punkish furball – Hey, guys! ^.^

Words to Ponder:

I hope you all like where the story is going thus far. I hope I got the personalities of Kaldur, Robin, and Wally down. If you have any comments to help me improve, let me know.

Thank you for reviewing: Suzume Batchii Taichi, Ukitakes luver, TsukiyoTenshi, Mistress Belfray, inuluvskags1, leslie2132, redangel2463, Dark Inu Fan, HalfBlackWolfDemon, falcon1loam, Jessica, Bunny.W.K, XxHisLilLoverGirlxX, Lizzy Cornett, MyworldMyImagination (2x), Foxluna, Loveless642, Riddlestyx, inuyashamikogirl26, BatmanFanatic123, and Ground-Cinnamon! XD

Chapter 2

Friday, June 4, 2010

During their return to the manor, Jaken made a point to chastise Kagome her reckless and uncouth behavior as a ward of the esteemed Sesshomaru-sama. She dutifully tuned him out and made a mental note to check the weather report before walking out on her grumpy caretaker again.

After arriving home, taking a nice, warm bath, and changing into comfortable pajamas, she was as good as new. Kagome took a seat at her desk as she wrung out the last bit of water from her hair and draped the towel over her shoulders.

'I'm glad Kaldur-kun had fun today,' she thought, 'He seems like the kind of guy who needs to loosen up a bit.'

Abruptly, Kagome called out, "I know you're in the hallway, so just come in."

As she expected, Shippo strode into her room and plopped down on her bed, making the mattress droop. Kagome discreetly rolled her eyes before reaching into her backpack and pulling out her schoolbooks. Since she had her bag back, she might as well get some work done.

"So how did it go?" he pointedly asked. It was clear he'd been waiting all day to grill her on the subject.

"Fine," she answered without bothering to look in his direction.

"'Fine'?" he repeated incredulously, "You ditch Jaken for hours, come home soaking wet, and all you have to say for yourself is 'fine'?"

"Yup," she replied, tossing him a cheeky grin over her shoulder.

Shippo smirked. "You really like this guy, don't you?"

"Don't start that," Kagome stated, turning around in her chair with her legs straddling it, "I just happen to find Kaldur-kun interesting."

"How so?"

"He's a really nice guy," she answered, "But there's something else about him."

Shippo hummed suggestively. "Really? Could it be the beginnings of romance you're feeling?"

"I didn't mean it like that," she hastily corrected.

"Then how did you mean it?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think Kaldur-kun is human."

"He's a demon, then?" Shippo asked.

"No, not that," Kagome answered with certainty, "I'm not entirely sure what he is."

She pursed her lips together and started to rock back and forth in her seat.

"Come to think of it, Wally-kun felt different too."

"Wally-kun?"

"He's the other boy that accompanied Wayne-san and his ward. I met him when Jaken-san brought Kaldur-kun to the hotel."

"Is he another unknown like him?"

"Not exactly. What I feel from Wally-kun is different from what I feel from Kaldur-kun," Kagome began, "For the most part, I'd say he's a normal human. Whatever it is I sense from him is extremely faint. It's like he has some kind of mutation or anomaly I've never encountered before."

"So you've met an unknown species and a mutated human," Shippo listed, "What about Wayne-san's ward? Anything off about him?"

"From what I can tell, Richard-kun is completely normal," Kagome deduced.

"Well, that's no fun," he remarked, "Are you gonna ask the other two about their special attributes?"

"No way."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. If they decide to tell me about it themselves, that's fine. But I'm not going to pry in their personal business. I hardly know them after all."

Shippo scoffed. "I never thought I'd hear those words from you, the meddling queen extraordinaire!"

"I do not meddle!" Kagome exclaimed before turning around with a huff.

"Sure you don't," he retorted.

"Goodnight, Shippo," she said, clearly dismissing him.

"Goodnight, Kaa-san."

Without delay, Shippo stood, left her room, and walked toward the stairs. Just before he reached them, he came face to face with Sesshomaru who emerged from an adjacent passage.

"Geez! You scared me!" he exclaimed, dramatically pressing his hand over his heart, "I know you own the place, but give a guy a little warning before you randomly pop up, will ya?"

Sesshomaru snorted. "I should be more concerned that it was so easy to catch you off guard, but you're not who I'm here for. What did Kagome say about today's outing?"

"Well, at the very least, she's a little curious about the teen hero squad," Shippo flippantly commented, condescension lacing his tone, "Kagome can sense the Atlantean and the mutation in Flash Jr. but doesn't see the need to find out more about them, so her interest ends there."

"So she's met the others," Sesshomaru mused, "An interesting development. Did she say anything about their perception of her?"

"No," Shippo answered with a sigh, "but I can guess what it is."

"Is that so?"

