Dedicated to my 22 favoriters, 27 followers and my 21 reviews! This is the second most favorite/followed Young Justice story with the main characters of Richard and Klarion! (First place still is the worth Scientifically Supernatural by Sparki96!)
If everything goes as planned, I'd like to update every other Saturday! So watch for chapter four on the 20th!
The name of this chapter is not a drug-reference! It's the brusque and straight-to-the-point manner of speaking.
Klarion is a wonderful liar - not that anyone will say that because they're all unaware he's ever lied - but he can't convince himself that he's not scared right now. Nabu and his stupid powers and the girly black hair coming out in waves behind the Lord of Order are just a little terrifying to the weakened, three-weeks of withdraws suffering Lord of Chaos. Okay, maybe not the feminine hair, but everything else about Doctor Fate is kind of scary.
Nabu throws blast after blast at his shield and the resounding smacks shake the dome of protection and the only conscious boy inside.
"Nabu!" He shouts and reaches for Teekl who is rubbing up against his side in a feeble attempt to comfort him.
He hates that she knows he's scared.
He hates that he's scared.
Klarion lifts Teekl up by her tummy, careful not to disturb the precious sleeping boy beside him, and raises his arms in Nabu's direction. He forces his elbows not to quiver and fails to convince himself that he's sure that Nabu won't hurt her. Teekl has taken a lot of abuse (mostly in the form of verbal from him) and she has more protection than the normal nine-lives creature with spells and enchantments, but she's never been so close to danger than she's about to be. A sinking chill settles in his stomach and he feels sick.
Go away ice!
"What is this, witch boy?" Nabu holds both of his hands up, each sporting a fiery yellow orb, but at least he's not throwing them. Yet. Klarion tightens his hold on Teekl and silently crosses his fingers that this won't be the last time he feels her fur.
Relax Klarion. Everything will work out as it must.
The Lord of Chaos gathers strength in his familiar's words, which help him to find his own. "I said, you bigoted idiot," maybe not the best choice of words (he had so many better insults), but the he hasn't had much practice in playing with others, "I must talk with you. It...it's an emergency."
"You are an untrustworthy creature, Klarion."
"Well that probably has something to do with being the Lord of Chaos, doesn't it?" His lips curve into a sneer and he shifts slightly to raise Robin's head to a nicer position on his legs. At least he has precious Boy Wonder to keep him warm. "That's why I'm letting you hold on to Teekl, thick head. So you can send me back if I try anything. I just...don't hurt her," his voice so does notcrack.
He sets Teekl down and mutters a spell to sweep the dirt out of her path in a final thank you before she trots over to the nearest edge of the shield and he allows the smallest opening possible for her to get through before shutting it quickly; he doesn't trust Nabu either.
But it's not like he has much of a choice at this point.
Klarion likes to believe he has surprised Nabu, but the eyes of the magician girl are too far away for him to see if they widen. Teekl prances over to directly beneath where Nabu is floating carelessly in the air and sits looking up at him, waiting nonchalantly for him to come down to her. The Lord of Order looks below to the tabby cat and, without so much as a thought of hesitation, one of the fiery yellow orbs is flung at her in an agonizingly slow manner.
"No!" Klarion shrieks and whips out his hand from Robin's hair and - he's not thinking his actions through; his brain can't form any other thought than Nabu just sent a blast to kill his familiar - and lunges over the child's body, momentarily forgetting his amazement of the Boy Wonder, to do something to protect Teekl, but the ice returns at a shocking pace and freezes him. He watches, the scene before him moving so much faster than his own body, as the orb from Nabu sails toward Teekl, who doesn't even attempt to freaking move out of the way, and strikes her.
Okay, so it doesn't actually strike her.
Or touch her.
Or hurt her.
In anyway.
Klarion, who's in a crumpled ball beside Robin from his poor attempt to reach Teekl, gazes upon his familiar surrounded in a glowing yellow dome, not unlike the one he's in himself. She is licking the dirt off her front paw again and hissing at the dust sharing the magical structure with her.
She's okay.
"I see your familiar has no secret sorcery abilities or hidden tricks," Nabu speaks and he's so much less threatening with the magician girl's voice underlying his own...and when he's not attacking Teekl. "That does not replace the fact that I have recently witnessed you attacking a Justice League member's sidekick," Nabu turns away from studying Teekl (well, more like the enchanted dome she's in that's most likely reciting information to him through his connection with it) to Miss Martian's lank form.
