Hi everyone! Its cryingdove, I'm really sorry for the long wait. I hope it's good. Please review.
Disclaimer: we don't own the TT... sniff.
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An old friend?
Ha.
She pressed her ear against the phone. Kori recognized the voice, but she couldn't quite fit it to a name.
That drove her crazy.
''Excuse m-me?''
The voice answered at once. ''Meet me at the endof 12th. Then you'll remember me…….see you in five.''
He hung up. Kori put the phone down and looked at the time. 8:53 pm. She had to meet Dalton at 9pm, and her mysterious old friend wanted to meet her in five minutes.
She had to meet this…….old friend.
She had to take a risk…take a chance. Nothing as interesting or as weird as this had entered her life for quite some time, since everything started going madly wrong.
Quickly brushing her hair, she tried to not waist a single minute. She had to go to 12th and she knew that the end of 12th street was a dark, dirty, dead end.
But she could defend herself. She still had the defense techniques as when she used to be Twilight…….When she used to be Twilight, she repeated to herself.
The thought of going back to that old life always made her exited and it gave her the chills. But she tried to convince herself that she didn't have enough time…
…Enough strength.
...Enough talent.
She felt like Nightwing's shadow, and the thought of seeing him again would please her but definitely destroy her from the inside out.
Long story short, her mood; bad.
And she couldn't quite see an end to it. But she couldn't wait for it to be over.
She looked out the window. It was dark and it seemed to be chilly for an October night in Gotham city. But it was normal, since they were only few days before Halloween.
She got a glimpse of a shadow that passed by her window as she was slipping on a pair of black knee high boots. She was kind of used to seeing things. Or it was simply her neighbor's cat that liked to crawl all over the place.
Opening a drawer, she grabbed a dark purple sweater but before turning away, she pushed some shirts to the side a saw a maroon tank top. Looking further down she spotted her mask.
Starring at her costume one last time, she shut her drawer which caused a loud TAKKK!
Sprinting out of her apartment door and down the stairs, she pushed the door open and ended up on the dark sidewalk.
She looked around, remembering the sight of children playing in they Halloween costumes. Practicing they booh 's and their evil laughs. She even recalled seeing a kid in a Nightwing costume. That made her smile…even laugh.
But all those images faded away. It was now dark.
It was cold.
Cold.
Dark.
Lonely.
Disturbed, she looked around her while walking away on a fast pace. Looking down at the concrete sidewalk, she knew the way by heart.
Then, before she knew it, she was running, inhaling and exhaling on a steady beat. Her breath seemed to echo in the night. She felt the cool autumn breeze against her face. Her hair followed her not too far behind, blowing in the wind like flames.
Sometimes she just wanted to run from it all.
She could just feel everything caving in on her.
Like water filling your lungs until you just can't take it anymore.
--
The hot summer sun kept on bouncing off the pretty seven year old tanned skin. She fixed her little pink bathing suit and waved to her uncle and sister sitting down bellow her.
Walking to the edge of a high diving board, she looked down at the clear blue water.
It looked back at her sparkling, inviting her to jump in.
Her friends waved their arms at her and screamed, ''Jump, Kori!! Jump!!''
Smiling one of her biggest smiles, she crossed her fingers. Her friends did the same.
…Being seven and jumping off the ''most-biggest-diving-board-ever'' –like Kori used to call it—needed luck.
She started off by jumping on the spot, trying to get a good start. Her feet would slip slightly from left to right because everything was wet, but she didn't pay much attention to it.
Suddenly, she lost her balance and slipped off the diving board.
The life guard expected it to happen. He saw cases like this all the time and the kids would always swim back up, laughing and trying again and again.
But once Kori's body hit the water, causing a loud "WAKKK", she didn't emerge from the bottom.
Just…….bubbles…….
The water covered her body, entered her mouth, her nose, her lungs as she tried to gasp for air.
Nothing.
The pool swallowed her like a snake taking it's time to swallow a fresh egg.
Kori was the egg.
Trapped. Doomed.
Her eyes slowly closed by themselves as she let the water guide her to the bottom.
The life guard waited for a moment.
…Nothing.
His heart skipped. He dived in. Seeing her slowly sinking to the bottom, he quickly grabbed her finger. Then got a hold of her hand…
…Her arm…
…Her waist.
He pulled her up towards the surface and handed her frail body to another young woman who then had to do CPR.
--
She took a deep breath, yet she couldn't breathe as easily as usual.
She remembered her uncle telling her that there wouldn't always be people that would save her and that she would have to count on herself some day.
Then she thought………if that life guard wouldn't have been there…
If only she would have thought faster…
…If only she would have not been so stupid…
…If only...
If only.
Regrets. Mistakes. Losses.
Little things that she got to learn the hard way, thru different ways, on different days.
Since then, Kori always tried to count on herself. She was convinced that she didn't need a hero…she didn't want a hero.
