Young Justice is not mine.


Steam

"You don't extinguish fire by adding more fire, you need water."

- Shenouda III


GOTHAM CITY

Kayanna's feet thudded against the ground as she jogged across the sidewalk. Her heart hammered in her chest, breaths coming in short and she slowed to a halt. A shaky hand was run through her messy brown locks and she sucked in a deep breath.

The blazing sun sat high in the sky, basking the earth below in waves of heat and light. Sweat trickled down Kayanna's brow, her cheeks a light shade of red as a result of the heat and exercise. She took a swig from her water bottle, welcoming the refreshing liquid as a wave of cool washed over her.

Jogging wasn't normally Kayanna's thing. In fact, it was actually rather far from it, but she needed an outlet to vent her frustrations and clear her mind, and dance just wasn't cutting it for her right now.

So that's how she found herself at a smaller park about a mile from her house.

After the events at Cadmus, Kayanna was placed on an even shorter leash than the one she was on before. Granted it was her fault, she could've said no to going with the others.

But she had no regrets.

'I guess you're not ready.'

Her father's voice echoed in her head and Kayanna squeezed her eyes shut, willing his voice to disappear. It had been plaguing her throughout her whole jog, taunting her and reminding her of her shortcomings. Their relationship had been rather rocky ever since the Cadmus incident, and though she got to keep her mantle of Nightfall, she had been avoiding going into the field with her father.

Kayanna doubled over, placing her hands on her knees as she sucked in a deep breath. Her thoughts ran rampant, mind racing a mile a minute as memories swirled in her head.


Koda paced back and forth, chest heaving with anger. He was still wearing his Nighttide suit, but his mask had been ripped off the moment he set foot in their house. It now lay onto of the dining room table.

Kayanna sat on the couch, eyes glued to the floor as her mom cleaned a gash on her bicep. She grimaced slightly as an antiseptic was rubbed over the wound, but said nothing. Elizabeth kept glanced between her husband and her daughter, waiting for the tension to erupt in a tumultuous end.

"I just-" Koda fumbled for his words and paused as he focused his angry gaze on Kayanna, "What were you thinking?" His hands were positioned in front of himself, and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. The older waterbender's voice was sharp as he carried on, "I trusted you to stay put. To listen to my orders for once, Kayanna! And what do you do? You disobeyed not only my direct orders, but the League's direct orders as well!"

Kayanna sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, holding back any and all tears that were threatening to fall. She knew a confrontation with her father was inevitable and had tried to mentally prepare herself for the ensuing argument. In her mind she could come up with comebacks and quips to her father's arguing points, as well as ways to defend herself, and she had even talked herself up on the way back to their house, but as soon as she had walked through the door and saw her mother, she deflated.

Any and all fight in her she had managed to build up on their trek home had melted away as she threw herself into her mother's arms.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Koda asked rather impatiently. Under normal circumstances Kayanna was rather stubborn and argumentative, but she was instead just sat on the couch, awfully silent as Elizabeth wrapped her bicep in gauze and bandages.

Kayanna shook her head as a tear streaked down her cheek, still refusing to meet her father's gaze, "I-I'm sorry." It was true, she was sorry, but probably not in the way her father wanted her to be. She was sorry for all the worry she caused him and she knew the anger he was expressing now was out of concern for her life.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Kayanna." Koda's brown eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, "Not only did you disobey orders, but you endangered your life and blew up a building!"

Even though Koda wasn't particularly fond of Batman, he sounded an awful lot like him, Kayanna silently noted.

"To be fair, that was Robin's idea…" Kayanna quipped lightly, voice cracking slightly at the end. She wasn't sure what compelled her to say that, as it most certainly wouldn't help her position, but it had just come out.

Koda's eye twitched, "I don't care whose idea it was. You still played a part in it." He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. It didn't quite work and he opened his eyes. However, when he spoke again, his voice was softer, "For the time being I'm benching you. No more Nightfall."

For the first time since they had arrived home, Kayanna's head snapped up as she focused her blue gaze on her father. A million thoughts ran through her head as her heart fluttered. She choked back a sob as she replied, "Okay."

