So, after looking over the chapters, I figured that it would do some good to have a chapter that shows Michael interacting with his new teammates. It will help to create the bonds needed for them to really work together on the field. Plus, I really wanted to write a chapter that shows the heroes living lives outside of being a superhero.

I especially got this idea after watching the movie "Justice League vs. Teen Titans" (great movie, in my opinion), especially a certain part which I will be paying homage to. Kudos to all who are able to tell which scene I'm talking about.

Now then, here's the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YOUNG JUSTICE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM! IF I DID, THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A THIRD SEASON BY NOW! Which, thanks to Netflix, might very well happen. So if you have access to Netflix, support the show by watching it so they can greenlight the third season!

I also want to give thanks to BioshockerN7, who was kind enough to help in writing a scene or two for this chapter.

Anyway, let's begin.


Voice Cast (how I envision certain characters being voiced):

MAIN:

Michael Verser = Yuri Lowenthal (A/N: Think the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man from the 2018 "Spider-Man" video game.)

Rachel Roth/Raven = Taissa Farmiga

Koriand'r/Starfire = Kari Wahlgren

Victor Stone/Cyborg = Shemar Moore

Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad = Khary Payton

Richard "Dick" Grayson/Robin = Jesse McCartney

Wally West/Kid Flash = Jason Spisaks

Conner Kent/Superboy = Nolan North

M'gann M'orzz/Megan Morse/Miss Martian = Danica McKellar

Donna Troy/Wonder Girl = Emma Stone

RECURRING:

Duncan Verser = Josh Keaton

Akima/Lambda = Lindsay Jones (A/N: Think her actual voice)

Masamune = Jennifer Hale (A/N: Think the voice of the female Commander Shepard from "Mass Effect")

GUEST:

Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern = Yuri Lowenthal


BGMs:

Young Justice OST 06 - Arrival of the League

My Hero Academia - The Day [English Dub Cover] - Nathan Sharp

Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original

Händel Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus (YouTube it; posted by Luis Peres)

Down To Nothing - Siddhartha Menon (Justice League vs. Teen Titans OST)


(Play "Young Justice OST 06 - Arrival of the League")

It had been two years since I arrived in this world with my mentor/brother, Duncan Verser.

Two long years since I first arrived. Two years (at least, in this world) since I first became a Multiverser.

Since then, Duncan and I have gone on many epic adventures (especially in this world), filled with action, intrigue, acts of camaraderie, unforgivable betrayals, laughs galore, unimaginable chaos, trials of redemption, unadulterated insanity, bonds of brotherhood, tales of romance, and most importantly:

Events filled with complete and utter bullshit.

...So, yeah, it was a damn good two years.

And now, after all that we've been through, after all this time...it finally happened. Two years- two long, arduous years of countless heroics and enough bullshit to fill a book- later, the day finally occurred. The Team had finally formed. Now...Now is when the fun could begin...

...

...

...

...Too serious, right?

*INSERT RECORD SCRATCH*

(End "Young Justice OST 06 - Arrival of the League")

Well, it's not like we just up and jumped right into the action. As those who paid close attention to the show recalled, about ten days passed between the day the Team was officially formed and their battle against Mister Twister. And now that I'm here, one would ask:

"What happened during those ten days?"

To answer your question, at least one of those days went a little something like this...


(Play "My Hero Academia - The Day [English Dub Cover] - Nathan Sharp")

(Flashes of light illuminate the darkness, before a large one shines brightly.)

You see the sun rise, a new day's upon you
You bit your nails as your knees start to tremble
(The camera pans back to reveal Michael Verser, kneeling before the great source of light, rises to his feet with an awed expression on his face.)

The time is upon you to show them what you can do
And soon they will know that
(In the light, a group of hazy figures appears, with Duncan Verser's hand outstretched with a welcoming grin on his face. At that point, Michael's fist clenches in determination.)

THE DAY HAS COME!
(Michael dashes forward, others appearing right behind him. As the instrumental plays, images of Multiversers w/ allies [Adam Verser, Kay Verser, Architect, Masamune] and the Team [Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, Wonder Girl, Artemis, Aquagirl, Green Lantern IV, Zatanna, Terra, Supergirl, Firestorm, Atom II] flash by, with each hero striking a pose in front of their names/codenames. Once the final image fades away, the title appears in text not unlike what one would find on the cover of a comic book.)

YOUNG MULTIVERSER

Late into the night I hear it storming
An end to the rain is what I pray and I'm hoping
(Michael is shown standing alone in the streets of a large city, looking up at the dark and cloudy skies as people casually pass him by on the sidewalk.)

Now I feel the pressure of the city
Oh, how it eats me whole
(Closing up on Michael, it shows him sighing plainly as he walks forward gloomily.)

So many names and faces
Sleepless nights, spent in unknown places
(As Michael walks along the path, the figures of the primary Team members fade into being one by one, brightening the background and Michael's spirits noticeably.)

And every day I walk into the great unknown
(Closing up to Michael, he is handed Masamune, her spirit and all of his mental roommates smiling at him as he nods to the others.)

I'm not to blame, I'm gonna take a stand
(The camera zooms away to show morose images of Miss Martian, Artemis, Raven, Cyborg, a fractured Terra, and Starfire, with larger silhouettes of a White Martian, Sportsmaster & Cheshire, Trigon, Dr. Silas Stone, Deathstroke, and Blackfire standing behind them with their backs to each of them.)

You say my name, I'm telling you to reach out and
(The scene switches to Michael, Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Superboy and Wonder Girl, looking down at the ground while in the towering shadows of their respective mentors, before focusing on Michael.)

Finally take my hand!
(Michael, joined by the Team, boldly leap forward out of the figures' shadows. The screen is then consumed in flames, burning away into a split screen as The Author and Satan Verser, briefly cutting to The Antiverser & Lucifer Verser, Vandal Savage & The Light, and a cavalry of enemies standing in a cloudy wasteland.)

Colliding fists, they're what's gonna make you
You grit your teeth or they're gonna break you
(The camera changes darkens a bit as The Antiverser- alongside villains such as The Joker, Reverse-Flash, Deathstroke, Cheetah, and Black Adam- charge forward as one, with the intent to attack the Team. Leaping against them in defense is Duncan Verser, joined by Adam, Kay, Zack, Alexis, Dexter and LaTrell Verser.)

The time is upon you to show them what you can do
You're breaking the mold, you're gonna show them
(Facing them head on, the other Multiversers and the Justice League charge forward, each of them trouncing or holding back the villains, before taking on the next ones to clear the path, allowing the Team to power up and charge forth.)

Will we break through? I don't know, don't know
The bells are ringing, come out and play now
(Moving as one, Michael, Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, Wonder Girl, Artemis and Terra charges forward, each of them attacking villains with their unique abilities.)

