Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Justice League or DC Comics characters and/or material. Trust me, if I did, Wonderbat would've been a thing much sooner.
A/N: Hey everyone! This is my AU Justice League, one that dictates the origins of the JL up until much further in their future. This is more of a side project for me, one that would be similar to if I were put as the lead writer of a new Justice League comic series. I do have to admit that this story is definitely going to have more of a Wonderbat emphasis that what I would normally do if I was going to actually write a comic (since I personally believe that a slow bubbling relationship with small moments leading up towards the main establishment of their relationship is the way to go), but then again this is fanfiction and I can do what I want ;). I'm still going to try and follow that process of a slow building relationship where they work their way into each other's hearts, but there is definitely going to be a much larger aspect on that in this story. Also, the JL I chose to use was the one from JL/JLU since I believe that's the best incarnation of the JL (Wally just barely beats Barry for a Flash imo). The first 6 chapters of this story have already been posted to other sites, but FF finally allowed me to start posting it on here. I was having issues with seperating the chapters, but it seems to be working now. Anyway, please give me some reviews and feedback, as I love readings all of your comments. I hope you enjoy!
Summary: When danger arrives, heroes band together in order to protect the planet they all call home. However, two heroes are connected far deeper than anyone expected (AU).
Chapter 1: Origins
Themyscira: 200 B.C.E.
Looking around at the breathtaking view that the island provided, Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons could not help but be in awe that this paradise away from the horrific Patriarch's World is now entitled to the Amazons for all eternity.
It had been a few months after the Amazons had successfully freed themselves from their enslavement by the demigod Hercules. Now seeing the men of the world as they truly are, Queen Hippolyta begged the goddesses of the Amazons for a safe haven where they could recover safely from the clutches of man. Standing on a beach with pure white sand were the Amazon warriors who had just arrived to this new paradise island mere moments ago.
Queen Hippolyta felt a warm presence behind her and quickly bowed down onto both knees, instantly knowing who the goddess was. Seeing their Queen bowing, all of the other Amazons on the beach followed suit, none daring to look upon the face of the Queen of the Gods.
"My Lady Hera, the Amazons are forever in your debt with providing us a safe haven in which we can recover from the injustices taken against us," Queen Hippolyta said.
"Hippolyta, the actions of Hercules have angered the Goddesses that watch over the Amazons, and we believe that your request for a place of isolation from the outside world would not be a task too demanding for us," Queen Hera, goddess of the life of women and marriage, relayed to Hippolyta. "You will be provided by the grace of the Gods with any materials that you require in order to erect temples, palaces, homes, and training grounds for your livelihood, however there is one price that is to be paid for living on this island."
"What is the price for your service, my Lady," Hippolyta asked skeptically.
"The God of the sun and of prophecy Apollo has been granted a vision of the future that entails a dark time for this world. During this time, a Champion chosen by the Gods will arise from the Amazons. She will be fitted with armor and weapons which were both crafted and blessed by the Gods themselves, and she will venture past the mystical boundaries of this paradise island in order to fight alongside the greatest heroes that the world has ever seen," Queen Hera stated, shocking everyone present in front of her.
"My Lady, I mean no disrespect, but how could any of us go out and fight for those foul men after what they have done to us?" Hippolyta asked with a hint of anger in her voice.
"Your fears are justified, Hippolyta. However, this is an event that will not come for some time, so you have time to prepare yourselves by practicing in combat. Also, the Champion of the Amazons will be unlike all of the other Amazons. Her hatred of men will be significantly less than the feelings you harbor, making her the prime choice as our representative," Hera proclaims.
"I thank you for your explanations, my Lady. However, I have one final question that I would like to ask. How will we know who the Champion of our people will be?" Hippolyta asked.
"As soon as a Champion is chosen by us, she will gradually gain blessings from the patron goddesses of the Amazons. These abilities that she gains will assist her in completing her mission in Patriarch's World. The Amazon that develops these abilities is the chosen Champion," Hera answered.
With a quick bow of her head as a sign of understanding, Hippolyta felt the warm presence of Queen Hera leave. She turned back to look at the Amazons, all of which were awaiting orders from their queen.
"Amazons! You have heard the will of the Gods. We are to inhabit this island and make it our own using the materials and tools that our Gods provide to us. We shall train everyday as we prepare for the chosen Amazon to represent our people and the Gods as she ventures out into Patriarch's World to help make the world a better place," Hippolyta stated. At that last line, she saw some Amazons flinch at the thought of going back to Patriarch's World.
She honestly did not blame them, as she could never imagine herself going back past these magical borders and experiencing men all over again. They left both visible and invisible scars on every Amazon on the island today, and none of them wanted to go back anytime soon. However, if it was the will of the Gods, then Hippolyta knew she had no choice to obey.
She just wondered who the chosen Amazon would be.
X X X
Mount Olympus
Hera sits back down on her throne, just returning to Olympus after talking to the Amazons, and she looks around at the other gods and goddesses among her. She saw Athena and Artemis talking quietly to each other, most likely looking upon the Amazons as they start to plan out how they want to develop the island.
