A/N
Well well well... its been an EXTREMELY long time since I've done this. put myself up against people who are uncountable more talented than I am. the problem with having multiple talents is that you'll never be better than 'good' or 'great' at any one of them, its spread out. why am I telling you this? because its an AUTHORS NOTE DAMNIT! XD and I intend to leave a note others can take something out of.

I'm not saying any of this to get sympathy, in fact if you send me any I'll just delete it. for this story I request one thing only from you readers.
flame it.
flame ME!

I want you to ground this story into the dust. because no matter how hurtful your reviews may be, there will always be a small truth in them. That truth that told you to click the review button, cause something small, or large, bothered you.

I don't want little prissy comments saying I should continue, or that I'm a good writer.
I want comments that try to break my spirit, because I deserve that you, the world and myself for leaving my proverbial pen in the bin.

Every flame you send will, WILL! improve not only this story, but my writing all together.

but enough of my rambling, let the show... BEGIN!

Burning Bats
A Young justice AU fanfiction

Written with love,
by Walking in a Cornfield

Cold sucks. I'm not sure how long it's been since the scary people have stopped moving my box, or when I last ate or when I last hugged mummy. My mummy, who would never let me get cold and would warm me up with a hug, kiss my hurts away. I've got lots of hurts now, from the splinters in the crates, from when I hit my elbow and from when I tried to burn my way out. My hands still hurt, but not as much as they used too, but I want my mum. Where is she? Why hasn't she found me like she always would when we played hide and seek together? Why isn't my mummy here? Why isn't…isn't she…here?

My dark blue eyes are shinning with fresh tears and I'm suddenly crying again, sniffing and trying to stop and be a brave boy like mummy had said I was, be the boy that would help lots of people, with my, 'gift'. That's why they took me I think, because I can hurt bad people like them.

I can't think clearly enough to try and see if I'm dreaming, to see if I do have powers, and even if I do, I'd hate them! I could've stayed with mummy, not gotten taken away and heard the noise. Oh mummy why aren't you here with me?

The tears are running freely down my face, covered by my long dark red hair, and my sniffles are becoming louder as I'm remembering something I don't want to. The reason why mummy isn't here, The reason she'll never be. The reason because she got hurt, and it sounded bad, but I thought the people didn't mean it and were going over to say sorry and try to help, like good bad guys in my cartoons would do. But why did the man shoot again, and again and again?

I try to calm down by counting how many times on my fingers, four times, I can't take it anymore.

I cry, I wail and I scream at the world because someone had taken something from me, and for a six year old, a tantrum wasn't the worst of my grieving.

I almost miss the unfamiliar voices outside my box. Almost.

"hey, did you hear that? Sounded like a kid crying. Lets go check it out!"

"No way man, if your thinking what I think you are I'd prefer not to. I don't wanna lose another tooth!"

"What are you worried about, The 'Batman'? he's not real! The cops made up a story to make us crooks scared to do our doings!"

"…fine but if anything happens I'm blaming you!"

I've managed to stifle my sobs to a minimum so they hopefully wouldn't find me, and I think I've gotten away with it until I feel my box get lifted up and then put back down.

"I think its coming from in here!"

"well open it up ya dope!"

My pulse quickens as one of the walls begins to creak and bend, ready to give way when all pressure stops and there's a gurgling sound from outside my box, before suddenly the wall under pressure just before pops open suddenly to reveal a giant bat. All other thoughts leave and I'm left thinking one thing, scary! Evil! Hurt! On instinct I reach for my power and try to grab it but suddenly I'm lifted out gently and I see that there's a face behind the bat, no behind a mask of a bat. He looks at me carefully, as if checking over my hurts like mummy would. The thought brings more fresh tears to my eyes.

"I miss my mummy" I whisper and he looks at me for a second before pulling out a weapon like what the bad man had used on my mummy and I wriggled to try and escape his strong grip but he whispered to me, "keep still, I'll try and find your… 'mummy'" before shooting a rope out of his gun into the air and suddenly we were flying through the air really fast! The rope pulled us into a plane which he controlled with bike handlebars, I stared in fascination at the glowing screens and snow blowing past the window at super speeds! I was so cool!

"have you learned how to ride a bike?" the mans gruff voice asks and I turn my head to see his head is staring straight ahead but his blue eyes are looking at me.

Suddenly my hands were on the handlebars, his gently holding them there as he turned slowly to the right, with the plane following him.

I looked up at him with a small spark of joyous glee and he simply nodded his head.

