The New Teen Titans

Fan Fiction by: Spirit Reader

Teen Titans Original Creator: Bob Haney, Bruno Premiani, and DC Comics

Chapter 1: A Red Beginning – Part 1

Heroes…they come in many shapes and sizes and they possess a lot of qualities not seen in a lot of people. They're willing to do things that most would consider to be really crazy or extremely stupid. In a lot ways, what they do is extremely foolish. However, despite how foolish they appear to be, they continue to fight for other people because they that deep down in their hearts it's the right thing to do. Not only that, but they also know that if they don't fight for others, who else will.

Out of all the heroes in the world, there's one group that stands out amongst the rest. They are known as the Justice League and it's their mission to protect the world when it's in danger, either from inner or other worldly threats. Amongst them are powerful superheroes such as Superman and Wonder Woman, who possess powers and abilities far beyond ordinary humans. However, heroes such as Batman, who doesn't have any powers, are also prominent heroes in the League due to their strategic minds and strong willpower. As such, anyone has the potential to join the Justice League, as long as they meet the proper criteria for entry.

Even so, despite the fact that anyone has the potential to join the Justice League, doesn't mean that they're able too. This is especially true for young heroes, who are believed to be too immature and inexperienced to be true members. While this is true some of the time, other times these heroes are simply not given the respect that they deserve. That was true for one group of young heroes and they were known as, the Teen Titans.

Lead by Batman's sidekick, Robin the Boy Wonder, the Teen Titans fought crime and successfully proved that it's not age that determines whether or not someone is a hero material, but rather the strength our hearts. Not only that, but the Titans also motivated a lot of young heroes who didn't have faith in their abilities to step and prove that they had what it takes as well. It was a great time to be a hero back then and it was all thanks to a group of young individuals who wanted to prove something to themselves.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and that was true for the Teen Titans. A couple of years ago, one of their members betrayed the team and defected to one of their most dangerous enemies. Although the Titans were able to overcome that crisis, it did severely damage their ability to work together and as a result, they promptly disbanded. Ever since then, the Teen Titans have yet to be reformed and those who left have either went back to being sidekicks or went on to become solo superheroes. Eventually, as with most things, their exploits faded into memory.

Several years have passed since the Teen Titans and the world, for the most part anyway, has gone back to normal. Villains are still out there causing problems for a lot of good people and heroes and there to put a stop to them. For most of the major cities in the world, there has been an equilibrium between the two and that has resulted in peace. Unfortunately, for one city in the western corner of the United States, the equilibrium has sided more towards the villains.

The city in question was known as Jump City and, in an ironic twist of fate, was the home of the Teen Titans before they disbanded. Without the young heroes there to protect them, the citizens have been forced to live in fear as several bad guys are able to do what they wanted. Even the local authorities that have been stationed there are beginning to lose hope on how to best handle this situation. Fortunately for them, and for the people of Jump City, one young individual has decided to stop up and do something about this evil.

One evening, as the citizens were busy going about their night, a fairly young single mother and her child were currently making their way back home after such a long day. However, unbeknownst to the two of them, they were being followed a common thug who was dressed mostly in black. These types of people were fairly common in Jump City, most of whom took advantage of the kindness of others in order to satisfy their own greed and ambition. Because of that, the thug considered the mother a prime target and he wanted about to let her get away.

Soon, as the mother and her child continued on their way home, the thug took the time to get ahead of them and quickly hide himself in a nearby alleyway. Once he was there, he waited patiently for the mother to appear. As soon as she did, the thug quickly grabbed both her and her child and covered their mouths, making sure that they couldn't make a sound. He then brought them into the alley so that nobody else could see what was going to happen.

After taking them into a dark corner of the alley, the thug threw the mother against the wall. However, he kept the child by his side in order to use him as a hostage. In order to further illustrate that point, the thug proceeded to pull out a small hand gun and placed it buy the child's head. He then placed his finger on the trigger, ready the pull it at a moment's notice.

"Alright lady…" He told the mother as he brought his gun closer to the child's head. "You're going to give me all the money you have on you or else I'm going to blow your kid's brains out!"

"Wait…okay, okay!" The mother nervously agreed as she pulled out her purse. "I'll give you everything I have…Just please don't hurt my baby!"

The mother frantically started searching for any money that she had on her. As she did, she could tell right away that the longer she continued searching the angrier the thug became. Eventually, after what seemed like forever to her, the mother was able to gather all the money she had on her and presented it to the thug. This prompted him to let go on the child so that he could grab the cash.

As he looked through it, the child raced back towards his mother as fast as he could. Once he reached her, the two lovingly embraced one another as tightly as they could. However, the happiness and sense of relief that they felt would soon disappear once the thug finish counting all of his money. Having obtained what he wanted he found no further use for both the mother and her child and decided to get rid of them.

"Thanks for the money lady," He said with a sly grin on his face. "You can die now."

The grin of the thug's face grew bigger and more fiendish as he placed his finger on the trigger of his gun. For him, he didn't care that he was about to take the life of an innocent child and his mother. All that matter was the money that he took for them. Now that he had that the two of them have fulfilled their usefulness and could be put out of their misery. But, just before he could kill the two of them, something immediately shot down from the sky and knocked the handgun out of the thug's hand.

The object in question was a small red and black projectile that resembled a small bird to some extent. As both sides stared at it and wondered where it came from, a loud thumping noise suddenly echoed throughout the alleyway. Turning their heads, they saw that someone in the shadows had just landed on a nearby garbage bin and was staring directly at the thug. The individual then began making his way towards him and from the expression that was on his face, he was clearly upset with the criminal.

"You're going to leave them alone, punk!" The mysterious individual said.

"Oh yeah…" The thug said as he nervously picked up his gun. "You and what army..."