The time is upon you to show them what you can do
And soon they will know that
(The Author, Satan Verser, Lucifer Verser, Vandal Savage and the members of The Light make their move, charging with their own allies behind them. Wielding Masamune, Michael leads the charge with his sword brandished high.)

THE DAY HAS COME!
(The camera closes up on Michael, showing a face of determination as he swings the blade down. Flashing with images of the rest of the Team, the final shot shows the heroes gathered together in front of Mount Justice, grinning and posed in various ways as they stand ready to protect the world.)

(End "My Hero Academia - The Day [English Dub Cover] - Nathan Sharp")


Chapter 3: Prep Time, Part 1 (Bonding Experiences are Awesome)


Happy Harbor, July 9, 09:25 EDT


Well, it finally happened. As of yesterday, the Team was finally formed. I was honestly so excited, that I nearly forgot something important:

Our first mission won't be for nearly two whole weeks.

...

...

...

...

...

...There was much banging of the head against a brick wall upon that light bulb lighting up. Such as right now.

*THUNK*

"Fuck."

*THUNK*

"This."

*THUNK*

"Bull."

*THUNK*

"Shit."

*THUNK*

*THUNK*

*THUNK*

*THUNK*

*THUNK*

...In case you're wondering, I'd been at this for at least fifteen minutes and counting. I could feel the blood staining the wall from how hard I was hitting it. Yet I couldn't even bring myself to care. One of the benefits of being an omnipotent demigod is that injuries like this heal pretty quick.

Eventually, I stopped myself from causing any more brain damage and just sat down. Sighing, I said to myself "Okay, Mikey. So you have to wait a little bit longer until you can finally get to the action. So what? You've been waiting for two years; what's ten more days?"

"Considering the damage you did to the wall," Akima said as she popped up, gesturing to the bloody dent I made, "I'd say you need to find a way to pass the time."

"...Fuck..."


In the end, I decided to get some exercise and training in, rather than knock myself unconscious. After changing into some workout clothes (consisting of a white shirt and blue under armor shorts), I entered the training room to fined Superboy and Donna sparing with each other.

The former was wearing his new attire of a black shirt with the House of El's symbol, along with a pair of blue jeans. The latter of the two, however, was wearing an off-white toga, the skirt going down to her knees. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail so as to not get in her eyes. A great look for her, and natural considering she grew up on Themyscira.

Judging by the exertion they were putting in, they'd been doing this for at least fifteen minutes. From the looks of it, it seemed to be focusing more on straight up attacks. So into the fighting, they only barely noticed me walking up and clearing my throat. "Oh, hello Michael," Donna said when she spotted me.

"What are you doing here?" Superboy asked.

"Just felt like I need some exercise," I said as I stretched a bit. "Plus, I need to blow off a bit of steam."

"Rough morning?"

"...You could say that," I muttered, hoping no one noticed the dent in the wall I made earlier.

"Care to join us?" Donna asked.

I was about to say I'd wait...but then realized this was the perfect opportunity for this. 'Akima...play the music.'

'You got it,' she responded, setting up my personal track for me to hear alone.

(Play "Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original")

"Sure," I said with a shrug as I walked on to the mat. "Who wants to go first?"

"I will," Superboy said with a smirk. "Been hoping to try going against you, anyway." Seems like he's betting on using his strength to win this fight. Well, I'd been planning on breaking him of his pride early on, so might as well get it out of the way.

The two of us went to the middle of the ring, stretching a bit as we got into position. Bringing his fists up, Superboy asked "Ready to lose?"

"Funny," I shot back, entering a martial arts stance. "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"Best out of three," Donna called, setting the limit for the match. "FIGHT!"

Rushing forward, Superboy threw a left cross, aimed straight at my jaw. I sidestepped to the left, easily avoiding the fist and grabbing his wrist. Spinning around on the balls of my feet, I dragged my opponent along with me, catching him off guard and sending him crashing face first to the floor.

'Michael wins!' Akima toned.

"Round One: Michael," I commented, bowing a bit as I did so.

Growling a bit, Superboy got right back up, and started swinging. To his credit, he got me stepping back, avoiding a series of haymakers, hooks and jabs. Though I also blocked a few and punched back, to show I could fight.

Blocking a right jab, I said "You've definitely got the bare-knuckle brawler style down pat." I rolled to the side, delivering a few jabs of my own to the side, making him stumble a bit. "But you put too much emphasis on it."

That made him a bit angrier, and his attacks a bit more unrestrained. Deciding to end it, I grabbed him by the knuckles, and ended up flipping him over my head and onto the ground, surprising Donna quite a bit. At my feet, Superboy groaned as he regained his focus.

'Michael wins again! You suck!'

"Trick is to throw in variety into a fight," I advised.

(Pause "Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original")

"Again," Superboy said, getting up with some pain in his voice.

And there's his headstrong side. "See, there it is again. You're putting too much faith and pride into brute strength," I said as I held out my hand, helping the half Kryptonian clone up. "Strength is a deciding factor, but it isn't the end-all of a fight. People like Batman and Black Canary don't have the strength you do, and they've made it this far."

"He has a point, Superboy," Donna pointed out. "Great warriors have often defeated foes with superior strength through other abilities: stamina, agility, strategy..."

That served as a bit of a slap to the face to the clone of Superman. Before he could get angry, I added "I suggest learning some martial arts to make up for your lack of abilities."

"Then teach me," Superboy said as quickly as he processed that.

I smiled at his request. "Sure thing," I said with a smile. "If you want, I can set up a training session with Duncan." That got a confused look on his face. "Sorry, that's Oberon's real name. Duncan Verser."

"Verser? You're related to him?" Donna asked.

"Yep. He's my oldest brother, and the reason I became a hero in the first place," I replied. "He saved my life in a...pretty rough part of my civilian life. Thanks to him, though, I'm the man I am today."

"You must really look up to him," Superboy commented. In a way, it reminded him a bit of how he looked up to Superman. Thankfully, thanks to Duncan and I interacting with Supes prior to the plot kicking in, he could now have a more positive relationship with the Man of Steel earlier in life.

Chuckling, I said "Yeah...though I'm also a bit scared of him. Same goes for varying degrees for the rest of my family."

"As interesting as this talk is, may I take my turn?" Donna asked impatiently as she walked onto the mat.

"I'm not done yet," Superboy said with an irritated tone.

"Come on SB. She asked me to join. So it is only fair that she gets a turn."

He looked ready to argue...though one look from me that said 'She will fuck you up if you try this' got him to wise up. "Fine," Superboy said, sighing as he switched places with Donna.

(Play "Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original")

The Amazonian got into a fighting stance. "Ready?" Donna asked.

"First to fall loses." I got into a stance of my own. "Ladies first," I said with a smirk.

