AN: Oh gosh, your reviews made my week! And it also told me that you guys actually read the ANs…I'm so touched TT-TT I promise you that I will NOT abandon this story! I hate not finishing things and I refuse to not finish my brain child! I also love the fact that you guys love my OC. *starts singing* Who could ever ask for moooore~? (Who knows where that's from?) When she's eventually paired off, I will try my darnedest to keep her the way she is (can I use the phrase "in character" for an OC?). And if she seems to be straying, tell me. I shant take offense J. So here's the new chappie! I hope you enjoy! Thanks to all who faved/followed/reviewed!

Disclaimer: I don't own the show, but I would love to own a Robin. *sigh* This is just one of the many times that I wish I had a Robin plushie TT-TT. I no own song(s) either. I only own Faith, Emily, Joe, and any other OCs that I create.

Summary: Faith Evans, a 16-year-old girl, was just trying to make sure that she and her little sister got by in the world. "She was prepared to die when she took that bullet. So can someone explain to her why a dead guy's ring just decided to hitch a ride on her finger?!"

Genre: Humor/Adventure/a little Angst/a little Drama(cause you always need just a bit of Angst/Drama in every story)/Romance(?)

Song(s) used: none

Word Count: 3,042

"Communicating through something (ie: communicators, phones, rings, etc…)"

"Thinking"

Dreams/Flashbacks

"Talking"

Quotes/Lyrics

Chapter 7: Training with Kilowag…Awesome…

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. –Buddha

There was darkness all around her.

A pure black that she had been staring out at only a few hours ago in a green jet.

The ceiling, floor, and walls (if you could call them that, she couldn't be sure) were all black.

And she was running through it.

Whether it was from or to something, she didn't know. All she knew was that she had to hurry. Hurry or something bad would happen.

Then she heard giggling.

What?

"Faaaae~."

The voice was high-pitched and sounded happy.

It sounded familiar.

Really familiar.

"Faaae~, you're it!"

Wait a minute.

It was Emily! That was Emily's voice!

How didn't she recognize it sooner?

"Catch me if you can!"

There were an extra set of footsteps now in the distance.

Fae sped up, but no matter how fast she went, the footsteps remained distant.

"You'll have to be faster than that Fae!"

Just as she was about to go faster, there was a click.

She knew all too well what that sound was.

She pushed herself to go quicker.

"You're gonna pay for what you've done to me you little bitch!"

Pete?!

Hadn't he ran away like the coward he was?

There was a dark chuckle and a scream.

"FAAAAAAE!"

"Hold on, Emily!"

She was finally getting closer. She could feel it!

If Emily could just hold on a little long-

BANG

"EMILY!"

She finally came upon her sister, and the sight made her drop to her knees in despair.

Her sister, her precious baby sister, was on the dark floor, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to the chest.

"EMILY!"

Fae lunged forward and gripped the younger girl's body in a tight but gentle hug.

"F-Fae?"

"Oh Emily…I…I'm so sorry! I couldn't protect you!"

The tears began to fall as she let out an uncontrollable sob.

"Please forgive me…"

"No."

She immediately stiffened.

"E-Emily?"

She pulled away a little so she could look at her sister's face.

And what she saw frightened her.

"Why weren't you there, Fae? You promised to protect me no matter what, and you abandoned me!"

There was blood coming from her small mouth, and her skin had become deathly pale.

But the worst thing was her eyes.

They were staring at her accusingly and with a hate so deep that it cut Fae to the core.

"You left me Fae! Why? Why'd you leave me?! Why Fae?!"

"No-No I didn't leave you. I was trying to protect you!"

Fae squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. She couldn't take that glare.

Not from the person she treasured the most.

"I…I…I was trying to…"

In a dark room, a figure moved restlessly under purple sheets, a distressed expression on their face.

Green eyes snapped open as the figure shot up from the bed panting slightly. Looking around, it took Fae a moment to make out where she was.

Sighing, she ran a hand through her unruly hair, trying to get the knots out and simultaneously push the dream to the back of her mind. She was starting her training today and didn't need any distractions.