Despite the fact that the thug had his weapon back, the mysterious individual continued to make his way towards him. It was like he had no fear at all and that only ended up frightening the thug even more. Eventually, as the person continued to make his way towards him, the thug finally gave in to his fears and took a shot right at the individual.

However, just as the gun fired its shot, the mysterious individual expertly read the position of the bullet and was able to skillfully get out of its line of sight. He then rushed over towards the thug at an incredible speed. Although the thug tried desperately to fire off another shot, the mysterious individual immediately grabbed him by the hand, causing him to drop his gun. He then proceeded to knock the thug out with one powerful punch to the gut and one swift kick to the back of the head.

Once the thug was knocked out, the individual turned his attention towards the young mother and her child, who were both amazed at what they just saw. He was relieved to see that the both of them were alright and he went on to grab the money that the thug stole from them. He then went on to hand the money back towards the single mother.

"Here you go ma'am…" He said. "I'm glad to see that you're both unharmed."

"Thank you…" She replied with a slight nod. "But…who are you?"

Just as the single mother asked that question, a bright light coming from a car shined throughout the entire alley for a short moment. It was here that both the mother and her child were able to get a good look at the individual who saved them. The two of them saw that it was a young man who was wearing a mask over his eyes. His entire consisted of a black and red suit with a black and yellow cape. However, the most noticeable feature was the large R symbol that was placed near his heart.

After the light faded away and they were unable to get a good look at him anymore, the mother and her child watched as their young savior began making their way towards the unconscious thug. He then went on to pick him up before pulling out a small device from the utility belt that was around his waist. He then pressed a button, causing a small cable line to shoot from the device and grapple onto a nearby roof. The young hero then flew up and vanished from sight.

As the two of them stared up into the air, the child soon started smiling like it was Christmas morning. He then started tugging on his mother shirt, trying desperately to get her attention. Once he did, the little boy looked at his mother as the smile on his face started growing even bigger.

"Mom…Mom, did you see that?!" He asked her. "That was Robin…the Boy Wonder! He saved us!"

"…Yes he did," She acknowledged. "But…what's he's doing here in Jump City? And why does his costume look so different?"

Eventually, both the mother and her child decided to report this incident to the local police. Once they got there, the single mother explained what happened to her and her son to one of the cops. However, much to her shock, the cop explained to her that the thug that attacked the two of them had already been put into custody. Not only that, but the cop also explained that person who brought him in had the same description as the one who just saved them. This news excited the both of them greatly, but they were also confused about why Robin was here.

Unbeknownst to them however, Robin was busy observing the two of them from high above a tall rooftop. The young hero wanted to make sure that nothing else would happen to them as they made their way towards the police station. After seeing that was the case, he prepared to leave the area and to check and see if anyone else needed his help. As he did so however, Robin noticed something on the street that caught his attention.

It was a newspaper stand that contained a stack of the day's latest news. Although he was tempted to ignore it and continue of his way, there was a picture on one of the papers that he couldn't look away from. Because of that, the young hero reluctantly grabbed one of the newspapers with his grapple hook. He then dropped down the amount of money that the newspaper cost, so that they vender wouldn't think a paper was stolen. He then started looking at the picture he saw.

In it was a picture of a man dressed mostly in black who resembled a giant man-bat. The other person wore entire similar to Robin's, but it had a green and yellow color scheme than the black and red color scheme that his costume employed. These individuals were Batman and Robin, the protectors of Gotham City. Just looking at the two of them caused a sad expression to appear on Robin's face. He then proceeded to crumble up the newspaper and threw it away. Once he did, he started running across the rooftops as fast as he could.

"I'm no longer Robin, the Boy Wonder…"

9 years ago

Gotham City, if there's one place in the world that's filled to the brim of corruption of villainy it's this place. No one knows exactly why Gotham City has been like this, but fact the remains that it's criminal activity high and it's considered to be one of the most dangerous places to live. This is especially true after the death of two of Gotham's most prolific people; Thomas and Martha Wayne.

It was just an ordinary night when Thomas and Martha were coming home from the theater with their 8-year-old son Bruce. As they were making their way through a dark alley, the two of them were confronted by a masked mugger who was holding a gun. He wanted to the pearls that were around Martha's neck and threatened to kill them all if they weren't given to him. Thomas, being the kind man that he was, attempted to talk the man out of what he was doing. Unfortunately, Thomas's kindness only ended up getting himself killed as the mugger shot him down in cold blood.

The sight of her husband being murdered right in front of her was too much for Martha, who let out a loud scream as a result. Not wanting anyone to hear what was going on, the mugger went on to kill her as well. He then left the area, leaving the highly traumatized Bruce behind to stare at the bodies of his dead parents. The death of the Wayne's brought forth an important lesson to the people of Gotham City. It showed them that no matter how powerful you are, no one is truly safe in this world.

Since that terrible moment, the criminal activity in Gotham City reached an all time high. It soon got so bad that even the police, who are appointed to protect the innocent, were soon corrupted by its evil. If things continued then nothing would change and the kind and innocent people who still lived there will always have to live in fear. It was at that particular moment that someone emerged from the shadows to clean up the filth that was in Gotham City. That person was none other than the Dark Knight, Batman.

No one knows where he came from or how he came to be, but Batman has become major influence on the war on in Gotham. Appearing like a demon from the night, he would attack any evildoer who would try and inflict harm onto others. In time, criminals began to fear him as they did not want to suffer the fate of those who crossed his path. Even those who were higher up in the criminal underworld were reluctant to go up against him as Batman's strength, intelligence, and willpower were in a league of its own, even though he was only human.

