"Father, what is this?!" Dick heard a feminine voice demand, and he pried his eyes open. His sharp blue orbs took in the bookshelves surrounding him, the comfy sofa he was laying on, and the lit fire place across from him. The panic of being in an unfamiliar setting caused him to jolt up, but catching sight of familiar grey streaked and green eyes, he relaxed slightly, though his cheeks burned with embarrassment. He barely remembered the journey to wherever he was now, and if waking up in Ra's study was anything to go by, he must have fallen asleep at some point.

A flash of anxiety made his heart rate pick up, and for the millionth time he wondered if he had gone mad. His mind wasn't in the rate place after his parents... left, and for all he knew, Ra's took advantage of his emotions so that he could kidnap him without a struggle. What the man was planning, he was unsure, but he knew that he took a huge risk by letting him take him to an unknown area. If Dick wasn't dead by morning, it would be an absolute miracle.

Ra's acknowledged his waking with a nod in his direction, before turning towards the shorter female next to him. "This is Richard Grayson, a potential ally I have found within Gotham City."

The woman gave him such a steely glare that Dick cowered away from, but Ra's remained unfazed. "Why is he here?! He is far too young to be trained in the ways of an assassin."

"Nonsense. The new recruit of the Shadows, Crock, has proved to be a worthy ally to us yet she is also under the age of adulthood."

"Jade Nguyen is a teenager, father, with experience in our line of work from her history with her parents. The boy laying on your couch as if he owns it is simply a child, one who cannot possibly hold his own against our opponents!"

Dick frowned as he sat up straighter, mildly offended by her words. Being a child didn't automatically mean that he was totally helpless. His parents taught him basic self defense, and he was certain he could take a man down if he put his mind to it. This argument was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back, not wanting to be rude. Even if they kidnapped him for whatever reason, he wasn't about to be impolite when his mother had ingrained it into his head that he had to have manners at all times.

"With months of training under his belt, I am certain that Grayson's skills will be equal to those of our other allies," Ra's replied calmly, a flash of annoyance making an appearance in his eyes. "Are you questioning me, Talia?"

The woman, Talia, averted her eyes. "Of course not. I am simply worried you have made a decision without thinking it through. You disappeared without a trace, remained missing all day, and then you returned with a slumbering child in your arms. Excuse me if I am a little hesitant to accept this new development."

"You believe I have made an error in judgement." He sounded amused, not offended. "As plausible as that could be, that is not the case. Grayson's performance in his circus act was all the evidence I need to determine that he will be a dangerous asset to either side he chooses to be on, and I took it upon myself to push him in the direction of ours. While I could have been mistaken, it is my strong belief that in time he will become the heir that I have been looking for."

Heir? Dick blinked slowly. Ra's never mentioned anything about being an heir when they last spoke. This was supposed to be a temporary housing arrangement, right?

Talia's eyes widened. "Heir? What happened to Bru- Wayne? Is he no longer worthy to lead your crusade when your time on this Earth is up?"

Catching the confused look on Dick's face, Ra's turned to face him. "We will discuss your possible role as heir later, but as for Bruce Wayne, he was my first choice as my heir."

"Bruce Wayne?" Dick racked his brain for any memory of that name. "Isn't he a millionaire in Gotham City? Wait, he was supposed to watch the circus performance in Gotham!"

Ra's nodded, looking displeased. "Yes, that would be who I am referring to. Wayne came to me years ago, seeking training in order to bring fear in the hearts of the criminals of his city. The corruption in Gotham was too much for the police to handle on their own, and Wayne's hatred of crime that developed when he was a boy led him to seek other means of cleansing his city. His travels eventually brought him to me, and I taught him everything I possibly could." A look of annoyance crossed his face. "I saw potential in him, and I offered him the position of heir. I was in no way expecting him to decline it, especially not with his refusal to kill being his reasoning. After this, we parted ways, and he then returned to Gotham to become-"

"Father, that is a secret-"

"- a hero by the name of 'Batman.' I am sure you have heard of him, correct?"