It was just a dream anyway. Probably conjured from her overstressed mind and depressed attitude she's had for the past few days.

"I did everything I could."

That'd been her mantra to fight the helplessness.

Because it was obviously working…

Letting out another sigh (she had a feeling she'd be doing that a lot in the near future), Fae whipped off the covers and got out of the bed. She wanted to be ready before Hal got here so as not to waste any time.

Opening the closet, she took out one of the black outfits (she dully noted that it matched her mood) along with the black boots and headed towards the bathroom.

Since Fae was fully awake now, she was able to get a better look around than the night before.

In addition to the basics in a bathroom, there were also a few hooks on the left wall where she promptly hung her clothes.

Above the sink was a mirror border-lined in silver. Upon closer inspection, the mirror opened when she tapped it with her finger, much to her surprise.

In the mirror/cabinet, which was a deep greyish-purple, there was a white toothbrush and what she assumed was toothpaste ("assumed" because there was no label, just a silver tube with purple paste inside).

Taking out the aforementioned items, Fae began her bathroom routine in a daze-like state.

By the time she was done, she was already in her new outfit.

Fae folded the pajamas and walked out of the bathroom, placing the folded clothes onto the desk.

She quickly made up the bed and put on her boots. Just as she was clicking the buckle on her left boot in place, there was a loud knock on the door.

When she answered the door, Hal was standing there decked out in his Green Lantern uniform.

Seeing her already dressed, he let loose a grin, obviously happy that he didn't have to deal with a lazy teenager (not that she could be after living with Grandpa Joe; that guy could be a real slave driver when he wanted to).

He looked at her right hand.

"Glad to see I don't have to remind you to put on your ring. Rule number one: make sure you have your ring on you at all times."

Startled, Fae also looked at her right hand and noticed her ring. Had she even taken it off? Even when she showered? Fae didn't think so. It felt so natural to just have it on that she must've forgotten to take it off.

Deciding to think on it later, she refocused on Hal.

"Well, since you're already dressed, we'll grab something to eat and be on our way to the training grounds."

On cue, her stomach growled and Hal's grin widened in amusement.

Fae didn't even have time to be properly embarrassed as he quickly led her to the cafeteria, striking up a conversation along the way.

Hal wasn't Grandpa Joe, and he definitely wasn't her Emily, but he did a good job of lifting her spirits up.

And that was good enough for her.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. –Thomas A. Edison

After eating breakfast (Fae was pleasantly surprised to find that they actually had human food), Hal led her to the training grounds.

It was a giant white oval-like arena, the size of a football field, with white piers shooting up from the ground at the edges.

On the outer right side, there was what seemed to be a control station. For what, Fae didn't know, but she had a feeling that it would be a part of her training.

In the middle of the arena was a giant figure wearing black and green.

Correction.

A giant pink figure wearing black and green.

It was safe to assume that it was Kilowag, her new trainer.

As they got closer, Fae started to realize just how big he was ("big" being an understatement). When they were directly in front of him, he towered over Hal and her. The only thing she could do was stare and try not to look like a complete idiot.

Hal was the first to greet him.

"Hey Kilowag. This is my new protégé, Faith Evans. We're here to start her training."

"Yeah, I heard." His voice was just as gruff and deep as it was in the cartoons and movies.

He held out his hand for her to shake, which she took.

"Name's Kilowag. Nice to meet you Faith."

"You too, and just call me Fae."

They let go.

"I'll be your trainer from now on," – "Called it." – "and your training begins as of now. I won't tolerate any less than your best every time you're here. You will listen to any and all directions given by me, and I do not stand for backtalk. Got it, Pooser?"

Fae would've felt outraged if, one, Grandpa Joe didn't have the same rules and attitude, and two, she didn't know that he called all his trainees Poosers.

"Yes, sir."

She said it in a clear voice, unperturbed by the harshness in his.


Kilowag was impressed.

