Chapter Text
Ever since you both were born all the focus was on Damian, ever since he was born, Ra's saw something in him that he didn't see in you—potential. He's put all the eggs into his basket, leaving you with nothing. Not a Crumb of approval.
he's always been the favorite child
In their eyes, he was exceptional, While you were just... There
Just an extra, that came along with him, Damian simply had the fire and spark in him that you lacked
To them you weren't special, not in the same way
You were... 'normal'... Too normal for their taste
It was Always about Damian, never you.
Damian this, Damian that.
It's not that Talia—your mother—hates you or anything.
It's just that she's always perceived you as "weaker" than Damian
Because unlike you, he was a respected member of the league of assassins, an amazing fighter, physically stronger, mentally disciplined, his movement was purposeful—never hesitated in a fight, and that made you look weaker in comparison even though you both are twins
You didn't feel shame in showing your emotions, you held back when it came to killing your targets, because it felt unethical to you
Which is ironic considering that you're supposed to be an 'assassin' you had the skills to eliminate your opponents, but still chose to hold back, you preferred peaceful methods
A shame. That's what your mother always thought, she believes you're wasting your potential that way.
Even though you and Damian both had the same training, same fighting style same everything
Even though you both were born and raised under the same roof you both were treated differently
Only Damian, always Damian
It filled you with a sense of animosity
Sometimes you wish he would just disappear or whatever
But you knew better
He's still your brother regardless
The entire ordeal was frustrating, You just wanted a chance—just one chance—to prove yourself. To prove your worth to your family.
Little did you know it would come sooner than you expected.
"Ugh, finally..." You sigh in exhaustion as you climbed the stairway to the league's fortress, the place was nestled deep in the mountains, you had just returned from a mission that took you longer than you thought, and you were so ready to throw yourself on your bed, you had missed the comfort and softness of it's sheets, just thinking about it made you speed up your steps
However, you noticed something was wrong as you were making your way to the fortress.
Something felt off
The training grounds are usually bursting with noises of the assassins training during this time of the day, But everything was deathly still, no sounds of slashing swords, no sounds of anyone sparring, no grunts or even the sound of punching dummies
Sensing the unnerving atmosphere, you hurried towards the gates of the headquarters, As you push the huge wooden doors You noticed that the lack of security, It was slightly ajar and damaged.
A bad sign
As you entered the training grounds that was connected to the entrance, your eyes scan the area, it was almost practically trashed, it's like a tornado had swept in and destroyed the place, your eyes kept roaming until it landed on your mother.
She appeared to be assisting some men with the repairs but aside from everything she seemed fine and unharmed
Thank god, you never doubted your mother's ability to protect herself, she is an amazing fighter, basically untouchable, but still it was reassuring to know she was fine, it helped calm you down a little, however it doesn't completely erase your worry
You try your best to control your panic as you sprint towards her "mother!" You shout her name catching her attention and making her stop what she was doing, she turns her head to the sound of your voice.
"What—what happened here? Why is the entire place upside down? where grandfather?" Ra's was a temperamental man with little to no empathy, and To be fair, you never liked him, he was practically incapable of compassion and you partly blamed him for the way Damian turned out. and he certainly didn't like you showing emotions, you both argued very often
But still, even if you didn't get along at all, he was your grandfather.
He was your blood.
Talia didn't answer, her gaze darkened when you mentioned him, which added more to your worry.
Pure uneasiness started to pool in your stomach.
"Mom... What happened to him?..." You ask again, Hoping this time you will get an answer, but nothing, you received nothing but silence.
This was rare, your mother was usually a composed woman that was never fazed by anything.
And the fact that she was standing speechless right in front of you with an apologitic look means that something really bad happened during your absence
"What happened to Damian?..." finally, you mastered the courage to ask about your brother, you were away for so long because of a forsaken mission and when you finally returned the entire place was upside down!?
You were occupied with your duties as a member of the league, a valid excuse, but still, if anything happens to him you won't be able to forgive yourself
When your mother sensed your uneasiness, she immediately shook her head to reassure you.
"He's fine, your brother is fine, while you were away to perform your duty we were attacked by Deathstroke, luckily we were able to fend him off, aside from the amount of damage he caused." She pauses mid sentence "As for your brother, I sent him away to keep him safe from slade and his men"
That made you let out a deep exhale in relief, however it left a question gnawing at you
Sent him where and to who exactly? The league has a lot of enemies as well as allies, and understandably, not all allies are trustworthy, whoever she sent your brother to, he's probably very close
But who?