Over in one of the corners of the throne room, Hera suppressed a smirk as she watched Apollo, Dionysus, and Hermes trying to get Ares to lighten up. Although Ares was her son, she disliked his hatred of the Amazons, so she decided not to step in and help him.
Looking at the thrones, she noticed Hestia sitting ideally with Demeter. This left Hera confused, as usually Aphrodite would be talking to both goddesses. Looking around the room for Aphrodite, it took Hera much longer than she would admit to realize that the goddess of love was standing right in front of her throne.
Seeing that Queen Hera recognized her presence, Aphrodite did a small bow out of respect for the queen of the gods. Her strawberry blonde locks fell onto her beautiful face as she performed the bow, and it was clear to see why she was the goddess of love with her beauty being unrivaled.
"My Queen," Aphrodite began, "I witnessed your message to the Amazons, and I am most pleased that they accepted your offer of paradise island."
"I am too, Aphrodite. The Fates have been unkind to the Amazons, and I decided that they needed their own sanctuary in order to recover from their grievances. However, I can tell that is not what you wish to discuss," Hera said with a straight face, although she was slightly joyful that Aphrodite was talking to her. She knew that it was only a matter of time before Aphrodite mentioned...
"You would be correct, my Queen. I have just one question to ask of you. How come you did not tell the Amazons about the complete prophecy?" Aphrodite questioned.
"The complete prophecy?" Hera asked, pretending to be dumbfounded. The Gods of Olympus barely did anything, and they had to get their entertainment somewhere. In Hera's case at the moment, it was messing with Aphrodite.
"Yes, my Queen. The complete prophecy. You left out the most important part of the prophecy that describes the union between the Champion chosen by us and the greatest hero of Patriarch's World, a union so powerful it will rebuild the lost bridge between the Amazons and Patriarch's world, their souls having been intertwined since the beginning of time" Aphrodite said, pouting her full lips at this part of the prophecy being missed.
Hera slightly smirked at Aphrodite. "I understand your complaints about leaving this part of the prophecy out, but I did not believe that it was best for the Amazons to hear about a union between a man and one of their own at the current moment. Besides, this union does not concern any of the Amazons at the moment, therefore there is no need for them to know about it."
Aphrodite let out a small sigh, "I understand your reasoning, my Queen. It would make sense to give the Amazons some time to recover. Thank you." Aphrodite then quickly bowed and returned to her throne next to Hestia.
Once Aphrodite returned to her throne, Hera brought up a vision cloud that allowed her to see the Amazons exploring the island for the first time. As she looked at the Amazons, she wondered if this prophecy would come true.
XXX
Themyscira: 1200 A.D.
Hippolyta knelt before the alters within her room, holding a small clay mold in both of her arms. She was crying softly, looking at the clay mold of a baby inside of her arms.
She looked back up to her altar and at the offerings she had brought for her goddesses, "Please! My goddesses, I have done everything you have asked of me. Even after Hades has finally been locked away, I kept true to my word as Queen of the Amazons without ever turning my back on you. I have a large hole in my heart, almost like a part of me is incomplete. It is a feeling of emptiness, of loneliness, and I ask that this void in my heart be filled with the gift of a child. Please!" Hippolyta pleaded to her goddesses, still slightly sobbing.
As she continued to cry, Hippolyta felt the warm presence of her goddesses for the first time since Hades's imprisonment. She did not look up to see which goddess was there; she knew that it was Lady Hera. Hippolyta instead kept her focus on the clay mold that was in her arms, the forehead of the mold having a couple of teardrops on it.
"Queen Hippolyta, your prayers have been heard by us. We see your suffering, and we have decided to grant you with the blessing of a child. She will have an influential part on the Amazons and the world as a whole," Hera cryptically said. Hippolyta was so shocked at the news that her wish of a child was being granted that she barely paid any attention to what Hera was saying.
With a motion of her arms, it looked as if Hera blew a gentle breeze onto the clay mold. Almost instantly, the clay mold became softer, warmer, and formed true flesh. Hippolyta barely had any time to let out a small gasp before the newborn child started to cry inside of Hippolyta's arms. Hippolyta did not even notice that Hera had vanished.
"Shhh, Shhh, it's ok. You are my sun and stars, and I shall take care of you," Hippolyta said while slightly sobbing, still reeling over the tiny bundle inside of her arms. Looking out the window of her bedroom, Hippolyta watched as the moon shined brightly upon Themyscira. Looking back to the baby girl inside of her arms, Hippolyta lovingly brushed the baby's head.
"You are an Amazon now, Diana."
X X X
Smallville: 31 Years Before the Formation of the Justice League
"Jonathan! Jonathan hurry up!" Martha Kent yelled to her husband, praying that the small meteor she saw land towards the end of their farm did not ruin any of the crops for this upcoming season.
