Young Justice is not mine.


Hydration

"To some, it's just water. To me, it's where I regain my sanity."

- Unknown


GOTHAM ACADEMY

A sharp chill had settled in the daytime air as autumn settled upon the city of Gotham. Kayanna stood under an archway, Barbara standing beside her, as they waited for their friend to show up.

It was the start of a brand-new school year. They were now freshman and Kayanna couldn't help but feel nervous as she stood there, waiting for her friend and class. The first day of the school year always frazzled her nerves.

She fiddled with her pleated skirt, attempting to pull it down a few inches as her redheaded friend watched her with mild bemusement.

The uniforms for Gotham Academy were killer.

And not in a good way.

Kayanna messed with her skirt for a few more seconds before Barbara's hand shot out, smacking the brunette's hand away.

"Quit playing with it."

Kayanna held her hand, the mild sting from the sharp whack fading slowly, and frowned, "I hate these uniforms. It's like they get shorter and shorter every year."

"You say that every year," Barbara laughed with an eyeroll, "Besides, it's called growing."

"I don't like it."

"You can't control it."

The waterbender glared at her best friend, the two entering into a mini glare-off. It lasted for a few seconds before the two suddenly broke into laughter, smiles stretching across their faces.

Dick Grayson strolled into the forum of Gotham Academy, hair slicked back and uniform freshly pressed. His backpack was slung over one shoulder, and his bright blue orbs glanced around the courtyard as they searched the populated area.

He found what he was looking for, eyes settling on Kayanna and Barbara. The mathlete could only see their heads, but they both wore bright smiles as they shared a laugh, the joke unknown to Dick. A soft grin stretched across his face and he began to weave his way through the crowd to greet his friends.

Just as Dick broke through the crowd, he suddenly found his body freezing stiff as his two best friends came into full view. He felt his heartrate begin to pick up, mouth going dry as his hands became clammy. A feeling of sudden nervousness settled in the pit of his stomach as the mathlete found his gaze landing on a smiling Kayanna.

Dick's gaze trailed upwards, eyes lingering on her tan legs for a tick, and a blush dusted his cheeks. The mathlete cleared his throat, hoping no one had noticed his staring, before shifting his gaze upwards. Her eyes twinkled brightly as she continued to laugh with Barbara, her hair shining brightly in the sun. The freckles that dusted her cheeks were as prominent as ever, and Dick felt his stomach twist as his heart fluttered.

The mathlete wasn't sure what had come over him, or why his mouth had suddenly gone dry, but it was a feeling he wasn't accustomed to. Kayanna was one of his best friends, and Dick couldn't figure out why her presence was causing this… feeling within him.

Dick wasn't daft, he understood what feelings were and whatnot, but why he suddenly felt them for Kayanna well… he just wasn't sure.

"Hey, Grayson," A voice called out and Dick blinked, "are you going to continue to stare or are you going to come join us?"

Dick's face reddened once more at being caught, and he stuttered for a second, catching Kayanna's gaze before snapping them back towards Barbara, "I was just- just uh- yeah."

Smooth, Grayson.

That wasn't his finest moment, Dick chastised himself internally, finally closing the distance between him and his friends. Barbara smirked knowingly at the boy, Kayanna quirking a mildly confused brow, and the mathlete shrugged. He glanced away from his friends, eyeing the students as they bustled around the courtyard.

"A-are you guys ready for classes?"

Barbara shrugged, "As ready as I'll ever be." She admitted.

There was some slight hesitation in her voice, and Kayanna knew it was because the redhead was nervous about the AP classes she was taking. The waterbender also knew her friend was going to be just fine, she was incredibly smart after all.

"I'm just ready for this day to be over with."

Laughing, Barbara playfully nudged Kayanna's shoulder with her own, "You're just excited to go to dance practice after school."

"Maybe," She shrugged with a light smile.

Dick chuckled and Kayanna glanced over at him, "Freshman year is here. I think I'm ready."

The waterbender quirked a brow, tossing him a quick smirk, "Not with your tie like that you're not." Before Dick had a chance to respond, she stepped towards him, light pink dusting his cheeks once more at her proximity as she adjusted his tie, straightening it up before taking a step back. Kayanna patted his chest before lifting her eyes and catching his gaze.