"That's good to know, but... where's he now? When will he return?" You asked, Ra's was now completely forgotten, your thoughts turned to your brother.
At that, her expression hardened as if you had just struck a nerve
"That's not important, he's safe now. That's all you need to know, now return to your room at once, I'm currently busy as you can see" just when you thought that you were finally getting some answers, all she did was being vague, as if she was trying to hide something from you.
She's definitely hiding something.
"Mom, where is Damian? Isn't it dangerous for him to be alone by himself out there? Shouldn't I be there to protect him?—"
"He will manage just fine without you, he always did" she immediately cut you off, her words felt cruel.
it stung a little, but it was true, still being separated from him and not knowing anything about him made you feel restless, you have to see him for yourself and make sure he's okay
"But mother you don't get it I need to—"
"(NAME), you just returned from a very long mission. Go. Rest. That's an order." She ordered, interrupting you again as if anticipating your next words, her tone was sharp and final
From the looks of it, it sounds like your mother won't be giving you any answers.
You know when she gets like this.
So you took this as your sign to leave and go to your room.
"I need to leave this place…" you muttered, the words came out more as a grumble, staying here is pointless, you will be just wasting your time by sulking and moping around
You needed to see Damian, you needed answers.
So you decided to take it upon yourself to search for him without depending on Talia for answers.
Talia sighs and watches you as you stomp away in displeasure, Obviously, you weren't satisfied with the answers she kept giving you.
But can you blame her? You were always curious about who your biological father was, she knows that if you find out that she sent your twin brother to meet his father you will most likely demand to go too.
And letting Damian stay with Bruce was already taking a toll on her
It felt like sending away a part of her heart
But the thought of sending you both at the same time was an unfathomably painful idea for her
Your mother did not send you to Bruce, not because she thought you were undeserving of meeting your real father
It's just that she didn't want to send you away
She knows once you go you won't come back
And it hurt her just thinking about it
You were still her daughter no matter what, no matter how much you both argued or fought or had a disagreement
She wanted you by her side, in the sight of her watchful eye
It's selfish, she won't lie.
She knows better than keeping you by her side forever.
You will eventually you will grow tired, start demanding to know, asking and acting on your own
While Damian was the wild card, you were rebellious one, always doing what you want and believe in
No amount of discipline would ever prevent you, you were as hard headed as your brother. One of the many things you both shared in common
She knows hiding you from Bruce is wrong, then again what did they do that wasn't wrong?
Why was this specifically bothering her so much?
She sighs and quickly masks her troubled expression, She threw herself back into giving orders, Anything to help distract her from how upset you must be.
As a matter of fact, nothing in the league goes uncataloged, and even though you weren't as respected as Damian is, Being the daughter of Talia al ghul gave you enough privilege to at least go through the records briefly They have detailed dossiers on various members' lives, Including your family,
After searching, running some background checks on Talia and Ra's, interrogating who were there during the attack—which was the most difficult part since they're stubbornly loyal—but you managed, some of them had a slip of tongue that you managed to catch, allowing you to gain enough information.
The investigation took at least a few months, and during these months your mother wasn't able to catch you snooping, too busy dealing with the aftermath of Slade's attack, and you were grateful for the distraction.
Ultimately, you finally managed to find where he might be.
Gotham, a small city in state of new Jersey. Which came as a surprise to you.
We have allies there? Well, that didn't matter. All the leads and clues were pointing to that place, and now for the next step. Packing up and leaving the fortress, And this was a huge step for you.
You're not used to leaving your home unless you were away on a mission or doing some training. But this is different than a mission, this time there's a big chance that if you leave you might not be able to return.
the thought made you uncertain, after hours of contemplating on what to do, eventually you made up your mind and decided to go look for your brother in Gotham.
Leaving home the place where you were born and raised in even if you despised it here, but you really have to see your brother, not just that, you wanted to leave the league to build a life for yourself and get out of their shadows and constant humiliation
It always hurt you how much they overlook you, you can tell they still cared about you, even if it was a small amount and awfully subtle, but that wasn't enough.
You wanted more
you're sure you will manage just fine without them
Right?
Pshh, yeah right.
you were growing sick of it.
This is time for a change.