"I wish for no observers for this conversation," it's short and simple and he wishes for something a little more...Lord of Chaos-y to give, something a little more badass than just wanting some privacy, but that's the honest answer.
Ugh.
The truth leaves a bad taste on his tongue.
"Then you should have used a sleeping spell; you should not have attacked her," Nabu chastises.
"I'll remember that for the next time I want to chat with you."
Both sorcerers stare at one another for a long time, one floating among the tree tops, the other on the ground covered in dirt (he can understand why Teekl hates it so), but neither willing to be the first to speak. The French gem of something or other wiggles violently in its place and Klarion feels a sharp shock and inwardly groans. His four companions in the adult's world have been overcome and defeated in less than three measly hours.
Boy, they sure don't make evil, immortal sorcerers like they used to.
Oh well.
"Does this emergency of yours have to do with your weakened state?"
"What?" He seethes. Weakened state? The Lord of Choas is never weak!
"You are ill, witch boy." It's not a question, it's not a statement, it's not even an insult; it's only an observation. "I could see it when I was first summoned, but I wished not to believe it; I thought it was merely an enchantment for me to foolishly believe I should not attack since a trait among the decent Lords of Elements is to never take the offensive with an opponent who is ill;" The witch boy can hear the insult so easily slipped in. Decent Lords of Elements? Thank Heavens Klarion wasn't one of those. The fear radiating off a pre-weakened opponents during an attack is a delicious thrill, "however, now I can see that your ailing is no trickery of light or devious spell. Whatever has taken you so sickly must be an emergency."
Eww.
Nabu sounds almost caring.
"I...I don't know where to start." So he had planned everything up until Nabu got here. Right now, he's...winging it.
"Is the beginning not obvious enough for you?" Huh, that almost sounds like a joke, but the Lord of Order joking? Surely, the world is ending.
Better explain everything quick before the end of time.
"Fine! I heard about Boy Wonder here," Klarion staggers back over to the unconscious body and, without really realizing it, he allows his dome of protection to slowly disintegrate around him. Nabu takes this as an invitation to drift over, levitating Teekl into the air with him (she's immensely relieved to be away from the dirt), and hovering several feet away from the witch boy. Klarion collapses back to Robin; he's been so...not weak lately, especially with all that fighting and the ice freezing whatever energy he had left, so he sits by Robin and places a hand on the boy's chest, tracing the 'R' insignia with a careful claw. "And...everything went downhill from there."
"If you insist on my help, you must offer more detail."
"I heard about him, then I kinda became obsessed with him, then I protected him when he was on a," (heroic and noble and sweetly dedicated) "crime-fighting spree, then he just sets something off in me where I feel sick and just...awful when I'm not around him. Why? How do I get it to stop?" He's shaking during the entire speech - professing his weakness to Nabu was something he was not found of - but he would be so much worse off if he hadn't planned out part of it with Teekl. He manages to tear his eyes from Robin's peaceful face and up to Nabu's not-glaring-like-usual expression.
But the I-don't-hate-you-right-now look doesn't last for long when Nabu begins fading with a staticky manner and magician girl suddenly appears and with a gasp of confusion, begins dropping from where the Lord of Order was (seriously? She can't even levitate? Why is she even allowed to leave the house?), and Teekl drops to the ground as her containment structure fades with its creator, thankfully landing on her feet, but Nabu reappears just as quickly with a...shocked look.
It's a funny sight for the floating Doctor of Fate.
"The worlds are divided, the helmet is splitting you between them because you're an adult and she's a baby. You're not fully here, but I doubt she's strong enough to break your hold." He's positive Nabu understands what just happened, but Klarion explains it anyway, just for a brief chance to treat the Lord of Order like an idiot.
It's not an opportunity he gets very often.
With Teekl following slightly behind him, Nabu regains his composure and drifts closer and, out of instinct, Klarion crouches over Robin in a protective position.
"You are obsessed with the child." Nabu recaps.
"Yes, Deaf Ears, that's what I said, isn't it?"
"You feel ill whenever you are not around him."
"Is your hearing going beneath that helmet?"
"Lords of the Elements do not ever fall ill."
