Ablaze: Told Twice Book 2

The Girl Wanted For Her Skills

The ride was shorter than Sakura expected. Or it could be that she was too immersed in the wonders of his vehicle to pay attention. When they reached their destination, Sakura noted that they were in a cave of some sort. It was certainly a drafty one. Sakura looked up and noted that it was full of bats.

Raw amusement crept upon her lips.

When Sakura refocused, it was to see Batman working at a large computer. He had pulled off his cowl, and his fingers were flying swiftly over the keyboard. His hair was tousled, and Sakura's fingers twitched to put the locks in some semblance of order but refrained herself. Instead, she went and stood behind him looking over his shoulder.

"What's this?"

They looked like blueprints. Sakura squinted her eyes as she studied the structure before her. "Is this the Watchtower?" Her excitement was plain, but Batman didn't acknowledge it. She hadn't expected this so soon. They hadn't even got funding for it yet, and Batman already had blueprints!

"Yes."

"Is this why you called me to Gotham? You want me to look over it?"

"No and yes."

Sakura processed that bit of information and decided to go with the 'yes' first. "What am I looking for in the Tower?"

"I haven't even built it, and you're already giving it a nickname?"

"Oh, come on now Batman, no one is going to call it 'The Watchtower' all the time."

"I will." Sakura couldn't stop the laugh that slipped free and said somewhat fondly, "'Except you,' was implied."

"Have you ever looked at blueprints like this before, in your world?"

Sakura shrugged. "Only when trying to figure out the best way to break into a place."

"Good." Batman said, "Then that's what I need you to do."

"You expect me to make a plan to break into the...Watchtower?" Sakura watched as Bruce's lips twitched and felt triumph sweep through her. "I can do that. But now I really must ask that you come to the point. Why did the illustrious Batman summon me to Gotham?"

She needed him to get to the point. She had told Clark she would see him in the evening and it was way past evening and moving rapidly into the middle of the night. She didn't know if Clark was up waiting for her or worrying about her. Sakura shook her head. Should she send a summons to let him know she was okay? Could she send a summons? She was in an entirely new world. Did that make her contract with the slugs null and void? Sakura made a mental note to attempt to summon one later.

"The Watchtower is only the beginning Kunoichi. The government has given us permission to protect the world from outside attacks. We fought off Darkseid—but for a while, it was a close thing." Sakura couldn't help but remember Clark bound to a table on Apokolips and nodded. "The Watchtower is a necessary thing, but even though there are eight of us, we're not enough to protect the world."

Sakura didn't disagree with him but...

"You want to expand the League." He didn't deny her claim. "Bruce, I don't think that's a good idea right now. We're still in the middle of getting to know each other in battle. It's too soon to shake things up with new blood."

"I agree. That doesn't mean we shouldn't look for the new talent for when we're ready. I'd want to watch them for a while anyway. See who they are as a person. Determine whether they're trustworthy."

Sakura grinned and stated Bruce's words plainly. "You want to spy on people—and since I'm used to covert operations, you want me to help."

Bruce turned his head and looked over his shoulder at her. Sakura stared into those ice blue eyes and said assuring Batman of her cooperation, "Who do you want me to look at first?"

Bruce turned away from her and typed a few words and a familiar face popped up on the screen. It was one that she had seen earlier that day. The woman who stopped a robbery and pinned her with the credit.

"I know her!" Sakura blurted.

"Oh?" Bruce queried. "And have you heard about her scream? It's unique."

۞۞۞

When Sakura returned home, it was to find Clark asleep on the couch. Sakura's heart ached as she realized that he had waited up for her. For a moment she debated whether or not to slip into her room or to wake him.

In the end, she decided to wake him. She didn't want to awaken in the middle of the night wondering whether or not she had made it home. He would figure out quickly that she had, but she wanted to spare him that possible moment of fear. Also, she knew sleeping on the couch would not be comfortable.

Sakura moved to the sofa and kneeled at the side of it and laid a hand on Clark's arm. "Clark." She said softly. His eyes opened slightly, and he stared at her face for a moment before he started to smile.

"You're back."

"Yeah, I'm a little late." She crawled back a bit to give him some space so he could sit up. "Did you eat?"

"Sakura, you do not have to feed me all the time. I'm a grown man. I can feed myself—and you too." Sakura blinked not sure if that was an offer or not.

"Is that an offer? Because all I got from Batman was work—and more of it." Clark looked at her quizzically, but Sakura didn't respond to the unspoken question. She didn't know if it was something Batman wanted to share at the moment. She was certain that if he had, he would have told the entire League and not just her, so she kept quiet.

Clark didn't press. "You're hungry?" Sakura nodded. "Alright. I'll take care of it."

When Sakura was presented with a grilled cheese sandwich, she looked at him dubiously. "It's good, and it's simple. You can't expect me to Bobby Flay for you in the middle of the night."

Sakura had no idea what Bobby Flay was, but he was right. The sandwich was good. She had nothing to complain about.