A/N: For those interested, the music I listened to to build the mood for and inspired this chapter was, in order:

1) Swan Song by Within Temptation

2) Il Dolce Suono by Vitas

Meeting in the Shadows

The first thing J'onn was aware of upon arriving in the appointed location in Starling City was the arrow in the face. Flash actually squeaked and waved his hands frantically.

"It's okay! It's okay! It's us. You told us to be here, remember? J'onn? Flash? Yeah? Come on, buddy. Don't shoot!"

The green and black leather clad archer slowly lowered his bow. "Can't be too careful," the African American said, his voice altered by the electronic voice changer. Dark eyes studied the newcomers suspiciously as he pushed his hood up just enough for the two Justice League members to see his face

"Hey, you're not-"

"I am!" John interrupted, preventing Flash from finishing that sentence. "I have been on several occasions. Saved the idiot's life most of those times too, I might add."

"John Diggle, I presume," J'onn said calmly.

The Arrow look-a-like nodded, stepping back and pulling his hood back down, hiding his face. "The police have given us permission to look at the crime scene and will give us a good thirty yard perimeter of protection from reporters and such for three hours starting half an hour ago. I suggest we hurry."

With that, John Diggle holstered his borrowed bow and raced down the alleyway, keeping to the shadows as best he could. He was not used to portraying Arrow in daylight. Then again, Arrow rarely came out in daylight. But something told John, Oliver would still be able to pull it off with ease. The ex-army Ranger was by no means lacking in skills but some things could not be trained. They had to be learned the old fashioned way, through experience.

He nodded to a uniformed police officer who nodded back warily as he walked past, J'onn and Flash on his tail. Together they approached the scene. The park was deceptively serene and if one ignored the bright red splotches that had yet to be scrubbed clean, lovely. Flash stepped up to John's side and placed a hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

"Dude, I'm so sorry man," he said quietly.

There was nothing else to say and while John was just as pissed with the Justice League's inactivity as Oliver, he understood the concept of a chain of command; that still did not mean he liked it. Originally, even he had assumed the crimes were not supernatural In nature. He regretted not trusting Oliver's gut instinct that night. But there was no use worrying about the past. Right now, they had a crime to solve and a culprit to catch. John dearly looked forward to watching the sick bastard responsible for this suffer.

"The police are finished with the scene so we are free to do what like with it," Arrow John said. He grimaced when a light rain began falling. He hurriedly stepped up to the Oregon alder tree in the middle of the yellow crime scene tape. "This is where the first woman was found, body intact except for the broken arm." He walked three paces to the right and pointed to the two largest patches of blood on the grass by his boots. "These are where the other two victims were found, their torsos anyway. The police found a severed and...mostly intact hand a good three yards that way." He pointed to the left where a large lake was nestled about five yards away. "Again, the cause of death varied. The first victim, identified as Martha Thomas, died of as yet unknown causes just like the other victims like her. The other two died of either trauma from being eaten alive by some wild animal the likes of which I've never seen or heard of before and drowning due to a ripped trachea and excessive bleeding from the carotid artery. Guy literally drowned in his own blood. They both suffered extensively before death."

J'onn silently took in the information. "And no one heard anything?"

John shook his head. "No, nothing. There were at least ten people in this area of the park at the time and no one saw or heard a thing. Whatever this thing is, it can silence screams. I guarantee these people screamed before the end. It was dark when they died, but still someone should have seen something or heard something."

"Unless the murderer has a means of concealment," Flash said thoughtfully. "J'onn, you can disappear if you want to."

J'onn nodded. "But I can still be heard," the Manhunter countered.

"True, but let's say, for curiosity's sake, our culprit has a way to both conceal the crime while it's being committed both visually and audibly. Would that be possible?"

"Theoretically," J'onn replied. "But I have yet to meet or hear of a being with capabilities, either physical or otherwise, who could accomplish such a feat."

"But if it were possible, again this is all theoretical, " Flash pressed, "that would explain the lack of witnesses."

John Diggle shifted uncomfortably. "I agree, Flash. However, if such technology or magic or whatever the hell you're implying exists, I'm not sure I'd be interested in dealing with it."

"I'm with ya there, bud," Flash said, rubbing the back of his neck in a self-reassuring manner. "Well, J'onn, ole buddy, ole pal, ready to try your mind psycho stuff?"

