Chapter 10: Someone to have

It was as if everything had fallen into place while the surrounding area became aware of the development of the island's inhabitants, for it appeared as though the atmosphere had taken on a new aura, like the mass of land had finally awakened and was showing its true magic. And now, harboring the two figures that rested on the banks of the water's edge, it witnessed them at well, probably the most peaceful moment they've ever had.

They had shared a proper, real kiss; one that Kory thought was amazing. It felt like hours before they'd finally stopped when Dick proposed they go back to what he dubbed as 'Paradise,' for that's exactly what it was for them: Paradise.

So, there they lay in each other's arms, the red head lay peacefully on her dark haired companion, letting the rise and fall of his chest lull her to sleep. As much as Dick was enjoying having Kory sleep in his arms, he found himself wishing she were awake. He thought maybe she would be in a not so deep sleep, and decided to clear his throat loudly in hopes of jolting her out of her nap. But she remained asleep.

"Kory?" he murmured softly.

Zzzzzz….

Still no answer from the red head.

"Kory? Hey," he coaxed a little more.

"Aw not now mom, it's too early." So she was dreaming, and not just that, but it seemed like she was a sleep-talker. There was someone else who talked in their sleep. Gar! How could he forget? The times he and Vic spent having sleepovers and campouts with him, Gar was always sounding off like he wasn't even asleep. Dick remembered hearing some lines from Star Wars, except it sounded like Gar was the one who pretended to play hero, making swooshing sounds with his imaginary light-saber thing, or whatever it was. It was annoying, so why didn't Gar's faithful friends tell him? Because apparently Star Wars wasn't the only thing he thought about. His subconscious memory had a big mouth when it came to his crushes. Vic swore he would've burst a lung trying desperately not to laugh about his lame pick up lines. For Dick, it would get to the point where he would have to leave due to the kissing and smooching noises. There was no way he was going to listen to Gar make out with his pillow.

"Tell him…tell him to back off. Tell him I have rabies, or I'm moving to another country…I hate pickles. No pickles in my burger!" Random, but still adorable. He wondered if there was any end to her adorable nature as a light chuckle escaped his lips. Funny how she was a sleep-talker, he never expected that, especially after experiencing those awkward moments with his Star Wars-loving friend.

He took a piece of Kory's hair and tickled her nose with it. Her hand swatted away the nuisance making him stop, but only for a little while before he started again. Her nose twitched in that cute way preparing for an oncoming sneeze.

"Ah…ah…achoo!" Her sneezes were cute too he thought, while she rubbed her eyes.

"Oh Dick," she yawned, "I must have dozed off, I was so comfortable. Can't think what made me sneeze though."

"Um...neither can I." He decided not to tell her of his little discovery, giving in to that mischievous streak of his.

"I think I'll stretch out anyway." She began untangling herself from him to move away so she could stretch up. Dick could only watch while his mouth went as dry as the Sahara Desert, as this beauty stretched out her muscles on the ground. He saw how her body curved upwards and the way it extended before his very eyes. It had to be a sin to be pleasured this way watching…that, it really was getting to him.

Once she was done and completely unaware of the ordeal she put Dick through, Kory sat up and allowed her vision to adjust, coming into focus on the majestic waterfall cascading over the rocky cliffs and pooling into the sparkling oasis below. It was so beautiful to watch she didn't mind waking up to this every morning.

Dick stared at the emerging smile on her lips, (glad for something else to keep his mind occupied) causing her to notice. "What?"

"Nothing, I just like it when you have that look," he said sitting up next to her. "You seem happy."

Happy. This made Kory wonder about the last time she felt that. Why did it seem so foreign to her? It can't have been that long ago since her father sat with his family to spend a little quality time with them, whether it was to talk about their day, share a few laughs, take an interest in what they did, or just talking. Happiness had drained from their family, and she had to admit, it was something she really missed from time to time, missed being since she was younger. But Dick seemed to awaken what was once dormant and bring her back to life after what was like an eternity. It was a strange feeling at first, perhaps that's why she fought him off the first few times she saw him, after all, she did think he was handsome…even if he did act like a total moron at first. She scoffed lightly at that thought.

"What's so funny, Kor?"

"Hm? Oh nothing! So whose turn was it to get dinner?"