Following right behind his wife, Jonathan Kent was worried about how a meteor this large could have not only survived the Earth's atmosphere, but also not make a massive crater within the ground. From the small look that he had of the meteor, it seemed that it almost slowed down before it hit the ground, which both intrigued him and terrified him.
Approaching the crater where the meteorite rested, Martha gasped in shock as she saw what laid in the crater. She expected to find a decent size meteorite sitting in the crater, but instead she found what looked to be some type of miniature spaceship.
"Martha, don't get too close to it now. We don't know how dangerous this thing could be," Jonathan said, both shocked and nervous over what could possibly be in this craft. It looked to be extremely high tech, with an all black metal outside and a symbol of an S perched on the top. Looking it over, it almost looked like a tomb of sorts.
Suddenly, without warning, the top panels of the ship shifted to the side. Jonathan jumped in front of his wife, protecting her from anything that could potentially harm her.
"Martha! Stay behind me!" Jonathan yelled, his worry spiking exponentially.
"Jonathan! What is it?" Martha said, scared but at the same time curious as to what could be in this futuristic ship. Once the panels finally stopped shifting, the pair waited to see if they would be attacked by something. After a few minutes, nothing happened.
"I'm going to check it out," said Martha, determination in her voice.
"What?! Martha, are you crazy? Let me at least get the gun in the house before we check this out," Jonathan said.
Martha was now losing her patience. "If it wanted to attack us, it would have when the panels first op-," Martha began to say, however she was cut off by what sounded like the cry from a newborn coming from the capsule. Without thinking, Martha quickly ran up to the capsule.
"Martha!" Jonathan called to no avail.
Catching up to Martha, they both peered into the capsule to see what the source of the crying was. To their shock, they found a small baby wrapped in soft clothes inside of the capsule.
"Oh my goodness! Johnathan, it's a baby!" Martha said, quickly picking it up. Jonathan was too shocked to say anything, and instead decided to inspect the capsule more. He found a small piece of paper in the back of the capsule and picked it up. It was written in a dialect he had never seen before, but right before his very eyes the words on the paper shifted and translated to English.
"My god," Jonathan said while beginning to read the letter.
To whomever may find this,
My name is Lara Lor-Van of the El house from the planet Krypton. Our planet is projected to be destroyed once our Sun collapses within the day. There is no hope for any of us to escape, as we are genetically bonded to our planet. However, my husband, Jor-El, has figured out a way to genetically modify Kal-El's DNA structure to be half Kryptonian and half human, allowing him to leave the planet. We have set the course of this ship to the closest planet that has a large human population. He will be the last Kryptonian, and I asked that whoever finds him raises him in secret to make sure that he is protected. Once he is old enough to know who he is, I asked you to show him this letter.
Kal, I do not have much time to write but I want you to know that even in death we will always be with you. I am devastated that I will not be able to see you grow up and become the great person I know you will be. You are my life, and your father and I will always love you.
Goodbye, Kal-El
Mother
Jonathan was left speechless by the letter. Here, in his wife's arms, was a half human-half alien hybrid. While the logic in his mind told him that the child could be dangerous, his heart was broken by the fact that this newborn had no family.
"He's... He's all alone, Martha. He's the last of this alien race called 'Kryptonian'," Jonathan solemnly told Martha. Hearing this, Martha quickly broke down in tears over the sorrow that this newborn has already gone through.
"We have to take care of him, John. He has nowhere to go, no family to raise him. If we give him over, who knows what people would do to him. Here, he would have a loving home with loving parents who would raise him to the best of our ability," Martha said.
At this, Jonathan wanted to tell her no, but he could not bring himself to do it, mainly since he agreed with everything she said. There was no telling what would happen to the baby if they let him go, and that was something he did not want living on his conscience.
"Well, we're going to need a name for him, since Kal-El won't work on a census," Jonathan slightly joked in order to lighten the mood.
"I was thinking we name him Clark after my Dad's middle name," Martha said.
"Clark. Clark Kent. Yeah, I like it," Jonathan said, bringing his wife and new son in for a hug.
X X X
Themyscira: 23 Years Before the Formation of the Justice League
Sitting upon the viewing balcony, Hippolyta watched as Diana fought against another Amazon, both fighting with swords. Diana effortlessly disarmed the Amazon she was facing and did a sweeping kick to knock her opponent to the ground. Before the Amazon had time to recover, she looked up to see the point of a sword facing right at her.
"Yield!" Diana commanded.
Upon the viewing balcony, Hippolyta watched Diana fight. She was both proud of her daughter's strength in combat, but a lingering fear was in the back of her mind.
"Diana has turned out to be a fine warrior," General Philippus commenteed.
"Yes, she has, hasn't she," Hippolyta responded, lacking the enthusiasm or pride that Philippus expected to come from the queen.
"Is there something bothering you, your majesty? Is it about Diana?" Philippus asked, concerned over Diana's welfare. Although Diana is the Queen's daughter, most of the Amazons have always seen her as their own niece.
"Diana has become a great warrior. I can tell just from watching her fight that she is probably one of, if not the best combatants we have ever had on the island," Hippolyta informed Philippus.
