Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Alchemy alchemy

tell me what you’ve done to me

I waited till the moon had risen high

escaped your tide

and pull on me

I piloted the labyrinths of lies

haunted by

the hooks in me

And now I'm falling right back into the trap that you set for me

back inside your spell I'm

back in your sorcery

“Alchemy” Starset

Dick Grayson looked up that the vast gates of Shinyo Academy.  This was going to be his new home for the next semester, and since Japanese school years are longer than those in America, he’d have to get used to how the school week went, with Sunday being their only day off, and the school year starting in April and ending in July and then starting up again in September.

To the outside observer, Richard Grayson was the son of wealthy billionaire Bruce Wayne, merely spending time in a foreign country for his own amusement.  Japanese didn’t mind foreign tourism, but they weren’t exactly excited for foreigners living in their country, but Wayne Enterprises had a branch in the country so Dick would show up at board meetings on Bruce’s behalf.

Dick was fluent in Japanese, he’d learned it after he’d visited the country with the Teen Titans.  He would be fine, still, he’d probably be the target for bullies, trying to put the foreign transfer student in his place, still, as long as he didn’t get into fights he should be fine, he didn’t want anyone to learn his true skills when it came to martial arts.

Dick was at Shinyo Academy for a different reason, he was investigating the disappearances of some of the female students.  He didn’t like that the police and the school brushed it off as just teens running away from their problems.  Then there was that bright light that had been seen in the city.  It was definitely inhuman.

He’d consulted Starfire before she left Earth for Tamaran, called back to another arranged marriage, one she couldn't refuse, she’d left him, consoling him that she’d always love him.

Starfire pointed up at the sky, “The light that was seen in this country was not that of anything humanity could create.  There are beings from many planets that come here out of sheer curiosity.  The light that appeared is one such phenomenon.  After all, I told you how one can move faster than light.”

“What do you think happened, Starfire?”

“That being transformed himself into information, and sent himself back to where he came from.”

“You’re leaving for Tamaran,” Dick looked at her.  “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

“No, I must go for my people, our planet is under threat.  The Vega system is about to go to war.”

“I wish I could go with you, but…”

“I do not wish you to be burdened with my problems, but seeing me married to someone else would trouble you.”

“Starfire…”

“Do not lie to me, Rich’ard you have been both my lover and my best friend.  Being on Tamaran would only make you unhappy despite the fact that we often have multiple partners on my home planet.”

“That’s true,” Dick sighed.

“You shall move on and find someone that will bring you as much joy as I have.”

He held her and let his tears fall quietly.  He was going to miss her a lot, but this break he was going to take, he needed it.  He needed to put aside the capes and the crime-fighting and give himself a chance to breathe.

Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy all crowded around Starfire, hugging her, giving her well wishes and heartfelt goodbyes.

The friends parted and Starfire boarded her ship, the H.M.S. Starfire and she rocketed into the sky.

Dick watched her spaceship blast off into the sky, leaving the very spot they had first arrived in Tokyo chasing Saiko-tec.  He bid Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven farewell.  He took the train and headed into Tokyo, where he would begin his tenure at Shinyo Academy.

“My name is Richard Grayson, it’s very nice to meet you,” Dick told them in Japanese. He bowed formally. He wrote his name on the board in Japanese and the teacher told him where he should sit.

Beast Boy would be amused if he saw that Dick got the “anime protagonist” seat by the window. 

The teacher began to call the roll, Dick said, “here!” when his name was called.

The teacher called the name, “Nagi Kirima” and there was no answer.

“It appears Kirima-san chose not to show up to school today.  No telling what trouble she gets into when we can’t watch her.  I don’t want anyone here socializing with her.”

Dick felt his eyes narrow. Ostracizing troubled people is one of the many factors that turn troubled teens into criminals.  But Japan was a country where authority was respected by most, and crime itself was very low, but it wasn’t unheard of.   After all, he’d taken down the corrupt Commander Uehara Daizo.

He knew the name Kirima very well. He had read and memorized all of Seiichi Kirima’s non-fiction work, especially his books about psychology.

But of course, he’d probably be pegged for a Weaboo or Otaku in Japan, and they were frowned upon because they spent all their money on anime figurines, blu-ray discs and other merchandise and couldn’t manage money well due to obsession with anime culture.

He didn’t have any time for that sort of thing, he’d been too busy fighting crime, but now he’d have time to catch up.  Beast Boy had told him what the new, hot anime were in the country, but while it was a normal thing there, he felt he’d be too busy to watch anything.

Although he thought of this excursion as semi-retirement, he was still a vigilante.

He settled into his seat and listened attentively to the class, although he’d received an American education from Alfred Pennyworth, he was learning a modern Japanese education in Shinyo Academy.

Dick made his way towards the cafeteria, carrying his very unique American-style lunch, he’d remember he could get food at the cafeteria tomorrow.

Keiji Takeda, a member of the disciplinary committee took it upon himself to at least give the foreigner a decent welcome.  While people that stood out were sometimes disliked at school, the foreigner was the adopted son of the world-famous Bruce Wayne, and there were already rumors spreading around school about him due to being 18 years old and living alone.

Even Touka Miyashita had heard the rumors.

“Grayson-san lives alone, I bet he brings a new girl home every night.  A guy that handsome most certainly has a girlfriend.”

“Probably pays for them too, foreigners come here for that.”

“That is illegal.”

“Americans are rich, they don’t care, they can get away with everything with their money.”

“Let me guess, I bring a girl home every night or I pay for doing it, huh?” Dick laughed.

“Sorry, Grayson-san, the girls at the school like to gossip,” Touka apologized.

“You’re Touka Miyashita, well, Miyashita-san, don’t worry about me, I suppose I’m the most exciting thing that’s happened around here for a while.”

“Unless your name was Boogiepop, I suppose that’s true,” Touka said.

“Boogiepop?” Dick frowned.

“It’s just a rumor among the girls, that a Shinigami kills any pretty girl at the height of her beauty before she can grow old.”

“An urban legend, how interesting,” Dick ate his sandwich.  He saw Touka turn away.

“So you’re the one that’s got all the girls falling all over themselves,” the voice said to him.

Dick looked at the figure with interest, the body and face were Touka Miyashita’s but the voice sounded more masculine and it was deeper, but not in a “female trying to imitate a male voice”, it sounded very natural.

“You are not Touka Miyashita,” Dick said quietly.

“Currently, I am Boogiepop, I rise to the surface just like a bubble,” Boogiepop said quietly.  “I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

With that, Boogiepop turned away and just like that, Touka Miyashita returned to her “normal” state.

“You already know about this, don’t you, Takeda-san,” Dick told him.

“He’s my friend.”

“Interesting,” Dick nodded.  He finished his lunch.

“It seems you’re a delinquent to the other students, Grayson-san,” Touka gave him a smile.

“Why’s that so interesting to them?” he asked.

“Because they’re already pairing you with Kirima-san.”

“What?  But I’ve never even met her!” Dick laughed.

“People love the idea because she’s the unattainable delinquent, she’s still a genius though, it’s why they can’t expel her.”

“So you’re saying that if I asked her out, I have a shot,” it was an icebreaker, a way to fit in with the ordinary Japanese students, he only half meant it as he wasn’t really looking for another date right now.  He needed to properly grieve for Starfire’s absence before he even thought about going on a date.

“You’re normal, Grayson-san, get lost,” a stern, deep voice said to him.

“Ah, you must be, Kirima-san,” Dick said, glancing towards the sound of the voice.

He was impressed.  She was beautiful, no wonder every guy at Shinyo Academy was chasing her skirt.

Nagi Kirima had dark brown hair and brown eyes to match.  She was lovely, and despite her rude words to him, he could tell she was doing what some heroes did in their civilian lives, push others away so they don’t get involved in their hero work.

“I’m normal to you, Kirima-san?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Most likely, you’re just like every other guy, trying to get me to go with you on a date.”

Dick let out a laugh, “Well, it was worth a shot, if only I were normal, Kirima-san.  If only what you said were true.”

“And for you Grayson-san, what does it mean to be normal?” Nagi asked him.

“To travel the world with my late parents, performing as one of the Flying Graysons, that was my normal life.  But I suppose the one I have right now is as normal as I’m going to get.”

He gave her an easy-going smile, “It was nice to meet you Kirima-san.”

Nagi Kirima began walking away from him, Dick got up and prepared to leave for his next class.

She turned around and glanced at him.

Dick didn’t notice the curious expression on her face.

Classes were over, Dick headed over to the front gate.  He swiped his student ID, noting that Kei Niitoki was standing by the gate, “Niitoki-san, see you tomorrow.”

Instead of walking out the gate, the students watched in awe as he vaulted up over the gate as it opened, somersaulting in the air as he landed, rolling to his feet.

“Don’t try this at home, I am a trained professional,” Dick bowed flamboyantly to the slack-jawed students.

Dick headed home, he had several disappearances to look into. The disappearance of Disciplinary Committee member Masami Saotome, caught his interest, especially since other students noted that he’d often dated girls that had mysteriously vanished shortly after he’d been seen with them.

One day he just went to school and never returned home.  He’d been to the Karaoke places where Saotome was known to frequent but Robin couldn’t find any sign that the student had gone back to those places.

He retrieved his Robin uniform from his house, this was supposed to be a retirement but he felt compelled to wear it for some reason.

So Robin made his way back to Shinyo Academy.  He used his grappling hook to get over the gate and made his way to the school rooftop.

He held up a blacklight he brought; it had been some time, the weather had washed away much of the evidence of what had taken place, and someone had done cleanup, but even the weather couldn’t get rid of every trace of the “white light” incident. 

There were still traces of Nagi Kirima’s blood on the pavement, invisible to the naked eye but he’d managed to get a sample of her blood from the hospital where she had once stayed.  He ran the D.N.A.  it was a match to her.

“Starfire said that whoever he was, he went back to where he came from, so who was he and why was he here?” Robin asked himself.

“What’s Robin the Hero of Tokyo doing here?” Nagi Kirima asked, her voice gruff and hostile.

“And you are?” he asked, smoothly, after all, this was the first time they’d met when he was “working”.

“Nagi Kirima,” she introduced herself in the western fashion, putting her given name first and her surname last.

“Kirima-san, I request you stay out of my investigation,” Robin told her, his voice stern and hard.

“I don’t have to listen to you, I’ve always done what I’ve needed to do, it’s not like you can rely on teachers to help.”

“I know you mean well, but you’re in over your head,” Robin said.

“I’ve been through a lot, you have no idea what I’m capable of, they call me the “Fire Witch” for a reason,” Nagi brandished her electrified baton.  It was an expensive kind, like the ones used by the police.  Being a billionaire she could afford all sorts of fancy technology and equipment.  But unlike most, she didn’t bother with a superhero identity or a costume, other than the black leather skintight combat outfit she was wearing. 

He did note that she did have some body armor but it wasn’t as fancy as his equipment, but it was certainly made for someone who could afford it.

“Really, can you conjure spells or something?” Dick laughed.

“No, but I can deal with you,” Nagi smirked.

“People say you’re a killer,” Robin glanced at her.

“Students love to spread rumors.”

“There's a killer on the road His brain is squirming like a toad…”

“Please don’t sing anything by The Doors in front of me again!” Nagi snapped.

“What’s wrong with The Doors?” Robin asked.

“Masami Saotome loved that band, he slit my throat so you understand why I dislike reminders of him.”

“Had to ruin a perfectly good band,” Robin muttered.  “So they call you the “Fire Witch” like that old song.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nagi grunted.

“The keeper of the city keys. Put shutters on the dreams. I wait outside the pilgrim's door.  With insufficient schemes.   The black queen chants the funeral march, The cracked brass bells will ring; To summon back the fire witch. To the court of the crimson king.”

“Huh?” Nagi quirked her head.

“King Crimson is a European progressive rock band.  It’s an old song, “In the Court of the Crimson King.”

She swung her baton at him, Robin avoided it, careful not to hit it with his bo staff since it would just electrocute him.

He somersaulted away from the baton.  Nagi Kirima rushed forward and grabbed his arm, twisting it so she could position herself to put him in the arm bar.

The hero was genuinely impressed by her.

“Gen Sakakibara’s techniques, well done!” Robin congratulated her.  “You’re very good, but I’ve been trained by the best.”

“You’re so full of shit!” Nagi hissed at him.  “Don’t stick your nose into my business!”

“Here I thought the Japanese were polite,” Dick laughed.  “Honestly, I’m having too much fun.”

“I thought you’d take this seriously,” Nagi said.

“I used to be very serious.  I’ve learned to lighten up and relax.”

Dick hadn’t felt his heart race like this since…that day in Jump City long ago, when Starfire had crash landed on Earth.  Not since they fought in the street, that might as well have been a lifetime ago.

Starfire had barely been gone a day and his mind was already wandering away to someone else.  It didn’t feel right, but he found Nagi Kirima to be…

Focused.  Serious. Determined.  Every one of his traits stared him in the face, and with a crude, aggressive demeanor, challenged his right to be there.

He used his incredible acrobatic skill to get out of the armbar, startling her. 

The fierceness of their battle was the language of combat.  Her hard high kick sent him sprawling back.  He tried to clothesline her but he ended up watching his grappling hook collide with her baton, the electric shock sending him flying back across the roof.

Robin caught his breath, she was very good.  It took a lot to catch him off guard.

“You’re strong, I’m impressed,” Robin complimented her.

Nagi Kirima stood over him, putting away her baton.

“Strength is not about having power. Nor is it about being exceptional. Nor is it being large or possessing brute force. Nor does it mean being rigid or not losing. Ultimately, strength has no bearing on any other thing. It is an independent concept in and of itself, and should you truly attempt to grasp it, you must be prepared to sacrifice all other things. Victory… glory… All of it.”

“Isolation and Faith by your father Seiichi Kirima, I’ve read it,” Robin hadn’t told her he’d met Seiichi Kirima before his death, as part of his early training as Robin, Bruce had brought him to see the famous author, using the excuse of wanting to translate and publish his work in the United States under a Wayne Entertainment branch, wanting to get into publishing fiction and non-fiction books.  The books of the renowned author Seiichi Kirima would be Wayne Entertainment’s big splash in the publishing world, and it was.  His academic books ended up on the New York Times’s bestseller list for months.  His novels didn't sell so well but even American academia knew his work.

They’d actually met as children, but she hadn’t been interested in talking to him, English was her second language and since she didn’t feel like speaking to him, they hadn’t interacted during his visit with her father.

“Of course, a superhero would read my father’s work,” Nagi shrugged.

“So why are you doing this?”

“What can I say?  I have a father complex.  I’ve also got a real messiah complex,” Nagi looked at him.

Dick pushed himself to his feet, “Fascinating.”

“It seems this is a stalemate.”  Nagi glanced at him, she was tall for her age.  People always assumed she was older than she was.  She’d passed herself off as a 21-year-old once due to her maturity at 14.

“I hope that we could work together at least,” Robin offered.

“I work alone, it’s better that way.”

“I can handle myself well enough,” Robin said.

“Obviously, what are you looking for at our school?”

“The disappearance of the students here, and the white light that was seen here several months ago.”

“I can tell you about that, I’ll take you to my house and we’ll talk.”

“Fine, but I’m not going in your room, your parents will think we’re sleeping together.”

“Foreigners are exotic, they might actually like you,” Nagi said sarcastically.

Robin coughed, sputtering in surprise.

“Don’t look at me like that, we’re 18, if we were younger we could sleep together with their approval.”

“Is that how it works here?” Robin quirked his head.

“Depending on the prefecture, that’s how it works around here.  And I’m not offering, I don’t have time for that.”

“I see.  This is important to you, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Nagi gestured for him to follow her, pointing to her motorcycle.  He climbed onto the back and let her take him to her house.

There was a fire in her eyes, passion, intensity, it was mesmerizing.  Perhaps that was why they called her the Fire Witch, along with her fearsome reputation.

If she was a witch then he was falling under her spell.  She wasn’t like Raven, who knew spells and could use magic.

But he was enchanted, and he wanted to know more about her.  The fire might burn him, but he’d seek the warmth, no matter the consequences.

Chapter Text

Robin entered Nagi's house and took off his steel-toed boots. He sat down at the table in the kitchen.

"You want some tea?" Nagi asked.

"Sure," he accepted and she prepared some tea for him.

"So what happened to the missing girls at Shinyo?" Robin asked.

"They were killed by the Manticore. It was hiding in our school and ate some of the students here."

"How were you involved?"

"My friend Naoko Kamikshiro asked me to look for the Manticore."

"That's Greek for "Maneater."

"It ate Naoko."

"I'm sorry."

"We can't even give her a proper burial, she'll always be missing according to the adults."

"Is the Manticore still at school?"

"No, Shirou Tanaka killed it."

"Why didn't you fight it? You were there."

"Hard to fight an alien when you get your throat slit," Nagi glanced at him.

"Was it the Manticore?"

"No, it was a classmate, Masami Saotome, I mentioned it earlier."

"Was he behind the disappearance of the students?"

"Probably, it didn't hit me until later that he was too eager when it came to wanting to help me find them."

Nagi clenched her fist, "All my father's books on psychology and I couldn't see the monster standing right next to me."

"That's the thing about psychopaths, they're very good at hiding."

"You died, didn't you?" Robin sipped the tea.

"Yes."

"I suspected that much, you lost too much blood, there's no way you're surviving that. But you're still here," Robin's gaze was solemn.

"Yes, I am, because Echoes gave me part of his life when he transmitted himself back to wherever he came from. You don't act surprised."

"I saw my arch-nemesis come back to life after falling into a pit of lava. Resurrection happens in my line of work."

"I see. Since your investigation is over, are you going back to America? I've given you the answers you were looking for."

"No, I'm going to stay around for a bit. A change of scenery is good for me, Titans East is in Jump City and there's still some things I want to look into."

"Care to tell me what that is?"

"Would you consider working with me?"

"No, I work better alone."

"Just looking into some things, not anything you need to worry about, the police already found the perp."

"Then why are you looking into it?"

"It doesn't sit right with me, the murders, some of them don't match his modus operandi that's all."

Nagi nodded, "I see."

"You must be busy, thank you for the tea," he finished the cup and got up to leave.

Nagi watched him go, he wasn't a normal person and he'd caught her interest. But she didn't like that he was snooping around. Still, she found him to be fascinating. She was going to have to keep an eye on him.

"…Fear me!"

"I told you to fear me! Scream! Cry! Beg like a pathetic worm! Panic!" Makiko shrieked.

Nagi Kirima heard her former doctor rage as she continued to kick her in the gut.

The Fear Ghoul, the notorious serial killer that had terrorized girls in the city, was someone that she knew.

"Oh, right…I didn't tell you about Masanori Sasaki yet, did I?"

"You may not have known it, but…he wasn't human. He was like me. Well, he was a little different, technically, but the same kind of thing. His real name was Mo Murder. His employer ordered him to investigate me and to kill me if circumstances called for it. You see? He was an assassin. He's killed dozens of people. Ha ha ha! You can't judge people by their appearances. Especially when they aren't even people!"

"You think I'm lying? Aw, too bad. It's all true. That man was using you, but I was one step ahead of him. Because you stuck your nose out, I was able to polish off a powerful enemy. I owe you one."

"I'm going to turn Sasaki Masanori-san into the serial killer. Instead of me, of course. Pigeon already placed all the evidence needed in his house while he was out looking for me! Ha ha, he was an assassin, after all. It won't hurt him any to add a few of my murders to his list."

"You may think you're some sort of hero, but you were played like a piano by a killer. How pathetic! Everything you tried to protect was an illusion. There is only one absolute in this world—fear."

Makiko was so angry that she couldn't break Nagi Kirima. She wanted to break the would-be superhero and destroy her, she would relish removing Nagi's brain while the teenager was still alive, just like the five other girls she had murdered.

"…Not…"

"Eh? What?" Makiko stepped closer.

"…Not that I'm not scared. I'm just…"

"What? I can't hear you."

"I'm just…worried."

"Worried? About what?"

"…That it'll fail." Her voice was very weak.

"Fail? What will fail?"

"Well…this attack!" Nagi roared.

Nagi stabbed the water with her electric baton.

Makiko Kisugi, the Fear Ghoul, the consumer of fear, the serial killer that had plagued the city, felt absolute terror. Her former patient, Nagi Kirima had overcome her fear and now she was attacking.

Nagi had modified the baton and removed all the limiters and stabbing the electric baton into the water, she electrocuted the synthetic human to a crisp.

"Why?! How did…!" Doctor Kisugi screamed, "…Why…?!"

Nagi Kirima grabbed Doctor Kisugi, tackling her into the water, putting her into an armbar, and pulling her arm back as far as it could go. Suddenly, it fell off and the serial killer started running away.

Nagi's thigh injury prevented her from pursuing Doctor Kisugi.

"I'm surprised," it said.

"…?!"

"I did not expect you to escape that danger on your own. I took too long catching up with you, but it appears to have turned out well enough."

It was a strange voice, like a boy' s, like a girl's, like both at once.

"Wh-who are you?!" Nagi called out. But the person was gone.