Most newbies would either become indignant and try to "put him in his place" (they probably still had the bruises from their "lesson") or cow down immediately in fright.

This girl did neither.

She didn't look shocked, get angry, or even flinch back when he got in her face (if only he knew about Grandpa Joe). He didn't know if she was hiding it (he'd give her credit if she was), but judging by the look on her face and in her eyes, she was a fighter who knew how to respect authority (thanks, again, to Grandpa Joe).

Kilowag grinned.

This girl might be his favorite trainee yet.


Fae saw Kilowag grin and then give a look to Hal. He nodded and then moved to the side a ways away.

"Okay Pooser," her attention snapped back to him. "Let's see what you got."

And then, without warning, he jumped back and sent a constructed fist at her.

To say Fae was surprised would be an understatement, but she was able to dodge in time by lunging to the side and rolling into a crouch.

She had no doubt in her mind that this would be difficult. Kilowag was no pushover and had been a Green Lantern trainer for a very long time. Not to mention she was a newbie that didn't even know how to use her ring yet.

Fae grit her teeth.

There was no way she would give up though. She'd been trained to take down guys three times her size. She may not have stood a chance against Kilowag (the only real challenge she'd had was against Pete and that wasn't saying much when compared to Kilowag), but she would show him that she could stand her ground. If he thought she would go down easily, he had another thing coming.

Getting up quickly, Fae rushed him, taking care to dodge the numerous projectiles sent her way.

She flipped over him, using his outstretched arm as a springboard, and aimed a kick at his head. He moved out of the way in time and she barely grazed it.

Kilowag spun around just as she'd done and sent a punch towards her. She ducked underneath, grabbed his arm, and tried to throw him over her shoulder using his momentum.

Unfortunately for Fae, he saw it coming and yanked his arm back, girl and all, and threw her over his shoulder.

Not expecting the counter (she could practically hear Grandpa Joe scolding her on how she should be ready for anything), she flew over him and landed roughly on her back.

Turning on his heel, Kilowag raised his right arm and made a green hammer, slamming it down as soon as it finished constructing.

Stunned from the contact her back made with the unforgiving concrete (or was it something harder because it definitely felt harder) floor, Fae knew she wouldn't be able to move in time. Hoping for the best, she raised her right fist and willed a shield to protect her, closing her eyes in the process.

She felt a familiar feeling, a surging of power through her veins and over her body, and knew that she had just changed into her Green Lantern mode.

Hearing a banging sound, Fae slowly opened her eyes and what she saw made her extremely happy.

Above her was a dome-like shield coming from her ring blocking the hammer that Kilowag had made.

She allowed herself a small happy grin, but it was immediately wiped off when he raised the hammer once more and promptly banged it against the shield with even more force.

Fae could say that she was sufficiently alarmed as her shield started to crack under the continuous blows that Kilowag was raining down on it.

"You'll have to do better than that, Pooser!"

The shield shattered, and she rolled away just in time to avoid getting smashed into the ground.

Kilowag roared.

"Is that all ya got?!"

Jumping away and getting into a low fighting stance, Fae glared up at him with determination, feeling the power from her ring hum within her.

"Trust me. You haven't seen anything yet."

With that said, she attacked, intending to show him just what she was made of.

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. –Benjamin Franklin

To say she lost was an understatement. She got demolished! Or, well, that might've been exaggerated but it sure did feel like she did.

Her arms were covered in horrid-looking purple splotches from being caught in the vice-like grip of his constructs. She was sure that her torso and legs were also covered in similar bruises when she took hits from the objects and fists that she couldn't dodge.

Fae also learned that figuring out how to use her ring and being able to use her ring were two different things. But Kilowag made sure to pound that lesson into her head as he constantly broke down her creations with relative ease.

After it was all said and done, he pointed out her flaws, what they would work on, and then finally praised her on how well she did (the fight had only lasted about half an hour, but apparently that's twice as much as the normal time). He clapped her on the back, nodded and grinned at her in approval, and walked off after saying a goodbye to Hal.

