Harley was giddy. Well...giddier than usual. Why? Here she was in a lush penthouse suite in Metropolis, free from Batman's eyes (since this was considered Superman's territory), and even reach (so long as she played nice) for the moment. The city was considered a giant man made wonder of glass, steel, and some of the most advanced technology in the world being made here. The air, the water, and even the ground in Metropolis was much cleaner than say Gotham City ever had been. Not to mention this penthouse was one of luxury designed to spoil a woman like her and boy did she feel spoiled. She even got to bring her babies (the hyenas) to the penthouse where upon seeing Naruto, they quickly understood who the Master of the House was, and bowed in submission. Harley was in awe of the moment and knew her babies wouldn't do anything bad (namely peeing on the furniture) here while Naruto was around to keep them in line.
Plus the sex Harley had with Naruto only made her time here feel even better.
"I have a small question and I hope its not one of those 'don't ask because you don't need to know' type questions, but...how can you even afford all of this?" asked Pamela with the red haired nature loving woman having relocated practically all of her precious "babies" to Metropolis and had her own personal garden to make it have a more homey feel to it.
Naruto even gave her an inside greenhouse of sorts by altering and warping dimensional rifts for the room to fit all her "babies" in it. This was done to compensate for the number of them she had and couldn't all fit on the outside balcony area. So he used his Fuinjutsu, altered the room to fit far more then it ever should, and told her to do with the room as she willed. Pamela had kissed him passionately for that and the two had sex right on the floor, which Harley joked was the spot where "the true seeds got planted for her future babies" in the room, and embarrassed the red haired nature loving woman to no end.
"I am also a bit curious. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the money you acquired gambling in Las Vegas helped, but you did give a chunk of it to Victor Fries and his wife. There is the issue of affording this place on a long term basis," remarked Tala while Naruto just smirked at them.
"Don't worry. I have been taking care of that in a covert, yet completely legal way," said Naruto with his smirk becoming a grin.
"Awww! I was hoping we could do something fun like break into a bank and steal the money to keep our fund up," whined Harley with Naruto letting out a chuckle.
"I do not think that is wise fellow lover of Naruto. If we were to commit such acts and break the law, the various authorities we wish to avoid will descend upon us. I for one do not wish to be in a fight with former comrades and friends," said Starfire while knowing the best way to stay out of a fight was not to do something that would cause it.
"Starfire is right Harley. While we are in Superman's city/territory and we are fortunate the big blue boy scout is not here right now, his cousin Supergirl currently is here. She can get in direct contact with Batman, if not someone from the Justice League, and with many of us here being prime most wanted among the League in some fashion...I would prefer not to be hunted like an animal," commented Pamela while Galatea had an amused smirk on her face and rightfully so given what she did with Naruto recently.
There was just something about being on the roof of some building butt naked while your well hung lover was plowing you from behind like a wild beast that made the woman hot underneath the leotard. The two of them easily staring down at the city below while doing it really made the sexual intimacy all the more awesome!
Not to mention it would make Supergirl really question her sanity and limitations on how long she could keep the erotic dreams a secret from everyone.
"Pamela is right Harley. As tempting as it would be to bond with you via robbing a bank and causing chaos while keeping it nonlethal, it would attract too much attention," said Naruto with Harley nodding since she understood.
Oh well, the sex was a nice replacement. Not to mention Harley got to put her acrobatic skills to work in the process.
"You still haven't answered the question Naruto," commented Tala while she saw him just smirking at her and new from that smirk alone that he had done something semi-devious if not out right perverted.
"Well, if you must know, I have been doing a bit of dabbling in a venture of an artistic profession of sorts that provides an income necessary to sustain our current lifestyle. And I have all of you to thank for it," replied Naruto with the women in the room looking at him in shock.
"How did we contribute to it? None of us know what it is we did to help you," said Tala curiously with Naruto nodding.
"True, but that doesn't mean you didn't help unknowingly in providing my mind with a lot of inspiration," answered Naruto, which confused them even more.
"Inspiration for what?" asked Harley curiously.
"For...this! Behold my means of getting a shit load of money doing something I love to do with all of you!" declared Naruto with the revealing of an orange book and put it on the table for them all to read.
It was titled Icha Icha Paradise: Super Hot Villainess and Heroine Addition by Uzumaki Kurama.
"You wrote a...a porno...book?!" asked Pamela in shock while Naruto looked somewhat offended.
"Porno? My work is hardly a porno. Sure, there is sex in it, but there is also romance, a lot of fighting, and sex with more sex along with...wait I said sex twice already," replied Naruto in his defense, which wasn't much considering he just admitted to there being sex in it twice.
Technically three times, but that was beside the point.
"Is it any good?" asked Harley before grabbing it and started reading.
"Harley!" exclaimed Pamela before she glared at Naruto.
Her friend didn't need any more craziness in her life.
"Lighten up Red. It's not half bad. Oh! Can we try this position next time? And this one?! Huh, which one of us did you do this one with?" asked Harley while going straight to the raunchy sex scenes in the book knowing the other stuff could be read later on.
"Thank you Harley. To answer your questions in order, yes, yes, and that position was with Starfire one night when she was feeling particularly horny," answered Naruto while watching Starfire fly above Harley to read about it and ignoring the sight of Pamela's own hand smacking herself in the face.
Tala just sighed, but kept what she felt on the issue to herself knowing somewhere in that damn orange book, what she did with him was in it too. She decided to at least keep some form of secret identity surrounding the sexual positions the two of them had done.
Galatea smirked knowing she had nothing to be ashamed of regarding what was in that book or the sexual positions in them since there was good chance she had done them all with Naruto. She also made a mental note to ask Naruto to sneak said orange book right into Supergirl's apartment or even her school locker within the week. The blonde woman could just imagine how the younger original version would turn red and wanting to die from embarrassment if people saw her with one of them. Even worse, have Naruto give Supergirl an autographed version of it and had her written down as his greatest fan.
"Oh I remember that position! It was most pleasurable!" exclaimed Starfire since she saw what Harley had read so far.
"That statement aside, do you honestly expect us to believe you can make a lot of money from writing about what we do with you?" asked Pamela while feeling a bit...exposed in a way she wasn't sure was something good in her mind.