Not only did her response shock herself, but it shocked her father as well. The younger waterbender missed the surprised look that fluttered across her father's face before he quickly composed himself as she returned her gaze to the floor.

"Okay?" Koda repeated what she said, voice gradually increasing in volume, "Okay? Is that all you have to say for yourself? You've fought me tooth and nail to be a hero, but now you're just going to give it up, just like that? I guess you're not ready."

Kayanna whirled on her father, more tears streaking down her cheeks as she erupted, "What do you want from me?!" Although the fight inside her was gone, she had felt as if her father would've gone easier on her had she not fought back, "I fight back, you yell at me. I don't fight back, you yell at me!"

"I'm just trying to get you to realize the severity of your actions."

"I understand, really I do!" Kayanna retaliated, fingers pressing painfully into her biceps, "but if you're trying to make me regret what I did- we did- then you've got another thing coming, because I don't." She ran a shaky hair through her messy brown locks, meeting her father's harsh gaze, "If you're going to take Nightfall, then fine. I-I can't stop you, but just remember the good we did tonight."

Koda's angry expression melted into a look Kayanna couldn't read as he masked his feelings. She wasn't sure if what she said was going to set him off more or not, but she had managed to say a bit of what she originally intended to, so it was a small victory for herself.

The older waterbender stared down at his daughter, a blank look on his face as she turned away from him once more. It wasn't that he liked being harsh on Kayanna, but she had really worried him that night. The League had returned after successfully defeating Wotan and returning the Amulet of Aten to its rightful owners to an empty Hall of Justice and panic had immediately filled every fiber of his being until that panic had melted into anger.

And it continued to boil and boil until he erupted.

Furthermore, the anger wasn't entirely aimed at Kayanna herself. Most of the anger was aimed at himself. Had something seriously bad happened to her while she was gone, he would've blamed himself and never been able to forgive himself. He had allowed her into the superhero life after all.

"Koda," Elizabeth called out to her husband as she finished packing up the first aid kit. He glanced over at his wife, who had stood up and was now approaching him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and the soft look in her eyes helped to rescind some of his anger.

Now, Elizabeth would be lying if she said she wasn't irked at Kayanna as well- she very much was- but she also knew yelling and arguing wasn't going to solve everything. Ever the peacemaker in the house, the woman gently suggested, "It's late. Why don't we all go to bed and we can talk in the morning?"

Koda looked ready to argue some more as he glanced between his wife and daughter, but at Elizabeth's quirked brow- silently challenging him- he sighed and relented, "Go to your room, Kayanna. We can discuss this more tomorrow."

Kayanna nodded her head before quickly standing up and scurrying out of the living room. She dipped down as she passed a lazy-boy, scooping up her cat, Angler, before making her way towards the stairs. She nuzzled her face into her cat's soft fur as he began to softly purr, the sound soothing her aching heart.


"Hey, are you alright?"

The memory faded and Kayanna blinked, righting herself to stand up straight. She turned towards the source of the voice. A teenager about her age stood beside her, emerald eyes filled with concern as he took his hand off her shoulder.

"Y-yeah," The young waterbender shook her head, cracking a half-assed smile, "I'm fine."

The boy didn't look too sure and Kayanna took a moment to look him over. He was on the taller side of things and rather lithe as well, with dark brown hair cropped short on the sides and slightly long and messy on the top. His green eyes were his most distinguishing feature, bright and full of life as he stared at the girl in front of him.

"Are you sure?"

Kayanna brushed the boy off with a wave of her hand, "Just needed a breather," She lied swiftly, "Thanks for the concern, uh…"

"Jayce," The boy- Jayce- chimed in helpfully, a cute lopsided smile appearing on his face.

She nodded and smiled, "It was nice to meet you, Jayce." Kayanna bounced on her feet slightly, preparing to jog off once more, "Have a good day!"

Jayce watched as she turned to take off, repeating her sentiment before realizing, "Wait, I never got your name!"

"It's Kayanna!"


SANDERS HOUSEHOLD

"Kyle, give it back!"

Kayanna jumped up, struggling to reach the remote her older brother was holding high over her head. He may have only been two years older, but the height difference between the two was great. It was incredibly easy for him to keep things out of her reach.

