I have lied to you

The same way that I always do.

This is the last smile

That I'll fake for the sake of being with you.

The sacrifice of hiding in a lie.

The sacrifice of never knowing,

Why I never walked away,

Why I play myself this way,

Pushes me away.

Why I never walked away,

Why I play myself this way,

Now I see

You're testing me,

Pushes me away!

I try, like you

To do everything you want to do.

This is, the last time,

I'll take the blame,

For the sake of being with you.

The sacrifice of hiding in a lie.

Mio frowned at Roy as she walked in through the door, hearing Artemis said, "Sure. Team's needed a real archer."

Mio glared over at Roy, "Well, look what the wind blew in."

He snorted, "Look what the cat dragged in."

"Shut up ginger."

"Can it short stuff."

"Mio!" Called an excited teenage girl.

Everyone turned around, seeing her step through the door with Wolverine.

She was a head taller than Mio, brown curly hair with one platinum blonde streak in her bangs, dark brown eyes, and fangs poking out of her smile. Mio growled, "What are you doing here Amber?"

Amber rolled her eyes, "Nice to see you too."

Mio's eyes scanned over her, the normal long sleeve black shirt with red corset, and black skinny jeans with holes all in them. "Get lost."

Amber paused, "W-what?"

"Get lost. Leave. Go away. Beat it." Mio rattled off. "I don't want to see you."

Amber took a step back, "But, Mio, I've been gone for two years, don't you wanna, I don't know, catch up or-"

"Since she won't leave, I'm gone." Mio snapped, walking away into the kitchen.

Conner raised an eyebrow at Amber, "Who are you?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes, "Mio's cousin. Guess she never talks about me, right?"

Conner sighed, "Never."

He had thought he knew all Mio's secrets, guess she had a lot more. Including why she hated this girl. "So, why's she mad at you?"

"I have no idea." Amber groaned.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "Uh… are you sure? If there's one thing Mio's good at, it's letting people know why she hates them."

Amber sighed, "I honestly don't. I'll try to talk to her about it. Trust me, I know Mio, she's just blowing off steam."

Conner nodded, "Alright then, so… you're her cousin?"

"Yeah." Amber said, "Well, kind of. Sabertooth is my father."

Conner's eyes widened, "Sabertooth? The Sabertooth?"

Amber nodded, "Yeah, the same Sabertooth Mio got into that trouble in New Hampshire with."

Conner frowned, "Uh, New Hampshire? What happened in-"

"Don't listen to her!" Mio snapped, storming into the room, "Ignore her Conner, she's filth!"

Artemis looked at Mio in shock, and Wolverine growled, "Mio, watch yourself."

Amber looked like someone had slapped her, "Mio, look, I don't know why your so angry at me, but I'm trying to-"

"You know exactly why!" Mio growled, grabbing Conner's arm, "Conner, I'm going home. You coming later?"

Conner nodded, "Uh, yeah I just…"

"Go ahead Conner." Artemis offered, "We've got this mission covered."

Conner nodded, and he followed Mio out of Mount Justice.

He waited until they were home and Akihiro was safely seated in front of a Bruce Lee movie, until he finally asked, "Mio, you wanna talk about this?"

She shook her head, "No. I don't. Just stay away from Amber, okay?"

Conner looked exasperated. "What did she do to you?"

"Nothing." Mio ground out, "Drop it."

"Why won't you tell me anything!?" Conner snapped. "Every day. No matter what happens, or how many times I open up to you, all you do is keep your secrets locked away."

Mio frowned, "Conner, I think I can answer that pretty damn well. I have bigger problems than you do!"

Conner reeled, "What!?"

"Face it Conner, I've got a really dark past that I'm trying to put behind me, but it keeps popping up, Amber being here, in Mount Justice, that's living proof." Mio explained.

"Then talk to me about it!" Conner begged. "I can't help you unless you let me know when something's wrong."

"No."

"Why!?" Conner snapped, "Mio, I'm working, alright!? I'm trying to make this work, but you need to pitch in a little here too!"

Akihiro piped up, "Shut up mongrel, she does not take orders from you."

Conner pointed at Akihiro, "Are you even going to say anything to him!? He treats me like garbage, and before that stupid spell, he treated you even worse! But you keep sheltering him, you feed him, you teach him English, hell, you taught him to play go fish last night!"

Mio glared at Conner, "You leave him out of this! I warned you form the very moment you tried to start a relationship with me, it wouldn't work! You're the one who persisted to try and do it anyway!"

"I thought it might not work because of other people not wanting it to, not you being to much of a coward to commit!" Conner growled.

Mio froze, and then glared, "Conner, take that back."

"No!" He said, walking down the hall into their room. "I'm not taking it back."

"Where are you going?" She snapped, following him into their room, "If you think I'm the one sleeping on the couch tonight-"

Conner grabbed his jacket off the back of their room chair, then grabbed his school books, "I'm not making you sleep anywhere!"

He stormed past her, walking through the living room, and stopping at the front door, turning to look over his shoulder, "Mio, last chance to stop me from leaving."

Mio just shrugged, leaning against the wall, "Last chance to not leave."

Conner just glared at her, and then walked out the door, slamming it behind him. She waited until she couldn't hear his angry footsteps anymore, and then, without even realizing it, she sank to the floor, covering her face in her hands.

Akihiro stood up, walking over and hugging her, "It's okay Mio, I'm here."

Mio nodded, wiping away tiny little tears, "I… I know. You're always here."

"Forget about him Mio, he's not worth it anyways." Akihiro suggested.