Unlike Superboy, Donna was trained in close quarters combat. With graceful speed, she threw a flurry of punches and kicks, each one pushing me back a bit. After she delivered a roundhouse kick, I ducked under and leaped forward, aiming a punch at her. The blow hit...though she blindsided me as well, aiming a punch at my own face.

The two of us stumbled back a bit, getting our bearings enough to launch another bout. Deciding to employ my Way of the Spider techniques, I jumped overhead, delivering a drop kick that she managed to block at the last second. Instantly leaping back, I didn't even give her time to recover before unleashing a barrage of punches, each meant to stun. She managed to get a couple punches in, causing me to break away and recover. "Need a minute?" I asked with a smirk.

Her competitive Amazonian nature was sparked. "Hardly," she replied with a smirk of her own. Leaping forward, she rolled up to me and swept under the legs, sending me falling down. I managed to use my hands to stop myself at the last second, pushing myself back up before cartwheeling past her. I then sprang up and roundhouse kicked her, impacting her chest and face, sending her spinning onto the mat.

'Michael wins! Perfect!'

(End "Mortal Kombat Theme Song Original")

Stumbling a bit from my own landing, I went over to her to try and help her up. "Uh, you okay Don- URK!"

Donna managed to get herself to sit up, shaking off the daze I had accidentally put on her, to see that both Superboy and I had been left staring at her in wide-eyed shock. He confusion only lasted a minute...until she looked and saw what it was that had captured our attention.

To my eternal shame, horror, and joy...I had somehow managed to tear off the right side of her dress, exposing her right breast to the world around her. In the back of my mind, the most perverted part of me measured it to be around a high C-cup to a low D-cup, perky and full. It was even topped off with a light pink nipple the size of a pencil eraser.

That part of my mind burned it into memory, and then pictured a perfect match on the other side.

Unfortunately- or fortunately, depending on who was asked- that part only realized too late exactly who it was that I was looking at. I managed to only long enough to see Donna turn her attention to me, her face red with both embarrassment and unadulterated & righteous feminine anger.

"...I...don't suppose an apology would make up for this?" I weakly offered, holding out a hand in a weak attempt to both help her up and draw her attention away from any thoughts of manslaughter.

She nodded with a permanent scowl, accepting my hand to pull herself up while covering up her exposed breast. "So this is the fighting style of the outside world," Donna said with a slight grimace as she stood up, her voice cold as Antarctica. "How...interesting..."

"To be fair, I kind of cheated," I said sheepishly, trying to keep her from deciding to try her hand at gelding. "I ended up using a martial art that I created that's a bit more for others to handle. And no, it isn't something I'm planning on teaching you, Supey."

"Dammit," he muttered, snapping out of his shock.

Unfortunately for me, it was at that point, that an idea came to Donna. And if her smile was anything to go by...it was not a fun one. "How about two-on-one?" she asked, 'smiling' the whole time. "Superboy and I against you."

"...Uh-"

"Splendid. Then let's get to it."

"...Okay..." Realizing that I had no way out of this, I turned to face my brother in arms with weak hope in my eyes. "...You game, Supey?"

He walked forward rolling his shoulders. "You know it," he said with the confidence of a man unfamiliar with the ways of a vengeful woman.

The poor, untaught fool wouldn't stand a chance.

When stated for the record later, we had to come up with a good reason as to why Donna was trying to crush my cajones with a section of stone, and why Superboy was trying to choke her into unconsciousness. And we also had to make sure to fix up the damages.


After that little spar devolved into a brawl that some of the others had to break up, I decided to go cool off for a bit. Afterwards, while most of the others were busy in the cave, I was busy with a little pet project I had in mind ever since I first came to the world of Young Justice. Mainly, giving the surrounding area a better security system.

It always bugged me how there was only an internal security system, and not an external one. I figured that one day, there would come a time when enemies would attack the cave (especially since The Joker outed the place as the Justice League's old HQ), so I figured it would be needed to be ready for anything.

*BZZT*

"AGH! Son of a bitch!"

Which was why I was currently working on installing a series of automated laser turrets around the mountain, designed to either stun or destroy an enemy once it locked on. And frying my hands in the process.

Popping up next to me, Akima said "/You know, this would go a lot more smoothly if you asked the others for help./"

"I have it under control, Akima," I shot back. "Besides, I want this to be a surprise, especially to anyone dumb enough to attack."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "/Is that why you installed the laser turrets around the mountain's perimeter?/"

"Yes it is," I replied.

"/The surface to air missile launchers?/"

"Yep."

"/The remote controlled minefield?/"

"Uh-huh."

"/The pitfall traps?/"

"Correct."

"/The tripwire traps, and the trenches?/"

"Indeed."

"/...The underage gamer's rage mini-bombs?/" the A.I. deadpanned.

"...Okay, I might've gone a bit overboard with that," I conceded, "but I at least had the foresight to have those set up with Duncan's tweaked plans. Plus, because they're miniaturized, they won't cause as much damage as they did the last time I made a bomb with that energy."

"/Not the point,/" she said. "/But I've gotta admit, you're doing a pretty nice job./"

I smiled at that. "Yeah. And the fact that not even Bats knows I'm doing this is a plus.

"/Got tha- Wait,/" she stopped herself. "/You're doing this without Batman's knowledge of this?/"

"Uh huh," I nodded, having finished with the latest turret. "It's easy, once you hack into the terminals and keep this stuff hidden. By the time he figures it out, it'll be too late."

"..."

"...Akima?"

"/...You are as hot as fuck right now,/" she said honestly. "/If I had an actual body at the moment, I would seriously fuck you, right here and now, not even caring who saw us./"

She would, too. That's what happens when you embody Love, Lust and Eroticism.

"I have no doubt you would, Akima," I said with a smirk. "Thankfully, though, I know a way to help you out." And with that said, I entered a program that basically brought her into a state of sexual bliss (though not before hitting mute, as I needed to concentrate on his work). I would hear about it later.

Unfortunately.


Later...


After heading back inside, I was met up by Victor, who instantly noticed the toolbox I had on hand. "Building something?" he asked.

"More upgrading something," I responded. "I spent the last few hours adding an exterior defense system. This mountain is now a true fortress."

"What kind of defenses did you add?"

"...Let's just say it's the kind that Batman and Oberon don't need to know about yet," I hesitantly responded.

"...I'm...not gonna dig into that," the half-machine hero said, wondering if he should be wary of his friend or not. "Still, didn't figure you for a techie."

"I'm not, though I was mentored in working with machines. Makes it easier to hack into an enemy robot and make them turn," I said with a chuckle, recalling the time I did that to a couple of Megatron's soldiers. "Oh, the looks on their faces."

Victor couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image I placed in his head. "Sounds like you've had some fun in the past."

"You have no idea, Vic. Of course, I also know how to upgrade some tech, too."

"No kidding? Anything in particular?"