"I never actually used your names Pamela. I do wish the women in my life, namely all of you here, to have some level of privacy in terms of what you experienced sexually with my manly greatness! And to answer your question about money being made from my book or future books, I think you should see this little, yet wonderful thing item here to see the end result of my work," said Naruto before he produced a single check sent to him by Metropolis Publishing.
"That...That is a lot of zeroes," said Pamela after seeing the number given on the check.
"Add in the fact my book is already guaranteed a number one best seller and Metropolis Publishing wants more in the future just means more money rolling in when they are published. The more I publish, the more checks I get to cash. Who knows, I might even get this to become a movie if it becomes popular enough. And my publisher assured me there is a good chance of a movie being made surrounding at least one of my books when I get more then just this one out in the market," remarked Naruto, as he saw it all click in Pamela's mind, and the minds of the others in the room.
The more inspiration Naruto got, the more books he could write, and the more books he wrote that got published...the more checks his publisher would have to write. The money produced from his work in book format alone was immense and if it branched out from there, which they assumed it would, money would never be an issue. Ever!
"You know what they say about work Red. The best kind of work is the kind that you can enjoy and really isn't considered work at all!" said Harley while Pamela glanced from the check to the book to the check again.
"Well...its not like all of our names are written in it. And it is a lot of money to enjoy the good life," commented Pamela while deciding to let the issue go since no one who read the book knew it was her who was in those kind of sexual positions.
And it was a lot of money after all.
"And that's not all. I have been making some investments into various places and slowly gaining a foundation of financial support outside of writing. Besides, I can always go back to Las Vegas to legitimately break the bank of some poor unsuspecting casino. I don't think getting money one way or another will be an issue in the event we need a sudden influx of cash," replied Naruto since he had been dividing the vast amount of money up into various places to make it grow.
"What kind of investments?" asked Galatea curiously since she had a feeling he was going to do something devious soon and wanted to know more about it.
"Let's just say I'm going to take something from Lex Luthor, which he holds dear above all things, not including his life, and make it my own," said Naruto with a smirk on his face that made him looked almost evil.
Almost.
"But if I recall correctly, the fiend known as Lex Luthor values only his company, power, and the vast wealth he generates from his company," commented Starfire since she had, at Naruto's own insistence, learned a great deal about the various individuals he planned to take down on both sides.
"Correct my dear Starfire. But even that is not enough to remove Lex Luthor from being a problem for me. The man needs to be without any means of power, whether it is money, political favors, or just allies who would give him anything resourceful in general. I need him to be truly broken. Beyond helping. Beyond repair. I want to break his spirit and it just so happens I know the way to make my plan work," replied Naruto while his smile grew even more sinister.
"You're going to do something perverted, are you?" asked Pamela with Naruto looking hurt in a mocking sort of way.
"I'm hurt Pamela. You would think so lowly of me. Oh how you wound me so! Surely no one else thinks I would do something like that, right?!" questioned Naruto with all the girls looking at him in a deadpanned stare.
Even Starfire. Yep! Even she knew not to believe he wouldn't do something like that.
"Do you have to ask?" answered Tala with her hands on her hips.
"Point taken. Nevertheless, my perverseness aside, this will be crucial to my plans to take Lex Luthor down!" exclaimed Naruto with a spotlight once more shining down upon him when entering a dramatic pose.
"What is it we see in him again?" asked Pamela with Galatea shrugging.
"I'm pretty sure it has something to do with his big dick and how he uses it on us during sex," commented Galatea while Tala smacked herself in the face when seeing Harley just nodding and Starfire agreeing with them.
'That explains some things,' thought Tala while wondering how things got this far before she saw Naruto glancing in her direction with the "I want sex with you" look and silently shivered in process.
Oh yeah. Now she remembered.
(Justice League Watch Tower-At the Moment)
Batman was not happy. Granted he was never happy, but this was a whole new level of being unhappy. First, Arkham had been attacked, and a large number of its inmates had been killed. Joker, Dr. Hugo Strange, and Scarecrow (his heart shut down sometime in the night days after the attack) to name several prominent psychos to name a few. While no real big loss to Gotham, the city was his to protect, meaning no one did anything, or hurt anyone in it without him knowing who was behind it. Only to find himself unable to figure out who had butchered so many of Arkam's most vile criminals.
Second, the very person responsible for it was some kind of deadly ninja assassin, who was not affiliated with anyone, or any organization Batman knew from his younger years. None of the people he had been in contact with up until now were able to find out who this ninja assassin was or where to locate him.
Third, the ninja assassin wasn't alone, and had a ninja subordinate named Itachi with skills that surpassed his own in martial arts fighting. It didn't help that Itachi had admitted his Master was far superior to him just as Itachi was superior to Batman in the ways of fighting.
Fourth, Itachi had stated in no uncertain terms that his Master knew Batman was really Bruce Wayne, and would target people close to Bruce Wayne, if Batman didn't back off. Namely the targeting of one Alfred Pennyworth, but Batman knew these ninja might just target others like Nightwing, Batgirl, or even the newest Robin to join the Bat family.
The fifth reason, and speaking of his former student Nightwing, the young man was now going to leave the Titans soon after going beyond his teen years, and taking Rachel Roth A.K.A. Raven with him. The two were now in a romantic relationship for well over a few months and were wishing to go somewhere to let the relationship grow further.
Something Batman frowned upon heavily since he felt such a relationship with someone in their line of work was unwise and compromised their ability to do their job in the field. Not that Nightwing would listen to him. Not anymore. The young former trapeze circus artist/performer turned crime fighting warrior had stopped listening to his mentor years ago when they had a falling out. Batman doubted Nightwing would listen to him, even if the painful truth of the Dark Knight being right about everything was shown right in the in the younger man's face.
The only reason Batman knew about the relationship between Nightwing and Raven was due to Nightwing telling him in the Bat Cave when a "family emergency meeting" was called. Such meetings were extremely rare, but when they did, all members of the Bat family answered the call, and went to the meeting. It was there, Batman told them of the threat to Alfred's life due to the ninja's warning, and the fact they might be targeted by extension. Of course, they were all worried for their own lives, but more so for Alfred since the loyal butler had done nothing wrong to deserve being killed. Nightwing had pointed out that so long as Batman stayed away from these ninjas for now, Alfred, and by extension themselves would not be targeted for death.