"And this concerns you, my Queen?" Philippus asked, confused about the Queen's discontent over her daughter's success in the arena.
"I am not disappointed in Diana, if that is what you are asking. I am more worried about her fulfilling the prophecy," Hippolyta said.
"I assume you are referring to the prophecy of the Amazon Champion?" Philippus asked.
"That is correct, Philippus. It is no secret that Diana is the best of the Amazons, and her hatred of men is significantly less than ours since she has only been taught this hatred, never experiencing it first hand. For that alone, I am in debt to the goddesses," Hippolyta said, thankful almost everyday that Diana never experienced the horrors that the Amazons faced before Themyscira was granted to them.
"Would it be so awful for Diana to become the Amazon Champion? You have seen her in the past decades having an almost yearning look, as if she is unsatisfied with what we have here on Themyscira," Philippus questioned.
Hippolyta knew exactly what Philippus was talking about. Diana, even though she has been a grown adult for centuries, still maintained that innocence only a child would have. However, with that innocence came a yearning for knowledge. Diana had asked Hippolyta many times about the outside world, and Hippolyta had found Diana reading ancient texts that described Patriarch's World inside of the Great Library numerous times.
"I believe that while Diana is the best of us, I do not think that it is safe for her to venture out into Patriarch's World. It is no secret that Diana is a beautiful woman, and I shudder to think what those vile pigs would do if they had the chance to take her for themselves. Diana's innocence and trusting attitude might lead her to becoming hurt, and no mother wants that for their child," Hippolyta stated.
"Trust me, I understand my Queen. However, if Diana is chosen by the goddesses, then she must be the one to venture into Patriarch's World. It is the will of the gods, and we are bound to follow them," Philippus informed Hippolyta, knowing that she would not like her answer.
Hippolyta did not answer Philippus and instead looked back into the arena to watch Diana prepare to take on another Amazon. While she would never disobey the gods, she would do whatever it takes to protect her daughter.
X X X
Gotham
"Hi-yah! Huh!" A young boy with black hair said, pretending he was in a sword fight against Spanish soldiers.
"Bruce! Don't go too far away from us now!" A beautiful woman with dark red hair said.
"Go easy on him, Martha. He's just excited after seeing Zorro," a tall, lean man said while stuffing his hands inside of his pocket.
"Thomas, where did Alfred say he would pick us up?" Martha Wayne asked her husband.
"I told him to pick us up about three blocks down so we can walk for a while," Thomas said.
"Thomas, Bruce needs to get to bed. It's already an hour past his bedtime. Just ask Alfred to come pick us up," Martha asked.
"It's fine. We'll just take a short cut I know in order to get there faster," Thomas replied, taking Martha by the hand. The elegantly-dressed couple turned down an alleyway, watching as their son pretended to battle against the enemies of Zorro.
"Bruce sure loved that Zorro film," Thomas commented.
"I guess we know what to get him for Christmas this year," Martha joked.
Suddenly, they saw Bruce stop in the alleyway, almost out of fear. They quickly ran up to him and noticed a man leaning against the wall of one of the buildings.
As they go to turn away, they hear the man's voice call out to them.
"That's a nice set of pearls you got on there, ma'am," the man said in his cold voice.
Thomas and Martha both turn around with Bruce safely behind them.
"Listen, we don't want any trouble. Let us get by and we'll just be on our way," Thomas calmly said.
Suddenly, the man pulled a gun from his coat and aimed it at the Wayne's.
"Sorry, but there is a toll to get by," the man replied.
"Ok, here. I'm getting my wallet out. See," Thomas said while he held up his wallet. He quickly took out $500 and gave it to the man.
"Thanks, but I also want the pearls," the man replied with a smirk on his face.
"I already gave you $500, isn't that enough?" Thomas pleaded.
"Give me the pearls, or I'll just take them myself," the man said while reaching out to grab the pearl necklace hanging on Martha's neck.
"No!" Thomas screamed, trying to push the man away from Martha. Out of fear, the man quickly turned to Thomas, and without thinking he shot.
A scream was heard coming from Martha, and the man looked just as horrified as she did as they watched Thomas drop to the ground. Martha, blinded by fear and rage, ran up to the man in order to protect both Bruce and save her husband. However, just as it was with Thomas, the man shot due to the fear of being attacked.
Bruce watched with no emotions flowing through him besides shock and fear as he watched his parents drop to the ground. Martha's pearl necklace broke when she hit, sending pearls flying across the alleyway.
The man looked down at the young boy, staring at him with big eyes full of tears and fear. He was horrified with himself, and he had no control of his body as he brought the gun up to the boy. The boy stood there, not moving an inch, while he looked down the barrel of a gun. Bruce closed his eyes and heard a click, but nothing happened.
Opening his eyes, Bruce saw the man running away. Looking down, he saw both of his parents laying in a pool of crimson. Dropping to his knees, Bruce burst into tears while grabbing both of his parents' hands.
