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Wayne Manor

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Since both of them had been walking along the streets (or, running in Richards' case), neither of them had a car to get back to the Manor with. But with the hard downpour, neither of them were in the mood to walk five miles. Luckily, Kory had enough money to get a cab ride back to Wayne Manor. So, they drove in silence towards the well-known home of Wayne Industries, and even the cab driver was stunned when they pulled up to the abnormally large home. Even for a mansion, it was huge. The beautiful accented home looked as big as the White House. Kory's stunned face only made Richard smirk in amusement. That smirk turned into bellowing laughter when he nearly had to drag Kory out of the cab, because she claimed she couldn't move her legs. The shock on her face made it clear that the size of the manor was the reason her legs were currently paralyzed.

Only when they were finally under the overhang of the roof, and out of the pouring rain, did Richard really notice what Kory was wearing. A dark pair of skinny jeans stuck to her legs like a second skin, showing off her flawless curves. She had a light green sweater on that was dripping with water, hugging to her body like a leech. Kory noticed how wet she was, and began trying to take her sweater off. She made it seem like she was taking off her skin. Richard could hear the wet sweater being forcefully pulled from her body, and saw the struggle she was having to remove it.

When she had successfully pulled the sweater off her body, she walked over to hang it on the railing. Richards' heart skipped a beat when he realized what she had been wearing under that. It was a skirt-shirt, the kind which flared out at her waist, and hugged tightly to her chest. It was light green, matching her sweater, and had a large emerald stone in the middle of it. A gold belt was strapped around her chest, making it that much harder not to stare. From that moment on, Richard knew he was going to have a rough day.

"R-Ready to g-go in?" Richard stuttered, hoping that it only sounded like he was cold.

"Yes," Kory answered simply, her playful mood gone.

Ignoring the fact that she seemed intimidated by the large manor, he opened the front door and held it open for her. To his surprise, she did not stop and stare at the interior of the home. She just stepped through the door, and waited patiently for Richard to lead the way. He did not argue with her attitude, in fact, he was sort of relieved she didn't stop to gawk at the home like everyone else did. So he led the way through the welcoming room, up the curving stairs, past Bruce's office, and into his room.

His room was no different than the rest of the house. His maple wood bed lay centered in the middle of the room, the cream colored bedspread tucked and neatly made. There was a large box under the bed, and realizing immediately that the box was completely out of place in his tidy room, he hoped Kory wouldn't ask about it. His matching dresser was next to that, holding multiple picture frames of his achievements, all face down on the dresser. His desk was on the left side of the room, matching both his dresser and bed. It held a small laptop, the screen completely blank.

"I'm pretty sure you don't want to spar in that," Richard said, pointing towards her outfit. "So I'll let you borrow some of my clothes."

Richard made his way over to his dresser, opening the top drawer and searching for clothes that could fit her tiny body. Finally, he found something remotely close to her size, and handed it to her. "You can get changed in here; I'll go change in the bathroom. I'll be outside when you're done."

Without saying another word, he made his way out of his room, and across the hall. Quickly discarding his drenched clothes, he put on a pair of grey sweats and a white t-shirt. It was plain and simple, but it showed off his defined arm muscles, and he was sure that would leave a lasting impression on the stunning woman. He made his way into the hall, surprised to find she was already waiting by the door.

She had on grey sweat pants as well, but they didn't cling to her body like his. They fell loosely around her legs, and they would have covered her feet if she hadn't rolled them up at the ankles. She had tied the waistline of the pants so they wouldn't fall down, so the sweats hugged her waist nicely. Her shirt was black, and it would have been past her knees if she hadn't tied it back. The shirt only covered her chest, and showed off her flat, toned stomach. Now it was hard not to stare.

"Um…," Richard stuttered, afraid to say something that would offend her. Her mood had dramatically changed ever since she arrived at the manor, and he was afraid to make it any worse. "Uh, the gym's this way."

She followed him silently down the hall. She was so quiet Richard had to look back multiple times to make sure she was still following. She wasn't even looking around the vast hallway, like most people would do, but just continued to stare at the back of Richard's head. He could almost feel her intense gaze on the back of his head, boring into his skull. It hurt him to see her so quiet, and not be carefree and happy. It made him wonder what he had done wrong to get her so quiet, but he quickly dismissed the thought. It reminded him too much about the pain he'd been running from, and it wasn't on his agenda to mourn today.

He took a sharp turn to the left, hoping that she would miss it and stumble forward, possibly cutting the tension. But she turned just as quickly, not missing a step. He opened a large door. It led into a basketball court, the hardwood floor reflecting the bright light from the ceiling. Red, blue and yellow lines marked the court, indicating the confusing boundary lines and zones. It looked brand new, and the truth was it had hardly ever been used. Across the court was a large blue mat, taking up about a third of the room. It held dozens of pieces of sparring equipment: punching bags, ankle weights, and so many other things that were hardly an amateur's equipment. It pleased him that she stopped to stare at this, at least.

Richard walked forward, knowing that she would soon follow behind. His sneakers squeaked on the polished wooden floor, and then squished when he got to the blue mat. He was about to tell Kory to start stretching, but when he looked at her, she was already in lunge position, stretching her calf. So he began stretching as well, straining to keep his eyes off of her. Every time she bent in a different position, some part of her would stick out, causing him to drool. Eventually he just turned the other way. Watching the wall was a lot less appealing.

"I am ready to begin," her small voice sounded from behind, causing him to jump and fall from his one-legged thigh stretch. This made her giggle, so he was happy either way.

