I realized shortly after posting the prologue that I had forgotten to add the list of the other stories in this series! For readers new to this series, you may read the rest at your leisure, but don't panic: I usually fill in blanks as I write new stories in case of newcomers.

1. Rebirth

2. Running Out of Inque

3. Remember (one-shot)

4. Technical Difficulties (one-shot)

5. Eyewitness of the Past

6. Last Resort

7. Big Time

8. The Call

9. Truth Be Told (one-shot)

10. In Waves (which doesn't follow any episodes)

11. What Lies Within (Teen Titans crossover)

12. Betrayal (Part 2 of Big Time)

13. The Enemy Inside (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover)

For those who are familiar with the series, check out the poll on my profile page and vote for your favorite story of the series! If there's a tie, don't worry: I made it multiple choice instead of having to choose only one. ;)

Anyway, onward with the story! (And if you have any questions, feel free to post it in a review or send me a PM with it: I don't bite. )

Coba stood in the living room of Wayne Manor, watching the sun set from the large windows. She subconsciously leaned against the crutch just under her arm for support as her crippled right foot started to ache from standing so long, then winced as the pressure hurt her cracked ribs. Instead of sitting down to ease her pain, she remained standing, welcoming the agony. I don't deserve to be comfortable, she thought. Not after failing Kairi. I should've been better, even before meeting her. If I'd been able to stop Kobra before, surely it would have spared her life?

~!~

Only the screeching of bats filled the Batcave as Terry McGinnis and Coba Brooklyn sat on a table while Bruce Wayne tended to their injuries. The siblings each looked down solemnly. In spite of their efforts to stop members of a terrorist group called Kobra from stealing a thermal bomb, both Batman and Batgirl had been beaten back by the thieves, one of which proving to be tougher than the duo had anticipated.

Terry looked down. "I know, I know, we messed up big time. Ow!" He flinched as Bruce pressed an ice pack against Terry's bruised cheek.

"This will keep the swelling down," the old man said, reaching back to the table to give one to Coba.

McGinnis stood up from the table after holding the pack to his face for a short moment. "You're thinking, 'How could they have let Kobra get away with a thermal bomb that could destroy half of the city?'" He looked down. "Because we're hopeless losers, that's why."

Coba accepted the ice pack from Bruce and held it over her swollen eye solemnly. "There were two of us fighting them. How could we have messed up? It couldn't have been just their numbers; we've beaten more than that before, and I'm not counting the alien starfish. Either we're getting careless, or these guys were tougher than usual, namely the driver. I doubt it was my first suggestion."

Bruce turned to look at the two teens. "Actually, I think you should both meet an old friend of mine." He handed a piece of note paper to Terry. "Go to this address. Ask for Kairi Tanaga."

Brooklyn stood on the table to be able to read the address over her half-brother's shoulder. She sat back down carefully when she noticed her biological father was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry I'm so short," she apologized, half-smartly yet half-sincerely. Seriously, why'd I have to be a short-stop when the rest of my family is tall?

The first Batman pat her shoulder. "It's alright. Having to stand on tables and chairs to see won't be an issue with Kairi."

"Who is Kairi?" Terry inquired. "How do you know her? And how can she help us?"

"Patience," Bruce stated. "You'll find out the first and third on your own, and the second is a story for another time. I recommend that you both get some rest, and keep your bruises from getting too swollen."

"Because heaven forbid this Kairi realizes that we're Bats," Terry said sarcastically.

"Something tells me she already knows," Coba replied.

Bruce nodded. "She likely does. I trust she'll keep the secret. She hasn't tried to reveal mine."

"Fair enough," Coba shrugged.

The following morning, Terry and Coba ventured downtown to find Kairi. The girl's brother noted that she looked haunted when he stopped by to pick her up earlier, which was not far from the truth. In spite of her hopeful wishing, Coba's slumber had been filled with nightmares involving the thermal bomb's detonation, along with bodies of people she knew and people she did not recognize. It had been the Great Dane mix Ace and the giant pouched rat Ed who woke her up and calmed her down enough to think more clearly, though the dreams still lingered in her mind.