"Br-Bruce," Bruce heard his father say. Looking over, Bruce felt his father slightly squeeze his hand while he looked into his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry son, I-I won't see you grow up... to become the good man I know.. you'll be," Thomas weakly said.
"Bruce..." Bruce heard his mother's weak voice. Looking over to his mother, Bruce cried even harder as he watched her struggle to keep her eyes open. He was too shocked to do anything.
"Bruce... remember... we will... always... love you," Martha said. Once she finished, Bruce felt both his father's and mother's hand release from his, and it felt like his heart was torn from his chest.
X X X
Themyscira
"You ready, Demetrias?" Diana said smugly.
"You have too much confidence in yourself, Diana. That will ultimately be your downfall," Demetrais sternly said, however the smile was evident on her face.
"We'll see if you can truly back up those words," Diana said with a smirk.
Right as they were about to start, Diana felt a pain in her chest with what she could only describe as her heart being ripped out. She screamed in pain and dropped into a fetal position in the middle of the arena. Every Amazon was in shock at watching the Princess go down.
Quickly jumping over the balcony and running to her daughter, Hippolyta rolled Diana over to see what was wrong with her. She was shocked to find Diana hugging herself, with tears flowing freely down her face.
"Diana! Diana! Can you hear me? Are you alright?" Queen Hippolyta pleaded, but it was to no avail. Diana continued to cry.
"Guards! Escort the Princess to the medical tents, immediately!" Hippolyta ordered, her fear for her daughter increasing by the second.
The Honorary Guard quickly got a woven stretcher, which they quickly placed Diana onto. They then hurriedly carried her over to the medial tent outside of the arena, praying to their goddesses that they could find out what was wrong with their Princess.
X X X
Mount Olympus
On Mount Olympus, the patron goddesses of the Amazons were furious.
"What has happened to Diana?! What unseen force has caused her to drop in the middle of a battle?" Queen Hera roared.
"I do not know, my Queen. It just... happened, unexpectedly," Hestia said, bowing to the Queen of the Gods.
The Patron goddesses watched as the Amazons did a medical evaluation on Diana, but there were no injuries that they could find. The goddesses were extremely worried about Diana's condition, until one of them spoke out.
"I know what caused this to happen to Diana."
Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Athena, and Artemis turned quickly to look at Aphrodite, desperate to know what caused Diana this pain. All the goddesses were surprised to see a single tear flowing down Aphrodite's cheek.
"This pain that Diana experiences is not her own. Instead, she is feeling the pain of... her soulmate," Aphrodite hesitantly revealed.
"Her soulmate?" Artemis asked, alarmed that Diana had a soulmate. The virgin goddess of the hunt wanted Diana to remain pure, however news that Diana had a soulmate quickly vanquished those hopes.
"Yes, a soulmate. Something terrible has happened to them, as if their heart was shattered into a million pieces. Diana is experiencing the exact same pain as they are," Aphrodite sadly revealed.
"Can you see who Diana's soulmate is?" Queen Hera asked.
"No, my queen. I can only tell that the pain that Diana is experiencing was caused from whom she is fated to be with," Aphrodite revealed.
"Is there any way that we can stop Diana from experiencing this pain?" Athena asked, as she did not want to see her favorite be in such agony.
"I can temporarily block out Diana's connection with her soulmate. That should remove the pain that Diana is experiencing," Aphrodite said.
"I ask you to follow through on this, Aphrodite," Queen Hera commanded.
"As you wish, my Queen," Aphrodite said while bowing. She quickly raised both of her hands and chanted an ancient Grecian prayer. Once she was done, all of the goddesses looked back into the vision cloud. Not even a full minute after Aphrodite finished, Diana was sitting up in the medical tent, looking as normal as ever besides the shocked and confused expression on her face.
All of the goddesses released a breath of relief at seeing Diana healthy again. It always pains them to see Diana get hurt, however most of the time they are unable to do anything because of their duties as Gods.
While the other goddesses looked back into the vision cloud at Diana, Queen Hera silently pulled Aphrodite to the side.
"Aphrodite, I noticed that you said earlier that you could only temporarily block out Diana's connection to her soulmate," Queen Hera silently said, as to not attract the attention of the other goddesses.
"That is correct, my lady. The connection between the two souls is extremely strong. I was able to block it out now, however the protective barrier that I have placed will not hold for long. We are lucky that the souls do not seek each other out yet. I feel though as once that happens, nothing will be able to block them from reaching each other," Aphrodite revealed, her beautiful smile back and a dreamy expression on her face at the notion of two powerful souls meeting each other.
Queen Hera smirked at the dreamy face Aphrodite had. She knew that once Diana truly found her soulmate, Aphrodite was going to be elated. However, it seemed that day was still far away.
X X X
Themyscira
Diana quickly sat up from the woven medical cot that she was resting on. She had no idea what that pain she experienced was. It felt as if someone reached into her chest and crushed her heart into thousands of pieces.
Getting up from the cot, Diana made her way out of the medical tent to find her mother talking to the Themyscirian healers. Hippolyta looked over in shock as she saw Diana walking out of the tent completely fine.