Dick managed to process this new information fairly quickly, and his eyes lit up with awe. "Righ- er, correct." He smiled shyly, still unsure about opening up towards this man. "I've heard about all of the heroes in America! There's Batman, Superman, Flash, Green-"

"Yes, thank you." Talia interrupted sourly. "Father, I thought we were to keep Wayne's secret to the grave! How are you to convince him to join us if we break our vows of secrecy?"

"Were you not paying attention to my words, Talia? Wayne is no longer my concern. I will keep his secret from his enemies, yes, but I no longer need him by my side. Even if Grayson does not take his rightful place as heir, I am now aware that Wayne will never join us willingly, and I have grown weary of hearing him decline my gracious offer time and time again. I am aware of your emotional attachment to Wayne, but you must cut ties with him now. He has never been, nor will ever be our ally, and from now on you are forbidden from interacting with him in any way."

Talia's mouth fell open. "But father-"

"This discussion is over. Leave us, so that Grayson and I may finally discuss his plans for the future."

With an enraged snarl, Talia turned heel and stalked out of the office, slamming the door shut behind her. Dick flinched at the loud noise, and frowned after her. "I don't think she likes me very much."

Ra's also stared at the door. "Do not fret, child. She is simply lashing out against my decision to cut ties with Wayne. If Wayne were to be my heir, the plan was for him to marry my daughter, a plan which appealed to Talia both logically and emotionally."

"Oh..." he gave him an alarmed look as he realized something. "Does this mean I have to marry her?"

A snort of amusement eased some of the tension he had. "No, child, you will not have to marry Talia."

He sighed in relief. "Good. I don't want to kiss someone who doesn't like me."

Ra's actually laughed at that, and the sound was surprisingly warm for someone who acted so coldly. "Ah, I have long since forgotten the innocence of a child as young as yourself. While that may cause problems in some areas of your training, I believe we can work around it."

"Um, okay..." He wasn't sure what Ra's meant, but he didn't want to make the man believe he was stupid. "So you said you were going to talk to me about my future?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "I believe I might have confused you tonight, since it was only a few hours ago that I told you our alliance would be a temporary one."

Dick nodded. "It's a little confusing. You said that you would train me to avenge my parents, but after that I would have to decide what I'll do."

Ra's smiled slightly at his proof of memory. "Correct, and I still stand by that now. I will teach you how to take the life of your parents' killer, and when you are done, I will give you the same offer I presented to Wayne."

The thought of spilling someone else's blood made him feel nauseous, but he ignored it. "You mean... becoming your heir?" He bit his lip. "I don't know much about you. How am I supposed to decide if I want to be your heir or not?"

"It's simple: during your time here, when you are not otherwise occupied, I will teach you of our ways. By the time you are ready to avenge your parents, you will know enough about myself and the League to make your decision."

Dick thought it over, and decided that it made sense. Almost all thoughts of kidnapping have left his mind at this point, as there were no signs of Ra's wishing to harm him. And since he no longer had a home, what was stopping him from giving this man a chance? If Ra's was telling the truth, then Dick wouldn't be held prisoner if he didn't want to stay where he was.

The only thing he was hesitant about was killing, but he didn't let himself think about it too much. Ra's was right, his parents' killer didn't deserve to live only to could continue murdering people and orphaning children. Dick would make sure that justice would be served, at least for them.

"Okay, I guess I understand." He nodded in confirmation. "So do I get to ask questions so that I can learn?"

"Of course, but not tonight. I fear that I have kept you up late enough already, and sleep will be an important factor in your training. We wouldn't want your mind to be too foggy to fight, do we?"

"No. That would make me sloppy, wouldn't it?" Ra's nodded, and Dick nibbled on his lip again. "Okay, but can I ask just one question? Please?"

"Never beg, Grayson," Ra's said sharply. "It makes you seem weak."

"S-sorry."

"It is fine. Your parents must have taught you that saying please is polite, didn't they? We will discuss this later on, but you must learn the importance of when to forgo being polite, and when it is advantageous." He studied him. "As for your question, I do not have an argument against just one inquiry before I lead you to your living quarters. What is it?"