-------

So far the weather had been cooperating the entire time they'd been there, except now. The wind had been picking up a lot that day, bringing about a sense of change in atmosphere. A storm was coming.

"Get more coconuts. Make sure that cover we made is ready to shield us. We need leaves, lots of them. More rocks, and don't forget sticks."

That's how it was like for the past few hours. Dick had been endlessly ordering Kory in preparation for the rough weather ahead. Ever since they'd both looked at the sky and concluded there was going to be a storm, there was a complete and sudden change in Dick's character. Kory had been particularly concerned about it. He'd been less responsive, would only give short answers, or ones that cut off any chance of further conversation, it was as almost like he was avoiding her. Did she do something wrong? What was going on? It was unnerving to be around him and not know what the problem was, she felt so useless.

The strong breezes soon turned to gusts, therefore they hadn't much time before they should take shelter in their cave. Dick busied himself making sure the two of them had everything they needed to keep them going through the night as dusk fell. Until now they had both been sleeping separately in their own private areas, but there was no way Dick was letting Kory sleep on her own, not tonight. There was no telling how bad this storm was going to be, they both had to stay safe. It was a stroke of luck finding that cave that Dick was preparing for their refuge, it would help them last the night.

The wind began to howl, meaning it was time to find Kory and get in the cave. He didn't want to hang around in this weather any more than necessary. But where was she…

As soon as Kory sensed the severity of the weather she tried to make her way back as the storm got closer, but through the raging winds and now the harsh rain she was finding that a challenge. She called out to Dick, but she could hardly hear own voice.

Maybe he's waiting for me at the cave, she thought. So with some difficulty she trudged on trying to figure out where it was. She couldn't believe how strong the gusts were, they were making her stumble everywhere. She just had to find her way to the cave where Dick would be waiting for her. This is harder than I thought. Yet as she trudged on little did she realize she was heading towards the water…

Where is she? Where did she go? He couldn't see a damn thing. Oh God, please don't let me lose her. The ocean water that mixed with the storm made it increasingly difficult to make anything of where he was or where anything else was. He only heard the water.

"KORY! KORY, WHERE ARE YOU?!" I won't lose you to that storm. Not now, not ever. "KORY! DAMN IT, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Kory was being splashed from every direction, and because of that she lost her bearings. She knew she was definitely in the water now and feared if she moved she would be cast away out to sea. She remained rooted to the spot out of terror while everything clashed around her…then she heard Dick's frantic voice. Quickly she tried to follow it, but struggled to move.

"DICK! I'M HERE! DICK?" I hope he hears me.

The force of the wind finally pushed her on the ground where she stayed, paralyzed, not knowing how to stand back up. Then panic took over and she started to cry thinking the end was near.

The tide is in and I'm right in the middle of it! I don't think I'm going to make it.

"DICK!" She called one last time and succumbed to her weakness, sinking slowly into the water…

Dick heard her calls and forced himself through trying to find her. Miraculously he found her, and wasted no time in carrying her away to safety.

Dick laid her down and quickly got the fire going. He had to warm her up before she caught a cold or worse. What if she has water in her lungs? Then he would do mouth-to-mouth. Carefully he performed the technique, making sure he was doing it right. He remembered taking lessons at school, but that was a long time ago.

Her body jerked, giving him the queue to turn her body to let the water out before he laid her back down.

Some time later…

He frowned at the fact that she was still shivering. She was so weak she became unconscious. That storm certainly did a number on her, any longer and she would've been lost out to sea. He was only glad that he'd gotten to her in time, the last thing he wanted was history to repeat itself. He already hated the storm for ruining his life all those years ago, if only there was something he could've done, then he could…

No. Now was not the time to think about that. Kory needed him, she needed to be warmed up, and since the fire he made wouldn't be going out anytime soon, he decided to take the initiative and hold her tight whilst rubbing her body to generate heat. If she ever makes it out of this she probably won't even forgive him. I'm sorry Kory.

