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"Random Subject Prompts"

Chapter 036: Jason Todd/Red Hood

Animated Film: Batman: Under the Red Hood

Prompt: Holding Hands

Chapter Warning(s): Rated T

Author's Note: Jensen Ackles ("Supernatural") voiced Jason "Red Hood" Todd ;)

KH*JT*KH*JT

"You're angry again," a soft, feminine voice commented. A soothing hand brushed through unruly coal-dark locks as her calming aura washed over the violently erratic one of her boyfriend. The way it lashed out, refusing to be comforted, made her flinch. But she didn't stop trying, knowing she would eventually wear him down.

Jason Todd scoffed, "What gave me away?" His posture spoke of denial, his very soul refusing her gentleness and kindness, yet he didn't move from his seated position on her couch. He didn't knock her hand away. He didn't try to stop the way she tried so hard for him. He knew he had a bad temper – anyone with eyes could see that from miles away. He knew he could be violent and cruel. But he had one rule:

He would never hurt her. He would never harm or lash out at Kagome.

Kagome Higurashi was the light to his darkness, the sunshine in his dreary world. She was the goodness that centered him, made him complete. She accepted every part of him, stood by him no matter what. At the best of times, he was an asshole who didn't deserve the angelic young woman, yet she continued to smile for him. If something ever happened to her…

His fists clenched tightly, and he closed his eyes to try to reign in the fury that always seemed to engulf him.

"Jason…"

He breathed in deeply through his nose. "Sorry," he gritted out. He forced his shoulders to relax. He exhaled. "Sorry." He sounded more in-control now, more like his usual self when he was with her. "I'm sorry, Kagome."

"You don't have to apologize," she quietly said. She leaned into his side, her delicate chin resting against one broad shoulder. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

He couldn't. Part of being a superhero, even as a sidekick, meant keeping secrets. He would never burden her with the things he'd seen and done in the name of justice. In reality, he wished he could do more. To his way of thinking, a rabid dog was put down for its own good. What made criminals any different? They didn't need to be locked up.

They needed to be treated like the rabid dogs they were.

Jason turned until his eyes could lock with Kagome's. Instead of words, he gently cupped her cheek with one hand, thumb brushing across silky skin. His gaze softened. If something ever happened to her…

He'd kill them. There was no other option. There would be no compromise. No mercy.

"Just hold my hand. That's all I need."

With a beautiful smile curving her pink lips, she grasped the hand that wasn't caressing her cheek. Their fingers linked together, like pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly.

And just that simply, Jason felt all of the rage and violence swirling within him disappear.

KH*JT*KH*JT

Lazarus Pit

Kagome stared at the being that stood directly across from her with cold amethyst eyes. Her hands were shoved into the pockets of her coat, but one hand gripped the hidden dagger within. She was normally a peaceful person – she was raised as a priestess after all – but she couldn't find her usual calm. Hadn't in fact since she'd been informed that Jason had died in an explosion. Murdered.

She'd been grief-stricken, almost inconsolable, and had lashed out at the one person she hadn't wanted to see: Batman. The dark vigilante had known about her existence, her relationship with Jason, so had paid her a personal visit to deliver his condolences. In her despair, she had said some very unfavorable things, had cursed at him, and blamed him for Jason's death.

How could someone protect the citizens of an entire city when they couldn't even protect the one who stood beside them?

Kagome locked away the utter rage that consumed her, letting the iciness in her heart take over. It was safer that way. Feeling too much often led to uncontrollable fluctuations in her priestess powers. She would unleash it when the time was right. She had a list. A list of people she would personally hunt down.

She'd start here first. With Ra's al Ghul.

"Why did you call me here?" she asked. Her voice was stoic, her features a beautiful porcelain mask.

"I have a proposal for you, Ms. Higurashi."

She didn't move a muscle, didn't blink.

Ra's al Ghul shifted the slightest bit, his only show of nerves. He hadn't lived as long as he did by being ignorant. He knew exactly who the young woman was, who she used to be.

And unlike the superheroes of modern times, she had killed before. He had zero doubt she would be willing to do it again.

He spoke fast, knowing his time was limited. If he wanted to survive even one more night, he would have to make it worth her while. "I can bring him back. I can bring him back to life." Despite being faced with an all-powerful priestess, he did feel guilt over Robin's untimely death. He was responsible and he had to make it right. "Think of it as a peace offering."

Slowly, contemplative, Kagome tilted her head to the side. "How?" was all she asked.

"The Lazarus Pit." He gestured to their surroundings. "With this, your Jason can come back to life as though he had never died."

