Damian never really forgot that Cassandra was an extremely deadly person. But somehow over the last two years he allowed himself to put it to the back of his mind. She was a threat. But not a threat to him. However, seeing her crash through the skylight of his gymnasium with that awful rictus of rage on her face was almost enough to make him pee in his pants, and it wasn't even directed at him. Nobody could honestly say that Damian was a child who scared easily.
Proclaimed "The One Who Is All" by his half aunt, Nyssa al-Ghul and a combatant that could outwit, outmatch and outfight his father. Who himself was amoung the top 1% of fighters in the world. That is who his sister was.
That is who his captors had enraged by breaking into his school during break and holding them at gunpoint. Her jet black hair floated about her face as she cut through the air, booted feet landing on one of the henchmen, driving him to the ground with a rather audible crunch of bones. Damian felt Colin flinch beside him. He wasn't the only one. A ripple went through the remaining thugs. Damian would be astounded if none of the four morons knew who they were facing. Inshallah , his sister would remind them with extreme prejudice.
Cassandra straightened up casting a cold glare about the room. Damian knew his captors would feel like the antelope caught in the hungry gaze of a patient lioness. The queen who is hidden, yet seen. You know death is coming, and you know she choose her time in delivering it.
"Bad." She pronounced. Damian almost face-palmed, these men weren't dogs but hardened criminals. On second thought, the immense idiots were lower than dogs. At least dogs had a measure of intelligence that his captors had so far failed to display. The click of a handgun safety caught his attention and that of everyone in the room.
"Y-you stay away you bat-freak bitch!" This exemplar of criminally idiotic could have been a poster child for dregs of society. Multiple piercings, and tattoos, a truly atrocious haircut of one could call it that, and the tell tale needle marks that lined his arms.
"Sorry. I am very sorry. I mean stupid." With that comment, the teenage girl then proceeded to move. She was poetry made into motion every action flowing into the next, nothing wasted all energy carefully marshaled. This ballet of violence was shown in the way she leapt, ducked and twirled. The man has as much a chance of pulling the trigger as he did qualifying as an astronaut. In the first two seconds after Casaandra reached the gunman, she broke his wrist and his fingers. In the few seconds after that she had proceeded to shatter his kneecap and slammed him in the wall hard enough to leave cracks in it. He would live, but it would be a coin toss if the pathetic cro-magnon ever got free from a wheelchair and a feeding tube for the rest of his life. Damian could hardly hide his smirk. And his family thought Jason was the violent one. When she cut lose, Cassandra was absolutely merciless.
"Stop now. Stupid to come here. You should make a better decision next time. Put down your weapons. The police will arrest you. Do not listen to me…" she trailed off, she cracked her knuckles allowing her opponents to fill in the blanks themselves. The men gave nervous glances among themselves. Damian was rocking slightly absolutely praying that they proved to be as dumb as they looked. He never got tired of seeing her in action. All the days of his training, he was held to the standard set by his sister. The League of Shadows demanded perfection, and when such perfection was found, as exemplified by Cassandra Cain, all others were expected to emulate it. Looking at the men, Damian examined them, and what he found pleased the boy. They were shifting around, tensing. And they were feeding off each other. They were scared shitless and while they were thugs, Damian couldn't say the were cowards. The subconcious parts of their mind were urging them towards action. Fight or flee. And whether these men knew it or not, they had already chosen to fight. And if Damian could read it in these mooks, Cassandra most assuredly did.
Her reading of body language was second to none. And it gave her more than enough warning when idiot #1 gave a bellow and charged. Calmly stepping aside, she slammed her knee into his midsection, and while he was still bent over wondering why he couldn't breath she hammered a blow into the back of his head, knocking idiot #1 out and quite possibly giving him moderate to severe brain damage. Damian gave a quiet cheer. Colin looked at him with a weird look.
"What?" Damian whispered. "She's kicking butt with excellent form."
