Kaldur informed the team, the heroic spirits present, and the mages about the plans he made with the red-eye king. He looked around at the group of people.

"Where are Achilles and Wally?"

Grayson's eyes widened. He never told Kaldur or anyone here about Wally. He looked over at Tim who looked just as shocked as his brother. The two of them even asked the Speedster to not make an appearance. Wally was disappointed that he wasn't able to come, but he listened to Grayson. Achilles decided to stay with him to not leave Wally alone and bored. Wally was pleased with that, but still a little sad. Kaldur took note of their reaction.

"Enkidu informed me of what you did. While I do not like that you kept this from us, I understand why you did it. And I have yet to tell Artemis. She went to take care of her niece for the day and will be back later. You and Wally can tell her together."

"I…. Of course, Kaldur."

Grayson looked down and his atlantean friend rested his hand on Nightwing's shoulder and gave him a calm smile.

"For now, until Gilgamesh and I create a more solid plan and work through more of this idea, we will work on rest and training. We have many new people we are not used to fighting with. Training sessions will help that. Dick, I leave you to take charge of that."

Grayson looked up. "What? Why me?"

"Well, you have been using combat training since you were a young child. You never had powers, and only ever used your agility, your weapons, and your opponents' strength against them. You will be training the ones that are used to using magic. They won't be able to master skills in a few hours or days, but at least we can see what they can do. We can adjust teams from there if we need to."

"I see your point. Alright, I'll do it. Tim, you wanna assist me?"

Tim looked over and was about to say yes, when he thought about something. "Yeah, I'll help, I just want to check on Jason real quick."

"Um… okay. That should be fine. Just…. Join us when you're done. I'll head to the training deck. Apparently, there is one here."

Grayson left the room and headed away from the others. Kaldur sighed. He turned to Rin and Shirou.

"If you would like, you can head there already, I just need to talk to Enkidu. Would that be alright?"

"So both teams are training together?" Shirou asked.

Kaldur nodded. "That would be correct. The teams we mentioned were only ideas based on the known skills you possess. These training sessions will help adjust to how well you and others can work together."

"Alright, we'll head over then," Shirou smiled. "I'm actually excited to see how actual heroes fight."

Rin rolled her eyes. "Of course you are, Mr. Hero-of Justice."

The two walked out of the room.

"You wished to speak with me?" Enkidu asked - they had hung back in the room after hearing Kaldur wanted to talk.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about keeping an eye on Nightwing. Tell me, did he attack anyone? Did he hurt anyone?"

"In his mindlessness, he only attacked me, as well as Gilgamesh - but we were both able to fend him off. He has not harmed anyone," Enkidu informed Kaldur. "Worry not, I shall keep an eye on him."

"I see. Gilgamesh never mentioned that."

Kaldur proceeded to tell Enkidu the knowledge he gained from Green Arrow, the knowledge that he told Gilgamesh.

"Just know that his aggression will only grow and get worse. I already talked to Gilgamesh about Jason possibly having the same fate. I request you do not tell either of them what I have told you."

"Of course," Enkidu agreed. "By the way, when do you mean to begin the training? I am rather intrigued by it."

"You may head over there now if you wish. There is nothing more I wish to discuss with you. I, once again, thank you for your help."

Enkidu nodded, and started to step past Kaldur, then paused. "Did Gil say he would be joining these training exercises?"

"His response was that he would do it, as to humor me. But I'm sure he will not find these training sessions as humorous as he thinks."

"I see," Enkidu said. They were curious, but also concerned after re-living such memories...they wanted to go and see him. But was that the right move? Perhaps, at the training exercise…

They made their way through the penthouse, following the trail of heroes, which led up to the training room. It was wide and spacious - it had anything that would be desired of a training room. Typical Gilgamesh. Looking around, Enkidu could see their friend wasn't there yet.

"Enkidu! Hey! Over here!"

Tim called over the Heroic spirit. Tim had just walked in and noticed that Enkidu was just by himself.

"Tim," Enkidu said, greeting the hero. "I am glad to see that you are well."

"Are you joining the training session or just watching for now?"

"I will be joining you in the session," Enkidu said. "After all, I still have yet to see everyone's combat capabilities. Plus, I feel the 'practice makes perfect' saying fits into this situation."

"Fair enough, but how well can you do hand to hand combat?"