Soon, as time passed on by and his presence continued to spread all throughout Gotham City, came to the conclusion that he would need help in his struggle to rid the city of the evil that infested it. Although he originally planned on doing it alone, the Dark Knight took notice of someone who had the same desire for justice that does. Taking this individual under his wing, he trained vigorously in not all in combat skills, but others things like escape artistry, ninjutsu, and detective skills as well. After around 6 months of intense training, Batman took to the streets with his new partner, Robin, the Boy Wonder.

Despite his age, Robin became a valuable companion to Batman and together the two of them went on to bring the fight to the criminals of Gotham City even harder than before. Eventually, as time passed by, the two of them soon became known as the Dynamic Duo, due to their incredible teamwork. For a long time, it seemed like nothing could break them apart. However, one thing happened to Robin that Batman failed to factor in during his training, the Boy Wonder was growing up.

When Robin was first taken in by Batman he was only a little boy at the time. He originally considered being Batman's partner to be like one big game. However, as he grew up and began to mature, the Boy Wonder realized how serious being a hero is. Not only that, but Robin also started to feel neglected by his partner due to Batman taking him out of the field for either personal reason for simply because he didn't believe that he could handle it. As a result, Robin left Gotham City and went on to form the Teen Titans in Jump City.

To say Batman was upset about this would be an understatement. In the beginning, he believed that if his partner didn't want to be with him anymore then he couldn't be Robin anymore either. This resulted in the Boy Wonder changing his identity to that of the solo hero, Nightwing. It would be a while until the two finally settled their differences, but even after they did Nightwing refused to go back to his former persona. However, just as Gotham City needed a Batman, Batman needed a Robin.

After a while, the Dark Knight found a new candidate and that person trained himself to take up the Robin identity. The new Dynamic Duo then continued their patrol of Gotham City, taking down anyone who does harm to others. Nightwing would return whenever they needed him, but his focus remained with the Teen Titans before eventually going off on his own. In any event, this was how things were in Gotham City for a time, but soon a brand new factor would come into play, one that would change everything.

One night, as the citizens of Gotham City were busy going about their business, a little boy was out with his mother after coming from the movie theater. His name was Ryan Nakamura, a young boy of Japanese-American descent. Before he was born his mother, Yumi, fell in love with an American man back when she lived in Japan. The two of them would soon get married and move Gotham City shortly afterwards. For a while, the two were happy, but happiness in Gotham doesn't last for very long.

About a year after Ryan was born, his father was brutally murdered by one of the thugs that infested the city. With him gone, Yumi was now forced to raise her infant child all by herself. It was tough in the beginning, but the young woman took heart after seeing the kind and innocent look on her son's face. Because of that, Yumi raised Ryan as best she could and she went on to teach him important lessons about kindness and the value of doing what's right. Though Ryan didn't entirely know what these lessons meant, he followed them nonetheless.

Eventually, around the time Ryan was about 7-years-old, he had grown up into the kind of boy that Yumi always wanted him to be. He was kind, thoughtful, and very smart for his age. In fact, many of his teachers considered Ryan to be a genius as he was already on a middle-school level despite only being 7. To congratulate him for his accomplishments, Yumi decided to take Ryan out to the movies in order to see the film, the Mask of Zorro.

Once the movie was over, the two of them decided to go get some ice cream before heading back home. As they were making her way towards the bank so that Yumi could get the money for the dessert, the young woman noticed how happy and excited her son was. He was jumping all across the sidewalk, pretending to be sword fighting with someone who wasn't really there. Just seeing that put a smile on Yumi's face, but it was something else that Ryan said that truly caught her interest.

"That movie was awesome, mom!" He said excitedly. "But how was Zorro guy able to defeat all of those bad guys? He didn't have any powers or anything…"

Yumi wasn't sure how to answer Ryan's question. After all, it was just a movie and the whole thing was scripted so that Zorro would win in the end. However, despite how smart Ryan was for his age, he was still a little boy and is easily impressed by things that catch his interest. Because of that, he wanted know how someone without any powers could be a hero. After about a moment, Yumi finally came up with answer.

"I think it's because he truly wanted to help other people," She said to him. "After all Ryan, anyone can become a hero, even they don't have any superpowers."

"Really…?" Ryan questioned.

"That's right," Yumi stopped for a moment and went on to grab Ryan by the hand. She then smiled at him before gently placing her finger on his heart. "But you can only do it if you have a strong heart…"

Ryan looked down at his heart and watched as his mother continued to place her hand on it. He then looked up and saw the warm smile that was on her face. Just looking at that smile caused Ryan to smile as well. He then shook his head towards his mother before gently grabbing her hand.

"Then I'll become the greatest hero in the world mom, even if I don't have any powers!" He confidently said to her. "And then I'll be able to protect you from anything."

"Oh I'm sure you will, Ryan…" Yumi replied, kissing the top of her son's forehead. "Now come on. It's getting late."

With that said, Yumi gently took Ryan by the hand and the two of them continued on their way towards the bank. As he walked with her, Ryan looked towards his mother and thought about what she just said to him. Although he didn't fully understand what she said to him, the little boy did understand what she meant about having a strong heart. Because of that, Ryan made a vow to become a great hero so that he could protect his mother no matter what.

Eventually, after about 10 minutes of walking, Ryan and Yumi finally made it to the bank and stood in line so that the later could make her withdraw. It was a bit boring, but Ryan put up with it so that he could have his ice cream. Eventually, after standing around for quite awhile, Yumi finally stepped up in order to obtain her money. It was at that moment however that everything went terribly wrong.

Just as Yumi was about to receive her money, a loud explosion could be heard coming from the entrance of the bank. Everyone then looked towards it and saw a group of people, wearing mismatching clothes, come inside, of whom were wielding guns. One of them went on to shoot several rounds into the air, showing everyone that they mean business. This caused the people inside the bank to get to ground and as Yumi held onto Ryan, the both watched as someone else entered the bank.

