He wanted to kill her. Of all the stupid things to do, it was leave! Who did she think she was?! Oh, she can handle herself all right, but…he pounded his fist on the wheel of his car as he drove, complying to the GPS's voice of "turn left in 500 feet."
*FLASHBACK*
"Come on dude, cool it," Wally said, laughing as Richard tugged at his tie. He hated these damn leashes.
"I don't have time to waste doing this, I need to find her," he muttered low enough for only Wally to hear.
"Look, you have to make a public appearance before you go, you know that. So enjoy the women and champagne," Wally said, his eyes trailing a brunette in a skimpy tight red dress.
"Are you sure your girlfriend is going to be happy about that?"
"For a playboy, your morals get annoying. Besides, she's ogling a man at the moment that isn't me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're too committed. Sure, you're sexual freely, but it stays with one girl until you dump her. Do you have to find a flaw in every woman you see?"
"I don't find flaws in them, they flaunt it, just like they're slutty clothing. Are you sure she won't mind?"
"No. We can admire the other species freely so long as we aren't together doing it, or cheating. God gave us eyes to see, man, use them."
"Look, I-" but he was cut off when Wally grabbed his arm. Richard turned and met the eyes of Kitten Moth, multi-million dollar bitch, and one of the few he would never bed, not in any lifetime. But he had to acknowledge that the dress she was wearing was fantastic. The girl's style choices just got better and better every time he saw her. Itslow-cut sweetheart bodice featured criss- crossing ruched bands and twinkling accents. The intricately accented skirt shimmered and was overlaid by a translucent sash with tiny diamond accents that made it appear as if it was the nice sky swooped down to produce a rather unique silhouette.
"Richard, such a pleasure to see you again," she purred, kissing him on the cheek before he could refuse.
He forced a smile, "Likewise."
"Wally," she nodded to his friend. "Nice gown, who made it."
"Oh, some wonderful woman who, surprisingly hasn't come out into the fashion world yet. She's made all my gowns, and as you can see, I'm the envy of all. Her name is Korina Anders, do you know her?"
Richard froze. The same Korina Anders who…he blinked and gave a dazzling smile to kitten.
"I have, she's acquainted with a friend of mine. She makes your dresses?"
"Yes, all of them. And each one she gives me just keeps getting better and better, right?" Kitten laughed, "And for this one, it was plain free!"
"Free? Why would she give it to you?"
Kitten accepted a drink Wally handed to her, and waved her free hand. "Something about a stalker she wanted to rid herself of, so I lent her my beach house for the month."
"Oh?" Richard grinned, intrigued.
He covered the half-naked lady with the red bed sheet and re-buttoned his white dress shirt, amazed at how long it took to get Kitten so intoxicated. Drink after drink he gave her at the party downstairs, and finally, when she was tipsy enough, he pretended to be interested in her, and went up to a suite room. The wench instantly sobered. He looked at the 12th champagne bottle. Twelve whole bottles to get her to willingly tell him what the address to her beach house was. He could have looked it up, but it would be a worst cover. Pretending to play with Kitten was good enough for any watching eyes, and dismissed the conversation about Kori. His eyes fell on the dress. Only calm, patient hands could hand craft that thing, and it would have been a fortune too. There was more to Kori than he thought. She had an artistic eye, and wonderful taste. But her attitude was leaning towards obnoxious. Standing, he gathered his coat, and pushed the list of codes into his trouser pocket. Time to surprise the escape artist.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTTTTTTTT
Kori shook her hips to the sound of music, humming the song as she cut up lettuce to make a side salad with her lasagna. The kitchen was her favorite place in the whole house, since it reminded her of lots of things. Wonderful home cooking her mom used to make, smelling the mouth-watering aromas as she neared the house after school with her siblings. Those perfect stories with perfect families who got together and argued and laughed while eating home cooked meals. It was pure bliss.
Richard watched as she tasted the sauce daintily, smacking her lips and doing a little cheer dance. He wondered if it really tasted as good as the groaning noises she was making. He edged towards her slightly and said, "Can I taste?"
She screamed, jumping away from him. The spoon clattered to the floor. Richard bent down and picked it up as she gathered her wits before she screamed some more.
"W-What the h-hell are you doing here?! Wait, wait," she waved her hands in motion for him to stop.
"I'm not even moving."
"You're Rachel's friend, right? Richard Grayson."
He nodded.
"Why are you- no, forget that, how did you get in."
"I know Kitten Moth, she gave me-where are you going?" he watched her grab the wireless phone and began punching the numbers angrily. He swiped the phone out of her hands.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm calling the bitch that let you in. I didn't give her that damn dress for nothing!"
He raised his hand high as she jumped for the phone. She growled and jumped against, this time her body running up against his. They froze, realizing the proximity. Richard moved away.
"Look, I'm not here because I want to be. I'm here because you need help."
"Rachel set you up for this?" Kori asked, putting hands on her hips. Richard frowned. "What's that smell?"