"Look, I don't wanna insult your plan here, but cute and charming a superhero does not make. Why would they recruit her based on that? I mean, they are boys, but I think they have enough experience to make decisions without letting their hormones get in the way."

"Tell me, kit," Sesshomaru began, "Have you forgotten what occurs tomorrow?"

"Umm…Friday?" Shippo answered with a puzzled look on his face.

Sesshomaru fought the urge to sigh. It seemed that he would have to walk him through this one. Shippo may have been a competent business partner when it counted, but Sesshomaru always suspected he was low on common sense.

"What occurs every Friday?" Sesshomaru probed.

"Let's see…"

"On Kagome's schedule, kit," Sesshomaru supplied when Shippo hesitated.

"Oh, that narrows it down at bit," Shippo commented, "She gets up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, goes to school, comes home, does homework until she leaves to pick up Sota from soccer prac—"

"And on her way to do so…?" Sesshomaru interrupted.

"And on her way to do so," Shippo repeated slowly, "Kaa-san stops to—oh! You mean the thing!"

"Exactly."

"I forgot all about the thing! They'll be begging her to join them after they see that," Shippo declared, "But how are they going to see that? We aren't even supposed to know about it."

He paused and leaned closer to Sesshomaru with his hand cupped around his mouth as he whispered, "It's Kaa-san's little secret!"

Sesshomaru edged away from Shippo before smirking. "They will simply be at the right place at the right time to see the right thing."

"I see," he realized with a goofy grin on his face, "As always, you'll succeed in bending the entire universe to your indomitable will! Just what I'd expect from the great and terrible Sesshomaru-sama!"

Sesshomaru turned and walked down the hallway before succumbing to his earlier urge and sighing. Centuries have passed, yet the kit was still a kit. How he managed to handle him without Kagome around, he had no clue.

-O0o0O-

Kaldur stepped out of the shower feeling completely refreshed. As much as he liked the water, the sentiment wasn't the same after being soaked in the rain. After changing, he joined Robin and Wally in the living room of their hotel suite on a large couch.

"So spill!" Wally exclaimed as soon as Kaldur took a seat, "How was it?"

"And don't give us the routine mission report you plan on feeding Batman," Robin added.

Kaldur shrugged his shoulders before he answered, "It wasn't exactly a routine mission. I had fun."

"With a cutie like that, I bet you did," Wally commented with a wink.

"By the way," Robin said as he held out Kaldur's jacket, "she brought you this."

"Kagome came to our hotel room?" Kaldur questioned as he took the garment.

"She sure did," Wally answered, "She must really like you to do that in the pouring rain. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous."

Robin rolled his eyes at Wally before directing the conversation to a more serious topic. "So did you see any of Kagome's skills or powers?"

"Not necessarily," Kaldur answered slowly.

"So what's up?" Robin asked.

"I am not entirely sure if this relates to it, but there is a chance she is aware that I'm not human," Kaldur explained.

"That's a surprise. Did you flash your gills or something?" Wally suggested jokingly.

"I did not reveal myself in anyway," Kaldur answered, "Even if I did, Kagome did not directly refer to anything like that. I only suspect she knows because she made a few subtle comments here and there, but for all I know it could have been coincidence."

"Assuming she does know," Robin surmised, "Kagome could be some kind of mind reader or psychic."

"That's what I believe. If she is, I would she is exceptionally skilled. I could not feel her presence in my mind if she entered it at all," Kaldur added, "This is purely speculation on my part."

"And it's the only thing we have to go on so far," Robin said, "We'll just have to test her out. I mean, she has to be able to do something even if she doesn't have a superpower."

"Absolutely," Wally commented, "I mean, there's no way we can recruit an ordinary girl to the Team."

"I do not think Kagome is ordinary," Kaldur confidently stated although he had no proof.

However, if his experience as a young hero taught him anything, it was that sometimes the most common and mundane things held powerful and lethal secrets. It may not be apparent now, but Kaldur was sure Kagome was no different.

"I am not entirely sure," he continued, "but there is something about her."

"Atlantean intuition?" Robin quipped with a grin.

Kaldur chuckled and reclined comfortably in his seat. "You could call it that."

-O0o0O-

Kagome quietly groaned under her breath as she flipped through her math notes with her head and shoulders slumped over her desk. Not for the first time did she attempt to purify them. Sadly, as demonic as her inky scribbles seemed to her, her notebook didn't turn into ashes. She sat up and turned her head to the clock on her side table, glancing at the time.

'It's about time for me to head out anyway,' Kagome thought as she stood from her desk, stretching her arms high above her head. She walked to her closet and grabbed a small black bag hanging on the door handle before slinging it over her shoulder and walking out of her room. On her way out, she passed by Sesshomaru's study and peeked inside. As always, he was focused on his computer and the many documents that littered his desk.