The individual in question was a man who was wearing mismatching clothing like all the others. However, what made him stand out was the look of his face. While one side resembled that of an ordinary man, the other side was horribly disfigured. His left eye was completely wide open, the bones around his left cheek were exposed, and some of his teeth were cracked. As she held onto her son, Yumi knew right away who this person was. His name was Two-Face and he's one of Gotham City's most fiendish criminals.

Before he became a criminal, Two-Face was known as Harvey Dent, a respected district attorney in Gotham. If Batman was considered to be the city's Dark Knight, then Harvey was its White Knight, due to his kindness and desire to fight for justice. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with Harvey's views and wanted him to stop messing with the criminal underworld. To make a point, a criminal proceeded to splash corrosive acid onto one side of his face. This act not only permanently scarred half of Harvey's face, but also drove him insane as well. It was at that moment that Harvey Dent died and the villain Two-Face was born.

As Two-Face started walking around the bank, the criminal started looking around at all the frightened customers that were here inside. While walking around, his attention turned towards Ryan and Yumi for a moment. While the latter was frightened and she held on to her child as tightly as she could, Ryan wasn't as afraid. He simply stared down Two-Face, trying his best to be brave. Although he couldn't quite explain it, Two-Face didn't really like seeing that.

Soon though, Two-Face continued on his way until he reached the front desk. He then started looking at the cashier for a moment before proceeding to pull out a coin from his suit pocket. However, this wasn't any ordinary coin. While one side was clean and polished, the other side was all dirty and scarred up. Two-Face then went on to flip this coin up and down as he started walking around the bank again.

"Now listen up…" He said as he kept on walking. "I'm going to make this nice and simple for you. You're going to give me and my boys exactly 22 million dollars within 2 minutes. If not then…somebody's going to die."

Upon hearing this, all the customers became even more afraid as the cashiers ran desperately into the bank vault in order to get the allotted money. As they did so, Two-Face continued walking around the bank. While doing so, his focus would turn back to Ryan from time to time. Look in the little boy eyes was irritating, almost like he was seeing right through him. Two-Face didn't like that and he was about to do something about it, but stopped when he noticed that the time was up. Now, after seeing the money was presented him, the criminal decided to fulfill his promise about someone dying.

With that in mind, Two-Face looked at everyone in the room before once again turning his focus back towards Ryan. He then got an idea and instructed two of his men to grab the little boy and his mother. Once the two thugs had them, Two-Face pulled out a small handgun that was in his pocket.

"No!" Yumi cried. "Please, don't hurt my baby! You can do anything you want to me, but just leave him alone!"

"Don't worry, miss…" Two-Face told Yumi as he looked towards her. He then showed her his two-sided coin. "I won't do anything to your boy…unless the coin says otherwise."

With that said, Two-Face turned his attention towards Ryan as he watched the little boy try and break free. He then flipped his coin high into the air. After what seemed like forever, the object finally landed on the ground and it landed on its clean side. Once it did, Two-Face turned back towards Yumi.

"Congratulations miss…" He said. "Your boy gets to live. You on the other hand…do not!"

Without warning and right before Ryan's eyes, Two-Face fired his gun and shot Yumi right in the chest. Instantly, the single mother felt all the strength leave her body as she fell face-first towards the ground. She then tried to lift her head so that she could look at Ryan one more time, but she simply didn't have the strength to do so. As a result, Yumi died right before Ryan, as her blood silently started pouring out of her.

Upon seeing his mother dead, Ryan couldn't believe that he was seeing. When the thug that was holding him finally let him go, the little boy slowly made his way towards her and began shaking her body. He wanted to see some type of reaction, just one sign to see that she was okay. Unfortunately, there was no such sign. Yumi was gone and there was nothing Ryan could do about that. All he could do was to continue to shake her body in vain.

While this is going on, Two-Face was becoming more and more irritated with Ryan's reactions. Not only that, but when the little boy turned to face him, the criminal saw that even though he crying, Ryan was still looking right through him. Seeing that look again was the last straw and thus Two-Face angrily flipped his coin into the air. When it landed and he saw that it was on its scarred side, a fiendish smile appeared on his disfigured face and he pointed his gun at the little boy.

"It's time to say goodbye, brat!" He told him. "You can be with your mommy in Hell!"

Just before Two-Face could pull the trigger on his weapon, a bat-shaped projectile suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and knocked the gun out of his hand. When he turned around, Two-Face saw that it was Batman and Robin, both of whom weren't about to stand by and take him anymore lives. As a result a battle ensued between Two-Face's men and the Dynamic Duo, a battle that the latter managed to win.

After Two-Face was taken care of and all of his men were dealt with, Batman and Robin were about to leave. Before they did so however, Batman turned his attention back towards Ryan and saw that he was still looking at the body of his deceased mother. A part of him wanted to say something to the boy, but the Dark Knight had to go. Because of that, he left with Robin as Gotham City Police came in to handle the clean up.

As several police officers take the time to comfort all the other people in the bank, Police Commissioner James Gordon came in and was informed what happened with Ryan's mother. Upon hearing this, the old officer felt bad as he knew that things like this happen in Gotham every night. Even so, he wanted to do something for the boy and so he proceeded to place his jacket over him. Gordon then went on to gently place his hand upon Ryan's shoulder.

"Hey little guy…" He said. "It's going to be okay. Is there anything I can do for you? Anything you might want?"

Ryan didn't answer right away. All he did was stare at his mother as police officers were gently placing a white sheet over his body. He then closed his eyes and started crying silently to himself.