"Well, um, earlier you said that Batman isn't your ally, but isn't he a hero? I thought you would work with him to get rid of crime, or something..."

"I am no hero, child, so never mistake me for one. The best word to describe what I am would be a vigilante, but even that doesn't fully define me. Batman and the newly formed Justice League are similar to myself, but they lack the conviction to be able to fully accomplish their goal, which is to fight crime." He frowned bitterly. "They refuse to take a life, and that is what holds them back."

"But... aren't they kind of right? Can't we just put criminals in prison?"

An annoyed puff of air came through his nose. "So that they can simply break out and continue wrecking havoc? Grayson, I understand your appreciation for human life, but your young age hinders you with inexperience. While in your time in Gotham, how many crimes did you hear about? How often did your parents advice you to stay within their line of sight? Many times, I'm sure. Have you wondered why? It's because in Gotham, their deranged criminals are locked in an asylum they continuously break out of, instead of executed. Batman and the police have no hope for redeeming their criminally insane, yet they do so because of their twisted moral code. The criminals break out, kill dozens of people, are sent back to their cells, and then what? They break out again, and more innocents are killed. Do you believe this is the right thing to do?"

"I..." He shook his head. "No," he whispered softly.

He nodded in approval. "Then you are above the League already." He glanced outside, where fat snowflakes fell and collected on the ground. For the first time, Dick wondered where they were. "My hatred for the League runs deep, and as a result I have been consulting with a group of villains in order to rid the world of these heroes for good. They have been able to get in the way of my crusade for far too long, and as a result I have no choice but to annihilate them."

"But you can't work with bad guys!" Dick exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief and terror. "They kill people!"

"I am aware of this, but certain sacrifices must be made in order to achieve peace. Do you understand?"

"... No, not really," he admitted, shuffling his feet. "But you're a lot smarter than me, so you must know what you're talking about."

His words were met with another half smile. "Do not fret, dear child, you will understand eventually. After all, I will be teaching you all that I know." He glanced outside again. "I'm afraid I cannot ignore the time any longer, and must bring you to your chambers. Come along."

Dick nodded obediently, and pushed himself off of the sofa. As his worn out shoes touched the ground, a sudden realization of how rich Ra's must have been hit him. Everything surrounding him, from the chandelier above them to the silk curtains for the windows, they belonged to a wealthy man. Dick himself wore his trapeze costume, which was beautiful of course, but it came no where near the price range of anything in Ra's study. The boy's cheeks burned with something akin to embarrassment; his family wasn't wealthy in any shape or form, so did that make him unworthy to train with Ra's? Was that why Talia was so against his presence?

Before his thoughts could wander too far, he suddenly found his feet being swept out from under him, and his back connected to the ground with a loud thud. Blue orbs blinked up at the grey haired man standing above him, who rose his eyebrows expectantly. "Yes?" He asked innocently.

Dick narrowed his eyes and jumped back up to his feet again, not averting his eyes from the man. "Why did you do that?"

"I do not believe I know what you are talking about." Ra's said smoothly, something flashing in his green eyes. "Now, enough games. Get to the door, and then I shall bring you to your living quarters."

Was this a test? "All I have to do is get to the door?" There was no reply, just a small smirk. Well fine then. Dick has been a pro at getting past people bigger than himself, his history involving games they played at the circus. Ra's was older than a lot of the adults at the circus, so it wouldn't be much of a challenge to at least get past him to go to the door.

Without wasting another second, Dick bolted to the right. Ra's didn't even twitch, even as he ran straight past him. A grin appeared on his face as the door came into arm's reach. Take that, Tali-

He was suddenly flying through the air.

Panic filled Dick's lungs as he flew backwards, and the breath was knocked out of his lungs as he crashed into the sofa he occupied earlier. His body bounced off of the cushions, and he nearly fell forward onto the floor, but Ra's was apparently in front of him and managed to grab his shoulders to keep him in place. "I apologize Grayson, but you may not spend the night in here. I have plenty of work to do, and I wouldn't wish to wake you. Please go to the door so I may bring you to your chambers."