If that bomb goes off, it's my fault, she thought. Terry may have also failed to stop the theft, but I failed to protect him.

Terry looked at her, seemingly reading her thoughts. "It's not your fault, Co," he said. "We both tried our best, but it... wasn't enough."

Coba looked down. "But what if the bomb goes off?"

"All we can do is hope that it doesn't until after we find Kobra. You know Bruce won't stop until he finds their hiding spot."

"I guess you're right," she sighed.

He ruffled her hair. It'll be alright, sis.

After a while, they came to a stop at the address on the note. Both were confused when they discovered a fish market was there with an old Japanese woman just a few inches taller than Coba behind the counter. "Fresh fishy!" she proclaimed in her Japanese accent. "Best fish in Gotham. Get your fresh fishy!"

The siblings approached the shop. Well, if Bruce said to come here, we'd better see what's going on, Coba thought. "Excuse us," she said politely. "We're looking for Kairi Tanaga."

The saleswoman chopped off the head of a fish. "You want halibut?" she asked, holding the fish's body to the teens. "Caught fresh yesterday."

Though Coba kept a calm composure, Terry was struggling to hide his disgust at the fish. "Look, we don't want any fish," he said impatiently. "Bruce Wayne sent us."

"Ah." The woman's expression became serous. She wiped her hands on her apron and beckoned for Terry and Coba to follow. "What you want in back. One at a time."

Terry looked at Coba. "You want to go first?"

Batgirl shook her head. "No, you can go if you want."

"Girl first," the woman said. "Then boy."

Coba swallowed hard, nervous from the woman's quick response. McGinnis was apprehensive as well, but he and Brooklyn both realized that their mentor would not have sent them as civilians if he thought something was wrong. The girl followed the stranger into the building. She was led into a room with wood flooring, and a wooden bridge arching over an indoor pond, lily pads and lotus flowers floating on the surface. "Wait here," the woman instructed before exiting.

Apprehension started to fill the small teen at being left alone in a strange place. She took a deep breath as she looked at the pond, remembering the times she had been left in strange places but came out unscathed. Those are my favorite strange places. Yet, there's something off about this one...

She instinctively jumped to the side as slight padding on the floor reached her ears shortly before a small shriek did. The end of a bo staff was stabbed in the water as a young man landed where Coba had been standing. As he turned with intent to hit her, she kicked him backwards, then back flipped away when another individual moved to hit her. She used her forearms to block his staff, then ducked and swiped his feet out from under him. Coba grabbed his weapon as he fell and dropped it, jabbing it to her left behind her as the first assailant came at her with a vengeance, catching him in the gut. A third boy kicked her lower legs when she was still focusing on her first opponent, causing her to hit the ground hard and lose hold of the staff. Reclaiming his weapon, he tried to pin her down with his foot, but she rolled out of the way.

"Enough!"

Brooklyn looked up to see the woman from the shop was standing near the doorway. The boy standing beside Coba bowed to the woman, as did the first two attackers. With a start, Coba realized that the woman was now wearing the same martial arts uniform the boys were. The woman approached her and helped her stand. "Bruce was right," she said. "You've got the moves, kid, but you lack confidence. I noticed this before and after your performance."

"Performance?" Coba echoed in confusion. "I was defending myself and fighting back."

"Exactly." She looked at the girl's right leg. "You know how to compensate for your weak foot, as well. It's clear that you've had training before, even though I was already told."

"Yes, my grandfather taught me." Batgirl's eyes widened as she looked at the woman once more. "Kairi Tanaga?"

Kairi bowed. "That I am." She straightened once more. "Bruce and I trained under the same sensei. Now I run this dojo."

Another question came to Coba's mind. "What happened to your accent?"

"Helps sell fish," Tanaga smirked.

Coba grinned as well. I like her already. Terry would too... wait, where is he?