J'onn glanced at Flash in what could be seen as mild annoyance before looking to the alternate Arrow in a silent request for permission. Arrow John hesitated before shrugging.

"Hey, I'm open to just about anything at this point. Give it your best shot."

J'onn nodded and closed his eyes, placing his hands on his temples to help focus his abilities. Cautiously, he reached out...

And was promptly aware of darkness the likes of which he had only felt in the few surviving victims. Except this darkness was not as pronounced nor as sentient as those in the victims. This was more of a shadow left behind much like a person walking on sand left behind footprints. This was the footprint of whoever or whatever had been here.

It was dark and sinister, twisting and contorting the world around him in a way that made his stomach rebel and his balance become unstable. He felt someone catch his shoulder, steadying him but refused to come out of his trance. He needed to go deeper. He could feel something. It was faint but there all the same, almost like a mechanical bug the humans used to spy on one another. He hesitated only a moment before reaching out and brushing the thing ever so gently.

Instantly, the faint sensation jerked and J'onn got the impression of a person whirling and suddenly focusing their entire attention on him. The threat was there, but in a defensive manner only. It would not strike him unless he struck first, or so he hoped. He sensed surprise and confusion as well as caution and distrust emanate from the...presence. This presence was obviously much more familiar with this darkness than the Mannhunter was and he had no desire to test his limits still new in this realm as he was.

The presence cautiously reached out and brushed his consciousness. The feeling was raw and wild, untamable by anything alive or dead and it burned. J'onn cried out and then he was back in the park kneeling on the damp grass with Flash frantically calling his name and Arrow John crouching in front of him, holding his shoulders.

He blinked at the sudden return to awareness and sat back trying to come to terms with what he had discovered. He could not be sure, but something told him the presence he met in that dark place was most likely not the culprit they sought. Nevertheless, this person, whoever they were, was obviously familiar with the darkness that was present in both the insane survivors and the location of the Incident. That was enough cause to be wary and thoroughly investigate.

"J'onn," Arrow John asked, his voice calm and focused from his years dealing with similar dangerous and often unstable situations in the military. "J'onn, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"I am well, Arrow," the manhunter replied, raising his head and lowering his hands. He met the hooded vigilante's shadowed eyes firmly. "I have found...something."

"Something?" Flash asked. "Care to elaborate?"

"I am unsure how to do so," J'onn said. "It was a presence the likes of which I have never felt before."

"Human?" Arrow John asked, keeping the Martian on track.

"Again, I am unsure. It was sentient and reacted to my touch." Hairless eyebrows scrunched in recollection. "It burned."

"Burned? It attacked you?" again Arrow John broke through the haze J'onn felt after such a unique and intense telepathic encounter.

"No. I...do not believe it was deliberate. Perhaps it was a reaction to our two separate essences. The presence I felt did not seem..." J'onn paused to consider his words carefully. "It did not seem threatening, merely defensive. It reacted to me, not the other way around. Also," he raised his odd golden eyes to Arrow John's, the solid colored orbs narrowed. "It is here in Starling City and bears a similar presence to the darkness I sense lingering in this place and which still occupies the minds of the...survivors."

"So, an enemy?" Flash asked.

J'onn shook his head. "I cannot say."

"Would you be able to sense that presence again if it were close to you?" Arrow John pressed.

J'onn considered a moment. "Perhaps. However, the presence was not necessarily concealing itself from me. I feel as if it was watching for something and I interrupted it. Perhaps it is an ally seeking the same thing we are."

"But if the person or whatever this presence belongs to came walking by on its way to say the coffee shop and you were already there getting an espresso," Flash asked, "would you be able to tell?"

"I believe so, Flash," J'onn replied standing. He nodded to Arrow John for his assistance. "However, if the presence truly wished to conceal itself, I feel I would not be able to sense it at all unless I deliberately looked for it. And event then, I would have to be relatively close to the subject."

"How close?" Flash asked, crossing his arms in thought.

"How close must one be to see the individual pixels on one of your digital images?" J'onn inquired.

Arrow John breathed a laugh. "Depends on the resolution. You'd have to get pretty darn close to see the pixels in high resolution images, but lower resolution pixels aren't too hard."

J'onn nodded quietly. "I believe this would be a high resolution image."

