Sayuri was sitting on the couch in her living room, covered up in a blanket while watching television. Tim was up in his room finishing his homework so she had decided to check the news.

Five minutes in and she had realized that it was a bad idea. News in Gotham was just the same as usual. Someone got mugged, some gangs turned up to raid a bank and in the end the day got saved by the city's vigilantes.

It surprised her how the police apparently never did anything whatsoever so that in the end it was all down on Batman and his birds to take care of the city.

Apart from a few officers such as Commissioner Gordon who really took his job seriously, to her it seemed as if all others had just come to terms with the fact that Batman would eventually save the day.

In her opinion, they had all become way too dependent on the vigilantes for their own good. And it worried her to think what would happen if somehow the vigilantes stopped doing all that they did. Then surely the city would crumble to chaos.

She took note of telling this to Richard the next time she met him. After all, he was an officer too and maybe he could get the rest of his colleagues to change that irresponsible attitude.

But thinking of police officers only led her to think about her dad and wonder why he was in prison. She couldn't believe that he could do something so bad that would make him end up in years-long imprisonment and she was surprised at herself for not ever asking why he was there in the first place.

All she knew was that the charges against him were justified and he had himself accepted all the accusations against him. But what were those accusations exactly bothered her a great deal.

The sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs shook her from her thoughts and she switched off the television. For a second she had almost forgotten that Tim was there too and now that she had realized it she made up her mind to ask him all these questions that were bothering her.

"Tim, buddy, would you step in here for a minute?"

Tim had gone to the kitchen to put some coffee to brew on the stove. Hearing her, he came out, "yeah sure."

"You haven't put the coffee on the stove yet, right?"

"I was about to. But it can wait," he smiled as he sat down beside her.

"I think you've gotten addicted to caffeine," she remarked, "it isn't healthy."

"I know," he replied, "it's just that... I'm used to it. Helps a lot with the headaches and keeps me awake when I'm drowsy."

She straightened and gestured him to sit down on the mat in front of her, "there are other ways to deal with headaches, y'know."

He did as he was told and was a bit surprised when she placed her hands on his shoulders, "for example?"

She gently started massaging his shoulders and neck, rubbing firm circles on all the pressure points, going softer on the back of his neck, "I bet you forgot."

Tim was surprised initially but then recalled how she used to do it whenever he was tired, back when they all lived together, "you're right. I had forgotten how good this feels."

"You're really tired these days too," she mumbled, considering whether she should even ask him or not, "don't you think being Robin is messing with your health?"

He kept silent for a moment, pondering on her words, "not exactly. Dick and Jason managed just fine and they still do. So can I."

Sayuri was gently rubbing circles on his temples, "you know this isn't about Grayson or Jay for that instance, they don't have to chug down ten flasks of coffee every day."

"Because they are naturally energetic and I think we can rule Jason out. He doesn't even need sleep."

Surprise took over her features at that remark, "why do you guys treat him like he's a vampire?"

"He's not a vampire but you're close," Tim had a ghost of a smile lingering on his lips, "ever heard of the Lazarus Pit?"

The words brought back memories as she knew it was Ras Al Ghul's secret weapon, "yeah. Seen it too."

The words slipped out of her mouth before she realized but much to her relief, Tim didn't ask how she had seen it. "Well, it has mysterious healing properties, and turns out that it can even bring people back from the dead."

"So you mean to say that Jason had died?"

"It's a long story," he vaguely replied, "and clearly not mine to tell."

"I see," she didn't push the matter further besides that wasn't what she had wanted to find out from him either. "But if it can really bring people back from the dead... Wouldn't Talia try to bring back Ras Al Ghul?"

He realized why she had asked that and couldn't miss the slight change of tone in her voice, "no. Because it has been destroyed. And as far as we know there's no other Lazarus Pit."

She didn't answer but rested her head back as she breathed out in relief. Tim had noticed that but chose not to remark on it.