A blush covered her cheeks upon realizing how close to his face she was, and she was quick to step back. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she swallowed thickly, avoiding Dick's gaze, as she said, "There, uh, there you go."

"T-thanks." Dick responded quietly.

Barbara glanced between her two friends, highly amused, but before she could make a comment, the shrill sound of a bell echoed through the courtyard. It was the minute bell, meaning that the first day of the scholastic year was so close to starting.

"Guess that's our cue to go." The redhead looked at her two friends once more before linking her arms with theirs. Together, the trio made their way towards the school's main entrance, disappearing into the mob of students to head towards their first classes of the day.


MOUNT JUSTICE

"That hardly seems fair."

Nightfall groaned softly, back pressed against the cave floor. A dull ache had settled in her lower back- the spot that first hit the floor- and she stared up at the rocky ceiling above her. The computer prattled on about her fail, but she tuned it out.

Robin's face appeared in her field of view, hovering over her with an expression somewhere between concerned and cocky. A bō staff- her bō staff- was slung lazily over his shoulder, and he extended a gloved hand to her, "What hardly seems fair?"

She accepted his hand and Robin hoisted her to her feet, "It's unfair you're using my weapon against me."

The hacker cackled, causing Nightfall to frown, as he moved the bō staff in front of himself. He twirled it expertly, showing off a bit and the waterbender made a move to snatch it from him. Robin expected as much from her and was quick to move it out of her reach, "I think it's perfectly fair," He flashed her a toothy grin, "After all, I stole it from you fair and square!"

Nightfall made another blind grab for her bō staff, but Robin eluded her once more and she huffed, "Fair and square my ass." She muttered under her breath.

"What'd you say?" His highly trained senses had caught her less than happy words, but the boy wonder found a flustered Nightfall to be adorable, so he continued to tease her.

"I said you're supposed to be training me! Not kicking my ass."

Maybe I should've just gone home after dance practice instead of coming to the cave…

Robin shrugged coyly, placing one end of the bō staff on the ground and leaning against it, "No one ever said I can't do both at the same time."

The waterbender scowled, the look only causing Robin's grin to increase in size. She propped her hands on her hips, doing her best to glare at the hacker, who continued to lean against her bō staff. An idea filled Nightfall's mind and with a quick flick of her wrist, a stream of water shot out from her water pouch. Robin had little time to react as the water curled around the bō staff, and with a sharp tug, the girl pulled her bō staff back to herself.

The boy wonder stumbled forward at the sudden loss of his perch, but he was nimble and quick, able to easily catch himself. Nightfall smiled in victory as the bō staff returned to her grip, her water slipping back into its pouch. She pressed the button on the side of the bō staff, the weapon returning to its compact shape, before she glanced up.

Robin was suddenly right in front of her, cocky smirk wiped from his face, and Nightfall found her face lightly heating up at the sudden proximity. She blew in his face, breath tickling his nose, and the hacker moved back, crying out at the weird sensation his nose was left feeling.

"What was that for?"

"You were in my personal space." The waterbender shrugged.

Cracking a grin, Robin laughed and shook his head. He gestured to her bō staff, sinking slightly into a fighting stance, "Go again?"

Nightfall pressed the button on her bō staff, elongating it to its full length once more. She mirrored the hacker's pose, but maintained a firm grip on her weapon just like he had showed her, "Are you going to play fair this time?"

"You're the one who used your powers after agreeing not to."

"Yeah, after you wouldn't give me my staff back!"

Robin suddenly leapt at the girl, and she yelped before stepping back and pulling up the bō staff. The waterbender used it to deflect his attack, spinning it around to deflect his incoming punch. The hacker was quick to spin around, aiming a high kick to her chest. She deflected it once more with the bō staff, but Robin had expected this and changed tactics, bringing around his fist as Nightfall pushed his leg away.

The fist made contact with her jaw, pain flaring up slightly, but she could tell he was pulling his punches. Nightfall stumbled backwards a few feet, doing her best to regain her composure as Robin approached her once more. She swung the staff at the boy wonder, and he dropped to his knees to duck under it. His momentum kept him moving, and as he slid by Nightfall he grabbed her ankle.

