(General P.O.V)

Step to the right.

She moved her body accordingly, evading a sword slash from the Boken swung by a dummy.

She sidestepped another attack from behind, throwing the Sai in her left hand and piercing through the wooden dummy's neck.

The head fell towards the ground but she kicked it towards another practice dummy, this particular one had been floating in the air, waiting for a chance to attack.

"Stay still!"

Deadman ordered, a note of frustration leaking into his voice.

Cheshire allowed herself a smile. She could sense Deadman's spirit energy around the dummies and by reading how it moved, counter anything he threw at her.

Of course she wouldn't tell him that, or else he would up the ante.

She was currently facing off against 4 of the training dummies under the disembodied spirit's control.

Anymore and she would struggle. She didn't want to struggle just yet. Not until she got the hang of this...thing inside her.

She had felt it back at Xebel.

But now it was more clear.

An energy that felt so weightless yet powerful.

It had also come at the perfect time. Shiva was now more powerful than ever. Cheshire hadn't thought she could breach the gap but with this new energy...she would show them all.

Crusher, her mother, Ra's, Shiva...even Davian.

It galled her that she had to protected by from someone else, despite being so independent for most of her life.

Mo more weakness. Cheshire was going to look out for herself now. The minute she didn't need them anymore and was sure Ra's wouldn't send more shadows after her, she was gone.

Davian and Deadman had been pretty good companions so far, and a part of her felt she would miss them, but Cheshire didn't want friends.

She wanted to live her life the way she saw fit. Under no one.

Unknown to her, her savior was currently watching her fight, and he had no intention to let her leave them.

(Davian's P.O.V)

"She has phenomenal body control."

Chase observed.

Cheshire had seemingly launched herself back by expelling her already low spirit energy through her feet.

The ground cratered under her soles and her spirit energy bottomed out.

He was right. The way she moved her body...it was envious.

She was flexible enough to cut out all unnecessary movements in her footwork( which was arguably better than mine) and nimble enough to transition from attack to evasion.

She tried her best to only block the dummies' attacks when she was left with no choice.

Cheshire was clearly talented. The only flaw I could point out was at the application aspect.

Although her control over spirit energy was good, great even, she sucked at applying and incorporating the energy into her body movements.

While control and application might sound similar, they weren't. Take Ichigo for example, he had atrocious control. However his body and Reiryoku were in search perfect sync, he never overshot his Flash step.

Control shined when casting Kido. Application shined when reinforcing the body.

"You're doing it wrong."

I stepped out before them.

The dummies froze as Deadman floated down, waving at me.

"Yo, Bossman. Finally awake huh?"

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

I nodded at him.

"Brand. Thanks for looking out for me. If it weren't for you quick thinking and Rama's help, I'd be dead."

"Thats unusual."

Cheshire said, sheathing her weapons.

"You're usually all, 'I'm a bad ass and no one can beat me, aahh'"

Deadman chuckled at the bad impression she was doing of me.

"I don't sound like that. Do I sound like that?"

"""Yes."""

Came a chorus of answers.

"I hate you. I hate all of you."

I sighed.

Cheshire snickered as I arrived before them.

"The Flash step...you were doing it wrong."

The assassin blinked.

"The what now?"

And so I demonstrated the move by blurring across the training yard. Afterimages of my body flashed around and when I stopped I could see the hunger in her gaze.

"Teach me."

She all but demanded.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Teach me...please."

Cheshire repeated.

"Much better. So the first thing you do..."

*****

Cheshire didn't get the hang of the high speed movement right away. Infact I could tell it would take some time before she had the reserves to use Shunpo to it's maximum effect.

We spent some more time in the Training Yard, catching up as the two of them informed me of what I'd missed.

"...so I flew out of my room towards you. The last thing I saw was red and yellow lightning flashing around the edges of the island. I think...I think we were teleported somewhere."

"Yeah. The end of time."

Chase spoke up from within my inner world. Deadman had been telling me the version of events from his perspective.

Red and yellow lightning huh? Sounds like a speedster.

The arrival of a Shadow informed me that Ra's was growing impatient to see me. I broke off from the two and followed after the ninja.