Mio wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back, "Thank you."

"Why did you even chose him in the first place? You deserve a man who can keep you safe, not the other way around." Akihiro pointed out.

Mio chuckled, "I know that's the general idea, but I've always… been more of… the other way around. I like being the protector, not the protected. I haven't been protected since… I actually can't remember the last time I needed it."

Akihiro nodded, "So, you like being in charge?"

Mio sighed, "I guess it's just in my genes."

"What do you mean?" Akihiro asked.

Mio bit her bottom lip, "My dad manipulated anything and everyone… he's actually the reason I don't use my, ugh, some of my powers anymore. I don't want to be a manipulator. I want to earn what I have in life."

Akihiro nodded, "Well, if I was you- AAAAAAHHHH!"

Akihiro jumped away from Mio, holding his head in pain. Mio jumped after him, "Akihiro, are you okay? Where does it-"

Before she could answer, Akihiro lit up in bright purple and pink lights.

Mio froze, "I haven't seen anything like that since… oh no."

She jumped away from Akihiro, popping all her claws, she knew she was going to need every advantage possible for this fight.

Akihito fell to the ground again, but it wasn't Akihiro anymore.

"Daken." Mio greeted.

Her father stood proud and tall in front of her, smirking. "Well, took longer than I thought for Donna to get that taken care of. I see Amber is back now, right?"

"You remember everything?" Mio asked, nervous.

"No, not everything. That little telepath you've got with you is not as dumb as I had her pegged. She put up blocks in my mind so that certain information I wouldn't remember." Daken laughed, "Honestly, it was a good idea on her part, but she made to many assumptions."

Mio growled, as Daken popped his claws as well, his eyes going dark, he was in kill mode. "She thought I knew about you and Conner. Sure, I had my suspicions, but I had no idea you two were living together." Daken laughed again, "Honestly it… pisses me off. I thought you were smarter than this. Guess I'll just have to teach you another lesson about feelings."

Daken lunged at Mio, throwing attack after attack, slashing and cutting at her. He had to give her credit, she blocked every single one, for about two minutes, until he finally saw an opening, and plunged his fist into her gut. She yelped as he pushed his claw all the way in, until his fist was pressed against the stomach. Tiny drops of blood dripped onto the floor as he dragged his fist up until it hit her rib cage. She ground her teeth, and he kept pushing up, lifting her up, and slamming her against the wall.

She sputtered, blood leaking out her the corners of her mouth, her lungs were shredded, she couldn't breath.

"You know, I always thought you'd eventually find someone." Daken said casually, as if he was having a normal conversation. "I just thought you'd have more sense than to go after the love child of Superman and Lex Luthor."

Mio ground her teeth together, "Don't you talk about Conner like that!"

He jerked his fist violently, causing her to groan in pain, and glare up at him with fierce intensity. "You never knew when to shut your mouth Mio. Another thing you got from me."

Mio smirked, "Yeah, I know."

Daken retracted his claws, and Mio fell to her knees, holding her entrails, panting as they started to knit back together. "This is usually the part where you deny about having anything to do with me. You know, the whole 'I am nothing like you!' speech."

Mio just stood up slowly, looking Daken in the eye, "That would be lying. I've grown a lot since we last met Daken. Conner, he's helped me grow. They all have, Robin, Artemis, Kaldur, Meghan, Wally, and even Roy, that little douche."

Daken laughed at that, "Hey, I kind of like that guy, Red Arrow's his code name right? Personally, I think he'd be a nice toy. Have you slept with him?"

Mio's nose crinkled in disgust, "Roy!? Ew! Gross, I'm not sleeping with that ginger! He's a spoiled little child, just like Lester!"

Daken's smile broadened, "Well then, now I have to try and bang him."

"Daken!" Mio flinched, "I don't wanna hear that!"

"Oh right, as of today, he's on your team, right? Little telepath couldn't stop me from remembering that one." Daken chuckled. "Still, just the thought of that boy, all cut up from my attacks, panting, sweating-"

"I'm calling Donna!" Mio interrupted, slapping her hands over her ears.

Daken laughed even more, "Oh wow, you're still a virgin aren't you?"

"Why am I listening to this!?" Mio groaned, bringing her cell phone up to her ear, "I don't need to listen to this!"

Daken started to laugh again, but then stopped, eyes widening.

Mio paused, looking up at him, "Are you okay-"

He slapped a hand over her mouth, cocking his ear upwards, trying to widen his rang of hearing. Mio took a deep sniff, trying to pick out familiar scents. Daken took his hand off her mouth, grabbing her upper arm instead, "Come on, we've gotta get to that hide out of yours!"

Mio yanked her arm away, "Are you kidding me!? I'm not taking you there!"

"Well, I hope you have somewhere else for us to hide." Daken snapped, "Cause you aren't helping me fight Romulus."

Mio paled, "Romulus is here?"

Daken nodded, "And pretty damn close, so, take me to the mountain."

"I can't risk-"

"If I was interested in hurting your little friends, I would have done it months ago!" Daken snapped.

Mio sighed, "Fine, my motorcycle is-"

"I know where it is." Daken said, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the parking lot, "And I'm driving."

AMBER CREED!

I am SO sorry I made Mio hate your OC, but trust me, it'll all be cleared up, next chapter. I promise, they'll go right back to being friends! Again, I am so sorry! It was neccessary! This is like Mio's original story, but it's also different, so once everything clears up, and you still don't undeerstand, just PM me about it, and I'll clear it up for you. I promise!