Dick blinked slowly, and shook his head in hopes of clearing away his shock. "Wha- How did you move so fast?! I didn't even hear you coming behind me!"

Ra's tilted his head. "I assure you, I have no idea what you are speaking of."

Dick frowned and stood again, eyeing the man warily. Okay, so he made the mistake of underestimating Ra's because of his age, but he wouldn't make that mistake again. If he wanted to pass whatever test this was, he would have to think outside of the box. He glanced around the room, trying to find something to assist him in his goal. All weapons were out of question, since Ra's already hinted that he was an expert with those, and also because Dick didn't even know how to hold a knife. He would have to get past Ra's with his own skills.

Determined, Dick climbed back up to his feet and watched as Ra's returned to his earlier spot. With a sharp inhale, Dick ran straight at the older male, gaze locked with his. When he was only a few inches in front of him, Dick changed directions with a cartwheel and when he was fully behind Ra's, he bolted towards the oak door.

It was then that he felt something happen.

Dick's pulse quickened, and his fingertips buzzed uncomfortably. He didn't know why, but he was absolutely certain that he needed to be apprehensive of the man behind him. Time moved in slow motion as he spun around, and he was met with the sight of Ra's speeding towards him. Dick unintentionally let out a squeak of surprise as he dove to the side, just barely able to avoid being grabbed again. As Ra's halted and turned towards him, Dick unsteadily charged at him and jumped onto his back.

Just as his fingertips brushed against the wood, he was yanked backwards.

Blinking up at Ra's from his spot on the floor, he nearly missed the pleased grin that made a fleeting appearance. "Excellent, you managed to touch the door, did you not? I must say I am impressed. I expected for you to have to train before accomplishing such a feat."

Ra's offered him a hand, and Dick was pulled back onto his feet. Still dazed from how fast everything occurred, Dick would have fallen over if the man didn't support his weight. "What was that?" Dick asked, startled. "Why did everything...?" His sentence fell short, as he had no words to describe what had happened.

"What you experienced was pure instinct, child. In order to allow you to get yourself out of danger, your brain slowed your surroundings and made you hyper aware of what was happening. It is a skill we of the League of Shadows use often. Your ability to use this without any training only adds on to my belief that you will be a valuable asset to our cause, if you choose to remain with us of course."

His eyebrows came together. "So they're like my hero instincts?"

Ra's laughed, but it was cold, and sent shivers down Dick's spine. "If anything, they would be called your assassin instincts. We are not heroes here, if you recall."

The word assassin only reminded him of the blood he would be expected to spill, and he swallowed. "C-can they be vigilante instincts?"

Eyebrows rose in response. "I suppose you could may them that, if being an assassin still displeases you." He studied him carefully. "Your resistance to killing will take some time to work through, but for now I believe you have earned a good night's sleep."

Dick squinted at him, tensing at the mentioning of sleep. "I don't have to get past you again, do I?"

There was another chuckle, but this one was noticeably warmer than the last. "No child, that will not be necessary. You have already proved yourself for the night. Come," he led the way to the door, and when Dick hesitated, Ra's stepped out into the hallway to wait for him. When Dick exited the room, Ra's put a hand on his shoulder and steered him down the hall. "Do not be alarmed, but when you wake there will likely be guards standing outside of your chambers. They will not bring you any harm, as they will be there for your protection. While you slumber, I will hold a meeting with my most trusted men, and your existence will be known to most of the League by tomorrow evening."

"Um, okay..." He frowned as he had to pick up his pace to match Ra's. "But why do I need protection?" He gnawed at his lip. "Does Talia really hate me that much?"

"No, it is not Talia I am concerned for. I believe there will be members of our organization who will be jealous of your status as heir." He squeezed his shoulder. "Rest assured that any act of defiance towards my decision of you becoming my heir will be treated as an act of treason. Anyone who so much as says an empty threat towards you will regret it."