"Hmm...well, I'm currently trying to figure out a way for you to be able to take your tech off at will so you can survive without it," I mentioned. And it was the truth. I've been trying to figure out a way to upgrade his tech to the point where he could take it off and blend in more easily if he wanted to.

Easier said than done, however.

Still, it earned a wide-eyed look from Victor. "You're...You're serious?" he asked.

"Completely," I answered. "Of course, it's harder than it looks, considering I don't exactly know much about tech, and even less about your own. Where'd you get it, anyway?"

That made him flinch a bit. "...STAR Labs," he said after a moment. "My old man has a bunch of tech gathered from all over the place, all of it in a place the scientists call the 'Red Room.' Dad's one of the few people with high enough clearance to get in there, though." Sighing, he looked at his own hands as he said "And he used it to save me."

I noticed a little bit of irritation under his words. Makes sense, as even in the comics, he held some form of anger toward his father for turning him into a cyborg. Definitely a relationship I'll have to fix up at some point.

"He must've really cared if he was risking to use experimental tech to save you," I commented.

"I know he does," he said. "He just...has a difficult time expressing it most of the time." Translation: all the time.

Definitely something to take care of at a later date. "Well, maybe we can go see him sometime. Try and work on what makes your tech work. At that point, I can try and work on that upgrade for you."

"Thanks, man," he said with a smile. "That really means a lot, you tryin' to make me feel normal again."

"Normal's completely overrated," I waved off. "Well, I think I'm going to go play some video games."

"What kind?" he asked.

"Shooters, racing, that kind of stuff."

"...Any two-player stuff?"

"..." A cheshire grin plastered my face.

*AND CUE TIMESKIP*

"BOOM, HEADSHOT!" I whooped in glee.

"Oh come on! How the fuck do you do that?!"

"Years of practice, that's how," I responded. "No one can beat me in a shooter game at this point. Especially a game like Halo." Of course, it helps that I've had years of practice in actual firefights in different worlds as well, especially in the world of Halo.

"Fair enough," he responded with a chuckle. "So, care to play again?" Victor asked.

"It's on, tin man," I replied, sparking a competitive spirit between the two of us. After that, for the next few hours, if someone were to walk into the living room, they'd see Victor and I having a blast on the Xbox. A state that the two of us would be in for the rest of the day.


Meanwhile...


As I walked through my apartment, I thought to myself on what I would do today. I had accomplished quite a bit after adding onto the security system a few hours ago, as well as playing a lot of Black Ops with Victor (side note, we eventually got onto Halo and kicked major ass together). However, there wasn't a whole lot to do now, which left me with quite a lot of free time.

Which in turn left me wanting to do something to counter-balance that.

"So, what do I do now?" I said to myself.

While I was heading to the kitchen for food, I noticed Raven's door was open a bit. Scented smoke wafted out, which made me feel...relaxed. More than usual, anyway. "Wonder what she is up to?" I said to myself. Opening the door a bit more, I found my answer. Raven was floating in the middle of her room, legs crossed over each other, while she meditated. Incense filled the room, providing a calming, focused effect for her mind.

"...I know you're there, Michael," Raven said without turning to face the door.

Sheepishly, I entered the room. "Hey Raven. How're you doing?" I asked.

"I'm trying to meditate," she said with an annoyed tone. "It's easier when I don't hear noises, such as someone opening my door a bit."

And there's the foot in my mouth. "Sorry about that," I apologized. "You looked pretty into it when I came in."

"Yes," Raven said with a slight nod.

"...Um...mind if I join you?" I asked nervously.

Turning to look at me, a moment of silence passed...before she gave a small version of her smile. "If I wasn't friends with you, I would say no," Raven said as she returned to her position.

Taking a spot in front of her, I sat down cross-legged and closed my eyes. The scent of the incense filled my nostrils as I began to breathe slowly.

"Clear your mind," Raven said quietly. "Drive away all other thoughts. Think only on your breathing."

I slowly breathed in and out, following her instructions as the sweet smelling smoke filling my head and lungs. Didn't know what kind of incense this was, but I made a mental note to get some for myself.

After a while, I felt lightheaded. And then...

"Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos."

With that, I felt a cord tug in my head. As our minds connected, a weightless sensation filled my body. I felt like I was floating in nothingness...then I opened my eyes, and found that I was. There was nothing around either myself or Raven, just a vast white space as far as the eye could see. "...This is...a first for me," I said as we just floated around.

"Same here," Raven said as she looked around. "Though this is a good sign."

"For what?"

"That you're in a deep, meditative state of mind," she responded. "I'm impressed. It took me two years in Azarath before I could reach this level of Zen."

"I heard about that place," I said, recalling its existence through mediums of the DC Universe. "It's supposed to be a place of peace and non-violence, right?"

"Correct. Its inhabitants, however...well, let's just say they took the stance of not getting involved in a conflict very strictly."

I nodded, recalling how they never even put up a fight whenever her father showed his ugly mug. "Still, there must've been some part of it you liked?"

"...My mother," she responded, looking down at the nonexistent floor. "She's the only reason I'd ever go back to Azarath...if I could..."

That struck a chord in my heartstrings. Setting up a table and chairs for us, I sat us down and began "What's she like?"

A small smile- a genuine smile- formed as she answered. "Kind, and caring. She always looked out for me, even when others in Azarath looked down on me. She's one of the kindest souls I know."

"She must've been worried when you left," I offered.

"...Maybe," she muttered quietly. "I'm hoping to make amends for...*sigh* just not now."

"Fair enough. Though take my advice: don't wait too long to say what needs to be said. Otherwise...you'll be filled with regret...never getting the chance to say 'sorry'..."

"...Michael?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to trail off like that," I said. The look in her eyes, though...she knew I was talking about myself just now. Thankfully, she decided to let it drop for now. "Moving on, though; were there any interesting tales growing up in Azarath?"

A chuckle fell from her mouth. "Well, there was one time I accidentally turned an entire building midnight blue." After that, we just went on talking, as well as laughing. I made a note to try and get her to laugh more outside the Astral Plain. Preferably after dealing with her father and his influence.


Meanwhile...


I was also out and about in Batman's home turf, taking in the sights along with Kory. It had been a little over a week since I was here last, and the place was looking as bright as ever. Of course, that had been thanks to Duncan and I, taking time out of our schedules for a few months to help Batman and Robin cut down on the crime rate spectacularly.

In a certain magazine, Gotham had been declared one of the cities with the lowest crime rate. Something that Bats was happy to hear about, and led to him trusting us enough to work out of the Batcave if need be.

So, it made sense to bring the Tamaranean ray of sunshine here on this little day off. And man, was she enjoying the sights. "This place is wonderful!" she exclaimed as we walked through the park. "Everything here looks like its brand new!"