"No," He grinned and lifted the remote higher as Kayanna made another grab at the remote, "If I have to watch one more episode of Supernatural, I am going to scream."

"Oh you're so melodramatic." She groaned with an eye roll, propping her hands on her hips, "It's a good show!"

"You just watch if for Jensen Ackles."

"I see no problem with this."

Kyle laughed and dropped onto the couch, pushing his sister to the side as she made another swipe at the remote. Kayanna pouted and gave him her best puppy dog eyes, but he just rolled his eyes and ignored her. The remote was pointed at the TV, and the image of a bickering Sam and Dean was whisked away as the channel was changed.

Sports flashed across the screen, a faraway crowd cheering as some team scored, and Kayanna flopped onto the couch next to her brother. She gave out an exasperated groan, which was stifled immediately as Kyle covered her mouth with his hand.

"Shhhh."

A glass of water sat on the table, ice floating lazily in the cool liquid as condensation rolled down the side. Kayanna side-eyed her brother, gaze flickering between him and the water glass as a plan boiled in her head.

"Ack! Kayanna!" Kyle cried out, pulling his hand away from his sister's mouth, "Did you just lick me?!"

Instead of gracing her brother with a response, Kayanna flicked her hand, the water from the glass on the table rising into the air. It curled into a tendril and she snapped her hand towards Kyle. The water did her bidding, and as Kyle was distracted with wiping his hand off, the water curled around the remote in his opposite hand. When Kayanna flicked her wrist, the remote was ripped from Kyle's hand and she caught it with ease before returning the water to the glass.

Kyle jolted and whirled on his sister upon the realization he no longer had the remote. She turned away from him with a victory laugh, flopping onto her side and using her feet to keep her brother at bay.

"Kayanna! That's cheating!"

The channel changed once more as she pressed the back button, Supernatural returning to the screen just in time for Dean to be violently thrown into a wall. Kayanna extended her arm away from Kyle, who was fighting with her feet as she wiggled them back and forth.

"I swear to-" Kayanna suddenly screeched as Kyle snagged one of her feet, his fingers dancing across the base of her foot. She tried to pull away and he held on tighter, continuing to tickle her feet as she thrashed.

"Kyle!" She managed to squeal out between laughs, "S-stop it!"

"Then give me the remote back!"

"Never!"

"What's going on here?" An amused voice sounded and Kayanna glanced back, watching as her dad stepped into the room and she immediately sobered up.

Kyle glanced up, a smile on his face, arm still firmly gripping his sister's leg, "Kayanna stole the remote from me." He ran his fingers up her foot once more, but instead of eliciting a laugh from her, she fought harder to pull away.

"Kyle, stop." He didn't listen, continuing his tickle attack on her foot as their father watched with a soft smile. She pulled harder, voice low, "I said stop."

This time Kyle actually let go of her foot, and Kayanna found herself suddenly on the floor. She shook her head, remote clasped tightly in her hand before she climbed to her feet. Kyle looked up at her and annoyance flashed across her eyes.

"Here's your stupid remote," She muttered, tossing said device at her brother.

Kyle sat up straighter and Kayanna walked around the couch towards the stairs. Koda watched as she climbed the stairs, flashing him a look that told him she was still pissed at him before she disappeared upstairs.

Koda sighed.


"You can't be mad at him forever, Kayanna."

Kayanna muttered something in response, Barbara not catching it because her friend's face was currently buried in a pillow. She reached back and pushed her shoulder, and Kayanna turned her face, "What?"

"You'll find I'm a better conversationalist than that pillow you're mumbling into."

Kayanna rolled her eyes before shifting into a sitting position. She smacked Barbara with the pillow before placing it in her lap, "I don't need your sass."

The ginger laughed, "You love my sass."

That was true, Kayanna couldn't deny it. Barbara was her best friend and the girl knew how to cheer her up and make her smile. No matter what kind of mood Kayanna was in, Barbara could always fix it. Her laughter mixed with her friends.

"But I'm for real, Kayanna," Barbara stopped laughing and fixed her friend with a gentle look, "He's your father, he's just looking out for you."