Batman didn't like the idea one bit, even if it made the most sense, and the others seemed to agree with the idea of backing off. If only temporarily until they had a means to protect those they cared about like Alfred. Batgirl was also concerned that her Father, one Police Commissioner Gordon, might be targeted too, and told Bruce he should back off until a potential lead presented itself without them knowingly digging around.
It didn't help that the overall consensus was they should back off for now for the sake of their loved ones with the only one not willing to back off being Batman himself. But was going to anyway due to the overall majority not supporting any other decision regarding these ninja assassins and what they would do if provoked.
Hence why his anger had risen to much higher levels. But that wasn't the only thing that bothered him. No. It was the man in front of him and what they were currently discussing now with the other Founding Members of the League.
"You're leaving the group?!" asked Flash in surprise along with the others when they heard the news.
"Yes. After much thought, I have decided to leave the Justice League. I plan to live on Almerac with Queen Maxima and rule there as her husband," answered Superman with the other members of the League looking surprised.
"Husband? As in married? And Diana is okay with this? Its no secret here that the two of you are in a relationship and I highly doubt she was accepting of this," questioned John curiously.
"John's right. Diana would never accept this. It would hurt her too much and we all know you wouldn't dare hurt Diana like that. Where is she anyway?" asked Flash in confusion.
"Diana's still on Almerac with Big Barda. As for accepting this situation, it...well...things got a bit complicated during the negotiations for the alliance between Earth and Almerac shortly after we arrived," answered Superman with the other League members looking at him curiously.
"In what way?" asked Shayera while wondering how things got complicated in the first place.
"Well it started out all right when she first saw me. I think Maxima believed I had finally come to my senses and I wanted to be with her like she wanted from the start after the whole issue of me besting her in combat. But after seeing Diana and Big Barda with me after walking toward the throne she was sitting on, things didn't exactly go well for us," said Superman with a sigh.
"How?" asked John since he didn't think it would be that bad.
Sure John heard the stories about the woman and the planet from his time out in space on patrol as a Green Lantern, but surely such stories were more fiction then fact, right?
"For one, Maxima didn't take too kindly to the idea of me returning with two 'concubines' in tow to have on the side following our future union together. She was so angry, but I got the feeling it was toward Diana, and Big Barda in the belief they had some kind of sexual power over me that prevented my marriage to her in the first place," remarked Superman with a small laugh shared by the others.
Namely Flash since he thought it was hysterical and nearly fell out of his chair.
"Oh man! Both Diana and Big Barda must have been pissed at being called a concubine by Maxima. I'm surprised you made it back in one piece and Almerac hasn't declared war on us," said Flash after he had calmed down.
"Oh they were both upset and for good reason given their warrior pride had preverbal dirt thrown on it. So much that Diana actually challenged Maxima first to a fight. She wanted her so badly you could feel the bloodlust flooding the room. Royal warrior blood fighting another warrior descended from royal blood," said Superman with Flash looking far too interested in the idea of two badass warrior women of royal blood fighting each other.
"What happened? Was there hair pulling? Clothes being ripped off? The catfight to end all other catfights?" asked Flash, only to be hit in the back of the head by Shayera, and the Fastest Man Alive leaned away from the angry woman.
"One more comment like that and I will hit you with my mace," threatened Shayera with John nodding.
"And I'll help her by holding you down so you can't run," added John since he didn't need this from Flash today of all times.
"Maxima accepted the challenge. Commenting how when she won, both Diana and Big Barda would be kicked off her planet, and I would have to marry her with the intention of siring a child immediately to make up for my 'womanizing' ways' as she put it. Big Barda wanted to jump into the fighting, but only if Diana somehow lost, and Maxima agreed since she thought the idea of crushing both in front of me would somehow show she was the only woman I would ever want," explained Superman while Batman's eyes narrowed.
"I take it from the way you are here and they aren't dead or possibly imprisoned, neither one lost their fight," surmised John with Superman nodding.
"They fights were held in the arena where Maxima usually went to deal with male suitors seeking her hand in marriage by fighting one another in combat. It was a brutal fight to be sure, but Diana won honorably, and so did Big Barda though that fight happened later once Maxima had fully healed," said Superman with Flash frowning in confusion.
"Wait! Why did Big Barda have to fight if Diana won?" asked Flash with Superman just letting out a small chuckle.
"Because Maxima wanted to make sure both my 'concubines' were worthy of being on her planet and since Diana had proven herself, Big Barda had to do it as well. In the end, both women proved they were 'worthy' of being on Almerac, and we finally got to have a civil conversation with the Queen," answered Superman though he wasn't going say what had happened during the trip over there. Or what really happened on Almerac once the two battles Maxima had with both warrior women he was with after things finally settled down.
"That is one crazy woman to be sure. So why did you agree to the marriage with her in the first place? Was it because the Queen was playing hardball in wanting an alliance with Earth?" asked John while Superman nodded.
"That's partially it. One of the conditions of the marriage was Almerac would come to Earth's aid and defense in the event it was ever invaded by an alien force like Darkseid or the White Martians. As the King of Almerac, I wouldn't be just some figure head meant to satisfy the Queen's...urges when she was in the mood, or help continue the Queen's bloodline. But another reason I agreed to this arrangement was due to a more...personal one. I agree to this because I wanted to...is to ensure the safety of my own family's legacy and future. More specifically, my Kryptonian legacy, and its overall future that comes from being its last son and last son of the House of El. My deepest desire is to settle down and form a family. But I always feared my enemies like Lex Luthor or even some kind of government organization would seek to take that away from me. To use it to control me like some puppet on a set of strings. To target who they want targeted. Attack who they want to attack. I feared such a thing and if I refused...they would hurt my progeny in all sorts of ways. I couldn't bare the thought of it happening, but when this offer was made by Maxima to ensure my family legacy and future survived...I had to take it," explained Superman with many understanding his point of view.
"What about Diana and your relationship with her? What about her own feelings on the matter?" asked Batman while he knew full well Diana was not a woman to let such a thing go.
"Oh Diana protested the very idea of Maxima marrying me and having my child, at least at first. When I told Maxima about my romantic relationship with Diana and how much I loved her too much to betray someone I love, the Queen of Almerac just smirked at us. At first, I thought she was just going to say something cruel about how that was not her problem, but Maxima actually suggested that Diana stay on Almerac to further uh...assist me in the means of producing more children of my bloodline," said Superman with Flash, who had been drinking coffee, did a humorous spit take, which landed on John, and got a glare for it in return.
