Shadow Beast continues her patrol over the city she calls her home when the League appears in front of her again.
All is silent until Superman awkwardly speaks up, "Um thank you for helping out our Young Justice team. If you weren't there, then they might have died."
"I will not leave those who needs my help behind," Shadow Beast states. "That is my nindo way and I never go back on it."
"The team reports about you talking to giant toads that were present at that time," Batman says. "What are they?"
The Man of Steel whispers, "Um Batman, I don't think you should talk about that right now."
Ignoring the Man of Steel, Batman presses on. "What are those toads doing in CADMUS's hands? Where did they come from? What is this village you talk about? Why are you banish?"
Shadow Beast stays quiet for a while and then sighs. "I was afraid of this."
"Answer," the Dark Knight demands.
She then responds, "I'm not allowed to reveal any information to you. Please do not push on things that you do not need to know."
Superman and the league got into their stances as he states, "I'm sorry Shadow Beast, but if you won't tell us, then we have no choice but to force you to."
"Try your best," Shadow Beast says.
The league dashes straight for her, but she disappear. Shadow Beast then appears behind Superman and kicks him hard. He then goes flying towards Flash. They both fall down. The Justice League continues to charge at Shadow Beast. Green Lantern creates a large bubble surrounding the dark hero, but Shadow Beast quickly breaks it with a glowing knife. Flash, using his super speed, runs straight for the girl, but is trips by the mysterious female. J'onn then tries to enter her mind, but is only push out by some kind of force inside the girl, landing him hard on the cold floor.
"Are you alright J'onn?" Wonder Woman questions the Martian while helping him up.
Manhunter answers, "Yes. I am alright. However this girl…she pushes me out of her mind. No-it wasn't her. It was something else that pushes me out of her mind. Something is in there. Everyone, be careful. This girl isn't normal."
"Ya think?" Flash yells, voice dripping with sarcasm.
The battle rages on with the League in offence and the girl on defence. Rising into the air, Shadow Beast crosses her arms in front of her face as Superman punches her. The female goes flying towards a wall. Slamming into the wall, Shadow Beast then falls to her knees. As quickly as the girl is on the ground, Shadow Beast quickly rolls away just as a mace comes down on the ground.
"Why aren't you fighting back?" growls Hawk Woman.
"Because I do not want to fight you," Shadow Beast interrupts. "I do not fight. I do not attack. I do not kill...unless I have to."
Suddenly, batarangs comes at her and Shadow Beast does some hand signs and yells out, "Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu!"(Katon! Fire style Fireball Jutsu!)
Out of nowhere, fireballs come out of the mouth of Shadow Beast's mask and melt off the batarangs.
Everyone is shock, even Batman! Silence fills the air.
"I don't want to fight you," Shadow Beast states plainly.
Batman grumbles, "Then tell us what we need to know."
"I cannot tell you," The female warrior shakes her head.
Batman stands firmly and says, "Then you give us no choice."
An arrow shoots from behind Shadow Beast and sleeping gas explodes from it. Shadow Beast got trap in the gas. Trying to stay awake, Shadow Beast takes out a kunai and stabs herself in the arm. The Justice League is clearly astonish of how far the young female will go to keep her secrets. Pulling the bloody weapon out of her arm, Shadow Beast stands and watch the heroes and heroines carefully and cautiously. Unfortunately, Shadow Beast didn't last long until she falls to her knees; her weapon falling next to her. Before being able to hit the ground, Shadow Beast is catch by Flash.
"What do we do now?" Green Arrow then questions as he swings down from another roof.
Superman sighs while rubbing his aching sides, "We bring her back to the Watchtower, get bandage up, and then wait for her to wake up."
-Watchtower-
Everyone is standing around the bed in the medical bay where Shadow Beast lie. The young girl's mask is taken off along with all her weapons and cloak in order to treat her bleeding arm.
"Man she is light as a feather," mutters the fastest man alive.
John comes in with a clipboard, informing the League; "The girl has a high rate of malnutrition. Ninety percents of her body is covered in scars, bruises, and 2nd degree burn."
"By Hera," Wonder Woman cries worriedly. "What happen to this child?"
"Probably abusive parents or so," Oliver, also known as Green Arrow, replies with his arms cross over his chest.
"So," Shaera then asks, "What are we going to do when she wakes up?"
J'onn then volunteers, "I will talk to the girl. I may not know much about human physically, but emotionally I can help her. This child seems to have been through alot in her life, and at such a young age."
Batman just stares at the mask less girl. Pale peachy skin, pink soft lips, ink black hair, large scar marks on her face and on the rest of her body which show that she have been hurt before. Suddenly, Shadow Beast's eyes begin to open. Once her eyes meet those of Superman's, Shadow Beast jumps into a crouching position and reaches for her weapons, but found none. That makes the girl growls at the group of heroes.