Enkidu smiled. "I think I can do fairly well - after all, before I became aware of human civilization I lived in the wilds with simply my own strength."

"Well, I doubt animals and beasts can fight like a person would. You may have strength, but an enemy can use that strength against you. Take a look at my brother and Conner. My brother is completely human. His strength comes from years of training. Conner Is half Kryptonian. He gets his strength from the yellow sun. Conner used to think that nothing could take him down….. that was until his strength was used against him. My brother could take down Conner easily. Although, he may hold back in training since he doesn't want to hurt anyone in a training session."

"That is true," Enkidu mused. "Though I do prioritize efficiency, I hope it will serve me well in this exercise."

"Well, you will get a feel of how everyone fights. Plus, this is to help get everyone comfortable fighting alongside one another."

Enkidu opened his mouth to replay, when Rin shouted.

"No way, Lancer?" she gaped at the entrance.

Enkidu looked around, noticing that Ritsuka, Mash, and Cu Chulainn had entered the room. They hadn't been listed on the two teams, but Enkidu figured they would involve themselves anyways - they probably had a Holy Grail to find, after all, and it was most likely in the thick of things, per usual.

Cu's brows rose in surprise, but then the Irish legend grinned. "Why, if it isn't you two from the grail war a couple years back. You've both grown up a bit I see."

Rin hurried towards the Lancer, Shirou right behind her (his brows slightly furrowed - jealousy, perhaps?). "What in the world are you doing here?"

Cu nodded to Ritsuka. "Well, my Master here decided to take me with her to this time - I guess I'm a lucky guy, then."

Ritsuka next to him nodded. "Trust me - I'm pretty sure Nero almost rioted when she realized I wasn't taking her….."

Mash shivered. "Thank goodness we got them to calm down, otherwise I don't know what we would've done."

Ritsuka leaned towards Rin and Shirou conspiringly. "I have made so many promises for one-on-one missions, I'm booked all year."

"But I snagged this one," Cu preened. "Anyways, what brings you two here?"

"Goldie," Shirou answered dryly. "We were worried he'd destroy the world or something."

"But it looks like he's harmless, for now at least," Rin said, then smirked up at Shirou. "But, if he did do something like that again, we'd put him in his place."

Cu looked between the two mages, then snapped his fingers. "I see, so you two finally got together then, huh? I've gotta say, I'm not surprised."

Rin's face turned red, along with Shirou's. "What -what is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

Cu laughed. "Eh, don't worry about it. Anyways, I heard we're training here? Hey, Tim, do you know what we'll be doing?" the servant called out to the young hero.

"Oh, hey Cu. Well, we are doing hand to hand combat training. I take it you wanna join?"

"Yeah, sounds fun," Cu grinned. "Trust me, this'll be cake. After training from Scathatch…..anything is cake after that."

"We'll join too," Ritsuka volunteered. "If that's alright, that is."

"Of course. It's always good to learn self defense."

Grayson looked over and saw the small group that was forming.

"Tim, you're here. Good. I see we have some others that are joining this session. Well, I want to do a rotation-like session. You can take this group for now. You think you can handle that?"

"I…. Uh, yeah. I can."

"Good."

"Uh, okay…. I guess we are a group for now. How many of you actually know hand to hand combat?"

Cu raised his hand. Enkidu shrugged. "I suppose I do, though I was never formally taught."

Rin raised her hand, along with Shirou. "Mages are required to learn self defense nowadays - so if I don't have access to my magic, I can totally pummel my enemy if I need to."

"I see, well then at least we don't have to worry about the basics…. Oh, uh, Enkidu…. I've seen Gil fight with an axe. But how well can he fight without it or his magic?"

Enkidu cringed internally. "Well," they said. "Really, he is only used to fighting with weapons. In fact, he doesn't really fight hand-to-hand often. Or at all…."

"Oh… oh no. He's supposed to come down to this training session and we aren't using weapons… I hope he's okay with that… anyway, I guess we should get started and hope he shows up soon."

Tim gave a nervous laugh.

"When he does join us, I will give you any aid I can," Enkidu offered. "Do not worry."

"I'm not worried about me…. I'm worried about him. He's not gonna like being taken down in front of people."

"He's not," Enkidu agreed. "And then he'll get into a bad mood, and take it out on everyone here. But it'll work out fine, trust me."

"If you say so…. Anyway, we should get started."

"Got room for one more?"

Tim looks at who speaks.