"My sun and stars, how are you feeling?" Queen Hippolyta asked, joyful that her daughter appeared to be unharmed.
"I am feeling much better, mother. I am still confused as to what happened to me," Diana said.
"As we are too, my daughter. I have been conversing with our healers while you have been in the tent, and they have found nothing wrong with you. They believe you to be in perfect health, which is strange considering the pain you felt earlier," Hippolyta told Diana, both of whom were still confused as to how Diana was completely healthy.
"Maybe the gods have healed me. It is not the first time that they have reached out to assist me," Diana stated, confident in her answer. There was no other explanation that she could think of as to what had occurred. The strangest part of the whole experience was that while Diana felt the pain in her chest, it almost felt like she was watching someone experience this pain tenfold through a glass window. It was as if she was an observer to someone getting their heart torn from their body.
"Maybe I should ask the gods for assistance," Diana said to her mother.
"I believe that would be the best course of action, my daughter. If they respond, you might receive the answers you seek," Hippolyta said, although truthfully she did not really think the gods would respond to Diana. It is not that the gods neglect the Amazons, it is just that usually the gods will seek you out, not the other way around.
As Hippolyta watched Diana make her way down to the Temples, she wondered what could have caused her little sun and stars so much pain.
X X X
Secret Location in the Himalayas: 14 Years Before the Formation of the Justice League
"Again!" An older man yelled, observing the two combatants fighting.
A much different Bruce Wayne stands back to his feet after he was knocked down by the bokken Lady Shiva was using. This Bruce Wayne was not the small, destroyed child that was in the alley way during that fateful night. This Bruce Wayne is now tall, over 6'2" in height, weighing almost 185 pounds of pure muscle. While not fully matured into adulthood yet, Bruce is one of the most fit human beings there is on the planet.
A year after the shock of his parent's death wore off, Bruce took a really good look at Gotham. What he found, in being murder, rape, robbery, and corruption, made him realize that he was not the only person going through the hell that Gotham was. There were people losing family members every day due to the free jungle that Gotham was, and on that day he realized that someone had to step in and say that was enough.
Deciding that he would have to be the person to fix Gotham as a promise to his parents to let no other boy experience the pain and suffering that he did, he decided that he would dedicate his life to becoming the savior that Gotham needed. Knowing that the information he seeks would not be in Gotham, he had Alfred -his only family left- apply Bruce for multiple boarding schools across the world.
At the age of 13, Bruce had been to numerous countries, learning vast knowledge and languages. From this knowledge and experience in the outside world, Bruce realized that there was no hope in saving Gotham through legal measures. From what he remembered about Gotham, corruption was running rampant in the city, and the major crime families were backed by the politicians and police officers. The only way to remove the injustices from the city was to do so by his own terms.
Bruce started to enroll in different martial arts academies in the countries that he was in. As the years went by, Bruce finished his schools early at 15 years old, and he devoted his time to seeking out various programs, academies, even cults at times, in order to learn all there was about the different forms of fighting. In a little over a year and a half, Bruce mastered almost 70 different martial art techniques, making him one of the deadliest fighters in the world.
During his time with one of these cults, Bruce was captured by authorities in Bhutan and was imprisoned. However, only a week after his imprisonment, he was broken out by a group of stealth men, people that moved so quietly that they only left a whisper of a sound. These men took Bruce blindfolded to some location in the Himalayas where he was placed before a man named Ra's Al Ghul.
Ra's knew about the talent that Bruce possessed, and he wanted to teach Bruce how to harness that talent. As months went by, it was obvious to Ra's that Bruce was the most talented student that he has ever had in his long lifetime. He knew that Bruce was the successor to the Demon's Head that Ra's had been searching for, and it did not hurt that his young daughter Talia seemed moonstruck over the young student. Ra's could already see it, his daughter and Bruce leading the League of Assassins as it was meant to be, putting the world to their knees in worship of them.
This is what had led Bruce to this current moment. He was currently battling Lady Shiva, the most skilled fighter the League of Assassins had. Only one known person could beat her, and that man was currently the Demon's Head. She was his last obstacle from the final part of his training, and he would not let her stop him.
Quickly getting up, Bruce motioned for Lady Shiva to attack him once again. He knew that she was more agile and faster in her strikes than him, but he definitely had the upper hand in terms of strength and reflexes. He would just have to get her into a position to use them to his advantage.
Watching Lady Shiva and Bruce trade blows, Ra's smirked at how Bruce was performing. He had never seen a man so driven for success, someone that would do whatever was necessary in order to succeed. His strength of will is unmatched, and once his skills were perfected, nothing would ever get in his way again.
Ra's spared a brief glance at his daughter who was next to him watching Bruce train. It was obvious that she desired him, and Ra's was glad that she chose such a suitable companion to be at her side. Ra's was looking forward to the day when Bruce would take control of the secrets of the Demon's Head, controlling the world at his fingers with Talia at his side.