"I'm leaving," she informed the demon, waiting for his usual response.

Sesshomaru briefly looked away from his monitor at Kagome. "Very well. Don't stay out too long. You have an appointment to keep."

"Don't worry about it. I won't."

Thankfully, she didn't forget the arrangement Sesshomaru and Wayne made today. She was just grateful Sesshomaru organized it so her daily chore wouldn't be disturbed.

'Even so, I better not take too long,' she thought as she headed for the front door and exited the mansion, quickly reaching the sidewalk out of the suburbs.

Kagome continued until she reached a small convenience store on a familiar street corner in a less affluent section of the city. Without hesitation, she stepped inside, the bell attached to the front door alerting the store clerk of her entrance. The older woman looked up from the manga she was reading and smiled.

"Hello, Kagome-chan," she cheerfully greeted her, "I knew I'd see you sooner or later."

"Hello, Obaa-san," Kagome said, smiling, "Nice to see you too."

The shop's owner was a short, plump woman with a kind smile and cheerful disposition. When she first stumbled into the shop, she insisted Kagome call her "obaa-san" and entertained her with all sorts of stories. The convenience store quickly became one of the places she frequented along with the beach even if Obaa-san was one of her more eccentric acquaintances.

'Maybe Sesshomaru and Shippo are right. I do have a collection of friends,' Kagome thought absently.

"The bathroom is all yours," Obaa-san told her, pointing to the back of the shop.

"Thank you."

After a few minutes in the restroom, Kagome emerged dressed in a black boys' uniform with her hair tied in a low ponytail at the base of her neck. She walked back to the counter and handed her bag to Obaa-san which now contained her usual school uniform.

"I know I can trust you to keep this safe," Kagome stated.

"Of course, dear," Obaa-san replied with a small grin as she took the bag, "It never ceases to amaze me how cute you look dressed as a boy. It reminds me of Hana-Kimi, but I'm glad you didn't cut off all that gorgeous hair like Mizuki-chan!"

Kagome giggled, lightly bobbing her raven head. "I had no idea you liked shojo manga so much, Obaa-san."

"I'm not long for this world, so an old woman like me needs some source of pleasure in this lifetime!" she retorted with a crooked grin.

"I believe the saying is that only the good die young, so you probably don't have as little time remaining as you think," Kagome countered, her joking tone evident.

"If that's true, I'll have you to keep me company until then. I can see behind that innocent mask you put on for everyone else; I know a fellow troublemaker when I see one!"

"And here I thought trouble always followed me."

Kagome stepped to the door and looked over her shoulder. "I'll be back soon."

"Of course, dear. Come back in one piece, and I'll have a little something for you and your brother when you do."

Kagome nodded once before leaving the shop. She walked down the street for a number of blocks until she reached her destination, a large recreational park with an adjacent soccer field. Looking beyond the surrounding chain link fence, she saw Sota standing with a group of friends and his coach.

"Hey, squirt!" she called, making her voice sound as deep as possible.

Sota turned from his teammates and rushed up to meet Kagome at the gate.

"Kazuo-onii-sama!" he greeted her happily.

Kagome smiled at her assumed male name; it was her late father's so she found it a very fitting title for her alternative persona.

"You ready to go?" she asked him.

"Yup."

Sota turned and waved goodbye to his teammates before walking away alongside Kagome.

"How was practice?" Kagome asked.

"Great!" Sota answered, "I've improved my blocking techniques, so coach is going to let me be goalie next game."

"Good for you," she commented, "How's everything else? Has anyone been bothering you?"

"Nope," he answered wearing a wide grin, "Not since my onii-sama showed up and kicked everyone's ass!"

Kagome bopped Sota on the head. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop cursing?"

Despite her reprimand, she grinned. Compared to her, Sota fared much worse when he transferred to his new school. He immediately had a problem with bullying and was reluctant to tell anyone about it. As soon as Kagome found out, she wasn't going to tolerate it and wanted to step in to solve the problem for good. However, it would have only made matters worse for Sota if his older sister had to protect him. On the other hand, having an older brother do the same thing wasn't nearly as bad. And so, Kagome acquired a boys' uniform and created Higurashi Kazuo, local street fighter and a force to be reckoned with. The perfect person to scare off the most persistent bullies.

'Of course, bullies have older brothers too,' Kagome mentally added.

She had no choice but to fight them off and prove she was worthy of her street fighting title. After facing off with those guys and all of the other challengers that followed, Kagome was drawn deeper into the world of underground brawls and made a good name for herself or, more accurately, 'Kazuo'. Most importantly, Sota was safe and not bothered at school anymore, giving him the opportunity to finally enjoy his new school and make some new friends.

