not deaths bitch | jason todd

[xiv]

[ fourteen : canceled plans & one-night stands ]

"RED?" HER VOICE ECHOED AGAINST THE BRICKS walls of the alleyway. He stepped out of the shadows, wearing his signature red motorcycle helmet. Tasi scanned the man then looked back at her phone, dialing Jack's number.
"Who are you calling?" His voice was low, she snapped her head back with a snarl, "none of your business." Anastasia spat.

"Is that how you're going to treat me after that night we spent together." His tone was matter-of-fact, like he knew everything. Ignoring his egotistic comment, she waiting for Jack to pick up the phone.

"Laura!" His voice was happy, instantly she knew she was going to regret her next move,
"hey jack," she trailed off, rubbing her temples with a headache, "is it okay if we do this tomorrow?"

"Same time?" Tasi nodded but realized he obviously couldn't hear her. "Yeah, yeah, same time. I'll see you tomorrow." Before the boy could respond she hung up. The Red Hood had taken off the helmet and like usual had only that darn domino mask covering his identity.

He then asked, "who was that?" Sending daggers his way she sharply responded, "no one." Red Hood squinted in disbelief, "sure it was. Replaced me that fast?" She was almost hurt but the villain hardly meant anything to her; merely a one-night stand.   

Staring at him with a softer glance, "I didn't know you wanted anything deeper." Anastasia admitted. His face fell with a little bit of shame, "well I do."

She walked over to him and snaked her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his check. In response her grabbed her waist, "you missed!" Tasi laughed before placing a kiss onto his rough lips.

"I'm ready." Looking right into her eyes, Tasi was confused. "For what?"

"To show you who I am." Tasi stood there shocked, "I trust you." A small part of her-- the Bruce Wayne's kid-- part of her felt guilty. He trusted her enough with his identity but she was someone completely else.

His fingers touched the domino mask as he was about to peel away his second life, one of chaos and crime.

~

Her bruises weren't as colourful as they used to be, her cuts had been bandages tightly and her body craved to keep going even though her brain was telling her to shut down.

"You have good focus Anastasia," her mother watched her as she spared against a masked opponent. "That's good for an assassin."

For a minute she lost her focus, a rookie mistake, and for her sake, a mistake that would change the rest of her life.

He slashed her stomach and as she winced in pain he didn't hesitate to slash her arm. Anastasia heard her mother grumble, disappointed.

She growled, about to swing her own katana, to prove herself worthy to the women who had taken her in. Again, she was distracted, the opponent kicked her stomach. She was on her back, her body aching as it hit the stone floor.

Anastasia watched as he was about to bring his katana down onto her, she shielded herself, the palm of her hand opened and the next thing she heard was the agonizing pain coming from her sparing partner.

It was a horrific sight, the young girls poor eyes began to stream tears, she looked towards he mother for a split second and for that split second she saw the quickest flash of fear go through.

"How did you do that?" She asked, astonished, Anastasia shook her head, scared and alone, "I don't know!" She cried out.

Talia Al Ghul sighed, she knelt down next to the girl and scanned over the recently dead body, it had been burned to a crisp. Some of the remains bone had flakes of burnt flesh slowly sliding off.

"Can you do that again?" She asked, harshly, the poor child didn't have time to comprehend what she had just done. When the words her mother had asked made sense, she sat up and cupped her hands together.

She focus, the flames weren't coming through, though. Anastasia held her eyes together even more tightly, but still nothing.

"I've can't mother, I'm sorry." She held her head in her small hands, upset she had disappointed her mother. "Don't fret child," she placed a hand on Anastasia back. "Try again."

They stood up together and Anastasia tried to capture the same emotion she had when she was sparing.

Fear.

Anger.

Pressure.

Flames erupted from her hands and flew across the training grounds. Her mother looked impressed, "bravo, my child, it seems you have... unforeseen gifts."

"But what if I hurt someone again?" She asked, even though she was supposed to be a merciless killer she was still an innocent soul who's conscious was scratching through the walls she first built up.

Talia looked away, "I'll discuss it with grandfather." She told her as they traveled back to their main quarters.

Anastasia had been burdened with a gift so human should be gifted with, the power to bend the element of fire and take a life so easily.

Little did she know that after that day it would be one of the last she would see the women she considered a mother and the first days of her new life in Gotham.