"I'll get your brother in a minute, Brooklyn," Kairi stated, reading Coba's worries from her sudden frown. "First, I want to show you something." She opened the door, revealing the main room of the dojo and the rest of her students, who were training hard. Kairi noticed Coba's gaze fall on a particular student. "Zander is one of my most advanced students," she said.

With terrifying precision, Zander kicked the head off of a practice mannequin, sending it flying in Kairi and Coba's direction. Coba felt a sense of foreboding as she caught the head and looked back at Zander. Something's not right about Zander, she thought. I know it's just a mannequin, but he's so cold in his execution. And, there's something odd about his gaze, like he looks down on everyone.

The old woman pat the girl's shoulder, noticing her discomfort. "Don't worry so much, kid. He won't hurt fellow students. I assume you wish me to teach you more? Bruce told me your grandfather ran out of lessons a while ago."

The small teen paused, thinking it over. Even though she would be training under the same roof as Zander, she still needed said training, knowing that getting better would ensure a victory against Kobra's goons should she face them again. "I would," she answered at last.

"Will you follow my instructions without question?"

"Absolutely," Coba nodded.

"Good." Kairi handed a few unused uniforms to Coba, then gestured to another student. "Please show Brooklyn to a changing room so she can find one that fits better," she instructed. "I will see to her brother."

~!~

The girl turned her head a bit as she heard someone walk in. She suppressed a grunt as she recognized the newcomer. Terry.

"Hey, sis," McGinnis greeted. "How are you holding up?"

"With a crutch," Brooklyn answered bluntly.

Terry looked at her. "Very funny. You know what I mean."

"I'm fine," she lied, though she knew her half-brother would know she was.

"You're not fine," he said as gently as he could. "You've been distant, moody. And you're causing your body more pain than you know it can handle."

Coba looked at him, narrowing her eyes in irritation. "How would you know how much pain it can handle?"

The young man did not flinch at her tone. "We've been close to each other for the past five years and have fought side by side for about three. I've taken note of your expressions when you're in pain—and what levels they are at. And I'm also counting the ones you've made when you almost died in my arms."

Brooklyn stared at her half-brother for a moment, then relaxed her gaze with a sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry, bro," she apologized.

McGinnis pat her shoulder. "It's okay. You thinking about Kairi?"

She paused briefly, but nodded. "Yeah. I just..." Coba sighed again. "I just wish I'd been quicker, been better... That I'd saved her."

"I know, sis. I wish I'd saved her, too." Terry looked down. "But she knew what was at stake and what had to be done. Just as the rest of us did."

"And she felt responsible for what happened with Zander," Coba added solemnly. "Then again, so did we." She looked at the floor. "Doesn't make handling what happened any easier. No matter what anyone says."

Terry gave her a small hug, careful not to hurt either of his or her cracked ribs. "I know."

The siblings turned their heads as Richard Grayson and Bruce came from behind the grandfather clock at the back of the room. "How are you feeling?" Grayson asked both teens.

"Fine," the young Batman stated.

Batgirl shrugged a little and turned, trying to avoid their sympathetic glances. "Been better."

"You should be in bed, Coba," Grayson chided. "You know what Mark said about the nanobots."

"Yeah, I know." Her friend Mark Wilson—also the hero Silverstar—had created nanobots to increase the pace of healing, but the patient had to rest a lot for the healing to work properly. But it's too hard to rest when I keep seeing Kairi's final moments whenever I close my eyes, she thought sadly.

Dick carefully touched her shoulder. "Come on, kid. I'll help you up there."

"Why not let her use the couch?" Terry asked. "Then she wouldn't have to use the stairs."

"Good point."

"Though, something's telling me not to use it," Coba said.

"Your stubbornness?" her half-brother joked.

She shook her head. Her sharp hearing picked up the sound of a vehicle approaching from a couple of miles away. "Maybe it has to do with whoever's coming to visit?"

Grayson looked at Bruce. "Were you expecting anyone?"

Bruce shook his head. "This is as much a surprise to me as it is to you."

