I sigh at my idiotic idea of seeking out the Ancient One, the Demon's head and whatever other flashy name Ra's Al Ghul is going by.
As I'm on my knees with a dozen swords against my neck, "Please I wish to meet with the Ancient One, I come here with great respect and a gift, do the old ways mean nothing anymore?!"
A slow clapping sounds from behind me, "The long lost brother of my Star pupil comes to me bearing a gift…" I recognize his voice immediately and Ras accompanied by Sensi are now standing in front of me.
"Don't waste my time boy, why is it you seek an audience with me?"
"I want you to capture, torture and kill the Joker in the slowest and most horrific ways possible…and then I want you to destroy his soul and body so he can never rise again, I know you to have the skills and knowledge to do so, Ancient One." I bow my head to the Ancient One, and he laughs deep full belly splitting laughter.
"Tell me what has the Joker done to you for you to hate him so much, and why should I sacrifice my misguided pupils' greatest distraction and motivator?"
"Because he was the reason I was ripped from my home, he's harmed the people I love in this world and if I knew it wouldn't ruin my relationships with those I love I would do it myself." My confession come out in a growl and I stand up the blades of the Shadows nothing but annoyances.
"Fe-om onsh immortis to ano-teg I Chall upon you Demon's head to rid the world of a demon hiding in the form of a man." I manage to speak around the swords in my throat.
"You understand the weight of a debt from one immortal to another, but what can you offer to me in return?" Ra's questions and I take a knife from a Shadow, stab them in their heart twenty times and just as they're about to breathe their last breath I heal them.
"I heal…can't quite resurrect the dead yet but…maybe in a hundred years I'll be able to."
Ra's hums and waves his hand and the shadows back away from me and bow to me and Ra's before vanishing.
Ra's offers me his hand, "Three favors that is your debt to me…for this request from one immortal to another, do you accept?"
"As long as it's restricted to healing, yes." Ra's smirks at me and takes my hand.
"Then we have reached a covenant, the Joker will be dead before twelve nights pass…if you ever wish to leave the company of mortals and train or keep the company of one who understands your plight my home is always open to you.." Ra's confirms our convent and a link forms between us before he makes his offer.
"I may someday take you up on that offer, but for now I have obligations to fulfill..with your permission I will take my leave."
"May your travels be fruitful young one." Ra's says to me genuinely.
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Mount Justice, now known as The Cave
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I lean back on the couch and smile at M'Gann who is excitedly making cookies, while Superboy stares off into space.
Suddenly Batman, comes barreling into the living room grabs me by my collar and slams me against the wall, Superboy almost immediately starts to rush Bruce but I hold my hand up to stop him.
"Why?!" Bruce bellows in his intimidating I'm The BATMAN fear me voice.
"Because, he would have killed thousands of more people and kept hurting the people I have come to love…including you." I murmur gently as I have made a lot of progress over the past eleven days or at least I've deluded myself into thinking I have.
Bruce drops to his knees, his breathing heavy, "I'm sorry…that I'm not sorry…" I say to the man who recovers, and stand up his face back to an emotionless mask as he turns around walking past the rest of the team, Dick looking at me like I'd just shattered his world.
"I think I just ruined two relationships…" I murmur as Superboy walks in front of me and stares into my eyes waiting for an answer.
"I put a hit out on the Joker…and the League of Shadows fulfilled the contract…" I mutter and look away from Connor's blue eyes, they are just way too intense right now, while hearing AquaLad hum, Kid Flash gasp…surprising of all M'Gann comes over and hugs me.
"I can tell it was really hard for you to do that." M'Gann squeezes me tightly in her hug while Connor nods to me.
"Thanks M'Gann…you're the best." I murmur back my thanks and hug her in return.
I can feel M'Gann smiling at my praise as she kisses my cheek before breaking the hug and then flying back to the kitchen area.
"We can't seriously trust a guy who has someone assassinated!" Kid Flash/Wally West yells at Aqua Lad/Kaldur'ahm.