She groaned, "I don't need to hear this from you too, Babs."

"Look, I get where you're coming from. My dad's pretty protective as well, but I'm also not a superhero."

Yeah, Barbara knew Nighttide and Nightfall's secret IDs, but hey, she was Kayanna's best friend. Had been since they both started at Gotham Academy when they were in 7th grade. The brunette had actually showed Barbara her powers about a year before she had finally managed to convince her father to take her on as his protégé.

She had also told Barbara about the adventure she went on with the other protégés to Cadmus. Granted she left out a few details here and there, giving her friend only the basic gist of what all went down on the fourth.

"Koda's going to be way more protective since you're putting your life on the line," Barbara carried on, "I'd probably be pretty ticked at you as well if you were my kid who went on some grand ol' adventure with other sidekicks-"

"Partners. They don't like being called sidekicks."

The ginger rolled her eyes, "Sorry, partners. Anyways, like I was saying, in your father's defense, I'd be pretty mad too."

"Don't tell me you would've stayed behind!"

"Oh no, I for sure would've done what you did, you've just got to look at it from his point of view. He thought he left his daughter somewhere safe and when he returned for her, she was gone without a trace. That's like a parent's worst nightmare."

Kayanna picked at her fingernail and chewed her lower lip, pondering Barbara's words. She understood where her father- and Barbara- were coming from, but it didn't mean she had to like it. Kayanna was just sick of being treated like a child…

But if she kept acting like one nothing would change.

She sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. What'd you say?"

Kayanna sat up, a laugh on her lips as she chucked the pillow at Barbara, who did her best to avoid the fluffy projectile, "I said you're right. Don't make me regret it."

The ginger giggled and collected the pillow, clutching it to her own chest, "Just give your dad some time, he'll come around. And in the meantime, don't be a brat!"

"Me? A brat?" Kayanna feigned hurt, placing a hand over her heart and Barbara rolled her eyes.

"You heard me."

"Your words wound me."


BATCAVE

Dick's fingers clacked softly against the keyboard, mask-less eyes honing in on the file pulled up on screen. It was of Nighttide, with a recent update to the file adding in Nightfall as well. He clicked on the girl's name, and immediately the screen was filled with her and her information.

Secret ID: Kayanna Sanders.

Dick knew that much already. As the protégé of Batman, he knew the entire League's secret ID's, Nighttide's included. It was Koda Sanders. Dick had actually known this fact for years seeing as Nighttide was one of the founding members of the Justice League, fighting alongside the other seven against the Appellaxians.

The troll within him also found it amusing that Kayanna Sanders was friends with Dick Grayson- the girl not knowing he was Robin- and that he had been over to their house a few times.

Koda was not amused the first time Dick showed up at their house.

So when Nighttide showed up in the park on the Fourth of July with Nightfall in tow, it wasn't hard to deduce that she was his daughter. They shared a lot of physical attributes after all. Dick, however, was surprised to see Kayanna decked out in hero garb.

He hadn't known she was following in her father's footsteps of becoming a hero.

Dick scrolled through the file some more.

Age: 14.

Occupation: Student.

Powers: Hydrokinesis.

Threat Level: Minimal.

Dick hated Batman's paranoia sometimes. He knew his mentor had contingency plans for all of the League members, and he prayed Batman didn't have any for the members of the team. The hacker didn't have the stomach to find out.

Status: Active since April 2010.

Doing the mental math in his head, Dick came to the conclusion she had only been in the hero game for just about four months. That still didn't really explain why he hadn't heard anything about her. Batman knew everything, which therefore meant Dick knew everything as well.

Granted the Watchtower was kept secret from him…

"If you had any questions about her, you could've just asked."

Dick's eyes widened at the sudden intrusion and he panicked, frantically trying to close the file. With a quick click the file disappeared, the screen going dark as the hacker whirled around. An amused Bruce Wayne stood a few feet behind him, arms crossed and eyebrow quirked.

He was still donned in his Batman gear, but his cowl hung loosely around his neck, face revealed. Dick glanced at the screen behind him once more to ensure the file was really gone before facing his mentor once more.

"I-I was just bored and decided to scroll through some files…"

Bruce met his ward's eye, "Bored, huh? We can spar some more if you'd like."