"If this weren't an official and important meeting, I would punch your face into the back of your skull!" exclaimed John angrily while Shayera glared at Flash.
"And I would help him," added Shayera.
"From what you're implying Clark, the Queen of Almerac herself wants you to form some kind of...harem? To increase your bloodline and preventing it from dying out in the event you fall in some future battle?" asked Batman with Superman nodding.
"That's what she implied. Since Diana and Big Barda bested her in their fights, Maxima felt they were worthy to join in on it to help produce strong children. She felt it was only fair to give them the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of being the future Mothers of my children. She even offered to give them high ranking positions within Almerac's own government so the risk of being declared concubines with no real power wouldn't be an issue. Diana would be made a second Queen to run things should Maxima be unable to whether ill, pregnant, or even deceased. Barda would be made Head of the Royal Guard with a secondary task of...attending to my own needs should both Diana and Maxima be pregnant at the same time. Not to mention one day Barda herself would have to assist in siring me children. All of whom if not most, would one day be joining the ranks of the Royal Guard to further protect the royal family since who better to trust then your half siblings," explained Superman with the other members of the League looking completely speechless.
Even Batman.
"Are you serious? How can Diana be okay with this?! What did Big Barda say? She's still married to Scott Free, even if they are separated at the moment," said Shayera worriedly since it was sadly no secret the former Fury was having problems with Scott Free and their relationship was considered to be rocky right now.
"Diana and I talked it over privately with Big Barda. Diana was pretty pissed and so was Barda by the overall offer made, but...ultimately they agreed to it," said Superman which shocked the others.
"Just like that? I mean...Diana I can see agreeing to it with reluctance since she loves you so much, but...Big Barda...how will we tell Scott?" asked Flash while he was completely stumped on the issue and so were the others.
"We asked Barda several times if this was what she wanted before I came back here to tell you guys. She said yes. From what I understand, Scott and her have been having a lot of issues long before now. The last argument was the final straw. She wants a clean fresh start and like it or not...this is what Barda wants," said Superman while the other League members looked at each other.
"So...uh...when is the wedding and who is invited?" asked John while seeing Superman just looked nervous.
"Wait! I have another question. Its been well over a month since you originally left and it doesn't take that long to get to Almerac. I may not be the smartest guy here like Bats or John when it comes to space travel, but shouldn't you have been back long before now? Even with the negotiations going the way they did?" asked Flash with Superman making a noise.
"Well, after the uh...negotiations ended, Maxima was very...insistent that I uh...that we spend some time together. In an intimate manner," replied Superman with the men of the League looking a bit fluster while Shayera narrowed her eyes at him.
"Before your wedding?" asked Shayera since she was sure such a thing was frowned upon.
"Maxima sees a wedding only as a required tradition to appease the various parts of her inner circle wanting a marriage with kids to ensure the planet's continued prosperity with a strong offspring. They don't really care about Earth given how 'backwater' we are when compared to them, but considering my own lineage, and my own connection to Earth, no one will object. In fact, many within Maxima's Court feel this is the best option for just about everyone. But other then that, it doesn't really matter since Maxima wanted what she feels I denied her years ago, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. I got the distinct impression I could either be intimate with her or risk Almerac declaring war on Earth instead of an alliance," replied Superman with Shayera glowering at him like he had done something offensive.
"What did Diana say or do?" asked Batman curiously.
"She was angry. Not at me since I wasn't the one who suggested it. Big Barda was also upset too. But we were in a bind. To refuse her risked an unnecessary war with Almerac," answered Superman with Batman making a noise since that wasn't a good sign at all.
"So you get to go to another planet and have a small harem of women like Diana, Big Barda, and this Queen Maxima with the objective having kids with all three? Does she have a twin sister?" asked Flash before he was smacked in the head again by Shayera.
"Will you knock it off!" exclaimed Shayera while threatening to smash his face in with her mace.
"Is there anyway out of this?" asked Batman with Superman shaking his head no.
"I'm afraid not Bruce. Its this or...trouble," answered Superman with Batman sighing.
'Trouble we don't need right now. With those ninjas from this mysterious clan working against me on this new front while minor for the moment, could hurt us in the long run. If Queen Maxima decides to become vengeful, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned will have a whole new meaning if she is denied what she wants,' thought Batman knowing there was something about this he was missing, but couldn't pin it down on what he was missing, and not knowing this crucial part of the puzzle made things all the more trying for him.
"Who will protect Metropolis while you are gone? Sooner or later, people will realize the Man of Steel is no longer protecting the city, and more criminals will come out to seize this opportunity," said John knowing that was an issue onto itself.
"Kara can do it. I know it will be difficult for her at first, but with enough time, and help from everyone here, she could make her a worthy protector of Metropolis. I have faith in my cousin," said Superman since he knew Kara had wanted bigger responsibilities and for him to stop hovering over her in an overprotective manner.
It was time he gave her the chance to be on her own and not in his shadow.
"When is the wedding? You never told us," said Shayera with Superman nodding.
"Right! I forgot. The wedding is actually in a few weeks in order to get things all set up for what Maxima wants at our wedding. You and any other League member can come along if you want, provided we don't take too many that our ranks become too thin," said Superman while many wanted to go, but felt they should stay too, and keep order within the League.
Flash was excited in going to the wedding knowing he could flirt with so many of the ladies there and impress them with his super speed. Shayera and John agreed to go while trying to hide the blush both were sporting when they spoke at the same time in terms of wanting to attend the wedding. John could easily call his fellow Lantern Hal Jordon to fill his spot in this sector until his return and Shayera had been wanting to be out traveling the Galaxy again since she was feeling a bit cooped up on Earth lately.
Batman had wanted to go, but didn't voice it, and only because he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. He was puzzled by this turn of events surrounding Clark, Diana, and Big Barda. Not only that, but he suspected him going would be considered by the others as Batman being paranoid, and considered his attempt at secretly trying to sabotage the wedding while keeping the blame off of Superman in a way so that the Earth would be spared the Queen of Almerac's wrath. But with things slowly becoming chaotic on Earth, in Gotham, and within his own family in general...it was best to stay on his own planet for now.
He could always find an excuse later to visit Almerac if a time came for it. Batman just hoped there was never a need for it.