"So how about we talk about the story that's clearly yours to tell?" Sayuri asked, changing the topic, "what happened after I left you and Dad?"

"A lot of things happened," he sighed, "and most of them weren't good."

"Oh. If you aren't comfortable talking about it then it's alright," she knew she had to give him his choice on that because reversing the situation, she wouldn't feel comfortable at all talking about her past either.

Tim seemed to have picked up on that underlying motive as he replied immediately, "no it's not like that. Of course, we can talk about it."

On the other hand, he wanted her to realize that keeping things a secret from the people you're close to is not always the best option. He wanted her to know that he trusted her and that she could do the same the other way round.

He had rested his head back on her knees as she ran her fingers through his hair, waiting for him to begin.

"Hey, I know you have your questions sorted out and it would be easier if I answered those instead of going over the whole account."

"Sure," she thought about what to ask him first, "so... Where's Janet? I mean... I've met Dad even though I don't know why he's in jail but you both never talk about her."

Tim shrugged, "you know Mum and Dad got divorced back when you had been living with us. After you went, things got worse. Dad's business was on the verge of bankruptcy and Mum... Well, she wasn't too happy with how things were either."

Sayuri was listening closely to him. She remembered that Janet never really paid Tim any attention when he was a toddler even, so it had been Sayuri who looked after him. And she could clearly imagine how hard it would have been on Tim after she had left for Japan.

"Dad put me in a boarding school because he was seldom at home and he didn't want me to be left alone without any supervision. Weeks after I had gone there, Mum called to tell me that she was leaving the country that day so she came to visit me. And that's the last time I saw her or heard from her."

There was a while of silence between them which was broken when Sayuri asked, "and why is Dad in jail?"

"As I told you, he got bankrupt. I came back from boarding because the fees were too much. He was also in a lot of debt and I hardly get to see him even. I had no idea what he had been doing. And that's when I learned to hack and used it to make some money because paying school fees was getting a little difficult."

Sayuri's eyes widened, "you became a hacker and Dad didn't know?"

"I did minor stuff that wouldn't get me in trouble with the law. As for Dad, he would hardly come home to find out what I was up to. But then everything changed when I accidentally hacked into the Batcomputer. The security firewalls on it were very weak I may admit and it had clearly been an accident as I wasn't intending to do it. But as a consequence, I figured out who Batman was and worked out his secret. At that time Jason had been dead, so Bruce wasn't really doing well with the whole situation and that calamity was affecting him as Batman as well. He wasn't really, how do I put it... As alert and keen on fighting crime as he is now."

"Gotham would have been in chaos then."

"It was. Everything was a horrible mess. I knew Batman needed a Robin and in those days Dick had also left him and was staying in Bludhaven. So I approached Bruce, told him what I knew and kind of blackmailed him into training me to become his Robin."

Sayuri couldn't believe her ears and was simply staring at him in shock, "Timmy, I had no idea how much you had taken after me. Like that's a whole new level of manipulation which I could seriously not expect from you."

A smile broke on his face as he replied, "it runs in the genes I guess. Anyhow Bruce had to accept because I had solid evidence. Then I told Dad that I was selected for the Basketball team so he shouldn't worry if I got hurt occasionally or got late from school, on the other hand, Alfred and Bruce started to train me."

"And Dad didn't suspect at all?"

"He was too burdened. Sometimes I felt bad that I was using his preoccupation to my benefit but... He did find out though. One day he decided to check up on the basketball tryouts of our school and met the coach who informed him that I wasn't on the team. Dad didn't confront me straightaway so I had no idea he had found out. But he started keeping a strict watch over me and eventually found out about Bruce. And let's just say things got really ugly afterward."

Sayuri understood that Jack must have felt threatened by Bruce taking his son away from him and introducing him into a world of danger. She had thought exactly the same when she had first found out about Tim being Red Robin as well. "I see. He would have gotten really angry."