Giving it a good yank, he pulled her leg to the side, effectively almost crippling her balance. The waterbender tried to right herself and pull her foot back, but Robin pushed it upwards as he lifted up to full height. Nightfall bounced on one leg, regaining her balance to the best of her ability as the hacker held onto her other one.

"Let go." She frowned, trying to pull her foot back and not fall at the same time.

Robin grinned, "Why?"

Instead of giving him a response, Nightfall tried to whack him in the head with her bō staff. The boy wonder managed to deflect the first whack, but she moved the staff around his hand and jabbed him in the forehead.

The waterbender looked triumphant as Robin lifted the hand not holding her foot up to his forehead, rubbing the now sore spot, "Nighty!" He frowned.

"You deserved it. Let me go!"

Nightfall regretted her words almost immediately as a coy smirk settled itself upon the hacker's lips. He suddenly tugged on her leg, pulling her forward and dropping her foot in the process. The waterbender found herself stumbling forward, shock from the sudden movement causing her to drop the bō staff. She collided with Robin's hard chest, the boy wonder cackling as he helped to steady the girl.

She frowned up at him as she pulled back, hands clasped around his biceps while his found purchase on her shoulders, "That seemed unnecessary."

"You've got to expect the unexpected."

"I-"

"Are we interrupting something?" A new voice suddenly called out, echoing in the cavernous space. Nightfall and Robin immediately snapped their heads towards the source.

Wally and Dimitri entered the training room, the former wearing a mischievous grin. He popped another potato chip in his mouth, the crunching noise loud enough to echo around the room. Beside him, Dimitri wore a soft grin.

Nightfall stared blankly at the speedster and Robin frowned.

"Don't mind us we're just- oof."

Dimitri smacked Wally in the chest, cutting the speedster off, "What are you guys up to?"

Nightfall glanced at Robin before pulling away from the hacker, ignoring the sudden increase in her heart rate. She swallowed thickly before reaching down to pick up her discarded bō staff. As she glanced up to answer the spirit energy wielder, she pressed the button to retract the weapon, "Robin's training me with this," The waterbender held the bō staff up, waving it for emphasis, "thingie."

"It's called a bō staff," The boy wonder corrected with a grin.

"Yeah, that."

Wally waggled his eyebrows, a playful smile on his face, "It didn't look like-" With a curt glare from Robin, the speedster cut himself off before changing his words, "It, uh- making any progress?"

Nightfall glanced at Wally curiously before attaching the bō staff to her belt. Once Robin had given her the weapon, he had also gotten her belt upgraded to hold the weapon, "Uh, maybe?" She answered hesitantly.

It didn't feel like she was making any progress, but this was also only the first training session the two have had together since the boy wonder had gifted her the bō staff. Nightfall knew it was going to take time for her to become adept at using the weapon.

"She knows how to whack people with it pretty well," Robin rubbed his forehead- the exact spot she had hit him in- as he side eyed the waterbender. She looked away, acting all nonchalant about it.

"You were being unfair."

"I was-"

"Sounds like you deserved it, man," Wally cut in, flipping another chip into his mouth. He loudly crunched the salty snack, and Dimitri suddenly snagged the bag from his grip. The speedster cried out, making a blind grab for his snacks, but the spirit energy wielder summoned a shield, and his hand bounced harmlessly off the pink barrier, "Hey!"

"You can either eat chips like a normal human being, or you cannot eat chips at all." She eyed the salty snacks, making sure to only touch the bag, and not the contents inside.

"Look, Di, when you eat something crunchy you have to crunch it! It's the rules of the food game." Wally tried to argue, and Nightfall grinned.

"I'm inclined to agree with the human garbage disposal." The waterbender commented lightly.

The speedster was still trying to get his snacks back from Dimitri, but paused momentarily to look at Nightfall, "Babe, thanks for agreeing with me, but your words wound me." She shrugged in response and Robin laughed.

"I don't even understand how you can even eat these things," The spirit energy wielder frowned and held the bag of chips up as she examined the nutritional information, "They have like a pound of salt!"

"I'm not eating them because they're healthy!" Wally exclaimed as he smacked the pink shield. The force reverberated through the shield, but it did nothing to actually damage it. Dimitri glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, watching as he dejectedly placed his forehead against the barrier. The speedster attempted to use his version of puppy dog eyes on the brunette, but she turned away from him with a fond grin and a soft blush, "Diiiiiiiiii!" He whined, "I'm hungryyyyy."