"My cookies!" she gasped, running around the counter and pulling open the oven, quickly rescuing the cookies.
"Where were we? Oh yeah, Rachel sending you here. Why did she?"
"What about the sauce?"
Kori's eyes lit up and she snatched the wooden spoon out of his hand, stirring and tasting the sauce. She shut the gas off and took the sauce to the pan, pouring it over the meat and vegetables. The pan went into the over. Richard couldn't help but like what he saw. A woman, successful and bright, and not to mention drop dead gorgeous, cook in a huge kitchen, with little makeup and dressed in a casual red t-shirt and blue jeans. The perfect normalcy he craved. Of course, it was also something she tried to fake.
He turned away when her slim hand grabbed his. Electricity jolted through his skin, making it tingle in yearning. He turned to Kori.
"It's nice and all, but I don't need help, okay?" Kori said in her sweetest tone, giving him an irresistible look. He leaned forward, but she didn't try to avoid him. He lowered his head to level their eyes and calmly said, "Too bad. Now, unless you want me to kiss you, I'd stop pouting those plump lips of yours."
She jumped away and Richard smiled. "Good. Now then, we'll talk about you after dinner. I'll wash the dishes, as an apology for frightening you."
"And what exactly will we be talking about?"
"That pretty defense mechanism of yours that means killing anyone that harms you, or at least acting like a psycho."
He walked away, leaving a shocked Kori behind.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTTTTTT
"I don't bite much," Richard said around a mouthful of lasagna, "Eat before it gets too cold."
Kori merely watched. He had changed into a pair of black shorts and a gray muscle shirt, padding in on bare feet looking too comfortable with his surroundings as he calmly rummaged through the cabinets and drawers until he could set the table for the two of them. Then he seated her, ignored her complaints, and brought out the lasagna and salad, serving a pile for the both of them.
He caught her staring and sighed. "Go ahead, ask away."
"You're Nightwing, aren't you?"
He nodded, chewing thoughtfully.
"And you're Richard Grayson?"
"I hope so."
"And you know Rachel?"
"Since she was a pug faced baby."
"And you saved my life, and you save millions of lives every day, and you do it as both Nightwing and Richard Grayson?"
"Why are you babbling? Where are you going with this?" Richard put down his fork. Her face was passive, and no emotion could be seen. She looked up, eyes wide and fearful. Richard started. Wha-why was she making such a pitiful face?
"I'm sorry!" she burst out, hanging her head and covering her face with her hands. Richard tried to hide it, but he couldn't. He began to chuckle, his hand covering his mouth, but then it shifted to a healthy chortle, and within seconds his head was thrown back and he was howling with laughter. Kori couldn't believe what she was seeing. The man was laughing at her when she was trying to apologize earnestly. She frowned.
"It's not funny."
"Yes, yes it is!" he continued to laugh.
"How can you be laughing at me when I apologized? Do you think this is a joke or something?"
Richard shook his head, trying to smother the laugh because the girl was angry, but couldn't seem to do so. He decided to keep laughing until he stopped, but a glass of cold water hit his face instead. He sputtered and cursed, glaring at the girl who was infuriated.
"Look his asshole. I don't just normally apologize, but when I do, I apologize seriously. No person in their right mind would laugh!"
"Well, I just did. I forgive you, happy?"
"No, I'm not!" she screamed at him. "What, you think because you're a hero or something that it means you can just do as you please? Well look here, we are both living, breathing humans, so try having a little sympathy!"
"Says the girl who kills with excitement," he hadn't meant to say that, but it slipped out. He looked up, expecting tears or some shocked face, but he only met anger. She turned away from him and walked out. Richard groaned, following.
"Look, want to get down to business, why not? You have a serious problem, and it needs to be fixed. That's why I am here. Is that understood?"
Kori turned to him. "Maybe you need to understand something. What I have is not a problem. It's not some issue you can solve like a puzzle and fix. It's a definite abnormality. I have tried everything I can think of, gone to every person, and nothing works. Go home, I don't need your help, nor do I want it."
She tried to walk away but he grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the wall. "You haven't tried everything, princess, and you do need my help, whether you like it or not. I'm staying, and you are going to get the help you need. I don't like you, heck, you get under my skin like a rash and no matter how many times I scratch you just don't disappear. You get worst, so do you know what I need to get rid of you? I need a topical cream. I have that topical cream, and I'm going to smother it all over you. Get some rest, you're going to need it tomorrow. Meet me at the gym. 4 AM."
He marched off.
He practically ran down the hallways in anger. The girl left him waiting at 4 AM in the gym, and it was already 5. He punched in the number to her room and pushed the door open. He opened his mouth to yell, but stopped when he saw her sleeping face. Her hair spilled over the purple pillow like a bloody halo around her beautiful face. He had to admit, she was angelic, but underneath was a hidden demon. He edged closer and watched her sleep, her eye lids fluttering, and lips closing and opening ever so slightly. Plump red lips, probably very soft. An urge came over him to kiss her. He shook her shoulder instead.