"Leave the rest to me," it said, and then there was only silence.

Nagi Kirima sat up in her bed, That dream again.

Five years ago, when she'd taken down the Fear Ghoul, it was a time in her life she didn't want to talk about.

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. It was only luck that she'd been able to escape that night. Only luck that the electric stun baton hadn't shorted out when she'd lost her weapon bag in the water.

Taking down the serial killer that terrified Tokyo should have brought her some joy, instead, it made her angry.

Was she so unfocused that she was adrift without a paddle? She remembered her father's writings.

"Humans do not possess a single, focused will. In their hearts, they have countless bugs, buzzing in all directions. There are times when all these bugs pounce on the same food, but when they are focused on different desires, people take actions that can only be described as incoherent."

No, Nagi was distracted, the arrival of Dick Grayson had caused a stir in the entire school. Shinyo Academy was honored to have the son of Bruce Wayne attend their school, it had even made the newspapers and local TV.

Richard Grayson. The world-famous foreigner, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne. Why would he come to Shinyo Academy? It didn't make sense to her, he wasn't Japanese, and he should be off in some expensive, private American high school.

Nagi put the foreigner out of her mind and turned on the news.

"Shinyo Academy student Juro Kawaguchi was found murdered, along with another student, Michi Nakasone. They were found not too far away from the city's popular love hotel. Both were brutally murdered, and stabbed to death. Police are investigating this crime and will stop at nothing to catch the perpetrator. The male victim was wearing the costume of Tokyo's hero, Robin."

"What are the odds that the moment you show up at my school shit hits the fan," Nagi scowled.

Such things had happened before, her father Seiichi Kirima had written an excellent paper about a man who had been under the delusion that he was Batman, the man had dressed up in a costume, and he'd attacked an acquitted murderer. The murderer had killed the man and walked free again, pleading self-defense.

The situation was different, but why Robin? People in Japan loved to cosplay, there were conventions dedicated to it, dressing up as popular anime and manga characters, along with many superheroes including the Justice League.

She'd have to investigate, should she bother getting herself suspended again? Her education could be paid for, she didn't give a crap about her transcripts.

Screw it, she was going to get suspended again, she'd dealt with a serial killer before, and Nagi had a bad feeling this was only going to get worse. Besides, she needed to confirm her hunch, that the killer was obsessed with Robin.

Juro Kawaguchi couldn't wait to get out of Shinyo Academy. He and his girlfriend were heading out to the nearest love hotel and they were going to have some fun.

It was a game of theirs to have him dress up in the Robin costume. A lot of male students weren't ever going to admit it out loud, but many of them saw Robin, the Hero of Tokyo as a power fantasy.

Who wouldn't want to be Robin? Strong, handsome, highly skilled in martial arts, had a beautiful girlfriend, and defeated evil criminals regularly. Who wouldn't want to be the Teen Wonder? That life was so much more exciting than the inevitable daily grind waiting for him after college.

He and his girlfriend made their way into the Shinyo Academy cafeteria and sat next to the new transfer student Dick Grayson.

"You look like you want to ask me something, Kawaguchi-san," Dick looked at him with interest.

"Since you used to live in Gotham City, did you ever meet Robin?"

"No, can't say that I have," Dick told him, it was true, in a roundabout way, nobody had ever seen them together.

"Too bad, why do you think he does it? Put on the costume, fight criminals, all that?" Juro asked.

"We should be asking Suema-senpai that question," Michi Nakasone said. She beckoned her over.

Kazuko Suema came over to the table and placed down her lunch.

"What is it, Michi-san?" Suema asked, wondering why they'd called her over.

"We want you to profile Robin, we'd like to know what kind of person you think he is."

"Well, all I know is what I've seen in interviews and the Internet," Suema looked at them, "so I can't say how accurate I'll be."

"It'd be interesting, let's hear it," Dick smiled at her.

"Robin is someone who experienced some sort of trauma involving criminals. He's a loner despite being the leader of the Teen Titans. He is focused, serious, and determined. He's not anti-social but he feels he has to carry everything on his own."

Dick kept his face neutral but in his mind, he was in awe. Kazuko Suema was very impressive and she'd read psychology books. He stared at her in surprise, Suema had nailed Robin's psychological profile and if he wasn't careful, she could uncover his secret identity.

Then again, she wouldn't suspect that the person she was profiling was sitting across from her.

"I heard he retired," Suema said.

"But why? He has a life that tons of us dream of," Juro was confused. "I bet Robin gets all the girls. The costume's fun."

"What do you mean by that?" Dick raised an eyebrow.

"Well, let's just say it's a popular item at a certain hotel, a lot of people fantasize about being or being with Robin," Machi explained.

"Why do you think he retired?" Suema asked.

"At times, desperate desires lead people to irreversible places. This is true even for the desire to help others."

Dick saw Suema stare at him in surprise, "I didn't know you read Seiichi Kirima."

"His essays helped me understand why Tony Zucco killed my parents, I think that if Robin were here he'd feel the same way."

"It seems all the interesting and extraordinary people read Seiichi Kirima's books," Kazuko said. "I love his books, he just explains everything so well."

Dick didn't tell Suema that he'd had all the Titans, including Beast Boy read Seiichi Kirima's psychology books. Raven had even started reading some of his fiction books and lamented that they didn't sell as well since she enjoyed them.

"Well, it's time for class," Juro said, getting up, "We'll see you around Richard-senpai."

"Yes, see you around."

It was just a night of fun, a few hours at the most popular Karaoke bar. A few more hours at a love hotel, it was just some meaningless fun before they had to go back to their boring reality. On a whim, Juro decided to keep the Robin costume.

They were headed down an alleyway when he saw a man standing in front of him.

"Robin," the man's voice growled the name.

"I'm not Robin, who are you?"

"You have to be him, you're wearing his costume."

"We're not Robin and Starfire," Michi Nakasone said nervously.

"You have to be him," the man snarled.

He pulled out a knife and charged the teenagers.

Juro tried to fight, punching at the man, and shoving him against the wall. He tried to execute the moves he'd seen in many Japanese martial arts movies, and even some action films from America, but the man knew martial arts and deflected his blows as he continued stabbing him everywhere.

Juro Kawaguchi tried desperately to protect his girlfriend, but he couldn't the man was faster and stronger and despite being in a few street brawls, he didn't have much martial arts skill.

He'd been stabbed, but the least he could do was call out to his girlfriend, to tell her to run away.

But the words died in his throat as he gurgled in his blood.

The man was already stabbing Michi Nakasone viciously. It was the last thing Juro Kawaguchi saw before he closed his eyes and didn't move again.

Two students lay dead at the killer's feet. His hands were covered in blood. He was shaking with rage. It was not the boy. But he'd fought so hard, he'd been wearing the boy's outfit. But he had none of the boy's skills.

It infuriated him that anyone would imitate that hero, the "hero" who had taken everything from him.

"Not the boy," the man whispered obsessively, "not the boy," the man snarled as he fled the scene.

His career had been a series of missed "opportunities". Five years before he'd been a detective in this area of Tokyo. His attempt to capture the local serial killer had turned up nothing.

He was the one who discovered Masanori Sasaki's lifeless body, and he was enraged that he didn't get the credit for finding the notorious serial killer. Another officer was the one who discovered the evidence in the man's house.

He was furious that he hadn't been able to catch the killer alive. His chance at fame and glory had been snatched away from him. Unable to handle his "failure", he'd transferred to to a different police department in Tokyo.

In his new job, he'd been competent, but then he'd captured the notorious criminal, "Brushogun" and his life had changed, instead of announcing Brushogun's capture, he'd forced Brushogun to make monsters for him, and he'd unleashed them on Tokyo. Then the man had "protected" Tokyo from the monsters, gaining notoriety. Fame and glory, they were all his…Until the boy had shown up with his friends investigating Brushogun.

He'd done everything to keep the boy away from the truth, even framing him for murder. But Robin had defeated him, exposing him for the fraud he was, and had put him in jail. He'd escaped, but because of so many things going on in the world, mainly involving superheroes, he was barely mentioned in the Japanese newspaper.

Uehara Daizo would have his revenge against Robin, the former police commander would find and kill the hero, even if he had to go all the way to America to do it. He stalked off into the night, angry at another failure.

Dick Grayson woke up the next day, wandering into the kitchen he made himself an American breakfast and turned on the local news.

Dick stared in horror at the television. They didn't show the body, but he heard the reporter's voice.

"Shinyo Academy student Juro Kawaguchi was found murdered, along with another student, Michi Nakasone. They were found not too far away from the city's popular love hotel. Both were brutally murdered, and stabbed to death. Police are investigating this crime and will stop at nothing to catch the perpetrator. The male victim was wearing the costume of Tokyo's hero, Robin."

Dick was very troubled, not even a day into his stay and there was a murder that involved him in a roundabout way.

Those were his classmates, he'd just talked to them yesterday. He was going to find the criminal who did this and bring them to justice.

Dick immediately headed home and changed into his uniform. Dick's house was very "special", it was a custom-made house. He had a hidden lair below the floor where he kept all his Robin gear and a secret garage where he hid his motorcycle. Bruce had contracted fellow heroes holding companies so that it could be made without too much interest by officials in Japan.

He drove his motorcycle to the crime scene, surprising the officer.

"Officer Yamamoto," Robin said as he appeared before him.

"Robin-san, I did not know you were in the country," the policeman said, startled.

"I was hoping to keep a low profile, but this is too important. Can I examine the crime scene?"

"Of course," the officer said.

Robin examined the bodies. It was brutal. There was certainly an obsession with him; the Robin outfit had been shredded. He heard someone behind him.

"Is it just a coincidence that you show up and then shit hits the fan?" Nagi asked, standing behind him. She was clad in black leather, a custom-made combat outfit.

"Kirima-san, I know you want to help but this is something that I can deal with."

"They were my classmates, let me handle this," Nagi glared at him.

"You're skilled, but this is my problem."

"I stalemated you, I've dealt with these sorts of people before."

"I'd prefer to work with you rather than let you work alone," Robin said.

So she's dealt with serial killers, Robin thought. There was also that incident five years ago, with the serial killer that murdered five girls and left them in different places.

Robin remembered the incidents because they'd made international news. After all, the girls' brains had been sucked out by something while they were still alive. What did Nagi mean by, dealing with these sorts of people? He'd have to look into it.

"More people just complicate things, I should work alone, but since you're the center of this incident you should just keep a low profile and leave everything to me."

"Sorry, no can do," Robin said. "But I won't let you go after the murderer alone."

"I can deal with this myself."

"Really? Do you know who he is?" Robin asked.

Nagi Kirima stared at him in surprise," You know who it is? Just by looking at the crime scene?"

"Yes."

"Well, spill it, who is he?" Nagi asked.

"Uehara Daizo, former commander of the Tokyo Troopers. He's the only man in this country who would want to murder me."

Nagi remembered the man, he'd always been on the news. Her father Seiichi Kirima said he was the embodiment of a glory hound.

"All that from one crime scene, you are incredible," Nagi admitted. "At least I have a place to start."

"You should let me help you."

"I'll humor you and leave you alone for now," Nagi warned, "But next time we meet, I will put you out of commission for at least six months, that way you will stay out of my business."

"I do look forward to knocking some sense into you," Robin turned and walked away.

"I'm gonna kill you."

"Lots of people have tried," Robin shot back.

Nagi Kirma stalked off, it was time to start searching for Uehara Daizo and since her late father was very influential she could probably get a hold of the case file for the Shinyo Academy students without too much trouble.

Chapter Text

Dick sighed, he did feel conflicted. He should give himself some time to grieve over Starfire's departure. He should be focused on his schoolwork and not drawing attention to himself, and he was, but his mind kept going back to Nagi Kirima.

He missed Starfire a lot, but Nagi was very much her opposite. Starfire was emotional and open, wore her heart on her sleeve. Nagi was closed and while not unemotional, very controlled.

Nagi was very similar to himself, and he wished to steer her clear of becoming a carbon copy of what he and Batman were, at least, the obsessive side that would rear its ugly head every so often.

He admired her determination and drive to help others. Not many civilians could afford the equipment to become a superhero. She also refused to hide her face and go up against low-level criminals.

She didn't chase fame or glory for her actions, she was known in the area but not many people outside of Shinyo Academy knew her name and face unless you were a gossipy high school student.

The rumors of Boogiepop among the girls were more prevalent, although it seemed to be a secret kept away from the boys.

Dick Grayson's investigation of the school had concluded. But there was still a string to pull, where the Manticore came from. It had piqued his interest, along with Nagi Kirima, after all, her father was a prominent writer and she had disappeared sometime five years ago.

Despite all this, he hoped to make friends in his civilian life. Even if Nagi Kirima disliked Robin, he hoped that she would be friends with Dick Grayson. Nagi cut herself off from people, and he knew it was a defense mechanism to keep people away from your superhero activities but he knew that she was playing up her "Fire Witch" reputation.

Dick was happy to admit that he was interested in her. Not only was she beautiful but she was strong-willed, intelligent, and a good person, despite her delinquent reputation.

However, Nagi Kirima had no interest in guys, physically or emotionally. She was completely focused on her mission to help people.

One thing Dick wished to do was change Shinyo Academy's culture when it came to the students. Everyone must be pristine, have perfect attendance, have perfect scores. Everyone had to look squeaky clean. To keep this appearance, they refused to look into when students went missing and shunned those they deemed troublesome.

He hoped that people would become more compassionate and give her a "second chance" even if he knew she didn't really "need" one.

Dick sighed and put Nagi out of his mind for a bit. He was going to meet the other Titans at Peppermint Wizard for some ice cream. Changing into his Robin uniform, he headed to the ice cream shop.

Dick Grayson left school and changed into his Robin uniform to meet up with the other Titans at a popular ice cream shop in the city. Peppermint Wizard was all the rage as a popular dessert. It was addicting for some people.

"I can't wait to try this stuff, dude, I heard it's great," Beast Boy said. They were waiting for some time, but they finally got their ice cream.

"Raven, here you go," Beast Boy handed her the ice cream cone.

Raven licked it, it didn't taste too bad, and she took a bigger bite.

There was pain, it was like fire burned through her entire body. As an empath she could sense so much pain, it wasn't just from one person, it was from the entire population of the city. She dropped it and collapsed, Beast Boy, astonished, managed to catch her.

"Raven? What's going on?!" Beast Boy shouted.

Raven's whole body felt nothing but pain. One bite of Peppermint Wizard and she was convulsing.

"Robin…help me!" she managed to gasp out as the Titans leader rushed to her side.

"Raven, what do you need?" Robin asked.

"Water, need some water!" Raven gasped.

Robin was about to go get her some when someone placed a water bottle into Raven's hands.

Nagi Kirima knelt next to Raven and handed her a water bottle.

Raven took it and drank some small sips. She then took a few more gulps.

"Thank you," she managed to gasp.

"You're welcome, my name is Nagi Kirima. I was driving by and saw her collapse, is she all right?"

"I'm feeling better," Raven said.

"Americans shake hands, right?" Nagi said in English.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Kirima-san," Beast Boy said in English, but he did remember the honorific.

Nagi was amused, "He's not an Otaku is he?"

"I don't honestly know what that means," Beast Boy admitted.

"Means you spend too much on anime and manga and you're broke because of it. Means you're a shut-in too."

"I…I'm not that bad," Beast Boy laughed.

Nagi checked on Raven, "Is she all right?"

"I think she'll be fine, she seems to be calming down," Robin replied.

"All this from the Peppermint Wizard ice cream?"

"It seems so, I'm not sure if we should take her to the prefecture hospital or not."

"Not the hospital, we'll take her to my house, I do have connections, I can find someone willing to examine her."

"We'll rest at your house but Raven should be able to heal herself."

"I see."

"Wait, Robin, you know her?" Cyborg asked.

"I've met her, I was investigating something at her school," Robin explained.

They made their way to the Tanigouchi house and went inside. Nagi let them in.

"My mother's new husband, he lives here, when they're not traveling overseas. I kept my father's name," Nagi explained, "My step-brother lives in a dorm but he's in the hospital."

"He's in the hospital? What happened?" Robin asked.

"He was protecting one of his friends, whoever his attacker was shredded him. He's finally recovering."

"I'll get you all some tea," Nagi headed to her kitchen to brew them some.

"Herbal tea," Raven called to her.

Nagi brewed the herbal tea and brought it to Raven. She gave the others the same tea.

"Raven, how are you feeling?" Robin asked.

"Better, Peppermint Wizard targets a person's pain. I'm not sure what it does to humans, but it amplified my pain."

"Was it just yours?" Cyborg asked, "You were convulsing a lot."

"It wasn't just mine, it was the pain of the general population."

"Dude, I'm never gonna forgive myself!" Beast Boy growled, slamming his fist into the wall.

"It's not your fault, Beast Boy, you didn't know. I don't think anyone does," Robin glanced at his teammate.

"I think it's supposed to numb a person's pain, but it did the opposite with me," Raven looked out the window. "Still don't know who did this or what it's for."

"Raven, you said the ice cream is catered to a person's pain, and if they eat it, they get addicted to it," Robin looked back at her.

"Yes, humans will become numb to pain by eating it," Raven breathed deeply. "And then you want to do nothing but eat it."

"I've heard of that, people just assumed it was being addicted to ice cream."

"At least you're feeling better, that's what counts," Robin gave her a reassuring look and squeezed her shoulder.

"But why would someone manufacture an entire line of ice cream and feed it to the population of Tokyo?" Cyborg asked, "I'm running a biometrics scan and there's nothing unusual about it, molecularly speaking."

Raven was breathing deeply, finally feeling normal again.

"Cyborg, who owns Peppermint Wizard?" Robin asked.

"Moon Communications Enterprises."

"I remember them, Wayne Enterprises tried to buy them but they wouldn't accept any offers."

Moon Communications Enterprises, the famous Japanese conglomerate MCE. It seemed he was going to have to do some detective work.

Beast Boy noticed her combat suit by the bedroom door.

"Whoa, dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed, staring at her combat suit. "Is this custom?"

"Yes, I had it made for me," Nagi glanced at him. "I don't care if people know who I am, it's not like I'm breaking any laws in it."

Cyborg examined the suit. "It's bulletproof, you're serious about this."

"Kirima-san, we'd prefer if you'd work with us, I told you this already," Robin smiled.

"Sorry, Teen Wonder, I prefer to work alone, but I'm flattered by the offer," Nagi let a grin creep across her face.

"Raven, are you feeling better?" Robin asked.

"Yes, thank you, Kirima-san," Raven nodded.

The Titans got up to leave, "Thank you for your help." Robin bowed to Nagi.

The others turned and left.

They began walking towards the rental car Cyborg was using.

"Admit it, man, you like her," Cyborg teased.

"Maybe a little, but I'm not quite ready for a date," Robin got on his motorcycle and the other Titans got in the car and drove away. They decided to meet at the hotel they were staying in and plan their investigation of MCE.

Unbeknown to them, a man in purple watched them make their way to Nagi Kirima's house. Fortissimo scowled, reporting in, communicating with another agent.

"It seems that Raven is affected by Peppermint Wizard, should we move to capture her?"

"Let the Wonder-Bearer be for now, she is the Hero of Tokyo," Kaleidoscope answered. The synthetic human had to report to his superior about the heroes of Tokyo returning to Japan.

Wonder-Bearers, MPLS, were often classified by the general public as "meta-humans".

There were all sorts of MPLS, and their powers were usually subtle things, being able to awaken other people's MPLS powers, being able to sense the fears of others, being able to sense a creature's energy the moment they died, the ability to live beyond death. These were just some of the extraordinary powers granted to people that were able to evolve.

Wonder-Bearers had similar powers, but their powers could change the world itself. Wonder-Bearers could wield magic. The ability to summon demonic beasts to attack your enemies, the ability to control water or magma. These were the astonishing powers of Wonder-Bearers and the Towa Organization kept an eye on them.

Metahumans were becoming more frequent, the Justice League was full of them. Supervillains were cropping up more often and the Towa Organization could do very little about it because so many military institutions were trying to come up with ways to fight beings on par with Superman.

Hiragi, the Axis of the Towa Organization, epithet Oxygen had seen the footage of Raven battling Brushogun, Uehara Daizo in Tokyo. The System's leader pissed himself in fear.

People like Raven were trouble, but she was the Hero of Tokyo, and meddling with her would bring down the ire of the general public that loved her and had made her the official mascot for Super Twinkle Donkey Gum.

Metahumans were a threat to humanity, but people loved them and called them "heroes", there was nothing he could do to change this perception.

But he knew that the Towa Organization would be exposed to the public if he meddled with the Teen Titans and the far-reaching consequences of killing any of them.

They would have to watch and wait.

He sighed as he ended the communication with Fortissimo. He had other things on his mind and he wasn't sure how he'd deal with the meddling Nagi Kirima but he'd have to take into consideration that the Teen Titans were in Tokyo. He'd have to hope they'd play the role of tourists and stay out of the Towa Organization's way.

Nagi Kirima sighed, her thoughts kept wandering back to Robin. She didn't usually take an interest in male students or boys her age. They were all too "normal". Normal people needed to stay away from her.