She faced him once more, "I'm sure you could find something healthier to snack on."

"Don't make me get the salt."

Dimitri's eyes narrowed, "You wouldn't dare."

While the two continued to bicker about the salty snack, Nightfall turned to Robin, a confused frown on her face, "What's with her and salt?"

"Di's powers are spirit based, and salt acts as an inhibitor of those powers. It also hurts her if she touches it." The boy wonder explained.

She nodded, "So Wally was going to… throw salt on her? That seems mean."

Robin laughed, a mental image of Wally sprinkling salt on Dimitri popping into his head, and he shook his head, "No. Wally's figured out that he can make a salt circle around Di, and it keeps her trapped there until someone damages the salt circle."

"So, it's like Supernatural when they make a salt circle and a ghost can't pass through it?"

"Uh," The hacker paused, "Sounds like it? I've never seen the show."

Nightfall gasped melodramatically, clasping a hand to her chest as she faced Robin. He merely quirked a brow as she commented, "Really? You're missing out!"

"Am I? Guess you'll have to show it to me sometime."

"Yeah," The waterbender nodded with a gentle grin, "I guess I will."

"Dimitri Spiros! You give me my chips back right now!"


While Dimitri continued to hold Wally's snacks hostage, Robin was called away to Gotham. He disappeared into the zeta with a quick goodbye, and Nightfall disappeared further into the confines of Mount Justice. She had a general idea of where she was going, as M'gann had managed to give her a quick tour the other day, but the place was still huge and she wasn't fully used to it.

After a few minutes of meandering around the cave, the waterbender found herself in the hangar. The bioship was at rest, shriveled up in its pod form and Nightfall admired it as she walked by. It was easy to admit that she was fascinated by the Martian tech, especially its shape shifting abilities. For it to shift from the small egg form to a decent size ship was incredibly impressive.

Nightfall strolled down the stairs after passing by the resting bioship. She made her way towards the waters edge, inhaling the salty scent of the ocean. It was calming, and after all the chaos that was occurring in the mission room, she welcomed the feeling with open arms.

Taking in a deep breath, the waterbender raised her arms up. She pushed her arms forward, and the ocean water before her followed her command. A small wave went careening through the little grotto before crashing into the hangar wall on the opposite side.

Nightfall pulled her arms back, which summoned the water towards her. Holding her palms out in front of her, she stopped the water's movement, concentrating on holding the wave out in front of herself. The waterbender lifted her arms up, and the wave increased in height. She snapped her arms to the sides, and the wave split into two before racing off in opposite directions. They crashed into the shores on opposite ends of the small grotto, the water sloshing about in the pool from the impact.

It was an invigorating feeling to control one of the four elements, especially one as prominent as water. The day Nightfall's powers had manifested she was ecstatic. She had grown up knowing about and admiring her father's powers, and that admiration only grew when he became a superhero.

And then the day came where her powers showed up, and her life had never been the same since.

Nightfall's arms moved intricately before the girl, swirling around and pulling up a spout of water. It gave her some resistance, the waterbender frowning, before she concentrated harder on lifting the water up. With a sharp tug, the liquid finally did her bidding and lifted upwards.

The waterbender smiled at her success before suddenly crying out in shock. Her heartrate spiked and her concentration faltered momentarily as Aqualad- located within the waterspout Nightfall was controlling- blinked at her.

Aqualad had been coming back in from a quick swim in the ocean. He had attempted to make his way towards the stairs to climb out of the water, but some force had suddenly tugged him back as he felt the water around him retreat. The Atlantean had fought against the sudden current change, but ultimately found himself being lifted within a water spout out of the pool of water, which revealed Nightfall as the source of the waters control.

Taking a deep breath, Nightfall moved her hands and directed the water spout beside her, where she deposited Aqualad upright on the platform. She dropped her control of the water, allowing it to splash harmlessly to the concrete platform before she waved her hand, and the water slipped back into the small grotto.

"Aqua- Kaldur!" The waterbender started, correcting herself midsentence as she eyed the leader, "I-I'm so sorry."

