AN: I do not own any recognizable characters or settings. Thank you all that have supported this and took the time to read my first fanfic, I really appreciate it! I've edited all the past chapters if anyones interested in reading them again, they're a bit more bearable.

Burning in the Flame

Ra's entered his study, where David Cain was waiting for him. He sat at his chair behind the grand oak desk and allowed himself a moment to compose his thoughts on the matters at hand. He stared out one of the few windows in the building where the view never changed. The burgundy drapes framed a picture of endless white. He already knew what Cain wanted. Cain wanted to set the prisoners free as an attempt at peace with Hydra. Perhaps set up a meeting where they could all come to an understanding. Ra's saw the benefits of it but he didn't want anyone to catch wind of him releasing any prisoner.

Cassandra was also on his troubled mind. She had gone against his word. Cain wanted him to allow her some freedom. He wanted her to be the exception to the rule. Punishment is what she needed. To reward her with any freedoms now would encourage her to misbehave. He come to the decision that he believed would balance the wrongs that had recently occurred. David waited for him to speak.

"Kill them." Ra's finally broke the silence.

"Are you certain?" Cain didn't want to upset him but this seemed rash.

"Yes. Kill them all… All except for Hydras Asset. He shall be escorted by a troop of our finest back to his extraction point. Contact Hydra once he leaves, let them know he did not succeed in killing me, set up a meeting somewhere remote, and let them know that this transgression will be their last or I'll send an assassin of my own."

"And what of Cassandra? Will she be a part of this troop?" Cain tried to keep the hope out of his voice.

"No, she will not… Your daughter is to be punished in front of every League member currently stationed here. Then sent into the Lazarus Pit to heal. This punishment will continue until I say otherwise."

Cain stood there, stunned. He almost begged him to forgive her but he knew it would only make matters worse. He felt his stomach clench. Her suffering would be renowned among the League of Shadows. As Ra's presumably intends it to be. Ra's had complete control over the Lazarus Pit. Those hand chosen by him were allowed to use it. Ra's had two daughters that were rarely allowed to enter the Pit. Cain had never seen it before. The Pits restorative properties heals injuries and is rumored to grant immortality. It's kept Ra's young for decades. Now his daughter was chosen to enter the regenerative pools of the Lazarus Pit, but with this honor came the promise of pain.

"After disciplining her, Cassandra will enter the Lazarus Pit," Ra's wanted to set an example. The League of Shadows only punishment was death but this seemed like the proper thing to do in this case. He'd invested too much into Cassandra to kill her now, it'd be such a waste. She would instead be severely punished while simultaneously reaching a status almost as high as his own. Ra's believed, to enter the Pit was to become a higher level of being. "She will be revered and uncorrupted."

"She's a child! The others will think you've gone insane." Cain tried desperately to think of a way to get his daughter out of this.

"The others will see that the child should be feared."

"What plans do you have for her then? If she's going to be as feared and revered as you say, then she must have some greater purpose!"

"THAT IS FOR ME TO KNOW!" Ra's roared. After a beat he regained his composure and continued, "Now, I suggest you leave and do as you are told before I decide that you should be the one to punish your daughter."

"Yes, sir." David was infuriated but there wasn't much he could do without committing treason but to carry out the orders he was given. As he made his way to the dining room where the Soldier was, he tried to think of ways to break Cassandra free.

The Winter Soldier was starting to grow impatient. He had sat a while since Ra's had left the room. He took this opportunity to assess the state of affairs and how to correct them.

"Do you need me to check your wounds?" Pema asked him nervously, he hadn't said a word since Cass left the room. .

He didn't answer her, he just stood still. It was off-putting.

"Cass doesn't realize that everyone else isn't as desensitized as her." She continued to try to speak with him.

Again, he said nothing. The stillness of him and the room was starting to make her feel suffocated, like she should be as far away from him as possible to breathe easy. He was so corporate and cold.

"Is she Ra's Al Ghul's successor?" A gravelly voice cut through the disturbing atmosphere. He asked because If the girl was, he should kill her now before he was ordered to do it anyway.

"Ra's has sat on his throne for decades, he will not give it up." Wearily Pema looked at him.

He said nothing else.

At that moment Cain walked in, his eyes immediately searching for Cassandra. Pema stood at attention when he entered. He was worried that Ra's might have already taken her away when he didn't see her in the room. There was only the Soldier and Pema, a local Tibetan healer.

"Where is she?" He looked so distraught. Pema had never seen him like this. He seemed ready for anything that came his way and now he looked so unsure.

"I was ordered to lock her in her chambers, sir," Cain visibly relaxed at her words. She began to worry, "Is something wrong?" He walked to her and leaned in close.

"He's going to hurt her and then heal her only to do it again, and again, and again, and again, until he decides it's enough." He whispered to her, he didn't want others to hear. Pema almost thought it was a cruel joke. She knew that if Ra's wasn't going to simply kill her, then he had something else especially brutal planned for Cassandra.

The Winter Soldiers future didn't look too promising if one of their own was being punished, he would surely be killed. If he could get close enough to Ra's while this was all happening he could still kill him one-armed.

"What about them?" Pema had to ask.

"You are being released." Cain spat out in the direction of the Soldier.

A large group of people entered the room and stood at attention the same way Pema had earlier. One stepped away from the group and spoke to everyone in the room.

"The Head of the Demon demands that every League member make their way to the caves."