"Jason! You should be resting!"

"And miss out on this? No way. I'm fine Drake. I can handle this."

"Jason! No! Not happening!"

"Like you can stop me."

Jason eyed Enkidu and frowned.

"I remember you….."

Enkidu nodded at the man. "Yes. I am Gil's friend, who escaped with Grayson from Vandal's base. My name is Enkidu."

"I see…. My name is Jason Todd. I'm Drake and Grayson's brother. I apologize for almost attacking and killing you. I don't know what came over me. I guess I was so used to Ra's telling me things that he got to my head. Sorry about that."

Enkidu smiled at Jason. "You need not apologize."

"I'm pretty sure nearly killing Gil's best friend would be bad, so yes, I need to apologize. I should have listened to Gil and not Ra's."

"Then your apology is unnecessary, because you have already been forgiven," Enkidu calmly countered. Did Jason really think he could kill Enkidu…? It mattered not, for the man thought he could have. But Enkidu wasn't going to argue over something so unneeded.

"I agree," a voice said. Enkidu turned to see Gilgamesh in the doorway. He was dressed in modern clothing, and seemed to quickly survey the area. Gilgamesh seemed to have an excellent poker face, for it even was a bit difficult for Enkidu to read. "If you apologize too much, nothing would ever get done. What has happened has happened - to dwell on something as trivial as that is foolish."

Jason smirked at the king.

"So you think I should apologize for apologizing?"

Gilgamesh frowned at Jason. "Do not make me out to be a fool - nevermind this, was there not supposed to be training in this room?"

"Yes, we were just about to get started. This is hand to hand combat training so…. No weapons." Tim explained.

Gilgamesh pursed his lips, then sighed. "...Very well, then."

"Okay, you can spare with Jason, Since he wants to be a stubborn human being and not rest. I was told you don't know hand to hand combat, and Jason is a little bit…. injured, so he should be a good partner for you."

Cu, Rin, and Shirou visibly deflated. "Shoot," Rin muttered. "I wanted to fight him…."

Beside her, Shirou nodded. "Yeah, I'm with you there…"

"Goodbye payback," Cu sighed. "That guy and Kotomine…." Cu simply shook his head in disappointment.

"Silence, you mongrels." Gilgamesh shot back at the three. Gilgamesh turned to Jason, as Enkidu called out to him.

"Do your best!"

He clenched his hands into fists. Enkidu…...Ignoring his friend, he looked at Jason. "Consider yourself lucky, for not many can claim to have been in a position to assist a king in such a manner."

"Oh really?" Jason asked, not amused at Gilgamesh.

"I can say that you are not going to like this, just because I was injured, does not mean I can't fight. I'm not going to hold back on you. My holding back is me fighting injured, that is if I was fully healed. This is how this is going to work. You're going to come at me, try and hit me if you must, but you won't be able to. I'll block every attack you throw at me. And this will end with you on the ground." Jason stared calmly.

Gilgamesh had to come at him…? An odd thought, as his usual fighting style consisted of him standing in place, firing off his projectiles. Even thinking about engaging in battle felt so foreign to him.

How to approach this...he knew Enkidu was adept at hand-to-hand combat, as he was practically a living weapon. The goddess Quetzcoatl was a fan of wrestling, but how in the world was he going to do such a thing? To think, a king using his fists - how ridiculous.

He did have an advantage over Jason, and that was his strength and speed as a Heroic Spirit. Narrowing his eyes, he braced himself, and charged forwards.

His fist swung out towards Jason's stomach. He had thought that with his speed he may have gotten past Jason's defenses when he felt a hand grasp his arm, and somehow Gilgamesh landed flat on his back.

Tim recognized that last move as a move that Black Canary used on Conner. He didn't know how to feel about the scene that played out, he did feel happy that his brother did seem to retain memory of techniques that he learned here when he was Robin, but he was worried about how Gilgamesh was going to react.

"See, I told you I wasn't going to hold back. I will say, I was surprised by that speed. I just recovered quicker than you could leave me in shock." Jason helped Gilgamesh get back to his feet.

Gilgamesh huffed. Yes, part of him was very miffed at being treated as such. There was also the fact of those three mongrels giggling to themselves on the sidelines…. "For a mere human, you are very strong." he simply said.