Chuckling, I said "Yeah, you can thank Duncan and I for helping to clean up the place. Hard to believe that this is the same Gotham I found myself in over two years ago."

"Were things that bad?" she asked.

"A bit, yeah," I admitted. "I mean, Batman may have been taking care of most crime in the city, but there were still those that managed to get away. Thankfully, Duncan and yours truly decided to stick around for a while, and badda bing badda boom, the crime rate drops six months later!"

"Amazing," she exclaimed. "I suppose that the city holds the two of you in high regard for your actions?"

"You could say that," I trailed off, recalling the statues that were erected side by side with Batman's. It was a surreal sight, actually seeing someone build a statue in honor of yourself. Something I never would've experienced back when I was a regular human.

Still, I was a bit more focused on how at ease everyone in the city had been to really pay attention to the statue. It was always the little things in life.

Looking around the park, Michael noticed a lot of people were looking in their direction. Mostly men (with some women here and there) transfixed on their location. Then he recalled who exactly he was walking with. "I think everyone's staring at you, Kory," I said playfully.

Noticing the stares of men and women in the area (and a few people who were jogging that crashed into trees due to staring at her), she giggled a bit and said "I suppose they are. Though, why would they? Surely they are used to extraterrestrials on the planet, are they not?"

{She's joking, right?} Sterling asked honestly. {The fact that she has both sexes staring at her- both with fascination and lust- is enough to say something about how attractive she is!...wait, how old is she, anyway?}

"I think they aren't used to seeing someone as beautiful as you, Kori," I said honestly. Somewhat noticing her blush and smile, I continued "Honestly, I'd be surprised if there wasn't a single person staring at you. I'd probably be staring, too, if I were in that crowd."

Her blush deepened at my words, as did her smile. "I suppose you are correct," she admitted. "Though my older sister is far more beautiful than me."

"Really?" I asked with surprise. "You know, speaking of which, I've been living with you for the past week, and I don't really know anything about you. Not even how old you are."

{Please be legal, please be legal, please be legal, please be legal...}

'Can it, Sterling,' I thought, though secretly hoping the same.

"Well, for starters," she began, "I am nineteen years old."

(Play "Händel Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus")

You know that feeling you get, when you're filled with such a large amount of joy that you can practically hear "Hallelujah" playing in the background? Well, that was the feeling that Sterling (and many...perverted others in my head) were experiencing at that very moment in time. Many of them LOUDLY expressing their joy.

{THANK YOU! THANK YOU, SWEET MERCIFUL LORD IN HEAVEN! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!}

Inside my head, I sweat-dropped as I saw my "brother" kneeling on the ground, arms outstretched as tears of joy fell down his cheeks, all while a ray of light fell down upon him. It didn't help that a few of the more perverted inhabitants in my mind were doing the exact same thing.

'...Idiots,' I thought to himself.

(End "Händel Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus")

Getting back to reality, I said casually "Okay, that's one mystery solved. So, your sister. What's she like?"

Gaining a wistful smile, she answered "As I said, she is beautiful, and is an expert in combat. Far more so than me. She is also a bit self-centered, and rather cunning. But she is also kind and caring, even if she hides it well around others."

"Sounds like you really look up to her," I noticed. Definitely a difference in relationships than the one Kori had with her sister in the DCAMU-verse; now THAT one was a real clusterfuck of negative emotions.

"Indeed...though nowadays..." An odd look on her face as she spoke. Noticing that I had noticed, she soon added "It was a long time ago, and I try not to think about it."

'Guess even in here, she has a strained relationship with Komand'r,' I thought to myself. Frowning a bit, I said "Well in my opinion, you should try to reconnect with her one day. The last thing you want is to have the last experience with your sibling be a negative one..."

Her green eyes blinked at that. "Wise words...even if my situation cannot be so easily fixed with words," she commented. "Your family must be proud to have someone like you."

"...You could say that," I replied softly, my eyes a bit melancholy in appearance. As quickly as it appeared, it was hidden as I said "Story for another day, though. In the meantime..." At that point, we just talked, getting to know each other a bit more (as well as soaking up the sun).

Though there was a moment where I had to...deal...with some sleazeball trying to hit on Kory. Less said, the better.


Meanwhile...


"Guess you were right: this stuff is pretty good here in L.A.," I muttered in pleasant surprise, finishing off the rest of a bowl of tonkotsu ramen.

"Told you," Wally said as he slurped up his noodles. Sighing in relief, he commented "Aside from Japan and China, this place has pretty great ramen shops."

"I'd have to agree with you," a feminine voice piped in. "Though I prefer beef-flavor myself."

Turning to face the source of the voice, Duncan and I beheld a beautiful woman who appeared to be a goddess. She possessed a full hourglass figure, with F-Cup breasts and an ass that's practically out of this world. Said body was covered in a rather loose white and silver kimono (which dropped past her shoulders, generously showing off her cleavage), with a pattern that shimmered like starlight, and tied up in a blue sash. Her raven hair, long and luscious with streaks of glistening silver, trailed down to her ass and perfectly framed her goddess-like face (especially her black eyes and silver irises), which was covered by a blue scarf. On her feet were a pair of silver zori sandals on a pair of blue socks.

During my time in the world of Bleach, I discovered that my blade, Masamune, had its own Zanpakuto spirit. Of course, I had to earn the right to actually wield her power, but once I did, we got to know each other rather well. For starters, she's a kind and caring soul. She's also supportive and nurturing, kind of like a mother figure. However, she's not afraid to be stern or give tough love (as I learned the hard way), and can be very scary when angered (with a sadistic streak toward her enemies a couple light years long). Seriously, you do not want to get on her bad side.

All in all, however, the woman was a walking definition of beauty, both inside and out. Helps that she's also a very passionate lover.

Chuckling, Wally said "You know, I can't get over the fact that your sword is alive and can take on a form like that," he finished by gesturing to Masamune with his chopsticks.

"You're just jealous because it happened to Michael and not you," she said.

"True, but that's not the point."

"I'm just glad to have her at all," I said. "She's saved me so many times, I wouldn't care if she was sentient or not; I'd still take care of her."

Lightly giggling, Masamune said "And that's why you're my wielder." Duncan simply rolled his eyes a bit.

"Still, I- what the heck?"

Looking up, I turned my attention to where Wally was looking...and I then shared in his confusion. I mean, it wasn't every day that you saw a green streak of light zig-zagging through the sky. Especially since none of the Green Lanterns were supposed to be in this area.

The light touched down outside the city. "...Check it out?" I suggested.

"Yep," my older brother/mentor nodded.

"You say that like there's another option," Masamune teased. With a glow of light, she returned to her sword form, allowing me to carry her in hand.

"I can see why you like her," the King of the Multiverse commented. Without another word, the two of us were already heading to our destination.


