Disclaimer: not mine

So, Tim will likely be getting a new suit and moniker, what should it be/look like?

Should Sora join in on the vigilante thing?

Chapter 4

Tim did something he hadn't done in years…he froze, eyes wide, as he saw the strange creatures just off the market area. Sora instantly called his Keyblade and launched himself at them. And his shock turned to awe as he watched Sora fight, so different to how any of the bats fought. Even Kon and Cassie who could fly didn't fight the same as Sora did. It was like gravity was more of a suggestion to him than a rule.

One of the small shadowy creatures noticed him watching and melted into the ground, moving fast towards him. His hand went to his pocket where he'd stored his discs, wrapping around them. Leon had said they fought the Heartless and they didn't have Keyblades which meant they could at least be held off by other weapons. It rose from the ground, launching at him, and Tim threw, the disc hitting the shadow and cutting right through it.

"Nice shot!" Sora called and then he slashed through three in one hit of his Keyblade.

Tim drew more of the discs, settling into an easy stance, ready to move at a moments notice. He began watching Sora's back, enjoying being back in a fight even though he wasn't back to full strength yet, not entirely.

"Look out!" Sora yelled.

Tim spun to see a much larger Heartless rushing towards him, hand automatically going for his bō before remembering it had been left in the desert.

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He'd gotten caught up in the fight, had thought Tim was okay, and now he had a Larger Body bearing down on him. Those throwing discs wouldn't do a thing to one of those! Where had it come from?! There'd only been Shadows and a handful of Soldiers before.

"Tim move!" he yelled, fighting through the sudden flood of Heartless to get to him.

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Tim didn't need the warning, already lunging aside, the problem was, there wasn't a lot of room to manoeuvre in the elevated area they'd found themselves. There were options that normally he wouldn't even have to think about, but while he'd been training, he hadn't started back at any of the acrobatics he was usually capable of, knowing his spine and organs needed plenty of time to heal without him twisting and jumping. But now? He flipped back, bouncing off the wall to grab an overhang and pull himself onto the roof. The smaller Heartless could follow him but not the big one. He felt a twinge in his back from the move but it was nowhere near as bad as it should be so soon after the injury. The kind of injury and surgery he'd had…he should still be restricted to a hospital and in therapy and yet here he was, in a fight.

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Sora was relieved with how Tim had gotten clear; the Large Body would struggle to follow him up there. He pulled more on his magic, wanting to take them all out as quick as possible. He swore softly as he saw some Blue Rhapsody and Neoshadows forming…and heading right for Tim. This was getting out of hand, they had obviously sensed Tim.

Sora spotted a pole and hit it, cutting it free. "Tim!" he yelled and threw it.

Tim lunged, catching it, and moving to defend himself.

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The metal pole was weighted differently and wasn't designed for fighting, but it was better than nothing. He had nowhere else to run to except back down to where Sora was fighting which wasn't really an option. The town defences were doing damage but obviously weren't powerful enough to take out the ones that were now focusing on him. Great. And then a blond man dressed in black and with a truly massive sword appeared, blocking a blow that would have hit Tim in the back.

"Thanks!" He called.

"Great timing Cloud!" Sora yelled.

So, this was the Cloud who hadn't been at the house earlier. He…he was really good! Very fast and really strong. Not Superman level or Flash level speed but beyond human levels. And…did his eyes glow slightly?

Tim ducked, slamming the improvised staff into anther Heartless. Having another fighter at his back felt so good and normal, even if he didn't usually fight with a sword wielder.

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Cloud didn't know who the boy was, had never seen him before, but assumed he had something to do with Sora since the brunette was fighting on the rooftop below. He hadn't seen Sora much since his return but he looked fit and healthy. The teen was good with the improvised staff, showing he had years of training with the real thing. He saw him twist and wince, shifting his weight, but not fast enough, a Neoshadow lunging in.

"Move!" he yelled, instantly prepping a spell, but it wasn't needed as a blast of light exploded from where the teen was standing.

When it faded the Neoshadow was gone…and the kid was staring at the Keyblade in his hands in complete shock and disbelief.

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Sora heard Cloud actually yell, setting off an overpowered wind spell to blast the Heartless back…and then he felt it. He grinned, taking care of the last on his level before running up the building to find a stunned speechless Tim staring at his shiny new Keyblade and wow…that was pretty, like its wiel…nope, not going there.

"Told you," he called as he took out the last Heartless.

Tim looked up at him and then back down at his Keyblade. "I…I…" blue eyes were wide and Tim was actually lost for words.

Sora grinned at him. "What's it called."

"Flight of Justice," he answered and then blinked.

"Yeah, the name tends to just pop in your head." And it suited the Keyblade too.

It was mostly crimson in colour with some gold and black mixed in as well. It kind of reminded him of Riku's Way to the Dawn. The Keyblade's guard was composed of two crimson wings and the token was a black bat. A golden diamond was set into the hilt and the length of the blade looked like four intertwined strands in crimson, gold, and black. Very flight animal themed and from what Tim had told him about Vigilantes then Justice fit too. It was longer than the Kingdom Key but he supposed that made sense since he was used to using a staff.