"I…I want justice…"

2 years later

Ryan: Age 9

Living out in the streets is an extremely hard for anybody. Living out in the streets when you're only a 9-year-old boy is even harder. This was the case for Ryan Nakamura, who was forced live out on his own after the unfortunate death of his mother. Having no other immediate family, he sent an orphanage by the Gotham City Police Department. However, due to its unbearable living conditions and cruel caretakers, Ryan ran away from there and decided to stay in the streets. It was a tough decision to make and more often than not, Ryan wondered if he truly made the right choice.

In the beginning, Ryan had an extremely hard time living out by himself. Without his mother's help or guidance, he had to search for food and shelter all on how own. Not knowing how to do any of that, the little boy would spend most days hungry and weak. There were times in which he almost gave up on everything and considered dying in the gutters. Anything was better than this kind of life. Despite however, Ryan would always find the strength to continue on with his life after thinking about his mother.

Even after the tragic death of her husband, Yumi never gave up on hope and kept on living. It wasn't just because she had a child to raise, but it was also because she couldn't really call herself a good person if she did. She also wanted to show a good example to Ryan, wanting to show him that no matter how bad things get for someone, they can overcome it as long as they don't give up. Wanting to live up to her example, Ryan found the courage to kept on going as well, even when things only got harder for him as time passed by.

Soon, as the years passed on by, Ryan became more and more accustomed to living out in the streets of Gotham. Admittedly, he was forced to do some things that he wasn't particularly proud of, like stealing for food and clothes. Even so, he had to do what he had to do in order to survive out there. Also, despite the fact that he had to do things that he often regretted, Ryan didn't forget the lessons of kindness and compassion that his mother instilled into him.

This is was best shown one night after he managed to get a blanket from a trash can that he found lying on the ground. It wasn't entirely dry, but it was a very cold night and so he put up with it. However, before he could fall asleep, Ryan saw an old woman who was shivering rather badly. Although he was just as cold as she was, he decided to give his blanket to the old woman for her to use and even told her to keep it. Just seeing the smile that was on her face made him feel good as a result, allowing Ryan to see that even though things were bad for him, doing the right thing had its own reward.

This was Ryan's life for the last 2 years and even though he he's made sacrifices and did things that he wished he hadn't he still held onto his moral code. Even so, he still missed his mother greatly and he wished that things would change for the better. Little did he know that he would soon encounter that change and that it would forever shape the outcome of his life.

One night, during the middle of summer, Ryan was busy looking through trash cans in order to find anything to eat. He was hoping to find something not entirely disgusting, like a half-eaten slice of pizza or something. Unfortunately, he found nothing of the sort and he was forced to eat some moldy meatballs that's been in the trash for several days. However, just as he was about to cover his nose and take a bite out of them, the little boy heard something coming from the distance.

At first he thought it was just a figment of his imagination, but upon hearing the noise again, Ryan realized that it was real. Not only, but he also heard several more noises coming from the same direction as the first one. The little boy didn't know what to make of it, but a part of him felt that he had to go investigate. As a result, quietly made his way towards the source of the noise in order to see what it was. When he got there, Ryan was shocked by what he saw.

In a nearby alley, Ryan saw Batman fighting several awkwardly dressed thugs. However, upon seeing the way the thugs were dressed, Ryan had terrible flashbacks about the day his mother was killed. The thugs that Batman was fighting right now were dressed the same way as Two-Face's men. Ryan wondered what they were doing here in this gutter neighborhood, but upon seeing the overwhelming odds that the Dark Knight was facing, he knew that he had to do something about it.

So, Batman continued to fight the thugs, Ryan got behind a trash can and waited for his chance to strike. Once he found it, the boy grabbed a brick that was next to him and threw it as hard as he could at one of the thugs. The brick hit its target, knocking a thug just before he could strike Batman in the head with a bat. When one of the other thugs saw this, they were obviously not pleased with this turn of events and quick pulled a gun out on the boy.

"That was a big mistake, kid!" He said.

Just before the thug could pull the trigger on the weapon, Batman punched out the thug with one powerful blow to the side of its head. He then quickly took out all the other thugs with little to no effort, much to Ryan's utter amazement. Once they were taken care of, the Dark Knight turned his attention towards Ryan.

As Ryan nervously watched the hero make his way towards him, Batman got a good look at the boy and remembered him as the same one he saved 2 years ago. He was surprised to see him out on the streets like this as Commissioner Gordon, one of his only allies, told him that he was put into an orphanage. However, that didn't seem to be the case at all or at least not anymore. In any case, the hero gently shook his head towards Ryan, thanking him for the help even though he didn't really need it.

After that, Batman was getting ready to leave and go back on his patrol. After seeing Two-Face's men here, it was clear to the Dark Knight that the criminal himself was doing something around here and he had to find out what. Before he left however, Ryan ran up to him and grabbed him by his cape. When Batman turned around, he watched as the little boy was nervously tried talking to him.

"Um…Um…You're Batman…right?"

Upon hearing the words that just came out of his mouth, Ryan started scratching his head in frustration. That wasn't how he wanted things to go. Instead of being calm, cool, and collected, he instead ended up mumbling his words and started acting like a complete idiot. As he attempted to calm and get the right words to come out, Ryan felt something touch his left shoulder. It was Batman's hand and he was kneeling so that he was at his eye level.

"Thanks kid…" He said, appreciative that Ryan went out of his way to help him. "But why did you do that? You could've been killed."

Ryan remained silent for a moment as he thought about Batman's question. He knew that he was right and that most grown men wouldn't go out of his way to help. But Ryan, an orphaned 9-year-old boy did and that was something the Dark Knight wanted to know.

Soon though, as he waited for the boy's response, Batman received a message from the small computer that was placed on his wrist. Upon seeing it, he realized that he couldn't stay any longer and prepared to leave. To that end, the hero pulled out a grapple gun and fired a line towards one of the buildings. He was then about to fly off into the distance, but stopped when Ryan finally gave him an answer.