He hadn't mentioned that she'd threatened to put him out of commission for six months. Did he like her or something?

Nagi shook her head, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her red shirt with a brown stripe on the upper arms and gray pants made her seem painfully normal. She'd just been driving through Tokyo when she spotted Raven collapsing on the ground.

She was popular among the guys at school despite her delinquent reputation. Guys always attempted to ask her out on a date. The only one that hadn't been a stammering mess was Masami Saotome and he was a psychopath that allied himself with the Manticore, preying on other female students in his insane attempt to rule the world with "her".

Guys were only interested in her because she was "hot". Even her vigilante partner Kentarou Habara called her hot to her face.

But Kentarou Habara only worked with her on small things, nothing that could put him in serious danger. After what happened to Naoko Kamikshiro she didn't want her friends involved in her vigilante work.

But Robin was different, he'd been doing vigilante work since he was eight years old, according to mask-fans.com he'd been seen 10 years ago, since he looked to be her age, she could deduce when he started by how old he looked compared to old pictures of Robin from early in his career during his partnership with Batman.

Nagi sighed, she could have accepted his offer to work with the Teen Titans, but she'd heard rumors about a sixth member, Terra. These weren't stories in the newspapers, but there were rumors that Terra, a girl who had joined the team for a short time was a mole working for Slade, their arch-nemesis.

She didn't need the drama of dealing with a large team, and it's not like she was going to move to America to join them. She was right at home in Tokyo and the Towa Organization had enough going on around here to keep her busy.

Nagi was curious about why their most outgoing member wasn't with them. She knew about Starfire because Japanese boys loved her, for the obvious reasons of course, but because she also spoke Japanese, albeit very formally.

Guys were searching high and low for the random teen she'd kissed in Tokyo, that boy however, didn't say much online, but that kissing her was one of the best experiences with a foreigner he'd ever had.

She did wonder what brought the Teen Titans back to Tokyo, they hadn't mentioned a thing about vacation.

Knowing her luck, she'd run into them again sooner or later.

Still, Robin, a man that hot, was every girl's dream and had been the talk of Shinyo Academy ever since the Uehara Daizo incident where Robin exposed his fake heroism.

She had to admit, he was appealing, he was like her in many ways, but she knew it'd be better for him if he stayed out of her way.

He was still intriguing, if not frustrating.

Humans do not possess a single, focused will. In their hearts, they have countless bugs, buzzing in all directions.

Nagi sighed, her father's words always come back to her, despite her issues with him, mainly having to do with his unceasing love for her mother, which made no sense to her after she'd cheated on him and divorced him.

Still, she rarely saw her stepfather since her mother and stepfather were constantly traveling. She got along well enough with her younger stepbrother, Masaki Taniguchi. She planned on going back to the hospital to visit him.

When it came to Robin, Nagi wasn't sure how she felt about him. Not that she flirted with guys or anything. She certainly wouldn't be tongue-tied if she wanted to ask him out but she wondered if it'd even be worth it, there was the mystery of his girlfriend that she hadn't seen with them.

Nagi wanted to put it out of her mind and tell herself it was ridiculous, but she couldn't bring herself to do that.

She sighed and looked at her combat suit, maybe it was time she headed out on patrol and took her mind off Tokyo's Hero for a while.

Chapter Text

Nagi Kirima's patrol of the local area was uneventful, with no delinquents causing trouble, no drug dealers selling and nobody making buys. Maybe Robin being seen in the area made them nervous, those were the crimes he dealt with regularly.

She also kept an eye out for the serial killer. It would be difficult to lure out Uehara Daizo, even if she disguised herself as Robin he'd know that she was female, she'd also seen Raven and knew there was no way she could pass herself off as the Teen Titan, her strange powers couldn't be imitated. That didn't include Raven's gray skin color either.

Nagi did notice that teenage boys didn't wear the Robin costume openly now that there was a serial killer targeting anyone in the Robin costume. It did help her find the real one because the real one had expensive steel-toed boots.

Her patrol was nearly over when she saw a bloody throwing knife lying in an abandoned alleyway. Nagi parked the bike. picked up the knife and placed it into a bag.

She noticed it had an Athenian owl on the handle and wondered what it meant. She put it out of her mind, she had to go visit her stepbrother in the hospital.

Nagi Kirima made her way into Masaki Taniguchi's hospital room. He was still recovering despite regaining consciousness. She was unsure why his wounds wouldn't heal.

She sighed and looked at him, "What did the doctor say?"

"The wounds won't close and they have no idea why, all they can do is change my bandages."

"You'll be out of here soon, I'm sure of it," Nagi reassured him.

"Nagi-neesan…"

"I told you not to call me that!" Nagi snapped, and she took a deep breath.

"At least you're getting better," she changed the subject.

"Thank you for coming, I thought you'd be skipping school."

"That's tomorrow's agenda," Nagi said.

"I thought that foreigner, Dick Grayson, caught your interest. Your classmates do talk."

"No way," Nagi chuckled. "A man like that isn't interested in me. And I don't have time."

"That wistful look says otherwise."

"Wistful, is that what my expression looks like? If I'm thinking about anyone, it's probably Robin."

"Ah, so the Hero of Tokyo is your type huh?"

"He's a nuisance but he's very skilled."

"And hot," Masaki joked. "Every schoolgirl in Japan is chasing that bright yellow cape."

"He's stubborn, I'll find Uehara Daizo on my own, the man has to be somewhere in Tokyo, has to at least know where criminals like to hide."

"Did he offer to work with you?"

"Yes, but I turned him down, teams cause drama, it's better if I work alone."

Nagi looked at her stepbrother quietly. He was awake and talking. It was a good thing.

Nagi Kirima told him goodbye and left him. She returned to the apartment and went to bed.

Robin had a laptop and used it to probe the security of Moon Communications Enterprises. They had very strong security but he was a skilled hacker.

He noted that all the data he found appeared to be innocuous, but Robin knew they were hiding something because of a strange video he found that was corrupted.

Robin managed to find more pieces of the deleted video, but he knew he would need time to examine the video, he should exit the MCE security system before anyone would notice his presence.

He handed a USB drive to Cyborg, "See what you can do about this corrupted video file."

"I got it, we'll see what they're hiding," Cyborg took the USB and began attempting to reconstruct the deleted video file.

Companies deleted files constantly but there was something different about this one that caught Robin's attention.

He'd tried to play the video, but he'd only seen some garbled video and heard choppy audio.

Robin was curious about the video and whether he would find the answers he sought.

"Raven, did you find anything?"

"Not yet," Raven replied.

"They're very good at staying under the radar," Cyborg said. "This is going to be a challenge."

"We'll have to keep digging," Robin glanced at the screen.

"They seem like a normal company but what happened to Raven," Beast Boy said. "Normal companies don't spike ice cream."

"We'll find what they're hiding soon enough," Robin returned to his work.

"What about Nagi Kirima?" Cyborg asked.

"She's very skilled but she's very stubborn," Robin explained.

"But you do like her," Cyborg teased.

"You're moving on pretty quick," Beast Boy smiled.

"Is that right, to move on so quickly?" Robin asked himself. "It just seems like I should take time to mourn, to grieve. I can visualize Star eating that Pudding of Sadness right now. And here I am, acting like everything's fine."

"We all know you miss her. Star would want you to be happy," Cyborg smiled.

"I know," Robin nodded, he turned his attention back to his work.

Nagi Kirima decided that yes, it was time to get herself a free vacation via suspension. She slipped out of class and headed towards the girl's bathroom.

She pulled out the carton of Caster Mild cigarettes and slipped one between her lips. She had to at least make it look like she was going to smoke. She took out the lighter and pushed on it until the flame lit up.

"That'll kill you, you know," a voice said to her.

It wasn't the voice of a teacher that she'd been expecting, no incoming reprimand or told she was suspended.

Instead, Robin, the Hero of Tokyo stood in front of her, taking the lighter from her easily.

"I'd make a fuss that you're in the girl's bathroom but as you can see, Teen Wonder, I'm trying to get suspended."

"You could just patrol after school," Robin suggested.

"Where's the fun in that?" Nagi gave him an evil grin.

She heard footsteps coming towards them.

"What do you mean by—?" Robin began when Nagi suddenly grabbed him and kissed him on the lips.

Nagi could see his astonished expression, but this was the perfect way for her to get suspended since someone was coming into the women's restroom.

Shinyo Academy had a strict no-dating policy that they enforced and even if Robin was the Hero of Tokyo, they made no exceptions.

It was an impulse that compelled her to kiss him, nothing more than that. If she was getting suspended, she might as well have fun with it.

She felt him returning the kiss, he pulled her against him.

"Kirima! You're suspended! You, in Robin's costume, you're also suspended. Show me your I.D.!"

"Sorry about this, Nakayama-san!" Robin shouted, throwing down a smoke grenade. He sprinted away through the smoke.

Nagi smiled to herself, her plan was successful. She walked out of school and headed home. She changed into her combat uniform.

She headed into the busy part of Tokyo on her motorcycle.

Maybe she would make progress finding Uehara Daizo.

Nagi decided to head to a bar in the area. She heard that it was a common meeting place for delinquents and criminals. Maybe she would find out something there.

Nagi didn't want to admit she had enjoyed the kiss, but she noticed that the Hero of Tokyo had returned it. Didn't he have a girlfriend? She hadn't seen Starfire with the group the other day.

She wondered why the famous hero seemed interested in her or was this a passing fling?

She shouldn't cut him so much slack, she should tell him to stay out of her way, but she felt unsure about how she should proceed concerning Robin.

Had she…taken a liking to him? She didn't like guys that way, but he was Robin the Teen Titan, and Nagi Kirima didn't have silly schoolgirl crushes on guys, let alone Robin.

Still, unlike most girls, she'd met the real Robin, he did seem different than many students' idea of him and more like Kazuko Suema's analysis of him.

He was so much like her, maybe that was why she found herself drawn to him. He was a fascinating person and he intrigued her.

Nagi put Robin out of her mind, she had work to do.

Dick felt his mind spinning, he felt his breath come in gasps as Nagi Kirima pressed her mouth to his in a kiss that sent his mind wheeling through the universe.

He instinctively returned the kiss; he did find her beautiful and was attracted to her.

He pulled her against him as he continued their kiss. He heard footsteps in the hallway.

So that's what you're after, he smiled, using him to get herself suspended was very clever.

Public displays of affection were taboo in Japan. Robin had looked up things while he and Starfire were on vacation. Being Tokyo's hero, he didn't want to ruin his reputation by offending the Japanese people while he was visiting the country.

He heard their teacher yelling that Nagi was suspended, he was suspended too but Haruo Nakayama didn't recognize him with his mask on.

Dick threw down a smoke grenade and sprinted away, jumping out a nearby window and sneaking into the men's restroom to change into his Shinyo Academy uniform. He'd made an excuse to go to the restroom when he'd spotted Nagi Kirima sneaking out of class.

The encounter had surprised him. Did she have feelings for him or was it just that he was an exotic foreigner?

The kiss was meant to get her in trouble with the teachers, but she hadn't needed to do it when she already had Caster Mild cigarettes on her.

Perhaps kissing him in public was her way of flaunting social norms in Tokyo.

It was a surreal thing, but Dick found Nagi Kirima fascinating and the only way he could describe it was that he was spellbound by her.

He made his way back to his classroom and sat down at his desk.

Nobody noticed how long he'd been gone, and he finished his studies without anyone noticing anything odd.

Finishing his schoolwork, he headed home; he had a patrol to go on and had to search for Uehara Daizo.

Changing out of his Shinyo Academy uniform he changed into his Robin uniform and headed to a certain bar, the same bar he'd been in when he'd been on the run in Tokyo.

Inside the bar, Robin saw a group of thugs surrounding Nagi Kirima.

"So, you're the notorious brat constantly targeting everyone's operations, are you?" one of the men said, "We'll teach you a lesson, girly. This is the part where we beat the crap out of you, then maybe we'll have some fun with you too."

Robin stepped into view, "No, it's not that part."

"Robin, the Hero of Tokyo is here!" the men stared in surprise. "Let's kill him! Taking him out will give us the reputation as the fiercest killers in Tokyo!"

"Don't you dare ignore me!" Nagi snapped. She leaped up, slamming her booted foot into the man's face, knocking him out cold.

Robin sat back and let her fight them. The thugs turned their attention back to her.

"10 to one, you should have brought more with you," Nagi taunted.

The thugs all charged at her. Robin didn't move, he just sat back and watched her.

Nagi Kirima was an excellent fighter, easily dodging the swings of nail-spiked baseball bats without even looking at them. She swept the feet out from under six of them as they tried to keep her contained.

She moved effortlessly among them, using her electric baton to stun them. She kicked them away from her and into the wall as she used her baton to stun them so they stayed down.

Nagi put one of the thugs in a cross armbar, dislocating his shoulder as he passed out.

Nagi turned as she heard the sound of clapping.

Robin smiled, "Well done!"

"I'm not here to put on a show for you," Nagi scowled.

"But you have treated me to quite a show," Robin walked over and dragged the still-conscious thug outside.

He placed the man in front of his motorcycle.

"You're gonna tell me what you know about Uehara Daizo," Robin said.

"I know nothing, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" the man spat.

Robin revved his motorcycle, spinning the front wheel on top of the man's head.

"If you don't talk, I might lose my grip on this wheel, and you don't want to have your neck broken by a motorcycle wheel."

"All Daizo-san ever ranted about was going back to the beginning. The serial killer from five years ago, he was obsessed because he couldn't solve the case, said he should have done it."

"What do you know about that case from five years ago?" Robin asked.

"Only what I heard on the news. Daizo said he was a detective working on that case. Said he should have been the hero to solve it."

"I'll check your information. but if you're lying, I'll break the other one."

"The other wha-?" the man asked, just as Robin snapped his arm, breaking it.

The man was left shrieking in agony.

Nagi watched him, not saying a word. Why was her past always coming back around to her?

He looked at her. "Care to join me? I could use your help."

"No, Teen Wonder, I can handle my investigation. Next time you get in my way, I will put you out of commission for six months."

"And you didn't do it now because...?" Robin asked.

"I needed you to help me, that's why," Nagi smirked.

"And you kissed me because?"

"It was too much fun not to, can't have too much fun," Nagi Kirima laughed.

She climbed onto her motorcycle and drove off, she hadn't found a lead on Daizo but there was also the attack on her stepbrother, and she was trying to track down the perpetrator. She didn't know his name but she knew what he looked like.

Robin let himself smile, "Can't have too much fun, huh? Well, I'll have to make it even the next time I see you."

He decided to head off to the Prefectural hospital where Nagi Kirima had once been a patient. He also had to stop by the police department and get the case files for the serial killer he wanted to look over them himself. Everything seemed to begin at the hospital, and he was going to find out why.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Part 5: Thoughts of Our Fathers

Robin headed to the Prefectural Hospital. It was the same hospital Nagi had stayed in. Everything seemed to come back to her. He couldn't get her out of his mind. He was drawn to her. She was beautiful, but what caught his attention were her eyes.

It was a silly thing to be drawn to in Japan. Many Japanese people had brown eyes. But her eyes reminded him of John Grayson, his late father.

There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't think about his parents but being with Nagi Kirima and seeing her father complex made him happy that he understood his parents.

He'd read in the Japanese tabloids that Seiichi's wife Kyouko had an affair and divorced him. Seiichi Kirima was a love martyr if there ever was one.

It was quite clear that Nagi adored her father. She wouldn't have kept her father's name if she hadn't loved him.

Bruce Wayne was not his father, but Dick called him "dad" sometimes. It wasn't the same. His biological father had been a good man. Stern but fair. John Grayson's morality was something he could grow into while Bruce's was inflexible.

They were so different from each other, maybe that's why they butted heads so often.

Slade wanted to be like a father to him. He was both verbally and physically abusive and a horrible human being.

Dick always looked to his fond memories of John Grayson to seek guidance from the simple advice he gave him at the age of eight.

Nagi had lost her father Seiichi Kirima at the age of 10. Dick felt jealous, two whole years with her father. Since he was an accomplished writer she always had his words with her. He had an eidetic memory so he could use the memory palace technique to remember his parents. But to have her father's words written down, to always have a piece of him with her was a precious thing.

And knowing that Seiichi Kirima was revered the world over was amazing. His influence grew after his death and Nagi received royalties from her late father's writing.

Nagi Kirima could be anything she wanted but she chose a life similar to his.

The drive, the obsession, they were so very much alike.

He enjoyed watching her work, watching her fight. He wanted to keep watching her, to get lost in her lovely brown eyes.

"You can fall in love if you like. All I can do...is pray it does not destroy you both."

Seiichi Kirima's words echoed in his mind. Robin sighed, was it love that he felt for her?

He let his mind wander. Some women wanted meaningless flings while others wanted real relationships.

Seduction was easy for him, after spending time in a relationship with Starfire he learned what women liked to hear from a man.

His kind demeanor and charisma drew women to him. He could carry on a conversation that didn't involve physical intimacy, although he could insinuate that if that's what a woman wanted from him.

Being a rich foreigner meant that you'd get a woman's attention for your money. Honeypots that targeted foreigners in other countries were quite common and it was a safety risk when interacting with the locals.

He didn't carry large amounts of cash nor did he flaunt his money, such things weren't worth it. You could be beaten, robbed, or killed depending on where you were and Japan had a low crime rate but he had always minded his surroundings.

Fortunately, his experience in Japan had been good, and strange women had not approached him.

Dick turned his attention back to the matter at hand, he was looking into the serial murders from five years ago.

Stopping by the prefectural hospital, he discovered it had been abandoned.  He was surprised.  He wasn't expecting that.  He searched the building and found Doctor Kisugi's old office.  Robin rummaged through her things and found a strange vial with barely anything in it, but it was just enough that he could examine it.

He tucked it into his utility belt, he'd have Cyborg examine it later.

He headed to the Tokyo Police Department and requested the files for Masanori Sasaki, the perp behind the serial murders five years ago, along with the case file for the missing Doctor Kisugi.

He headed to a nearby MOS Burger and ordered a Truffle Mayo Double Beef Burger Combo

so he could eat while he studied the files.

He sat down when he heard a voice call to him, "Do you mind if we sit here?"

It was Keiji Takeda and his girlfriend Touka Miyashita.

"Please, feel free, are you two on a date?" He had to act like he didn't know them.

"Well, yes, but don't tell anyone at our school," Keiji laughed.

"I'm Keiji Takeda and this is Touka Miyashita," Jeiji gave their names in Western fashion to make it easier for him to understand.

"Good day," Robin stood up and bowed respectfully. "Takeda-san, Miyashita-san, it's nice to meet you."

"Such a polite foreigner; the Hero of Tokyo is impressive," Touka smiled.

"We were in the crowd when the mayor of Tokyo gave the Teen Titans medals."

"It was insane, Nagi Kirima was with us, the medal ceremony was one of our school trips and the students went crazy," Keiji smiled.

Robin laughed. The couple sat with him as they ate their meals.

"So what is the Hero of Tokyo investigating in our city?" Touka Miyashita asked.

"The serial murders from five years ago. Something doesn't add up so I'm looking into it."

"Masanori Sasaki's modus operandi doesn't line up, he was an assassin so why would he suck out five girls' brains?" Robin asked.

"Don't killers change their techniques to avoid getting caught?" Touka Miyashita asked.

"Not always, some of them are too fixated on their dark fantasies. They can't suppress their urge to kill. Some of them have signatures."

"That's really scary," Touka said.

"They caught the perp so you don't have anything to worry about."

"We can all breathe a sigh of relief then," Keiji Takada laughed.

"Don't worry about anything, I'm just looking for some answers. There was also a doctor that went missing, nobody ever found her."

"Well, good luck, Robin-san," Touka said. She got to her feet.

She turned away. She suddenly turned back to him and spoke in Boogiepop's voice.

"I could give you the answers but where's the fun in that?"

"I wasn't expecting a freebie anyway, Boogiepop," Robin laughed. He noticed that Boogiepop didn't laugh or smile.

It turned away and reshaped itself back into Touka Miyashita.

"It was nice to meet you, Robin," Touka smiled, her voice returning to normal.

Robin pulled out some money, "it's on me."

Even though they paid already. It was enough to cover their dinner.

The two students left and Robin continued looking over the case files. He separated the five girls from the other victims.

Wanting to learn more about the victims, he read their obituaries. All five of them were described as "fearless" and "brave".

He remembered Uehara Dauzo's fear and how he'd framed him for murder to protect his fraudulent hero persona. Fear was a powerful motivator and Batman harnessed it to frighten criminals.

"That's it!" He exclaimed. Fear is what made them a target, but they were from different walks of life so they had to have one common denominator: the prefectural hospital.

He was examining the old hospital security footage from the unexplained violent incident where Doctor Kisugi went missing.

He spotted a blur that was almost imperceptible on the screen but he realized it was Doctor Kisugi.

He could hear audio, "Scarecrow, you came."

Robin knew the woman wasn't referring to Johnathan Crane, the supervillain Scarecrow, but to someone else using that name. Crane was locked away in Arkham Asylum at this time.