Walking (more like limping) over to the other Green Lantern, Fae collapsed in an ungraceful heap on the ground. She tried to catch her breath as she stared at nothing in particular.

"Uuugh…That was horrible! It's just like when I first started Grandpa Joe's training! I foresee a lot of pain in the near future…the very near future."

Feeling somebody sit down next to her, she turned her face in the person's direction and found Hal grinning at her as if he'd just seen the most hilarious thing in his life.

If she weren't so tired and beaten, Fae would've smacked the grin right off his face, crush be damned!

She glared and Hal had to stop himself from laughing.

"You did well for your first time. Better than I did anyway."

At her questioning look (she had to keep up appearances, remember?) he elaborated.

"The first time I faced off against Kilowag, I got my butt handed to me in seconds. I had the same problem with my ring that you're having with yours. I'd figured out the "how" but I couldn't really apply it. And what I was able to do was shoddy and got destroyed in a few hits.*"

Her mind went back to the few times she had successfully made a construct and how Kilowag bulldozed through them.

"I hadn't really had any motivation to fight him then. Only to get away from the strange people that were talking about my 'destiny' among other things."

He let out a short laugh and looked at his own ring.

"Our rings are powered by our will. The stronger our resolve, the more powerful we become."

Hal looked at her then.

"To be able to stand up to Kilowag for five minutes, let alone half an hour, in a contest of wills is something. Even if you didn't have a good grasp on how to use your ring, this showed just how much drive you have. The ring was right to choose you."

Fae blushed in embarrassment and turned her head away, mumbling under her breath about how she would've "still been tossed around even if she knew how to use the ring (it was Kilowag after all)". To which Hal let out another laugh.

"Come on. Let's find something to put on those bruises and then get some lunch."

Fae was more than ready to get some food. She was pretty sure she'd worked off her entire breakfast in that thirty minute fight, so food was more than welcomed to her empty stomach.


Watching as Fae made it to her feet, wobbling only a little, Hal allowed himself a small smile.

He wasn't lying when he said she was a good choice. After everything she'd been through, she had the will and determination to overcome them.

And the way she fought against Kilowag! Even without the ring, he could tell that she'd of been a great superhero with the proper training.

He was proud to be her mentor.

When she finished steadying herself and he had her full attention, he nodded his head in the direction of the med bay.

"It's this way."

And they began walking.

In the comfortable silence that fell between them (he could see that Fae was thinking on her earlier performance), his thoughts began to wander.

They went back to last night when the Guardians had called him back to their chambers just after he'd dropped off Fae.

They had wanted to discuss Fae and the very real threat to her being from the dark entities that were steadily killing off Green Lanterns.

"We cannot allow Faith Evans to fall into this evil entity's hands. We have sensed that she is destined to be a powerful Green Lantern. If she succumbs to the darkness, we fear that all hope may be lost. You must protect her, Hal Jordan. We are counting on you."

Hal glanced in Fae's direction before staring ahead once more in determination.

He wouldn't fail.

He wouldn't fail the Guardians.

And he vowed to himself that he wouldn't fail Fae.

"I promise that I won't let you down."

They continued on.

The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed. –Eminem

Chapter 7 End

Hal vs. Kilowag*: I'm taking this from the live action movie. Watching Hal get his butt kicked was hilarious to me for some reason XD.

AN: A little angst in the beginning, didn't think I'd forgotten about Emily did you? Because even if she's accepted her fate, doesn't mean she can't be depressed about it. Though she probably won't have time to be with the training she's about to undergo. How many of you thought Fae would actually beat Kilowag? There's just no way I could allow that. He has years upon years of experience on her, and the only challenge she's had in her life was Pete and compared to Kilowag, that's not sayin' much. So she got her butt handed to her. Though she held up better than Hal did his first time because of her training. And I don't think 30 minutes is too long considering Kilowag can seemingly go on forever and Fae was trained to go on for hours. Grandpa Joe is just a blessing in disguise I tell ya.

So review! Because review is love, and we need more love in this world.

-SP