"No, we don't. That's kind of the problem, slow brain!"
To his surprise, Nabu ignores all the insults. "What happens to you when you see the boy?" Of course, his voice bellows as always (even when he's technically a girl), but his words are slow and this makes Klarion uneasy.
"I...get warm?" It sounds lame and it's an odd question for Nabu to ask, but he inquires with such a cautious tone that Klarion is beginning to become concerned and unsure of his answers.
"What was your reaction when you first saw the child?"
"In person? I had n-"
"It is not required to be face to face. Just the first time you ever had a visual of what the child looked like."
"I...was attacked by something," Klarion gives the shortest reply he can because he does not want to think about that day.
"You must elaborate, Klarion." Nabu wanders closer, he's just a few feet away now, but Teekl is sure to stay behind him as to not look as if she's making for an escape, and his tone is pushy and almost...curious.
The witch boy scowls, but he did not plan all of this out and risk Teekl to turn back now. "I saw his picture and then something got inside me and attacked. I don't know what or who it was, but it felt like my chest was about to explode and then whatever it was knocked me out and I was asleep," because unconscious would be unwillingly out, and the Lord of Chaos never does something he doesn't want to do...and if he does do something against his will, he's not going to admit it, "for a day. Now I...I...can't stop thinking about him," Klarion digs his claws into his hand without realizing it (but he's still doing it willingly) and turns away to face Robin and the pressure of his black nails in his palm lessens as he listen's to the boy's steady and cute breaths.
"It felt as if something were expanding and then tearing itself, did it not?"
Klarion looks up wildly at Nabu with widened eyes. "How di...?" He is so shocked that he can not fund the words to end his question.
"Klarion," Nabu pauses (which is something very un-Nabu like) and appears to be re-thinking his next words, "I believe you have found a soul mate in the child."
Inhale.
What.
Exhale.
The.
Inhale.
Hell.
Exhale.
Klarion is so close to throwing a fit and screaming for an explanation - even Teekl, still behind the man/girl in the golden helmet meows in surprise - but then Nabu...chuckles. Does the Lord of Order even know how to chuckle? Or even how to find something funny? The small noise of mirth surprises Klarion more than the news that he has a soul mate because Nabu does not chuckle. Oh goodness, it's a weird noise, make it stop!
"What're you giggling at, geezer?"
"Nelson believes-."
"Who?"
"I found humor in Kent Nelson's words, the man who passed away during our last encounter."
"Oh yeah," Klarion ponders, "the old guy." He should probably remember the (great-great-great) grandpa since he and Abra most likely caused his death with all the stress on his ancient body. "Well what about him?"
"He believes the hero-protege is a fitting 'spitfire', in his words, for someone of your nature."
"A what? Nevermind, he's old, he's crazy. What do you mean soul mate? That's not possible, Nabu!"
"Not only is it possible, witch boy, it is a necessity."
"Stop speaking in riddles and explain, or is your mind too far gone as well, old man?"
Nabu glares at him, but Klarion shrugs it off. "It is a lonely existence to live as long as the Lords of Elements do, Klarion. Fate has granted us each one soul mate to come across in our lives to give us someone to share some of our lifespan with. We all have one, whether you'd like one or not, who is compatible with what we do and who will enlighten a portion of our life. It is uncommon to say the least about finding your soul mate as young as you are."
"Young as I am? I'm al-!"
"You are barely 3 centuries old, Klarion. Most of the soul mates are not even born until their respected Lord of an Element is well past the half-way millennium point of his lifespan, when they are more than twice your age. A soul mate is always determined by a Lord of an Element's reaction to the first visual of them. It is our bodies and minds forming an actual soul," Nabu's words are cut off when magician girl makes a reappearance and begins falling again, but Klarion simply waits until Nabu regains control over his host and levitates to his previous height. "It is our bodies and minds forming a soul, to humanize us one could say, for the first sighting is when our subconscious recognizes our mate. Our newly formed soul then splits itself and switches half of itself with half of our mate's and takes the human's measurement of a day to shut down the body and dedicate all functions to repairing and adjusting the halves of both souls now residing within us."
"Was there a manual or something I didn't get?" Klarion expected to get answers, but not such thorough answers.
"You find out by asking around; however, you are not of a social nature by any means."
"I'm asking you, aren't I? Besides, you're no party bug either, Nabu."