Seeing their comrade laid out on the ground, the other mobile sparring dummies howled and tried to surround Casaandra. She gave an inaudible cry of her own before she raced into the thick of them. From then on even with his Batman trained senses, Damian could hardly see what his sister was doing. She just moved so fast. She was a dervish of perfectly executed strikes, blockes and counter attacks. Kicks, punches and grappling she did in her usual smooth way. What must have been a black blur to Damian must have felt like a natural disaster to those hapless men. You cannot stand against a hurricane and hope to come out intact. Rage filled yelling soon turned to pain filled screams, as bones were broken and limbs twisted in directions they were not meant to be. And soon enough those screams were turned into silence excepting the thud of bodies hitting the floor. Cassandra brushed away an errant lock of hair, leaving a red streak on her pale forehead. Bending down and rifling through their pockets the young vigilante pulled out ID cards. Damian cast his eyes at the heavens wondering in what sort of world single brain celled idiots like these were allowed to survive infancy.
Cassandra having finished her search stood up before looking directly at him. Damian couldn't see her dark pupils behind the white lenses of the domino mask but he knew from experience they would be scanning him head to toe, looking for anything that might suggest he was not healthy. Seemingly satisfied, she nodded once, hands flickering in a code: see you at home. Raising her grappling hook she was soon gone as quickly as she came. Seconds later the wailing sirens of the police were heard. Damian snorted. Late as usual.
DCDCDC
Hours later after an thorough interview with Gotham's dullest and mediocre, Damian was pulling up in front of Wayne Manor. He got out of the car and slung his bag over a shoulder.
"Ahem, Master Damian. Both sides I believe, would prove better for your posture." Alfred rebuked him gently. Damian scowled. "I know Pennyworth." Alfred was never one to let bad habits form. Walking into the house, he made his way up to his bedroom and entered. He stopped short. Cassandra was sitting on his bed, a book propped against her raises knees.
"Cain? What are you doing here?" Damian asked in confusion. To the best of his knowledge this was the first time his sister had entered his room without his permission. Cassandra looked up from her book, face lighting up with that rare heartfelt smile. Damian felt warm. Ever since Dick had shifted back to Bludhaven he'd seen precious little of that expression.
"Damian, you're home! Cassandra scrambled off the bed before yanking the unsuspecting boy into a bearhug. Damian was thoroughly confounded at this uncharacteristic display of affection from his sister, but not willing to reject it. It was a rather nice hug. Certainly different to the ones Father or Dick gave. Ensconced in her embrace Damian peered up to look at his older sister's face.
"So what gives? Not that I'm complaining or anything." Damian asked. Cassandra held the boy out at arms length looking at him intently.
"Today was scary. For me." Damian blinked in shock. Of all the things he expected her to say that was not it.
"Scary?! Cain if you are doubtful of your abilities, though I know not where they come, you handled those crooks easily. They'd never been able to lay a hand on you! Never!" Damian quickly tried to offer what little comfort and re assurance he could. Cassandra face took a more somber mien.
"Not scared for myself. I am-was scared for you. Little brother, you almost died." Cassandra's hands trembled slightly on his shoulders, showing him just how much she was affected by the thought. Damian was knocked back by what she said. He'd been out in far more dangerous situations as Robin and Damian was puzzled that she would think he was in more danger during this situation than during others. It frightened him slightly to see the loss of control in one who had such iron grip on her emotions. "Cassandra, I…I don't know what to say. Those men were hardly a threat to me. They would have shot themselves in the feet if they tried anything more than look like walking, talking smelly lumps of idiocy given form." Damian hoped his damning put down of his erstwhile captors would be enough to put his sister at ease.
Cassandra slowly led the boy back to his bed and presses him down slightly, she sat next to him, drawing him close. " I cannot help it. I think…I think of what may have happened. It scares me because, you were in cover. You cannot defend yourself if you are hiding the truth of out family. As Robin, yes, you can fight, you can defend against harm. But in public, only the victim." She drew in a shaky breath before continuing.
" I fear for you. Because you are my little brother. And I love you so much. I love everyone in this family so much. But you most of all. I have only known you for two years. I want to know you for a very long time Damian. You cannot die yet, nor will I allow you. Those men made me so angry by putting you in danger."
Damian felt a lump in his throat. He never imagined the depth of feeling his sister had for him. Never imagined that the one he idolized valued him as much, nay, even more than he did her.
"Cassandra…" he murmured before launching himself at her. " I love you too I suppose. Though don't tell Drake!" Cassandra gave a muffled laugh as she pressed a soft kiss to his head.
Half an hour later, when Bruce came to check on Damian, he was moved by the sight of his two youngest curled up into each other, his son cocooned in the embrace of his protective older sister.