The fighting itself wasn't too bad; it gave her a regular opportunity to keep her combat skills sharp outside of the estate's dojo. Shippo and, in rarer cases, Sesshomaru were more than competent teachers and helped Kagome maintain and develop the skills she learned in the past. However, she didn't like interrupting their work by seeking them out every time she was itching for a fight. Her new opponents were rarely on her level, but they cornered her in large enough numbers to keep their skirmishes interesting.

Of course, no one other than Sota knew of her new favorite pastime, and Kagome worked hard to keep it that way. Sesshomaru, Shippo, and everyone else worked so hard to ensure that she and her family had a new life free of hardships. She knew that if she got caught, all of that work would be for naught.

"Are you alright?" Sota asked Kagome when she grew silent.

"I'm fine," she replied, "Just thinking."

"Higurashi Kazuo!" an angry voice shouted.

The two siblings turned and looked down a small side street to see a band of thugs assembled in the alley. A large boy with slicked back hair and a poor disposition stood front and center, obviously the ringleader of the goons. Before Kagome and Sota could walk away, another group blocked their exit and pushed them into the alley.

'Looks like we got trouble,' Kagome thought and stood protectively next to her brother.

"Remember me, Higurashi?" the gang leader asked, focusing all attention on Kagome.

"Can't say that I do," she replied flippantly, "Frankly, all of you thugs are starting to look alike these days, slow and dimwitted."

The leader sneered. "You fucking queer! The name's Nakamura Hiroto, leader of the Black Mantis, and I'll make you pay for humiliating me!"

'Nakamura?' Kagome thought, 'His gang's turf is on the other side of town. I beat him a few weeks ago; that must be why he's here.'

"Sota, stay behind me and out of the way," Kagome instructed before slipping into a battle stance, "Be ready to run when I tell you to."

Sota nodded and jogged a safe distance away from the fight.

"Get him!" Nakamura ordered.

They immediately ran to Kagome with their fists raised, ready to attack. She dodged and countered with a few simple moves, utilizing sharp punches and kicks to knock them out quickly. Though there was a large number of combatants, they were large, slow and poorly skilled.

'I just have to keep moving,' Kagome thought as she continued.

"Onii-sama!" Kagome heard Sota shout behind her. She paused and turned to see him in the grip of one of the gang members, hoisted into the air by an arm tightly wrapped around his neck.

"Sota!" she called worriedly.

Taking advantage of Kagome's inattention, Nakamura rushed forward and punched her in the gut, knocking the wind from her body. As she doubled over, her arms were grabbed and securely pinned behind her. She struggled to break free, but the grip was too tight and she couldn't move.

"I always knew that that pathetic brother of yours was your weakness!" Nakamura gloated, standing in front of Kagome with a victorious grin, "The only thing left is to decide which one of you I'll eliminate first."

Nakamura reached into the waistband of his pants and pulled out a large hunting knife. He jokingly brandished the blade earning chuckles from his followers. Kagome grimaced; she was practically defenseless. In addition to the concealed weapon, Nakamura had Sota captive. There was no telling what the crazed gang leader would order his followers to do if she tried to escape.

'He has to get out of here, first' Kagome thought, 'It's the only way I can be sure he's safe.'

"You're still not paying attention to me!" Nakamura shouted and slashed Kagome's arm.

She winced but retained her strong countenance. The wound was shallow, just a superficial means to scare her into submission.

"Sota, leave now!" she shouted, "Forget about me and run!"

"Onii-sama," Sota whispered quietly.

Thinking quickly, he latched his teeth on the arm of his captor, biting him as hard as he could.

"Dammit!"

His grip loosened, allowing Sota to slide downward with ease. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Sota dashed for the sidewalk and ran away as fast as he could.

"You idiot!" Nakamura shouted, "You let the brat get away!"

"Don't worry, boss," one of his followers stated, "Once word gets out that we took care of Higurashi, his little brother won't stand a chance on the streets."

Nakamura looked at Kagome and grinned fiendishly.

"Well, you're right about that. Higurashi, payback starts now."

-O0o0O-

Dick sighed as he looked away from his cellphone and slipped it in his pocket. The directions in the email were nearly impossible to decipher no matter how well he understood Japanese.

"Looks like we got lost," he announced to his fellow teammates.

Today, instead of meeting Kagome at the Toboso mansion as Kaldur did before, the trio of young heroes was instructed to meet her at another predetermined destination. The change of plans was unexpected as Toboso only informed Wayne this morning. He and the remainder of the Team were suspicious of the sudden move but had to bear with it. It was just another obstacle he placed before them to overcome.

"Correction. You're the only one that can read Japanese; therefore, you're the only one who can read the directions, the maps, and the street signs," Wally dryly stated, "So you are the one that got us lost."

"Whatever," Dick replied before turning to Kaldur, "Do you have any idea where we're headed?"