I don't know how long I played around, gently flying one way then another, going up and down, before he gently took control again and flew us through a water fall and into a BIG cave. When he got out and set me on the ground I fell over from dizziness because I kept turning around and around to try and take in the place. There was a big platform where the plane had landed, a place where it looked like there was a car being built next to some big wooden dummies, a big computer with heaps of screens saying all sorts of things and an old friendly looking man with a silver tray in his hand.

"Are you back for this evening sir? Or is there still work to be had out in Gotham this fine nig…" the old man paused suddenly when he saw me sitting on the ground wide eyed and open mouthed.

"Oh my, dare I ask what happened to this poor boy, master Bruce?"

"I found him in a box that said Paris on it. There were two thugs attempting to open it. He doesn't look at the top of health, Alfred, you think you could maybe…" the man, Bruce, asked the older man, Alfred.

"Yes, yes, of course. Come with me young boy and I'll get you something to eat and some fresh clothes."

I was already having trouble listening to the conversation; feeling tired and having trouble standing. I managed to stand and cling onto the older mans hand as he walks me to a bedroom to get some fresh clothes for me.

I'm in a soft bed, my bed is soft. It must be my bed! I knew it was just a bad dream I knew it. But I open my eyes to a much more fancy room than I remember. I wake up in a pair of pyjamas than I have never seen before, but all my hopes are dashed when I call out,
"mum?" and hear the gentle thumping of footsteps climbing stairs. I don't remember my room being anywhere near the steps in our house.

I'm crying when the old man in a suit opens the door and asks if I'm alright.

"I'm not alright, I'm Paton…My mummy would laugh at that joke every time I said it too her" I manage through sobs. The older man, Elfrod is his name I think, has a sad look in his eyes.

He does say anything, but walks over to where I'm sitting and gently wraps me in his arms whispering that it will be alright, that every thing will work out eventually, that sometimes life's mean to us and some times its nice.

I don't listen, and I don't care. I just want my mummy.

It's the middle of the day when I wake up again and I decide to go exploring the giant house I'm now in. I was never good at remembering where I'd been so I was soon lost in the castle sized house, but eventually I turned a corner and found myself in the middle of the biggest library I'd ever seen. I was about to turn and leave before a shuffling caught my eye. I turned my head to see…nothing but a bookshelf that was strangely missing an entire row of books. Confused, I take a step towards the bookshelf, only to suddenly jump as a voice pips up next to me!

"Oh come on, I was right in front of you! Why couldn't you have just turned back around?"

I turn to look at the source of the voice and see a pouting black hair boy with blue eyes who looked around my age. Shocked, confused and happy that I now have someone to talk to, my brain fumbles and I burst out,

"Hi I'm what's yours hi."

He stares at me for a second as if I've just spoken in alien, before shaking it of and holding his hand out.

"I have no real idea what you just said, but I'm Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick if you want. What's your name?"

I cautiously take the offered hand and shake.

"I'm Paton, Paton Da Van or Pat for short."

"Really? A name like that and the best you could do for a nick name is 'pat'?"

This 'Dick' person is really confusing. I wasn't quite sure if he was being mean or saying nice things about my name.

"How about Daa'Vanne? That sounds like a much cooler nickname! Just have-ta strech the 'ah' and the 'ne'"

An awkward silence follows until I ask, "How did you sneak up on me?"

He beams and talks about how he's training to be a bird called 'robin' so that he can fight bad guys and be on the side of Batman's kick and help nice people and all sorts of other stuff. I fascinated by everything he's telling me and an idea pops into my mind, 'could I be a hero too?' I asked Dick.

"Well, I'm not sure if Bruce would be ok with that, cause I mean you've got to be able to do something that could help you if your in danger." He replied, rubbing his chin as he thought."

"Why did you say Bruce? Isn't he your dad?" I asked Dick innocently.

Dick's face suddenly fell into a sad frown and he looked to the ground.

"Dick?" I pushed quietly, "What's the matter, did I say something that hurt you?"

He didn't seem to hear me. After a moment he shock his head and looked up at me, excitement shining in his eyes.

"Nothing at all, I just thought that your probably hungry! Come on! I'll show you where the magic happens!"

The word brings up memories of street performers throwing knives and blowing fire and my face changes to that of a gleeful child on there way to the toy store!

Dick had already turned the corner, and was calling for me to follow quickly before Elfrod stopped making his world class pancakes.

"Anyway, so like I said I'm an acrobat," the soon to be 'boy wonder' bragged with pieces of pancake falling out his mouth,

"So I can dodge and escape the reach of anyone if I need to. So that's what I can use if I'm in danger, as well as the training I'm getting."