"I had to learn from a really young age that in the world that we live in, you have to be strong to survive. The training I went through, did help. I've seen you in a fight, the technique you use with your fighting with an axe, you can use that in hand to hand combat. The strength needed to wield such a weapon is a lot. You have the strength to take out an opponent, you just need the technique to do so."

Gilgamesh crossed his arms.. "But of course - this style is rather...new to me, but my strength is unchanged." He shot a look at the three mongrels. "You'd do well to remember that."

"Ignore them. They are there as a distraction. Don't let them get to you. You need to focus on me."

He gritted his teeth and looked back at Jason. "Fine, then."

Gilgamesh charged Jason again, swinging his fist this time at Jason's shoulder. It hit, so Gilgamesh swung at Jason again with his other fist. But he hit open air, and felt himself be pushed forwards. Luckily, he was able to keep himself from falling to the floor.

"You seem to learn quickly when it comes to technique. You did manage to hit me. Hmmm, the weight of an axe is heavy, which would explain why you are so off balance. You aren't used to no weight being there. Would my assumption be correct?"

"It seems to be accurate," Gilgamesh acknowledged.

"I may have a solution for that. You already have good battle technique from being an axe wielder, but it can be safe to say that hand to hand is different in its own way."

Jason said as he walked over and looked over the training equipment that was provided.

"It's just your body is used to a weight that is not there. You also have to worry about the other person not on a closer range than that of a person with a weapon. Here, put these on. Should be heavy enough." He handed Gilgamesh some wristbands. "These have weights in them. These may help you with balance for now while we work on technique."

Gilgamesh frowned at the wristbands. He didn't even know he had things like that on his island…. it just went to show how strong his ability to gather wealth and objects of need was.

Yet, he couldn't help but find them distasteful. Needed, but distasteful. They were dull, and lacking of style (not that training equipment had to have style, but still, the point remained). Then, they felt almost like prison shackles, which led him to think of Vandal, that mongrel. Then there was the fact that he needed them at all - a king, needing training equipment? Absurd.

Still, he reminded himself. Distasteful, but….needed. Unfortunately.

Jason observed the King spirit. He noticed that he seemed uncomfortable with the wristbands. Maybe it wasn't the bands themself. It could be something else, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe he just needed to get used to them. Jason took this time to make the first move to attack the King. He already told him he wasn't going to hold back, and this would be nothing more than a stunt pulled from a real attacker. He dropped to the ground and used his leg to sweep the King off his feet before leaping to his own feet.

"You may have fallen, but someone once told me… we fall only so we can learn to pick ourselves up."

Tim's eyes widened. That was what Bruce told him and his brothers. He told them it was a phrase his father told him when he was a boy. Jason may not realize who told him, but it was proof that his memory is returning.

Jason stared at Gilgamesh and smiled. "Let's see what you really can do. Get up! Come at me with everything you've got!"

"Don't get cocky now," Gilgamesh warned Jason. "I have felled even gods before."

Getting up, he frowned - he would win this one. It was unbecoming of a king to be beaten in such a manner.

"I am not cocky, I just like a good challenge. I know you have it in you to actually win a fight such as one like this. I can tell that this is making you upset, you aren't good at hiding it. You may show it through your facial expressions or even how you hold yourself, but I can tell you now, don't fight me angry, you will never win a fight like that."

Jason put his hands and arms in front of his body ready to block any attack thrown at him.

Gilgamesh charged forward yet again - he would not be brought down to the ground again like some commoner. Not in something as trivial as this. He threw a punch, but Jason countered. But Gil twisted, throwing another punch. Really, this wasn't his style of fighting (the only time he fought like this was with Enkidu….) but he would not lose.

"You should change up how you fight in the middle of the fight. You use the same moves, and your opponent can read what you will do next. All I have done up until now, was block."

Jason threw a jab right toward Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh managed to block the attack, but only with the aid of his speed.

"Not bad." Jason commented on the block.

Gilgamesh gritted his teeth. He had blocked, but had to take a step back to do so. He should not be giving ground, but taking it. He responded by hitting Jason with an assault of blows. "You forget that I do have battle experience," he said. "And battle instinct along with it!"

It was easy for Jason to say, to switch up his moves mid-battle. Doing anything else felt awkward to him, and would probably only throw him off instead of help him.

"Well, instinct can only take you so far!"