We arrived at the site of the light's landing in under two seconds, and found a smoldering crater a few feet away. A soft, green glow could be seen through the smoke. "So, how much you wanna bet it's friendly?" I asked.

"Knowing your luck, I'd say 50/50 at most."

"...Gee, you're so kind." The two of us cautiously walked up...and stopped as a figure emerged from the crater, stumbling a bit with each step.

Glowing a green aura, the figure was a human male with shaggy black hair. He wore a black bodysuit with white on the front of the torso. Over his heart was a half black/half green lantern symbol. Completing the outfit were a pair of green boots, green gauntlets, a stylized green mask covering most of his face...and a Green Lantern power ring on his right hand.

...Wait. Isn't that...?

...

...

...What.

The.

FUCK?!

"Oooooowwwww," the young man groaned. "Not my best landing."

"Uh, you okay?" Duncan asked.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do, as the young Green Lantern shot at us in shock with his ring...with the blast heading toward me. Quickly, I moved to defend myself, Masamune in hand to deflect the blast.

*PA-KOW!*

"AGH! FUCK!" I cried as I was blasted back. The emerald beam collided right into the blade, the latter of which stood firm against the former. However, I wasn't so lucky, considering I got blown back a few feet and knocked onto my ass, lying down in the dusty earth. "...Ow."

"Oooohhh, that's gonna leave a mark," Duncan commented.

Mortified, the young Lantern moved to apologize. "Oh my God- I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to- I swear this thing has a mind of its own sometimes!"

"It's cool," I groaned, Duncan helping me up. "Geez, hits like a linebacker."

"Again, I'm sorry. I'm new to this thing, and...*sigh* I can't really control it," he admitted.

Shrugging, Duncan said "Well, no harm no foul. Plus, at least you crashed here instead of somewhere in the city." He finished with a gesture toward Los Angeles.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point- wait...you're Oberon!" he cried out, causing Duncan to gain a surprised look. "And you...you must be Atlas!" he added as he looked at me. "Holy crap! I-I'm a big fan of your work! Oh, where are my- Kyle Rayner, Green Lantern," he said enthusiastically while shaking Duncan's hand.

"Uh, thanks...how did you...?"

"Know who you are? Well, you don't exactly wear a mask under that hood," he pointed out.

"THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TELLING HIM!" I cried out. "BUT DOES HE LISTEN? NOOOOOOO!"

Flipping me off, Duncan explained "It's because I can easily explain that there are others who share a similar face to my own."

"At least wear a domino mask!" I argued. "And as for you!" Kyle jumped back as I rounded my attention on him. "...No hard feelings," I said, holding out my hand.

Cautiously shaking it, Kyle said "You're...not sore about-"

"I've been blasted more times than I can count ever since I got my powers," I deadpanned. "Trust me, I'm used to it."

"...Fair enough."

"So, what brings you to L.A.?" Duncan asked.

"Oh, I live here," he answered. "Been trying to get a handle on these powers since I got the ring a few weeks ago. And before you ask about the uniform, it was my girlfriend's idea to differentiate myself from the others. Be honest, though: I make this look good, right?"

The three of us laughed at that. "Oh, I think you're gonna get along fine with Hal," I said.

"Speaking of which," Duncan threw in, "I should probably let him and the others know about you. You know, get someone to help you with training in ring slinging."

"Wait, really?!" he asked in excitement. Understandable, considering how popular Hal was among his Lantern peers.

"Really really," Duncan said. "First, though, let's take this somewhere away from the public..." At that, the three of us headed off to Casa de Verser. On the way, however, I looked over Masamune, who had howled in pain at the blast. That left me checking to see how she did against Kyle's shot.

What I saw made my blood run a bit cold:

A familiar crack in the blade. The same one from my encounter with one of the deadliest enemies I could face.

Frowning in worry, I knew I had to address this problem immediately...


Third Person's POV:


A while later, Kory was on a web chat with Wally in her room. It had been his idea for everyone to set up web accounts so they could talk anywhere, even if it was over anything mundane. Right now, however, the subject was over her earlier encounter with Michael. "It was like his eyes were...dead," she said in confusion. "As if he didn't have anything in him."

["Did you say anything that might've gotten him to act like that?"] he asked.

"Only that his family must be proud of him."

That got a knowing sigh from her friend. ["Well, that explains a lot."]

"Do you know something?" she asked.

After a moment's pause, he answered ["His last name...wasn't originally Verser."] Noting her confusion, he elaborated ["He used to have a different family a while back. But he apparently lost them once his powers manifested. Won't say how he lost them, only that he can never see them again."]

Her eyes widened in realization, matched by her slumping forward in mortification. "X'Hal, how could I be so dense?" she asked aloud, face buried in her right hand (and unintentionally giving a view of her cleavage to the now blushing speedster, who was left staring and slightly drooling). "Our talk in the park...his words were from experience..."

Shaking off his stupor, he managed to quickly realign with the conversation. ["Hey, don't beat yourself up, Kory. You couldn't have known he'd react like that,"] he comforted. ["It's not exactly fun to think about anything bad related to your family, anyway."]

"...I know," she sighed. "Though it would've been better if I'd noticed sooner. I just wish there was something I could do to cheer him up..."

The Tamaranean princess laid back on her couch, mulling over the info in her head. As she did, however, Wally started staring at her legs with a knowing smirk. ["Speaking of 'fun',"] he began, ["you're looking a bit stressed. Maybe I could come over and we could-"]

"Fun!" she gasped in realization.

["Wait, what?"]

"That's it!" she said brightly as she sat up. "That's what we need!"

["What who needs?"]

"Oh, thank you Wally, you're the best!"

["Wait, Kory, what did I-"] He was cut off as she closed her laptop, thus ending the web chat. And unintentionally cock-blocking himself like an idiot.

On Kory's end, the gears were beginning to turn. "Fun..." (A/N: A virtual cookie to anyone who can tell what that scene pays homage to)


Michael's POV:


"...You want me to what?" Duncan asked, confusion evident on his face. The two of us were in Duncan's personal workshop, which he had stored away in a private section in the apartment. The whole place was filled with all sorts of projects, ranging from different suits of high tech armors, to simple energy weapons.

A reminder that this is someone you do not want to get on the bad side of.

With a sigh, I said "I was hoping you could make a sword for Masamune-chan to inhabit. A spare one, one that's extremely durable."

Nodding in contemplation, the King of the Multiversers said "Okay. Okay, yeah, I can do this. But, uh, can I ask why you want one? Especially when you already have that?"

"Because this is the only sword I have," I answered. "That last fight I was in...I've never fought anyone like him before. He was on a whole different level than anyone else I've gone up against. And he managed to break both my double's Masamune and Avalon with ease. I was just lucky that Masamune didn't bear the full brunt of that, otherwise..." I trailed off, not even wanting to consider what would happen to her.