Dick shot up out of the chair, speed rivaling that of a speedster's as he ran a hair through his messy, dark locks, "I think I'm going to call it a night," He hastily spat out, already working on removing his cape and utility belt.

It was about three o'clock in the morning and if Dick was honest with himself, he was feeling pretty beat from both patrol and their last training session only a few hours before they went out. Seeing as school hadn't started up for him yet, Bruce didn't mind letting his young protégé stay out later than normal.

Bruce chuckled and Dick placed his cape on a nearby table for Alfred to clean and his utility belt beside it to be restocked. He'd change the rest of the way up in his room. Alfred hated it when he did that, but Dick just wanted to get up to his room.

"Goodnight, Dick." The Dark Knight called out.

"Night, Bruce."

Dick turned and began to make his way to head into the manor, but paused for a second as the Batcomputer whirred to life once more, Bruce digging into some research they were doing regarding a chain of murders. He toyed with his next words in his head for a few seconds, before opening his mouth to speak.

"Why didn't you tell me she had become a hero?"

"Who?" Bruce's response was quick and Dick rolled his eyes. He knew very well who the hacker was asking about, but he was just toying with him.

"Kayanna."

Bruce turned in his seat to gaze back at his protégé, "Did you need to know?"

"Not really I guess, but she's my friend and-"

"Don't worry about her, Dick. Koda and I may not see eye to eye, but I know he'll keep her safe at all costs." Bruce tried to soothe the young hacker.

Dick nodded, "I know but… I didn't even know she had powers. It makes sense but-"

Truth be told, Dick hated the fact Kayanna had managed to keep all of this from him. It may have been a bit hypocritical of him- especially since she didn't know he was Robin- but he didn't like not knowing. He was a detective! The hacker prided himself on knowing things like this.

"She doesn't know you're Robin," Bruce pointed out, "and she's entitled to her secrets." The Dark Knight turned in his seat, facing the Batcomputer once more and Dick took that as a sign the conversation was over.

He turned tail and exited the Batcave. When he reached the top of the stairs, he ran into Alfred. The elderly butler was caring a polished silver tray, a cup of coffee and a glass of milk sitting atop it. He greeted Dick, extending the tray his way and the hacker gladly accepted the glass of milk.

They bid each other goodnight before heading off in different directions; Dick making his way upstairs while Alfred disappeared into the basement. He downed his glass of milk as he entered his room, placing it on his side table before flopping on his bed. Dick stared up at the ceiling, mindlessly watching his ceiling fan spin in circles.

After a few bored moments with which he didn't fall asleep, Dick reached over and grabbed his cellphone, quickly unlocking it and opening his messages.

Maybe Kayanna was still up.


BROOKLYN

Nightfall sat on the roof of a building, legs dangling over the edge. Nighttide had disappeared into a posh store across the street after hearing the alarm going off, leaving his daughter to her own accords.

Well, the waterbender was supposed to be 'observing and learning' or something like that.

Instead she was playing Plants vs. Zombies.

It was one of those new addictive iPhone apps her father detested so much, but it was a good time killer. Nightfall tried to 'observe and learn' like her father told her to- despite being a bit peeved at him still, she really did want to prove she could do this- but seeing as she was stuck on a rooftop across from the building Nighttide was in, she couldn't see shit.

And watching nothing happen grew old rather quickly.

Besides, she hadn't even wanted to come out with him tonight. This was the first time she had donned her Nightfall garb since the Cadmus incident. When her father had asked her to join him on patrol, she had swiftly turned him down, but with a push from her mother she relented.

Barbara was probably right… she couldn't be mad at him forever.

Nightfall blinked as her phone suddenly vibrated, the message alert startling her slightly. She was expecting a message from anyone, especially since it was like three in the morning. Nightfall paused her game to open her messages, staring at the sender's name for a few seconds.

It was Dick.

Grayson: Good morning, Kayanna!

The waterbender stared down at the message, unsure of how to respond. She knew Dick was a night owl, but she didn't think he was this much of one. Why was he even up this late?

Then again... why was she up this late?

Right, she wanted to be a superhero.

