Some days later- Inside Leon's mindscape:
Leon and Satoru sat in the white space, both battered as hell, slowly healing. Several weapons littered the area- everything they'd used during their crazy-ass training.
Even though Leon had surpassed both of his masters in physical capabilities, their status as 'The Masters' in their abilities, combined with their slightly more cynical insanity, always gave them the edge. Leon was getting close, but they still outclassed him in that aspect.
Satoru spoke with a grin. "Don't look too down, kid. You'd already mop the floor with anyone back in our world. If you had RCT and just one of your three domains, we'd be pitifully helpless too. You'll still need a lot to defeat us in this place, though. The lack of endurance loss and unlimited regeneration makes us kinda hard to kill."
His words held true. Unless his two masters used their domains, they couldn't kill Leon anymore. He was physically faster and stronger than them, even matching their skills point for point. Satoru and Sukuna had taught him everything they knew, including how to use hundreds of different weapons, from melee to ranged. Leon had mastered nearly all of them.
But not being able to defeat them wasn't what kept Leon's face down this time. Sukuna noticed and spoke from where he sat. "That's not it. The brat's worried about something else."
"When did you get good at reading people?" Satoru remarked.
"I always was." Came Sukuna's smug reply.
Leon said, "Yeah, it's just what happened that day… I've been thinking about it for a while now."
"What? Are you suddenly contemplating your choice to beat up an old man?" Satoru asked, referencing Leon's fight with Deathstroke.
"Don't worry too much. I do that every day." Satoru pointed at Sukuna.
'Sigh… How was this guy even a teacher?' Sukuna thought, subtly shaking his head. He knew what Leon was contemplating, and while he could understand him, he couldn't empathize, so he chose not to speak.
Leon replied, "It's not that. Slade could throw himself into Ms. Bubbles' jaws for all I care. It's just- you know, even though I have no proof that Lex Luthor was involved in the death of my parents, I do know he had something to do with that incident.
Considering what that bald idiot keeps doing and getting away with, I wouldn't be surprised if he was actually involved. But here's the thing; I felt no different finding out he was keeping tabs on me than I did before I found out.
I just thought, meh, I'll deal with him if he pokes me for no reason, and yeah, I'll look into it more deeply if he was actually responsible for their deaths. But strangely enough, just like before, I don't feel the urge or anger for… revenge?
Mind you, I will dice him up if he keeps fucking with me, but yeah, just thinking about it makes me question if I even loved them enough to feel that anger, my parents…"
Satoru had a subtle smile on his face. Sukuna sat in silence, his expression unchanged. Leon continued, "I do remember them, you know? Maybe it's the Six-Eyes, but even the memories that were lost to me have come back.
I haven't told this to Kate, but I do remember now how much she loved me- my sister, my dad and his idiotic antics, my mother's voice. Even the memories locked away in my brain from before I should've been conscious of myself. Hell, I even remember the taste of my mother's milk."
"But I don't know why I can't feel that anger." Leon wore the same subtle smile as Satoru, but there was a hint of sadness that both Satoru and Sukuna noticed.
"And that somehow made you believe you didn't love them or something," Satoru added. While he prided himself on being a great teacher, he wasn't much of an emotional adviser.
As he chose his words, Sukuna, to his surprise, spoke. "You're scared of losing control." His expression remained the same.
"Scared? Me? Bruh, you guys have mutilated me so many times that I've probably forgotten what being afraid feels like." Fear and pain? Those were long-forgotten concepts to him now.
"And what do you mean, losing control? Going into those corny berserk modes isn't really my style, you know-"
"You know what I'm talking about," Sukuna said, silencing him.
Fear of death and pain wasn't the only kind of fear one could experience. When Sukuna mentioned control, he didn't mean Leon's abilities or sense of self.
Ever since gaining these powers, Leon had been in control of himself. And even though he started out confused, he knew what he needed to do and what he wanted for himself. He was still focused on getting stronger, but- 'Afraid, huh?' he thought.
Sukuna spoke again. "Why should it matter, though?"
"Huh?"
He continued, "If revenge isn't something you're driven by, why does there need to be a reason or meaning behind all of your actions?"
Satoru finally spoke. "Maybe sometimes it does. But I'm not exactly the best guy to give you advice on this."
Leon added, "No, it's just… I know I don't have to weigh everything I choose to do with some purpose behind it. But yeah, I guess I am afraid that one day I'll- I'll lose even that purpose- the purpose of growing stronger, one of the things I fully control about myself."
"Dammit, this is making my head hurt. That's why I don't bother thinking about this and just roll with it," Leon complained, scratching his head with an awkward laugh.