"No, but I am sure we can find someone to ask for directions," he answered.

"I guess it couldn't hurt."

Before the group could do anything else, a small boy ran in their direction, frantically passing them by. They paused and curiously watched him run away.

"That boy looks familiar," Kaldur commented.

"He should," Dick said, "That boy was Kagome's younger brother, Sota Higurashi."

"Really? It looks like he's in trouble," Wally remarked, "Think we have time for a little side mission?"

"We may have no choice," Kaldur replied, "Hopefully he can lead us to Kagome."

The trio turned and ran after Sota, confronting the distraught boy when he was stopped at the traffic signal of an intersection.

"Excuse me," Dick asked Sota in Japanese, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder to gain his attention, "but are you okay?''

"What?" Sota exclaimed in surprise, "Who are you?"

"I'm Dick Grayson, and these are my friends," he answered, "We want to help."

Sota slowly nodded and began to calm down. If he already knew who Dick and the others were, he didn't give any indication.

"It's my onii-sama!" Sota blurted, panicked, "He's in real big trouble!"

'Older brother?' Dick thought in disbelief when he recognized the Asian term, 'That's odd.'

"Then lead the way," he replied, giving the boy a confident grin.

Sota nodded before turning around and running back the way he came with Dick, Kaldur, and Wally following closely behind.

"So what's up?" Wally asked.

"He didn't say much. Just that his brother is in trouble," Dick responded.

"Brother?" Kaldur repeated, "The report stated that Sota Higurashi was Kagome's only biological sibling."

Dick nodded in agreement.

"But just because he called him big brother doesn't mean he actually is. He could be an older friend of the family or something. Either way, he could help us find Kagome."

The group of four continued until Sota stopped just before the crowded entrance to an alleyway. It didn't take much to guess that all of the alley's occupants were members of the same gang by the way they were just.

"That's him!" Sota whispered.

He pointed to a small boy cornered by the large group and held captive by two thugs. Another member of the gang, most likely their leader, stood in front of him and held a large hunting knife to his cheek. Slowly, he dragged it across his skin, making a jagged red line on his face. He and his gang didn't notice the appearance of the three young heroes and Sota.

Dick nodded as he, Kaldur, and Wally stepped in front of Sota.

"Stay out of the way and leave everything to us."

Sota nodded and ran away to take cover.

"I'm gonna make you pay for everything you did to me, Higurashi, the leader stated smugly as he slowly pulled the knife away, "I'm gonna start by carving up this pretty little face of yours."

He recoiled when Higurashi spat in his face, wearing a confident smirk.

"I'd like to see you try it. Nakamura, you're nothing but a coward. A spineless, weak coward who hides behind others," he grunted, "I'll never lose to someone like you."

Nakamura hissed angrily, tightly clutching the knife in his hands as his form shook with rage.

"You bastard! You're completely helpless and still talking shit!"

He pulled back his arm, aiming the blade at Higurashi's abdomen.

"Take this, you punk!"

Before the blade penetrated Higurashi's stomach, it vanished from Nakamura's grip.

"What the hell?" he questioned, looking at his empty hand in disbelief.

"Sorry about that."

He turned and saw Wally casually leaning against the wall of an adjacent building as he tossed the knife in the air by its handle.

"Sorry about that. It didn't really seem like a fair fight when you had this, so I thought I'd even the odds, ya know?" Wally continued, grinning cheekily.

"Where the hell did this gaijin come from?"

"I didn't even see him move."

"I don't care!" Nakamura shouted, "Take him down if you have to, but leave Higurashi to me."

"Right, boss!"

Wally smirked as a group of thugs advanced in his direction.

"Geez, you guys really don't know how to play by the rules. Lucky for me, I brought back up."

Before they could move further, the thugs were assaulted from behind and rendered unconscious by Dick and Kaldur.

"What the hell?" Nakamura stated, his ire rising, "There're more of them?"

"I don't know about you, Kaldur, but I'm disappointed Wally couldn't handle these guys without us," Dick commented cheekily, "You must be getting rusty if they whelmed you like that."

"I just thought I'd give you the chance to show off a bit, as if you really need my help to do that," Wally disputed.

"It's your fault for taking so long," Dick replied, "You're pretty slow for a self-proclaimed speedster."

"There will be time for witty banter later," Kaldur interrupted, turning his attention from his teammates to the rest of the gang, "We need to deal with the situation at hand."

"Right," Wally replied, dropping the blade and joining Dick and Kaldur, "I guess the next move is to free the boy."

"No need for that," Higurashi informed them with a little smirk.

Using the inattention of his captors to his advantage, Higurashi jerked his right arm free and punched the goon on the left straight in his abdomen with his escaped fist. Once he was out of the way, Higurashi took out the guy on his right in a similar fashion.