"I still have acquaintances. Even the Lord of Order does not understand everything."
"In other words, you're stupid. But what do I do now?"
"Protect him. No matter the cost." Of course Klarion is listening, but it would be nice to get a reaction to any of his insults. "He contains a part of you now; without him, you will perish. If your familiar ceases to live, you are sent back to your realm, but if your soul mate's life ends before his time, yours will as well."
This is too much to take in. Klarion turns back to Robin and outlines the rim of the mask with a mindful claw. He is calmed by the consistent rise and fall of the red-clothed chest and the wispy black hair ruffling in the harsh breeze and the chattering teeth...
When did it get windy out here?
And why are his teeth chattering?
Oh yeah, the human realm has these stupid seasons.
"Oh, carp," he mutters. Robin must be getting cold in the late fall air without the endless movement of a fight to keep his blood pumping and his body warm. Klarion wraps the edges of Robin's cape around the child's goose-bumped covered, lightly muscled arms in a feeble attempt to block the chilly wind, but the clicking of Boy Wonder's teeth doesn't stop. Klarion sighs in defeat and shrugs off his black suit jacket, fully revealing the white, long-sleeved dress shirt he usually donned. For what is likely the first time ever, he wishes he actually had body heat so the jacket would already be warm as he lays it on top of Robin's dainty form.
"He must be something special."
Klarion looks up at Nabu's words and raises an already arched eye-brow. "Of course he is. Not just anybody can be the Lord of Chaos' soul mate." He sneers, but misses the irony of how this all began because he couldn't figure out how Robin was special.
The witch boy knows he should be freaking out more, but he's not all that bothered by having Robin as a soul mate. He's not happy his soul mate is a hero in the making or - worse yet - that he now technically has a soul, but the knowledge of how Robin is now connected to him makes Klarion warm even in the bitter wind without his jacket. And he's glad that the job of protecting the Boy Wonder is up to him because nobody is more fit to guard his soul mate than the Lord of Chaos.
"So I have to protect him now..." Klarion's words are softly spoken, but picked up and scattered by the wind and carried to Nabu's (well, the magician girl's) ears.
"How do you plan on doing that while you fight for opposing sides, witch boy?"
"I always find a way to do what I want. I can protect him while he's on missions and stay hidden, I can keep the rest of the Light away from him."
If Nabu doesn't know who the Light is (which he shouldn't if the Injustice League did as good of a job as Vandal proclaimed), he doesn't question it. "If you are not around him constantly, you will only fall iller."
"What?"
"You have recently developed a soul and then had part of it torn away from you. You are still open and vulnera-," oh, magician girl's back and she squeals as she begins falling from Nabu's impressive height, but then the golden-helmet man returns and rightens himself once more. "You are still open and vulnerable, half of the newest addition to your body and mind is within him. You must stay by him."
Awesome time to mention that.
"Well then I'll sneak around and be by him as often as I can in the dark and in the shadows."
"You overestimate your abilities. It will unlikely be enough. You will be caught by him, his team mates and their mentors. I believe I may have an easier way."
"You're helping me?"
"I have just answered and explained to you everything you asked and I did not attack you in your time of vulnerability, yet you still find my intentions suspicious. I believe you and I can come to a compromise."
A compromise between the Lord of Order and the Lord of Chaos? "You think that'll work?"
"It will. Both of us will be happy."
Klarion likes his own happiness, he does not like his enemy's happiness.
Oh well.
"Explain," he demands in the bratty voice he just loves to use.
It takes a while for Nabu to explain his idea and for Klarion to question the flaws and work out the kinks, but it's settled within the hour. Klarion doesn't believe it'll actually work, but whatever. If it doesn't work, he'll just go back to his original plan of being in close proximity with Robin while hidden and he'll even be able to keep fighting Nabu.
So he carries Robin - because, as Nabu predicted, his strength was returning more with each moment he was by the boy and the little sidekick is extremely light, despite his muscle mass, when Klarion's not suffering from withdraws - over to where Artemis, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Project Kr all still lay unconscious (the last two actually woke up sometime during his conversation with Nabu, but he knocked them out before either could even stand up) while Nabu levitates Miss Martian over to the group. If all are together, no one (Boy Wonder) can be singled out by the heroes.
