CHAPTER 2: BURNING

I woke up with the smell of bacon and pancakes in the air, it filled the entire space of Jaime's room. His arm was wrapped around me and his lips gently grazed the tender flesh on the back of my neck. I could feel every breath that he took in and exhale warmly, leaving a small ticking touch.

I turned and faced him, his eyes were closed as he was fast asleep. Jamie was probably still tired from the mission that he got back from yesterday. A small giggle escaped my lips, I placed a small peck on his lips before I got out of the bed.

Jaime was one of the most sweetest boyfriends I have ever had, no one can really compare to him.

'Except Dick.' I thought to myself. I quickly shook the thought away as I pulled out my suit from his closet. All I needed to do now was to forget about Nightwing, he's out of my life now. If he's done with the team, then he's done with me.

I quickly changed out of the shirt that I stole from Jaime last night and into my costume. My hair looked like a complete mess but that's the way I always had it, I never bothered to brush it. Besides, everyone always thought it looked nicer that way.

My eyes glanced at Jamie as he turned his back away from me and faced the wall, that boy could sleep throughout a marching band and not wake up. I chuckled at the thought and covered him with the blankets that he kicked off.

I would always normally sleep with Jaime whenever he was too tired to go back home or if we wanted alone time together. As I walked to the kitchen, I noticed a great commotion and noise coming from the zeta-tubes. I shrugged it off and and pursued the refrigerator, hoping to find something to eat.

"Hey Blaze, do you hear?" I turned around and saw Garfield, he looked pumped and excited about something.

"No, what's going on?"

"Nightwing's back!" He said and went running running back to where all the voices were. At that moment I completely froze from where I was. He cannot come back, he said he wouldn't.

After Wally's death, Dick said he needed a break from the team; he said all he wanted to do was go solo for a bit. He said the pain was getting to him, the team reminded him too much of Wally. That all happened four years ago.

It wasn't until a year later after that, that he said that he wanted to be completely cut off from the team. Dick said he wasn't coming back to team anytime in the future. He lied.

I walked towards the zeta-tubes slowly, hoping that Gar was lying, hoping that maybe this was all some sort of bad dream. Maybe, just maybe, he would go away. He said that the team reminded him of Wally's death; well, he reminds me of his betrayal to Wally.

Dick completely gave up on his best friend, but I didn't give up on my big brother.

"Nightwing, it's good to have you back! It's been forever, I hope you'll stay. We really need our old leader." M'gann said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. I could see a small smile tug on the corners of her lips and extend to her freckles.

Dick looked different, older; he definitely got more muscular. He wore his same Nightwing outfit, complete with his messy black hair and mask. I didn't bother to wear her mask around the team, they already knew who I was. But Dick, he was different. Batman always wanted his identity concealed, even to the team. The only people who knew who Nightwing was Wally and myself. I always thought it was because we three were the bestest of friends. It was always Robin, Kid Flash, and Blaze; the Three Musketeers.

As I walked closer to my past crush, the zeta-tubes started back up.

"Zatanna, B-08
Rocket, B-09"

The commotion of Nightwing's arrival turned over to the League members. I frowned as I saw Zatanna walking closer and closer to the old Robin, she was up to something, she always was.

"Justice Leaguers in the house! You girls forget to zeta to the Watch Tower?" Mal yelled out.

"What can I say? We're slumming." Rocket said as they walked over to the crowd of superheroes.

"We're not slumming. We're on a mission." Zatanna said to Nightwing.

As she got closer to him, she pressed her lips onto him and stayed there for a few seconds. No, dear friends, that kiss was not a simple peck. This kiss held passion, it was the same passion that I grieved to give to him.

All around the team, members gasped at the sight of the two old ex-couples. To me, it wasn't a shock. They were like magnets, they always returned to each other. They were positive and negative, they only problem that there was is that sometimes, they pulled apart.

And every time that happened, Dick would always come crying to me.

I stayed behind, not wanting to get too close in case he saw me. To say that I've changed in the past four years would be an understatement, I was not the saw person, inside and out.

"Happy Birthday, Boy Wonder." Zatanna whispered to him as she pulled apart and their faces only centimeters away from another kiss.

"Say it backwards." Dick whispered back. I rolled my eyes and left the room, only to bump into Jaime, already armored in his Blue Beetle suit.

