A/n: I managed to get my hands on the Young Justice comics! Yes, this is so great; I am so chuffed over these! Anyway, here is pretty much the longest update yet. I hope you enjoy it uwu
edit: I uploaded this last night/morning at around 1 am. When I re-read it again this morning, I noticed a few mistakes that I edited out.
"The Covenant"
Chapter 13: Denial; Part 2
Three awkward acquaintances stood together in a small elevator. Two of which had no idea what was even going on. One second, Wally and Artemis were racing towards a floating cane; moments later they had found the man they were searching for, narrowly escaped being burned to a crisp by a goth-looking kid throwing a tantrum, and now they were in an elevator together.
Needless to say, the two young sidekicks were confused.
"I'm Kent Nelson, by the way." Kent casually spoke up, breaking the ice.
"No d'uh -ouch!" Wally flinched as Artemis's elbow made painful contact with his ribs.
"I'm Artemis." the girl introduced "Mr. Manners here is Wally."
Kent smiled, amused by the interaction between the teens "Well, Artemis, we're against an opponent with tremendous mystic power."
"Abra Kedabra?" Flash smacked his lips together, making a tsk sound "Flash proved he used futuristic technology to simulate magic. Guy is all show and no biz'."
"Right you are!"
Hearing those words, Wally crossed his arms, smug. Artemis, on the other hand, gaped in shock "He is?"
"Abra is a charlatan." Kent assured them both "But Klarion the Witch Boy; the kid with the cat; he's an actual Lord of Chaos. The ultimate enemy of a Lord of Order like Doctor Fate."
Wally was, obviously, not impressed "Yeah right." he hummed, arching his eyebrows "You are the Lord of Order."
"Oh no, not me! I'm just an old coat Fate used to put on. Until my wife Inza convinced me there could be more to life." the man took a locket out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a photograph of his beloved "Aah, she was a real pistol, that Inza." Kent cleared his throat, putting the piece of jewelry away "Anywho, Klarion is after the Helmet. If he gets his sticky little mitts on it, he'll turn the planet in to his own personal playground of pandemonium." he looked up, deep in thought "I don't suppose you two have come across Hannah in your travel through the Tower?"
"We thought she was with you." Wally uncrossed his arms.
The man sighed "We got separated. The plan was that I distract those two while she escapes and finds all of you youngsters." he let a smile creep on to his lips "Unfortunately, it seems you got separated from the rest of your team, too. That's alright though, I suppose. We're all headed to the same place."
The elevator dinged, signifying that they have arrived to their designated floor.
"And wouldn't you know it, here we are!"
Kent was the first one to step out, with Artemis and Wally following after, albeit a bit hesitatingly. They were still in the stair-room, which seemed almost infinite. But the platform they were located on was different than others. Unlike any other, this one had a giant, ornate bell located in the middle. Kent stood in front of the bell, letting his eyes glaze over it as he seemed to wait for something. And before Artemis or Wally could question him, the thing he was waiting for happened.
On the platform above them, upon which the bell was hung, a yellow flash of light appeared, forming the shape of a rectangle. It soon proved to be a door; Superboy and Kaldur falling out and landing on the floor in a mess. As oppose to them, Miss Martian and Hannah floated down from the opening gracefully, landing safely and soundlessly on the floor.
"I told you I would find a way out!" Hannah exclaimed proudly. Grigor flew down from the passageway, landing on her shoulder.
"You could have warned us about the landing." Superboy grunted as he got to his feet.
"Warning." she exclaimed as she made her way to Kaldur, helping him to his feet after the nasty fall and the gravity shift "Watch out. The first step is a doozy!"
Kent chuckled, turning to Wally "Friends of yours?"
"Mr. Kent!" Hannah beamed as she made her way towards him. Alas, before she could reach him, both she and Kent had to duck to avoid the ray of electricity that almost hit them. She looked up, frowning when she saw Klarion and Abra standing on one of the platforms. "How the hell did they get here so fast?!"
"Friends of yours?" Wally huffed, moving Kent out of the way of Abra's attacks.
Grigor flew in to the air and Hannah jumped back, avoiding his attacks. She growled in annoyance. Abra was just pushing her last buttons. She moved out of the way as another lightning bolt flew in her direction, the team dodging quickly as well as it hit the floor near them. With her concentration set on avoiding Abra's attacks, she didn't have time to take notice of the red flaming orb zooming straight towards her before it was too late. Her head snapped in the direction of the fireball, it was only inches away from making contact, that she only managed to raise her arms up above her face in hope it will provide at least some protection.
Thankfully, the burning pain never came. Though she did get the wind knocked out of her as someone tackled her to the ground. It took her a moment to retaliate, groaning in slight discomfort as the person removed themselves away from her "Are you alright?" Hannah swallowed a small lump in her throat as she accepted Kaldur's outstretched hand.
"Yes, I'm fine, I just…" a familiar laugh reached her ears, interrupting her mid-sentence.
She managed to catch a glimpse of Klarion before he disappeared through the bell portal "See you at the top!"
Hannah gritted her teeth "Goddamit…" she turned to Kaldur "I'm going after them! Can you handle Abra?" she hit her head lightly "What am I saying, of course you can handle him, he's easy picking! Later!" she looked up to where her familiar was flying "Grigor! We're moving out!" before Kaldur even had a chance to stop her she had already made a run for the bell.
Ignoring the sound of battle raging behind her, Hannah put her hand on the bell "No…" she growled and retracted her hand as if she were burned "No, no, no! He closed it when he went in! Dammit!" the girl hit the bell with her fist, making it vibrate in a low tone. She looked around frantically, trying to figure out what to do. "That door!" she exclaimed loudly, startling Grigor a bit. The area was filled with different doors, some hidden, some visible. But Hannah saw the one she needed. "Yes… -whoops!" she ducked as to avoid a lightning bolt that went just over her head "That door leads outside, c'mon!"