Amethyst orbs narrowed, suspicious. Abruptly, her body was engulfed with her priestess powers, swirling and fluctuating in warning. Ra's al Ghul flinched at the display of raw power. "If this is some sort of trick…" Memories of Kikyo's resurrection came to mind, and the hand gripping the dagger became tighter. There was no way Kagome would ever allow that to happen again.

"No trick. No scheme. A peace offering, like I said."

She was silent for a few minutes, waging an inner war with herself and what she wanted versus the natural order of things. Her heart gave a painful pang at the thought of Jason. Perhaps it was his destiny to die when he did. Maybe she shouldn't mess with fate by bringing him back from the dead.

But if that were true, why was she suddenly faced with this opportunity? Ra's al Ghul could've brought Jason back without her knowing. It wasn't like the older male needed her permission.

Kagome finally answered, resigned, "Do it." Her hand released the dagger.

KH*JT*KH*JT

She watched the ritual that would bring Jason back to life with apprehension, her crossed arms tightening around herself. She didn't like to think that she was cheating death but she was willing to face the consequences for her actions. If it became necessary… If Jason came back a monster…

She would be the one to put him back in his grave.

Suddenly, Jason's bandaged body emerged from the Lazarus Pit, flailing and screaming as though he were in horrific pain and losing his mind all at once. The way he struggled to escape the bubbling pit was alarming, and Kagome immediately took action.

"Get him out of there," she barked out, her feet moving before the words finished passing her lips.

The men Ra's al Ghul assigned to the task were ineffective. In his madness, Jason was able to throw them off as if they were pieces of paper. He continued screaming and yelling, obviously confused and terrified. It broke something in Kagome's heart to see Jason act like that. He was going insane right in front of her eyes.

"Jason!" she screamed, desperate.

Her voice seemed to echo and bounce off the cavern walls, the sound vibrating and reverberating around them.

And Jason stopped. His chest heaved with heavy breaths, his eyes uncovered from the bandages but wide and frightened. Unseeing. He wanted to run, to escape the hell he had just left. He obviously didn't know where he was and desperately needed to find something – someone – familiar.

Kagome held up both hands in a soothing, nonthreatening gesture as she approached the erratic young man. "Jason?" she softly questioned. "Do you recognize me?"

He continued to gasp for air, but his eyes changed. They became calmer, less wild. And completely focused on the raven haired beauty. A flicker of recognition seemed to spark within his pupils, but he didn't take a step forward as if afraid. Of her? Of himself?

Cautiously, she held out one hand, palm up. "Take my hand."

When he didn't move for several moments, she feared he wouldn't comply with her simple request, but she breathed a sigh of relief when he finally did. With jerky, uncoordinated movements, he gently grabbed her offered hand. At the contact, his breathing seemed to ease and he didn't appear as untamed. His stance became more open, more accepting, and less tense.

His voice was raspy when he spoke. "Ka..go.. me…?"

Her smile was watery but relieved. The longer they seemed to interact, the more he seemed to regain himself. "I'm here," she reassured. She squeezed his hand. "I'm never leaving you again, Jason. I swear it."

Her words acted as a balm. The way his eyes softened made her heart flutter.

"Let's go. I'll take you home, okay?"

In response, Jason silently nodded. The way his shoulders relaxed, his posture loosening, made her more and more confident that everything was going to be okay now. She would do whatever she had to do, no hesitation.

As the couple walked out, hands clasped, they passed Ra's al Ghul. Kagome paused, which meant Jason stopped too, though he seemed disinterested in everything and everyone except for his companion.

The priestess narrowed her eyes in warning at the older male. "As far as you know, he was driven insane and escaped by jumping off the cliff. Understood?" It was a rhetorical question and everyone knew it.

Ra's al Ghul nodded in response.

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other."

With that, the raven haired beauty led Jason out of the cavern and away from the Lazarus Pit – and hopefully into a better future.

KH*JT*KH*JT

~Five Years Later~

The moment Kagome entered her apartment, she knew she wasn't alone. The many shadows decorating the walls and corners made it easy for him to hide, but his presence would never escape her notice. Memories of that night, so similar to this one, years ago assaulted her. She could almost hear his voice – deep, masculine, mysterious – as he informed her of Jason's death. Her jaw clenched.

"Ms. Higurashi," Batman greeted, stepping out from the darkness. The dim light that shone through a window from a streetlamp was the only illumination.

"…I would say it was nice to see you, but we both know I would be lying," she replied, voice edged with ice.

The dark vigilante stood silent for several moments, absorbing her words like a physical blow. In many ways, he deserved them. "I had a few questions I wanted to ask you."

She scoffed. "What makes you think I will answer them?" She waved a dismissive hand. "Please just leave. We have nothing to talk about."