Duncan nodded, placing a hand on my shoulder as he smiled. "Okay, you've twisted my arm enough. I'll make you this spare sword no problem."

Returning his smile, I said "Thanks, Dunc. You're the best!"

"And don't you forget it!" he called out as Michael left. Unknown to the latter, the former then reached into a drawer and pulled out a gem, silver-gold in appearance. With a light smirk, he trailed off "Plus, this gives me the chance to start up on my new Artificial Sacred Gears..."


"Well, that went well," I said with a smile.

'Indeed,' Masamune nodded. 'So, what now?'

Humming in thought, I came up with a solution. "Well, I could bring Kyle here to show him the place," I said. "I mean, if I'm gonna help train him, might as well do it in a place far away from prying eyes."

'Hmm...not a bad idea. Though will Duncan approve?'

"I'm sure he won't mind."


"Dude, this place is awesome!" Kyle said as I showed him around our shared apartment.

"Thanks," I said. "Though Duncan's the one who built this whole thing. I just helped with the furniture and stuff."

"Duncan?"

"My older brother, better known as Oberon," I explained, causing him to go wide-eyed in realization. "He's also the one who trained me...which was an...experience..."

Noticing my thousand eye stare, he asked "Rough time?"

"...You have no damn clue." Suddenly, the vid screen on the TV blinked, indicating that someone was calling. "Hold on, I gotta take this. Hello?" I called, activating the livestream chat.

["There you are, Michael!"] Kory said, her appearance causing Kyle to drop his jaw in awe. ["Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could meet up with us at the cave in a few minutes?"]

"Uh, sure. What's going on, though?"

["That's for you to find out,"] she responded. ["See you in a few minutes."] And with that, the call ended.

"...Wonder what she's got planned?" I asked myself.

"Wait, when did a Tamaranean come to Earth?" Kyle asked as he made the connection. "Better question: how do I even know what a Tamaranean is?"

"...Kyle...we have got to get you to figure out how to work that ring."


Later...


Soon, everyone was together in the cave: Wally, Kaldur, Donna, Raven, Superboy, Megan, Robin, Victor, Kyle, Kory, Duncan and I. We were all in our civilian clothes, though Victor had to wear enough to hide his cybernetic parts from others after hearing about a group outing. "Okay, I'll bite: what's up Kory?" Duncan asked.

"I figured that we could use a bit of bonding," she answered, "so I gathered us all together to have some mandatory fun tonight!"

...Many an eyebrow arched at that. "Define 'fun'," Superboy inquired.

"Fun as in what you call a...'night on the town'?" After we nodded the affirmative at her use of idioms, she continued "After looking up various entertainment sources with Michael, Duncan and Victor, I thought of a place that we could all have fun at."

As she said this, Victor opened up a Boom Tube with his tech. "All aboard the Boom Tube Express."

Looking at each other, we decided to give it a shot, figuring that it could be fun. 'Besides, anything's better than a night doing nothing.'

/...You do know we could've had some 'fun' tonight, right?/ Akima questioned.

'I even had the night planned out for the three of us,' Masamune bemoaned.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!


One portal later, and we arrived at our destination:

"A carnival?" Robin asked flatly.

"Carnivals are meant to be places for people of all ages to have fun...at least, according to what I understand," Kory said. "Besides, think of this as an exercise in becoming closer with each other."

"How much closer can we get?" Raven asked, a touch of sarcasm in her voice. "Most of us have already seen you naked."

Michael had to fight down an atomic blush at recalling such an event a few days ago (a sentiment shared by a few others, when they had to ask her to put her clothes back on), while the others simply rolled their eyes. Duncan, however, was laughing out loud in his head.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna at least try to have fun here," Wally said, gaining everyone else's attention. "Besides, anything's better than a night stuck in the cave." Without another word, he started racing toward the carnival...before racing right back, a sheepish look on his face. "Uh...anyone got any money on them?"

"I'll pay for everyone," Duncan spoke up.

"You sure, dude?" Kyle asked. "Hate to break your wallet for this."

"Trust me, I've got a lot to burn," he said.

"He's not lying," I informed. "The man is fucking loaded ten times over." That got everyone to stare at Duncan as he pulled out a very stuffed wallet.

"Plus, Kory and Wally are right," Duncan went on to say as he pulled out a good amount of money. "You guys could use this."

"And this is a good experience for some of us," I added, knowing that this was the first time many of them- Kory, Superboy, Megan, Donna, Raven and Kaldur- would get to experience something like this, while it would be the first time in a long tie for others- Robin, Victor and Wally- to have fun like this. A good idea to have them unwind and relax. "Now then, we should probably partner up so we don't get lost."

"Got you covered," Duncan said, bringing out a sheet of paper that had the following written on it:

Group #1: Duncan, Victor, Kyle

Group #2: Duncan, Robin, Superboy, Kaldur, Wally

Group #3: Michael, Kory, Donna

Group #4: Michael, Raven, Megan

...Son of a bitch wants to toy with me, I just know it.

"Wait, how can you guys be in two groups?" Superboy asked. In response, Duncan and I created a duplicate of ourselves, each waving at him (and leaving half of everyone stunned). "...Never mind."

(Play "Down To Nothing - Siddhartha Menon (Justice League vs. Teen Titans OST)")

"Now with that out of the way, what say we go and have some fun?"

In response, we all got our tickets, entered the carnival, and we were off.


A few minutes later...


Kyle, Duncan and Victor were at a skee-ball tent, with Kyle currently on a roll. Three balls in, and he got the center every time. "Dude, that's awesome!" Victor praised. "How d'ya do that?!"

"All in the wrist," he boasted. "I've had years of practice in creative drawing."

"You're an artist?"

"Yep. Though since I got this ring," he emphasized by holding up the glowing item, "I've had to focus a bit more on training with Michael and the first human in this 'Green Lantern Corps', Hal Jordan. Heck, I recently found out that my ring is able to create anything I can think of." Forming a miniature Gurren Lagann, he chuckled and said "And I am just loving it."

That got his friend's attention. "An artist with a ring that can create anything. You must've been over the moon at that," he mused.

"Are you kidding? This is the best thing that could've happened to me! Of course, Alex managed to help me take this job seriously. Don't know what I'd do without her."

Duncan smiled knowingly. "Girlfriend, huh? What's she like?"

"A photographer, for starters," Kyle began. "So my recent sightings in L.A. gave her something to shoot her camera at...until she found out who she was taking pictures of."

Victor chuckled at that. "How deep in the doghouse are you?"

"...Shut up," he grumbled. Victor couldn't help but laugh at his friend's situation...as well as wish him the best of luck.

"I know the feeling, Kyle," Duncan said in a sage-like manner, aiming the last of his balls dead center. "The best I can say is this: no matter how right you are...you're wrong, and she's right."

"..."