Tim had been watching the fight the whole time. He was worried about Gilgamesh fighting Jason and getting hurt, but he was also worried about Jason pushing himself. He noticed that something was off. True, Gilgamesh wasn't a natural hand to hand combat fighter, but he was holding his ground. He was getting better rather quickly. Maybe it was because he was a heroic spirit and they learn faster, he couldn't be too sure. As he watched the fight continue, he took note of how Jason was holding himself. He was favoring his right side way too much. He thought about it and it would make sense. Most of Jason's worst injuries were on his left side, which would explain why he was mainly blocking and fighting with his right side. He was too stubborn to not drop out of this and just say he needed a break, no, he rather push himself and fight through any pain he may be feeling. He wondered if Gilgamesh was seeing what he was seeing. If he did, he could potentially beat Jason. He kept his mouth shut and decided to see how this would play out.

Gilgamesh continued his assault - he knew he had more stamina then Jason. After all, Jason was only human. He could keep going for a while. But, he didn't really want to drag this whole thing out for too long - after all, there was still more work to do….

So he backed off, just a little bit, letting Jason come at him instead of the other way around. He dodged the blows, dodged the blows, and watched Jason's movements carefully. For a human, Jason was exceptional. His movements were almost a blur, but the moment Gil had been waiting for arrived.

Jason's left arm had finally moved. The man had been keeping it close, using it mostly for the rare blocking then attacking. But, though Gilgamesh was liable to scoff at advice, he did listen - and figured Jason would try something to catch him off guard. So after using his right side to carry out his main attacks, then suddenly using his left arm….

Well, Gilgamesh was ready for it. Grabbing Jason's arm, he used the same move Jason had pulled on him in their first round, sending Jason to the floor.

Jason was stunned on the ground for a moment. He really was not expecting that attack. He didn't think Gilgamesh could learn an attack like that after only seeing it once. Jason sat up and winced but recovered quickly. He looked at Gilgamesh and smirked.

"For someone who has never done hand to hand, ya did well. You managed to knock me down."

Gilgamesh scoffed. "Fool - now get yourself to the infirmary. Your left side is obviously injured - did you think I would not notice?"

Jason blinked. He didn't realize that he had been obvious. He mentally scolded himself for that. He had trained when being in pain before and was always able to hide it.

"I'm fine, really."

Gilgamesh arched an eyebrow. "Really? You dare say I am wrong in my assessment? Should I have Ritsuka call up the Berserker nurse to give you her own thoughts on the subject? She would not be as kind as I am."

"I am not so weak I need to be looked over, Gil. I can handle myself."

Jason, being so used to the league from never getting helped if he was injured, had this habit of not being able to accept help easily. That, plus his stubborn personality did not help the matter.

"And you even deny my help. The arrogance - you will go to the infirmary, I shall accept no argument from you." Gilgamesh said, crossing his arms. "If you don't do this, I shall have you benched from the actual battle."

"Excuse me?"

Jason looked at Gilgamesh. He could have sworn that he had just been helping the man and yet, he still thought that he needed rest.

"You heard me. Tell me, how do you think we can rely on someone who does not even take care of himself? Not only that, but in battle, you would be a liability." Gilgamesh stated. "And if not for me, then do it for your brothers, who care greatly for your safety. Would you truly want to disappoint them so by neglecting yourself?"

"And what about you, huh? Are you going to fall in battle too when your body gives out? Don't think I don't know what you did. When was the last time you rested, yourself? I told you, you are easy to read at times. You're not the only one here, Gil. Other people can take over for you. All I've done since I came back with you was keep myself distant, get hurt, nearly die, and nearly killed people close to you. The least I can do now is push myself and actually do something rather than a pain and a burden. Pushing myself is all I can do."

Gilgamesh glared at Jason. "Is this guilt talking? How foolish. Cease this worrying over nonsense, for no one here is dwelling on it but yourself. Pushing yourself is only detrimental to your health - going on like this without caution is a foolish choice, even more so not to heed my words!"

"You should take your own advice. Rest."

"I only do what is necessary - and I need not explain myself to you," Gilgamesh shot back. He didn't know why he was wasting his time arguing with Jason - it was the other man's choice to continue on or not. But, still…. "You may be exceptional, but you are not invincible. Get it checked out, or I will bench you - that is my decision."

"I want you to agree to one more thing, first."

"You would demand such of a king?" Gilgamesh asked. "I shall make no promises, but I will hear you out."