Dick's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He didn't even agree to being the heir yet, and his life was already in danger because of it? He leaned towards Ra's subconsciously, seeking comfort. Not only was his own life in danger, but anyone who disliked him would be hurt if they did anything. Dick went from being a circus orphan to an important assassin in training, and the change was enough to make his head spin. Gosh, he didn't know if he would be able to handle all of this. But Ra's had been so nice to him... he let him stay in his home, offered to train him, and even wanted him to become his heir. Dick didn't want to disappoint him.

"Okay," he said quietly just as they stopped in front of another door. "Is this my room?"

"Yes. You will find a lavatory inside, and a wardrobe as well, though there are no clothes inside just yet. Before tomorrow's training, we will have you fitted for appropriate clothing. You may keep your trapeze uniform if you wish, but know that you likely won't have an opportunity to wear it again." He turned the knob and pushed the door open, revealing a dark room with a large bed in the center. A black wooded wardrobe sat in one corner of the room, and a flat screen television was set up across the bed. "Your television is connected to the internet. If you have enough spare time, you are allowed to search for whatever it is you would wish to watch. If anything costs money, there is a credit card on your nightstand. Do what you wish with that, but do not order anything."

"...okay." Dick was already certain he wouldn't spend a single penny on that card unless absolutely necessary.

Ra's nodded. "I shall see you a little after dawn for breakfast. Farewell, Grayson."

Dick was suddenly standing alone in the doorway, watching Ra's retreat back to his study. "... Goodnight, Ra's," he whispered, though it seemed to echo throughout the hallway. The man's right hand twitched in acknowledgment, and then he disappeared through the door to his study. Dick bit his lip and entered his own room, awkwardly closing the door behind him. The darkness inside the large space made a knot form in his stomach, and it took all of his willpower to cross the space it took to get to the bed. "This room is probably bigger than my parents' entire trailer," he whispered to himself, crawling under the covers and hiding his head under one of the pillows. "Everything is so big now... even me." He squeezed his eyes shut, inhaling the unfamiliar scent that hung in the air. He could barely wrap his mind around all of the changes in his life, and he couldn't imagine a time where any of this would seem normal to him.

As he compared notes between his two different lives, he finally realized that he never said goodbye to the circus troupe. Everyone probably thought that he had ran away and died somewhere, maybe eaten by a wild animal or something. The thought saddened Dick, but Ra's had told him that he would have to disappear, so he fought back his depression. It would be safer for everyone if Dick cut ties with Haley and everyone else. He wouldn't want them to get hurt because of him.

As Dick curled into a tight ball, he wondered if he made the right decision in joining Ra's. He had nothing and everything at the same time, no family ties and nothing familiar, yet all of the wealth and power he could ask for. Which one was better? He would say the circus, but without his parents, nothing would ever be the same there. And it wasn't like everything about his new life was terrible; in fact, he should be grateful for the opportunity he was presented with. Now, he would be able to avenge his parents, had wealth his parents could only dream of, and would be trained to be a fearless warrior. Even though Talia and the others wouldn't like him, Ra's seemed to enjoy his company. Was that enough to make him happy? It would have to be, he decided as he started to drift off; after tonight, there was no hopes of him being able to return to the life of a civilian. It would pain him to return to his old life knowing he could have stayed with Ra's and change the world.

Sure, killing wasn't something he was looking forward to, but he didn't have any other choice. It wasn't like the Justice League took in inexperienced children, after all.

Dick fell asleep.

xXx

AN: Thank you all so much for your reviews last chapter! It means a lot to me. :)

I realized that I did not specify what pairing I am using for this story, but I am now letting everyone know that this story is strictly Birdflash. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is Kid Flash x Robin, or Wally West x Dick Grayson. If you don't like it, don't read this story.

While the pairing is definitely Birdflash (don't ask me to change it, or I will get annoyed), it won't actually happen until later on, since I dislike having pure romance stories. Since it will be a while since Dick encounters the Team, it will take even longer for the ship to have a chance to sail. Do not expect to see Kid Flash zooming around anytime soon.

Sorry for the long AN. I hope to see everyone next chapter!