Bruce and Lady Shiva continued to trade blows, with no one backing down in their attacks. Bruce knew that in terms of skill, Lady Shiva was definitely better than him, so he knew he had to take advantage quickly or he would lose.
After blocking a strike to his head, Bruce noticed that Lady Shiva leans all of her weight onto one foot when she makes a strike. Now that he saw a weakness in her form, he knew that it was time for him to win.
As Lady Shiva went to make another strike towards Bruce's chest, he moved with speeds faster than should be possible for a man of his size, dropping down into a sweeping kick and connecting with the foot which most of her weight was one. Unable to balance herself, she quickly fell to the mat.
Before Lady Shiva even had a chance to take in the breath that she lost, she was looking right at the bokken that Bruce was pointing at her.
"Yield," Bruce said, his eyes narrowed at her.
Lady Shiva could not believe it. Only one person has ever beaten her, and now she was just defeated by a 17 year old boy. She looked over to Ra's who had an almost evil smirk on his face. It was definitely apparent that he favored Bruce winning.
"Bruce, stand before me," Ra's Al Ghul said. Bruce sheathed his bokken and went before Ra's Al Ghul, bowing as a sign of respect to the Demon's Head. While he felt Talia's eyes burning into him, he paid no attention to her and instead faced Ra's. It is not that he did not like Talia, she was a very beautiful woman. However, Bruce just did not feel like he was ready to start a relationship with anyone. He needed to focus on finishing his training, as that was his purpose in life.
"You are a fine student, Bruce. One of the best that I have ever had, if I am to be honest. Your strategic skills are unmatched, and even when facing a more skilled opponent in Lady Shiva, you still found a way to take her down. I respect your unrivaled will, and I have decided that you shall now train to be my successor," Ra's said, proud that he had finally found a true successor after centuries of running the League of Assassins.
"From now on, I will be personally training you myself. The only people you will have interactions with are myself, Lady Shiva, and of course my daughter Talia," Ra's said. Bruce made a quick glance at Talia whose eyes were filled with desire.
Bruce bowed out of respect to Ra's once again, however truthfully he was not thrilled that he was going to be training in order to eventually become the Demon's Head. He really did not want any part in the League of Assassins, and he wanted to get back to Gotham as soon as he could. However, training under Ra's would be valuable to furthering his skills, so he decided that he will play along for the time being.
Returning to his room, Bruce quickly dressed into his sleepwear and laid down in the cot that was in every student room. He closed his eyes, hoping that he did not have his usual nightmares today.
o o o
"Bruce," an angelic voice said to him.
Bruce quickly sat up, trying to take in his surroundings and where he was. He saw that he was on some type of rooftop, in what looked to be like Gotham to him. This was not the Gotham that he remembered, however. It seemed quieter, almost cleaner if he had to assume. Bruce looked down to notice that he was in some type of suit, with a large black bat in the middle of it.
"Bruce?" The angelic voice said one again. Looking up to where the voice was coming from, Bruce's breath caught in his throat as he looked upon the face of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had raven hair, had curves in all the right places, and she was also slightly muscular, however not too much to destroy her femininity.
"Bruce, are you ok? It seemed like I lost you there again to your brooding," the woman joked.
"I'm fine, Diana," Bruce replied. Diana? How did he know her name? "I'm just thinking about a case I'm working on."
"I would ask if you need any help, but I assume I already know the answer," Diana said with a large smile adorning her face, so bright that it made Bruce want to smile as well.
"You know me too well, Princess," Bruce quipped back, slightly smirking although thinking in his head: Princess? Why did I call her that?
"That I do, Bruce. And make sure that you don't forget it," Diana said, making her way up to Bruce. Before he could utter another word, she quickly closed the distance between them, slipped his cowl back, and connected their lips in the most passionate kiss Bruce had ever experienced in his life. Their emotions were expressed clearly in the kiss, and Bruce felt as if he was floating.
Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Bruce looked upon a flustered Diana, smirking at the effect he had on the Princess. She had even more of an affect on him, however he could just conceal his emotions better.
"I'll see you later, Bruce," Diana said, before she took to the air, actually flying.
"See you later, Princess," Bruce whispered, slipping his cowl back on as he started to make his way down the building without even caring about her flying. He was still in shock at how this beautiful woman seemed to care so much for him. He wondered what he did to earn a spot in this woman's life.
o o o
Bruce awoke abruptly, looking around his room for any sign of a woman. Bruce knew that a dream awoke him, however the details were quickly fleeting from his mind. The one thing that he could remember was the face of the woman, someone he was sure would be in the back of his mind for a long time.
X X X
Themyscira: 14 Years Before the Formation of the Justice League
Diana knelt down upon her altars in her room, praying a special prayer to each of her goddesses. She petitioned Athena for the wisdom in battle, Hestia to help her see the truth of all situations, Aphrodite to let love and compassion come before hatred, Demeter for the thriving of the Amazons, Artemis to help her senses in battle, and finally Hera to help Diana understand what it is like to be both a warrior and a woman.