Sanders: It's like three in the morning. What are you doing up?

Dick's response was almost immediate.

Grayson: What are you doing up?

Oh, he had her there.

Sanders: Touché.

She sent the message. There was a pause as she stared at her phone before swiping her fingers across the keyboard and typing another message.

Sanders: Couldn't sleep.

Nightfall set her phone down, gaze flickering across the street to the building her father had disappeared in. It was still pretty silent and a part of her wanted to radio Nighttide to ask him what exactly was going on, but he had told her not to unless it was an emergency. He'd contact her when he was on his way out.

The waterbender sighed, kicking her feet against the brick roof. There was a rustle in the alley beside her, metal clanking together and Nightfall startled. She glanced at the building once more before standing up and cautiously making her way towards the edge, heart rate picking up.

Peering over she did her best to stay concealed, blue eyes taking in the alley below. Two large dumpsters were lined up against a far wall, piles of trash and other rubbish piled up beneath it. Litter was scattered all around the alley, but Nightfall didn't see anyone.

A small, metallic trashcan rustled before it tipped over, the noise startling Nightfall. Her eyes flickered to it and she watched, slightly amused, as a raccoon- front paws holding a moldy banana- scampered out of the mess it created. It chirred quietly before taking a bite of its prize and the waterbender watched it disappear down the alley and around the corner.

Nightfall leaned back and ran a hand through her hair, heart rate slowing slightly. She honestly wasn't sure what she was expecting when she went to check the alley out, but a raccoon was a better than a person she supposed.

Her phone vibrated.

Grayson: Same :P

Nightfall rolled her eyes and locked her phone. She turned her head and glanced up at the sky, taking in what little of the stars and moon she could see. The light pollution in Brooklyn prevented a good portion of the stars from being seen, but the glistening city on the skyline was still pretty.

Her phone went off once more.

Grayson: Soooooo…

Grayson: Ready for school to start?

At the mention of school, the waterbender felt her stomach do a flip-flop as excitement bubbled up within her. Most kids her age weren't a fan of school, but Nightfall actually enjoyed school and was looking forward to it starting back up.

Summer was nice, sure, she did enjoy the freedom too, but school meant dance.

And now that she was in the 9th grade, it meant that she could dance competitively as a member of the varsity dance team!

Sanders: Actually, yeah! :)

Grayson: Same here!

Sanders: You're just ready to kick butt as the mathlete champ again ;P

Grayson: You know it! ;D

Nightfall chuckled to herself, smiling at her screen. They bantered back and forth with each other for a few more minutes as the waterbender stood upon the roof, still waiting to hear from her father. Timewise he had only disappeared in there about fifteen-ish minutes ago, but it felt longer.

And the police were taking a while to arrive.

The store's alarm had stopped, but the lights associated with the alarm were still flashing. If Nightfall looked closely, she could occasionally see shadows moving across the windows. Suddenly a police siren sounded in the distance, and red flashing lights rounded the corner.

Sanders: Gotta go!

Her message to Dick was quick, and she slipped her phone into her belt just as two police cars skidded to a halt in front of the store. She faintly felt it vibrate, but Nightfall ignored it to watch as four cops exited their vehicles, weapons drawn as they cautiously made their way towards the store.

The waterbender watched for her father, looking to see Nighttide make his exit from the store, but she didn't see him as the cops entered the building. She frowned.

"Let's go." A gruff voice sounded from behind Nightfall, and she jumped.

Whirling around she prepared herself for the worst, but was relieved to see it was just Nighttide. She inspected him and noted how he harbored not a single scratch whatsoever from whatever battle he may have faced inside the store.

"How'd it go?"

Nighttide ignored her question and instead held out a piece of fabric, "What do you make of this?"

Nightfall glanced at her father before taking the fabric from his hands. She examined it, noting how the cloth was soft and black. Nightfall spun it around, fingers running over the insignia that was on the front.

It was a flame.

A bandana with a flame on it.

She knew that symbol…

"The Pyros were responsible?"

Nighttide nodded in response and Nightfall gave him the bandana back, "There were five of them. What looked to be four newbies and a higher ranking member overseeing them; but he got away. This was probably meant to be an initiation."