Aqualad looked bemused what had just occurred, arms folded neatly behind his back, "No apologies are necessary, Kayanna." He quirked a brow, "Were you training?"

"Kind of?" Nightfall shrugged, "I was more so just playing around." She returned her gaze to the water, watching as it lazily lapped at the edges, "It's kind of calming to just play with the water."

"It is, isn't it." The Atlantean agreed with a small smile on his face.

Nightfall turned her head, eyes shifting from Aqualad's seafoam green to the water-bearers on his back, "Those help you control water, correct?"

Aqualad glanced over his shoulder before reaching back and pulling out a water bearer. He held it in his hands, running his fingers over and admiring the familiar Atlantean markings. Nightfall watched him as he looked back up at her, "Yes, my water-bearers give me the ability to manipulate water and form constructs out of it."

"Do you need to use them to do that?"

"I do," The Atlantean nodded, eyes getting a bit distant as he continued on, "As a consequence of coming to the surface world, I have fallen behind in my studies at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Poseidonis. More advanced students do not require water-bearers to control water."

Nightfall watched as Aqualad placed the Atlantean weaponry back in his weapon pack, eyeing the tattoos along his arms in the process. They were thick and black, trailing along his muscular arms until they ended at the tops of his hands. She took a closer look at where they ended, noting how they looked like eels.

"Your tattoos," The waterbender started, and Aqualad looked down at one of his arms at the mention, "they look like eels?"

The leader held up a hand, twisting it to give Nightfall a better view of the back of it, "That they are." He admired the eel tattoos himself for a moment, eyeing the little eyes and open mouth before dropping his hand, "Similar to an electric eel, I can generate sparks of electricity."

"I remember," She responded, "you shocked the crap out of that Blockbuster guy at Cadmus."

Aqualad chuckled at the waterbender's choice of words, the sound making her smile. A silence fell over the two, but it wasn't awkward as they each turned towards the water. Even before gaining her powers and learning her father had water powers, Nightfall had always had a natural draw to any and all water. She was fascinated by it and loved to be surrounded by the element. It often brought her great peace, and though many people feared water and what it could hold, she loved it.

When Aquaman went public and the world learned of the Atlanteans, Nightfall was instantly hooked. It had always been a wild dream of hers to live underwater, and to find out there were people- who were magically and scientifically altered- to do just that enticed her greatly. She had done as much studying on their people as she could, but not much information was out there on Atlanteans, as they were still rather secretive. Most of the stuff she found was just myths and lore, and the waterbender wasn't sure if that information was accurate at all.

But now she was on a team, and the team had an Atlantean for a leader, so she was going to use that to her advantage.

"Do you regret leaving Atlantis?" Nightfall broke the calm silence, turning towards her contemplative comrade.

"No," His response was almost immediate and strong, the quickness of it taking the girl aback, and she immediately felt like she had gone too far with her questions.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." She attempted to apologize before Aqualad could further answer her question.

Aqualad shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You are fine, Kayanna. I am actually… flattered by your interest in me and Atlantis."

She cracked a small grin, "I've always been fascinated by Atlanteans and to be able to freely talk with one now, I guess I'm just… overly excited. Plus, your abilities are similar to mine…"

"Understandable," The Atlantean smiled, a friendly twinkle in his eye, "To be honest, there once was a time where I thought I regretted leaving Atlantis, but coming to the surface world has given me a life- and friends- I never could even have imagined, and for this reason, I have never looked back."

"It must've been hard to leave your home."

Aqualad's chin tilted upwards, fond memories of his life back home playing out in his mind, "It was hard, yes, but my friends and family back home were supportive of my decisions. Though my duties on the surface world have kept me busy, I am free to visit home when I so desire."

"Maybe I can tag along on one of those visits someday." Nightfall gazed up at the Atlantean with a shy smile and hope in her voice, "I've always wanted to visit Atlantis."

He smiled down at the waterbender, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Instead they were slightly sorrowful with a hint of regret, "I would love to show you my home, but unfortunately, I do not believe your body is suited for the water pressure at the depth my home sits."

Nightfall felt her heartbreak at his words, hope dashed. She understood where he was coming from, and a part of her knew it was a longshot before she even asked. Even with her powers, she was still only a human.

