IN BLACKEST NIGHT
By: Malaizjan De Jesus
Author's Note: While writing 'Future Dividends', I got this idea because of the lack of Aqualad Fics. Since then, I have seen a huge amount of them, and most of them are very good. The one thing I like about Young Justice: Invasion was that that amount of Kaldur fanfics improved. So this story is my contribution to Aqualad. This story takes place just two months after 'Auld Acquaintance.' I don't own Young Justice, the Shadows organization or anything like that. All OC's are mine. If you need figure out who Starshine is, read 'In Brightest Day' by me. So now here's the next story in my Brightest Day series!
In brightest day,
In blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power,
Green Lantern's Light! –Hal Jordan, then later Jon Stewart
Prologue
Metropolis
March 1st
Starshine watched happily as Pyromick was put into the squad car, handcuffed and with a collar on. She felt like crap at the moment. She was so weak, her sun powers unable to hold out against the League of Shadows' assassin. But thanks to her martial arts disciplines, she managed to pull out the win. If only her ribs didn't feel like they just got grounded into the ground. She didn't place an arm around her middle-she didn't want anyone to know, especially not the cops. She already feared that they would call Superman-after all, she had powers so she had to be part of the Justice League.
She was in costume, with an old, cheap Halloween eye mash over her face and her hair a wild mane of curls, which takes some doing considering all she had to do was drench the red hair before she went out. She wore pleather jeggings, a blood red tank top, black gloves and her lace choker with her Flash charm hanging from it. Her black slippers were already worn out. And she hated the outfit as it was. It didn't fit her.
One of the police officers came toward her and Starshine wanted to run so bad. But without the sun, and at 1 in the morning no less, she wouldn't have made it 4 steps. "Officer Mc Millian, ma'am. We thank you for capturing Pyromick."
"Not a problem, officer," she said politely. "Where will he go?"
"He'll be at forth district, then he'll be transferred to Belle Rev. If you don't mind me saying so, but are you Flash's protégé?"
"ME? No, that would be Kid Flash. But I am a fan," she amended.
"Oh. Well, I was just thinking that he picked up another one. Since Kid Flash isn't around much."
"I am sure that Kid Flash is running around the country helping everyone. If you would excuse me…" Starshine then turned to leave, walking down the alleyway carefully and then when she got to the end, she turned left.
Waiting for her was her 12 year old sister, Soleil. She caught Starshine as she almost collapsed to the ground. "Starshine?!"
"Just my ribs," the teen girl breathed. "Help me to the motel."
"O-okay, sis." The strawberry-blonde girl placed her sister's arm around and they made their way down the street. "You can't keep going like this, sis. Can we please go to Central City? Flash can help us."
"No, Soleil. I can't risk Flash. I can't risk Kid Flash either. The Shadows will kill them. I can't have anymore blood on my hands," Starshine told her quietly.
"And why are we still running? I'm tired of running. Oh, we can go to Happy Harbor! Aqualad is there," Soleil said in a teasing voice.
"Well, we just might," Starshine told her sister. "Pyromick told me that Firecracker will be there in 2 days for some business. I am going to get there."
"At half power?" Soleil asked. "You haven't gotten enough time to go to full power."
"I'll make due."
"You've made due for the last 3 years!"
"And I will do so again." Starshine couldn't help but think about the protégé of Aquaman as they walked to the motel in silence. She missed Kaldur. There had been days and weeks that she wished she'd taken the young teen up on his offer to meet the League. But her stubborn pride got in the way. She didn't want anymore blood. She'd never admit it but she was tired of running from the League of Shadows. She had to force a confrontation. But her sister had to be safe. Maybe Aqualad could keep her until she either brought down the Shadows or die trying.
And she wished she could go to Central City and say good-bye to Flash.
But some things just weren't worth the death of a great hero.
Meanwhile in Happy Harbor, at Mount Justice…
Wally West blew out the match as he sat on his knees before a small shrine he made in his room at the mountain base. A single, taper candle lit up his room. He stared intently at the old photo he taped to the wall to keep safe from the burning candle.
It was a photo of him when he was just 11 years old. There was him, his Aunt Iris, his Uncle Barry and two young girls that had come and lived with the Allens. One was 13 and a ½, with red hair and green eyes. Next to him was a smaller girl, about 8 years old with strawberry-blonde hair pulled into pigtails. They were all happy for it was Wally's 11th birthday.
He missed them.
Stara and Soleil.
It had been 3 years since anyone had heard from them. They vanished the day of their dad's funeral. The Shadows has finally caught up to him and burned him alive. Flash and Kid Flash had searched the globe for them many times and they could never find them. He wanted to know if they were okay. Did the Shadows have them? Were they dead and the pair just hadn't found the bodies yet? His Uncle Barry had legal custody of them but they didn't know. He was going to tell them, and Stara was going to meet the other protégés right after her dad's funeral.
That didn't happen.
So all of their plans to have them under League protection went right out the window.
But Wally wasn't going to give up.
He would find them someday.
And if the Shadows killed them, they were going to see a side of the Flashes that few had ever seen.
Kaldur was floating in the middle of the mountain base's pool, needed the calming waves of the water to lull him to sleep. For six months, the Atlantean could not stop thinking about the teen girl that saved his life. Starshine. Stara De Parra. A name that was nearly as mysterious as her green eyes, which he saw whenever he dreamed of her. He wished she was there with him, part of the team. She needed a family. And he wished she hadn't been so stubborn.
When she had asked him to go with her, he was very tempted. He wanted to. But he had always been the responsible one, so he couldn't just say screw the team and go with. And everyday since then, he'd have days of regret and days of worry. Did the Shadows have her and her sister? He didn't know.
But he was planning to get into the computer and look up her family-find out if he could discover why the Shadows wanted her so badly. And if not, he was going to take a leave of absence and try to find her himself.
Kaldur had to do something.
Starshine was haunting his dreams.
And what he once felt for Tula seemed such a mockery now compared what he was feeling for Starshine.
And Aqualad just may get his wish…
***And here's the start of a fic that will be difficult to write, mostly because I am not a fan of Aqualad nor am I a big fan of Kid Flash. So now, I am going to write a fic with both of them. This is going to be interesting. Of course I can't write this without the input of you fans. If I have these characters too OC-ish, let me know how I can fix that. So, start those reviews! ***