"Tell me…Scarecrow…will I…go to Heaven?"

"No, you'll be going to Hell," the voice was cold as ice. The voice was Boogiepop.

"Of course I am…just like you…" the woman's voice was silent.

"So that's when he appeared," Robin said to himself.

"All that from the surveillance footage, took me a day to figure this out. I'm impressed," Nagi Kirima said.

"I've been doing this for a decade. You know what happened five years ago, don't you."

"Yes."

"You're not going to tell me anything."

"No, I'm not."

"You sure are stubborn," Robin said.

"I don't want to talk about it, and I know you have my hospital file. The fact that you hacked the hospital records is no surprise."

"Why were you there?"

"It was a real pain in the ass, growing pains, the doctors couldn't explain, they went away after a while."

"I see, have I satisfied your curiosity, Robin-kun?" Nagi asked, teasing him.

"You're teasing me with that honorific, aren't you, Nagi-chan?"

"It's a good thing you're cute, Teen Wonder, or I'd slug you."

"I'm cute, huh? How'd you know it was me?"

"Lots of teenage boys wear that costume but I recognize your dumb ass anywhere."

"You recognize my ass!" the Hero of Tokyo burst out laughing. "That's one I've never heard before."

"Let me buy you dinner," he suggested.

"Is this a date?"

"No, no, just let me buy you dinner," Robin smiled. "Haven't laughed like that in a while."

Nagi begrudgingly sat down.

Robin saw her expression, he understood it. Her father was famous and wealthy, especially after his death, she had become a Japanese billionaire.

She consistently received royalties for her father's work. It made her desirable to men, hoping to worm their way into her bank account rather than her heart.

Her father's friend, Gen Sakakibara, kept unwanted suitors away from her. Robin saw it in her facial expression.

"Don't worry; I have no interest in your money, Nagi-chan. I just want someone to spend time with."

"Where's that girlfriend of yours?"

"Gone, unfortunately, nothing I could do about it."

"Dead?"

"No, we parted on good terms."

"Care to talk about it?"

"Not now, not yet."

"Touche," Nagi laughed. "Eh, why not?

The two vigilantes sat down and had a meal on their "not-date".

This is Dick Grayson. He's been many things in his short life. He's the acrobat prodigy, the Boy Wonder. He's a member of the Flying Graysons, pulling off the Quadruple Aerial Somersault 50 feet up without a net night after night.

He is Robin, Gotham's Laughing Daredevil and the leader of the Teen Titans.

He has given up the ordinary life for a life that is the envy of many teenagers.

People see the skills, only the excitement, the thrills, but they don't see the hardships, the long, sleepless nights on patrol, and the brutal training by Batman. They don't see his scars. Not the emotional scars that created Robin, or the physical scars from his many battles.

The scars on his body are the permanent symbolism of the sacrifices he has made in the name of peace and justice. It is a badge of heroism he wears for the rest of his life.

There were many scars and many stories with them. A bullet hole from being shot by the Joker, a scar on his chest from Saiko-Tek, a scar on the middle of his back from when Starfire shot him in the back after he threatened the lives of his team when he was hallucinating about seeing Slade.

The world he lives in is different from everyone else's, but he wouldn't trade it for anything.

When Starfire told him she was leaving he was stunned. He wasn't expecting that, especially when it was an arranged marriage she couldn't refuse.

He was heartbroken over the situation but he couldn't do anything about it.

They had parted in the city where they had confessed their love. He hoped for a respite, to catch his breath, but already he was pursuing a new case and a new interest.

Dick wanted to laugh, there was no way someone as stubborn as Nagi Kirima was going to be interested in him.

She was too driven by her Messiah complex to give heed to anything else.

Still, she did show interest in his alter-ego Robin, but he wouldn't push her for anything. She would probably stun him with her electric baton and throw him into a wall.

Still, he hoped to become friends with her in his civilian life but she didn't make that easy.

He understood her in many ways but rarely spoke to her as Dick Grayson.

Maybe an opportunity would present itself but he wouldn't hold his breath.

He decided he would wait for her to come to him.

He would be patient, there was no rush.

This is Dick Grayson for now.

Life is brief, young maiden, fall in love;

before the crimson bloom fades from your lips,

before the tides of passion cool within your hips,

for those of you who know no tomorrow.

Nagi Kirima sang "Gondola no Uta" from the movie "Ikiru". It was a song made famous by the film and even foreigners knew it if they were movie buffs.

It was popular but it was significant to Nagi because it was a song her best friend, the deceased Naoko Kamikishiro used to sing.

She was still grappling with the loss of her only friend from middle school and one of the few who knew of her secret hero activities.

When you lose your best friend how do you come to terms with the loss?

The students who knew the truth couldn't even hold a funeral for her because the Manticore ate her.

Nagi decided after that she wouldn't allow anyone to help her in heroics again.

But then Robin, the Hero of Tokyo, showed up at Shinyo Academy and offered to help her.

He'd offered to help her look for Uehara Daizo but didn't offer her a place on the team. The Titans had branches all around the world and Bushido was a member but the teen hero traveled all over Japan and hadn't made any particular city his base of operations.

She considered herself unaffiliated with any group and thought of Tokyo as her turf.

She'd been aware of the Teen Titans adventure in Tokyo due to Robin's mugshot being broadcast all over the news. She'd been dealing with her own "work" fighting off crazed men who had been injected with something that put them into a zombie-like state, causing them to go on a murderous rampage trying to recapture a kidnapping named Kit.

Only Nagi's superb martial arts skills had saved her life that night.

The incident resulted in the deaths of three teenagers who had given their lives to protect Kit.

Nagi had sent her to stay with her father's friend Gen Sakakibara who was also her martial arts instructor. She was safe outside of Japan.

The System, the Towa Organization had covered up the incident quickly, not that normal people took notice, the Teen Titans exposing Uehara Daizo as a fraud overshadowed the bizarre incident.

She'd gone to the medal ceremony, the crowd had been massive. She'd not been too close to the front, Beast Boy's fangirls had taken up several front rows, but she'd been able to see the Titans on the massive screen.

Nagi Kirima had been on patrol when she'd rode by the MOS Burger and saw the Hero of Tokyo sitting with two of her classmates. While she was friends with Touka Miyashita and Keiji Takeda she decided to wait until they were gone before approaching him.

They had engaged in small talk. She confirmed her suspicions that he was investigating the incident from five years ago.

She was surprised when he offered to buy her dinner, was this the "wining and dining" she'd heard so much about?

She was wary of men who were interested in her. Most men weren't interested in her for her beauty, they were chasing her wealth.

A few men she knew were chasing her for her looks, one of them was Kentarou Habara, her hacker.

Still, the man made no moves on her, despite clearly being into her.

Men were complex and when it came to their feelings and romance, she didn't like how complicated it was.

Whether men wanted a casual fling or a real relationship with her, Nagi didn't know, but she despised cheaters because of her mother's infidelity.

Robin was interested in her, she wasn't dumb, she knew he was into her. She wondered if she was becoming interested in him.

He was the talk of Shinyo Academy, the most extreme girls proclaimed they would become "gaijin hunters" for him, women who had sex with foreigners to have cute half-"kids" and dump the man later on.

Nagi knew that he probably wouldn't agree to anything like that if he was the sort to get into a casual relationship.

She did acknowledge he was handsome and very skilled, well-spoken, and polite.

But there was a hard edge in his voice when she refused to work with him. He was trying to control her. It was subtle manipulation and she disliked it.

She was free to do as she pleased when it came to her vigilante work.

He was very rigid, she could tell that much.

She wouldn't fit into his mold as a teammate or a partner.

She had kissed him impulsively, something she didn't normally do, and she found…that she had enjoyed it.

Did she admire him? Yes. Did she love him? She was unsure.

Still, sitting across from him and listening to him talk about his investigation was one of the most interesting conversations she'd had. She wouldn't forget to put him in his place if he got in her way, but it could wait. She could let herself relax for the first time in a long time. She let him see a side of her that few knew about and hoped that she wouldn't regret it.

Chapter Text

It was Father's Day and it always bothered Nagi Kirima. Other students complained about how lame it was to spend time with their fathers, but she'd give up everything if she could get him back.

The only thing she could do was take an offering to his grave and say a prayer for him.

Nagi dressed in her nice clothes. She refused to wear a dress but chose something nice. She'd stop by the store and pick up Seiichi Kirima's favorite foods and visit his grave on Father's Day.

She headed to the convenience store to get her father's favorite food when she saw Dick Grayson, with three people she didn't recognize, waiting in line.

"Hello, Kirima-san, you can go first if you'd like, we can wait," Dick offered.

He let her have his place in line and she purchased her things. "Thank you," she bowed to him. She bought her things and decided to wait for them. While Japanese people don't usually approach strangers, she knew Grayson and knew he would introduce her to his friends.

She waited. They bought their things and approached her.

"Kirima-san, these are my friends, Garfield Logan, Vic Stone, and Rachel Roth," he gave their names in Western fashion.

"Logan-san, Stone-san, Roth-san, it's nice to meetcha," she said casually.

"Do you want us to speak to you in Japanese or English?" Dick asked, wanting to make her comfortable. Many Japanese students learned English as their second language but weren't always comfortable using it in a practical setting.

"I'm fluent in English, Grayson-san," Nagi said, smiling.

"What are your plans for today?" Dick asked.

"I'm visiting my father's grave."

"Well, you shouldn't spend Father's Day by yourself. Do you mind if we come with you?" Dick asked.

"No, it's fine."

"Are there any rules we should know?"

"No cameras and be respectful."

"Of course."

They headed to the cemetery and rented a pail. Nagi began the ceremony by washing her hands, the others followed suit and watched her wash Seiichi Kirima's grave, pouring water on it little by little.

She placed his favorite foods as an offering at his grave and also some Chrysanthemums. She asked that they take her hands as she said a Shinto prayer.

"Well Dad, I think you'd like my friends, they're weird, kinda like you," Nagi smiled.

The other teens didn't say much but remained quietly respectful.

They waited for a bit before they left.

"You can learn from the past, but don't let it hold you back, because if you get too obsessed, it'll curse you," Nagi told him.

Dick listened to her words and kept them in mind. Holding onto the past was something he did quite a lot. His obsessions were often his undoing, and it was a hard lesson for him to learn. He wanted to learn from her, and how she was able to not let her past hold her back, it was one of the many things he admired about her.

He could feel the students staring at him as he swam. He could see them gawking at his scars. They were whispering about him. Dick did his best to ignore them.

He headed to the locker room to change back into his school uniform.

Dick Grayson was horrified, his school uniform was missing. They'd been swimming at school for physical education and someone stole his clothes. He'd taken off his swimsuit when someone quickly grabbed it and took off running out of the locker room and down the hall.

He sighed, he'd have to find his clothes.

Kazuko Suema stared at him, "Grayson-san, what happened?"

"Someone stole my clothes!"

Seuema did her best to avert her eyes, unlike the others, she wasn't trying to stare at him.

He could hear the girls whispering.

"Grayson-san has to be a delinquent. Those scars have to be from street fights!"

"He's some kind of criminal! A real American gangster!"

"No, more like the Italian mafia!"

Dick bit back an angry reply to that accusation and kept silent.

He walked toward his locker, desperately searching for his school uniform.

The boys started their taunts, "Looks like his high grades are compensating for his average size. No wonder he has to pay for girls!"

"Probably never got laid! Ha!"

Dick said nothing. His sex life wasn't anyone's business, but he'd made love to Starfire. He and Starfire were intimately close and had consummated their relationship during their vacation in Tokyo since they were both 18 or her species equivalent of 18. His previous relationship had been with Barbra Gordon, but since they'd been underage when he was in Gotham, they hadn't slept together. Now they were old enough that they could but they hadn't dated for a long time. Babs and Koriand'r had met and they were nice to each other.

All his exes got along with him and each other, it was a cosmic miracle.

"Like any girl's gonna find a guy covered in scars hot! That's only in the movies!"

"Are we gonna have to stare at him all day in classes like this? He's gross!"

He had to ignore them, he wouldn't get into a fight, not today. Dick recognized a trio of students that had given him ugly looks ever since he started attending school. They began following him, and one of them prepared to throw something at him.

Kei Niitoki, President of the Disciplinary Committee stood, blocking the bullies' path. "Do you think you'd get away with this just because he's a foreigner? Did you even think about what would happen if he or Wayne-san sued the school?!"

The bullies' laughed, "It's his word over ours, and foreigners always start trouble!"

One laughed until someone punched him in the face, sending him sprawling on the ground. It was Nagi Kirima.

"Fire Witch!" he exclaimed. He looked to Niitoki. "You saw that, didn't you? She hit me!"

"You tripped and fell," Niitoki shrugged. "I saw nothing."

The students looked up as they heard footsteps, the school wasn't expecting any visitors. Some of the students gawked. The Teen Titans were visiting Shinyo Academy.

Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy had walked into the school in uniform to surprise their leader. They figured he could use some cheering up, especially today, but Beast Boy saw the "prank" and he wasn't laughing.

"Dudes, really?" he glared at them.

"B.B., find Dick Grayson's uniform will you?" Cyborg ordered.

"I'm on it, dude," he transformed into a dog and immediately began sniffing around for the clothes. He ran around the school, tracking down the clothing, the bullies made it difficult to find.

Raven quickly wrapped her cloak around Dick, covering him.

"You people think this is funny?" Raven snapped at them.

"What's the mascot of Super Twinkle Donkey Gum gonna do, hit me in the face, beat me up, and give me some lame anti-bullying lecture?" the student smirked.

"No, you're just going to experience the worst moment of his life, you'll see, hear, and feel everything. Maybe you'll learn some empathy," Raven said in a cold voice. She grabbed his forehead, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

She showed the student the memories of that day in Dick Grayson's life. The day of the Flying Graysons' death. She forced the bully to experience everything Dick Grayson felt that night.

The bully began shaking, Kei Niitoki stared at Raven, startled.

"What did you do to him?" she asked.

"Just showed him something from your friend's life."

"Isn't that private?"

"Dick Grayson is my friend, NOBODY hurts my friend!" Raven said, walking away. "He'll recover physically after a few hours. I can't guarantee he'll recover emotionally, however."

The other bullies fled in terror. They ran straight into Beast Boy, who was not amused.

"What do you think you'll do to us, Green One?" they asked.

"This is for humiliating my friend!" Beast Boy snarled, he transformed into Godzilla and charged after them.

Loud shrieks of, "Gojira!" were heard throughout Shinyo Academy as the terrified students tried to get away.

This scene brought students out into the hall and some of the victims of the school bullies shouted, "Go get them, Goji!"

They ran until they could no longer do so.

Cyborg grabbed the bullies and dragged them to the principal's office.

Beast Boy found Dick's school uniform and brought it to him.

"Thanks, Beast Boy," Dick said, putting on his clothes.

Suddenly, the teacher, Haruo Nakayama spotted Nagi Kirima.

"Kirima-san, nobody saw you come in earlier. Lift your skirt!"

"I wore white panties if that's what you mean, and I wasn't late today," Nagi said, lifting her skirt, showing that she was indeed wearing white panties.

She gave the students such an ugly look that they didn't even dream of peeking. Dick just kept his eyes down, focusing on putting his school uniform on.

Haruo Nakayama glanced at the students, "Get back to class!"

They all scattered back to their classrooms. Raven teleported the Titans away, as they whispered a quick goodbye to him.

Dick Grayson managed to finish the school day, but he could hear students whispering in class. The long day was over and he decided to meet some of the students at a popular restaurant that they were all excited to go to.

He got there and was about to go in when he saw the sign in English letters, "Japanese only".

He let out a sigh, "Don't feel you have to change your plans because of me, I can get something at the convenience store."

Even if he's shown up in his Robin uniform, he wouldn't be permitted in there.

He told them goodbye and headed to a nearby convenience store and bought some chicken and the ingredients to make waffles, he was going to have some authentic American comfort food and he was going to have to make it himself.

He imported some of his food to Japan, mainly coffee to have genuine American coffee during his breakfasts. He also had some snack food such as beef jerky.

Unloading his groceries he told the Titans he was staying home. No spiking his hair and donning his Robin uniform tonight.

The "no stylized hair rule" at Shinyo Academy made it much easier for him to live his civilian life in Japan since Robin spiked his hair with gel, it's all the girls searching for him remembered about his features. Unlike Nagi Kirima, who remembered his ass.

Nobody suspected he was Robin unless he spiked his hair in the fashion he used as Robin. Looking completely ordinary made it easier to hide his superhero activities.

Cyborg called him on the Titans' communicator. "Do you need us to come over?"

"No, I'm fine, I promise. You all did more than enough. You all should be searching for Uehara Daizo."

"Heard you loud and clear, Cyborg out."

Robin hung up, he needed this comfort food right now.

He went about preparing the Southern fried chicken because it'd take the longest. He enjoyed cooking and was quite good at it.

He was busy preparing his meal when he heard the doorbell ring. He answered the door.

There was Nagi Kirima, standing in front of him in the Shinyo Academy uniform, she wore a white suit shirt and a blue blazer with the school's emblem on it. The red tie around her neck was tied nicely and the gray skirt went down to over her kneecaps, she wore black shoes.

"Kirima-san, what are you doing here?" Dick asked, surprised.

"I came to check on you, you looked like you were having a hard time," Nagi said. "Can I come in?"

"Yes…Nagi, are you all right? Nakayama-san…"

"About the panty inspection, yeah, that's a thing here, they're too scared to come near me, but I put up with them."

"But they're using that as an excuse to look up your skirt."

"It's for the moral order of the students, heh, it's just another way they keep order here."

"It does explain why there's so many white panties in anime."

Nagi laughed. "I'm all right, really. I do appreciate your concern."

She stepped out of her shoes and followed him inside.

He showed her to the kitchen where he was doing his homework and making his dinner.

"You cook?" Nagi glanced at the food and saw the ingredients that were prepared for what he was making.

"Yes, I'm making Southern Fried Chicken and waffles."

"Amerian comfort food, I see. Homesick?"

"Just a little. Would you like to stay for dinner?" he offered.

"Is this a date?"

"I suppose it could be, I was half expecting you to take me somewhere to impress me," Nagi let a smile slip across her face.

"You're not the type to be impressed by a fancy restaurant," Dick said.

"If I stay, you'll cook me dinner?"

"Yes, if that's what you want."

"Why not? Never had a genuine American meal before."

Nagi sat at the kitchen table and glanced at his homework.

"You memorized the lesson, didn't you?"

"Yes, I have eidetic memory. I can remember everything I've ever learned. "

She smiled, "You're very impressive."

"Well, my talents don't make me popular around here. People become jealous."

"I respect your talent, that's just the way things are. They're a bunch of pathetic losers who are afraid of anyone who thinks or acts differently."

"My father told me something once, "You know, your friends respect how talented you are Dick. It wouldn't kill you to treat them the same way." It doesn't seem to happen much."

"Your father was a wise man."

"I know. I miss him, Nagi. I miss him a lot. Especially when I have my bad days. Bruce Wayne is a good man, but he's not my father."

"I understand, but your relationship with your father was better than mine. I could never understand my dad."

She sat down and pulled out her homework, she might as well get it over with. The reason she'd never get expelled from Shinyo Academy was that she was such an excellent student, not even her suspensions affected her grades.

Lots of the smart students tried to use their intelligence to ingratiate themselves with her. As if she cared about how smart you were. She was friends with Touka Miyashita, a student with less-than-stellar grades and they got along fine.

People thought they could earn her affection by doing and saying things they thought she would like, but she could tell when people didn't care about what she felt was important.

"Tell me, Grayson-san, do you believe in justice?"

"Which justice do you mean? The one under the law or my justice?"

"Either one."

"I believe that criminals should be punished under the law. I also have my own justice. People should get what they deserve. The law provides that most of the time but sometimes it doesn't."

"You're talking about Tony Zucco. If you could, would you kill him?"

"I'm world-famous, I'm not surprised you know about my parents' death."

"So would you kill him?" Nagi asked.

"Yes. That's justice. Even if it's not right under the law, it's the justice I believe in."

"If you caught him, would you turn him in?"

"No, I wouldn't want to, but I'd do it, but it's not what I want, not deep down. Turning him in is something Robin would do."

"I don't like the Hero of Tokyo that much," Nagi admitted.

"You don't like Robin, interesting. Tell me why."

"I see a man who is what Suema said he is, focused, serious, determined, and humble. He's also manipulative and selfish, in his own way, it's not something most people will notice about him. His humility pisses me off."

Dick kept his face neutral but she wasn't wrong. Perhaps it wasn't intentional, but maybe he was looking for pieces of Starfire in her, and she wasn't Starfire, she was very different from her.

"How so?" he asked.

"The most humble person is also the most arrogant."

"Who told you that?"

"My dad," she replied.

"Seiichi Kirima wasn't wrong."

The timer for the breaded chicken went off and Dick prepared the chicken by breading and frying it.

He prepared the waffles and served them to her.

"I hope you like it," Dick smiled.

Nagi took a bite and enjoyed it immensely. She eagerly devoured the chicken and waffles.