He continued completely unfazed by the fact half his breakfast had ended up back on his plate.

Elfrod, however, was not so dismissive.

"Master Grayson, if my so called 'world class pancakes' are simply going to waste, I shall endeavour to cease their production all together! Chew, swallow, then speak!"

My new friends face grew pale at the ghastly thought.

Closing his mouth slowly and carefully so as to not spill anymore of the edible gold, dick sat in silence while he finished his mouthful.

I had been slightly relieved that he had stopped for a moment. For the past hour I'd heard none stop stories about 'super heroes' and how they fight for the greater good, whatever that meant, and my mind slowly turned back to my 'gift'. The reason my mummy isn't-

"I have something" I said before my eyes widened and I clamped my hand over my mouth. I didn't want anyone to know, and I had just ruined any chance at that.

"Really, Like what?" Dick asked, wincing under Elfrod's glare.

He still hadn't finished his mouthful.

Swallowing, he tried again,

"Come on tell me, Daa'Vanne." I stifled a snicker behind my hand.

"There! Now you've got to tell me 'cause I made you laugh."

"Since when was that a rule?" I asked him, taking my hand away.

"Since now, so tell me. Please?"

The black haired boy pouted before adding,
"I'll show you where Alfred hides his cookies."

I've always had a soft spot for cookies.

I conceded,

"I have super powers…" I begin before Dick assaults me with questions.

"How long have you had them? Do you know why you have them? Was it natural or chemicals? Do they hurt? What have you used them for? What are they?..."

I have to take a moment to recover from the questions, that are still pouring out of Dick's mouth, before rolling up my sleeves and rubbing my hands together to create friction. He notices this and continues his questions,

"…Are they electricity based? Heat based? Cold based? Water based? Air based? Magic based? Psychic based? Sound based? Skill based?..."

All his questions evaporate when my hands burst into flames. Dick jumps up in shock and reaches for his drink bottle and is about to pour it on my hands when the water flies out and rests above my hands in the shape of a ball. It stays there for a second before falling onto his hands, putting the fire out. My brain is hurting from having to concentrate on the powers so long and so were my hands. It must have shown, because Dick was looking at me, asking if I was alright.

"Yeah I'm fine. I have to concentrate is all and it hurts after a bit, but the more I practise, the longer I can hold it and less I have to concentrate."

I explained. Dick nods understandingly and gets up, pulling me with him.

"Where are we going now?" I ask.

"To fulfil my promise." He answered, "Hungry for cookies?"

"So how much can you do?" Dick asked as we stuffed our faces with cookies. At my quizzical look he explained, "I mean how much can you do with your powers?"

I slowed the stuffing of cookies slightly while I thought for a moment.

"With fire I can light my hands and arms on fire, burn through thin stuff before it hurts, I can throw an ember to light up in front of me, and I can begin to melt ice. I tend not to work with the fire because it burns my hands. With the water, there isn't much to do though. I can throw water ball 'thingies', make a puddle for people to slip in, I can sort of freeze stuff, and take stuff out of water, like dirt and stuff. I can't make it hard yet so it just turns back to normal if it hits something."

Dick thinks hard for a minute before asking,

"Can you pull salt out of sea water?"

"Huh, I never thought of that. But I guess? I mean if I can remove dirt for mud I can remove salt from sea water."

"How far can water be for you to be able to use it? Like what's your max range?" Dick asked.

"Ummmm…"

As Dick began to realise that even 'I' didn't know much about my abilities the questions slowed until they stopped completely.

Both Dick and I were silent, with the exception of cookies meeting their demise. We had eaten about half the large jar of cookies, and didn't notice Elford walking in on us.

"Master Richard and Master Paton! What do you think you are doing?"

I dropped the half eaten cookie and stared at Alfred like a deer in headlights.

"It was Dick's idea!" I yelled diving under the table.

"Alfred, just call me Dick." Dick replied reaching for another cookie, completely unfazed by my denouncement of affiliation, "no need to be all…Alfred!"

This time Dick slipped off the table, knocking the cookie jar, and landed on his back on the tiled floor. I caught the jar before it fell and placed it to the side before looking down upon my friend.

"I think were busted." Dick said, looking up at me.

We laughed.

A/N

First chapter :D I've got the tingles all over again! It's almost like posting my first story all over again XD

hope to see you all soon!

'Stay safe, Stay resource-full, Stay positive. The bad days will continue, yet good comes from what we make with them.'