(Jump City-Titan's Tower-Nighttime)
Nightwing was sitting in his chair in front of the large computer in the dark with a frown on his masked face and felt like his old mentor right now. Oh how he hated feeling like this. To be like Batman while trying so hard to get out of the man's damn shadow. When he was Robin, it was "there goes Batman's sidekick" or "Batman's student" or some other more demeaning remarked about him in connection to the Dark Knight. It was only after he became Nightwing did things change. No one knew he was once Robin. Not at first anyway. Everyone assumed Robin went back to Batman in Gotham and Nightwing had taken over as the new leader of the Titans. By the time people realized the Robin of old had become Nightwing, he was finally beyond the shadow of Batman, if just barely. Still, Nightwing would take it all the same, and keep on striving to get as far from Batman's shadow as humanly possible.
So why did he feel more like him by being here in the dark like this?
"Having trouble sleeping?" asked Raven while floating into the room and landing behind him on the chair.
"Yeah. I was just...thinking," answered Nightwing with a sigh.
"About us?" asked Raven curiously.
"No. Well...yes and no," replied Nightwing while Raven raised an eyebrow behind her hood.
"Yes and no?" asked Raven with Nightwing smiling back at her.
"Yes I was thinking about us, but not in the way you are thinking. I...I met with Batman earlier in the week. I told him about us. About our relationship being on a romantic level and how when we left the Titans it would be together," answered Nightwing while not telling her about why he had gone back to the Bat Cave to talk to Batman in the first place with the situation the Dark Knight had got himself into recently with those ninjas.
And the fact they knew Batman was Bruce Wayne or they were targeting those close to the Dark Knight should he poke his nose into their business. Meaning they would target Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and their friends or loved ones they had around them.
And for Nightwing that included Raven, if not the rest of the Titans.
"Let me guess, he didn't give his blessing," said Raven in a tone of voice that told him that she wasn't surprised by what she assumed was the Dark Knight hearing the news.
"Not in so many words, but yeah. He said I was being irresponsible. That our relationship would cloud my judgment. That romance has no business being in the world we live and fight in everyday. He even suggested/told me to end it with you while still possible before we went too deep into our relationship that leaving later would only become painful for us," said Nightwing with Raven's eyes narrowing slightly.
"And what did you tell him?" asked Raven while hoping Nightwing didn't give into or was considering the idea of giving into the command.
"I told him to go to Hell. I said I'm not you. I don't see every woman in my life as a pawn or stepping stone to advance myself in some way to hide my other life fighting criminals. That I'm not some billionaire playboy like you, who has all these women falling over him to one day just to be a super wealthy woman, and live the comfy lifestyle such wealth provides. I told him if I went into a relationship with a woman, I was going to make it last as long as possible, and if it does end...it will end on a high note," replied Nightwing with Raven smiling at him.
"That's a good answer. And here I thought you would say something mushy and stupid," said Raven while Nightwing turned his chair around to look at her.
"And make you gag from it? Never," answered Nightwing with his smirk turning into a gentle smile.
"Did the business Batman contacted you over get resolved?" asked Raven since she knew he would go to Batman unless it was an emergency and it clearly had been given the fact he actually went to see the man.
"Sort of. Its more his problem then mine. But I was just sitting here concerned over what he might do and how it might come to hurt both of us in the long run. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt because of him and his obsessive desire to control everything around him in his own dark world," answered Nightwing before deciding to tell her what he learned from Batman about the ninjas threatening his loved ones and possibly those close to them by extension too.
"I won't get hurt Nightwing. I have my powers. I have my training. I have my experience over the years from before and after becoming a Teen Titan. Not to mention I also...I also have you!" stated Raven while she smiled down at him in a loving fashion.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look in the dark like this? That aura of mystery that makes you all the more desirable?" asked Nightwing with Raven's smirk becoming sexier in the process.
"Flattery and praise will get you everywhere. And more!" replied Raven before removing her cloak and letting it fall on the floor.
To reveal to Nightwing that she had been and was in fact...naked behind the blue cloak the whole time.
"I should flatter and praise you more often," remarked Nightwing while Raven sat in his lap and the two began to kiss each other passionately.
"Damn right you should," said Raven while using her powers during the make out session to skillfully remove his pants down to his ankles to free her prize.
Oh yes. Nightwing would definitely be praising Raven in the future long after tonight's wonderful events that would follow. Followed by getting a replacement chair since the one he was on would soon be ruined.
(Uptown Metropolis-The Steel Bar & Grill)
Mercy Graves was sitting on a stool at the bar. A look of being depressed showing on her face over the past few days, if not the whole week in general in regards to her boss. She had a scotch on the rocks in her hands and was swirling it around gently while the three ice cubes, which looked more like hollow point bullets, clinked in the glass. As she sat there, her mind traveled back in time. Back to when her boss, one and only Lex Luthor had kicked her out of his office for the night.
She remembered seeing him angry early on in the week and getting even angrier with each passing day. It had all started when his recent meeting with Cadmus had gone bad (he wouldn't tell her how or why), but she wasn't going to press the issue about it. That wasn't her place. She was to drive him, help him, and protect him from harm from his many enemies. And contrary to public eye, Lex Luthor did have many enemies. And not just in the News Press and Media (namely the Daily Planet in the form of Lois Lane) either. Lex also made enemies with Superman, Batman, the Justice League, CEOs of rival companies, and other less reputable people he may have...crossed over the years in the name of business or winning against his enemies by sacrificing those deemed pawns in his eyes.
Which was everyone apparently outside of himself.
The point of her being here now in this bar was the fact Lex had been talking to someone on the phone and the business man was not pleased by what he was hearing on it. Mercy had tried to overhear it in the hopes of identifying the person in question in the hopes of finding the location of this person and teaching him or her a lesson they wouldn't soon forget in crossing Lex Luthor.
Only for Lex to glare at her and told Mercy to leave his office for the rest of the evening and not to come back until tomorrow morning. Saying "This conversation is beyond your pay grade and loyalty!" while waiting until she was gone to continue talking to the other person on the phone. At first, Mercy had been okay with his dismissal of her. It wasn't the first time she had been kicked out of the home away from home that was Lex Corp. and Lex's Office by extension.