When she made a move to exit the room, Batman announced, "It's about Jason." After facing the one calling himself 'Red Hood,' he'd had his suspicions. Everything pointed to one direction. A direction he did not like to fathom.

Kagome didn't even flinch at the name, though her eyes darkened to violet with her roiling emotions. She looked him directly in the eye, daring him to continue. "Well," she sarcastically bit out, "we both know where he is, don't we?"

"He's come back." He watched her carefully, waiting for some sign that she knew what was going on. Knew where Jason was hiding. "You two were together for a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to… pay you a visit."

She was a perfectly blank canvas – and it made Batman all the more suspicious. But it wasn't like he could interrogate her. There was no proof, no evidence that pointed at her in any way. Had that been purposeful on Jason's part? From what Batman knew, Jason had always been extremely protective of the raven haired beauty. Not even Ra's al Ghul had admitted to her involvement. Who exactly was Kagome Higurashi?

"He's dead." Her whispered words were eerie as was the haunted expression on her face. It sent shivers down his spine. "Jason has been dead for five years. Why… Why would you say something like that?"

His lips thinned into a bloodless line. With clenched fists, he bowed his head the slightest bit out of respect. Even if she knew anything about Jason's resurrection or his current criminal activities, he wouldn't be able to break her. Something inside… Something inside of Kagome had broken a long time ago. Probably around the time Jason Todd had been murdered.

"I apologize for being insensitive." He backed up until he was near the point of entry he'd created. "If he seeks you out, Ms. Higurashi… Please notify me at once. It's for your own safety. He's not stable. I don't know what he's capable of."

The moment he disappeared, swallowed up by the night, Kagome murmured, "You may not know what he's capable of… but I do."

From the bedroom, the door opened and Jason walked out, his Red Hood mask removed. "You okay?" he asked, brows furrowed in concern.

She smiled, the earlier icy aura she gave off dissipating as her stiff posture relaxed. "I'm fine." Amethyst orbs scanned him from head to toe. "How about you? You're not injured, right?"

He raised a cocky brow, smirking. "Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I'm okay." His tone softened, became affectionate. "I'm home, aren't I?" A single hand was offered, palm up. "Just hold my hand. That's all I need."

With a soft laugh, she easily grasped his hand with one of her own. Their fingers intertwined, like pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. "I'm never leaving you," she softly vowed like she'd done when they were in the Lazarus Pit.

"I know. I'm never leaving you either."

KH*JT*KH*JT

Kagome shivered, pulling the lapels of her coat closer to soak in as much warmth as she could. She was standing directly under a streetlamp with a single suitcase full of her personal belongings, as Jason had instructed earlier. He didn't explain everything that was going to happen that particular night, but she knew it had to be something big. Perhaps life-altering.

It was nearing midnight when the crunch of footsteps were heard, and the raven haired beauty whipped around to face whoever it was. One hand instantly went into a coat's pocket where she'd hidden a small handgun. It wasn't her personal favorite, but Jason had insisted she carry one since he'd put his little plan into action. It was a safety measure both had agreed to years ago.

"It's okay, it's me," Jason said, holding up both hands in the universal sign of surrender.

When the light's illumination casted its glow on him, she gasped at his state. His clothes were tattered and ripped in several places. Soot and other debris covered him from head to toe. His black mask was even torn, barely clinging to his handsome features. Blood and cuts covered practically every inch of skin that had been exposed.

"What happened to you?" she asked, horrified.

Jason shrugged. Being revived from the Lazarus Pit had some perks, it seemed. He didn't feel pain the way normal humans did, and his reflexes were a lot faster. His body was more durable, too. "Had a run-in with a bomb," he casually answered.

When she opened her mouth to reprimand him, he pressed a finger against her lips. He smiled. "Let's go. I don't want to stick around here any longer than needed. You can scold me later."

"You can bet your ass I'm going to do more than scold you," she muttered.

He tossed her a saucy wink. "Kinky."

The way her nose scrunched in the cutest expression of disgust and frustration had him chuckling.

"Did you do what you needed to do?" she then softly questioned. "Did you get your closure?"

He hummed for a second then shook his head. "No," he answered. "But I realized a few things, so I guess that works for me." He grabbed the handle of her suitcase with one hand, and grabbed one of hers with the other. He squeezed her fingers. "Let's leave Gotham. This city isn't for us."

With an understanding smile, she nodded. Gotham wasn't the place for them. So they were going to find it on their own.

Holding hands, the couple disappeared into the quiet night to find their one place just for them. Together.

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I'm actually quite proud how this chapter turned out. What are your thoughts on it? Please leave a review at the bottom! :D

~Celestial Law