Chapter 5

Wally would have pestered her; he would have playfully flirted, or maybe just humored her, but he was bitter. Still, he couldn't take his eyes away from her. Somehow in the middle of the night she had snuck by his side when he rolled to his left to make himself comfortable. He woke up by the sight of an unusual cuddling Artemis.

She slumbered silently; his arm draped her around the waist, which was accidental if anyone asked him. She had her back pressed against his chest and both of their legs curled fitting perfectly with the other like two puzzle pieces. They lied in the fresh morning dewed grass. He recalled how mean and rude he was to her but instantly blocked the memory. The moment he saw her running into the forest he panicked, but a certain ticklish feeling wanted him to believe she was there for him. It turned out to be she was following another guy.

Ideas like these drove him crazy, and as stubborn as he was never gave the blonde the chance to talk him out of them.

Wally was lost in thought for a brief minute before noticing the danger of the situation. They had been warned by Roy to leave before night, but it was dawning. He tried to relax his shoulder but found it impossible without waking her. His head rested on one of the trunks he brought for the fire, hers rested on the crook between his neck and the log. His chin could have rested in her head but he pointedly prevented it. He also fought the vile urge to run his hands through her silky locks.

He had never complemented her, nor told her how he thought he had a fetish for her hair. Now, alone, in the silence he could admit properly he still wanted to fight for her.

The blonde resting stirred slightly releasing a soft sound that sounded like a purr. He was frustrated now trying not to tighten the hand that surrounded her. She was being cruel even when asleep. He closed his eyes and pretended he could sleep again. Pretend that the girl his best friend loved wasn't firmly pressed against him, and that he may or may not get her back to him.

-0-

A soft blanket of cherry blossoms covered the figures of two dormant teenagers. They had walked several miles until they lost themselves on a strange, moss covered, stone path. Their horses had stayed at the entrance of the bindweed which leads them to the heaven looking scene they were currently asleep in.

Instead of normal cerulean skies, light pinkish and oranges covered the firmament. The huge pink tree shaded almost all the area of the stone path. Tiny fluorescent lilies, roses, daisies and tulips adorned the flat like hills.

Even the lovely scene couldn't hide the eerie feeling the place gave. The sleeping ebony haired male seemed induced in sleep, he didn't look like he could wake up neither his partner. Whistling wind blew the mantle of rose colored flowers leaving them unprotected.

A lone figure appeared from behind. He had dirt all over his face and clothing. His left foot appeared damaged and he gritted his teeth in pain falling into the soft hills of flowers. This woke up the girl sleeping under the tree.

"Who is there?" She cracked her voice slightly nervous from having just waked up. The man merely glanced into her crystalline blue eyes before groaning again. She then recognized the voice. "C-C-Conner?"

"Zee?" the man asked confused. "What are you doing here?"

The girl was now beside him trying to observe the damage in his tissue. There was sign of infection in a clearly open wound. "I…" Not knowing exactly why she came for she gave Dick's reason "I came looking for Artemis."

The man seemed to flinch at the name. "Could it be a full attitude, temperamental blonde chick?" He said remembering his encounter with her. "That sounds like her." The raven haired girl smirked as she ripped her dress preparing for tending to the hunter. "So, what did this to you?" She said as she walked to a small pond to grab water. When she turned Conner had disappeared.

"He could have said he would leave before I ripped my dress." Zatanna murmured slightly annoyed.

-0-

Dry trees and leaves crunched around the redheaded and the blonde. The girl moaned efficiently startling his partner. He couldn't quite place the sound; it was between pain and sob. This concerned him and decided to wake her up.

She suddenly rose to her knees. She was shocked to see Wally had been the warm fuzzy feeling she had felt through all her nightmare. Cold sweat rolled her temples and Wally found himself, for the first time, speechless.

Then her words brought back his past feelings of bitterness and hate. "I think I- Conner is in trouble, Dick and Zatanna are here … and there's some weird source of magic Wally" We need to save them" Everything burst out of her leaving the redheaded ecstatic.

"Wow…" He tried to calm himself down first lifting his arms as if to make a point. "First of all, there is no such thing as magic. Second, Richard is in his palace worried for you and third I really don't know, maybe you have a crush on Conner or something."

The last part was a little restrained but she didn't seem to care. "Do you always have to be right Kid?" Artemis said impatiently.

"Yep." Wally accentuated the 'p' just to bother her even more. All she wanted was to punch the cheeky smirk out of his face. "You know what, fine… I'll save them myself."

"Fine!" He yelled to stubborn to say he could be wrong. "Good luck trying to find them without me turtle." He yelled but she was too far to hear.

-0-

He had followed her not because he was worried or because he still had feelings towards her. He just wanted to prove his point. She was ahead of him, cheeks flushed from anger, stomping as fast as she could so he could at least leave her alone.

They were so caught up in their silent banter they hadn't noticed they had being following a strange neon stone path. Grass got greener as they neared the bindweed entrance.

They were totally caught off guard when black powder blocked their senses to be surrounded by pitch black.