"No, I-I figured as much," She responded with a sad smile, "Nighttide can manipulate the water pressure around himself which allows him to make deep dives, and maybe one day I'll get the same ability so I can visit."

"When that day comes, I would be happy to show you Shayeris and Atlantis." Nightfall's smile brightened at the Atlantean's words, "If you don't mind, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course," The waterbender chuckled, blue eyes sparkling, "it only seems fair."

"You stated that we have similar abilities, and given what I have seen of your abilities, that is true, but does that mean you could be part Atlantean?"

Nightfall's lips twisted in thought for a moment before she shook her head, "I don't believe so. My grandma told me my family's abilities can be traced back to an Inuit tribe that was located in northern Canada a few centuries ago. The first person to have these abilities was a fisherman by the name of Tarkik, who was out fishing late one night during a full moon. A storm rolled in and almost washed him away, but he suddenly found himself with the ability to control the water around himself, subsequently saving his life.

Our abilities are strongest during a full moon, and because of this, it's believed that the moon God, Igaluk, gave Tarkik these abilities. As for why, the stories don't say."

Aqualad nodded his head, digesting the story Nightfall had just relayed to him, "Are there others with your abilities?"

"Maybe?" Nightfall responded, voice slightly sullen, "According to my grandma, at one point in time, there were a few tribes that had people with my abilities, but about a century ago, they began to disappear, one by one. No one seems to know what happened to them, and all traces they exist have been lost, including the tribe my grandma was a member of."

"That is truly unfortunate," The Atlantean's brows furrowed as he offered his condolences, "Nothing has ever been found of them?"

Nightfall rubbed her arms and shook her head once more. The story had always given her the chills, as it was incredibly eerie to her and gave her an unnerving feeling in the pit of her stomach, "When my grandma tried to return home, there was nothing left. She even used her abilities to move the snow and ice to search for any and all remains, but the site where her home once sat was gone."

"I can not even imagine what your grandmother must have felt upon finding her home gone."

"Neither could I."

Silence once more blanketed the duo, this one more tense than the last. The air was heavy, as the topic had taken a slightly dark turn, and Nightfall stared intently at the water. Her grandma- Anyu- had left her home to go see the United States, specifically New York City. Though her tribe had little contact with the outside world, she had saved the life of a fur trader who had gotten lost in the wilderness nearby her tribe's settlement. This man was an outsider, and spoke favorably about his home city of New York. His words had spared Anyu's interest, and when she turned eighteen, she set out for New York.

Upon reaching the city, she spent a year there, where she met Jacob Sanders, who she would later marry. She missed her family greatly and wanted them to meet her future husband, so she decided to make a trip home. However, upon her arrival, she found everything gone.

Anyu never heard from- or found- her family and tribe again.

Nightfall kicked at the concrete ground below her feet, and a small wave suddenly went speeding across the small grotto. It startled the two, and the waterbender rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, "My bad…" Sometimes her abilities acted up if she wasn't concentrating enough.

"It is quite alright," Aqualad chuckled in amusement as the water settled down. He nodded his head at the water, "Besides for being able to control the water, what more do your abilities allow you to do?"

"There's not much more," Nightfall admitted with a shrug, "I can, however, do this?" It was more of a question than a statement, and the leader quirked a brow.

The waterbender held her hands out and focused on them intently, Aqualad watching her curiously. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she chewed her lip, and slowly her hands became transparent. Upon closer inspection, the Atlantean realized her hands were actually water.

Aqualad's eyes widened slightly and Nightfall suddenly exhaled sharply, her hands returning to normal. A familiar tingling feeling settled within her hands at the shifting between solid and liquid, and she shook her hands as she looked up at the Atlantean.

"You can turn yourself into water?" He surmised.

"Kind of?" Nightfall informed, "Uhm, it started with my fingers and has spread to well, what you saw… but that's all I can do right now? It's- it's not something my dad or grandma can do, so none of use really know what to expect…" She stared at her hands again before crossing her arms, subconsciously tucking her hands into her armpits.

Aqualad noted her posture and movement, watching as she curled slightly in on herself. The waterbender was unsure of the ability she had discovered, and he could tell it made her slightly uncomfortable, even more so since her mentors knew little about the ability themselves.