But this time? This time it had actually hurt for some reason. Why? Was it because she cared about him more then she should? Was it because she still felt some form of loyalty to him after all these years? Despite the fact Lex himself had left her to die after the issue with Brainiac had nearly killed her if not for Superman doing what Lex would not? The woman knew if roles had been reversed, she would have helped save him at the crucial moment in time. So...why didn't he do it for her in return?
The answer? She was a dog. A servant. A replaceable servant. He could replace her at any time for the next best bodyguard and loyal assistant money could buy. Hell, Lex could buy three such women to replace Mercy, and he wouldn't care if she was dead in a ditch somewhere with a bullet to the head.
Especially if he was the one who pulled the trigger of the gun that sent said bullet to the head.
That was how she felt after leaving the room. The look in his eyes reminded her of the time when he chose not to save her life when she called out to him. To return the loyalty she gave him day in and day out. Every single time she did something when asked, it was without hesitation, without restraint, and followed to the letter. She did a damn good job when given an assignment, even if some were not authorized by Lex either. Like the case regarding that Lana Lang woman. It was because of her that Lex almost got arrested and caught by Superman regarding some of his more illegal business deals in weapons had Mercy not spied on the red haired woman.
All she asked was for the same loyalty to be returned. Instead, she got the cold shoulder for her troubles. The brush off. The old "this is strictly a business relationship. Nothing more" type of relationship from Lex no matter how much she busted her ass for him.
"Troubles at work," said a man sitting down beside her.
"Buzz off. I'm not in the mood to socialize with anyone," said Mercy angrily before she took a sip of her drink.
"Really? That's a shame. You look like someone who could use a friend to talk to right about now. Looking all defeated and depressed as you do at the moment," said the man before he ordered himself a scotch on the rocks and drank it when poured.
"I'm not going to tell you again. Buzz off," mumbled Mercy bitterly.
"Again, you look so depressed. Your boss must be a real dick to let someone like you feel this way. Of course, being the loyal lap dog of Lex Luthor can make anyone feel that way after putting up with his crap," remarked the man while Mercy's eyes narrowed slightly and glanced over at the man next to her.
Some blonde haired blue eyed nobody, even if his overall appearance was handsome, and desirable to a woman seeking company. Which she herself was NOT!
"And what do you know about my boss?" asked Mercy with the figure shrugging.
"Outside of being a dick and obsessed with killing Superman? Not much! Then again, I don't really care for people, who act like a dick to everyone around them, and expect to get away with it. All simply because they have an overly inflated wallet filled with just about enough money to buy a small third world country. Why? You know something I don't know about him?" answered the man with Mercy frowning at him before looking away.
No. You basically described him in a nutshell. Lex being Lex. And yet, he wasn't all bad like how people see him now. At one point, Lex Luthor was a nice charming man, who came from nothing, and yet made something of himself. Not unlike that Bruce Wayne character in Gotham City sans the billions of dollars worth of inheritance and a company that was already waiting for him once old enough to take it. But when Superman came onto the scene with the whole protecting people, saving their lives, and doing his hero thing...everything changed. He changed. Lex hated Superman. He was the richest man in Metropolis. He built it from nothing. He employs over half the people in the city, if not more without most people realizing they work for the man in some manner. Lex Corp is his creation, the nerve center, and overall considered the very heart of Metropolis just like Wayne Enterprise is considered the heart of Gotham. When Superman came along, Lex felt his entire life, his entire legacy was threatened by Superman, and when Lex Luthor feels threatened by someone or something...he will retaliate," said Mercy with the figure smirking before he took a drink from his glass.
"Sounds like a wonderful guy. Spiteful and with a fragile ego to match when challenged by anyone remotely better at something then himself. How is it someone like that and a man with his reputation is allowed to roam free?" remarked the man while Mercy let out a bitter chuckle.
"Simple. Its because Lex practically owns the justice system. He owns those who run the justice system. If you break the law, a prison cell awaits you, and so does a lot of horrible things in it. If Lex breaks a law, a quick bribe or discreet threat to the right person, and he is out the door of the courthouse back in his office before lunch. The man knows how to make the system work for him and him alone. Everyone else would get the shaft because they aren't Lex Luthor or deemed his equal. The man can't stand the very idea of anyone or anything being better in life then himself. The people are pawns to him and he won't risk his life for a pawn that is so easily replaceable. I learned that lesson a long time ago," said Mercy bitterly at the end with the figure nodding.
"I figured as much. Still, I bet someone like you was taught many things while serving as Luthor's trusted aid. Different languages. Fighting styles ranging from martial arts to the use of a good old fashion gun. He made sure you learned all the tricks of the trade to keep any and all threats off of his back. At the very least, you deserve a big fat raise, if not a nice promotion for your years of loyal service," remarked the figure while Mercy scoffed.
"If I asked for either, Lex would just shoot me in the head, cover it up, and find a suitable replacement for me within the span of an hour. The next time anyone sees me, it is in the Metropolis harbor being fished out after floating there for weeks, and any trail leading to Lex having gone arctic cold," said Mercy with the figure nodding.
"So why stay loyal to a dick of a man who clearly doesn't value loyalty or you? What is the point of being loyal to a man who would sacrifice you without fear or hesitation in his step?" asked the man curiously.
"Because I came from nothing. I was just a young girl when Lex found me on the road, near an alley one rainy day. He took me in like I was a stray dog seeking an owner and gave me a better life. My own apartment, private tutors for my education, and the means to train myself in what you said earlier to protect him from his enemies. All he asked in return for giving me these things was my loyalty. To do whatever Lex commanded of me without question, without flinching, and without hesitation. If I didn't...all he had given me would be taken away. I would be alone. A stray dog without an owner or Master to give me purpose. I couldn't betray his loyalty," replied Mercy while the figure nodded in understanding.
"I can see that. I've even met a few people like you, who were in your very same situation in terms of serving people loyally, yet none of the loyalty returned simply because those people thought they owned their servants like property. But Lex and those people I know failed to realize is that loyalty is a two way street Mercy. You clearly repaid him for what he's given you since being under his employ. How long has it been since the day of you being hired to be his bodyguard? His assistant? How much crap did you have to put up with regarding every crazy scheme he planned against Superman and watching it all fail spectacularly? Loyalty to someone like him only goes so far and given the way I saw you looking so down mere moments ago drinking your drink...he's clearly spent every last bit of it today," commented the man before he drank from his glass again.