Still no sign of her waking up yet and Dick was getting worried, time seemed to go by excruciatingly slow. He'd been doing his best keeping her comfortable, whether it was helping he didn't know. Why did he send her out to do all that work for him when he could've done it? Why couldn't he tell her why he didn't like storms? He could've told her, he trusted her enough, but instead he pushed her away just like he did the others. And now because of him her life was in jeopardy. That's when he promised himself that he'd tell her the truth, he owed her that much. As he was contemplating this by the fire he heard a faint whimper and looked up from his crouched position. Wasting no time in rushing by her side he took her hand in his, rubbing her arm with the other.

"Kory?" he called softly.

She stirred and gradually opened her eyes trying to speak. Her voice came out croaked but she managed a smile seeing the only familiar face before her.

"Hey there, sweetie. You really had me worried there, how do you feel?"

"Dick? Oh Dick." She sounded weak and tired. Dick was just glad she was conscious. "The last thing I remember was…getting more of…something or other. It got windy…so windy, and it started to rain. I tried to get back but I couldn't find you. I thought you'd gone without me."

"Leave you out there? Kory!" He cupped her cheek lovingly with his hand. "I could never leave you alone out there. Never. I wanted to make sure I found you before I could even think of coming back."

"And you did…or I wouldn't even be here, would I?"

"Don't remind me," he playfully scolded. "Alright, no more talking. You're still very weak so just relax."

The blanket that covered her was one of the things they had made in preparation for the storm. It was made of branches of leaves from a weeping willow and tree sap. Dick tucked her in the blanket and kissed her on her temple. "I'll be right here for you, I promise." With a contented smile Kory closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The storm raged on outside mercilessly, passing through the island, tearing down whatever it could. Luckily the two inhabitants stayed safe inside the cave, away from the chaotic conditions beyond. Things seemed to look up when Kory started to feel better, Dick immediately insisted she eat and get her energy back, not taking 'no' for an answer, a behavior to which Kory secretly found amusing.

"Where did you learn to take care of someone the way you do?" she questioned. "It's like you worry so much…like I'm a child."

"My mother, I guess," Dick replied faintly.

"Oh…I-I'm sorry, I should have known."

"It's ok," he said. "I don't remember every moment I spent with my parents, but the parts I do remember I've cherished them close. Like with my mom, one time I had chicken pox and she stayed with me throughout the entire time until I was better. She made this soup and I had to drink every last drop…or no video games," he chuckled. "Anyway, she knew what she was doing every time I was sick, I guess her ways kind of rubbed off on me."

Dick seemed to be getting in touch with his feminine side, it was deeply moving, in a nice way of course. She guessed even his adopted father rarely got to see that part of him.

"Kory, I'm sorry I got you into this."

"Into what?" she asked bewilderingly.

"Getting you sick. If I hadn't sent you off to get those supplies you'd be safe."

Kory shook her head and gave a reassuring smile. "Dick, you didn't make me sick, I was just doing my bit, you know?" She saw him visibly relax. "But you did seem somewhat disturbed before. Something was bothering you then, wasn't it?"

Dick couldn't hold his gaze with her and looked away. "Kory," he finally spoke after a while, "I hate storms. They remind me of…of-"

He nervously took her hands in his while he sat in front of her. "My parents died on a night like this.

"I can't remember where we were, but it was a hotel, and we'd been staying there for a while. This one night there was a heavy storm, the place where we were was close to the beach. Suddenly I heard people yelling but I couldn't understand what they were saying. My parents told me they were saying: "Tsunami! Run for your lives!" I saw dad leave, he said he was going to check on something and told us to wait for him inside. We waited, and waited, and then my mom decided to go and see what was taking him so long. I went with her and when we got outside, the place was flooded. We went looking for my dad and saw that he was caught in the current. That's when my mom jumped in after him…

"Look, there he is Mom," said a young boy not much older than nine.

The boy's mother then knelt down to him and told him, "Alright, now you wait here OK? I'll be right back," and before he knew it his mother was in the water swimming towards his dad.

However he saw they were having trouble handling themselves, and so young Dick Grayson jumped in. "Mom! Dad! I'm coming, hold on!"

But the water was ruthless with him too and he found he was quickly getting tired…

"How did you get out?" asked Kory.

It was one hell of a coincidence he remembers…

Fighting such a strong current he was losing sight of his parents and losing strength. He held fast onto some floating debris, however he wasn't prepared for its crash course as it collided into something else and sent him hurtling away. Unbeknownst to him was a figure that jumped in and was grabbing his little body, pulling him out to safety. Coughing on all fours he remembered that his parents were still out there.