"No wonder you Americans are fat. Is the food always like this?"

"It depends on the cook."

Nagi glanced at him, "You're good. I had to learn how to cook when I was 10. My old man couldn't cook. My dad was always strange. Speaking of strange men, how 'bout my dad? He was an odd father–less of a guardian and more of a best friend. I can't quite forgive…his death."

"I lost my best friend when she had to go home and get married, it was political. Nothing I could do about it."

Dick ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm having a horrible day."

He cleaned the dishes and put them away. He led her to the living room and they sat on his couch.

"Normally…I wouldn't care about a stupid prank, I'd be able to laugh it off. It's just that today is the anniversary of my parents' death and that prank wasn't to cheer me up. It was cruel and spiteful. I'm not in the mood to be around people. Not today."

"Your three friends came by earlier, I ran into Roth-san, she said she was worried about you," Nagi said.

"She's the sister I never had, thank you for checking up on me." Dick managed a smile. "We understand each other don't we?"

"Yes, I suppose we do," Nagi glanced at him.

"I…I don't want to be alone tonight," Dick glanced at her.

"Is this a one-night stand as you Americans call it?"

"No, no, I…I do care about you, I do, could you console me?"

"Sure, but only because I like you," Nagi said.

"Really? You're not spending time with me for the free English lessons?"

Dick Grayson reached out and grasped the red tie around her neck, pulled her close, and kissed her on the mouth.

He hoped he hadn't been too forward.

He pulled away from her and ran his hand down her right cheek, stroking her face.

"Kirima-san, may I call you by your first name?"

"Just for tonight," Nagi said.

"Call me Dick, just for tonight."

He took her hand and led her into his bedroom. He went to the closet and pulled out the futon. He saw her glance at the expensive bedding.

He rolled it out and set down some blankets, Dick turned to her and leaned in close.

"Thanks, for everything, Nagi," Dick said, looping his fingers around the red tie she wore and pressing his mouth to hers as he pulled her red tie off in one smooth motion, carelessly tossing it away.

Nagi pulled him down as they collapsed in a needy, emotional heap onto his futon.

Chapter Text

Dick Grayson stared at a sleeping Nagi Kirima. He couldn't lie to himself, he was falling for her.

He ran his fingers through her hair, smiling to himself.  He was exhausted and felt he couldn't move.  The last time that had happened it had been with Starfire.  He was satisfied and happy.  He was in love with her, with Nagi Kirima.

"The greatest liars are those who never lie to themselves."

Seiichi Kirima's words still rang true.  He had only met him once, but he never forgot him.

Nagi Kirima was a complicated person. She wasn't unlike many heroes he knew but she was someone who didn't care about hiding behind a mask and the things she fought were most certainly dangerous but he supposed that her family was wealthy enough that they could afford to pay for protection in public.

"Fire Witch...Kirima-san…I love you…" Dick murmured softly. He didn't dare to call her Nagi. "Robin" called her "Nagi" because it was the closeness he wished he could have with her. "Dick Grayson" respected her as "Kirima-san", she was complex and so was he, the Japanese norms and societal expectations changed the dynamic of his relationship with her.

With Starfire, it had been easy. He had been "Robin" 24/7, 365 days a year. Richard Grayson only existed on paper, having a house in Jump City, only being seen paying rent every month and paying someone to mow his lawn, rake leaves, and shovel snow throughout the year.

In Japan, he existed as both Robin the "Hero of Tokyo" and Dick Grayson "foster son of Bruce Wayne." Everything was much more complicated but he was balancing both sides of his life very well.

Still, his relationship with Nagi Kirima was complicated.

He held her in his arms, wrapping them around her waist. He remembered his parents used to do that after they'd have sex, sometimes he'd find them asleep on the couch coming home from visits to Raya or Raymond's house's. He wasn't dumb and figured out what they'd been doing, he'd just sneak by and try not to look.

Nothing ever came of it though, no younger sibling for him to keep an eye out on. He wondered if that ever bothered his parents. Still, he wondered what they would have named a baby sister, probably Rachel or something like that.

He smiled as he kept her close to him. He figured one day he'd settle down with someone special, but many women in his life were important to him, so he had no idea who that special someone might be.

Dick saw Nagi open her eyes, "Kirima-san, do you want me to go get you your clothes?"

"Huh?"

"Your normal clothes, it's Sunday, you don't want to go out in your school uniform."

"Here's my key, I left my normal clothes on my bed," Nagi said, "Don't go snooping around, Grayson-san."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Dick took a quick shower and headed over to her apartment.

She handed Grayson her apartment key. She wanted him leave.  Nagi took a shower and searched around and found a bathrobe, Nagi slipped it on and wandered into his living room.

She gazed over at the wall and noticed the pictures of the Flying Graysons. She moved over and picked the picture frame off the shelf. She examined it. She noticed the happy expressions on their faces and she smiled to herself.

His family looked so happy; she understood why he said his definition of a normal life was performing with his family.

His normal life had been shattered by a Mafia Don who didn't take "No" for an answer. He seemed to be so painfully normal, "normal" as if he were trying to hide something.

Nagi stopped; what if Richard Grayson was Robin? It wasn't impossible. After all, Dick had said that he'd never "met" Robin in Gotham City. It would also explain the physical scars she'd seen. After all, if you didn't have superpowers to heal scars they would stay on you.

Ever since Dick Grayson settled in Tokyo, Robin had been seen in the area. He was the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, Wayne was insanely wealthy and he could be Batman. Her father stated to her that he believed he was after talking to Bruce Wayne when the billionaire wanted to publish his books in the United States.

Dick Grayson had a strong belief in justice that would motivate Robin to fight, and he had the "tragic backstory" that created many heroes, superheroes, or heroes of myths and legends.

Since the teen was gone she decided to snoop around, searching for anything that could be an entrance to a "secret lair". She'd done some snooping and found out Grayson's house was custom-built by foreigners, something people at her school didn't know.

She searched high and low and tried to pry the large clock away from the wall, but it didn't move. Nagi decided she wouldn't push her luck, she didn't want to explain to Dick Grayson what she was poking around the living room for.

Nagi Kirima headed to the kitchen and prepared a Japanese breakfast for the two of them. She wasn't going to owe him anything, he'd made her dinner so she'd make him breakfast.

She searched his kitchen and found that he had the molds for Japanese pancakes. Nagi found all the ingredients and cooked them easily. She'd been a good cook because she had to learn to cook for her father.

Nagi heard the door open and saw Dick Grayson come in, carrying the clothes that she'd been wearing when she'd met the Teen Titans.

Nagi's voice began to sing something that she knew, but she wasn't sure where she'd heard it from, probably from the radio.

From Afternoon till evening that day
A light evening rain passed through
And you and I ran along
The wet asphalt road by the sea
In the shadow of
That dark, deserted storehouse
We gazed up at the sky
As we took shelter from the rain
You were humming a song
As I listened to you
A melody I'd never heard before
Your voice so low that it
Almost wasn't there at all
Eventually fading away

She turned her head as she finished, noting that Grayson did have her clothes, but not the ones she was expecting.

Nagi hid her surprise well, those weren't the clothes she'd left on her bed. There was no way Grayson made a mistake and grabbed the wrong clothes. Nagi noted that he also brought her leather combat suit, he'd never seen it before, but she hadn't bothered to hide it either. She'd seen his meticulous homework and knew he had an excellent memory.

"That was nice, was it from the radio?" he asked.

"Maybe, can't remember where though."

"I see," he moved into the kitchen, "I found some clothes on your bed but I also found these," he gestured to the other outfit, it was the leather armor she used in her vigilante activities.

"I'll take those," Nagi said quietly. She headed into the bathroom to change. Slipping into the outfit she'd worn when she'd met the Teen Titans, she walked back to the kitchen, at least the "anime main character falling into a girl and copping a feel on "accident" didn't happen to her. Grayson-san would be very dead if he tried that and he was no "anime main character" that he could get away with it.

"Japanese pancakes, thank you," Richard smiled at her. He clasped his hands and bowed in thanks. "Thank you for the meal."

He took a bite, "This is good!"

"Thank you, I do know how to cook. It's a thank you for your excellent cooking yesterday."

She sat down and joined him a the table.

"Why'd you bring my leather suit?" Nagi asked.

"I'm not dumb, you do vigilante work, right? That's what it's for. I admire that. It takes a lot to decide to do that, especially in this country where crime is low."

"Sometimes you have to take the law into your own hands, it's not like you can rely on the adults."

"But you're an adult," Dick smiled.

"In America, I would be, in Japan, I won't be until I'm 20."

"You're certainly mature enough to pass yourself off as an adult," Richard said between bites.

"I've done it before when I was 14; I passed myself off as a 21-year-old when I was investigating something important."

"I see," Richard knew exactly what she'd been investigating, the serial killer in Tokyo who preyed on female middle and high school students. He continued to listen.

"I'm very good at what I do and I do hope you'll be smart and stay out of it."

"Of course, I want to stay out of trouble in this country."

They enjoyed breakfast together and their relationship returned to that of acquaintances, or maybe friends. She couldn't help but admire him; he was an amicable and caring person.

He wasn't superficial like so many of the students at Shinyo Academy. She didn't want to admit it, but she was falling for him. He was easy-going and likable.

He was so much like her, it was like looking into a mirror. He said he cared about her, and that wasn't a lie to get her to sleep with him, he genuinely took an interest in her. All the teens that had asked her for a date never offered to come to her father's grave with her, never took real interest in her, except for Kentarou Habara, who genuinely wanted to help.

Dick Grayson had never offered to help her in her vigilante activities and that was fine, she didn't mind, it meant that he'd stay out of her business, unlike Robin, who was constantly butting in.

Her interest in him had nothing to do with him being a foreigner. Foreigners were considered exotic and some Japanese women wanted to sleep with them on purpose to get pregnant and have half-Japanese, half foreign ethnicity babies for them to show off to others.

She cared about him and would open up to him, at least as much as she felt comfortable too because she felt connected to him.

Nagi Kirima, the Fire Witch had found something that broke through her cold exterior and ignited a flame in her heart.

Dick Grayson smiled as he ushered Nagi Kirima to his front door.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow. Stay safe out there," he watched her leave on her motorcycle and shut the door, locking it behind him.

He went to his closet and opened a hidden compartment inside it. He pulled out his Robin uniform and put it on.

Robin made his way over to the large grandfather clock in his living room, unbeknown to Nagi Kirma he'd seen her snooping around on the surveillance camera in his house, she'd been so close to discovering he was Robin. She'd had the right idea about the clock hiding something, but she hadn't thought to pull the pendulum down, it was the latch to open the door to the elevator of his secret lair down below.

Robin made his way down to where the other Titans were waiting for him, they had arrived at the designated time.

Cyborg was grinning, "Well, you've had your fun."

"Cyborg now's not the time to talk about that."

"C'mon dude, you've been falling for her for a while now, and there's no way she didn't stay the night," Beast Boy winked.

"Beast Boy, let's stay on topic," Robin warned.

"I have an animal's sense of smell, I can smell her on you."

"I didn't call you all here to talk about Nagi Kirima."

"Oho, first name basis huh?" Beast Boy teased. "I watch enough anime to know how close you have to be to call someone by their first name."

"I don't call her that to her face, we're not that close yet."

"You still slept with her," Raven put a hand on his shoulder. "She's important to you, isn't she? This isn't just some "fun" you're having as Dick Grayson, foster son of Bruce Wayne."

"No, Raven, you're an empath, you know how I feel about her, you can sense that much."

"You're in love with her," Raven said simply.

"Yes, now that you've gotten my personal life out of the way. Cyborg, what'd you find?"

"It took me days to reconstruct this deleted video but I've managed to recover the video in its entirety," Cyborg pulled up the video on screen.

A man began to speak, it was the CEO of Moon Communications Enterprises, Kyouichirou Teratsuki.

"Well, congratulations are in order. To you and your companions, that is, if you have any. I have no way of knowing. Well done, I praise you for making it this far. As you've probably already deduced, the Moon Temple was built to bring you simply to this point, so I can pass along an important message via this recording."

"Let's back up, there are a few items that need explaining first. Tell me, have you ever thought that there's a flow, an invisible force guiding the world to a specific destination? It has different names. Some call it destiny or a trend, but did you consider what that force might actually be?"

Robin crossed his arms, listening to the recording.

"Obviously, humans have pondered this question forever, since we first arrived in this world looking for answers to our existence."

"It's a problem we mull over even to this day. And although it's not a new idea, Evolution was a concept born from that notion. On the subject of Evolution there's something of a directionality to it. As if biological changes weren't brought about by chance mutations. Therefore, a natural extension of this thought would be the following: Is it possible this flow still exists, and is actively causing changes even now? And if that is the case, it's worth asking, do we know what lies ahead, or at the very least the way to get there? Historically, this is typically seen as God's territory."

"But simultaneously, there's never been a point in time when someone with immense power didn't try to meddle in that domain. We look for rulers to affect change in our modern age it's often difficult to tell who's in charge or holds real power. There are none, only a System exists. The specific System I refer to is called the Towa Organization. They happen to be my employers and my creators. That's right, I'm a Synthetic Human manufactured by the Towa Organization. My purpose was to manipulate the economy the way my creators desired. But of course, my role has come to an end."

"You see, I became much too powerful. And because of this, I'll most likely be disposed of soon. But before that happens, I wanted to play a game with my former employers, one which required me to construct the Moon Temple. I am sure that after my death, the structure will be preserved, turned into some kind of exhibit."

"Perhaps you're one of the people that came to see it, or maybe you're part of the event staff. Either way, I'm sure you never dreamed you'd ever get mixed up in something like this. But here you are, as you should be."

"What happened is, you were locked in the building, and a sleeping gas was dispersed into the air, the latter which resulted in you losing consciousness. However, what's more important is that you awakened first, and went searching for the truth, no matter where it led you."

"There are people in this world, those who understand that which shouldn't be understood. People who are able to travel places they shouldn't be able to go. And these individuals and their nature are threats to the Towa Organization. You understand now, yes? Be aware, you can become an enemy to a very powerful System. I wanted to let you know. That's the sole reason I chose to build the Moon Temple and use up Kyouichirou Teratsuki's remaining fortune in the process. Please take this warning seriously and remember to be careful."

"Now if you're interested in releasing the Moon Temple from its current lockdown state, use "Stairway to Heaven". I'll just leave it at that. All you have to do is type in those three words and everything will unlock. At the same time, all these records will be erased. Listen carefully, you are a possibility, however, to what extent that may be, I assure you I can't even begin to fathom. But then, I'm sure you don't know yourself at this time. In closing, remember something: What matters most in this life is how you use your potential, and how you choose to grow it. Thank you for listening to me. I wish you the best."

Robin saw the man's head turn.

"Ah, nice to see you Eugene, I'm sure you'll have no difficulty making me disappear."

Robin stared, there was a spray of blood as the CEO was decapitated.

The others glanced at the screen.

"So what's our priority? The Towa Organization or Uehara Daizo?" Cyborg asked.

"Uehara Daizo, we can't just let him run around Tokyo. The Towa Organization, as large as they seem to be, we don't have time to deal with them. We need to deal with the obvious threat, and exposing the Towa Organization with enough proof could take years."

"Can't we just show people the video?" Beast Boy asked.

"They can easily claim it's faked and that we've made a mistake," Robin said. "We need to take down Daizo before he kills more people."

"Agreed, we'll split up and cover all the places where criminals gather, surely they've heard something," Cyborg said.

"Later, Robin, we'll be in touch," Beast Boy said, transforming into an eagle and flying off.

"Dick, are you all right?" Raven asked, concerned. "I know you feel responsible for Uehara Daizo. Is your relationship with Kirma getting in the way?"

"No, she doesn't have anything to do with what's going on."

"She considers Tokyo her turf; she doesn't like us meddling in her vigilante work."

"It doesn't matter, we'll deal with Daizo, I'm responsible, Raven, for everything that's happened. He only started killing people wearing my costume because he blames me for exposing him."

"That's not true, you brought him to justice, it's not your fault any of this happened. Stop trying to carry everything yourself. We better get going," Raven turned away from him.

Raven vanished from sight. Robin mounted his motorcycle and revved the engine, leaving the secret lair and heading into Tokyo, he had a lot of ground to cover and he knew that Nagi Kirima was also out on patrol. He didn't look forward to dealing with her as Robin, but he'd cross that bridge when the time came, for now, he had to find Daizo before she did.

Chapter Text

Nagi Kirima smiled as Richard Grayson escorted her out and said goodbye to her. She headed to her motorcycle and got on it, despite wearing her normal clothes she decided to wear her leather combat out fit under her clothing.

She decided to head out to visit Kazuko Suema, they had agreed to go out for lunch.

They headed to a nearby cafe and found places to sit. They both ordered something off the menu and waited for their food.

"You went to check on Grayson-san, yesterday, how is he?" Kazuko asked.

"He's fine," Nagi said.

Kazuko Suema could have sworn she saw the barest hint of a smile creep across her classmate's lips.

"Kirima-san, you didn't!" Suema did her best to keep her voice down, slapping her hands on the table. She had always flouted the school's rules but this was too far even for her!

"It's not like the school can prove anything, besides, it's not like we're dating," Nagi shrugged.

"It doesn't matter, still, he had the rumors swirling around him already, and if it got out that you and he are…"

"We aren't anything, not yet," Nagi looked at her classmate with a quiet expression on her face.

Kazuko stared at her, "You have feelings for him?"

"Yes," Nagi said bluntly.

"Since when do you care about boys?"

"He's not like the other students at this school, you know that, you know what he went through."

Kazuko Suema, "Yes, everyone knows about his parents. I think he copes by…being Robin. He fits my profile."

"Can you prove it? It makes sense, but I couldn't find anything, and I looked."

"So you did sleep with him! I knew it!" Suema sighed.

"He asked me to, said he didn't want to be alone."

"Since when do you sleep with boys?"

"I care about him, that's enough for me."

"How do you know this isn't just him having "fun" as a tourist?"

"He would have said so, simple as that," Nagi Kirima said as the waitress served her the tea she ordered. "If he wanted to have that kind of "fun" with me, I would have slugged him."

The girls received their orders of food and ate and drank.

"So, how was…you know?" Suema inquired, curious.

"You're asking me about that?" Nagi accidentally let the smile slip across her face. "He was wonderful. Didn't know how that sort of thing is supposed to go but it was nice."

"Most of the girls would rather sleep with Robin-san than Grayson-san, at least that's what they're all giggling about.

"Yeah, yeah, heroes are hot, blah, blah, blah," Nagi sighed.

"You've never had a high opinion of Robin have you?"

"He just aggravates me, that's all."

"You met him? When?"

"He's been poking his nose around our school, investigating those missing female students."

"You never told me what happened with that."

"That's not something you have to worry about, Suema."

"Niitoki-san knows what happened, doesn't she?"

"You should ask her if you're so curious, why don't you?"

"I want to hear it from you," Suema looked at her friend.

"Maybe some other time," Nagi sighed.

"If you had to choose between Robin and Dick Grayson, who would you choose?"

"Grayson, I know him well enough. Robin is nothing but a pain in the ass."

"That's interesting, and if they're the same person?"

"How I react depends on my mood."

"I see, you are a fascinating person," Suema smiled.

Finishing their meal they paid and left, preparing to head their separate ways when Nagi offered to walk Suema home.

"Pardon me," the voice said, "I couldn't help but overhear, you were talking about Robin, yes?" He stopped in front of Suema, Nagi Kirima's first instinct was to shield her classmate with her body.

Robin wasn't a typical piece of Japanese conversation, especially with the murderer on the loose.

"Do you admire him?"

"What's that to you?" Nagi snapped.

"I can't stand people who admire him, he ruined my life, he doesn't deserve to be a hero, I do."

"Thank you for saving me the trouble of finding you, Daizo-san," Nagi said, she removed her red and brown sweater, revealing her combat suit.

"Another hero, it doesn't matter, you'll die just like those boys that wear his costume."

"Bring it on, old man!" Nagi taunted. Suema didn't need to be told to run. She had already started doing so.

Nagi began to circle him, drawing his attention away from Kazuko Suema.

The vigilante hoped she could hold off the serial killer long enough for her friend to escape.

This is Nagi Kirima.

She's many things to certain people. The wealthy daughter of a renowned author, and brilliant high school student. Martial arts prodigy. Straight-A student, delinquent. Vigilante. She's the "Fire Witch" of Tokyo. An MPLS who couldn't evolve, a metahuman whose awakening powers would have killed her.

A young woman with a messiah complex, and a secret that she doesn't even know herself.

She's a Witch host, the host of the mysterious Fire Witch Vulpurgus.

In the world, there are many magicians and so-called Wtiches, but Vulpurgus is the real deal and there are only two in the entire world.

Raven's researched it but nobody's sure what they look like. The conflict between Vulpurgus and Alcestis has been going on for hundreds of years.  They are beings that originated from the energies in space.  Their conflict spawned the phenomenon that is known as MPLS.

Alcestis founded the Towa Organization to fight Vulpurgus, but somewhere along the way, they lost their original purpose.