"The night before we make a move, I want you to get some rest. You're a good man, Gil, but you are rather stubborn. You speak so highly of having others take care of themselves, but you rather work yourself to death, than get even the smallest bit of rest. You call yourself a king, but how can you lead if you aren't there to lead?"

"You fool, I-"
"He'll do it," Enkidu smoothly intervened. "I will make sure of it."

"Good. I'll hold you on your word. I guess I should head back there then….. Hey Drake, why don't you remind Dick that this is training and not a real fight. He doesn't look like he's holding back against that red head. He might actually hurt him."

Jason stated before heading out of the room. Tim tilted his head before noticing that his oldest brother was attacking Shirou differently than before. Grayson was pelting Shirou with attacks, the red-head just barely being able to block - and even then, lots of hits were getting in.

"Hey, you alright?" Shirou asked, breathing hard, ducking from a blow that seemed to have a lot of power behind it. Then Shirou was forced to jump back from an added kick. "Woah, there!" Shirou exclaimed.

Tim rushed over and pulled Grayson back. "Hey, what the heck!? This is training, you are supposed to hold back!"

"What? I was holding back!"

Tim let go of his brother and faced him.

"Yeah, no you weren't. You weren't holding back at all."

"He wanted me to go a little harder on him since unlike you and Jason, teaching a person from the beginning, actually knew how to fight!"

"Gil knows how to fight, and he is a fast learner! What does that have to do with the fact that you were not treating Shirou like a sparring partner, rather an enemy?"

"We don't have time for this, Tim! Vandal has many heroic spirits and he will use them to attack innocent people. We have to stop him soon!"

"I know that, but still, go easy."

The two bat brothers were going back and forth, arguing at each other. Many of the others stopped and looked over.

"Yo, what's with Nightwing? Did he not wake up on the right side of the bed?"

"Bart, he's a night owl, I don't think he gets any sleep."

"Oh, so that might be his problem."

"I would almost say yes, but…. This seems different…. Maybe we are looking at this too hard."

"You worry too much, Jaime, my friend. It's not a problem. Just a sibling fight, that's all."

"It's….it's alright," Shirou protested to Tim. "Just a bit of...training."

Grayson narrowed his eyes at his younger brother but quickly walked off to grab some water.

"No, Shirou, what he was doing, that wasn't training. He could have seriously hurt you."

"I agree," Rin said, shooting a look at Shirou. "You're just too nice to say so, but that was not the type of training we agreed to do."

"Shirou, you can go rest for a bit, and maybe put some ice on that shoulder, I saw how he twisted your arm back, I bet that hurt. That was to hold down an enemy, but he was too rough on you."

The red head sent a look to Grayson, but nodded. "Alright, just...don't get too mad at him. I could've stopped it, if I had wanted to."

"Okay. Rin, you gonna stay with Shirou?"

She pursed her lips, looking disapprovingly at Grayson, but nodded. "Yeah, but you and I, Grayson, are going to have words - got it? You're not getting off easy here."

The mage followed her boyfriend as they both exited the room.

The other groups went back to training while Bart and Jaime went over to Gilgamesh.

"Heya, Gil, so… how are you doing?"

The young speedster asked the golden haired king.

The man looked at the speedster, frowning. "I am fine." Then the king narrowed his eyes, and turned away from the speedster. "I've spent all the time I've set aside for this. I'll be taking my leave now. If anyone needs me, I shall be in my office."

The king swiftly made his exit as well.

"Oh, my," said a voice behind Bart - Enkidu. "It looks as if he is in a mood."

"Oh, was it because of him fighting Jason? Or…. reliving his past? That's what I wanted to ask him. I was worried about him, we all are actually, but some of us wanted to give him some space first…. Did we wait too long and he thinks we don't care about what he went through!?"

"I don't think that's what he's thinking, Hermano."

Enkidu nodded. "I think it's a bit of everything. Since I have known him, he's never exactly been a people person….but I don't recommend asking him about what he showed us all. I believe he showed you his life because he wanted you all to make an informed decision on whether or not to trust him. To ask about it, though, would be incredibly personal…." Enkidu frowned at the doorway Gilgamesh had walked through. "My apologies, but I feel it's time for our true reunion. I will have to leave this training session early."

"Oh, well that's no problem, you should reconnect with your friend. I'm sure that will make him happy."

"Thank you for understanding," Enkidu smiled at them, and was out the door.