"So real close," Flash groaned, shoulders drooping. "Well, at least we finally have something. That's more than we had before. Now we've got a place to start."

"I'll drink to that," Arrow John agreed.

"So, now what?" Flash asked, facing Arrow John curiously.

"Now, we burn time until tonight. Think you can slip into the Verdant around 10:30?"

Flashed raised his hand. "I totally could. I need a cup of something strong. J'onn?"

The Manhunter blinked. "I will speak to Shayera about our findings."

Arrow John stiffened. "Shayera? Hawkgirl you mean? You told me only you two were coming."

"We are," Flash said hurriedly. "Hawkgirl's on the down low. She's keeping her distance and will stay that way unless told otherwise or if something serious happens."

Arrow John groaned. "I'll text Oliver and see what he has to say about this. I'll update you when I can."

"Understood," J'onn said. "Then we leave you here."

"Good luck," Arrow John said, nodding.

"You too, buddy," Flash said. Then he zipped away and J'onn vanished leaving Arrow John alone. The temporary vigilante stared at the remains of the crime scene again for several minutes as the rain dissipated before making his way back to the police perimeter. He nodded to the uniformed officer once more then faded into the shadows in the alley.

The rain was warm and felt refreshing to the young KaibaCorp CEO. It was just water but it was soothing in an odd way. It eased his nerves while keeping his senses heightened and aware. Plus, standing in the rain made it that much less likely for someone to come join him. Fuguta was the only exception. There could be a typhoon outside and the man would still be in his usual place if Kaiba ventured out into the dangerous weather.

He rested his hands on the stone railing that marked the edge of the building and stared out over the rain shrouded city. He could feel the Shadows rippling just beneath the surface enjoying the controlled chaos the rain caused amongst the humans caught unawares. Curious, Kaiba closed his eyes and brushed the Shadows biting back the sigh brought on by the expected euphoria, controlling his level of submersion. He had to remain aware of his surroundings, thus he could not fall too deep into the darkness.

The Shadows in this city intrigued him. While true, they acknowledge and adored him as their Regent, he was not their preferred user. That, Kaiba assumed, was reserved for the local vigilante, Arrow, or Oliver Queen. The Shadows of Starling City seemed to have taken a liking to the vigilante, even going so far as to miss him when he was gone. But there was another person the Shadows were curious about. This new person was not theirs like Arrow was, but they came close.

Speaking of which, Kaiba tracked this very faint pinprick of curiosity to what he could only assume was the location of the latest Shadow Game judging by the lingering sinister feel of the Shadows there. Now that he focused, he could feel the pinprick of the Shadows in its vicinity As well as the pinprick of the Shadows' curiosity.

These Shadows... He could not say why, but they felt...familiar. They were not the Pharaoh's or the King's or any of the members of the Court. He and the other Shadow Court members had memorized the unique signature left behind on the Shadows they used. This was familiar but different. Kaiba could not fight the feeling that he knew who these Shadows belonged to, but for the life of him he could not come up with a name. That was a blow to his pride, but he brushed that aside in favor of observing the pinprick of the Shadows' curiosity.

Then he felt a brief brush on his tendril of Shadow thought and stiffened, immediately seeking out whoever had touched him. It did not feel like a Shadow user but he could never be too sure. The Shadow Court could conceal their presences to a point, but nothing could ever be completely invisible.

He found the owner of the other presence very close to whomever was the pinprick of the Shadows' curiosity. Now that he studied this new presence, he knew this was no Shadow user, just a telepathic. A strong telepath granted, but not someone on par with his abilities. This could not be the instigator of the Shadow Games. But now that this telepath had sensed him, Kaiba was curious.

Kaiba reached out and touched the telepath's mind and was surprised by the cry and immediate withdrawal. He had a moment's impression of pain then the telepath's mental presence was gone. He lingered there in the Shadows a few moments more before returning to his own mind, only to be on the receiving end of a strong hand on his shoulder and Fuguta's worried but low calls.

He blinked and met his bodyguard's face for a moment. "I apologize," he said in quiet Japanese. "Did anyone notice?"

Fuguta tilted his head in the direction behind Kaiba indicating someone was there and had most likely seen the CEO. Nodding minutely, Kaiba turned back to the cityscape. The rain had eased while he was in the trance leaving him wondering how long he had been 'gone.'