However, none of this matters to Nagi Kirima. Not that she knows in the first place.

She wishes to protect others, to bring Tokyo's criminal element under control, to keep them from harming civilians, whether it's the Towa Organization or Uehara Daizo.

Unbeknownst to her, this is Vulpurus' nature, to bring things under her control.

Vulpurgus rarely awakens, so few know who she is, but if it interests her, she will awaken, and it could mean trouble for anyone who gets in her way.

The "good" Towa Organization Vs. the "evil" Nagi Kirima. The conflict between Alcestis and Vulpurgus ebbs and flows, but it still goes on. The battle between "good" and "evil".

Alcestis and Vulpurgus, attraction and repulsion, fighting forever in human hosts.

Koyomi Myouga is her current human host. None of this concerns Nagi Kirima that much.

Vulpurgus has taken an interest in Robin, his controlling nature appeals to the entity's personality. She does not influence Nagi's feelings for Dick Grayson, the entity is not omnipotent in the sense that she knows his secret identity.

Vulpurgus' battle with the Towa Organization is natural, they are always in opposition to her. The Towa organization stopped being the "good guys" a long time ago when they started experimenting on people.

The battle of good and evil rages on and it affects the people of Tokyo, but for Nagi, the galactic-level conflict is boiled down to having to fight the Towa Organization when they interfere with her friends and cause strange incidents in Tokyo.

The incident with Uehara Daizo disturbs her, to see a man who could be a hero be so desperate he had to fake heroism to hide his crime. He could have been a hero of justice, truly admired by everyone, instead, he resorted to deception and framing Robin for murder.

He was just a fraud. Nagi Kirima was the genuine article. She is a hero of justice, she doesn't need praise or thanks, she's doing this because it's the right thing to do.

The Fire Witch will protect what she feels is hers, whether it's the entire city of Tokyo, the world, or the young man she has become fond of.

Nagi Kirima is focused, serious, determined, and strong. She's never been afraid of anything. Her fearlessness terrified the Fear Ghoul before her defeat and if she'd been able to get to her, Nagi would have finished her off, but Boogiepop took care of that.

Her messiah complex led her down the path of heroism and she is a hero, that is all she's ever wanted to be, and everything that she is.

Nagi Kirima is content, her life will be a series of adventures that would be the envy of many teenagers, and this is all she needs. This is her little kingdom, her small realm she can control. And the Witch that sleeps inside her is content, this is her realm to control, but perhaps it will expand. For Vulpurgus has one goal: bring all the world under her control, both Witch and host are content with life as it is.

This is Nagi Kirima for now.

Kentarou Habara sat at his computer screen and wondered when Nagi would show up. She usually asked him for help with small cases and she said she had something for him. He heard the door open.

He looked up in surprise as he saw Robin, the Hero of Tokyo, staring at him.

"Habara-san, what do you know about the Towa Organization?"

"I've done some digging," Habara admitted to the superhero, deeply flattered the teen hero was asking him for help.

"Here's the information you're interested in," Kentarou handed him a large paper file.

Robin examined the file, the teenager was very thorough. "Thank you, I won't forget this."

"So what's your relationship with Kirima-san?"

"You don't call her Nagi?" Robin asked.

"I can't get away with that, we're not that close."

"I see, so she's not seeing anyone," Robin noted. "I wish we were closer."

"Wait, you know her?"

"Yes I do," Robin nodded. "I wish our relationship was better."

The hacker's mind raced. Then it hit him.

Kentarou Habara, Nagi Kirima's hacker scrutinized Robin. "You did it, you slept with her! Of course, the Hero of Tokyo would get all the girls, just like all the rumors say," Kentarou scowled.

He grabbed the Hero of Tokyo by the shirt, "What gives you the right?"

"I don't have a right to anything, Kirima-san is very important to me. If you love her so much, why didn't you confess?" Robin crossed his arms.

"She's a real-life superhero, she doesn't have time for someone like me!" Kentarou insisted.

"You should stop lying to yourself, what we did was mutual, she likes my civilian identity at least."

"And not even in your superhero identity, what's she supposed to like about you?"

"I think she sees a lot of herself in me, but she doesn't like Robin all that much."

"You'd be the envy of her entire school," Kentarou sighed.

"It doesn't matter, they don't care about me, she does."

The teenage hacker remembered when he'd seen Robin on his school trip to Tokyo's stadium.

"What about your girlfriend Starfire?" Kentarou asked.

"We parted on good terms, she told me to move on and be happy."

Kentarou sighed, "Just my luck."

"Thank you for this, I'll repay you any way I can, if you ever need me, just use this," Robin tossed him a communicator.

"I thought you guys didn't give these out," Kentarou said.

"I make exceptions."

"What happened to Terra? I know she betrayed you," Kentarou told him.

"Terra's betrayal isn't public knowledge," Robin nodded. "After she turned to stone, we tried to bring her back but nothing ever worked, once Trigon ended the world and Raven saved it she went missing, Beast Boy found her but she didn't want to come back, she pretended she didn't know him. To protect herself from her guilt I suppose. And that's the end of it."

The teenager gazed at Robin. "Can't believe you got to her first, should have been me."

"You're in love with her, you're into her, why didn't you confess, you've known her longer than I have."

"I'm not that brave, I wish I was. Good luck finding what you're searching for," Kentarou told him.

"Thanks," Robin replied. The Hero of Tokyo turned and left the building. He had just started driving down the road when Suema ran and grabbed his cape.

"Robin, Robin help me!" she said, breathless and desperate.

Robin looked at her, "What's happened?"

"Uehara Daizo is attacking my friend!" Suema told him.

"Where?" he asked.

She gave him directions. "Head to the police station, tell them what's happened!"

Suema took off running. Robin floored it to where Nagi was. He hoped he wouldn't be too late.

The man wandered through the crowd, he would find a victim. He wouldn't be shown up by this "Robin Killer" on the news, he was very good at killing. He thought it was entertaining to see weaklings die.

He was prowling the streets of Tokyo looking for a victim. He saw a young teenage girl with short brown hair, he thought she'd be the perfect victim. She seemed carefree, walking the streets carrying a large Spalding gym bag.

The man tried to track his prey but found to his shock that she had disappeared.

Suddenly, something wrapped tightly around his throat and he couldn't breathe. He struggled as something pulled him into the air.

"Who? Who are you?" he demanded.

"I have many names, but I am Boogiepop," it said, he couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman."Your people call me a Shinigami, but that's not important now, you are an offshoot of what the Gloryhound has begun, and so you will be eliminated."

The man could barely comprehend anything before the razor-thin wire severed his head and it hit the pavement.

Chapter Text

Robin floored it down the streets of Tokyo, finding the address where Suema told him Nagi Kirima and Uehara Daizo were.

His tires squealed as his motorcycle sped through the streets of Tokyo, he launched himself off a parked car, soaring over Uehara Daizo who was trying to fight Nagi Kirima, she was struggling to keep him on the ground as he tried to break her grip on him.

Nagi looked up at him, startled. Uehara Daizo got out of her grip, he brandished his knife.

"Good to see you, my young friend," he greeted Robin with disdain.

"I'm not your friend, Commander," Robin pulled out his bo staff, moving towards him. They exchanged blows and the man knocked his staff away.

Nagi moved to stand beside him, he reached out, grasping her wrist, he threw her up into the air. Even as her body arced upward, she threw her expensive electric baton at Daizo.

Robin didn't need to be told what to do, he'd practiced this so many times in the Batcave, he wondered how Nagi knew about it, but he supposed there'd been footage of him leaked online.

Robin wondered how she knew this maneuver, he supposed she'd seen footage of him on the Internet, after all, Mask-fans did have pictures of him up on their website, he wouldn't be surprised if they had video as well.

As Daizo batted away the baton, Robin launched a pair of small explosives at his enemy, they attached themselves to his clothes and Robin dove out of the way of the explosion, just as practiced.

He saw Nagi do the same. She rolled out of the way of the explosion and broke her fall. He recognized the technique as one of Gen Sakakibara's. She had excellent training.

"He's getting up," Nagi told him.

"Then finish it, finish it while we can!"

Robin saw Daizo get to his feet, he rushed straight at him. Robin barely managed to dodge out of the way. He had to keep his eyes on the knife in the man's hands.

Robin stared in surprise, he didn't remember Daizo being this fast during their last encounter. It was as if…

He'd become a meta-human. Gaining superpowers wasn't unusual, Slade had done it, many villains took to their life of crime because they saw superpowers as a way to gain material wealth or power because they weren't ordinary humans anymore.

But where had he gained this power, he didn't have any connections to supervillains and he'd been in jail for some time, and in the criminal world he was a "nobody", not someone that the League of Assassins would recruit, not someone that would be notorious enough to warrant the attention of the "big players".

Robin focused on avoiding Daizo's blade as the criminal continued his assault. He kept trying to ward off the blows, but the knife he was using was able to cut through his uniform, it was bypassing his body armor. He didn't know where Daizo acquired a knife that could cut him. There were very few knives that could cut through his uniform and body armor.

He was starting to get dizzy, this was bad.

"You didn't even feel that my friend," Daizo sneered. Robin looked down and saw the knife in his side.

Robin didn't even feel the pain of being stabbed multiple times. He stumbled and fell to the ground.

Robin felt his consciousness leaving him, he could see Nagi Kirima viciously beating Uehara Daizo away from him. He could only accept his helpless state.

Nagi slammed her electric baton into Daizo, he heard the man scream, but he still didn't go down.

"Damn, didn't take the limiters off!" Nagi Kirima snarled.

The amount of electricity she sent into Daizo should have killed him.

"Titans, go!" Cyborg shouted as the three heroes charged in. Daizo turned and ran.

Uehara Daizo's footsteps faded away. The Titans took off after him.

"Nagi, help him! We'll get Daizo!" Cyborg called to her.

Nagi knelt beside him, trying to find anything in his utility belt that could work as a bandage.

"The pouch on my right side, contains high-end bandages, they'll seal my wound closed!" he gasped.

Nagi bandaged the wound on his side and carried him to her bike. She headed back to her parents' house. He could rest there.

As they arrived, Robin collapsed in her arms, his words were becoming incoherent.

"It's beautiful, dreadful- like a burning flame," Robin mumbled, trying to focus on Nagi's face.

He lost consciousness and lay still.

Nagi Kirima looked at Uehara Daizo as he brandished a knife at her.

"When battling an enemy, the first thing you should be aware of is not that enemy's abilities, but the reason why you feel hostility towards them. If an enemy opposes you for no reason, they are more akin to a disaster than an opponent, a simple case of bad luck," Nagi glanced at him.

"I've heard of you, Kirima-san, the only daughter of Seiichi Kirima, the author, you're a would-be vigilante. You should stay out of this," Uehara snarled.

"I read your father's books, too bad he had nothing to say about me," Uehara lamented, making everything about himself.

"Oh, my dad had plenty to say about you, you petulant glory hound."

Uehara's face twisted in anger.

"If you want to live you'll stay out of my way," Daizo warned.

"Sorry, Daizo-san, you're on my turf. You murdered people because they reminded you of Robin and Starfire, they didn't do anything to you, you're just another psycho with a fixation. Nothing special about you."

He lunged at her, but she avoided his blow he lashed out with a series of strikes, aiming for her throat.

Nagi stepped back quickly, grabbing his arm and trying to twist him around and get him into the armbar so she could dislocate his shoulder, incapacitating him.

Instead, he managed to wriggle out of her grip, getting to his feet, he charged at her, and she jumped out of the way.

"Are you being unknowingly manipulated by unhappiness, happiness... or perhaps emptiness?" Nagi asked, quoting her father's book, Vermilion Kill.

Nagi wasn't like Robin, she would cross lines if she felt it was necessary, and Daizo was extremely dangerous.

He barely avoided her kicks aimed at his head, getting kicked by her steel-toed boots, he might as well die.

Nagi heard the roar of an engine and saw Robin himself on his motorcycle landing nearby. She watched him get off the motorcycle, she grasped his wrist and he wordlessly tossed her into the air. She didn't need to say a word to him, he knew this maneuver.

She'd seen it on videos of Robin on the Internet, sometimes people got lucky and caught some of his fights in Gotham City on video.

She threw her electric baton into Daizo's chest but he angrily batted it away. She watched as Robin threw his shuriken at him, "birdarangs" he called it. She saw him throw a pair of small explosives at him. She executed a move to break her fall, just as she'd been trained, to avoid the explosion. She saw him dive out of the way.

"He's getting up," Nagi told him.

"Then finish it, finish it while we can!"

Uehara Daizo launched a fierce attack on the Hero of Tokyo, trying to stab him to death. The teenager was hurt and she had to stop Daizo before he killed Robin.

Nagi retrieved her electric baton and slammed it into him, he didn't go down.

"Damn, didn't take the limiters off!" Nagi Kirima snarled.

The other Titans arrived and the criminal retreated. Cyborg ordered her to take care of Robin.

She quickly put him on the back of her motorcycle and drove him to her step-parents' house. She helped him inside the house as he collapsed. She placed him on a bed and searched his utility belt for more bandages.

Nagi glanced down at Robin, contemplating whether she should remove his mask. She had the opportunity, he was unconscious. She wondered if she should, he would never find out if she took off his mask.

She leaned in close to him and reached out.

Nagi paused, contemplating her next move. She pulled back and left the mask on. She let the Hero of Tokyo remain as he was. She didn't need to know who he was.

Robin jolted awake, staring at Nagi Kirima. "Did Daizo get away?"

"Yes, your friend chased him all over Shinjuku, he lost them in the sewers," Nagi informed him.

"Why didn't you go after him?" Robin demanded.

"Then who would save you, dumb ass?" Nagi retorted.

Robin sighed. "You're right, thank you. I'm grateful you saved my life."

"I told you before, I have a real messiah complex, I wouldn't let you die. Now will you take me seriously and let me handle Uehara Daizo?" Nagi asked, sincerely, with no sarcasm.

"I'm responsible, Kirima-san, for everything that's happened," Robin said, glancing at her.

"No, you're not, he's doing this all on his own, whether you were here or not."

"I should go out and look for him," Robin tried to get out of the bed.

"No, you don't, you stay right there! Do as I say and rest!" Nagi shoved him back into the bed.

"All right, all right," Robin conceded.

She was about to move away from him when he caught her hand.

"Kirima-san, thank you," Robin said, pulling her close and kissing her on the mouth.

Robin didn't feel her resisting him as he savored the kiss. He let his tongue slip into her mouth, deepening the kiss.

He pulled her against him, only pulling away when he needed to breathe. He was getting carried away. He needed to remember there were certain things he shouldn't do to upset her, lingering too long when it came to displays of affection was one of them.

He tore himself away, trying to catch his breath.

"What was that for?" Nagi asked, her usual gruffness was absent.

"A sincere thank you," the Hero of Tokyo smiled. He lay back on the bed. Robin sighed.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"You're in worse shape. I should get you to a hospital," Nagi said.

"No, Raven can heal me, I'll be fine," he insisted. He pulled out his communicator.

"Cyborg, any sign of Uehara Daizo?"

"No, he's gone."

"I'm at the Tanigouchi house, I need Raven to come and heal me," Robin said.

"We're on our way, just rest," Cyborg said.

"I know, Kirima-san's told me that already."

"Then take her advice and rest, we'll be there soon."

"Roger that," Robin ended the communication.

He lay on the bed, wondering how he was supposed to rest, he should try to sleep, but Nagi walked into the room.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Mind's too wide awake," Robin admitted.

"Then you should read," Nagi handed him the first volume of the manga Sōsō no Furīren.

"I've heard about this, Beast Boy's been raving about it," Robin took it from her and began reading. He could read Japanese ever since he became fluent so he didn't need the English translation.

He settled into bed and read while he waited for his friends to come and patch him up. He'd just have to rest for now.

Raven teleported Cyborg and Beast Boy to the Kirima house. She arrived to find their leader resting on a bed, bandaged up and reading Sōsō no Furīren.

"Dude, no fair!" Beast Boy wailed, "As fast as you read you'll be ahead of me because I still can't read Japanese!"

"You tried to learn Japanese, but you couldn't do it," Cyborg teased.

"You learned American history from a cereal box, of course you couldn't do it" Raven ribbed him.

Raven settled next to Robin, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she murmured her incantation. She closed her eyes.

"How long will you be healing me?" Robin asked.

"All night if I have to, you still have to go to school tomorrow," Raven said dryly.

"Maybe I should skip," Robin suggested. "Kirama-san's been absent for two days."

"She's rubbing off on you, great," Raven joked.

Nagi stood just out of sight. She realized the truth: Robin attended Shinyo Academy, while people knew she was a troublemaker, they didn't know when she skipped school.

Finding his identity would be a challenge, boys at Shinyo weren't allowed to style their hair, and Robin always spiked his.

She had her suspicions but she couldn't prove anything.

Nagi saw it was late and felt it would be rude to send them away.

"I have extra futons, I'll let you sleep here, my parents are gone and my little brother's in the hospital. I'll put the boys and Raven in separate rooms."

"Thank you," the three bowed in Japanese fashion.

Raven passed by Nagi, brushing against her unintentionally. Suddenly, images flashed in her mind. A woman in a lab coat, a man laying on his stomach in a pool of blood, Nagi herself, standing somewhere, naked, her skin as red as blood, strange spiraling gray lines ran down her skin, her hair was white as snow. More images, seeing through her eyes, she rushed at the woman in the lab coat, hitting her with an electric stun baton.

Raven came out of the visions with a gasp.

"Raven-san, are you all right?" Nagi asked.

Raven stared intently at Nagi Kirima.

"What are you, Kirima-san?" Raven asked.

"What do you mean by that? I'm just a human."

"I'm not sure," Raven said, taking a deep breath. She turned and headed to the room.

Nagi shrugged, putting the strange incident out of her mind. Robin was asleep, that was good, she'd saved him, and she was content for now. The dozing witch drifted off to sleep and there were no dreams good or bad to disturb her rest.

Chapter Text

Raven knelt next to Robin, deep in her healing meditation, he had to be back to normal before he headed off to Shinyo Academy. She saw his eyes open.

"You're awake," Raven greeted him.

"How's my condition?" Robin asked.

"You'll be fine, your wounds have closed," Raven informed him. She smiled at him. "You're as good as new."

"Thanks, Raven," Robin drifted off to sleep.

The next day he woke up and the Titans ate breakfast. They ate quickly and thanked Nagi, promising to pay her back somehow.

Robin drove away, taking a roundabout way to his house, quickly entering his hidden garage, he showered and changed into his Shinyo Academy uniform.

Tying his red tie, Dick slipped on the blue suit jacket and buttoned it. He put on some shoes and he'd change into his school shoes once he got to Shinyo Academy. He put on his gray pants and shoes, straightening out everything so he looked nice. Dick combed his hair back into a simple style without using any hair gel, he was ready to go to school and be a typical student at a Japanese high school.

He got on his ordinary motorcycle and rode to Shinyo Academy, swiping his ID card to get through the gate. He went to his school locker and changed his shoes to the brown ones he wore on school grounds.

Dick made his way to his seat and waited for class to start, he was in the same class as Nagi Kirima, Class D, year 2.

He'd settled into his studies, paying attention to the lecture, taking notes despite his eidetic memory. He downplayed his genius intelligence a lot, mainly so he could conceal how effortless school was for him.

He met his friends and sat at the tables in the cafeteria.

"Say, Grayson-senpai, do you want kids?" Kei Niitoki asked, curious.

"Well…not really," he admitted. "At least not right now. I'm not ready for that sort of thing."

"I want kids," Nagi answered Kei's question without hesitation. "Can't carry on my father's legacy without kids."

"I'm sure that whoever you have kids with will be very happy," Dick said, smiling.

"Heh, eventually, I'll get around to it, got lots of stuff to take care of first," Nagi admitted.

"I didn't know you were interested in guys," Kei Niitoki noted.

"There are lots of things I want in life and having kids is one of them," Nagi said, sitting down.

The bell rang and they all went back to their class.

"I wonder who the lucky guy would be," Keiji Takeda said, standing next to Dick.

"I don't know, she doesn't show interest in anyone," Touka Miyashita replied.

"There are lots of rumors among the students that she aborted a baby," Takeda said, nervous. "I hope she didn't hear me say that."

"That's not something Nagi would do," Suema pointed out. "She told me herself she has a real messiah complex. I think saving everyone would include a baby if she had one."

"She's far too focused on that to want a relationship with a guy to even think about having kids," Dick smiled. "It takes a lot to go out and try to help people when there's no real reward for you."

"But heroes get rewarded all the time, look at the Teen Titans," Seiji observed, "They got accolades, a medal from the mayor of Tokyo. They have a big fancy Tower over in California. I heard their bills are all paid for by the city. Heard they get donations from fans. That's the life, I'm telling you. I can see why so many students see Robin as being a power fantasy."

"Is that how people see it? Being Robin?" Dick asked.

"Many students talk about him that way."

"Interesting," he smiled. Suema noticed the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Grayson-senpai, is something wrong?" Kazuko asked.

"No, Suema, everything is fine," Dick said.

