Everlasting Fear

chapter 4- Feelings From Centuries Ago.

Scarecrow’s POV

I felt empty. A void filled where my love for Ashleigh once was, I sighed harshly and swung my legs over the edge of the roof. The battle between Bane was bloody, and murderous. But I didn’t care for the lives of the men lost I cared for my love loss. I looked up at the black night sky, and reminisced about the funeral. I hated myself I didn’t even stay till the end, I was in denial. I didn’t want to believe that Ashleigh was dead but I knew all too well she was. Rain poured once again from the sky as I thought about my short but remembered time with Ashleigh. I buried my head in my hands, my hair hung loosely around my face, “it wasn’t your fault.” I looked up slightly to see the Batman standing next to my curled up pitiful form, I chuckled darkly, “it was my fault, I could have protected her. I could have gone with her to that stupid bar. I could have run after her after the car crash. But I didn’t.” I buried my head back into my hands, and sighed hard. “Scarecrow it was as much my fault as yours. I should have tried looking for her harder after she was kidnapped from Arkham by you.”  I looked up and grinned grimly, “well I guess we have equal blame then.” Batman nodded as I looked back up at the night sky, “why are you here?” there was silence before his answer, but soon his hollow baritone voice rang out, “Ashleigh’s grave was dug up. Her body is missing.” I looked at the dark man, all I could feel was rage, it was a mockery. I stood up on the edge of the roof, “do you have any leads?” the rain began to slowly freeze into hail stone, and the bat began to talk, “we know it wasn’t a hate crime. I have some ideas, but the main suspect has been missing for over five years.” I looked out over the darkening Gotham city, “who is the suspect?” there was a large silence which drifted through the air like ice, “he trained me into what I am, and his name is Ra’s Al Ghul.”

Ra’s Al Ghul’s POV

I shook her shoulders harshly. She was not waking, I held her to me and walked towards the chamber doors, I kicked them open and there stood at the door was Lucas standing to attention in the shadows, I glared at him as he follow me through the corridor as I made my way to the Lazarus pit, suddenly his meek voice rung out the tense silence, “sir has something gone wrong.” I stood stiff, and turned my whole body towards Lucas, I cradled Ashleigh’s unconscious body in one arm.  I lunged my hand out and wrapped my fingers around his throat and raised him up against the wall, “do not pry into my personal business.” I could feel his life inch out of every second I held his throat, “nothing has gone wrong.” Rage began to build inside of me; maybe something had gone wrong, like Jason Todd. I looked down to the unconscious woman in my arm, and dropped Lucas to the ground. I gathered Ashleigh back into my arms, and with this Lucas gave breathless apologies. I walked with a steady pace towards the locked room of the Lazarus pit, the hallway was dark, but I knew my men were hiding. “Be gone.” I announced and with this each revealed themselves in the dark corridor; each bowed and left in silence. I leaning Ashleigh once again into my arm as I unlocked the door to the Lazarus pit. I could feel Ashleigh steady breathing against my chest and I brought her into the room filled with the green luminous light of the Lazarus pit. I gently laid Ashleigh at the side of the Lazarus pit and looked down at her. The man who let her die, that pitiful creature did not deserve a beauty like her. I looked around the room to see my already discarded shirt. I looked into the cloudy waters of the Lazarus pit, what if there was something wrong? I sighed deeply and took a glance at the still unconscious Ashleigh and lowered myself into the deep waters. I could feel the electric buzz of the water twist around me; I opened my eyes in the murky depts. I looked around me, and all could see was light, I inhaled the waters of the Lazarus, and I felt alive more than ever before. I swam to the edge of the pit and raised myself from it. Walked over to Ashleigh, and looked at her pale face, I reached out a hand and gently cupped her cheek, she didn’t deserve to die. I crouched down close and leaned over her, her chest heaved with each breath. My black dress weighed down her body as she breathed. I moved my hand from her cool cheek and grabbed her wrist and lowered it into the Lazarus pit. Her eye lids flickered, what dreams were running through that beautiful mind of hers?

Ashleigh’s POV

My finger tugged at the stitches imbedded in the skin of my side. I was waiting for someone to find me to save me, The Scarecrow.

I firmly grasped his hand as he pulled me out of the water, my leg were weak as we didn’t break eye contact, it felt like everything around us had stood still when he whispered those words, “I love you.”

We ran together through damp tunnels running from something that wanted to harm me, then pain ripped through me and I began to feel rain fall around me. I felt the wind ruffle my hair, the ground under me was gravel, and I could see the sky, suddenly I was flipped over. I was inside of my coffin, I could hear the ground being piled on top of my body, and pressure began to build, like I couldn’t breathe. I clawed at the wooden box, dying to breathe; I opened my mouth only to be welcomed with the silence of my own voice. I clawed harder, my fingers became bloody as my finger clawed at the wood, suddenly I broke through to be welcomed with a blinding white light, and then suddenly I gasped.

Ra’s Al Ghul’s POV

Ashleigh eyes opened wide with terror, she looked into my eyes and all I could see was fear. Tears began to run from her eyes, but not tears of sadness tears of pain. Then she cried out, I gathered her into my arms and cradled her to my chest as she sobbed in pain, suddenly she pulled away from me, pushing me hard in the process, her lips trembled as she looked at me, “how did I die?” she didn’t ask, she demanded. I quickly stood up and looked away from her; I pitched the bridge of my nose and growled. “why do you want to know so much?” suddenly I was caught off guard as I was tackled into a wall, I twisted around to see Ashleigh face filled with rage as tears still spilled from her cheeks, “I have a right to know.” I grabbed her wrists with made a futile attempt of containing me against the wall; I pushed her into my bare chest and twisted her arms behind her, which gave me a harsh welcoming kick to the face as she flipped upwards in my arms.

She scrambled away from me and stood with her chest heaving, I wiped my now bloody mouth and looked at the highly aggressive woman in front of me. I growled and leapt forwards as she aimed to kick my jaw I grabbed her ankle and twisted her whole body, landing her in the Lazarus pit. I walked to the edge to see no evidence of breathing from inside the pit; I leaned forwards which was a deadly move for me. Suddenly a pale hand grabbed my ankle dragging me into the pit. I grabbed Ashleigh waist and pulled. I swam towards the edge of the pit and hauled myself out along with this rather angry and wet woman. Be both growled harshly, as we looked at each other, how would I be able to calm this situation in the slightest? I looked at the woman who wanted to know about her death yet wouldn’t get the answers she deserved, I sighed and grabbed Ashleigh and wrapped my arms around her. Ashleigh’s shoulders tensed, as her hands pushed against my bare chest, soon her fight to get away from me ended, as she relaxed against me, I sighed heavily as I looked down at the woman who had lost so much, she looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes, I opened my mouth to speak but only mustered a couple drops of blood which ran from my lips onto my chest, and with this Ashleigh gently wiped it away with her hand, “sorry.” She whispered quietly, I looked down at her as she averted my gaze, “there is no need for apologies, you deserve answers but not right now.” She nodded and looked back up at me with her deep blue eyes, “thank you for giving me a life.” She rose up slightly and gently placed her lips against my cheek, which engulfed me with feelings from centuries ago.