"Nice moves," Wally commented with a low, impressed whistle.

Higurashi said nothing as he moved backward, falling into formation with Kaldur, Dick, and Wally. His eyes were set on Nakamura, who shrank away as soon as he was free.

"Thanks for the complement. Think you guys can keep up for the rest of the fight?" Higurashi asked them, cracking his knuckles.

"You got it," Dick replied with a grin.

"Just be sure you can keep up, newbie," Wally added.

"What do we do now, boss?" one of the Black Mantis asked Nakamura, "What the hell do we do?"

Nakamura hesitantly looked at the row of assembled fighters and bit his lip. He knew that there was no way he and the rest of the Black Mantis could defeat Higurashi now that he wasn't ensnared especially with the three newcomers joining the brawl. On top of that, he no longer held Sota in his possession, his key trump card.

"We have no choice but to retreat!" Nakamura declared, "This fight is over."

The gang quickly turned tail and left, gathering their injured members and heading for the main road. Higurashi slipped out of his battle stance now that the Black Mantis was no longer a threat.

Just before he left, Nakamura turned and sneered in Higurashi's direction.

"You'll regret this, Higurashi Kazuo! I'll be back for you!"

"You know where to find me, Nakamura," Higurashi replied with a smirk, despite the blood staining his cheek.

Nakamura growled before turning around and running away with his crew. Once they were gone, Sota emerged from his hiding spot and ran to Higurashi.

"Onii-sama!" he happily exclaimed, "You really did it!"

"Yeah, but you helped me out, didn't you, squirt?" Higurashi replied, lightly patting Sota's hair, "You did well."

'Wait a minute,' Kaldur thought as he observed the interaction between the two brothers.

He shared a quick look with Dick and Wally; they figured out the mystery of the elder and supposedly male Higurashi sibling as well.

"Kagome," Kaldur called out causing Higurashi to stiffen, "is that you?"

"Kaldur-kun?" Kagome squeaked as she jerked her head toward the three boys.

A bright red blush lit up her face as she realized she was found out. She hoped that she and Sota could make a quick get away before the others recognized who she was. Kagome didn't want to explain this at all, but it seemed like she had no choice.

"Onii-sama?" Sota asked her quietly.

Kagome quickly straightened up and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as she faced the trio.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them shakily, "This is unexpected. What brings you here, huh?"

"I think a better question would be why you are here," Kaldur countered.

Kagome cringed at the obvious disappointment in his voice.

'So much for what happened yesterday,' she thought, dismayed.

"And, while you're at it, why you're dressed like a boy," Dick added.

"Well, that's kind of a long, long story," Kagome remarked.

She turned away from the boys and surveyed the damage she received during the fight. The cut on her arm already stopped bleeding, but blood continued to drip from the wound on her cheek. Sighing, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief before pressing it to her shallow cut.

"We should probably get out of here before any more gangs decide to show up," Kagome suggested. She and Sota walked out of the alley with the other three following behind them.

"So what's the deal with the cross dressing?" Wally asked, lagging behind. Before leaving, he tucked a ripped piece of cloth baring the symbol of the Black Mantis in his pocket, mentally dubbing it his souvenir.

"More importantly, why were you caught in a situation like that?" Kaldur gently scolded, "It was very dangerous."

"Well, the two actually go hand in hand," Kagome began with a shrug, keeping her handkerchief pressed to her cheek, "My little brother, Sota, was getting picked on at his new school, so I decided to confront who was doing it. I couldn't do it as a girl or I would just cause him more trouble. So I decided to do it dressed like a boy. It worked, and Sota is no longer approached by bullies at school."

"I see," Kaldur said, "but that does not explain why you continue to do it."

"Well, after I frightened off Sota's bullies, a few of their older brothers picked fights with me. After I beat them, a few rumors about me began to spread and reached some local gangs," Kagome clarified, "One thing led to another, and people, gang members or otherwise, started seeking out my male persona for fights. I wasn't exactly in the position to back out of them or reveal I was a girl, so I fight them whenever they find me."

She thoughtfully pursed her lips together.

"After a while, I built up a reputation. I suppose I could have stopped a while ago, but it's become something of a hobby now."

"A hobby?" Kaldur repeated incredulously.

"Well, at least I get good exercise every now and then!"

Wally loudly laughed, holding his stomach as he leaned over. "Looks like you're a little wild cat, huh?"

"You're pretty good though," Dick mentioned, "Have you had any formal martial arts training or something?"

"Not really," Kagome answered, "I just picked up a few moves here and there and improved the more I fought."

"I guess practice makes perfect," Dick replied, but he didn't seem too convinced.

"Well, this is our first stop!" Kagome stated, stopping in front the convenience store. She walked ahead of everyone else to the front counter, retrieving her bag from behind it.