They all separated and headed to their class. Suema decided she'd check on Dick later.

Seiji Takeda and Kazuko Suema were about to leave Shinyo Academy school grounds when Keiji looked up at the roof. His mouth fell open. There was someone dressed as Robin standing on the roof.

Seiji wordlessly grabbed Kazuko and pointed, her mouth fell open too.

"Suema, do you think it's really him?" he asked.

"We all saw him on the big screen in the stadium, it has to be! None of the people that wear the costume have one that nice! And the boots, they look better than the ones Nagi uses when she goes out in Tokyo!"

"What's he doing at our school?"

"I'm not sure but I want to find out, he goes to our school!"

"What makes you think he goes to our school?" Seiji asked.

"None of the locks have been picked and the windows aren't cut open!" Suema ran inside the building. Seiji quickly followed her.

They ran to the roof and saw the figure standing on the roof. Robin the Hero of Tokyo in his yellow cape and red and green uniform.

"You're the only two that noticed me up here," Robin said, not looking at them. "Congratulations."

"What's the Hero of Tokyo doing at our school?" Suema asked.

"I was investigating the white light that appeared at this school. As for what I'm doing in Japan, it's the last place Starfire wanted to go before she left Earth and returned to Tamaran."

"Starfire's gone?" Suema was stunned.

"Had to go home, had a political marriage she couldn't get out of, but she wanted me to come to Tokyo and rest, to grieve, not be the "hero" for awhile. But I couldn't give it up, not even when I'm supposed to rest."

He turned to face them, "I came here to investigate the white light that appeared here recently and also, the serial murders from five years ago."

"I can tell you what happened with the white light if that's what you want," Keiji offered.

"No, Kirima-san told me already," Robin replied.

"But why do you want to talk to us?" Keiji asked.

Robin stepped away from the roof.

"I wanted to talk to you because you are my friends, and one of you is very smart and would figure out my secret identity sooner or later, so I might as well tell you the truth now before things get complicated." Robin removed his mask and looked at them.

"I commend you, Kazuko Suema, you nailed my psychological profile, I am everything you say I am, and if I don't tell you now you'll get mixed up in what I'm doing and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Grayson-san, you're Robin?" Suema blushed. "I always knew my psychological profiles were good, but I didn't expect to be right."

Her mind raced. "They say Robin is a genius, why would a genius come to our mid-level, average school?"

"Because it's what I needed, Suema-san," Dick replied.

"So the scars on your body are from all your fights?" Suema asked.

"Yes, a bullet hole from being shot by the Joker, scars on my chest from where Saiko-Tek sliced me, and a Starbolt burn scar on my back."

"Why would Starfire shoot you?" Keiji asked.

"I had hallucinations about seeing Slade, threatened to kill my entire team if they got in my way," Robin said flatly. The only way to stop me was to shoot me, and Starfire did that, although it hurt her to do that."

Both students stared at him, terrified.

"It's all right, it was a chemical in Slade's mask that made me see, hear, and feel Slade, even though he'd been dead. It almost killed me, but I'm alright now."

The students looked at him. They sat down and waited for him to speak.

"I'm here in Tokyo to rest, to grieve for my girlfriend, but it seems that I can't catch a break, but I'm enjoying my time here and I've made good friends," Dick smiled, pulling out his birdarangs he began juggling them, entertaining the students.

Going through a juggling routine he'd performed at Haly's Circus, he finished and took a bow. The students clapped and he smiled.

"So, Grayson-san, what are you going to do after high school?" Seiji asked.

"You can call me Richard, or Dick if you'd like, I'm not sure what I'll do, I might go to college and study law, who knows?"

"I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but I'm sure that I want to help people," Kei smiled.

"I already have my job as a designer so my future's set," Keiji Takeda stared at the sky.

"No matter what happens to me, I will remember the times I've spent here, Tokyo is exciting, always something going on. And I have good memories of the times I spent here."

"We want a firsthand account of how you all decided to come here," Kazuko Suema begged.

"All right," Dick said, he began recounting his adventure in Tokyo as his new friends sat and listened, and for the first time in a while, he felt like he fit in somewhere. He was among good friends and it was all he could ask for.

Nagi Kirima steered her motorcycle through the bustling city streets of Tokyo. She decided to stop at MOS Burger to get a bite to eat and a drink. She walked into the MOS Burger and ordered herself a MOS-Burger Double Patty along with the Variety Pack which included French Fries and Chicken Strips.

"Great, the place is full," Nagi scowled.

"Here, come sit with me," a female voice called to her.

Nagi turned and saw a girl her age with black hair and black eyes. She was sitting at an empty booth.

She offered Nagi a place to sit across from her and Nagi accepted.

Aya Orihata walked into the MOS Burger and glanced at Nagi.

"Nagi-chan, you mind if I sit here?" she asked her boyfriend's stepsister.

"Sure."

The three girls sat together, preparing to eat their lunch.

"What's your name?" Nagi asked.

"Myouga Koyomi," Koyomi replied.

"My name's Kirima Nagi. Nice to meetcha," Nagi said, extending her hand.

"You really do sound like a boy, " Koyomi laughed. "I've heard stories about you."

The three girls sat down. "Let's talk about something serious, I want to talk to you…Vulpurgus, and you, Rikki Ticki Tavi."

At that moment, time itself stopped.

The two beings sat opposite each other, Alcestis' blue-tinted skin with gray markings contrasted Vulpurgus' red skin and gray markings.

The two mortal enemies sat and waited for the other to speak.

Nagi didn't move, it was like she just stopped, even Aya Orihata wasn't surprised.

The being that lived inside Nagi Kirima opened its red eyes, an amused expression on her face.

"Alcestis," she greeted the Witch of Ice.

"Vulpurgus, you've awoken from your dozing, at least for a short time. I haven't seen you since you froze my time when I was inside of Hasebe Kyouko, but when she conceived my current host Kirima Nagi with Kirima Seiichi and when Nagi was born, our war began again."

"You really thought you could keep me out of your way by freezing my time, you are clever, I'll give you that," Vulpurugs steepled Nagi's hands

"I really don't understand why you humans keep fighting me, I preserve order and maintain the diversity of human beings, I'm what humans call good compared to you, Vulpurgus, who wishes to control the entire world."

"Good people don't experiment on humans, they also don't send out Synthetic Humans and make them have sex with humans to see if they can breed," Vulpurgus glanced at Aya Orihata.

Rikki Tikki Tavi glanced at them, "I know the plight of my human host, she managed to get away and find a way to live a normal life. But I'm here of course, to put an end to your Witch War."

"I know about the group Asuka Jin started, Proponent was it? You people keep getting in my way." She named him in Japanese fashion, his surname first and his given name last.

"Well, my host doesn't like what you do to people," Vulpurgus said simply.

"And what's Asukai-san's group going to do against the might of a vast organization?"

Alcestis asked.

"Don't forget, five people saved Tokyo not too long ago," Vulpurgus reminded the Witch of Ice.

"Indeed, the Wonder Bearers, the Teen Titans, people love them around here. All their costumes sell well, Super Twinkle Donkey Gum made Raven their mascot and everyone's still talking about the Americans even after they've been gone."

"And one alien, Tamaraneans aren't Empty Fangs, like Echoes."

"Yes, but even they can't stop the Towa Organization," Alcestis said grimly. "You know, I just might freeze your time again, then the only way you can get out is if your host has a daughter."

"You're clever, but don't think you can win by sheer numbers, there are people that know what the Towa Organization is doing, and we're going to stop you. As for freezing my time, don't think I don't have a contingency plan for it."

"And who's going to breed with you? Kirima-san may be popular and beautiful but no one wants to have a baby with her."

"Saying "breeding" so crass, my host's mother was loved by her father, but don't think I haven't planned for your countermeasures."

"So just what is this countermeasure of yours?" Alcestis taunted.

"That's not something you need to know, you're supposed to know so much, but you don't know what I'm planning."

"The two most powerful beings in the universe are arguing over morality while eating fast food, I was expecting you two to fight," Rikki Tikki Tavi said, eating her host's lunch.

"Oh, the fighting's not started yet, that's later," Alcestis warned, smiling.

"Not that our hosts know this conversation is even taking place," Rikki Tikki Tavi observed.

"My host is aware of me," Alcestis explained, "Kirima-san knows nothing about Vulpugus. I assume we're done here?"

"For now, but the war continues, and I'm going to win," Vulpurgus warned.

"That's something a villain says," Alcestis shot back.

"Well, we do love our villain protagonists, Yagami Light and Lelouch Lamperouge are still popular, and their stories are over," Vulpurugus laughed.

"I'd think that your host would prefer superhero stories," Alcestis smirked.

"Oh, she likes plenty of those, but everyone loves a good villain. It just so happens I'm not the villain here," Vulpurgus said.

The three were silent, they let their hosts return to the surface of their consciousness and time began to move again.

"I've heard Robin was sighted in the area around Shinyo Academy, is that true?" Koyomi asked.

"Maybe," Nagi replied.

"It's strange to see the American back in the country, but still, it's nice to know he's keeping the people of Tokyo safe, he is a hero after all," Ayata smiled.

Nagi finished her meal and got up, "It was very nice to meet you." She left.

Ayata Orihata also left. Koyomi Myouga watched both girls and turned away.

"Well, the game's beginning again. Let's hope Kirima-san doesn't find out that ff-kun, Fortissimo almost killed her brother. There could be problems. Still, the war continues. We'll meet again soon, Vulpugus, I'll just leave you be for a while."

The Witch of Ice and her host left the MOS Burger.

Chapter Text

Robin said goodbye to his friends from Shinyo and headed home.

"Robin, we still can't find him," Cyborg told him over the communicator.

"Cyborg, come back to the base, I have something I want you to analyze," Robin instructed. He turned his attention back to the mysterious vial he'd found in Doctor Kisugi's office. He'd been analyzing it, but he couldn't determine what it was made of.

He was stumped, this was something new, it was clearly man-made but he couldn't figure out what the chemical was supposed to do.

Cyborg arrived and saw him at the table, staring into a microscope.

"What's that you're looking at?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Robin nodded at Cyborg, moving over so the other Titan could look under the microscope at the fluid from the vial he'd found in the prefectural hospital.

"This is just theoretical, Robin, but if you took this stuff you'd get superpowers," Cyborg said, staring at the liquid on the slide.

"And you're saying this is man-made?" Robin asked.

"Yes."

"Then I'll pass, whoever made it would come looking for it, do you think it's connected to MCE?"

"Maybe, but how?" Cyborg frowned.

"What if the authority above them owns both?" Robin asked, "It's like an organization of sorts, if this organization wants to create superpowered beings, they'd need a lot of money, like the money MCE can make. And Peppermint Wizard makes bank with their ice cream."

"I'm hacking back into MCE," Robin said, walking over to his laptop.

"Now that's interesting," Robin muttered, "Why would Kyouichirou Teratsuki be interested in NP Cram School and something called Facility RS20TTU?"

"I don't know, should we go check it out?" Cyborg suggested.

"No, I'll do it myself, I need you to go back out with Raven and Beast Boy and keep looking for Daizo."

He saw that Nagi was standing at his door, he was surprised. He quickly found civilian clothes he had down in the hideout. He quickly changed clothes and headed up to answer the door.

Dick opened the door and there was Nagi Kirima again. She wasn't dressed in her school uniform, she wore a red sweater with a brown stripe on the shoulders and wore gray sweatpants.

"Kirima-san, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Dick asked. "Please, come in."

Nagi entered and removed her shoes. He led her over to the couch and sat across from her.

"I just came to check on you, nobody sees you outside of clubs," Nagi looked at him, subtly prying him for information. The expression on her face was unassuming, but she was probing for answers.

If Dick Grayson were Robin he would most likely be a vigilante outside of school.

"I have meetings at Wayne Enterprises, my time here isn't all schoolwork. It wasn't a lie, he'd been dragged off to several meetings after clubs so between his vigilante work and his schooling and board meetings he was busy.

"I see, and have you taken my advice to stay out of my business?" Nagi asked.

"Of course, why would I get in your way?" Dick asked. "I thought you didn't spend time with normal people."

"Normal life is disappointing," Nagi sighed.

"You shouldn't say that, normal life is good, it's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss my parents. They were part of my normal life before they died."

Nagi looked thoughtful.

"So what are you implying?" she asked, curious.

"You should pay more attention to normal people, it's important to connect with others. You don't have to pretend to be so tough you know."

Nagi scowled at him, "You saying this to get me to date you?"

"I'm saying this as your friend," Dick smiled gently.

"Kirima-san, you think you're alone, but you're not, and I want you to open up. It would do you a lot of good."

Nagi stood up, "I'll take your words into consideration." She smiled politely, "Sorry I took up your time."

"Don't be," he smiled at her.

He watched Nagi put on her shoes and leave, it seemed that she was snooping again, not like he wanted to stop being Robin, but she was snooping and she was very good at it, he'd have to take a break and continue recovering, despite Raven's healing powers, he still needed to rest and he couldn't risk slipping up because he was recovering from his stab wounds.

He'd take a few days to rest, it should be enough to throw off Nagi's suspicions, if all else failed he'd have Beast Boy dress up as him for him to be sighted in the area and throw off her suspicions for a bit.

He'd enjoyed their conversations, continuing to be spellbound by the Fire Witch.

Dick had just finished his homework when he heard his Robin communicator ring. He answered it, wondering if it was Cyborg updating him on Uehara Daizo.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Robin, I do hope I am not interrupting," Starfire replied.

"Star, it's so good to hear your voice again, is everything fine on Tamaran?"

"It is as well as it can be, I will be getting married very soon, General Ph'yzzon is very good to me," Starfire said.

"Starfire, do you love him?" Dick asked.

"Yes, I believe I do," Starfire said, smiling.

"That's good, that's very good," Robin replied, keeping himself from revealing any emotion regarding his best friend's wedding.

"I trust that you are doing well, you told me you were attending high school in Japan," Starfire said, changing the subject.

"Yes, it's going very well, I've been investigating the white light that appeared here. It seems it was caused by an alien named Echoes. He arrived on this planet to see if people were good or not, at least that's what I think. He gave someone I met a part of his life."

"Ah, he must be an Empty Fang!" Starfire exclaimed. "They are a very powerful species, with technical advances far above humans. Sometimes they come to Earth to judge humans, to decide if humanity deserves to survive."

"Hmm…" Dick let his voice trail off. "I suppose we dodged a bullet then."

"Yes, someone must have shown him that humans are kind and good," Starfire smiled.

"I wonder who it was, I don't suppose I'll ever find out," Robin sighed. "And your wedding preparations?"

"They are going well, I expect that it will be fine."

"Despite all the time we were together, I never asked you about other alien species besides Tamaraneans."

"Yes, there are many in the universe, including strange beings that reside on your planet," Starfire said.

"You're saying we have aliens on Earth, not like Kal El?" Dick asked, curious.

'It's merely a story on my home planet. They say that two beings exist on Earth, one is Alcestis the Witch of Ice, and the other is Vulpurgus, the Witch of Fire. They are immensely powerful beings that exist on your planet, living their lives through human hosts."

"Human hosts, that's interesting, does anyone know what they look like?" Dick asked, curious.

"No one knows what they look like, but they have been warring against each other for several hundred years."

"It sounds complicated, do humans get involved?"

"We do not know, the tales of Witches are merely anecdotal. No one has seen them, at least not anyone from my planet," Starfire smiled.

"I suppose they could be anywhere, it's like a Tamaranean urban legend I suppose," Dick crossed his arms. "I suppose we won't have conversations like this, with your marriage and all."

"Yes, I suppose I will not have the time to speak with you, but I am glad that you are doing well. Have you met anyone at your school?"

"I have, her name is Nagi Kirima," Dick replied.

"I recall you had us read psychological books by a man named Seiichi Kirima," Starfire recalled.

"Yes, Nagi is his daughter," Dick explained. He held up a photograph of his classmate.

"She is beautiful, she is your type," Starfire laughed.

"Is that something you should say?" he asked, letting out a chuckle.

"I am your best friend before I was your girlfriend," Starfire reminded him.

"Yes, you are," he nodded.

"Do you like her?"

"Yes."

"Have you asked her out on the date?" she asked.

"Not yet, she's not interested me in that way," Dick said, shifting his weight, deep in thought.

"I do not know what advice I can give you, but I must be going. I have my duty. I do not know if we will speak again."

"Star, congratulations on your wedding," Dick managed a smile.

"I hope that you will be well, goodbye," she ended the communication.

Robin sighed, it was time to return to his investigation.

Robin found the nondescript laboratory that was RS20TTU. He decided not to make his presence known, he had a feeling they didn't want the Hero of Tokyo sticking his nose into the lab's business.

He cut open the skylight and dropped into the facility, it was late at night and he decided to head to the security room to check for security personnel. He hacked into the computer and decided to browse through the files, a lot of it was coded with a cipher so he'd have to figure it out to read it and he didn't have time for that.

Robin did find the security footage and frowned. There was a video file from five years ago.

He pulled out the USB and copied it, he knew it'd be stupid to watch it with security guards patrolling the facility.

He programmed the security cameras to loop for several hours to hide just when he'd entered the building.

He headed to the lab, He decided to take samples of everything, he'd brought what he needed to do just that.

Robin quickly grabbed samples and left the faculty, making sure to stay out of the way of the guards, the employees had long since gone home.

Robin exited the roof and replaced the skylight glass, nobody knew he was even there.

Robin still had the security footage from the prefectural hospital and the footage from RS20TTU. He sat down at his computer and began watching the video.

He saw a figure in a dark suit and a strange top hat moving quickly through the facility. The man stabbed people with a knife, he was very skilled. He knew how to kill.

Dick noted that he didn't carry a gun, Japanese people weren't permitted to carry guns, they were reserved for law enforcement and people serving in the military. Only criminals carried guns in Japan.

Whoever he was, he wasn't an ordinary human. Robin continued to watch the video. This man was a brutal and proficient killer. He had combat training, but he didn't seem like the type that enjoyed killing. He seemed to treat it like a job, if anything, that much Robin knew from the language of combat that he'd been taught by Batman.

This was a massacre, a slaughter of people in this lab, Robin could only watch as the man killed almost the entire staff, making his way to where the experimental drugs were stored. He took a vial and fled.

Robin paused the video and glanced at the vial in his hand, it was the same one.

"What would he need you for?" Robin asked the inanimate vial.

Then he remembered, there was a strange incident at the prefectural hospital before the one he'd looked into, he had grabbed the footage but thought nothing of it.

He pulled up the video. There he was, the man he'd seen on the surveillance video, slinking into a hospital room. Robin paused the video, he realized who the occupant of the room was. It was Nagi Kirima's room.

"So if you're going into her room, then who are you?" Robin asked the screen. He got a good shot of the man's face and ran him through facial recognition. His name came up as Shinpei Kuroda, a private detective. He found that he was listed on a database as missing. He had skipped town, leaving Tokyo five years ago.

The pieces fit together, Robin wasn't sure how they had met, but the man had injected something into Nagi Kirima.

Robin remembered something and zoomed in as much as he could on Shinpei Kuroda's hand. He saw it, a burn mark on his wrist, he'd caught a glimpse of it. It was hand-shaped. He wondered if the handprint was Nagi's.

He had a copy of Nagi's medical chart. Robin examined it. The doctors couldn't explain her growing pains. Cyborg told him that the vial had a chemical in it that could awaken superpowers, but what would happen if you gave it to someone who already had superpowers?

The pieces fit together, Shinpei Kuroda had met Nagi Kirima at the prefectural hospital and knew that she was becoming a metahuman, he'd stolen the drug and killed all those people to stop her from evolving. Why he'd done that, Robin didn't know, and he'd disappeared shortly after he'd seen that video.

Shinpei Kuroda had saved Nagi's life, Robin suspected he was dead, that saving her had cost him his life.

Now Robin contemplated whether he should tell her or not.

Robin turned it over in his mind. He decided he wouldn't bring it up unless she asked him about it. He didn't want to drive her away, he didn't want her to think that he was prying into her life.

He sighed, "What happened to you Nagi, and what are you?"

He let his gaze linger on the image of her hospital room, contemplating what it meant. He found his answers, he'd have to rest, but then he'd turn his attention back to Uehara Daizo, he'd bring the criminal to justice, and once it was all settled, he'd be able to focus on his relationship with Nagi Kirima. In the meantime, he'd keep the truth to himself, she'd be safer that way.

He removed the USB from the drive and put it in a safe, locking it away. He'd seal the truth away in his heart, and that is where it would stay. For now.

Chapter Text

Hiragi, the Axis of the Towa Organization stared out of the window of his house. Things were getting lively, it was going to be troublesome to deal with Uehara Daizo, he'd stolen a formula from facility RS20TTU and used it to become an MPLS.

It was causing problems, it had gotten Robin's attention. Someone like Robin could easily discover the Towa Organization. He wasn't sure about how he should deal with the Hero of Tokyo.

Hiragi sighed, "There's a lot to deal with, so what is the Towa Organization going to do about the Hero of Tokyo?"