One of her main reasons to becoming Twilight was to offer herself as a hero to others. It was to be their 'life guard' when they would 'drown'.
But…giving up that position, would it be giving up on lives? On people that needed her?
If she wouldn't be there, would others 'drown'? ...die?
But they had Nightwing, right? Handsome, strong, talented… All the city needs.
Turning with no hesitation on a sharp corner which led to a street with not much light to guide her way, the sound of her high heels hitting the concrete echoed in her ears.
…Echoed in the street.
She stopped for a moment, pulling up the sleeves of her sweater to her elbows.
She took a breath.
Two.
A gush of wind blew to her right. She fiercely turned her head to the right.
Nothing.
No one.
She stared at the brick wall, then looked up and read the street sign.
12th Steet.
Walking thru the backstreet, she tried to focus. She tried to picture herself as Twilight.
She had no reason to be afraid.
Walking to the end, she stared up and looked at the stars, waiting. Leaning on the wall, she looked around. Garbage bags. Trash. A cat crawled here, another one slept there. It was a mess. Her thoughts took possession of her.
If she ever had to run, where would she go? There was no way out. She would have to impro—
''What are you doing here on a cold night?'' a deep voice asked.
Every word spoken gave her the chills. It was soft, yet kind of selfish. She recognized it and she knew who it was.
She felt safe, but she just wanted to run away. She didn't really feel like running into him.
''It is of your concern?'' she spat, regretting at once the way she had just spoken to him.
''I haven't seen you in a while.''
Her eyes went from left to right, looking for him. ''It's because I haven't been out for a while.'' She looked at her feet and hugged herself. ''You have other things to do than follow me around. So go away.'' She said, dryly.
''Can't I worry?''
Kori raised an eyebrow. ''Worry for a simple citizen?'' she asked.
A pause. ''Well…shouldn't a hero worry for any citizen? I mean…walking alone, in the middle of the night isn't the safest thing to do.'' He said, still hiding in the shadows
''I'm sure there are other women walking in the middle of the night, who would die to meet you. That's why their out.''
''Isn't that why your out?'' he asked, playfully.
She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. ''I don't drool over heroes that waste their time by…by walking around, doing nothing at all!'' she replied.
''What?!'' came a shocked response. ''If it weren't for me, this city would go haywire!'' A pause. He stayed in the shadows. ''The only thing –or should I say person- that's making my job harder than it already is, is that new super heroine, Skylight!''
''It's Twilight.''
Nightwing stepped out of the shadows, keeping a good distance from Kori.
''Oh, so you know her?'' he leaned on the wall.
Kori looked away, not wanting to have to stare in that white mask. ''Kind of.''
''So…where has she been? I haven't seen her around for a while.''
''…it's because she didn't feel like saving the city for a while. Since you treat her like a pain in the ass, why should she even step back out of the shadows?''
He blinked under his mask.
''Tell her that I would be willing to help her on some……moves.''
Kori rolled her eyes. ''I think it's too late for forgiveness.''
''I don't want forgiveness!''
''In that case, I don't think she would be interested in your offer. She can handle herself perfectly well.''
Nightwing took a step closer. ''You seem to know her well…'' he said.
''Don't change the subject. Twilight doesn't need you nor your help.''
''Who do you think you are, talking in the name of Nightlight?''
''It's Twilight!! You'll never learn, will you??'' Then she muttered 'men' under her breath.
They stared at each other for a moment.
''Go away, Nightwing. I don't need your company.''
He took another step closer. ''I'm not here to keep you company. I'm just wondering what your doing, alone, in the middle of the night.''
Kori sighed. ''I'm waiting for someone. Happy?... now go away.''
He didn't move.
''What do you want from me?! Go away, hero.'' She spat. ''What are you doing here? Don't you have lives to save??'' She crossed her arms and looked away. An angry and sad look took over her pretty and delicate face.
''I'm here to make sure that you—''
''I don't need you. I don't need a hero. I don't need protection. If anything happens, I'll take care of myself. I'm a big girl.''
He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.
''I don't need a hero, Nightwing.''
A breeze made some strands of her hair dance in the wind, but she stood still.
Nightwing blinked under his mask. ''Let's see if that's true…'' he said, walking away.
Kori looked up to the sky and wondered what Dalton was doing and when her mysterious old friend would arrive. But as she was going to scream something to Nightwing, a gun shot echoed in the cold night. Kori jumped and looked around.
Another gun shot.
Then……..Nothing….
She breathed heavily.
Looking up the back street, she saw Nightwing's body lying on the cold concrete.
He didn't move.
Running up to him, she went on her knees and placed him on his back. A puddle of blood surrounded him. She removed some of his jet black hair that fell on his face as she tried to think. Kori quickly dragged his body in a dark corner.
Then placing one hand under his head, she used her free one to take her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Dalton's number.