Chapter 27: Choices

The sound of fist hitting flesh rang out repeatedly in one of the alleys of Tokyo.

"Why are you doing this!?" The owner of the voice was immediately kicked to the side, violently into the wall.

Around him were the bodies of many others. The number was nothing less than ten and they all had one thing in common; they were all dead.

"What do you want!? I'll give you anything! Anything you want but please don't kill me!" The man pleaded with the demon in front of him as tears of pain rolled down his face and hear etched into his face.

"What I want? What do you know about this?" The 'demon' asked in a deathly calm voice as he held up a sheet of paper with a drawing on it.

The drawing was the magnified view of a pin badge. On the pin was a cross with a serpent coiled around it. The man, too scared to lie, immediately answered.

"I don't know! I've never seen that thing in my lif-!" He was cut off as faster than he could comprehend,his body went still and his eyes unfocused before a deep cut appeared on his throat.

"Then you're of no use to me." The 'demon' said as it's glowing red eyes were revealed. He watched as the man's head went limp before blurring out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sora walked out of a cafe with a cup of coffee in his hand. He took a sip of the cup before frowning a bit as he continued walking.

Kaito's visit had reminded him even more of what he should be doing, jumpstarting his 'purpose' which he had been late at starting.

He clearly remembered the events of the night of his mother's death. One of the things he remembered seeing was the pin badge on one of the men's jacket.

It may have been a minor and insignificant detail but it was the only lead he had. If he could at least find him, he could track down the others who were involved.

One thing he knew about this world he was in was that the people who knew the most about the city were those below it.

He had cleared out three different gang groups in the past week looking for any clues about the pin badge. So far, none of them knew anything.

With each group he went through, he delved into their minds with his sharingan to verify their words and also grab information on other groups in the underground of Tokyo.

'Nothing again. On to the next one.' He thought as he made his way to his apartment. He mentally crossed off a mark on his mental map.

He had met with his former teacher who he managed to convince to lift his ban, provided that another incident didn't happen. He would also be placed in a class above where he had left off.

[Template Name: Sasuke Uchiha]

[Template Progress:13.8%]

[Skills]:[Engineering Mastery Lvl 49] [Energy Sensing Lvl 17] [Sealing Mastery Lvl 16] [Medical Knowledge Lvl 6] [Art of the Mind Lvl 10] [Analyze Lvl 4]

With his daily visit to the dojo, he was able to progress faster on the template. He spent his nights emptying his chakra reserves to the bare minimum that allowed him to function properly.

Chakra, he had found out, was like a muscle, meaning that the more you use it, the stronger and larger it becomes. He wanted to raise his chakra pool far above Sasuke's and at the same time, prepare for the curse seal that he knew was coming.

He wasn't sure when exactly he would reach that stage but he wanted to be prepared for it.

Walking into his apartment, he was met with Zatanna who was sitting in the living room with a book in her hands.

"Finally you're back! I was getting bored here!" She complained with a groan, not aware of Sora's special activities.

The two children by now had a good understanding of each other. Unlike before when there was a literal wall of fire in communication and connection, they could now actually be considered actual friends.

He had realized it some time ago that Zatanna could leave at any time she so wished to. Unless he put up an anti teleportation barrier with seals, she would be able to come and go as much as she pleased.

He was getting around making it but his skill wasn't sufficient enough. He headed straight for the kitchen where as usual, a bowl of ramen was waiting for him.

When she found out his like for the tasty noodles, she made it a point to learn how to make it, though she already had the general idea.

"Still too spicy." He said lightly as he slurped it down to which she scoffed.

"Why don't you try making it for once." She retorted jokingly.

He didn't answer, instead opting to continue eating. Only after a few moments did he reply.

"It's too spicy but it's not bad." He said, drawing a small smile from her before she continued reading her book.

With the silence that occurred, he thought it was the best time to address the issue that had been on his mind for some time now.

It wouldn't be long before Zatara or the league comes looking for her. For all he knows, they might have already found her but are taking their time.

He needed strong individuals to help him achieve his goal and the girl in front of him had potential just waiting to be tapped.

He needed to know what she would do when her father came for her.

"Zatanna, we need to talk." He started lightly but the atmosphere around them changed.

"What about?" She asked a bit unsurely. It was a tense moment before Sora continued.

"We both know your father is alive and well. You're aware that he must be scouring the continent looking for you." He said before pausing, letting Zatanna know where he was going with this.

"Why are you still here? You can escape any time you want so why remain here?" He asked without any fluctuation in tone.

He wouldn't fool himself by saying that he could face the Justice league. A voice at the back of his mind berated him for not packing up and vanishing when Zatanna appeared in front of him.

She was silent for a while, possibly trying to put together her words.

"It's more complicated than you think." She stated with a sigh. Sora gestured for her to continue as he idly toyed with the chopsticks in his hand.

"All my life my dad has been controlling every single thing I did. I didn't have a life of my own. I couldn't even meet other kids that were my age." She said, frustration apparent in her tone as it rose a bit.

"When I said I teleported to Tokyo, I was actually trying t-" She paused as if unsure whether to continue.

"I was trying to run away." She said after a few moments of thought.

"I knew he would find me eventually but I just wanted to know how it felt to be free even for a minute. Of course right after that I was captured by Abbadon but you get my point." She said dryly to which he passively nodded.

"I just wanted to know what it felt like to make my own decisions and it's better than I imagine so far, except for the not going out part." She said with a pointed look at him.

"I won't sugarcoat my words one bit. I have a goal that I aim to achieve. A goal that doesn't need the Justice league breathing down my neck. You being here can either be a hindrance or an opportunity." Sora started, not once mincing words.

He wanted to get this out of the way now before it could escalate beyond his capabilities.

"I may be strong but even I can't do everything by myself." He continued as Zatanna quickly caught on.

"What is your goal?" She questioned as the atmosphere got even heavier with that loaded question.

"My goal…is to avenge my mother, no matter the cost." He said bluntly without any change in tone.

Art of mind was really doing it's work in helping him control himself.

"No matter the cost? Even at the cost of innocent people?" She asked warily as Sora's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not so cruel enough to involve those who have nothing to do with this. Everyone else is fair game." He answered, her body tensing as his sharingan came to life.

"They took my mother from me so they must pay. Watch!" He said as he peered into her eyes.

Seconds turned to minutes as she relived what he experienced that night. She gasped at the clearly planned murder.

The illusion broke as Sora let the red in his eyes die down. Zatanna let out a gasp as her body was covered in sweat.

"Why would you show me that?" She said, getting a bit emotional.

"To let you know that I will stop at nothing to exact my revenge on the people who did this." He answered without wasting a second.

"You have two choices. You can leave here and forget about me but the next time we see each other, it won't be a friendly reunion…Or you can help me exact my revenge." He said, making his proposal clear.

"Choosing the second option means that your first and foremost loyalty will be to me. I won't act in the interest of anything that would work against you and neither will you do the same."

"You will become my companion through the many hardships we will face. This is a selfish request but I'm selfish enough to justify it." He said to Zatanna who was still listening with wide eyes, ending his speech.

"Now, make your choice." He said like the devil ready to take you to hell.