"Are you going to speak to me or are you going to stand there all day?" he said, voice stern.

"Caught red handed, I see," Oliver Queen said, having the grace to blush as he joined Kaiba by the railing. The CEO did not dignify him with a response, instead choosing to ignore the American

"Mind if I join you?"

"It's rude to ask after the act is done, Mr. Queen," Kaiba snapped.

Oliver shrugged. "Better to apologize than ask permission, I suppose, Kaiba-san," Queen replied casually.

Kaiba stiffened at the traditional Japanese reference to his name, eyes snapping to Oliver in surprise. His shoulders lost some of the tension he did not even know they held as he acknowledged the welcome honorific.

"Omaiwa nihongo-oh hanashimaska?" he asked in Japanese.

Oliver shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. I speak Chinese, not Japanese I'm afraid."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "My sympathies."

Oliver laughed, shaking his head. "You have no idea."

"No," Kaiba said, considering the other rich boy. "I don't suppose I do." He returned his attention back to Starling City, the sun poking out through the clouds and casting streams of gold in a silver-gray atmosphere. Kaiba rolled his shoulders, surreptitiously checking his watch. It was 17:23 local time which meant Kaiba had to remain here for another half hour or so to maintain a semblance of politeness.

"Don't worry," Oliver said, noticing his subtle gesture. "Give it a few minutes and I'm out of here. I'm sneaking back to my club with my sister, Thea. She's the manager and I'm the owner. Care to join us?"

Kaiba was not particularly fond of clubs as a general rule. They were his anathema. Loud noise, bodies everywhere, very few of whom were sober, too many strong smells, and very little room to move. Not to mention, it was a security nightmare. But there was that brief brush of Shadows he noticed last night. That was in a club, was it not? He could not remember the club's name but he was fairly certain he could recognize it if he saw it. Fuguta would kill him. It was worth a try.

"I would not be opposed to idea," he said slowly, raising a quick finger silencing Oliver's early cheers. "however, I have a few conditions."

"Name them and I'll see what I can do. Within reason of course," Oliver amended, meeting Kaiba's eyes steadily.

If Kaiba was impressed by the Oliver's steady gaze, he made no show of it. "One, do not attempt to force me to drink. I am still working."

"Done."

"Second, if I grow bored I will leave and no one will try to stop me."

"This is a club, Kaiba-san, not a prison," Oliver said with a friendly smile.

"You'd be surprised what can be a prison, Mr. Queen," Kaiba argued. "As long as you agree to abide by these terms, I will accompany you."

"Kaiba-san," Fuguta said urgently. Kaiba looked at his bodyguard who stood facing someone nearby. Following his bodyguard's gaze, the CEO saw Lex Luthor approaching him. He tensed and narrowed his eyes in distate, muttering something in soft Japanese. "On second thought," he said in English, "if you are willing to leave now, I would be...most grateful."

Dear Ra that was galling to say. Even Fuguta was looking at him in barely concealed shock. He glared fiercely at his bodyguard briefly ensuring that particular slip would not be mentioned again. Oliver Queen grimaced at the other American mogul and nodded.

"My pleasure," he said in heartfelt agreement. "This way," he said, tilting his head in the direction of a particularly dense crowd. Together, the two young businessmen wove their way expertly through the throngs of people and reporters. Oliver could not help but wonder how Kaiba brushed by people ignoring their questions and pointless words like water off a duck's back. The Japanese businessman did not even look at the reporters.

Oliver could not dwell on that for long, though, because he and the Japanese CEO finally broke through the crowd, the stern Japanese bodyguard right behind them, slipping closer to his boss. Again, Oliver was struck by the intense loyalty Kaiba commanded in his employees. Then he noticed Thea checking her phone and grabbed her wrist as delicately as he could given the urgency of the situation.

"Oliver, what-" She stopped when she noticed Kaiba standing beside him glancing behind them faintly discomfited by something.

"How 'bout we head out a little early," Oliver said, trying to hide his rush.

"Oh thank god," Thea groaned in relief. "This was getting beyond boring. Let's go."

Oliver caught Walter's gaze across the room and waved before he, Thea, and Kaiba snuck out. Thankfully, not too many guests noticed their quick escape although Oliver would not be surprised if a photograph of the threesome appeared in tomorrow's paper. He doubted it would hurt their reputations to badly.