Son of Justice

Chapter 7

"You know those things will kill you faster than any bullet at this point?"

Red Hood looked up from his lit cigarette to his older brother with a snort, "And what brings you to this neck of the woods, Goldie?"

"Just passing through," Nightwing answered, plucking the cigarette from compliant finger tips. Stubbing it out on the concrete stone before placing it into Red Hood's jacket pocket, "What about you?"

"Just got done with a slave trafficking ring. All the players are either dead or in prison."

"Jaybird." Nightwing scolded, "You can't solve all your problems with a gun."

"I know. That's why I have two guns."

Nightwing sighed, "That's not what I meant and you know it."

Hood shrugged with a grin, "How's you'r new tag along?"

"I don't want him anywhere near Bludhaven or Gotham. Prankster would see him as an easy target and Joker.... Joker would relish the chance to go after someone that isn't Batman for Batman."

"Can't say I disagree. The Brat he settled us with talks so much. Questions everything with such a closed mind. I don't want to bring him anywhere near our base. I think Bizarro wants to kill him. Or at least hit him. He's asked, multiple times."

Nightwing snorted, turning to lean up against the stone, "Sounds fun. Try not to kill him. It's hard enough for members of the League to leave your team alone."

"You don't need to keep protecting me." Hood snapped, "I can do just fine for myself."

Nightwing settled him with a cool look, "Alright than, I'll stop when you stop protecting Red and Robin."

Hood turned away from the look, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. Either way. How's Gotham?"

"Come home and find out."

"I am home."

"Damn it, Wing. I know you and dad had an argument. A bad one if you're still here."

"Stop."

"But come on, most the shit he says doesn't matter."

"Enough."

"He does it to everyone."

"I'm not listening to this."

Hood grabbed Nightwing's arm before the hero could walk away, "God, damn it. He's insufferable when your not around! I can't take it anymore. Tim's moved out of the house. Steph went off to the dorms for collage. And Cass is with the Birds of Pray more and more. Damian can't do anything but endure it! We can't stand him. He's- He's- He's such a pompous ass all the time. It's not just his way or the highway. It's his way, no matter what."

Nightwing jerked his arm out of reach, "I'm sorry to hear about Damian, but I'm not going back. Not after what he said. I'm done putting up with his abrasive bull shit."

"I don't get it. You were talking last week! What could he have done?!"

Nightwing shook his head, walking away, "Ask him." He lept off the edge on to the next roof, than the next, and the next. Putting distance not between him and Red Hood, but himself and the conversation.

The fight was long in coming. Small ones here and there over the years. Well, relatively smaller fights. Most had driven him away for weeks at a time. The worse being that first argument before he left and created the Titans. This one may just have been worse. Back than Bruce never brought up them. Never used it against him in an argument.

If Nightwing tried hard enough to look past the words, he could remember the shock on Bruce's face when the man had said those words. Unbelieving that he himself had said that to Nightwing. It might be petty or selfish but Nightwing was not going back first. No way in hell was he going too be the adult for once and get over this argument. He was going to make that damn man apologies first.

Nightwing landed on a roof not too far from the docks. It was all silent. Water lapped at the shores with a gentle caress. It was nearly a complete seen of tranquility. If only the stars could shine through all smog and lights.

"Wow, and I thought I'd have to lure you here."

Nightwing didn't jump at the voice. Turning his head enough to see Prankster standing nearly twenty feet from him.

"Hello Oswald." Nightwing greeted turning back to the ocean's waves, "I'd ask why your here but we both know why. You do love revenge. And have a warped way to get it."

Prankster pulled off his mask with a laugh, "Me and my warped way of revenge? What about that vendeta against Zucco? He ended up dead in the end, didn't he? Another son without a father."

Nightwing bit his lip from the sharp, unintelligible, retort he wanted to make.

"What, no sly comeback? Oh, you accept that, that had been your fault."

"My fault or not, Zucco had to pay for his crimes."

"And what about your crimes?" Prankster grinned, "You know I stopped by Gotham before coming here. Talked with a few villains. They all had interesting things to say, you know? I love the story Two Face gave me about a young boy, no more than six. He went around known as Talon, and killed so many people. People that corrupted the government. People that stopped the city from truly becoming what it should be. The ending was sad though. The Bat had swooped in, taken the child from his master's arms. I wonder where he went?"

"What do you want?" Nightwing growled turning to face the man, "Want me to tell you that I was that child? That I was a six year old assassin?"

"No. I already figure that out. I'm wondering why you act so high and proper with all your words but truthfully we are one in the same? How you can say Zucco needs to pay for his crimes but yet, you haven't. Tell me, do you even think about it?"

Nightwing beard his teeth, "You choose who you want to be. A six year old is to young to choose. You and I right now, we have consequences for our actions."

"So your saying that your exempt?"

"No. I regret, repent, and greave every god damn day for those years. Is that what you want to hear? That I'm a hero with a dark history."

"Don't all the Bats got some sort of dark history? It's what makes you Bats."

Nightwing snorted but couldn't disagree. The villain had a point.

Prankster stepped up into Nightwing's face, "No, I'm going to destroy you just as you had done me. I was an anti-hero until you stepped in."

"You did that to yourself. You put your own goals over the safety of the innocent. No hero, anti or not, would do that."

"Too bad on not either anymore." Prankster grinned, "I'll see you on the battle field. Talan."

And the building exploded beneath his feet.

Comments? Vote! Share.