"Please," he begged looking into the eyes of his savior, "My parents…."

Without another word the man took off and searched for any sign of them, Dick trailing close behind. It seemed hopeless when-

"That's them! Mom! Dad!"

"Stay here," the man instructed before tearing his shirt and using it as his life line to use in the water. He spied the two figures holding onto each other while Dick's father used his one hand to try and keep them from being swept away.

The man swam as far as he could trying to reach out for the couple. Realizing he wasn't far enough he unraveled more of his shirt to get to them. Just a few more yards and he would have them…

Young Dick watched, anticipating the moment he'd been waiting for.

Almost there, yes, soon he'd have them. He reached out his hand signaling them to do the same. It was Dick's mother who made the attempt to grab the man's hand while her husband held their position. Their fingertips brushed each other a few times, but finally they managed to grab a hold and it seemed luck was on their side…

It was so unnerving to watch from the sidelines like this. "Come on mom. You can do it, just take his hand…"

Just then Dick's father lost his grip and was being forcefully pulled away by the water, which unfortunately caused his mother's grip to slip and be carried far away by the current. They went under, never to resurface…

"NOOOO! MOM! DAD!" Young Dick watched helplessly as his parents were swept away and drowned…

"So it was Bruce Wayne that saved you…"

"…and adopted me after my parents died."

Dick already told Kory his parents were dead, but he never went into detail, nor did she expect him to. She observed him sitting there, and imagined how he must have looked at that age witnessing such a traumatic event. She would have never guessed that he was the victim such a nightmare…and he shared it with her. To think that she thought he was a snob at one point, she felt so ashamed now at the thought.

"Dick?" she called. He looked at her. "Come here," she coaxed holding her arm out to him as an invite. He stared for a moment before he obliged, embracing her in a warm hug. She swore she heard a small sob from him as he held tightly onto her.

"I'll always be here for you," she whispered, before they lay down together and drifted off to sleep.

--------

When morning came it was much sweeter, the storm had passed and things were calm again. Inside the cave the two young friends were still asleep, Kory was being held in Dick's arms, with her face facing his chest and his cheek resting on her head. It was Kory who woke up first, hearing the sound of seagulls drift in from outside. She yawned and felt the aching urge to stretch, which she did despite the position she was in.

Dick stirred beside her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He took note of his companion in her upright position, trying to maneuver her head whilst massaging her neck. He placed his hand on her warm back hoping she'll turn her head to look at him. She did, seeing the easy smile emerge on her lips.

"Morning, sorry if I woke you."

"S'alright, besides I'd absolutely hate…" he leaned up to stroke her hair away from her face. "…to miss this beautiful image I have right here."

"Is that the playboy talking," she murmured.

"He's not a morning person…not like me," and he met her lips with his sharing a beautiful kiss, deepening as Dick adjusted himself so he could guide Kory to the ground with him on top.

Kory was only too glad to welcome his seduction, after learning the details of his parent's death it somewhat changed the way she viewed him. She had no idea he saw them die, what a trauma for a child. Although from what she originally gathered from the media, he was a typical playboy…well, perhaps not that typical, she knew plenty of other examples who flaunted that character more than Dick did. They didn't even know true suffering, the real pains of the world outside the riches they were born in, that's why Dick wasn't like them, not completely. Then again, she was born in these riches, so could she understand him? Yes, she decided, but what makes her different that she would even want to try? She hadn't really suffered, except with the loss of her Nana, but that was a long time ago and she managed to live on after that. But with Dick, she really cared for him, not just as a companion, no. There was a lot more to it, something deep, something…

Suddenly she broke the kiss, pushed Dick off of her and sat up.

"What is it?" Dick asked, surprised and disappointed that they had to stop.

Think Kory, think! What do I tell him?

"Nothing! Just hungry, is there any chance we could eat?"

He looked at her skeptically, not sure where all this was coming from. "I-I guess…" It wasn't very satisfying ending a make out session so abruptly, nevertheless he let her go. Something wasn't right, he could tell, after all she wasn't a very good liar. Still, he knew he couldn't force it out of her, better to weasel it out when she had her guard down, but for now…I'll just have to let it go.