"The team will always be here for you."

Nightfall gave the Atlantean a soft grin at his reassuring words.

The ability itself would be cool if she could master it, but it kind of hurt and left her feeling weird whenever she tried to work with it, so for the time being, she focused on honing the rest of her abilities.

Nightfall spluttered as she suddenly found herself with a face full of water. A salty taste filled her mouth and she shook her hands, blinking and pulling the water off of herself. She held her hands out, the water that once soaked her hovering in the air around herself.

The waterbender glanced up, eyes narrowing as she stared at Aqualad with a dumbfounded look, "What was that for?" She cried out, and he grinned.

The Atlantean had his water-bearers out, his tattoos glowing from having just used his powers. His grin shifted into a sly smirk, water suddenly swirling up and forming into swords on his water-bearers. Nightfall eyed him curiously as Aqualad began to speak, "Would you like to put your abilities to the test?"

A coy smirk stretched across the waterbender's lips, eyes brightening as she shifted into a fighting position. She moved her hands, the water already in her control shifting with anticipation as she directed it to her sides.

"You're on."


After sparring with Aqualad, the two made their way towards the kitchen. Nightfall was parched and could use something to drink. As they approached the room, laughter wafted down the hall, and it continued to grow louder as they neared the source. The two shared a look.

When they entered the kitchen, they were not prepared for the sight that greeted them.

M'gann and Artemis, as well as Wally and Dimitri, were gathered around the dining room table. A sullen Superboy was sat in one of the dining chairs, a scowl on his face. That scene, however, wasn't super unusual.

It was the shower cap that sat atop the clone's head.

"What is going on?" Aqualad questioned the group with a quirked brow.

Nightfall couldn't help the small smile that found its way onto her face at Superboy's predicament, but as soon as she made eye contact with the boy, it was gone. She turned to walk into the kitchen, making her way towards the fridge to grab something to drink.

"We're bleaching Superboy's hair!" The waterbender heard M'gann announce.

After grabbing a bottle of water, Nightfall leaned against the kitchen counter that separated the dining room from the kitchen. She twisted the cap off, asking, "Why?"

M'gann pulled the cap of the clone's head, running her gloved fingers through his hair to check on it, and Artemis answered, "M'gann and Conner are going undercover in Belle Reve a few days from now as Tommy and Tuppence Terror." The Martian placed the cap back on his head.

"Oh." Nightfall scrunched her brow and paused, "Conner?"

"It's Supey's new name!" Wally chimed in with a grin, zipping around the counter and throwing an arm around the waterbender, "Now Conner's not as good as the Wallman's own name, but I think it suits him."

"My grandma once had a dog named Wally."

The speedster turned his head towards Nightfall, an offended look on his face, "Babe!" She cracked a grin at the look and Artemis couldn't help but snort.

"This stuff is starting to sting my head." Super- Conner- spoke up from the dining table, practically growling, "Is time almost up?"

Dimitri glanced down at her phone, checking the time before looking at the back of the bleach box, "You have like five more minutes."

The clone grumbled incoherently to himself, M'gann smiling at him with fondness as Nightfall found another small grin making its way onto her face. It was amusing to see Conner in such a compromising position.

"Ah, relax, Supes," Wally dropped his arm from Nightfall's shoulder, zipping over to a random cabinet to pull out a snack before returning to his spot beside the waterbender, "it can't be that bad."

Artemis held up the extra bleach, a conniving smile stretched across her lips, "You want to find out, West?"

"No," The speedster deadpanned, shooting the archer a stink eye. Artemis glared back at him, but he turned a flirty gaze towards M'gann, "Unless my favorite Martian wants to play with my luscious locks." For emphasis, Wally ran a hand through his red hair, winking at the green-skinned girl.

She looked uncomfortable, "Oh, uhm, I-I'm alright, Wally." Nightfall elbowed the speedster, who hissed in pain, as Conner glared at him. Dimitri found herself scowling from her spot behind the clone and Artemis smirked.

"Pathetic." She spoke snidely, annunciating each syllable of the word.

"No one asked you, blondie!"

The archer opened her mouth to retaliate, but Dimitri suddenly cut in, voice annoyed, "Please don't start fighting again." Nightfall nodded her head in agreeance.