"It's already started…" Pema trailed off.

The Soldier didn't know exactly what was going on, but he knew it was bad news, and not necessarily for him. The large group escorted him along with Cain and Pema through the halls. They black bagged him again. He could feel that they were underground, the air felt thicker, heavier. He was sure that he could make his way out without any problems. When they took off the bag he could see that they were in an extremely large cavern. They had to have hollowed out a large part of the mountain to get it like this. He looked over to Pema and Cain and saw that they were worried. At the center of the cavern was a large raised platform. All around were smaller openings where more League members came through. Everyone was waiting for something.

A silence swept over everyone when Ra's walked out on the platform.

"Bring the prisoners." His booming voice echoed off the walls of the mountain. The remaining men that the Soldier had brought with him were brought to the platform. They were chained together in a line and made to kneel before Ra's. Ra's brought a sword down upon each of them, swiftly and without hesitation. The guards cleared the bodies from the area. The Soldier turned to Cain.

"You said we were free."

"I said you are being released and you still are. Your men were a different matter." He said coldly. His eyes were still fixed on the platform. Ra's voice echoed off the walls a second time.

"Bring forth Cassandra Cain." Ra's looked directly at her father when he said this.

Cassandra was not in chains but she was in different clothing. Her hair was up and she wore a long strange looking dress. It was thin, light, creamy brown, and left her entire back bare, starting again where the curve of her hips started. She stood on the platform waiting. Ra's signaled something to the guards. They came beside her and lifted cuffs that were attached to the wall and secured her to it. They spread her arms like wings and fastened the cuffs. She was facing the wall while her back was facing towards everyone in the cavern. The guards then secured her feet together with the cuffs on the floor. Cassandra was practically being crucified. The Soldier was getting a clearer image of what was about to happen.

Ra's was handed a cruel looking whip. It was made of long, multiple strands of plaited leather with a stiff wooden handle at the end, the strands were tipped with steel claws to add further injury. The Winter Soldier couldn't recall a time where he used that kind of device. Granted, he couldn't recall most things, but weapons he could never forget. He had used torture methods to get information or if it was specifically requested of him, and usually the subject of it would squeal like a pig before he could even make them bleed. He knew a lot of the methods but he was rarely given the chance to use them. Seeing it now in person like this, he felt a small strange sense of peace that he hadn't.

The escorts left the platform and joined the rest of the League.

"I have called you here to witness the rebirth of Cassandra Cain… I will tear her apart and put her back together in the Lazarus Pit." Ra's was the leader of a cult of crazed zealots that were just as insane as he was. The Soldier saw that no one was going to stop him, not even her father who stood idly by.

Ra's raised the whip high above his head and brought it down upon her back with force. The Soldier tried not to wince slightly as he heard the crack of the whip. Cassandra made little noise as the claws ripped into her flesh. Another sharp explosive noise came from the platform. This time she shrieked in agony as the whip tore through her soft creamy skin. Not all the desensitizing training in the world could stop the pain from spreading through her like a fire, burning her.

It was the first time he had heard her voice. He didn't think he could ever forget the sound. It was raspy and guttural, like an animal caught in a trap. Ra's, expressionless all the while, brought the whip down on her. He did it again, and again, and again, and again. Her screams echoed off of the walls and resonated in his chest. He wanted to just stop the noise but he couldn't do anything about it and it angered him. If he had killed Ra's like he was supposed to none of this would be happening, he'd be gone, and wouldn't have to endure the sounds that were searing themselves into the back of his skull.

The symphony of Cassandra's cries were punctuated with the sound of the whip ripping her into her back. She couldn't move or do much of anything chained up. She turned her head in every direction until she met her fathers stare. Her usually rosy face was pale and drained, swollen from crying. She looked to him and hoped that he would stop the pain but Cain did nothing. He only prayed that it would end soon. It didn't.

The Winter Soldier grew angrier and angrier with each sound that came from the platform. He could see the strips of skin that fell from her thin body, he could see the bone, and the noise the whip made when it cracked against them was indescribable. Her screams vibrated through everyone. It was a revolting display of brutality. No one would help her, they all just watched.

Eventually after what felt like hours, Ra's finally stopped when the handle broke. He was panting and drenched in Cassandra's blood. Her dress was now a deep and sickening crimson that clung to her frame. Ra's approached her and removed her restraints. She immediately fell to the floor, shaking. The Soldier stepped forward unsure of what to do. Ra's carefully picked her up and turned to the crowd.

"After she heals in the rejuvenating waters of the Lazarus Pit, she will be brought back out again." With that he walked off the stone platform and headed deeper into the caves.

As soon as he left, everyone began to speak in hushed whispers.

"What the hell was that?" The Winter Soldier turned to David Cain.

"That was my flesh and blood being spilled for sparing your life."

Once Cain turned to speak to Pema, he slipped away from the crowds and tried to find his way through the tunnels. After all, he was still on a mission and he fully intended on finishing it.

AN: I've thought of splitting up the story. Once it starts to coincide with the movie I might just leave the chapters I have left as a prequel. I'm not sure yet. I get that so far it's not very Marvel-centric, that's my reason for splitting the story (if I do,) more people might be interested in it. It would be written so that you wouldn't have to have read this to get it but it would obviously help. Tell me what you think. Writing this is harder than I had previously thought. Those first couple of chapters kind of just poured out of me and now I'm struggling...