"Hey Red, did you hear? Nightwing is back!" He said as he pulled me back into the crowd. "Nightwing! Hey, amigo!" He yelled and waved his arms to get Dick's attention.

Dick turned over to look at us and smiled, he walked closer until we were face to face. This was definitely awkward, talking to my current boyfriend and ex-crush.

"Hey, Blue, how's it going with you? Sorry, I don't believe we've met, I'm Nightwing." Dick said to me as he stuck his hand out for me to shake. I scoffed and looked away.

"Wing, this is Kailer!" Blue said as he placed as small peck on my cheek. Dick face turned from surprised to shocked, I couldn't really blame him, I was completely different.

When Dick was still around, I still had fire red hair; it was always like that because of my meta-human genes but I got tired of it and dyed it black. Whenever I used her powers, it would turn back to red but quickly change back after I cooled down.

My skin got paler after all the time that I spent inside after Wally's death and I was definitely skinnier. I was very chubby four years ago, but I spent more time training now. I now have a flat stomach and more muscles. After Nightwing left, I became the best in combat on the team.

"Kai? Is that you?" Dick said.

"The one and only." I muttered under my breath. I smirked lightly at him and turn around to leave, I simply wasn't up for a conversation with Dick.

-
"Hey, Wonder Boy! Catch me if you can!" I yelled out to him as I jumped off of the building that we were on and to the next. It was just another evening in Gotham City. Car horns and the smell of fresh coffee filled the air. I was fourteen and so was Dick.

"I told you! Stop calling me that!" He said as he chased after me and gave off his famous laugh that always made me smile. As I stopped, I looked at him with playful eyes and giggled.

I sat down on the ledge of the building to try and catch my breath, while Robin sat next to me. He wasn't even tired or breaking at sweat. A slight breeze flew past us that made me shiver but feel so nice against my burning skin.

"I don't get it, you're not even breathing hard. You look like you haven't run two miles with me at all!" I said as I tired my red hair up into a ponytail. He simply shrugged at me and continued to stare at the city lights.

"Do you still want to be the Batman when you grow up? I remember you telling me about your talk with Canary." I asked.

"I don't know, I mean, it's difficult. Do I really want to spend the rest of my life trying to please him and fighting goons? I want a life, Blaze. I want a family, but I don't think I'm going to give it up so easily. You know the rush that comes when being a superhero, it's like flying. I just wish that I can find a substitute for this life." Robin said as he got up.

I smiled at him. Something in my mind clicked that day. That day was the day that I realized that I had fallen head over heels for this boy. Every time he talked, it seemed like poetry to me. The words just flowed out of his mouth. It was always worth listening to him every time he spoke.

"That's the thing that's really great about superheroes, they all rise from catastrophe. The Axis of Evil threatening the planet made Wonder Woman rise up.
The Hulk was born out of a radiation spill, and he became the strongest man on the planet. Bruce Wayne's parents were shot down in front of him in cold blood, and he became Batman. Kal-El's world exploded literally and he became Superman. Something to think about when things look their darkest. Another great thing about superheroes? They always save those who need saving."

"You're always thinking about something, aren't you?" I nodded. "Good, always think like that. Just...don't tell Batman that I told you my identity, and thy you figured out who he was too. He'll have my hanging by my thumbs. Promise?"

"Promise."
-

"Kai?"

"What?" I said as I looked up from my notebook that I was writing in while I was sitting down at the bar of the kitchen. M'gann was baking food when I sat down; now, she was no where in sight and a cake sat in her place.

Had I really been writing for so long?

I glanced up and saw Bart looking down at me with a smirk plastered on his face.

"What do you want? And if you are asking for money, you might as well shove that question up your ass. I'm broke." I muttered and went back to what I was writing.

"No, what I'm trying to say is that you have work now. It's Friday night, we all always go out to the bar while you work." He said as he pulled my arm and dragged me over to the living room where Jaime, Gar, Barbra, Cassie, M'gann, Connor, Kaldur, and Dick were sitting and talking.

"What are you talking about, Bart?" Nightwing asked.

"Well, little miss Kai here is a singer at the local bar. She's kind of a star and writes all of her own music, we always go and cheer her on in the crowd when she plays. Its been our own little ritual for years now. We like to support our teammate."

"I didn't know you still write music." Dick as he smiled at me. I turned her head and looked away from him.

"There are a lot of things that you don't know about me."