Enkidu moved through the halls, somehow knowing where to go - and it was not, in fact, Gilgamesh's office. Instead, his instinct led them up, up to the roof. Setting foot outside, he knew instantly he was right to go to the roof. Gilgamesh was standing on the far side, overlooking the island. Silently, Enkidu made their way to stand beside the hero king.

Finally, Gilgamesh sighed after a moment of silence. "...Enkidu."

Enkidu waited patiently for him to continue.

"It has been quite a while. I…" Gilgamesh paused, still not looking at the other, but at the island. "I'm sorry," his friend finally let out. "It was my fault that you died, and -"

"Look at me, Gil." Enkidu said calmly.

He saw his friend clench his fists, but looked at Enkidu anyways. "It wasn't your fault - it had been my choice, to fight alongside you, and it was the gods that killed me. I have never blamed you, ever. It truly wounds me that you think otherwise."

"They killed you when I chose the duty of a king over our friendship," Gilgamesh said. "You were my only friend. As the king now, I must leave that behind."

To anyone else, that may have sounded cold, but Enkidu knew that Gilgamesh was just trying to convince himself.

"Do what you think you need to," Enkidu said. "But I will always be here. You may have decided to do such a thing, but you will always be my friend. After all, how could I not?"

Something softened in Gilgamesh's eyes, and Enkidu embraced him quickly. "We are both in this era now," his friend said.

"So it would be a shame not to make the most of it," Enkidu finished.

"Indeed," Gilgamesh said. "We may have the same strength, but you've always been wiser than I, Enkidu."

They pulled apart. "The same strength?" Enkidu asked coyly - he didn't like seeing his friend so downcast, so as a friend it was Enkidu's job to cheer up Gil. "If you got beaten so easily by that human, I fail to see how we have the same strength."

Gilgamesh gaped at Enkidu. "Why, you -" an axe appeared in his hand. "You're really asking for it, aren't you? You fool of fools." Gilgamesh said the insult endearingly.

"I am," Enkidu said. "For old times sake."

The two shared a grin, then attacked each other. It was nowhere near the scale of their usual battles, but they were both smiling. Enkidu, using his entire body as a weapon, and Gil masterfully using his axe and the weapons in his vault.

They must've been making a lot of noise, yet no one came to check on it, which suited the two just fine. At last, they collapsed side by side, both smiling widely.

"That was fun," Enkidu said, laying spread eagle. "Though you fight differently than you used to. Not as much firepower."

"Nonsense," Gilgamesh simply replied.

"It was fun watching you during the training," Enkidu added. "It looks like you've made some friends."

"No," Gilgamesh instantly denied. "You are my only friend, you know this Enkidu."

"I was your only friend - that does not mean you can't have more."

"They are simply allies," Gilgamesh argued back, though there was no bite to his tone. "Nothing more."

"You can't lie to me, Gil," Enkidu reminded Gilgamesh. "I know you too well, and you have a soft spot for these heroes."

"It's not a soft spot, it's simple logic," Gilgamesh stubbornly said. "How did he plan on going to battle with such an injury? It would be a fool's errand."

"Regardless of what you think that is," Enkidu rolled his eyes, and looked over at his friend. "It's nice to see you surrounded by such people. It brings me joy."

Gilgamesh looked up at the sky. "...Perhaps you are right. Not that I'll tell those fools, their heads will grow thrice their original size if I admit such a thing. And arrogance towards a king is unsightly."

Enkidu sighed, but at least Gil had admitted towards feeling something for the young heroes. Standing up, he outstretched his hand towards Gilgamesh. "Shall we, then? I know you have work to do, so I will leave you to it. But I will be back to make sure you get some rest."

"Indeed," Gilgamesh said, taking Enkidu's hand and allowing him to pull him up. But he looked hesitant. "After I finish some work, we must speak more."

"Of course," Enkidu nodded. "I was thinking the same thing myself."

A/N: Sorry for being so delayed in posting this. This project has become a side thing as I am at this point always doing something like Work, school and any other thing that comes up. Also, I thought I had deleted the whole work seeing as I couldn't find it. I had a whole break down afterwards, but I was able to find a copy of it and had to re-edit everything. My partner in this kinda dropped this, but I still want this to have an ending so I will post what I do have and and then try to write the ending that I hope feels right to you guys. Sorry for taking a while on this, though.

~Akira

Posted: 2/05/2024