"I'll be right back," she called out over her shoulder as she continued to the back of the store, "Hang out here until I'm done."

"You got it, babe!" Wally replied and leaned against the counter.

When Kagome was gone, the store's owner, a stout, older woman, warmly called Sota behind the counter. The younger boy to quickly join her, leaving Kaldur, Dick, and Wally behind.

"So what do you think?" Wally asked, "I mean, I'm sure none of us saw this coming."

"We can't talk about it now," Kaldur reprimanded, "We will discuss it later without interruption."

"Sounds good," Dick remarked, "but there is one thing I really wanna know."

"What's that?" Wally questioned.

"How all those guys are convinced Kagome's a guy!" he answered with a laugh, "I've never seen a boy look so girly!"

After a few more minutes of waiting, Kagome emerged from the back of the store wearing her normal school uniform with a bandage on her injured cheek and the black bag slung over her shoulders.

"Thanks for the bandages, Obaa-san!" Kagome said when the shop's owner reappeared with Sota.

"Not a problem, dear," she cheerfully replied, "We can't have you scarring that pretty little face of yours!"

"I appreciate your concern. I'll see you next week, Obaa-san."

"Before you leave, here's some botamochi for you, your brother, and your friends. You're lucky I made extra today!"

The older woman placed a large paper bag on the counter as Sota rejoined his sister and the others.

Kagome sighed as she took the offered bag of sweets. "You really didn't have to make all these."

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine," Obaa-san stated, "After all, it's not every day I have such handsome young men in my store. And they're foreigners to boot! You certainly have good taste, Kagome-chan! I did hope you'd got a boyfriend sooner or later, but I never imagined you'd have your own personal harem."

Sota and Dick burst out laughing at Obaa-san's bold comments which had Kagome blushing bright red as she inched toward the door.

"Thank you, Obaa-san! See you later!" Kagome cried nervously before she rushed outside with the boys tagging along behind her. In her haste, she dropped the botamochi which Wally readily retrieved.

"So where to, Kagome?" Wally asked once they were a few blocks away.

"Back home I guess. There really isn't much else we can do now," she answered, "Unless you guys have an idea."

"That is fine with us," Kaldur replied for the group.

Wally snorted. "Easy for you to say. You already had your tour of the town with a lovely escort."

"How about we take it easy today, and hang out after school lets out tomorrow?" Kagome suggested.

"School on a Saturday? It's bad enough you're have it during what should be summer break," Wally cried indignantly, "I'll pass on that."

"It's only a half day, so I'll be out by noon," Kagome explained, "And our school terms are probably very different from yours. This term ends in early July."

"Well, it sounds aster to me!" Dick exclaimed.

"Aster?" Kagome curiously repeated the unfamiliar term.

"Don't worry," Dick reassured her with a quick pat on the back, "It's a good thing!"

When the group of five finally arrived at the Toboso Estate, they promptly went into separate directions. Sota went to his room while the others followed Kagome to hers.

"Are you sure we are allowed to be in your room at this hour?" Kaldur, ever the polite one, asked.

"Of course you are," Kagome assured him, "Don't worry about it." She opened the door to her room she saw Shippo in her bed, lying on his back with one of her manga volumes on top of his face.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked him exasperatedly, standing akimbo.

Shippo lazily lifted the book, a large, goofy grin decorating his face.

"Kaa-san, you're home!" he cried as he sat up, "And you brought friends!"

Shippo gave her a quick once over before his eyes slanted to the boys accompanying her. He then stood and walked to Kagome, draping his arm around her neck and pressing his full weight against her.

"So you're with Wayne, huh? I hope you boys weren't planning to do anything untoward with my sweet little Kaa-san!"

"Get off me, you big goat!" Kagome hissed, pushing him away from her as hard as she could, "And get lost!"

"Fine," Shippo acquiesced with a pout as he pulled away from her, "I guess I'm not invited to this party."

He walked out to the room, winking at the three boys as he passed them.

"What was all that about?" Wally asked.

"That's Toboso's business partner and son-in-law, Yoshikuni-san," Dick explained, "I've never met him before now, but I wasn't expecting him to act like that."

"Shippo's always been very eccentric especially out of the office," Kagome clarified, "I wouldn't worry about him too much."

She walked toward her desk, placing her bag on the floor next to it. She opened one of its drawers and pulled out a deck of cards.

"How would you guys like to play a few games?" she proposed with a crooked grin.

Dick smirked. "You know how to play poker?"

"I'm familiar with the rules, but I don't have anything to bet," Kagome remarked as she took a seat on her bed. She gestured for the three boys to join her, and they formed a small circle on top of her comforter.

"What about those things that shop owner gave us?" Dick suggested.