----

When they finally left their cave they took a look at what the storm had done to their island. It was a mess.

"I guess now you can't think of your friend Gar as being so untidy after seeing this."

"Nah…I'd say Gar still beats this," Dick said, that got a giggle out of Kory.

She skeptically looked around at their surroundings dreading the task that awaited them. "Sooo, where do we start?"

"I guess we can clear up most of this beach, although I'm not sure how much damage our little oasis suffered. You on the other hand," he said looking at Kory, "I don't want you over exerting yourself. You need to relax."

As Dick got to work gathering stray debris to store them for some kind of use later, Kory decided to help out and do it with him. She'd only collected a handful when…"Hey, hey, hey." An over protected Dick had swatted them out of her hand. "What did I say, huh?"

Kory said nothing. Then dropping his own load he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I told you to relax. Didn't I say that?"

"So, you do all the work…while I just watch?"

"That's about the size of it, yeah."

"That's not fair. I just sit around and do nothing? That's boring. Why can't I help?"

Dick had to laugh, if only she knew how adorable she was right now. "I'm going to be doing all the work while you get to kick back and enjoy the sun, and you don't think that's fair?"

Kory thought for a minute, then replied, "No, I don't."

Chuckling and shaking his head he touched his forehead to hers and said, "You can stay here close to me. And… since my shirt will be off I'll make sure the sun gets my good side so you have something to look at." She let out a little giggle. "I'm only doing this for your own good, not to make you miserable. You understand, right?"

She gave a quiet 'yes' before he kissed her briefly, as in to seal his victory over the issue.

"Perhaps after I'm done I can…relax with you?"

"We'll see," Kory replied giving a mischievous smirk.

----

Getting around the island was one thing; Dick had successfully made enough trails all over the place. Of course remembering where you were, that was another, for Kory anyway. She had gotten herself lost spending hours circling the trails. Dick had found her of course, but he wasn't happy about her going off on her own without telling him.

"I just wanted to take a walk," was her excuse when she saw Dick was in a mood with her. "I didn't mean to worry you, but I am glad you found me."

And Dick was a sucker for those green eyes, the very ones looking at him filled with hurt like he took away her phone or something. So it was only natural he pull her close and hold her tight to him and sighed into her hair, "How can I stay mad at you?"

Thus leading them to the idea of drawing a map of the island, on the bark of the biggest tree they could find. Kory suggested they rip pieces of the bark and use that like it was paper, and before they knew it they had a map showing north, south, east and west of the island.

"Remember that side of rock formation by the clearing near that our cave?" Kory asked Dick while they were drying off from their morning swim.

"Yeah?" he replied lying next to her.

"Didn't you say we were going to check it out, see what was behind there?"

"You want to do that now?" he replied, not really sounding as enthusiastic.

"Come on! You never know, we might find something amazing."

Dick lazily turned his head to her and stared in thought. He did say they'd have a look and explore there, but what was stopping them from doing it then. Kory was still weak from being out in that storm, and seeing how it was unexplored territory he couldn't risk taking Kory there not knowing whether or not it was safe. But now…

"Dick?"

"Alright, alright. We'll check it out."

----

"I can't believe this is so steep," Kory commented after they'd been trekking for some time. "It's like hiking on the mountains and this is just an island."

"Yeah well, don't be surprised. An island doesn't necessarily have to be flat."

"I know, I'm just saying." She shot back. Dick had been trailing close behind her but then he stopped. "What is it?"

"You see that opening?" He pointed to what looked like a crack at the side of a rock. Kory looked, but it didn't seem all that noticeable. "Try and get a closer look at that."

They advanced forward and eventually found the crack was much bigger than from where they saw it. "Should we go in, do you think it's safe?" Kory asked warily.

"Only one way to find out," Dick said.

"Then you go first," and with that she pushed him in front of her, causing Dick to give her a quizzical look. "What? I'm right behind you, I promise."

Rolling his eyes he stepped forwards deep into the cave. It was quite dark, they had to feel the side the of the cave walls just to guide them. Kory was frightened.

"I don't think there's much in here, let's go back."

"Wait! I see something."

"Where?"

"There, look!" He brought her forward and sure enough Kory could see a hint of light not to far away. They followed it through an opening until…

"Oh my God."

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