"It's because…I don't want to see anyone get hurt anymore."

Batman turned his head towards Ryan after hearing his response. When he did, he saw an intense look in the boy's eyes. It was a look that said that although he wasn't sure how he was going to do it, Ryan was determined to prevent the deaths of other people. Just seeing that look reminded the hero of something, something that shaped him into the very person that he was now. He then went on to silently nod at Ryan and tossed him a small stack of money before heading out.

Although Ryan pleased to have the cash, he was more interested in Batman. As he watched the silent protector of Gotham City disappear into the night, the young boy wondered if he had what it took to become someone like him. In the end, Ryan didn't know the answer to that question. All he did know is that he was going to work hard to figure it out and that meant continuing to survive in the conditions that he is now. But first, Ryan needed something good to eat and so he left to use the money he was given to buy something nice.

Sometime later, after finishing his nightly patrol, Batman arrived at his underground cave hideout known simply as the Batcave. Once he was there, he began making his way towards a glass case that was stationed in the corner. Inside was a beaten and tattered version of the Robin costume. He would go on to stare at it for a moment before proceeded to take off his mask, revealing himself to be none other than Bruce Wayne.

After the brutal death of his parents, Bruce was left highly traumatized from the experience and was left with not only a strong desire for revenge, but an intense desire for justice as well. With those things in mind, Bruce made a vow to protect the people of Gotham City and to prey on the criminals that took his family away from him. He then spent the next several years training himself to both his physical and mental limits until finally taking to the streets of Gotham as Batman.

In the years that followed, the Dark Knight took in his partner Robin before he left and became the hero, Nightwing. However, despite the fact that he took in a second Robin, Batman realized that his newest partner wasn't as talented or as dedicated as his first one. This was tragically highlighted when the second Robin was brutally murdered by one of Batman's fiendish adversaries, the Joker. It was here that the Cape Crusader refused to take in another young partner, not wanting to lose them as he lost the second Robin.

As Bruce continued to stare at the old costume, someone else entered the Batcave. The person was his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, and one of the few people to know his secret identity as Batman other than Nightwing and a select few others. Alfred has been with Bruce since the death of his parents and has acted like a surrogate father to him. Although he was initially against it at first, he has grown to accept Bruce's Dark Knight persona after seeing all the good he does for Gotham. As a result, he vowed to help Bruce however he could, whether that be cleaning his costume or providing medical attention.

Upon reaching Bruce, Alfred looked at him for a moment before turning his attention towards the Robin costume. The butler could tell that his master was still haunted by the events of the second Robin's death. However, upon seeing the look in his eyes, Alfred could tell that there was something else in Bruce's mind.

"Is there something the matter, Master Bruce?" He asked him.

Bruce turned towards Alfred for a moment before turning back towards the costume. He then closed his eyes for a moment and started thinking about the determined expression that was on Ryan's face before saying goodbye to him. It was the same look that he had shortly after the death of his parents. Just seeing that look reminded him about what he was fighting for and caused Bruce to ponder something very important. Once he finished thinking, Bruce reopened his eyes and turned back towards his butler.

"Alfred…" He said to him. "I have a request for you."

Alfred listened closely to what Bruce had to say to him. As he did so, he was quite surprised to what his master had to say. After everything that happened, he didn't think that Bruce would even consider such a thing. However, Bruce was serious about it and after taking the time to ponder it as well, Alfred ultimately agreed with him.

"Consider it done, sir." He said. "I'll get to work on it right away."

A few days later, on another quiet night in the streets of Gotham, Ryan was busy practicing throwing rocks at a target that he created with some chalk. His encounter with Batman a couple of days ago brought in a strong desire to get stronger so that he can help people like he does. Not only that, but Ryan also remembered the bat-shaped projectiles that the superhero used when he saved his life 2 years ago. He found those things to be really cool as well and so he decided to train himself so that he could learn how to throw like that too.

At first, Ryan had a hard time getting it down as he always seemed to be hitting the corner of the target instead of the middle of it. However, the young boy didn't give up and kept on going until he got it right. In time, Ryan was finally able to hit the target, but he didn't stop there and challenged himself by trying to hit from an even greater distance. This continued for several hours and each time Ryan slowly found himself getting stronger.

Eventually, as he was growing tired and decided to take a break, a loud roaring noise was heard all throughout the area. While all the other homeless people started panicking, Ryan was instead intrigued by the sound and wanted to see what it was. Upon reaching the sidewalk, he watched as a large bat-themed car suddenly raced across the streets at a blinding speed. Although he only saw it for a moment, Ryan knew what that car was. It was the Batmobile and it belonged to none other than Batman.

At first, Ryan had no idea why the Dark Knight was back here in this neighborhood, but after giving it some thought for a moment he came up with an answer. In the days since he last met with Batman, the boy has seen many of Two-Face's men on the streets near here. Because of that, he believed that the criminal mastermind himself must be up to something and that was the reason why Batman was here. Although he wasn't sure if he could help, Ryan at least wanted to assist the Dark Knight in any way he could. With that he mind, he followed after the Batmobile as fast as he could.

"I have to see him…" He said as he ran. "I have to see him again!"

Ryan ran as fast as he could, moving past several other people along the way. However, he was just a little boy and the Batmobile was simply too fast for him to follow. As a result, the car disappeared into the distance and there was nothing he could do about that. Even so, he refused to let that stop him. He then started looking around the area and saw dark tire marks on the ground. Deciding to follow them instead, Ryan continued on with his pursuit.