Before Shadow Beast can say anything, Batman speaks up, "You are Vanessa Light. A thirteen years old girl living alone in an apartment near the Daily Planet. Your parents died when you were seven so you lived with your aunt and uncle. After graduating from Stanford at the age of ten with two master degrees in human physiology, you moved out and is now working as a school therapist and a waitress at Full Moon Cafe. Isn't that right?"
She then states, "Vanessa Light died two years ago, Mr. Bruce Wayne. I thought you knew that."
This shocks everyone, especially Batman.
The Dark Knight growls, "How did you"-
"We ninjas have our own ways to gather informations we want and need," she replies. Shadow Beast then got off the bed and makes her way over to her equipments and place them back to their original place. After, the warrior walks towards the door.
There is a long silence within the room as they watch Shadow Beast leave when Manhunter speaks up, "Will you not share with us your stories."
Everyone then stare at J'onn except for Shadow Beast. Stopping in front of the door, Shadow stands in silence. She is too busy talking to them that she doesn't detect J'onn in her mind. Though Shadow Beast knows that he can only sees what she has done for the past six years living in the "outside world" because she has lock every memory of her past deep inside her heart.
"It is none of your business, Mr. J'onzz," Shadow Beast finally says; her voice sound a little desperate. "Please stay out of my life."
"We want to help you," Barry, a.k.a. the Flash, insists.
Shadow Beast then asks, "How can I trust you?"
"Well, how can you not trust us?" Flash counters.
Shadow Beast then turns around and lists off, "You kidnap me and read my memories. In addition, you took off my mask and invade my privacy."
"Why do you wear a mask then?" Batman questions.
"Then why do you?" she counters.
Batman is speechless. Shadow Beast glances around the room. "You all have something you want to protect. Isn't that why you wear a mask? So do I. Therefore when you took off my mask, you have endanger my purpose and my goal in life. By the way, I wear a mask because where I come from, my identity decides if I die or survive."
Superman then inquires, "We can help you protect i"-
"You can't help me protect my goal," the thirteen years old interrupts. "You are all struggling to protect it right now. You can do nothing for me."
"Please," pleads the Man of Steel. "Even though you believe that we can't help you, just give us a chance."
Shadow Beast sighs after a deep silence, taking off her mask and showing them her face again, "Alright, I'll tell you a story."
"Maybe we should not talk in here," Green Lantern suggests, "Let's talk in the meeting room."
-Meeting Room-
Shadow Beast stands in front of the table as the 7 members sit in their chairs and Green Arrow leaning on a wall. She then begins, "Many years ago, a baby girl was born. She was born in a hidden village where the modern society doesn't know of its existence. Unfortunately for the young girl, she was born right after the Fourth Ninja War. The war gave birth to three new tail beasts that the baby girl had to bear in her body; a blue wolf, a gold dragon, and a red phoenix. Because of these creatures, enemies from other nations came and murdered the girl's family. She was left on a doorsteps of a high ranked clan. No one knows how, but the baby was at their doorsteps, crying. The family took her in, but when the family learns of the beasts that were sealed inside of the girl, the family was going to kill her, but the village's leader protested. The village's leader told the family to take care of the girl, but behind his back, the family tortured, abused and raped the girl physically, emotionally, and mentally. They would chain her to a wall and they would do unthinkable things to the girl. One word was carved continuously on the girl's back for many years: Demon. A few years after, the girl went to school, hoping that she can make friends, to only be despised by students and teachers there. Even with twelve teachers nurturing her and helping her, the girl could never be happy. The smile and laughter the girl gave were all fake. Every day when the little girl comes home, she was beaten until she couldn't even move, and the family threaten that they will kill the one she loved if she told anybody about the scars and bruises they gave her. As the years passed, the family continued to carve that word on the girl's body. The girl stayed quiet. She was hated by everyone in the family, except for one. There was only one person in the family that cared for the girl. It was a boy. The boy was the heir to the family. The boy would sneak foods for the girl and help her whenever he could. During her school years, she made no her years living-no-surviving the hell hole she was living in, she was able to meet others like her teachers. They also cared for her, but they are from a different village. As the years gone by, the girl's life was still the same until she was blamed for a crime she didn't do. No one believe the girl. Her teachers believe her, but they have no evidence that she didn't commit the crime. The leader had no other choice but to banished her from the village. The family was happy that the demon was gone, but they were not satisfied. They sent mercenaries out for the little girl who was only seven years old. The corrupted family wanted to display the girl's head on their shelf. They wanted the girl dead. She hid from cities to cities in the strange outside world, running for the rest of her life. Then when the girl was 10, she thought of all the bad things she thought she did and locked them away, along with her memories. She then became a super-hero to pay up for the things she did. The little baby girl that suffered thirteen years of her life was named Vanessa Light, but her real name was Oni-ju; meaning 'Demon Beast'."
Shadow Beast blinks away the tears in her eyes as she takes a look at the league. To her surprise, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Hawk Woman are crying. Superman, Batman, Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow are shock and on the verge of crying.
"I have told you my story," Oni-ju calmly states, "Now I will excuse myself."
"Wait," the league members calls.
Superman says, "We still want you to join the team."