The Pyro's were a relatively new gang that had popped up on the streets of Brooklyn a few years back. As their name suggests, fire was their main weapon source, and they often burned down any place they robbed.

This store was lucky Nighttide had been around or else it would be ashes by now.

Nighttide and Nightfall didn't know much about the inner workings of The Pyro's, but from what they did know, it was run by someone named Agni. They showed up rather fast, and ran under the guise they were 'cleansing' Brooklyn, but in reality they were just a group of powerful bullies. They stole and torched, literally burning fear into the hearts of Brooklyn.

The two waterbender's did their best to stop The Pyros where they could, but the gang was ever growing and their water could only extinguish the fire for so long. It was an ever escalating battle, and Nightfall wasn't sure why her father wouldn't ask Batman- a.k.a the World's Greatest Detective- for help in tracking Agni down.

It was probably a pride and stubbornness thing.

Nighttide liked to handle his own problems.

A car door slammed and Nightfall glanced over the edge once more. The cops had emerged from the shop, each one escorting a handcuffed Pyro towards their vehicles. If Nighttide's assumption was correct and these were just newbies to the Pyro gang, then they weren't going to be returning to the streets any time soon.

The Pyros only took care of their own if they were worthy and had proved themselves. Four newbies getting caught on what was most likely their first night out meant they were going to jail with no hope of being saved by Agni.

Nighttide placed a hand on Nightfall's shoulder and she turned her head towards him, "We should be headed home."

"Okay." She nodded at his words and turned away from the edge, just as the cop cars began to drive off, Pyro gang members in tow.


GOTHAM CITY

Kayanna followed her father up the basement stairs and towards their kitchen. After changing out of their superhero garb, Koda had logged the Pyro gang activity on in the file he had been keeping of them. He left the bandana with the fire insignia on it on top of the ever growing pile Koda seemed to be collecting.

"You want some ice cream?" Kayanna paused in the doorframe she was about to pass through and glanced back at her father. He was opening a cabinet door, pulling out two bowls. Koda held one up her way.

She recognized what he was doing. It was a peace offering.

"We have blue mo~on."

And he knew how to twist her arm.

Kayanna relented with a sigh and a soft smile. She slipped into a bar stool at their island counter as Koda placed a bowl in front of her. He turned towards the freezer, opening it up and pulling out two quarts of ice cream, blue moon for Kayanna and plain chocolate for Koda.

After being handed a spoon and her ice cream, she helped herself to a little bowl. It may have been about four in the morning now, but ice cream was good no matter what time of day.

Koda joined her at the island after placing the bins of ice cream back in the freezer. He took a bite of his chocolate ice cream, savoring the taste as Kayanna dug in beside him. She did more playing with her frozen treat than eating though.

July was almost over and tonight was the most amount of time she had willingly spent with her father since the Cadmus incident. It was obvious things had been rocky between the two since then, but that was more on Kayanna than it was on her father. He had tried to make efforts, like trying to join her when she trained, but she'd turn her back and disappear on him.

Kayanna poked at her ice cream, watching as it melted into a blue puddle. She sighed, the sound catching her father's attention and he turned to glance at her, "Everything alright?"

She shook her head, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes and her mouth opened and closed as she fumbled for words, "I-I'm sorry." Those were the only words she could come up with.

"Hey, it's okay," Koda put his spoon down and pushed his bowl away. A tear streaked down his daughter's cheek and he reached over. When Kayanna didn't flinch away from him, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest.

"I'm sorry for scaring you when I disappeared with the others… I-I just wanted to help. I wanted to be a part of something more… They were all going on about not being treated like kids and I related. I didn't mean to scare you."

Koda heaved a sigh, arms tightening slightly around his daughter, "You terrified me, Kayanna. We came back and you all were just gone without a trace. If something had happened to you-"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I really am."

"Do you still not regret what happened that night?"

"I regret not telling you where we were going…" Kayanna looked up at the older waterbender, sniffling slightly, "but I enjoyed being a part of something."

Koda brushed a thumb under his daughter's eye, wiping away a stray tear, "I can admit to you five doing good work, but you need to remember communication is important. If you're going to keep up being a hero, you need to realize the severity of the path you're going down."