"Then why don't you just do that?" Sukuna asked.
"What?"
Satoru added in, "Just stop thinking about it. As a famous saying goes, your thoughts are the loudest thing you'll hear, which also means they can be the quietest thing too."
'Is that really the answer? Just rolling with whatever comes around?' he thought.
Satoru spoke again. "The fact that you're thinking about this at all means you're already on the right path. You just have to accept that this is who you are. You're not Satoru Gojo or Ryomen Sukuna. You're Leon Blade, and whatever you do, it's your choice in the end."
Leon stopped thinking for once and remembered the reason he was motivated to grow strong in the first place- for the one who was still alive and for himself.
'Yup, I'll just roll with it, for now,' he thought, his smile growing wider.
He woke up some time later, after Sukuna had continued his previous lecture about cursed tools, how they were made, and how normal weapons transformed into cursed weapons over time.
Some days later:
Leon's school was off for now, mainly due to the mid-terms of tenth grade that were nearing. Right now, though, he was just surfing the internet on the computer, not at all worried about the exams.
A few days ago, a team of superhero sidekicks had infiltrated Cadmus Labs, exposing their cloning experiments and putting a stop to them.
The internet was in an uproar over the appearance of Superman's clone, whom the world already believed to be his son; which he technically was. Apparently, Cadmus had been doing this for a while. Not like Leon didn't already know Cadmus was a shady bunch.
Then, yesterday morning, Batman and Wonder Woman announced a new team of superheroes called Young Justice. They introduced Miss Martian, the newest member, whom everyone speculated was a relative of Martian Manhunter.
The Watchtower; Earth's Orbit:
The Justice League sat around their round table, discussing the new hero team and who to add next. Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, and Cyborg were present right now.
Martian Manhunter, or J'onn J'onzz, asked Batman, "How's M'gann doing, by the way?"
Batman replied, "While she hasn't stopped her tendency to look into everyone's minds, the team's opening up to her. She and Superboy seem to have bonded easily, though."
Superman's expression shifted slightly at the mention of his clone. "Superboy?" he asked.
"That's what the team's calling him now," Batman said simply.
"That's a cool name, though," Flash chimed in, but seeing Superman's stern look, he quieted down.
Wonder Woman spoke gently, looking at Superman. "You know you can't keep ignoring his existence, right-"
Superman cut her off. "We're not discussing that right now. Green Arrow, what about Speedy?"
Diana sighed, and Oliver replied, "He's… well, you could tell he wasn't happy at all. It was partially my fault for making him believe he'd be part of the Justice League soon. He hasn't contacted me since the day Cadmus was destroyed, and I can't pin his location either." He pinched his nose, sounding stressed.
"What about Artemis, then?" Batman asked.
"I'm still training her. She's a genius with bows, no doubt, but nowhere near Speedy," Oliver replied.
"Try to find him and talk to him a little more. But if going solo is really what he wants, then we can't force him either. We'll have to bring in Artemis," Batman said.
Aquaman, silent until now, asked, "Batman, what about that kid you were observing? The wizard?"
Cyborg replied, "A sorcerer, to be exact- that's what he calls himself, at least. The boy's made quite a name for himself." Artemis' holographic image at the center of the table was replaced by Leon's.
It was an image uploaded online, showing Leon escorting the Ukrainian president on the back of his tiger summon to the White House.
He tended to cause a spectacle wherever he went. Batman spoke as the image changed to a video of Leon fighting Deathstroke. "He's highly skilled in close quarters, with possibly no flaws in his techniques."
Cyborg added, "It's a mix of all kinds of martial arts, mainly Wing Chun, as seen here, but refined for precise, minimal movements. I believe he's been meticulously trained."
Wonder Woman spoke. "Then there's his sorcery." She pointed at new images showing the black and white wolves, the tiger, and a giant owl on which he sometimes flew.
Seeing Batman's expression, Superman asked, "That's not all, is it?"
Batman swiped the screen, displaying several other images and videos: Leon disappearing and reappearing, lifting an entire bulk cargo carrier and bringing it back to Boston.
"Super speed, super strength, high-speed flight- probably high-hypersonic or more- teleportation, subspace storage; I've seen this one myself, and I believe he has more in his arsenal," Batman said.
Cyborg added, "And should I mention, he's built quite a diplomatic or business relationship with President Regan and many other influential figures."
Aquaman asked, "Any signs he's planning something?" Diana frowned at him.
Cyborg replied, "None, none at all. He's more of a business persona who markets his abilities, lives with his aunt, and goes to school.
No criminal records, either. Nothing aside from his 'side jobs' and when he trains in the Denali Mountains." The images shifted to a top-down view of the snowy valley.