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Tim stared at the blade in his hand, unable to believe his eyes. This…this was a Keyblade…his Keyblade. He could feel it and it felt so right in his hands. It was in his colours. The Red Robin uniform had never felt right, it didn't even fit him properly, made for someone a bit bigger. But red and black had been his since Kon…He didn't mind the gold at all either.

He hadn't believed them, even when Sora showed him the magic. But now the proof was literally in his hands and before his eyes. What would this mean for him in Gotham? He took a deep breath, that didn't matter, not at the moment. He felt himself sway, the blade vanishing, and Cloud grabbed him, holding him steady.

"Back to the castle," Sora announced, wincing slightly. "This was a bit more excitement than you were cleared for."

"It's just a twinge."

"Yeah, and Even said your spine was hit before so let's get you laying down before it's more than a twinge. Besides, first time calling the Keyblade is exhausting by itself," Sora explained, and Tim found he was exhausted, just keeping his eyes open now was work.

"Oh," he murmured.

"Cloud?" Sora asked.

"I've got him," the voice rumbled through him slightly, and Tim realised he'd been picked up, no longer able to keep his eyes open.

"It's okay, Tim, you can sleep," Sora murmured, hand brushing over his forehead gently, and everything faded away.

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Riku looked up as Sora walked through the gates, surprised he'd beaten them back since he figured Tim would have flagged a while ago. And…oh, Cloud walked in, Tim cradled carefully in his arms, body limp. Riku moved slowly, aware that his appearance could be a trigger for the older male. Finding out he had the same hair colour as Cloud's worst enemy, that there was a passing resemblance even, had not been pleasant and so he always made sure Cloud was aware where he was and kept his movements slow till Cloud acknowledged him. Sure, he could defend himself if Cloud attacked but he didn't want to, he was Sora's friend.

"Is he alright?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake Tim.

Sora grinned. "He summoned his Keyblade, Flight of Justice, so he's pretty wiped. The fight didn't help either."

Yeah, Riku remembered that, though it hadn't hit him as hard as it had others since Soul Eater actually took more from him than calling a Keyblade ever could. It had been a relief when it had shifted into a Keyblade, no longer draining his magic to call, now it was a slight tug on his Heart like all Keyblades.

The led Cloud to Tim's room and he carefully set him down, Sora daring off to find someone to check Tm over, just to be safe.

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Dick stared at the man sleeping on the bed in isolation. It…it was him; it was really him. Bruce was alive. He felt a bit sick even as he was excited. He felt sick because Tim had been right and now Tim…Tim was likely gone forever. There had been utterly no sign of him since his arrival in Iraq. They'd managed to dig out that the League was involved which was not good. Would…would Tim end up another Jason? Revived by the League and turned against them in anger? How was he meant to tell Bruce?

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Tim stared at the ceiling; he still missed his room at the manor. It hadn't been his for all that long really. He'd had a guest room that he'd barely used at first but once Bruce started fostering him, he'd been given a room in the family wing. He'd used it till his Dad was discharged and then he'd been stuck in the townhouse with him and Dana. He had really liked her but things with his Dad, even before he found out about Robin, had been uncomfortable. After his death, Bruce had put the adoption through and he'd been back into his room at the manor.

It had been strange at first, to have a room so different to the one he was used to, but the room next to Dick's had become home…until he'd been driven out. But that room would always be a reminder of one of the few happy times in his life. He didn't know if it would ever be his again, even if…when he returned to Gotham. There was so much pain associated with the manor now, ever since Damian showed up.

This room…was functional, obviously a guest room that hadn't been used in some time, which made sense with how the World had apparently been destroyed. It was comfortable though, somewhere he could relax. Training with Riku and Sora was very different to any training he'd had before. In the morning, they were leaving for another World where Master Yen Sid was waiting to meet him. Something about that had Sora on edge so it made him wary, Sora seemed to have a very good sense for people after all.

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Riku set the course and looked over, grinning at the look on Tim's face. He may have been into the space of his World before, but this was very different. Sora was in the back, working on a funny noise in the engine since their last fight with some Heartless that had had poor Tim clutching his seat as they put the ship through some very rough manoeuvres.

"Riku, can I ask you something?"

Riku turned the chair to see Tim, seeing it was serious. "What is it?"

"This Master Yen Sid…why is Sora so tense?"

Riku winced slightly, he hadn't thought anyone else would notice, then again from what they'd been learning about Tim's 'job' he guessed it made sense he had. He was trained to read body language after all.

"I didn't meet him at the same time that Sora did, we were separated at that point. I…I was dealing with the aftereffects of being possessed by Xehanort's Heartless and thought it was better I watch over Sora from a distance." He didn't know Tim well enough yet to get into it all, but Tim grimaced at the mention of being possessed so he got that much which was good.