"You don't need to trust me mustard and ketchup boy, I'm here to keep the lot of ya alive, not to be your friend…or trusted companion…let's make this crystal clear for you, this is strictly a job and you're all my meal tickets" I say and Kid Flash's mouth moves a mile a second but no words come out I hear M'Gann make a pained sound and go over to check her, finding her holding her hand under the faucet pumping out cold water the blister of a burn already forming.
Resting my hand on M'Gann's forearm I channel my warmth into her and receive a surprised moan as her hand heals, I can feel Kid Flash's hands connect with me and then I'm flying through the air into a wall my head hits with a crack and my vision goes black for half a second, I find M'Gann hovering over me her green eyes filled with worry, while Wally floats in the air behind her getting dressed down by Aqua Lad.
"Are you okay? I'm so sorry Wally thought he was protecting me."
"Fine, I'm just fucking fine…luckily it was me he attacked or else the kid would be a murderer." I grunt as I go to stand up and Connor/Superboy offers me his hand.
Suddenly M'Gann speaks in my mind, 'I know this isn't just a job for you, you care about us and want us to be safe.' M'Gann invades the sanctity of my mind…but surprisingly I'm not revolted by her intrusion as I remember Martinan's do the brunt of their communication telepathically.
"M'Gann, thank you for being so accepting and while I do not mind so much as I know you are new to earth, but speaking and entering someone's mind without their permission on earth is a perverse violation of someone, a very taboo action…it could be taken as rape…" I say as gently as I can to the poor girl who has suffered so much prejudice in her life even from her own family while the girl curls in on herself trying to make herself small.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't know!" M'Gann starts to cry and I quickly pull her into a hug.
"Shh-shh, I know that's why I'm telling you now, your uncle should have tried to better prepare you for…the intricacies of fitting in, not sure if I'm using the right wording here, I've never been good at this sorta thing but fitting in with us lowly primates." I joke and get a giggle out of the girl who pats my chest with her hands making me let go of her.
"You're pretty good…" M'Gann mumbled with a blush in her cheeks and a small smile on her lips, her eyes positively beaming on positivity.
"Thanks, at least someone thinks so." I reply to her with a smirk as she sets Wally down on the ground just in time for Robin to marching back into the room, arms crossed over his chest while glaring at me.
"I take it you want to shout at me too nephew?!" I tease him, my voice sounding like a question though we both know it's not, after dressing him down the other night Dick has been much more controlled in his outbursts.
"My name's Kid Flash, Not Mustard and Ketchup Boy, and I'm sorry for pushing you like that I thought you were stronger..." Kid Flash practically yells at me before Kaldur glares at him, making him apologize.
"Okay, MK-Boy." I nod sagely as I'm not going to let him off the hook for smashing the back of my skull in so quickly.
"Forgive my friend, his mouth moves before his brain can think." Kaldur jokes while Kid Flash I mean Mustard and Ketchup Boy gasps and looks at his friend with a betrayed expression.
"It is what it is, I knew I was gonna have to put up with at least one or two petulant brats when I accepted Batman's offer of employment... it's nice to see there are at least three mature level headed people of the team." I joke as I don't include myself in that count only Megan, Connor and Kaldur though all three have their faults.
Robin comes over to me grabs my arm and drags me along with him, not that I can really refuse the kid can bench more weight than I currently can and he's only thirteen shit I watched him indent and crack a cement wall as thick as my head with his fist...granted he broke a few knuckles that I immediately healed for him, but he's definitely someone I don't want to antagonize too much and find myself restrained to a rock where vultures come to eat my organs every night.
...
After a very long repetitive talk with Dick about how it was wrong to have someone killed even the Joker, Dick and I agreed to disagree, and our already strained relationship as uncle and nephew becomes even more so.
'I wonder how badly Bruce hates me now? I was just getting used to having a big brother...' I wonder as I catch the kids trying to sneak out on Bioship and M'Gann quickly extends an invite to me, shrugging I join the team on their little excursion.