When they're done, the Lord of Chaos tugs his jacket on once more, walks confidently to the middle of his still bright circle, grasps the gem and bellows the same words he knows have already been cast in the other world: "Yam eht owt emoceb eno ecno erom!"
Wizard, Wotan, Felix and Black all reappear in their designated circles around him and collapse as soon as they returned to the now-one world containing both children and adults. Nabu covers them each in the escape-proof dome he had for Teekl, who's now comfortable and safely perched on her master's shoulder. All the heroes return as well, but none show any signs of being harmed.
One would think (hope) four of the most powerful sorcerers in the world would do a bit more damage.
He can count out Batman and Zatara (he's probably the father of magician girl), who looks up at Nabu possessing the magician girl's body and his eyes widen in wonderful horror (yep, that's a daddy), and Captain Marvel and Red Tornado (why was a robot transported to the adult's world?) and...that's it. Where are all the other Justice League members?
"Great Nabu," Zatara began with a humble bow, "is it true you have been conversing with this boy," he gestures to Klarion, but that's it. Why doesn't the Lord of Chaos get a bow? "all this time?"
Klarion is slightly startled, both that the Justice League members don't attack him and that they knew he and Nabu had been discussing something the entire time.
"It is true."
"Why? Why simply sit and talk with the creature that separated children and parents, proteges and mentors? Why chat with the boy who attacked our children? Why possess my daughter" aha, he was right! "to talk?"
"Why are all of the Young Justice unconscious?" Captain Marvel turns to Klarion. "What did you do to them?" Ooh, All Brawn and No Brains is protective of the kiddies.
"Cease your questions!" Nabu commands. "All will be explained. Klarion has found his soul mate in one of your sidekicks."
Klarion snickers. He may not like Nabu, but he can appreciate his bluntness.
And the reactions are...entertaining.
"Holy macorole!"
"Nabu...you...you can't be serious!"
"Soul mates are a non-existent concept humans contrived in fairy tales to inspire children to marry for love or mutual enjoyment of a person and not for wealth."
"What was that?"
Klarion, who has never felt embarrassment before, can almost feel his cheeks tinging red, but he elaborates for his situation nonetheless. "I know it's hard to believe that one of your sidekicks is worthy enough to be destined as my soul mate, but alas, it's true. One of them has the honor to be connected to me for life!"
"Who?" Zatara's face is almost as pale as his own.
"What?"
"I said 'Who?'"
Klarion rolls his eyes at the magician with the horror-stricken face. He can sense this man is terrified that Fate had chosen his daughter to be paired with the Lord of Chaos for her life; normally he would have been offended that the father was horrified of his daughter being with Klarion, but the thought of having a soul mate in the magician girl and all her joke magic almost scares him as well. "None of your business!"
"Zatara," Batman calls in an authoritative voice and the pale magician obediently turns to him, "are you saying this soul mate thing actually happens in magic-users?"
"It is true; it happens for all sorcer-."
"I thought you said it was only for Lords of the Elements!" Klarion shouts at Nabu, turning his gaze to the ever-levitating figure.
"I also said that I do not know everything, witch boy. I assumed it was only for us, I was mistaken to do so."
"Is that your form of an apology?" The Lord of Chaos sneers, but Nabu has turned away and stopped listening.
Jerk.
"It is why I am so protective of Zatanna," Zatara says, looking down as if he admitted something he ought to be ashamed of. "Part is because she is my daughter, the joy of my life, but another is the fact that she is the only thing left I have of Sindella."
"So Zatanna is like half your soul mate?" Klarion laughs at Captain Marvel, who has slapped both hands over his mouth after his question.
"No!" Zatara assures. "She is the only thing I have left of my soul mate. Zatanna is created from her mother, but she is not her mother. The protection I felt for Sindella transfers into our daughter for the bond between soul mates means we would gladly lay down our life for whoever we are destined to be with."
"You want us to believe that you're going to die for one of our proteges if you need to?" The black-clad man turns to the witch boy and asks in his monotone voice.
Klarion can not even consider hesitating before nodding his head in earnest, only thinking about the unspoken promise he just made after his head finishes bobbing. He hadn't really considered the possibility of dying for Robin. But he's immortal, so it's actually not a possibility.
"What do you want us to do about it?"