"She/he started it." The two chorused together. Upon realizing their matching words, they flashed each other dark glares.

"Dimitri is right, there is no reason to fight." Aqualad stated, voice full of authority as he gave Artemis and Wally both stern looks. They each looked away from each other. Satisfied that the potential fight had been broken up, the Atlantean told the group he was off to meet his King. He bid them all farewell before disappearing down a hallway and towards the zetas.

An alarm going off suddenly broke the awkward silence that had fallen over the group, the spirit energy wielder immediately grabbed her phone. She shut off the alarm and smiled, "And you should be done!"

Conner suddenly stood up from the table, causing those circled around him to scatter, before he made his way towards the kitchen sink, "Good. Now get this junk out of my hair." He ripped the cap off of his head before dipping his head under the faucet in the sink.

"On it!" M'gann instantly chirped, floating over and turning on the water. She mentioned something to the clone about how he should move his head so she could let the water get warmer, but he just brushed her off and said the cold was fine.

Nightfall glanced at Dimitri, who had followed the two into the kitchen and was now leaning against the counter on the other side of Wally, "Should they, uh, be rinsing that stuff off in the kitchen sink?"

The other brunette shrugged, "It's a bit late to be concerned about that now."

"Ten bucks says Supey looks terrible as a blonde." Wally interjected himself into the two girl's conversation.

"That boy could have blue hair and he'd still look better than you, Wallman." Artemis practically purred as she stood beside Nightfall, who tried to conceal her giggles at the archer's words behind her hand. The archer eyed Conner with an appreciative look, and the waterbender took notice of the position the clone had found himself in.

He was currently giving the others a perfect view of his backside and Artemis didn't bother to hide the fact she was blatantly checking him out.

Nightfall ceased her laughter and crinkled her nose, turning her attention away from Conner. Dimitri rolled her eyes and Wally asked about the bet once more. Artemis gave in, the two shaking hands, as they waited for M'gann to finish washing the clone's hair.

A few seconds later the Martian stepped back, a smile on her face as Conner pulled his head out from underneath the faucet. Water dripped down his forehead and onto his chest, and since no one had a towel at the ready for him, the clone lifted his arms up and quickly took his shirt off. He wrapped it around his- now blonde- head, using it to dry off.

Artemis and M'gann eyed Conner appreciatively, Wally frowning at their looks, and Nightfall and Dimitri shared a bemused glance.

Teenagers.

"Alright, quite showing off!" Wally scowled with an eye roll, "Just show us the final product."

Nightfall chuckled at the speedster's reaction, and Conner removed the make-shift towel from his head, chucking it at Wally. He cried out before quickly throwing the discarded shirt onto the ground.

Conner glanced up, holding his arms out as he looked expectantly at the gathered teens, "So?"

Nightfall studied him silently while M'gann and Artemis immediately began to compliment him.

"I think you look great as a blonde," The archer cooed before shooting Wally a triumphant look.

"You're just saying that so you can win the bet!" The speedster accused, and Artemis shrugged.

Dimitri shook her head, "Honestly, it doesn't look that bad." Nightfall nodded her head in agreeance. She hated to admit it, but Conner did look good as a blonde. The lighter hair color made his skin seem tanner, causing his baby blue eyes to pop even more than normal.

"Di, I thought you were on my side!" Wally pouted at the spirit energy wielder beside him.

She shrugged, "I try not to lie."

The speedster rolled his eyes before turning to Nightfall, who was on his other side, "What do you think of Conner's hair, babe?"

Nightfall blinked, ignoring all the eyes that were on her as she glanced between Conner and Wally, "I think I'm curious as to why you didn't just get him a wig." The waterbender commented innocently.

A silence rippled through the room as the teens pondered this.

M'gann shared a look with Artemis, "We, uh, didn't think about that…"

Realization dawned on Conner, the clone's blue eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You're telling me you bleached my hair for no reason?!"


A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took a while, but seeing as it's an original chapter, they take a bit longer than usual.

I tried to incorporate some more background info about Kayanna and where her powers come from, as well as some information about Dimitri!

As always, thank you all for your support! It means a lot!

Words: 6868

Pages: 15

Don't forget to drop a review- I would love to hear what you guys think!

-SnowWolf22