We walked through hallways, allowing me to see more of the Island than before. They even had hot springs! I made a mental note to check that out.

A few minutes later and I was before a huge entrance flanked by two guards.

"The Demon's Head waits inside."

My Shadow guide told me, pointing a hand towards the double doors. I gave a nod and walked in.

The first thing I noticed was the scent. The room smelled of medicine and herbs.

Bubbles popped from test beakers on a work table and all manner of compounds and chemicals were arranged on shelves across the room.

On the Work Table was Ra's, leaning over a test tube with a green liquid inside, placed over a flame. I took the chance to study him. He was dressed in a green silk robe with wide sleeves. His hair was longer than I had expected.

For his soul, there was something a bit off. It felt like it wasn't all there.

"Would you care for some tea?"

He offered.

"No thanks. You called for me."

I crossed my hands.

I had no idea what he wanted. Sure, we were on his Island and I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to learn from Shiva, but if he tried to hard press me into something, Mr.Al Ghul would find himself missing a head.

He looked back.

"How do you feel? You've been unconscious for more than a week."

"I'm good."

I narrowed my eyes.

"What do you care though? Last I checked we were enemies."

He seemed to have been expecting the hostility because he smiled.

"Opportunity Mr.Mabuz. Let's just say, I have vested interest in seeing you succeed."

"I'm not doing you any favors. Now or in the future."

I told him bluntly. If he was expecting to blackmail me then he had another thing coming.

"Oh trust me, I expect nothing from you."

He smiled.

"It's your nature I'm counting on. The stubbornness to do what you want, damn the consequences. That will put you in the cross hairs of a certain detective and his group. Something tells me betting on you is the right call."

Oh Ra's...

Don't you know the plan is to kill all of Batman's villains before I move on to him? Then again, the Demon's Head was under the illusion I could be used to further his own goals.

Well, let's not disapprove him of that notion just yet, he might be useful.

He turned his back to me.

"You're free to stay here however long you want Mr.Mabuz. I believe it would be beneficial for you."

It would be so easy to kill him like that. Just a clean Shunpo, then a swing of Chesha Neko and his head would roll.

'Not yet.'

I clamped down on the urge. Ra's expected me to forget that he'd been in leagues with Vandal Savage. I don't forget that easily.

However, I could recognize his death would bring me no satisfaction. Not if he could be brought back by the Lazarus Pit on the island. I was going to need to bide my time.

"Thanks."

I told him, turning on my heels to leave.

"Oh and Mr.Mabuz, join us for the farewell ceremony to honor the departed souls. You were a friend of Bronze Tiger I assume?"

A farewell ceremony? It was a bit out there considering I'd killed some of them myself.

"We knew each other."

I threw over my shoulder.

"Good. Then you should stop by. I lost so many of my people..."

I see now.

He's trying to make a statement. Although he had enough reason to come after me for Killing his men, he was extending an olive branch.

I left without saying anything.

******

I spent the rest of the afternoon in meditation. While Shiva's body to body technique was effective at helping me regain a little control, the bulk of the work was still in my hands.

Chase and I discussed a few things. Mostly my training and worked out a schedule of some sort. It was flexible to account for Shiva's training.

The first thing I dealt with was my Spirit sense which had been greatly affected by the imbalance between my body and soul.

I kept my Reikaku active and stretched out across the Island as far as I could. I went from more than a mile to a couple hundred dozen meters.

That part grated me a lot.

I could tell I had my work cut out for me. Still, if I wanted to get everything I'd lost back, then I had no choice but to go at it hard.

******

The awkwardness I'd expected during the Farewell ceremony was there.

They lit candles in boxes and sent them out on floating plates across the waters. I could feel the stares on me.

There wasn't any direct hostility but I could tell my group and I were not welcome. It made sense though, I'd torn through some of them like bowling pins. It would have been weird if they didn't hold a grudge.

That said, nothing crazy happened and I made it back to my quarters.

There on the bed, folded nicely was a pair of training clothes and a note on top. I turned it over and read the written text.

"Hell begins tomorrow."

I couldn't stop a smile from spreading across my face.