Standing from her altar, Diana quickly undressed and laid down in her bed. It was a warm night on Themyscira, so she decided to sleep outside of her sheets. She wondered where Morpheus would take her dreams tonight.
o o o
Flying over a developed city during the night, Diana could not help but admire the beauty that the city lights provided at night. While there were certainly dark spots due to alleyways and streets not being properly light, overall the city was like a bright beacon in the night. She thought that this related well to its protector.
She knew that he was in the city somewhere. While flying around, she was thinking about him. Him?! Diana thought, however it seemed as if her flight path was never affected. It was strange to her. She was inside her own body, but it felt as if she was only a participant, not really having full control over herself.
She decided to check the spot that she always knew that he liked to position at after he was finished with patrol. They have had many conversations upon this rooftop, mostly good, a few bad, however recently they have begun to be most pleasant.
Spotting a flicker of a black cape upon a building labeled with a large W, Diana slowly flew her way up towards him. Looking upon him (a man nonetheless!), in her mind Diana was surprised at how muscular he was. Even though he was wearing some type of tight fitted armor, it was clearly obvious that this man was in good shape. He was wearing some type of hood -or cowl- on his head, and she could not see his face. Although, somehow she already knew who was under the mask.
When Diana was only hovering a few feet above him, she was surprised that he did not notice her. She somehow knows that this man would usually announce her presence when she tried to sneak up on him, much to her annoyance. Now, the man seemed to be deep in thought about something.
"Bruce," Diana said to try and get his attention. Bruce? How did she know this man's name?
She waited a few seconds, and the man still did not respond to her.
"Bruce?" She asked again in the same tone. Finally, the man seemed to acknowledge her presence, and when he looked at her, he seemed to almost be reveling in her presence. Although he was wearing some type of white lens in his cowl, she could still feel their eyes connect. It made her shiver on the inside.
Seeing that he was still staring at her without uttering a single word, Diana decided to engage in a conversation.
"Bruce, are you ok? It seemed like I lost you there again to your brooding," Diana joked.
"I'm fine, Diana," Bruce replied. His voice was heavenly to her. It was a deep baritone voice, sounding like an impossible mixture between the roughness of sandpaper and the smoothness of silk. "I'm just thinking about a case I'm working on."
"I would ask if you need any help, but I assume I already know the answer," Diana said. On the inside, she did not know why she asked that question, as she somehow knew that he would say no.
"You know me too well, Princess," Bruce quipped back. Him calling her Princess created flutters in her stomach. She was not sure how a man could have this effect on her.
"That I do, Bruce. And make sure that you don't forget it," Diana said. With no control over her body, Diana watched as she quickly closed the distance between the two of them, his closeness causing her heart to race. She slipped her figures beneath his cowl and exposed his face to herself, causing her to mentally stop thinking as she finally got to see his face. He was the most handsome person that she had ever seen, with his black hair messed up from the cowl, a striking jawline, and his dark blue eyes that seemed to stare straight into her soul.
She barely had any time to marvel at this perfection of creation before she was quickly closing the distance between the two even more and connecting their lips. Diana had seen her Amazon sisters kiss each other on the lips before, however that was seen as a greeting. This was different, MUCH different.
Diana was losing herself in the kiss, giving everything she had into it and receiving back just as much from her companion. She thought that this is what it must feel like to be in Elysium, completely at peace with yourself.
All too soon for her liking, Bruce broke away the kiss and stared into her eyes. She knew that she must look flustered, but she did not care at this point. She just looked back into those dark blue eyes, feeling as if she was a warrior arriving home for the first time in a millennia.
Once again somehow knowing that Bruce had to finish his patrol, she took a couple of steps back so they could regain their breaths.
A smile forming on her face, Diana said her goodbyes.
"I'll see you later, Bruce," Diana said, her smile not leaving her face. She did not wait for a response, as she took into the air. She always loved flying, but this time felt even better. She felt as if she was as light as a feather, nothing weighing down on her at all.
When she was only about half a mile away from where she met Bruce, she heard a faint voice trail through the wind.
"I'll see you later, Princess," she heard Bruce say, the contentment visible in his voice. Diana did not believe that her smile could grow any bigger. It felt as if everything in her life was finally where it was supposed to be.
o o o
Diana awoke with a start, a hand racing to her chest in an attempt to slow down her beating heart. Morpheus gave her the most vivid dream she ever remembered having, although the details of the dream were quickly fleeting from her mind. She tried to grab onto everything she could, but the only thing that truly remained solidified in her mind was the face of that man.
A man, one that she not only seemed to know personally, but also one that made her feel strange. Not a bad strange by any means. It made Diana feel extremely elated. She could not remember many details about the man except for his face. His face seemed to be chiseled out of marble, looking as if he was one of the Greek deities that she worshipped. She felt something with this man, a feeling that she has never experienced before, and it piqued her curiosity as to what it was.
Looking out her bedroom window onto the shores of Themyscira, she wondered if she would ever have the chance to travel to Patriarch's world and find the man that she came across in her dreams.