"Mater Yen Sid was a Keyblade Master before retiring. He is a very powerful sorcerer and is the guardian of the Mysterious Tower. He trained King Mickey and has guided Keyblade wielders for a long time. He has very…set ideas about what makes a good wielder and potential Master."

"And Sora doesn't fit them," Tim murmured.

Riku nodded. "Sora's a lot quieter now, he's been through…well, a lot. And a lot of us lay at least some of the blame on Yen Sid. He put so much pressure on Sora…"

"Do I fit what he sees as a good wielder?" Tim asked.

"In some ways, yes, but not all of them," Riku warned. "You're a disciplined fighter which he'll like." But he wouldn't like the whole idea behind Vigilantes, not when they fought often for vengeance.

He looked up as Sora joined them, smiling at his best friend who smiled back before flopping down in his own seat.

"All fixed," he announced.

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Yen Sid waited as the ship landed, sensing the three within it. It appeared this Tim had summoned his Keyblade while in Radiant Garden, his presence stronger now. He frowned as he sensed the Darkness in the boys' Heart, at least the same levels as Sora had, not as high as Riku's but Riku's was fully balanced with the Light. He had hoped to find someone with less Darkness within them, they had too many wielders who held Darkness inside of them. Kairi was an exception, even now that she had passed on her position as one of the Seven Princesses.

As they entered the Tower, he settled himself behind his desk for his first look at their newest wielder. The door opened and Riku walked in, nodding his head in greeting and then their newcomer. He was around Sora's height with black hair and icy blue eyes, slender but muscled. It appeared he might already know something of fighting, which was good, it would likely make his training easier. It would be best to send him to the Land of Departure for his training, Aqua could oversee things and Ventus would make a good training partner.

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Damian sat on his bed, lost in thought. Father…father was alive. Drake had been right. Father would be home in a few days, did that mean they'd be returning to the Manor? At least with Drake gone, father would have to accept that he was Robin now. Even if Drake was somehow alive and came back, he had taken his rightful place so he would just have to leave.

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Sora bowed and Tim coped him, not wanting to offend. He took in the man seated at the desk, something about him…

"Master Yen Sid, this is Tim Drake. Tim, this is Master Yen Sid."

"Nice to meet you Sir," Tim greeted him. One thing about growing up in Gotham high society, you learnt how to be perfectly polite no matter the situation if it was needed. He kept his expression bland but polite.

He could see that something had shuttered in Sora's eyes since they entered the office, and he didn't like that. Riku had said that the man was hard on Sora so that explained his reaction.

So far, he wasn't sure he liked the man, and then he began speaking and Tim knew he didn't like him as the man went over plans for Tim, plans he seemed to think would happen without even asking Tim for input. Should he interrupt or wait till he was done?

"Excuse me, Master Yen Sid," it was Riku who interrupted. But apparently Riku was a Master too, the youngest to have passed the exam.

"Yes?" He seemed a little surprised to have been interrupted.

"We've already organised Tim's training. He will be returning home and Sora's going with him. I'll go and check in with them every so often."

And Master Yen Sid did not look pleased with that.

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Sora could tell the Master was not happy with their plan. But seriously, how could he make plans before he even met Tim? Tim had a life to get back to and the Worlds were pretty peaceful for the most part. There was no need to rip Tim away from his home, there was no immediate threat that he needed immediate training for.

Or was it Sora going with him that was the issue? Probably. Even with how he'd changed since vanishing, the old Master was obviously still not entirely fond of him. Honestly, he was just done with the pressure and expectations.

He glanced at Tim, seeing his discomfort and annoyance at the Master's planning without even meeting him. They should have just gone straight back to Tim's home.

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Kon nodded as Clark told him the news and then slipped away. They were all celebrating that Batman had been found…all thanks to Tim's work. But did that get a mention? No. When Bart joined him outside the room, they headed for the Zeta to head back to Earth, neither of them wanting to party. Tim was still missing; they didn't want to party.

"Anything?" he asked, and Bart shook his head.

They'd been searching for Tim themselves with every spare second that they had. They weren't giving up till they had a body at least, maybe not even then considering what had just happened with Batman. If Tim…if he was dead then he'd probably be mad at them for not getting on with their lives but as far as they knew, he was alive and needed them.

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It felt weird keeping quiet and letting others fighting his battles for him but Tim didn't know this man and they did. Riku remained utterly calm as he argued with the other Master, he'd make a good vigilante with being able to do that. There was no way he was going to another strange World to train under strangers. He trusted Sora and Riku and trust was important for a bat. He just wanted to go home and make sure they got Bruce back, wanted to see if Bruce still wanted him, if he still had a family.

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Bruce carefully stepped out of the zeta, Dick hovering at his side as they walked into the cave. Immediately he could tell it hadn't been used in a while, though it was being cleaned up. Movement caught his eye, the flash of red from the Robin suit and went to greet Tim, but it wasn't Tim who stepped into view. Why was Damian in the Robin suit? And the one Tim had designed to honour his dead teammates? Where was Tim? No…please not another son.

TBC…