Jason," I say, untying my hair from the bun. "You're heading back?"

"Yeah, you ready?" He looks over at Batman. "Were you training her?"

"Yes, she has to be ready for whatever's coming," He answers. "You're a fast learner, Tomoe, but keep practicing in your own time. Soon you'll finesse your prowess with the Sai."

"Thank you, Batman," I say gratefully. "I'll keep your words in mind."

Jason and I leave the Batcave and Wayne Manor together. While I finish my bottle of orange juice from kind Alfred, he studies the craftsmanship of my Sai. We're walking under the dim streetlights that hardly illuminated the quiet streets.

But it isn't so quiet.

"Jason? I hear someone following us." I say, stopping him. "And give them back to me."

"Someone we should worry about?" He says and reaches for his guns.

"Petty crooks by the look of them," I sigh. "Can I take care of it?"

"Be my guest." He says and leans against the wall of a store, in the shadows.

I turn around and walk into the light. A small, skinny guy with a face reformed by meth and a burly guy wearing what looks like a black trash bag over his face approach us. I put on a face of fear.

"Give them bag over here or I'll shoot you!"

"Oh, no!" I cry. "Please, take whatever you want!"

I hold out my bag.

"Heh! How easy can this—" The lanky one grabs for my bag. My hand comes down on his wrist in a swift chop and he screams in pain. I kick the gun out of his other hand and it smacks his companion in the face.

"Hey. Hey, buddy?" I call for the bigger guy as he groans, clutching his face. "Look over here a bit."

He looks up. I snatch the screaming one by the collar with both hands. A sharp fling and the two of them go flying into a pole. Upon impact with the metal the bigger one is out cold but the smaller one scrambles to his feet and runs, his sack-like jeans sagging around his ankles.

I laugh. Why do I get so much enjoyment out of this?

"Hey, Tomoe, sorry to interrupt your happy moment but look over there." Jason says.

In the distance, on a grassy surface we sight soft, green light. We exchange looks. We cross the road and study the situation silently behind a building. Green glows usually mean aliens, weird stones, or…

Witches.

A cloaked figure has its back to us. I notice it's a woman from the pumps barely visible under her robes. At her feet before her is a bright green substance worming furiously into the earth. Her hands go into unambiguous motions. I don't have to watch a second longer to know she's casting a spell. I know it's something bad happening but yet we're planted to the ground, transfixed.

Could it be?

…No. The height and the build isn't the same. It's not her…

I hear her murmuring. Her fingers start to emit dark red wisps that sink along after the mysterious green substance and that's when I snap out of it. I give Jason a push and nod at him. He nods back.

We rush towards the woman.

"Stop whatever you're doing." Jason orders, his guns at the ready.

She puts her hands down. Her back is to me so I don't see her face. Her hands reach up to remove her cloak. I see Jason's eyes glaze over and stare dead.

"Who are you? Look at me!" I bark.

She turns to me. Her face is very old but still lined with westerner appeal. Her hair is the same color as the silver moonlight that bathed her head. Her eyes are tense sapphires that never left mine. Why do I…feel so weak just from her look?

"Fall impuissant to the gaze of the Thaumaturge." She whispers just audible enough for us to catch. I blink rapidly. I want to move but I can't. She throws the cloak back over her head but it eats her, down to her toes, and she's gone.

"What on—" Jason comes to my side. "—Earth was that?"

"I-I don't know but…" I gulp. "I think I know…what this could mean."

Jason looks at me, waiting for me to continue. My tongue feels knotted but the words are there. I just have to open my mouth. If I truly believe this it could be that I'm fooled again. Or I could be right.

"I think Wei-can could be innocent," I blurt out. Before Jason can sigh I say, "Think about it, Jason. She's a witch too. What are the odds that two witches decide they want to destroy Gotham? I mean, just—"

"I get it but…I don't think so," He says hesitantly. "You felt her. You felt Wei Zhihao at the toy store, didn't you? This other witch feels completely different. To me. There's an aura but it's not as distinct."

"But—"

"I'm sorry, Tomoe," He says more firmly. "But I know they are two different people. You can't let your wishes cloud your judgment. Just focus on finding Wei Zhihao and then we'll find out more about the other one. We don't have proof that she has done anything harmful so she's not top priority."

His words ring truth but I'm hoping against hope. I know it's an impossibly slim chance Wei-san isn't responsible for the recent atrocities in Gotham but I can't tell myself to not swallow it.