"Ha ha," he joked, standing back up and brushing off his clothes. "Let's go."

She smirked at him and stood straight, pointing her finger at him and curving it twice, motioning him to come forward. But he was lost in her alluring smile, completely mesmerized by her eyes. Never before had he had a point of weakness, but now he felt as weak as a snail without a shell. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? Or was she blind, and thought that him staring like an idiot was his way of distracting his opponent? It must have been the first one, because before he could blink, he was back against the wall, dazed and confused.

Richard looked up, staring in awe at the girl who had knocked him clear across the room. Her arms and legs were nothing but thin twigs, and they showed absolutely no sign of any muscle. She had to be cheating!

"How the heck did you do that?!" Richard asked, seriously baffled.

"I told you before," Kory said, kneeling down beside him, a look of fury on her face. "Do not underestimate me."

With a fierce battle cry, Kory grabbed Richard's arm and flung him to the other side of the room. Hearing a crack, she smirked. He was completely perplexed now. Not just because she was stronger than any man he had ever met, but because she seemed furious at him. When he hadn't even done anything wrong!

"What's your problem, Kory?!" Richard asked, standing up while holding his twisted arm. "What did I do?!"

"So much you never saw," she said, walking towards him with a mix of adoration and hate on her face. "So much you never will."

She swiftly grabbed his other unscathed arm, bending it behind his back. Before she had a chance to fling him behind her, he flipped in the air, trapping her under him when they crashed on the ground.

"We've known each other for an hour!" Richard said, rage clear in his voice. "How could I have possibly done so much to upset you?"

"Ha!" she belted out, a look of vehemence on her face. He wasn't sure if it was the question that made her taunt him, but he was pretty sure it wasn't, because suddenly he was under her, his face smothered into the ground.

The questions were obviously not working well on her, so he decided to try something different. He flung his legs backward, trapping her neck in his leg lock. He flung her off of him, landing her on her knees behind him. He flipped over, facing her now, both of them standing on their feet. From that point on, he knew this fight would not be easy.

The intensity of their fight was far beyond anything he had ever experienced. He was fighting mostly to defend himself from her rage, watching her eyes light up with intense fire, revulsion staring out from deep in her gaze. But at the same time, passion and longing seeped from each step she took, every move she made. Each move was filled with care, her body holding back on all the strength she had. He could see deep into her eyes, down into every corner of her soul, yet he couldn't determine which emotion was stronger. It was like staring into a picture of a million colored dots, not knowing which color was more infinite, or which color was the most powerful. So many emotions hid in her eyes: love, longing, lust, reprieve, elation, pain, hate, disgust, dread, fear, shame. It hurt him to see her this way, but he knew that his eyes hid something, too.

He continued to spar with her, trying harder than he ever had to win, knowing that he stood no chance. He was no match for her strength, and fueled by her fury, he was on the ground in a mere 20 minutes. It pained him deeply to lose the battle, because he rarely ever did, but he was glad it was over. Even though he was the one who had the twisted arms, he somehow knew she was in more pain than him.

"Truce?" Richard asked through gasps, holding out a shaky hand. His body was dripping with sweat, red and hot from their fight. His voice shook as he spoke, his fast breaths not taking in enough air.

"Deal," Kory said, offering him her hand. She was in absolute perfect condition. Her face was a rosy color, red tinting her orange skin. Her body wasn't dripping with sweat, unlike Richard, and her breaths were even and smooth. It was like she had been jogging, and not in a severe fight. Richard raised his shaky hand to hers, but before he could take it, she put one finger up to stop him. "But on one condition."

"Ok…," Richard said, slightly surprised by the sudden forcefulness of her words. "What's your condition?"

"You have to show me what's in that box you have."

"No!" Richard yelled. It was an immediate reaction; no one in the world could see those letters. It was his life's story, and he was not intending on sharing it with anyone. "Why would you want to see it anyways?"

"You tense up when you're around them. I can tell they mean something to you." She paused, looking at his stunned face, going over his response. "No deal then," Kory said, walking towards the door of the gym, prepared to leave. "We can't even be friends."

The words stung him. This girl was his ray of sunshine, piercing through his gloomy clouds, even if he'd only known her for a few hours. He finally felt whole, a part of him missing finally coming back, all thanks to her. And he wasn't about to let her go.

"Fine," he said, defeated, "I'll show you. But on a condition of my own, I get to decide when I show you."

She turned back to face him, her face confident. "When would that happen to be?"

He considered this. If he said more than a year, she would say no. But if he said any less, he could never get to know her. And when he finally did show her, she would leave right after, because she was only using him for that. But if she got enough time to know him, she wouldn't leave after she got what she wanted, and they could stay friends. It was a hard decision, but it was a sure answer. "I will show you in 6 months. But you don't get to go home and wait until the time comes; you have to spend every day with me."

Her face turned in amusement, a sly smile sliding across her face. He grimaced, because it was very obvious what she was thinking. She knew his feelings for her, because his proposal had made it obvious. Of course, she didn't seem to mind the fact. It only seemed to make her happier.

"Deal."

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Review!! Only one more chapter till the end!!! The reasonI didn't post earlier was becauseI didn't get very many reviews!!! So REVIEW!!!

I was recently reading over some of my really old stories on fanfiction, and I can honestly not believe that I wrote that crap! It's so completely horrible!!! If you want to read something of mine, please read the storiesI recomend on my profile!

-Alien