"I do!" Kayanna pulled back, "And it's not like I disappeared alone… we all had each other's backs."

"And I'm glad you understand how important teamwork is, but my point is you're still young. You have so much to learn and it's so important that you realize being a hero isn't a game. It's not all about the glory."

The younger waterbender stared down at her melted bowl of ice cream, "I just don't like being treated like a child."

"You are one though, Kayanna," Koda voice softly and his daughter looked at him, mouth open to retaliate, "You're only fourteen. Stop trying to grow up so fast."

"I'm just trying to live up to your name."

"Well stop. Don't try to be Nighttide, be Nightfall!" He tried to explain, voice rising slightly at the end. She took in his words as Koda carried on, taking in a deep breath, "But I guess you deserve more responsibility in the field. I want to believe you'll be my baby girl forever, but I know that's not the case. You're growing up and I can't keep baby-ing you in the field."

Kayanna sniffled, a soft smile on her face and she threw her arms around her dad's neck, "I'll always be your baby girl."

"Nalligivagit, Kayanna." (I love you.)

"Nalligivagit"

"Well this is a pleasant scene to wake up to," A soft voice called out. Kayanna and Koda parted, looking over to see Elizabeth standing in the doorframe, scrubs on and a smile on her face.

"Late night?" Koda questioned.

"Early morning," Elizabeth exhaled and walked over to the coffee pot, "but it looks like you two had a late night."

"You could say that," Koda shook his head with a laugh. He glanced at his daughter and stood up, grabbing his bowl and hers, "You should head up to bed, Kayanna." The older waterbender placed the bowls in the sink as she nodded.

"Goodnight, dad." Kayanna smiled his way before walking over and giving her mom a hug. She wished her a good day at work before exiting the kitchen to head up to her room.

Elizabeth watched her leave with a smile on her face before she turned to her husband, who had walked over to her side. Koda's hand curled around her waist. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and she hummed in response, "Good conversation?"

Koda smiled fondly, "Yeah, it was."

And he really meant that.

Like himself, it was often hard to get Kayanna to open up about her feelings, especially when she was mad at you. Things were starting to simmer down and return back to normal between the two. It was a gradual process, but they'd get there.

He would probably just have to bribe her with more ice cream.


A/N: Not really content with this chapter or where it ended, but I didn't just want to jump to when Nightfall actually joins the team because- slight spoiler I guess- a few months pass between Cadmus and when she joins. This chapter more so just served in giving you some more background intel on Kayanna and her family as well as her relationships with various people. Also wanted to start wrapping up Koda and Kayanna's rocky relationship after Cadmus.

Words: 6,626

Pages: 17

Reviews:


TheHG-Phonebox: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like my characters and art! It means a lot to hear that.

ClassicalStars: Ahh my bae .3. Thank you, thank you!

Taffdog19943: I try not to let them bother me, but sometimes it's hard, you know? But thank you for your kind words and I'm glad you like this!

Person002: Trolls man. Gotta love them? xD Thank you! I've had fun trying to slightly re-imagine the plot with Nightfall in it and give her a more unique start to her superhero lifestyle. A lot of YJ OCs are with the team from the very beginning (a few of my OCs included as well) so I wanted to do something a bit different!

Thank you so much! I always love hearing from you~

locky3670: Thank you so much! I'm trying to keep things realistic and unique! I know the "protective parent" trope is used a lot but its a trope I love and makes sense? lol

C.B. Weasley: Thank you! Ah, just you wait! ;D

Guest: Don't worry friend, no blood bending here! An older version of the two did have them blood bending, but I took it out because it doesn't make much sense and I could never see either of the two using it.

Emily: Hello! Thank you! And I'm sorry about all the similar Night names... Nightlight belongs to a friend and she was named Nightlight before Nightlight and Nightfall joined universes. As for Nighttide, his name similarity to Nightfall was purposeful because you know, father/daughter superhero duo!


Thanks all for the support! It really keeps me going in regards to writing for this story! ^^

-SnowWolf22

P.s. The next chapter should hopefully have more action in it and be more exciting... lol