"If that is the case... what should I do?" asked Mercy while wondering if the alcohol was making her talk more then she should at this point.
"Simple. You just screw him over. And not in a good way. A woman such as yourself in a key position as yours and with a unique skill set could easily access certain items at Lex Corp. only a select few truly know about. I bet if the News Media got wind about some of the things he's been up to at Lex Corp. and there was additional evidence of Lex knowing and stamping his mark of approval on the illegal things there...his lawyers would have a hard time explaining it to the Courts, if not the public," commented the man with a grin and raised his glass to her and she hit it with her own.
"I will drink to that, but I doubt its enough to hurt Lex like you would think. He has an escape plan for everything these days. Bribing judges, the juries, threatening or killing witnesses, spinning the Media in his favor, and the best yet to come...fleeing the country until the statute of limitations runs out," countered Mercy before she took a sip of her drink.
"Not if you get something really REALLY bad and juicy on him to the point where no one would touch his money no matter how much is offered. Surely the man has enough dirty secrets in his company that exposing a handful would crush his image, reputation, and any means of assistance from those he once trusted to back him up if caught in a bind?" the man asked curiously while Mercy hummed and put her glass to her head in thought.
"I know of a few dirty secrets. Some are considered old though. Back before the Justice League even formed and Lex was arrested around the time he got Kryptonite poisoning. But given how I know all of his passwords and can access the Lex Corp's. more private servers, I think I could dig something more recent up," remarked Mercy with a grin on her face for the first time this night.
"Mercy, you have quite the devious mind when it comes to revenge of your enemies or those who scorn you. I personally find that to be an incredibly sexy turn on," commented the man with a grin and saw Mercy blushing at what was probably the best compliment she had ever gotten from a man in a long time.
'Ah what the Hell. I'm drunk, I need an outlet for my feelings, and a handsome man is flirting with me when everyone else who knows me is staying far away. When was the last time I had sex with a man worthy of MY time? Answer is...never. At least up until tonight!' thought Mercy while she downed the last of her drink and slammed it down and giving the man a "let's get out of here now for some fun!" look with drunken desire in her eyes.
"Check please!" the man called out to the bar tender.
(Mercy's Apartment-Two Weeks Later)
The alarm in her bed went off and awoke the woman something fierce. She groaned and tried the ignore the fact her head hurt. Ignoring the fact her alarm clock now sounded like a God damn banshee screeching right into her ear. She ignored the fact her bed felt empty without the man that had, from what memory Mercy could recall, had given her the best sex ever! In fact, Mercy couldn't remember the last time a man had done the things he did to her body, made it feel so alive, and made it experience pleasure beyond imagining.
Only to find he wasn't there.
'Was it just a dream? Am I that so emotionally repressed and out of it that I had to dream up a man who actually made me feel alive deep inside?' thought Mercy while she now found herself struggling to get out of bed and untangled from the bed sheets.
A first for her since she never got this hammered or this tangled up within her own bed. Why did her bedroom look like a tornado ran through it? Did she throw a tantrum last night during her state of intoxication? Surely she wasn't a mean drunk after taking too much alcohol into her system, right?
Finally, Mercy's anger got the better of her over being wrapped up in bed sheets, and the alarm going off. With that said, she smashed the alarm clock with one savage strike, and felt a good deal of satisfaction in hearing it go silent following the "crunch!" sound made. Unfortunately, the satisfaction was short live, as she groaned in getting out of bed from the headache, and walked to her bathroom to take a look at herself while dreading what the mirror would reveal.
After she entered, Mercy hit the radio button built into the wall, and decided to listen to the news while she prepared herself for a long day of being Lex Luthor's personal God damn bitch for a bodyguard. Do this Mercy! File these papers Mercy! Take me to the warehouse Mercy! Find me large portions of Kryptonite so I can power weapons capable of killing Superman with Mercy! How she hated it!
If only Lex would obsess with her as he did in killing Superman. Maybe the job would be more tolerable.
"And in the latest news this morning, former billionaire and owner of Lex Corp., Lex Luthor was arrested today on state, federal, and international criminal charges. The man who many say single handedly built Metropolis could be seen being dragged out of his mansion by police kicking and screaming into the patrol car while being read his Rights. These charges were filed recently by the U.S. Attorney's Office, all thanks to an unknown source within Lex Corp., who was responsible for sending file after file of information about the illegal actions being done at the company. Each of the charges filed against Mr. Luthor ranges from illegal business deals, to insider trading, and the making as well as the selling of illegal high tech weapons to third world countries. Our sources inside the investigation even said some of these weapons were even designed specifically to kill Superman, if given the chance due to their power source being Kryptonite. Of course, a recent piece of information regarding such power source being used also revealed such energy used is far more harmful to humans depending on the level of exposure. Other major charges are bribery of various government officials, witness tampering, murder, the conspiracy to commit murder, corporate espionage, and other high level charges so immense we don't have the time to list them all. The United State government has already frozen all of Mr. Luthor's personal financial assets he has on record and are preventing him accessing the company's finances to pay for his legal defense on grounds of them being part of the criminal enterprise corruption charges also being filed by the U.S. State Department Attorney General. Looks like Lex Luthor will have to settle for using the average lawyer appointed by the Court instead of those high level attorneys he is so use to defending him. In other news..."
Any thought to what was going on today was blocked out by Mercy, who spit her mouth wash into the mirror when she first heard the news of Lex's arrest. All she could do was stare in the mirror bugged eyed in shock at what just happened and wondered if she just imagined hearing it. Walking toward the TV, Mercy turned it on to the news, and saw for herself it was on every single news channel in Metropolis. There was even video of Lex being dragged out of his home by police as they told him his rights and getting the man into the squad car with some effort on their part without hurting angry man.
No doubt they were trying to prevent any charges of police brutality being filed by Lex's future lawyers against the Metropolis Police Department. Mercy knew any lawyer worth their law degree would use it as leverage against the Prosecution for being too rough with him and getting the criminal charges thrown out.
'Strange. The today's date on the news feed is all wrong. Were not in the start of May. We should still be in the middle of April,' thought Mercy in confusion while seeing the date and time on the news channel were not what she was expecting.
Just what the Hell was happening? And how exactly did she find herself two weeks into the future?
Outside of Mercy's apartment, Naruto grinned his devious grin behind his kitsune mask at seeing the stupefied expression on her face.