"W-wha-?" she sat up, blinking heavy eyes searching for what awakened her. She found hard cerulean orbs.
"Oh, it's you," she yawned, then waved a hand, "Go away, go away…"
She turned to rest her head on the pillow again, but he pulled her up into his arms, and over her shoulder.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she screamed.
"I said gym at 4!"
"LIKE HELL!" she pushed off his shoulder with her arms and flipped over, landing before him.
She lunged forward, her leg ready to connect with his face, but he dodged her round house.
"Perfect, so I don't have to teach you any fancy tricks. Want to fight? Let's fight!"
He feigned a punch and shifted to the left as she dodged, his leg ready to trip her when she jumped and spun, kicking him in the face. He crashed into the wall, but rebounded back easily. They fought each other, lunging, side stepping, feigning punches and kicks, trying to get one another and barely missing by a hair. After testing her with several moves, Richard decided she had to be a black belt in martial arts, karate, Kung Fu, and judo. She may be taught well, but he was experienced. He conducted a complicated move, surprising her when she was face down on the ground.
"You're not bad. But your stamina is weak. I don't blame you, usually women are taught speed, not strength for a fast get away."
"Fuck you!" she grunted. He pushed her head harder against the wood flooring.
"Little girls don't speak that way. Besides, I'm not interested in speed, or strength. I'm interested in skill. You have a lot of skill, I'll give you that. Time to work on strength and speed. You have no endurance or stamina, you're weak."
"And you're not?!"
"I train every day for hours, missy, and I've been doing this since I was thirteen. I've had years to train, and you only have a month. Do you know why?"
"No," she replied. Her arm hurt like a bitch but she didn't say anything.
"Because I'm going to teach you justice. The only way you learn is by fighting, on my side of the world."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm saying, missy, that in one's month time, you're going to be a hero, like me."
Kori laughed. "What? You can't be serious. A hero, honestly?"
"No objections, princess," Richard said.
"Stand up," he barked. She shook her head and pouted. He had released her, and was now trying to coach her with images about crime, and criminals. He asked her to stand to demonstrate something, but she couldn't understand what was going on. She couldn't be a hero, it was ridiculous.
Richard wanted to shoot himself. It would be easier. The broad was too stubborn. He put his hands on his hips and glared, but she just pouted even more.
"Look, do you want to help get over your problem? Do you like acting as a maniacal freak?"
"I'm not a freak, and that doesn't happen every day you jerk."
"YOU AREN'T ANY BETTER THAN THOSE CRIMINALS OUT THERE! I'm trying to keep you out of those situations!"
"I TOLD YOU NOTHING WORKS!" she screamed back, standing. "NOTHING! I WILL FOREVER BE HAUNTED BY MY PAST! AND YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T CARE! THEY DESERVE TO DIE IN MY HANDS!"
"Then you deserve to die for hurting them as well because the minute you decided to hurt them was the same minute they became victims."
Kori's head snapped back like he had smacked her across the face.
"But they aren't victims, they hurt me first."
"Do you think it matters to those cops out there? You were the one covered in blood, not them. This is what I'm talking about Kori. You can't kill them to feel better."
"Then how am I supposed to?"
Richard sighed. "You won't understand until you see, truly see, as a hero fighting for those innocents. The same people who you want to protect. The same people, Kori, that don't deserve to go through what you did. Do you think a hero just wakes up and decides, 'Hey, I think I'll be a hero today. Sounds like a plan!' Of course not, something terrible happens to all of us. But it's only the best that fight for justice, and not for revenge."
"And you're one of them?" Kori asked, "You're one of the "special" heroes who decide to fight for justice?"
He shook his head. "Not at first. I learned from Batman the wrong way to fight against them. Batman will never be able to satiate his need for revenge as long as he's thinking it, and he will never be able to truly win against those villains until he does. He won't win, and he'll keep trying to climb out a hole he dug himself. I know this sounds like a joke. I know that you can't believe I'm telling you to become a hero and fight for justice. I couldn't either. But Kori, you're in this now. You've been a part of it for years, right in the middle, and only because of one small mistake that happened; you got caught in a world of horror. Do you want to live?"
"How am I supposed to live if you want me to be a hero and risk my life?"
Richard chuckled. "When the time comes, you make your choice. You don't have to be a hero, Kori, that's not the point. But if you choose to be, then that's your call."
Kori sighed. "I guess everyone I know wants this right?"
"Rachel told me specifically to kick your ass, and Victor said don't give up."
"You know Victor?"
"I wasn't kidding when I said you've been in the middle of this, Kori. You've been surrounded by heroes the whole time, protected and loved by them."
"That..." Kori said, "Is something I don't need to hear. I already know about it."
Richard was surprised. "You know?"
"That Rachel is an Empath, and Victor is half-robot? And everyone else? Yeah. I know. My mom and dad weren't exactly innocent either, Richard. Maybe you should get to know me first, before you assume the worst."
She marched away, and Richard sighed again. This was going to take a long time.