"Let's head back to the hotel and sleep it off. We can tell Batman about it in the morning." He says and pulls on my arm.

When we get in the hotel I jump onto the couch and face the other way. My bag lies in a corner of the room. I kick my boots off and push a pillow to my face. I sense Jason standing over me but I don't acknowledge him. I do want to sleep it off.

"Hey, come on," He says, trying to remove the pillow but I hug it tighter. "The bed's yours. Get up."

My insiders burn at his kindness. I don't even deserve it. I always seem to exasperate him.

"Why are you being so nice? I'm being such a freaking brat, trying to convince you, trying to convince myself that—"

"Okay, stop it, Tomoe," He says. "I'm being nice because I know it's hard for you. And if you're thinking Batman told me to put up with you, it's not him. It's me. I know how it feels to feel alone. That's why we get along."

"Maybe if you told me something about yourself I'd feel better," I say, removing the pillow from my face. I stare at him. His mask is off, his hair is a mess.

"Well, I—"

"I already told you practically everything about my life."

"You're open, I'm not."

"Is it really hard to talk about? A small piece of your past I can maybe relate to?"

"No—well, yes, Tomoe," He sighs as I stare at him. He sits at the corner of the couch, by my feet. "It's just that…my past isn't the most pleasant. I still regret it to this day."

"Then try to tell me. I promise I won't judge. I'll listen. Like you listened to me." I insist.

"Alright but you have to sleep on the bed. You look crazy uncomfortable."

"No, I'm not," I scowl but get off anyway. I sit on the bed and look at him, waiting for him to speak. "You sit too."

He smiles a little and does so. "I'm not so sure where to start."

"Maybe the beginning." I suggest sarcastically.

"That'd be too long. But I'll just summarize," He shrugs. "So…I was a boy. My mother died, I didn't know where my father was, and I was on my own, in an abandoned, filthy, tiny apartment room. I stole to get by. I smoked even in my young age. It was a rough, tough life. More than once I slept out on the sidewalk with an empty stomach. Until one day I spotted the Batmobile, Batman's awesome ride in Crime Alley. I knew he was this crime fighter every crook was scared of but it didn't stop me from stealing his tires. He caught me anyway and followed me back to my "home". He left me in the hands of an old woman called Ma Gunn, in her school for boys. I thought I was getting somewhere in life but that woman was teaching not Algebra or Science but about guns and methods of murder. And blah blah blah, I'm suddenly Robin, Batman's partner. They were the happiest moments of my life fighting crime alongside the Batman."

I see the way his eyes glimmer; he's getting lost in his own precious memories, like when I talk about mines. I slowly lie back down and continue to listen, as if I'm a child hearing a bedtime story.

"—But…Batman…he didn't approve of my ways. Even as a teenager I was unforgiving to criminals. I always did more than throw a punch and a kick. I guess you could say I was unrelenting, almost out of control. Very two-fisted. I knew then Batman was having second thoughts about me and then blah blah blah…I…lost my way."

"What happened?"

"I became an antihero, did things he couldn't and wouldn't. I was consumed by rage, distress, confusion, I just—"

His eyes close, cutting himself off short. His gloved fingers tighten over the top of his helmet and then up to his forehead. It's paining him to talk about the ordeal. With feelings so dark and unresolved Jason is clearly still living in the shadow of his faults. I really wish I could do something and all I can do is listen but he obviously doesn't want to speak of it anymore.

"Please, you don't have to continue. Lie down for a while. I'm really sorry," I make him rest on the bed. The last thing I wanted to do was for him to remember his worst days. "Sleep now."

I get off the bed and proceed to walk to the couch but I hear his voice call me back.

"The deal was for you to take the bed and I tell you my story."

"Oh, Jason—"

"We'll share."

I pause. "Okay."

I crawl back in and lie down next to him. It's probably stupid to ask but— "Are you okay, Jason?"

I hear him breathe out. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"I'm sorry I made you talk about it. I won't ask again."

"No, it's okay, Tomoe. It really is."

I have a feeling there's much more to his story than what he told me. But it's not my business to pry into so I forget the questions in my head.

I reach over to the nightstand and switch off the lights. I swivel my head and look at his face, half illumed by the soft moonlight pouring from the large windows. His eyes are limpid, pensive pools in the shadows. I turn my back to him and sigh.

Now both of us will be kept up all night.

A/N

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