Coba peered out the large windows once more, narrowing her eyes to see a swift spot grow in size as it neared the manor. "Someone on a motorcycle," she said gruffly. "Just one, though; I don't see any others following it."

"Not an invasion, then," Terry said with a bit of relief. No way could my ribs handle more cracks right now, he thought.

"Don't get your hopes too high," Grayson cautioned. "Just one could cause trouble."

The two teens watched as the motorcycle came to a stop in front of the garage. Terry blinked in surprise when the rider pulled their helmet off. "Uh, Bruce?"

"What?" the old man asked.

"Know anyone with a bald green head?"

"A few. What's the mask color?"

"Dark blue," Coba replied.

McGinnis looked at Wayne. "How did you know they're wearing a mask?"

"He's Bruce," Coba said bluntly.

Her half-brother stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "Can't argue with that logic."

"You really can't," Nightwing confirmed.

Bruce opened the door after the bell had been rung. "Leonardo."

"Hello, Bruce," the turtle replied with a respectful bow. "It's been a while."

"Indeed. Come on in."

Leo walked into his old friend's home, looking around. "I see you haven't redecorated in forty years," he commented. He looked to the side as a deep growl sounded off from near the couch. "Though you clearly have an improved home security system."

"How dare you call me a system?" Ace growled.

"Because you respond to commands like one?" a giant pouched-rat retorted.

The turtle raised an eye ridge. "A talking dog and rat that are not mutant, in Wayne Manor? Now I've seen everything."

The rat looked at Ace. "Seriously? Why is it so hard to see our communicators?"

"Because Coba made them small to freak out people who don't know at first?" the large dog suggested.

"Yeah, probably."

Coba... what an odd name, Leo thought.

"My mother named me. And I can hear your thoughts," Coba said sharply, causing him to look at her in surprise.

"Coba, manners," Grayson reprimanded.

Brooklyn looked down. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"It's alright," Leonardo replied. "I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to offend you."

"I know."

Bruce walked over to the group. "Leonardo, this is Richard Grayson, Terrence McGinnis, and Coba Brooklyn. Dick, Terry, Coba, this is Leonardo Splinterson," he introduced, looking to each person in turn.

Terry was intrigued. "A turtle splicer? Didn't know anyone would want to be, since turtles are slow."

"He's not a splicer," Coba and Bruce said just as Leo replied "I'm not a splicer."

"I'm a mutant turtle," the blue-masked visitor clarified. "My brothers, our sensei and I were exposed to alien mutagen over fifty years ago."

"Brothers?" Grayson asked. "How many?"

"Three."

"And I thought having two siblings was rough," Terry muttered.

"What is a splicer?"

"A human spliced with mammal or reptilian DNA to gain physical traits of the chosen specimen," Coba responded gravely. "For example, the eyes of a feline or even the physique, horns and fur of a bull. Splicing had been made public by Doctor Abel Cuvier, but was almost immediately made illegal when the splicers started showing increased signs of aggression, as well as when a few of them attacked the district attorney and the police commissioner."

The dark blue-eyed visitor listened in interest, and noticed Terry shift uneasily when the girl mentioned the attack on the commissioner and district attorney. He must've been there when it happened, he speculated. "How did you know I wasn't a splicer before being told?"

"For one thing, you haven't shown signs of aggression towards us, notably when I'd been rude. For another, my mind-reading." Coba frowned. "I apologize for that. I have yet to control it." She sobered. "Also, I sense you and Bruce had met decades before splicing became public, before Cuvier was at the age of creating it."

"That's right," he nodded. "You're perceptive, aren't you, Brooklyn-chan?"

Coba merely shrugged and ducked her head in embarrassment.

"What brings you to Gotham?" Bruce asked Leo.

The turtle paused. He had thought about how to tell them of his vision as he rode over, but seeing exactly who he was addressing caused the words to be stuck in his throat. The sight of the two injured teens gave him the sense that they had been with his late friend during her last stand. And how can I explain about seeing her spirit without confusing them? he thought. He looked at Coba as he thought this. If she had heard his thoughts that time, he did not know, as her expression had already seemed troubled. "I... I came to pay my respects to Kairi," he said at last.