"Klarion and I have come to a mutual agreement that I believe everyone can benefit from," Nabu responds to Batman and the glare off between the two seems to frighten Captain Marvel and Zatara. "He has agreed to use his abilities to your advantage and to cease mindless chaos," his chaos isn't mindless! "As he turns from his original side and onto your benefit, I no longer believe you will require my assistance in the future; ending chaos is my purpose and I have faith Klarion will be able to handle any situations requiring a Lord of an Element once he learns to control his temper." Temper? What temper? He does not have a temper! "I am no longer needed here, so I plan to return to my home realm. Permanently."
Klarion snickers at the fact that Nabu left out about how old and tried he's becoming...though those weren't the others exact words. "The wars here are tiring; I have been around for more than a millennium battling for humans. It would please me to stop fighting and spend some time rebuilding my home world from it's own troubles and rest."
Old man.
"Where is this going?" Zatara does his best to keep Batman from interrupting the 'great' Nabu, but the man dressed as an animal ignores him. "I fail to see how we benefit from your leaving and having someone who has attacked our proteges on our side."
"For one," Nabu says in an annoyed tone and Klarion almost has a newfound respect for the hero. Not even he has been able to make Nabu use that tone.
But it's still an almost.
"You will be getting your daughter back as I will no longer require a host in this realm," Nabu nods to Zatara who looks as if he's on the verge of tears with the news. Pfft, baby. "You will have an insider on the Light, whom Klarion tells me you have been having difficulties with," all of them look confuse; explaining the Light will be a real joy. "You will have a Lord of an Element on your side without having to give someone up like you do for myself. You will be adding an extraordinary power to your team while taking it away from the opposing side."
Did Nabu just call his powers extraordinary?
It's about time he realized it.
"And just what," Batman turns to face the witch boy himself, "do you want in return from us?"
The Lord of Chaos opens his mouth to respond (he has no idea how to phrase it, but he usually doesn't know what kind of babble his mouth will answer) except Nabu cuts him short and answers for him in the most blunt way possible:
"I would like for you to allow Klarion to join the Young Justice."
With the Author's Notes, this comes out to be 10 pages!
Okay, next episode for me is 'Colhearted' and I'm so confused with 'Failsafe', but whatever!
I also finally met Zatanna in 'Humanity' and I have to say: I don't like her. Maybe I'll come to appreciate her later in the series, but when she interrupted them in the middle of the telepathic communication with "Are you guys having a psychic conversation? 'Cause I can't decide if that's cool, or really rude," I immediately thought 'if they wanted you to know about their conversation, they wouldn't be having it telepathically! Plus, they were obviously trying to hide it from Zatara and Black Canary, so you just kinda gave their secret conversation away...' However, I can understand why she's shipped with Robin and why they connect so quickly. She's as impulsive and tricky as he is, so they sorta work. I still don't ship them though...WitchBoyWonder/Klarobin forever.
But there is a character I didn't think I would like that I actually do: Captain Marvel. He's so cute as a kid and so excited about the team and was so dedicated to serving Wally! I love him :) In case you guys didn't catch on, Captain Marvel/Billy is who told Zatara, Batman and Red Tornado that Klarion and Nabu were only talking. And he didn't ask them himself because he's too vulnerable in his kid-form and had to wait for the worlds to merge together once more.
For some reason, in 'Denial', Klarion says 'oh carp' when Nabu almost hits him. Does anyone know why? Or is it like a kiddie-swear (like 'dang' or 'crap')?
Also, Klarion questions this briefly, but where are all the other adults in 'Misplaced'? Only Batman, Red Tornado, Zatara and Captain Marvel are ever around to fight Felix Faust, Wizard, Wotan and Black Briarthorn. Batman briefly mentions "The rest of the League has been deployed to avert the chaos," but I don't really understand that. So where's Flash and Green Arrow and Superman and Wonder Woman and Black Canary and the rest of them during the fight?
Question of the Chapter: (I would also like reviews of the chapter with the question! A lot of people just answer the question, which is totally fine, but not many people gave actual feedback on my writing last time.)
Should I bring in the whole Red-Arrow-is-actually-a-clone thing? Since Klarion is going to actually going to tell them everything to help the Justice League (which is just to get on Robin's good side). Or would that just be too confusing and take away from the plot as it is now and he should be just one person for this story (like the cloning thing just never happened)?