Soon, after about 30 minutes of running, Ryan finally found the Batmobile again. It was parked at an abandoned warehouse and, much to his surprise, there were several members of Two-Face gang lying across the ground. Batman must've subdued him before making his way inside the warehouse. Knowing that's where he had to go, Ryan gathered all the courage that he could muster and slowly made his way inside. He then quietly made his up the warehouse, making sure not to wake up any of the unconscious henchmen.

"Don't do this, Harvey!" A familiar voice said. "You know this isn't right!"

"No…" Another familiar voice replied. "It's about what's fair!"

When Ryan heard one of those voices, he instantly knew that one of them belonged to Batman. However, it took him a minute to recall who the other voice belonged too. However, after hearing it again and getting a disturbed feeling coming from it, Ryan's body broke out in a cold sweat as he realized who that voice belonged too.

"Two-Face…"

Indeed, that was voice was indeed Two-Face's and given the anger that was in it, the criminal wasn't too happy. Just hearing his voice again brought the memories of Yumi's murder into Ryan's mind, causing him to feel sick. Even so, he needed to compose himself and keep going. So, after taking a moment to catch his breath, the boy continued upwards through the warehouse.

Once he finally reached the top, Ryan hid behind a far away pillar as he looked on at the scene that was in front of him. Batman and Commissioner Gordon were talking to Two-Face as the criminal was holding a little boy, who was around Ryan's age, hostage. The boy was Commissioner Gordon's son, though Ryan didn't know that at the time. All he did know is that he was in trouble, as Two-Face had pulled out a gun and placed it by his head.

"Please Harvey…" The Commissioner pleaded. "He's my boy, don't do this. Kill me instead, but leave him alone!"

"It's not up to me, Gordon!" Two-Face replied. "That decision is left to the coin…"

Two-Face pulled out his trademark coin and got ready to flip it. While Batman was preparing to go after him at the precise moment he did, Ryan was looking on with a sickly look on his face. Seeing that coin again caused him to remember when Two-Face used it to judge him and his mother. He had to stop him, but he did know how. However, that changed with he saw a small piece of bark placed by his feet.

After picking up the bark and realizing that it was light, Ryan believed that he could use it to hit Two-Face, causing him to release the Commissioner's son. Unfortunately, he was a good distance away from them and he never hit a target from that far before either. Ryan wasn't sure if he could do it, but has he saw Two-Face flip his coin into the air he knew that he ran out of time. As a result, he held his breath and threw the bark at him as hard as he could. Fortunately, the piece of wood hit the side of Two-Face's head, causing him to fall and release the Commissioner's son, allowing him to run back to his father.

When Batman saw that, he was confused by where that piece of bark came from and looked into the direction in which it was thrown. He then saw Ryan standing there, looking at Two-Face with an angry and surprised look on his face. Although he was surprised that the boy was here, Batman was impressed as this was the second time that he helped him out of a problem. As for Two-Face, as he regained his composure, he got a look at Ryan too and instantly remembered him as the boy from 2 years ago.

"It's you!" He said angrily!

Two-Face pulled out his gun and was about to fire it. However, he realized that he didn't have his coin and without it, he wasn't able to decide on whether or not he should kill Ryan. This gave Batman the opportunity he needed to take out the criminal with one powerful punch to the face. Once Two-Face was unconscious, the Dark Knight went on to place bat-shaped handcuffs on him.

Once Two-Face was subdued and the Commissioner's son was transported safely back home, both Batman and Gordon made their way towards Ryan. Gordon was informed by the Dark Knight that the boy wasn't at the orphanage that he was placed at and that he had ran away almost a month after he arrived. The Commissioner didn't know what to do with the boy now, but there was one thing he had to say to him. As such, he knelt to his eye level and gently placed his hand upon his shoulder.

"Thank you…" He said. "You saved my son…and I'm forever grateful."

Although he was slightly stunned after hearing the Commissioner say that, Ryan let out a small smile and gently nodded his head at him. He turned his attention towards Batman, who was looking at him with a silent expression on his face. Ryan wasn't sure what to make of that look and even considered the possibility that he was mad at him for coming. However, after seeing the Dark Knight nod at him, Ryan smiled and was relieved to see that wasn't the case.

Sometime later, once everything was taken care of, Ryan waited patiently outside of the warehouse as Batman and Gordon were talking to one another. Once the conversation was finished, the Cape Crusader made his way over the Batmobile and proceeded to go inside. After he did, then went on to open the door to the passenger's side.

"Come with me…" He said to Ryan. "There's something I would like to discuss with you."

Ryan was surprised and went on to point at himself in order to be sure that he was the person Batman was referring too. Upon seeing the hero nod his head in confirmation, Ryan nervously acknowledged him and went on to enter the Batmobile. Then, after closing the door and putting on his seatbelt, he drove off with Batman towards an unknown location.

After driving around for a while, the two finally reached their destination, which happened to be the Batcave. Once he got out of the Batmobile and got a look around the place, Ryan was completely amazed by everything that he was seeing. He then started running around the cave like a kid at a candy store, which Batman had mixed feelings about. Soon though, Ryan stopped when he got a look at all the trophy cases that contained several costumes. Out of all of them however, it was the tattered Robin costume that caught his attention the most.

"What…What happened to this one…?" He asked.

"Not that long ago…I ended up losing one of my partners," Batman answered as he made his way towards him. "When that happened, I made a vow to never again endanger another youth in my crusade. But now…things are different."

"What do you mean, sir?"

Ryan turned towards Batman and the two of them stared at one another silently for a moment. He then watched as the Dark Knight removed his cowl, revealing himself to be Bruce Wayne. Having seen him on TV when he was younger, Ryan was quite surprised to see that one of Gotham's most important figures was actually Batman. He then listened closely to what he had to say next.

"What is your name, kid?" He asked.

"Um...it's Ryan," The boy answered. "My name is Ryan Nakamura."