'Oh Mercy. If you only knew just what I or rather WE have done together in the past two weeks. Raiding Lex Corp. servers, spilling secrets upon dirty little secrets Lex had locked away, and putting in the next two weeks for vacation time in the tropics for Mercy so no one would come looking for her. Not to mention I also made sure she put in information into the system to show it for when the preverbal shit storm hits the fan. And let us not forget once our scheme to destroy Luthor was all over in this one single...wild passionate sex awaited us! Shame I had to use my Sharingan to block everything out, except the sex, if only temporarily until I see her again. Not to mention putting Mercy in my special two week stasis seal within the apartment. Still, my future book Icha Icha Paradise: Fury of the Hot Female Bodyguard will make me a shit load of money. Score!' thought Naruto happily knowing the incredible stuff they did in her bedroom when put in the book would make sales really jump.
Unfortunately, the book might also piss off Mercy if she ever read it, but the chances of that even happening were not likely...at least for now.
Oh crap! Mercy and Harley had some mean history together, didn't they? Those two were going to fight it out until only one was left standing. Wait! Provided that he could prevent both of them from killing each other...he could incorporate the actual fight into one of his books, and turn it into a hot make out lesbian scene! Such a sex scene could help make an even bigger amount of cash for him!
Double score!
But sadly, business comes before the pleasure. He had to make some calls, provide some documents, and some other important legal mumbo jumbo stuff usually surrounded by the usual bureaucratic red tape.
(Wayne Manor-Main Dining Area-Days Later)
"More coffee sir?" asked Alfred with Bruce nodding.
"Thank you Alfred," said Bruce with a rare smile to his oldest friend and confidant.
"Your paper from the Daily Planet sir. I took a glance at the main headline and found for once, it was is not about Batman's usual actions from the previous night," said Alfred, as he produced the newspaper for Bruce to read, and saw the rare smile on the man turn into a mean scowl.
"Lex Corp. is now officially under new management. After much time and effort to name a successor following Lex Luthor being arrested for his past crimes once brought to light, a man named...Uzumaki Menma has taken control of the company," said Bruce while he read further down stating the man had come right out of blue, showed all the necessary papers, documents, and even showed to be a massive shareholder within the company to the point where he had a controlling interest in how the company would now be run.
Not surprising with so many selling their Lex Corp. stocks once Lex was arrested and used his company for illegal gains. The stock plummeted fast and hard to make many investors in the company flee. Only to have their former investment in Lex Corp. had been quickly purchased by Uzumaki Menma and the man quickly gained control of it. Many assumed Mercy would have been named Lex's successor since she was by his side most of the time, but surprisingly in a strange move, the woman had forfeited all shares, and power following Luthor's arrest right over to the man buying up Lex Corp. stock like there was no tomorrow.
"It seems Mr. Lex Luthor won't be able to call in any help from someone he considered close, sir," commented Alfred with Bruce nodding.
"Indeed Alfred. And I find that strange. Mercy is Luthor's loyal bodyguard and attack dog all rolled up in one. She's fanatically loyal to him after Luthor got her off the streets from what Clark told me about her. After an issue with Brainiac at Lex Corp nearly killing her and Luthor not returning the loyalty when she needed his help, perhaps said loyalty was shaken," remarked Bruce while Alfred nodding.
"Perhaps she saw this as a means to be free from him? Get her revenge if you will, sir? For the betrayal all those years ago? Women do tend to take their time getting revenge on the men who hurt them in order to strike at just the right moment. To hit them at what I believe the term is called 'the sweet spot' sir," replied Alfred while giving Bruce a "you should remember this for the women in your life" look, knowing the man in front of him had scorned quite a few women to keep up his appearance as a playboy billionaire.
And by a few, Alfred meant a couple dozen women all ranging from mere super models to super heroines to deadly female assassins.
"Perhaps, but the things that have been happening recently the last couple of months, its all too much of a coincidence to ignore. Superman's visit to Almerac with Diana and Big Barda, only to be forced into marrying the Queen there with both women dragged into it, and accepting the terms. A large number of Arkham's most ruthless inmates slaughtered at the asylum, Victor Fries being cured along with his wife, and everything else up until now leading up to Lex Luthor's arrest. Someone is making a power play and I suspect it is this Uzumaki Menma I have been wanting to pursue since meeting the ninja named Itachi," said Bruce while looking at the picture in the paper of the young man in the newspaper in a business suit sitting the office of where Lex Luthor once ran Lex Corp. a short while ago.
"The one called the Master by the ninja named Itachi?" asked Alfred with Bruce nodding.
"The very same Alfred. This man may well be the Master that Itachi spoke of when we fought in the tea shop. Hmmm...perhaps Bruce Wayne should meet this Uzumaki Menma in person to possibly open the idea of renewing the business relationship that was almost made between both Lex Corp. and Wayne Enterprise," suggested Bruce while Alfred let a small smile form though he was still worried.
"A bold plan sir. But what if this Uzumaki Menma is in fact the ninja assassin you have been secretly looking for and sees through your charade of being there? He might decide to retaliate in a manner most violent to make his displeasure known," offered Alfred so his Master would consider all angles of this plan and the risk involved.
"I know I'm putting you and possibly other people I know at risk Alfred. But if this man is in fact the ninja I'm looking for, we can expect an immediate retaliation from him, or from Itachi for the act itself," said Bruce knowing he would have to ensure Alfred was protected in his home for awhile and make sure some of the other people in his life were also well protected.
"A big gamble sir," said Alfred with Bruce nodding.
"True, but I need to know who my future enemy is before I can figure out a means to take him down. Plus from what I read here, Mercy Graves won't be removed from her position she had when serving Luthor. If I can't get information out of him, I can get it out of her easily enough," replied Bruce while Alfred grimaced knowing the risk surrounding the plan increasing greatly.
"Do be careful sir. This isn't like any of the others times where you have had to 'disguise' yourself as Bruce Wayne to get close to a potential enemy. Remember, he knows you are Batman, and as such will suspect your intentions as Bruce Wayne from visiting him so suddenly out of the blue, regardless of your 'honest' intentions," warned Alfred knowing full well that Batman's cover as Bruce Wayne was already at risk of being exposed for a farce by the enemy.
He just hoped Batman and Bruce Wayne didn't bite off more then they could chew.