Robin was probing into MCE, he'd left small traces of his breaches into their computer system, but most people wouldn't notice. Hiragi was becoming concerned, he didn't know if he should send Fortissimo after the hero, but that might be too risky.

He'd have to consider a personal meeting, it shouldn't be too hard to get the attention of the Hero of Tokyo.

Maybe Fortissimo should be the one to deliver the message, he was a combat MPLS so he could fight Robin on even footing. While Axis didn't like people probing into the Towa Organization, Robin had already guessed they existed even if he didn't have a name for them yet.

Hiragi couldn't be sure of how much the Hero of Tokyo knew, he'd have to send agents out to spy on them.

The leader of the Towa Organization made the phone call, "Fortissimo, keep an eye on Robin, we need to find out how much he knows."

"I see, do you want me to do something to get his attention?"

"No, just track him if he's spotted in Tokyo," Hiragi ordered.

"I see," the teenager replied, hanging up the phone.

"I wonder, Hero of Tokyo, can you defeat the might of an entire organization?" Hiragi asked.

Hiragi turned his thoughts back to the situation at hand, Uehara Daizo had become an M.P.L.S, and he'd have to be dealt with, normally they sent out combat M.P.L.S. to deal with situations like these, but with the Heroes of Tokyo back in Tokyo, it might get their attention and lead them straight to him.

Still, Fortissimo should be fine on a surveillance mission, hopefully, he'd keep out of sight and deal with Uehara Daizo before the Titans or Nagi Kirima found him.

Dick Grayson walked the streets of Tokyo, unfortunately, no patrol today, he was still laying low to throw off suspicion. He was trying to take his mind off Uehara Daizo, although he had the Titans out looking for him, he was still lying low.

Dick turned down an alleyway, he saw a figure in the alleyway.

"Hey, I remember you," Boogiepop said. "Grayson-san, was it?

"Boogiepop," Dick nodded. "What are you doing?"

"I just happen to be out, Grayson-san," he said.

"What are you, exactly?"

"I rise to the surface just like a bubble, I am automatic, you see, whenever adversity arises, when the world is threatened, I appear."

Boogiepop approached him, "But what about you, you don't have a split personality, but you have an alter-ego, Robin."

Dick noted that Boogiepop knew his vigilante alter-ego.

"I never told Touka Miyashita that," Dick said, there was no use denying who he was, the other personality knew, somehow.

"Touka overheard you reveal yourself to an and Suema-san and Takeda-san, Touka happened to still be at school when you revealed your identity, so don't feel bad. She kept your secret."

"Why do you want to talk to me, Boogiepop?" Dick asked, his voice was steady, he'd interacted with people who had split personalities, and it had never been good, Harvey Dent/Two-Face made sure of that. Being beaten almost to death by the man with a baseball bat had shown him just how strong the bad personality could be if both sides were complete opposites, Touka Miyashita was different, but he still found it disturbing.

The two vigilantes began to walk towards the roof of a nearby building.

The two urban legends stood together, "Is Uehara Daizo a threat to the world?"

"Yes, Robin-kun, he is, or I wouldn't be here."

"Why haven't you gone after him directly?" Robin asked.

"Isn't that your job, superhero?" it asked. "You know that if I find him I'm going to kill him."

"That is what the stories say about you, isn't it? Then I would have to take you to jail."

"You say that, but part of you doesn't mind when the "bad guys" do your dirty work."

Robin stilled. He didn't say anything.

"Ah, cat got your tongue I see, Touka Myashita cannot be blamed for what I do, her parents would claim it's a fox spirit, they've said that before, that's why I met Doctor Kisugi."

"I know that Touka was admitted as a patient to the prefectural hospital but I didn't know it was because of you."

"I dealt with the Fear Ghoul; she was a danger to the world, so I disposed of her."

"You've left me in a predicament," Robin stared at her.

"Indeed, you can enact your justice on me, but you'll have to work for it," Boogiepop warned, holding out her hands, Robin saw the razorwire attached to her fingers via brass knuckles.

"I'll table this for now, I need to find Uehara Daizo, but I also need to lay low for a little bit," Robin sighed.

"I'm sure I'll run into you soon enough," Boogiepop said, it still didn't smile. The split personality that existed inside of Touka Miyashita made her walk away. It was a strange thought that she wouldn't remember any of this.

"Are you one of Touka Miyashita's many possibilities?" Robin asked, remembering Seiichi Kirima's book about multiple personality disorder.

"I'm this world's possibility, Robin," Boogiepop replied. Then, as Robin walked away, it disappeared.

"I should take you in but it's too complicated," Robin stared at the enigmatic figure.

"A true hero of justice, something out of an anime, many people admire you for that."

And with that, the urban legend, the Shinigami was gone. Robin headed back to the prefectural hospital, he wanted to look into something, but he remembered that no one had ever found Doctor Kisugi, he was going to look for her.

Robin explored the abandoned, dilapidated building, he wouldn't find any new clues, so he searched the surrounding area, there was a pond in the woods nearby, he saw something in the grass, it was rotten, but it was something that shouldn't be there.

Robin frowned, it was a rotten woman's shoe, and it was near a pond. Something happened here, he couldn't tell what, but there was no sign of a body, whatever Doctor Kisugi was, it had been swiftly covered up, there was no way whoever was behind the mystery drug was letting anyone find her body.

He saw a Ktm Exc 450 - Ktm Exc 125 motorcycle slow down and park near the abandoned hospital building. He saw who it was, Nagi Kirima. He quickly changed out of his Robin costume, he needed to keep himself above suspicion when it came to her. She had a flaw that made her easy to fool, she despised being normal. Ignoring normal people is what got her killed, Masami Saotome acted normal enough that she didn't suspect he was a psychopath.

Normalcy was something he wanted, but his life had never allowed him to be "normal", between his unique childhood at the circus and superhero work, he would never have a "normal" life.

Nagi Kirima was the opposite, she wanted the life he had, to be a superhero. They were so similar and yet so different. Perhaps that's why he enjoyed being around her.

Robin saw Nagi staring at the lake.

"What do you think will become of me? What do you think I should be?"

"You can be whatever you want, Nagi-chan. Aren't you a hero?"

He knew this was a serious question and one that he shouldn't answer in a lighthearted or flippant manner.

"Kentarou Habara said something similar. Do you…do you think I can become one?"

"Yes, yes of course you can," he said gently, in a way that didn't push her too hard.

She looked small and slender, if you squeezed her too hard her bones will break, or at least that's how she looked in that moment.

But she wasn't, she was tall and usually imposing, but she was still so fragile right now.

He moved closer to her, to comfort her.

"I'm here for you, Nagi-chan, it's all right," Dick whispered, holding her in his arms, comforting her.

Nagi leaned on him, and Dick held her close, whispering something comforting to her in Japanese.

"I can't believe I'm asking you to comfort me."

"I'll be whatever you need, Nagi-chan, I'll be whatever you need," Dick's voice was strained. He gently rubbed her shoulders in a soothing gesture, trying to comfort her as best as he could.

He let her cry, she couldn't bring herself to tell him what troubled her.

"It's okay, Nagi-chan, it's okay," he soothed.

Dick felt her fingers pulling at the red tie around his neck, he was dressed in the Shinyo Academy uniform. She undid the necktie, toying with it as it loosened around his neck, the tie wrapped itself around his pinkie. He took no notice of this as she kissed him on the lips, entwining the part of the necktie she was holding with her pinkie.

The fate Dick Grayson refused to believe in had ensnared his heart with that of the Fire Witch Nagi Kirima.

"I don't know why I'm crying, but I suppose I can trust you, I'm going to tell you something I haven't even told Suema," Nagi said.

"What is it?"

"I almost died here," Nagi stared at the pond.

"You went after the serial killer, didn't you," he didn't need to be told.

"Yes, Masanori Sasaki and I did, she threw him out a window after he was stabbed in the gut. Then Doctor Kisugi came after me, I led her here so she wouldn't be able to attack other people."

"Did you kill her?"

"Would you hate me if I did?"

"No."

"I didn't kill her, Boogiepop did."

"I see," Robin stared, "Why are you telling me this when you haven't told Suema?"

"Because we're so much alike, I think you'd understand."

"I'm very honored that you trust me so much, we aren't close, and I wish we were."

"We're close enough, Dick," she looked at him.

"Thank you, if you need anything, just ask."

Nagi glanced at him.

"I'll take you home," she offered.

"Thanks," he replied, following her.

Dick looked at Nagi's bike, a Ktm Exc 450 - Ktm Exc 125, crimefighting with cash indeed. He climbed onto the motorcycle behind her and she drove him back to his house.

She escorted him to his door and he politely thanked her for the ride home.

He watched her leave and fell deep into thought as he wondered where their relationship would go. There were so many things he wanted, but he could never bring himself to say, "I need you."

He'd been committed to a woman before, and she'd stabbed him in the back, not as Robin, but as Dick Grayson, and that wound still stung, even after all these years.

Liu, she'd been a criminal, he'd infiltrated her group, thinking he could handle it, he knew they were using him to get into Wayne Enterprises. Still, he'd fallen in love with her, or was it lust? He'd never been sure, he always told himself he'd loved her because her betrayal hurt him so much it affected his commitment to other women.

Dick sighed, he'd always been very good at moving forward, even when horrible things happened to him, but this was an area of his life he was horrible at dealing with.

He shouldn't be worried about his relationship with Nagi Kirima. He should keep his mind focused on being a hero, on stopping this mysterious organization, and keeping Japan safe.

But Nagi Kirima was important to him and he couldn't let it go, he'd have to balance everything in his life. He loved her and wanted to see her dream of being a hero become a reality for her, even though it was quite clear to him she was already a hero.

If he could do anything for her, he hoped he could help her see that she'd already accomplished her goal a hundred times over. She didn't want recognition or glory, and he admired her for that.

And so he watched the unknown Hero of Tokyo drive away, leaving him to contemplate what would come next for the two of them, under the shadow of the Towa Organization.

Chapter Text

She could see them, Dick Grayson and Nagi Kirima, she hadn't been assigned to watch them, she was executing the Court's orders elsewhere in Tokyo. People died all the time, and the authorities didn't tie everything to a mysterious, secretive organization. That was the stuff of manga and comic books.

Still, Uehara Daizo's murders were a terrific distraction the Court of Owls took advantage of. However, this was a personal matter.

She hadn't seen him in a decade, she'd been dead for a decade. She hadn't been his mother in a decade. She knew she shouldn't spy on her own son, but it was the only way she could see him.

The Court didn't care about the girl, Nagi Kirima, she never looked into the Court of Owls. She was chasing something else. The Court ordered Mary Grayson to look into the Towa Organization but she found very little.

With her son looking into it, she might be able to steal the information from him. Mary wondered if that would be worth it, to be able to see him again, to talk to him again. But if she broke into his house, she would leave her DNA there and that wasn't good.

Mary shook her head, no, no, as much as she wanted this reunion, it would have to wait. She needed to bide her time and watch. That was all she could do, watch and wait, for the perfect time to strike, to enact her revenge against the people who brought her back to life.

She'd watch and bide her time; patience was a virtue.

She left the rooftop where she'd been watching Dick Grayson and Nagi Kirima. Mary found a place to change out of the Talon uniform and into normal civilian clothes.

She wore a yellow sweater and green sweats. Mary's blond hair was tied back with a red hair tie. She looked utterly ordinary.

She walked through the streets of Tokyo, drawing some stares; she was clearly a foreigner.

"Excuse me, do you need help? Is something wrong?" a female voice asked.

"No, I'm fine, is something wrong?" Mary asked in perfect Japanese.

"You look like something's bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" the teenage girl asked, glancing at her earnestly.

"Thanks for worrying about me," Mary said, smiling. "It would be nice to have someone to talk to. What's your name?"

"Kazuko Suema," Suema replied.

"Well, Suema-san, my name is Marie Lloyd," Mary smiled, it was her birth name, so it wasn't a lie. She'd gotten it changed when she married John Grayson.

They walked to a nearby bus bench they sat down.

"What's on your mind?"

"My son, haven't seen him in a decade," Mary told her. "I want to see him but circumstances keep that from happening."

"Is there anything you can do about it?"

"At the moment, no, but Suema-san, I wonder, since you're my son's age, do you think he'd be happy to see me, no matter what I've done or if it was horrible and unforgivable?"

"Yes, he'd be happy to see you, even if you did something horrible, children love their parents no matter what."

"That's a naive thing to say, it's not always true, but my late husband said "If you believe a thing hard enough it's true", but who knows. You're a good person Suema, you're a very kind person."

"Being good and kind isn't enough, I want more, I want to be extraordinary," Suema admitted.

"Well a lot of people do," Mary smiled. "Who knows, you'll reach that goal of yours one day. But you've helped me decide, I'll see him, when the time is right."

"Thank you, I'm glad to help you, if you ever need to talk, take my phone number. You're a good person."

Suema wrote out her number on a scrap of paper.

"Thank you, but no, I've memorized it," Mary smiled.

"That's amazing!" the teenager exclaimed.

"Only took a lot of practice. I'm good with names. I remember a young toddler I met, his family wanted a picture with us, his name is Tim Drake, but that was a long time ago. Don't know what he's doing now."

"You're very smart and extraordinary, everything I wish I could be."

"You don't want to be me, Suema, just be yourself and one day you'll find what you're looking for. Maybe you'll break through the wall that's in your way."

Mary got up, bowed, and left. It was nice to play the role of tourist or foreigner, it was a role she preferred to cold-blooded assassin, but there was nothing she could do about her situation now. All she could do was wait and watch, just like the Court of Owls nursery rhyme.

"Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadow perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send The Talon for your head ".

Dick Grayson opened his locker at Shinyo Academy. He noticed a ball of red string come spilling out of his locker, he followed the red trail with his eyes, it went to one of the girl's lockers, not Nagi's. This particular locker belonged to one of the popular girls.

"This again?" he laughed. "She sure tries hard."

"You do know what she's trying to do to you, right?" Nagi asked, standing behind him.

"The red string of fate, I've heard of it," Dick smiled, "the Japanese marriage god Inari ties a red string to the ankles or pinkies of the couple. But that only works if both parties believe in fate. I don't believe in fate or destiny."

"So you dodged a bullet then," Nagi teased him. "Seems like you'll be a bachelor forever. I've heard some of the girls say you sound like Kaname Moniwa."

"I don't have time to watch Haikyū!" he laughed.

"Sports doesn't seem like your thing," Nagi smiled.

"I played basketball with students in middle school," Dick said.

"Well, I'd better get to class," Nagi turned away.

"You're not skipping?"

"Not today," Nagi replied as she walked away.

"I wouldn't be so sure, I'll find someone someday, but destiny won't play a part in that, I'll find her myself, whoever she is."

Dick smiled at her, quietly putting the thread away. He headed off to class.

He had no belief in destiny or fate, but people put a lot of stock in it, he turned his attention back to his schooling and had to play the part of a diligent student for a while.

He went about his day, paying attention in class, he felt very tired. He knew that he could take a short nap after his last class, before he had to show up for the archery club.

A five-minute nap wouldn't hurt him. He closed his eyes and rested for five minutes.

Nagi Kirima was about to leave Shinyo Academy and walk out towards the exit.

To her surprise, she saw Dick Grayson sitting at his desk in the sleeping position.

Nagi shook his shoulder, "Hey, Grayson, wake up!"

Nagi thought that pulling the plug on his wired earbuds would wake him up. The music blared in her ears.

Ah, if only our voices speak at night

Could ever reach the very edge of this world, and of time

Instead of fading into air and dust

Then what will the words, could it ever be

Farthest words from "probably"

Let's make a promise that will never fade

Let's say it together on the count of three

"Didn't know they did a version of "Dream Lantern" in English, but then again, foreigners all loved Kimi no Na wa, interesting for a guy that doesn't believe in fate."

"Nagi-chan, did you say something?" Dick asked he sounded sleepy. She could almost call him adorable.

"You're awake, you should get going to the archery club," Nagi looked at him.

Dick paused his iPhone and headed out. "Thank you."

She watched him go without a word; she turned and left.

Archery practice was over, and the male students began to engage in small talk. It seemed that Nagi Kirima was still a favorite subject of the guys' conversation.

"Do you think Kirima-san has friends?" one of the boys asked.

One of the other students smirked. "Like Kirima-san has friends. Still being friends with her would only be worth it if she gave me benefits."

"Kirima-san isn't interested in boys," Kei Niitoki said.

"She'd be amazing in bed," he smirked.

"You should treat her better if you expect that she'd be your girlfriend," Dick warned.

"Heh, a girl as hot and rich as her, I'd take her money and her virginity," the student smiled smugly.

"Kirima-San isn't a toy you can play with, I won't let you use her to get to her money, besides, she'd beat the crap out of you for something like that."

"So you act like a white knight, huh?" the student laughed.

"Not really, not a white knight, not much of anything really, but you leave her be, unless you want her to beat the crap out of you." Dick glowered at him.

"Let's just say I know all too well what it's like for someone to use you for what they can get from those closest to you," Dick sighed, he turned and left.

Kazuko Suema glanced at him. Whatever had happened to him, she could tell it was traumatic for him; he wasn't making a big deal about it, but she knew something was wrong. She'd wait and investigate after school let out.

Kazuko Suema found the foreign transfer student standing on the roof, staring out at nothing.

"Richard-kun, are you all right?"

"Why wouldn't I be Suema-san?" he asked.

"So what happened to you and this woman? You never said who she was," Suema put a hand on his shoulder.

"Her name is Liu. When I met her, she was in her late 20s, and I was 16, almost 17.

She was a criminal, art small pranks and stuff, then they'd keep escalating until they became violent and dangerous."

"She and her boyfriend were recruiting kids to vandalize big corporations, they'd st

Dick shifted his weight, "I thought I could infiltrate them, put a stop to their activities, thought I could handle it. They saw me as a big score, because of my connections to Bruce Wayne."

He sighed. "She was my first. I thought I fell in love. I knew she was using me, but I thought I could handle it. She had me thinking that there was only me, but there wasn't, she had a boyfriend, they were just using me, and it hurt a lot."

Nagi Kirima heard his voice from below and made her way up to the roof.

"So you lost your virginity to a woman twice your age, she's disgusting, and you really believed she loved you? You're way too normal for your own good," Nagi Kirima spoke behind him. "Don't they call that statutory rape?"

"Yes, I know, but when you're young, dumb, and in love, you can be persuaded to do anything for it. Back then I didn't spend a lot of time with women, not that way anyway. I'm painfully normal, Kirima-san, and I don't always act the way I should around women even if I understand plenty about them."

Nagi Kirima put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Hard to say," Dick replied.

"Why didn't you press charges against her?"

"You think anyone would take me seriously?" Dick asked.

"We are," Suema stated.

"It doesn't matter, she's in jail, Batman and Robin caught her and her boyfriend breaking into Wayne Enterprises," Dick said.

"It's too complicated, I'd rather not let it be known that I got initiated into a gang, even if all I did was vandalism."

"You really are troublesome, aren't you?" Nagi stared at him intently.

"I suppose I am," Dick didn't turn around to look at them.

"You're not very committed when it comes to women, are you? Is that why there are rumors you have multiple girlfriends?" Nagi put her hands on her hips.

"All the women I commit myself to either use me or leave me, so I do have commitment issues when it comes to women. Couldn't ever find a woman that was committed to me like my mom was to my dad. The one who had to leave me for an arranged marriage, one she couldn't get out of. So I don't have anyone, not really. I'm just the keypass to get to Bruce Wayne's money."

Dick turned back to them.

"I appreciate your concern Kirima-san, Suema-san, but I'm fine, really."

He walked away, leaving the two girls alone.

"He's not well," Kazukou Suema glanced at Nagi. "I can see it in his body language, whoever that woman was scarred him emotionally, not to mention well…" Kazukou sighed.

"A guy that kind, so sweet and caring, wants to see the good in everybody, it'd be easy for a manipulative woman to take advantage of him. He's too normal, you'd think he'd wonder why a woman in her late 20s would be interested in a 17-year-old."

Nagi clenched her fist, "He can't be that naive; he'd know that she was stringing him along."

"When you're in love, you can't imagine that person lying to you," Suema said. "Relational manipulation is something a woman can do to a man. He's very kind, and like you said, people can take advantage of that. He must have been very committed to her if he had all these commitment issues years after. He's your age, right?"

"Yes," Nagi replied. "And here people were mocking him because he was a virgin."

"It could be worse, you could be Masami Saotome, I heard he lost his virginity in middle school," Kazuko Suema said.

"SAY WHAT NOW?!" Nagi gawked.

"Heard he had a girlfriend before he came here, Yasuko was her name I think. Heard she cheated on him."

"Serves him right," Nagi grunted.

"He's very troubled, even if he looks perfect from the outside," Suema said, regarding Dick Grayson.

"He's trouble, you mean," Nagi corrected her friend.

"Admit it, you like him," Suema prodded.

Nagi let out a giggle, "Yes, but not that much."

"You're very bad a lying."

"You noticed," Nagi laughed. "I'll walk you home."

The two girls left Shinyo Academy, putting the transfer student out of their minds.