The first Batman nodded sagely. "I see. What about your brothers?"

"They may come in a while," Leo answered. "I don't know for sure, though."

He realized something. "Hang on a second: how did you know about Kairi's death? I thought we kept it a secret to keep from freaking the other students out."

Coba looked at Terry. "We did, but I sense he found out another way." She looked at the visitor once more, her cobalt blue and copper-spotted gaze meaningful. "Isn't that right?"

She did hear me, then, Leonardo realized. "Yes. Her spirit came to me during meditation."

McGinnis and Grayson were surprised, though Wayne and Brooklyn remained grim. "Your connection with the spirit realm always has been strong, Leonardo," Bruce noted. "But she asked you something that's troublesome to you, didn't she?"

"Still quite the detective," Leo murmured. He raised his voice once more. "She asked me to complete the training of two of her students, both allies of yours." He looked at Terry and Coba. "I assume she meant these two."

"Makes sense," Bruce stated. "They both still have much to learn."

"Well, I do," Terry scoffed. He gestured to Coba. "Miss Mind-sponge over here probably already learned everything."

Coba did not even smile at her half-brother's jest. "If Kairi says I still need teaching, then I still need teaching. Though... I'd rather not have another sensei."

"If you say so, sunshine."

The girl's lack of humor coupled with the young man's comments made the turtle realize what was going on. Something's wrong with her.

A number of things are, actually, Coba's voice rang in his head.

Terry glared at her upon seeing Leo's bewildered expression. "What are you doing, sis? Trying to freak him out?"

"What? No! Not intentionally."

"Or are you trying to figure out if he's telling the truth about Kairi's spirit?"

"That's not it at all!" Coba exclaimed defensively.

"Then why are you so on edge about the topic? Hasn't her spirit come to you yet? Has your mother's since last week?"

"Enough, McGinnis," Dick warned. He knew Terry had just stepped into dangerous territory, and knew Terry himself should have been well aware.

Batgirl's face was one of sorrow mixed with rage and guilt. Her mother, Natalie Brooklyn, was murdered when Coba was eleven years old, but her spirit sometimes visited Coba in dreams or spoke to her when the girl was awake. Natalie had warned her of the events surrounding Kairi's death, but Coba was unable to prevent it. The small teen feared that her failure caused Natalie to not visit her, and was afraid that it also resulted in Kairi not speaking to her either. How dare Terry shove her feelings back into her face? But maybe I deserve it...

"Answer me!" her brother pressed.

"I need some space," Coba said sharply, turning to the grandfather clock. Leonardo already knows where the cave is, she knew. Upon moving the clock, she entered the cave, limping down the stone steps as the clock closed behind her.

Idiot, Leo thought of Terry as he looked at the boy. Bruce seemed to think so as well, as the old man smacked the teen on the back of the head.

"I'll talk to her," Grayson said, starting to go after his granddaughter.

Leo stopped him. "No, I'll talk to her in a minute," he replied grimly. "It's partially my fault she's upset right now, and like she said; she needs some space for a moment."

Nightwing hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded. "Okay." Even though you hardly know her, he thought.

"How did you know Kairi?" Terry inquired Leo. He looked downcast for upsetting his half-sister, but there was also some curiosity in his gaze.

The green turtle paused thoughtfully. "It was a typical night. My brothers and I were patrolling near the shipyard in Manhattan when…"

Sorry for that cliff-hanger, but this chapter was already running really long. How exactly did the turtles meet Kairi? That will be revealed in the next chapter...

In mind-bopping 3D!

Wait, what?

Okay, maybe not in 3D... And maybe not mind-bopping... Then again, it's too soon to tell if it is or not.

As for Terry calling Coba a "mind-sponge," he's referencing how quickly she catches on to lessons from others.

The character Mark Wilson/Silverstar was created by Silverlynx13. Silver had given me permission to use him in my stories.

Please leave a review and have a good rest of your day!