"Well Ryan, my name is Bruce Wayne. Like you, I saw my parents die right in front my eyes. Since then, I've spent my life fighting the same type of criminals that took them from me. In the beginning, I decided to do this all on my own, but soon found others who had the same desire for Justice I had and made them my partners. Now, after seeing you help me out twice and remembering why you did so, I'm offering you the opportunity to become one as well…If you want to, that is."

After listening to Batman's explanation, Ryan's eyes slowly began to widen as he thought about the prospect of becoming his crime fighting partner. He then thought about what his mother told him about how anyone could become a hero, even they don't have any powers. Realizing that this was his chance to do so and become the hero that he promised his mother he would become, Ryan smiled at Bruce has he shook his head repeatedly at him.

"Yeah…" He said excitedly to him. "If it means I can help people then of course I'll become your partner! I promise that I won't let you down!"

Once that was said, Bruce nodded his head at Ryan before bringing along. As soon as he got there, the butler greeted Ryan accordingly before presenting him with something. When the little boy got a good look at it, he was shocked to see that he was holding an updated version of the Robin costume. This was it, the chance for him to truly do some good for other people and Ryan vowed that he wasn't going to waste this chance, no matter what hardships awaited him.

6 months later

In the months since Ryan was first offered the opportunity to become Batman's newest partner he's been put through the wringer in order to prepare himself the overwhelming task. Unlike the previous people who took up the mantle of Robin, Ryan's training was more intense and Batman was stricter with him than with the others. This was because he didn't to lose Ryan, a boy with so much heart and a lot of potential, like he did with the second Robin. Because of that, he pushed him to the brink, wanting to see if he could take anything thrown at him and then some.

Soon though, in what seemed like forever, Ryan's training came to an end and Bruce was pleased to see that the boy had passed with flying colors. He was now ready to join him on his crusade as Robin. Though he had his doubts about whether or not he made the right choice in putting Ryan on this path, Bruce knew that after seeing the determination on the young boy's face that he made the right call. He then started looking forward to working his newest partner, wanting to see how he'll do out in the field.

On the night of their first patrol together, Bruce was busy standing around in the Batcave in costume while waiting for Ryan to show up. For some reason he wasn't here and although he wasn't concerned, Bruce realized that they were beginning to run late. This was becoming slightly troublesome and the Dark Knight wanted his partner to show up so that they can start their nightly patrol.

"C'mon Ryan, let's go!" He called out. "If you can't suit up quickly at home base, I'm concerned how you handle it in the field."

"Perhaps he's prepping…" A voice replied.

Bruce turned his head and saw Alfred making his way towards him. In his hands was a tray that held two coffee cups. Bruce went on to take one as his butler explained to him what he meant.

"If I recall correctly, both Master Richard and Master Jason spent hours staring at their reflection…the first time they wore their capes."

Bruce let out a small smile upon hearing Alfred say that. He then recalled how both Richard 'Dick' Grayson and Jason Todd, the first and second Robin's respectively, did spent a lot of time looking at the mirror when they first got their costumes. However, he knew that wasn't what Ryan was doing and so he called out to him again.

"Ryan! Get on out here or I'm going on patrol without you!"

At the precise moment that he said that, Ryan suddenly jumped down from the sky and landed on a table next to the Bat-Computer. While Bruce wasn't surprised by his sudden appearance, Alfred certainly was and the other coffee cup that he was hold was about to fall from his tray. Fortunately, Ryan was able to get it before any of the coffee spilled. He then jumped off the table and began throwing several punches and kicks while in his new costume.

"I got you this time, Mr. Wayne!" He happily said. "Admit it!"

"…You would've," Bruce replied as he calmly took a sip of his coffee. "If I hadn't seen you slip behind the computer banks 2 minutes ago."

"No…I got you this time. You just won't admit it."

Ryan continued play fighting with himself as both Bruce and Alfred looked on at him. The two of them could tell that the boy has come a long way since that day he tragically lost his mother. Although the pain of that moment would probably never go away, Ryan was now using it to motivate himself to get stronger and Bruce and Alfred saw that he did just that. As such, Bruce asked his young friend one simple question.

"How does it feel?"

"It feels awesome!" Ryan exclaimed as he did a back flip. "I'm Robin, the Boy Wonder! Are you kidding me, this rocks! C'mon Mr. Wayne, we got bad guys to catch and people to save!"

With that said, the newest Robin ran towards the Batmobile before going on to perform a front flip and land on its hood. He then placed his hands on his waist as he proudly looked up into the sky. Ryan then let out a huge smile, hoping that his mother was looking down on him from heaven.

"This is the best day of my life."

Present Day

Ryan: Age 16

As a large thunderstorm started roaring over all of Jump City, Ryan was busy staring at himself in a broken mirror that he found on the roof. While he did so, he paid close attention to his darker Robin costume and compared it to the costume that he used to wear as a kid. Just remembering those times brought forth painful memories, ones that forged him into the young man that he is now. It wasn't pleasant, but it was just something that he had to accept.

Soon though, as he continued to look at himself in the mirror, Ryan heard the sound of a police siren coming from the distance. Realizing that it was time to get back to work, the young hero put his mask back on his face and fired a shot from his grapple gun. Before swinging off however, he stared out up the sky and looked at the black clouds as rain fell on his face.

"Well mom, I managed to become a hero alright…" He said to himself. "A fallen hero…"

With that said, he jumped off the roof and started heading towards the source of danger.

Chapter Preview

In the years since he first took on the mantle of Robin, Ryan has become a powerful young man and has done a lot of good as Batman's partner. But if that's the case, why does he believe that failed as a hero and why isn't he in Gotham City with Batman? The story of Ryan's past continues.

Next Time, Chapter 2: A Red Beginning – Part 2