"..."

"Yes, I speak from experience," he said, noting their expressions. He then slid the ball and watched as it went into the center hole. "Though don't tell Mikey. I want it to be a surprise."

"...Not sure why, but okay," Kyle shrugged.

"Damn it!" Victor grumbled, not too pleased with his lower score. "How the hell is this so hard?"

"Football's different than skee-ball, huh?" Duncan got a raised finger as his response.


"...And these are hot dogs," Wally went on, handing said food item to Superboy. "It's not actually made of dogs, just so you know."

"Then why call it that?" he inquired.

Munching on one of the meat products, Robin answered "No idea. All I know is, they're delicious."

"I'll stick to popcorn, thank you," Kaldur said, a bag of popcorn in his hand. Looking around, he added "I didn't think I'd see anything like this on the surface."

"You have stuff like this in Atlantis?" Robin asked.

"Indeed. Though I'm sorry to say we don't exactly have electronic games."

"Missing out, then," Duncan's double said as he walked up to them, a few pieces of pepperoni pizza in hand. "Gotta love carnival food," he said to himself.

"...Mind if I...?"

"Knock yourself out, Supey," he shrugged, handing a slice to the young clone (who handed his hot dog to Wally). Watching him down it enthusiastically was quite enjoyable to see, the half-Kryptonian clearly approving of the- as Duncan and Michael would put it- 'food of the gods' as he wolfed it down.


At another area, Donna handed Kory and I each a bag of a pink, fluffy-like substance. "What's this?" the Tamaranean princess asked.

"Cotton candy," the Amazonian replied. "Diana told me it's a type of sweet that people in man's world tend to enjoy when they can."

"Why would you eat cotton?" Kory asked in confusion. "From when I tried it as a child, I can say it's not very delicious at all."

"It's not that kind of cotton," I chuckled. "Give it a try."

Hesitantly, she tore a piece off and put it in her mouth...and hummed in approval as she chewed on it and swallowed. Licking her lips, she replied "Delicious!"

"Told you," I said.

Humming her approval, Donna said "I really have to thank Diana for introducing this to me...maybe I could bring some back to Themyscira..."

"Doubt that Hippolyta would approve." That got her to deflate a bit. "Sorry, just throwing that out there."

"You know, I'm getting the feeling you like watching me suffer a bit," Donna teased. "Especially in the training ring."

I blushed at her insinuation. "W-What?! Th-That's not true!"

"We know," Kory giggled. "I think she just likes...messing with you?" she asked, wondering if she got that right.

"Yep," her friend confirmed.

...It. Is. On.


Meanwhile, I was also with Raven and Megan, the latter dragging me through to see the sights while the former did her best to keep up. "What about this place?" Megan asked excitedly.

"That would be a merry go round," I answered. "You just sit on a plastic horse, and let the carousal spin you around. Kids love it."

"What's so fun about going around in a circle over and over?" Raven asked.

"Don't know the reason behind it, but- WHOA, easy, Megan!" I cried out, the Martian in question telekinetically pulling Raven and I with her to the carousal.

Annoyed, the empathetic half-demon argued "Could you not?"

"Come on, it'll be fun," she said. "I'll ride it with you. You too, Michael."

Not even giving us a chance to argue, she pulled us onto the ride, each of us grabbing onto a pole. After a few moments, we each got on a plastic horse that moved up and down, which made for a unique sensation as we spun around at an average pace.

It was...odd, being in this exact situation. I hadn't been on one of these since I was a kid (well, a kid in my first life, so that was a long, long time ago). Eventually, I just went along with the sensations and laughed a bit.

Megan was laughing openly as her horse went up and down, loving the sensations of motion she was going through.

Raven, though...admittedly, she was remaining as closed off as she usually was. Though...I swear, when no one else was looking...

I could've sworn I saw her lips tug into a small smile. As if she was feeling a bit of a real childhood.

'Note to self: bring her back onto a merry go-round again.' Though she'd deny it for a while, the empath had a great little smile.

Something I promised to try and get out of her more and more.

(End "Down To Nothing - Siddhartha Menon (Justice League vs. Teen Titans OST)")


"Uuuuuggghhh..." Robin moaned in agony. "How...can I...be getting si- URP!" And he promptly lost his lunch, Wally and Kyle close behind.

What got them like this, you're wondering? I convinced most of the others to get on a Tilt-A-Whirl. A few of them managed to ride it well enough (Superboy, Kory, Donna and myself). The others...as seen previously, they were having difficulty in keeping their food down.

"I haven't felt anything like that since training in rapid currents," Kaldur said to himself, composing himself better than the others while still looking green around the gills. "That...that thing should be outlawed."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Superboy said with a small laugh. Apparently, he had quite a bit of fun on that ride. Others simply glared at the clone, wishing him ill (and hoping he'd get ill and blow chunks).

With a chuckle, I walked toward Duncan to see how he was doing after that. Currently, he was in front of a house of mirrors, standing there to get a hold of himself and keep his food down. As I got closer, I noticed something: the others, while a bit woozy at the moment, were all definitely enjoying their time here.

Duncan, however...he was acting a little strange...stranger than usual, that is. Every so often, he would come across a part of the carnival and stare at it. Like he was a...a war vet experiencing a flashback. Did something happen to him at a carnival in one of his past lives?

...Oh boy, I hope we didn't make a mistake bringing him along. "You okay, Dunc?" I asked in concern. "You've been staring at that house of mirrors for about fifteen minutes."

That seemed to snap him out of his trance. "Sorry, I was...somewhere else," he said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, really. Just wanted to see how you're doing, is all."

"Well, you don't need to worry about me." Walking alongside me, Duncan smiled as he asked "This was a great idea, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. I really should thank Kory for this."

/That you should,/ Akima agreed.

'For now, though, I'd suggest just having fun with the others. The night is young, after all, so enjoy it.'

And I did. After that, our group stayed until closing time, walking about the carnival to our heart's content. At the end of the experience, I was feeling more light-hearted than I'd been in a while, a sentiment shared by the rest of the Team. Though we didn't say it, we all agreed on one thing:

Bonding experiences like this are awesome.


And like that, a day in the lives of these young heroes has reached an end.

To be honest, I'd been planning for a chapter like this to be added a while ago. However, it wasn't until I watched Justice League vs. Teen Titans (which is awesome, in my opinion) that I came up with the finishing touches. All in all, I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.

Plus, as you've seen, things are going even more out of canon with the addition of Kyle Rayner, one of the most famous Green Lanterns. A result of the Multiversers presence in a scripted world having ripple effects, which can be rather unpredictable. I just hope I manage to have him turn out okay.

Anyway, until next time. Please leave a review or comment. BUT NO FLAMES, AS THOSE WILL BE IGNORED AND/OR REPORTED!

Hero of the Multiverse, signing out.