"He confronted Bruce with his gun; that's the level of anger he had reached," Tim shuddered as h recalled the event, "I was there, Sayuri, I saw. They got into an argument and Bruce was trying his best to calm him down and drop the weapon. But the trigger got pressed when he was trying to wrestle it out of Dad's hands and hit a man who was crossing the alley nearby."

"He confronted him in an alley?"

"Well, he couldn't do it in the manor or anywhere else where Bruce would have any leverage..."

Sayuri was sitting up straight in shock as she looked down at her brother who had a very exhausted look on his face as if he was reliving the moments and recoiling deep inside. "Then?"

"Dad was sentenced to jail for attempted murder. The man who got hit had spent a considerable time in the hospital too before finally being discharged. But that's how Dad went to prison. And it's all due to me. If I hadn't approached Bruce, if I hadn't kept all this a secret from Dad, he would still have been a free man."

Guilt laced Tim's voice as he closed his eyes, head still resting on her knees. It cut her to the core to see him thus and she gently caressed his cheek, "Tim, it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is."

She made him stand up from the mat and gestured him to lie down on the couch, covering him with her blanket as she took his head in her lap in a very motherly way. She was gently running her fingers through his hair in order to soothe him as she knew that recounting everything wasn't anywhere near easy for him.

"But think about what would have happened if you didn't become Robin," she found herself saying the exact words which she thought she would never say out loud to him but had to so that he could be at peace with his decision, "Gotham was in chaos and Batman was no longer what he used to be. You saved the city, Tim, even though you sacrificed a lot in the process."

"I thought you wouldn't think that way, Sayuri. You're only saying that to comfort me."

She nodded, "you thought right; I would never have said this to you. But that's the truth, isn't it? Even though I believe that this city won't be saved if it chooses to remain this way and entirely depend on the vigilantes. But I know what you did was for a good cause. I know your intentions were pure when you put on the cowl for the first time. And they still are."

He kept silent as if considering her words then spoke up again, "but I still blame myself for Dad's imprisonment. He's suffering because of me."

She sighed looking down straight into his clear blue eyes, "Tim, do you know, every single day I think that I shouldn't have left you both. Deep down, I blame myself for all the bad things that happened to you and Dad. I can't help but think that if I hadn't left maybe the situation would have been different, maybe my presence would have made all the difference. But then I think about what wouldn't have happened if I stayed with you guys."

Tim was listening closely because it seemed as if she was for the first time opening up to him, "true that if I had stayed maybe I wouldn't be as broken as I am now. But if I had stayed, I would never have met Ryuu."

Her voice shook as if talking about him made her hurt. But she resumed nevertheless, putting on a brave smile on her face.

"Ryuu was my friend, my lover and later even my husband. He was everything I wanted to have in a partner. We were both... Perfect... For each other. If I had stayed with you, I would never have had the chance to experience all the beautiful moments of my life that I spent with him."

Tim knew exactly how much pain it was causing her but he couldn't let her see that he knew anything about her past, he had to act as if it was all new to him. And currently, he found that quite difficult.

"And if I didn't leave you guys, maybe you would never have become Robin. And then I wouldn't have ever met Grayson either. Or even if I had, it wouldn't be the same as it is now. Richard has helped me through such a tough phase in my life and stood by me firmly that I don't even know if I will ever be able to thank him enough for that. He can't replace Ryuu but that's because he has his own special place in my heart. I don't know why I told you all this, but I felt as if you came to know then you would find peace with your own decisions as well. Just like I'm doing so now."

Tim was looking up at her with slightly dewy eyes, "Sayuri, I think you're right. Everything does happen for the best."

"Exactly," her smile widened, "I hadn't been a big believer in this notion but Grayson made me see otherwise. And I hope that everything I told you today will make you accept this too."

Tim feared that the tears would roll down his cheeks so he closed his eyes immediately, "hey, you wouldn't mind if I fell asleep here? I don't think I can go up to my room now."

"Of course, I won't mind," she stroked his head affectionately, "good night, Timbers."

"Good night."

***