They were all wide-eyed, seeing the region completely transformed. Several smaller peaks were cleanly sliced in half, either horizontally or vertically.
Deep gashes and a trail of destruction, that formed a new chasm. Anyone not venturing into the mountain range wouldn't notice, but the satellite imaging was clear.
"Jeez, who the hell is this kid? And if you knew about this, why did you let him carve up the place like this?" Flash asked.
Wonder Woman replied, "Where do you think he should've trained, then? In the middle of a city?"
"Well, I didn't mean- sigh… you know what, fair point. So, are you planning to bring him to the younger team or here?"
"No," Batman replied with a single word, confusing most of them.
"What do you mean?" Superman asked.
"I've met him and seen him in action. I don't think he'd accept, even if we offered. And that's not the main reason I don't want to ask him," Batman said.
"Why, then? Is he some secretly super bad guy planning an evil plot or something?" Barry joked, but only Oliver snickered. The rest stared, making Barry awkwardly scratch his head.
Cyborg replied, "Anyone remember Sportsmaster?" An image of Lawrence appeared, his arms and legs crushed, followed by another of him in a hospital bed, limbs amputated.
He continued, "Leon did this when he was twelve. Lawrence Crock, aka Sportsmaster, has been out of commission since then. A year ago, when the White House was held hostage by a group of metahumans while we were away, Leon saved the President.
You're not going to like how he did it." Another image appeared, with videos showing metahumans crushed or sliced into pieces. Leon stood in the White House hall, now painted red, with unsettling ease and not a drop of blood on him.
"All twenty-seven assailants were killed that day," Cyborg added.
"Wait, you said he had no criminal records," Flash said.
Cyborg replied, "None that were recorded or charged. President Regan personally ensured everything was dropped before it was even filed against him."
Superman tightened his fists. "They let a child do the dirty work."
"You're thinking impulsively again, Superman," Wonder Woman, ever calm, said.
"No, what I'm thinking is why a fourteen-year-old kid was tasked with putting blood on his hands. And why none of you are considering that by bringing him here, we could help him change, show him the right path," Clark said.
Diana pinched the bridge of her nose. It wasn't that she hadn't considered it, but what was Clark planning? Dragging the kid to the Watchtower to preach their ways? That was the same as doing what they'd fought against for years.
Diana spoke up. "He isn't a hero or a villain. Trying to forcefully bend him into something he isn't will only make it worse. Haven't we seen enough examples by now?"
"As Wonder Woman said, while he hasn't shown villainous tendencies yet, he's not like us, either," Cyborg said. Silence fell over the League.
J'onn asked, looking at Batman, "You found something new, didn't you?"
Batman replied, "Lex Luthor has been observing him for a long time. He used Slade's daughter as a spy, sending her to his school." Images of Ravager and Lex appeared.
"Leon already knew who Deathstroke and Ravager were, maybe Robin and me too. The way he said it makes me believe he knows advanced hacking as well," Batman added.
Cyborg said, "I backtracked Lex's involvement in several events over the past decade. Seven years ago, he was accused of a metahuman incident where hundreds died at a convention where people were waiting for us.
Leon Blade's family was among them. Leon was in a coma, his body burned and immobile. He woke four years later. There are no official records of what happened after.
Dr. Angie Martinez, who cared for him, refuses to talk about it. But rumors around the hospital and town say Leon was completely healed within one or two days of waking up."
'Why do I feel like something a whole lot messier is coming our way?' Green Lantern muttered to himself, his instincts tingling something.
As they pondered where to take the conversation, an emergency call came to the Watchtower. Batman answered, "Report, Red Tornado." A red robotic face appeared on the screen.
The robot replied, "A pod ship has crash-landed outside downtown Washington. It's of Kryptonian origin. A young girl with blonde hair emerged from it. She seems distressed and in pain. Civilians are nearby, and the military is closing in. Should I send the young team?"
"No! Where are they?" Batman asked.
"They're in mount justice, Black Canary is training them today." Replied the robot.
"Good. We'll be there. If you're nearby, evacuate any civilians around." Batman ordered.
Superman stood, saying, "Kryptonian? How? That should-"
"This is not the time. Superman, Diana, and Green Lantern, with me," Batman said, and they immediately moved out.
"Hey! What about us?" Flash asked, standing up spreading his arms wide.
"On stand by, prepare the Zeta transporter. It needs to build up energy; just teleport us back when I ask." Batman replied as they went out. Green Lantern holding him in a bubble using his ring as they flew alongside Diana and Superman.
... To be continued!
A/N: Here you go... Not much forward action in this chap, but, here's chapter 13 too... Just cause you guys are awesome...