"The ohagi?" Kagome responded, as she shuffled the cards, "I guess that will work."

"You might want to reconsider that," Wally admitted as he shyly held out the emptied paper bag.

"You ate all of them?" Kagome asked in disbelief.

"Sorry," he amended sheepishly, "I have an extremely high metabolism, so I decided to help myself on the way. If it's any consolation, I think your brother managed to sneak one or two away from me."

"Well, since we lost those bargaining chips, how about we try something a little different?" Kagome began, "The losers of each hand have to tell the winner one thing about themselves."

"So we are gambling with information?" Kaldur inferred.

"Something like that," Kagome replied as she dealt out the cards, "You don't have to tell us any deep, dark secrets about yourself. Just something about you that we don't know. I'm sure it will pass the time."

"Sounds fun," Wally mentioned as he and the others picked up their hands, "Get ready to lose!"

-O0o0O-

The trio of teen heroes sat in the back of the car Wayne sent to pick them up from Toboso's manor. He contacted them sometime after 11 o' clock when they didn't check in. It was clear from his tone that he expected a full report of any and all information they gathered thus far. Unfortunately, after two days of activity, they had little to report.

"That girl is full of surprises," Wally said dejectedly as he sank into his seat, "I would have never guessed she was a card shark."

Robin grinned and let out his signature chuckle. "Maybe to the guy who didn't win a single hand."

"You didn't come out on top either, boy wonder," Wally countered.

"At least, this venture was not a complete loss," Kaldur mused aloud, "We did learn a few things about her."

Wally snorted and counted them all, holding up a finger for each one he said.

"Let's see: her favorite color's red, her favorite food's oden, and her favorite pastime's being Kazuo Higurashi, cross dressing, street fighter extraordinaire! It's not the most helpful intel if you ask me."

"Maybe," Robin commented, "I don't know about you guys, but I don't believe she just picked up those moves without any training."

"Indeed," Kaldur added, "Her form is clearly practiced. Her opponents may not have been competent, but I am certain Kagome could perform well against a more skilled challenger."

Robin nodded. "She could definitely hold her own against a pro! I would love to see her go head to head with Black Canary. Or, better yet, Artemis."

"Yeah, Kagome's got all the fire and drive with none of the attitude," Wally pointed out wryly, "So, as of right now, the Kagome we know is a mild-mannered schoolgirl by day and a vigilante drag king by midafternoon?"

"I think there's more to it than that," Kaldur mentioned, "but it is all we have to go on."

"There's also something else that's bugging me," Robin added, "The way Yoshikuni addressed her before wasn't exactly normal."

"You mean when he called her 'Kaa-san'?" Wally asked, "I thought it was just a nickname."

"As did I," Kaldur stated.

"It could be, but I doubt it," Robin replied, "When that title is given to someone, it usually means something else."

"What?" Kaldur asked, wondering how such a small detail could be so important.

"'Kaa-san' is short for 'okaa-san', the informal, Japanese title for one's mother," Robin explained.

"I see. That's an odd nickname for someone who is obviously younger than you," Kaldur reasoned.

"Maybe not," Wally added with a shrug of his shoulders, "I didn't need to see much of that guy to know he's more than a little immature. I can picture her keeping him in line."

"If that were true," Robin began, "it would be more likely for him to call her 'nee-san', older sister, instead."

"What do we know about Yoshikuni and Toboso's relationship outside of their business ventures?" Kaldur asked, "If we can figure that out, we might be able to decipher his connection to Kagome."

Robin shook his head.

"Wally and I tried getting more info yesterday, but anyone with even the most obscure connection to Toboso has little to no data available to the general public or the most seasoned hackers. All we know is Yoshikuni married Toboso's daughter before he announced Kagome as his ward. We can only assume they all knew each other prior to both of those events, but, after tonight, I'd say that's a given."

"Strange," Kaldur commented, "Even if we are reading into this too much, it is clear that they have something to hide."

He closed his eyes in thought, taking a deep, calming breath.

"It all seems too bizarre. Why would Toboso suggest Kagome as a possible recruit for the Team only to place so many obstacles in the way of that final goal? Or, better still, why does Toboso's suggestion have so much influence with the League?"

"We better find out soon," Robin retorted seriously, "or I have a feeling things involving Kagome are gonna end up a totally aster, real heavy on the dis."

"You got that right," Wally added, "Maybe if we get close enough to finding that out, it'll make Kagome switch to hero mode, and we can head back to the Cave before the week is out."

Kaldur sighed and tiredly opened his eyes.

"That would make our job way too easy."

-O0o0O-

punkish furball – Well, that was fun! XD

Anyway, if you have any questions? Comments? Words of Wisdom? Feel free to contact me! I'll update as soon as I can! L83RN355! ^.^

(revised 08.02.2013)