The girl and her familiar zoomed together through the air, reaching the door in minimum time. Hannah quickly opened the door and let Grigor fly out first before she followed after him, the door closing itself and disappearing when as soon as she was on the other side. The two found themselves right outside the base of the Tower, and they needed to get to the top, fast.
"Grigor, let's go!" Hannah boomed, taking in to the air and scaling up the tower. She didn't bother to slow down so that Grigor could catch up to her; she went at full speed. The closer to the top she got, the clearer she could hear the voices.
"Hey dumb kid!" was that Klarion? "You put it on, you may never get it off!"
Put what…
Hannah gasped
Oh no!
"NO!" Hannah screamed as she finally made it to the top. She flew up above the towers height, the momentum she gained from how fast she was going making it harder for her to stop. She watched in horror at the scene which unfolded before her eyes.
On one side of the tower stood Wally, a fallen Kent Nelson near him. And coming at both of them was a powerful attack, an enraged Klarion being the one on the attacking side. She helplessly watched as the speedster slowly lowered the Helmet over his head, the flames zooming closer to him. Hannah had no idea what was worse; Wally putting the Helmet on or Wally being annihilated by Klarion.
The flames hit straight on target, engulfing Wally in flames.
"WALLY!"
The girl let out a sob "No…no, he can't be…"
But as the smoke cleared, a figure stood tall. Clad in gold and blue stood the other horrid option oppose to Wally dying.
"Doctor…Fate" Hannah breathed out, running her hand through her hair. Wally was alive! But at what cost? What if Nabu decided to never let him go? What if – "Ow! What the…" Hannah moved her hand away from her head and brought both of her wrists up so she could examine them. They were absolutely burning. It hurt worse than ever before. Confused, she watched as the black layer over the bracelets started cracking and peeling away, revealing the bright, shining gold beneath. As it did, she stumbled a bit, her control over her magic wavering. Hannah's eyes went wide as realization hit her. She spread out her arms in an attempt to steady herself, putting all her concentration in to flying.
"…oh dear lord, no."
Her body gave way as all inflow of magic was abruptly cut off.
Hannah let out a scream when she realized she was falling and that there was a long way down.
Panic and adrenaline coursed through her veins. Hannah twisted her body in the air, the wind whipping her almost painfully, forcing her to squint as her eyes filled with tears. She reached out her arms, hoping that she will somehow manage to grab the edge of the stone hedge. She had to be close enough. She had to! Her legs flailed in the air as she instinctively tried using them to kick off, but there was nothing she could use as a platform.
Her hands didn't even come close to the edge.
The fall continued, and images started flashing in her mind. Memories, faces, even voices and feelings; they completely overwhelmed her.
"Baby girl~"
Hannah blinked away tears; a long gone voice, embedded in to her memory, echoed in her head.
"I can't die like this…"
"I can't die like this!"
"Someone, help me!"
Red suddenly filled her vision. Hannah had to wonder for a moment if this was what dying looked like. Where was the pain, then? She expected death to hurt. Her mind was running a thousand thoughts per second that it made it almost impossible for her to contemplate what was happening. The first thing she registered was that the sensation of falling had stopped. The wind was no longer furiously beating at her body. But then, as she tried to move, she realized her movement was fairly limited. Hannah forced her thoughts to calm down and tried to take everything in.
She was being lifted back up! Her eyes adjusted as she blinked away fresh tears that blurred her vision, and she managed to take in the sight before her. An enormous, red claw had a tight hold around her body, lifting her back up to the top of the Tower. The hold on her was secure, but it wasn't crushing her. The top of the Tower came in to vision and the claw moved around so that she was placed upright, in order for her to be placed on to the cobble stone feet first. Hannah observed quietly, her mouth agape, at the two magical beings engaged in battle before her. The calm Doctor Fate standing his ground against Klarion's attacks. And Klarion stood, enraged, a wave of flames coming from his outstretched hand, but only managing to hit his Ankh shield.
"You had to appear and ruin all my fun!" she heard Klarion yell angrily at the man before him.
The claw placed her down on to the ground. Somehow managing to stand on her own two feet (and not collapse, seeing as her knees wobbled dangerously), Hannah felt confusion overtake her. She directed her attention to Klarion; he seemed too taken in with shouting angrily at his nemesis. Yet, she saw it. For a moment, Klarion shifted his gaze to her. Just for a second. The one hand he wasn't using against Doctor Fate seemed to be pointed in her direction, but he soon moved it away with a swish, the claw that saved her life disappearing as he did. And with that, his attention on her was gone; his focus back on Nabu.
Hannah felt her mind draw a blank at the turn of events. She was unsure of what exactly her train of thoughts should even be in a situation like this one.
Klarion was the one. The one who saved her.
A frazzled Grigor flew down to the girl, landing on her shoulder and squawking in panic. Hannah awoke from her daze and realized a very important thing she had forgotten. With her legs still feeling like they could give in any second, she managed to make a run to where she saw Kent Nelson had fallen. She ran past Doctor Fate, whose eyes were set hard on Klarion; he didn't even acknowledge her! Hannah scoffed; she could have died because of him, the least he could do is recognize she existed.
But this was not what she should be focusing on right now.
"Mr. Kent?" Hannah whispered softly, kneeling next to the man who lied on the ground. As she did, Grigor flew off her shoulder and on to the ground, near her thighs "Mr. Kent, we have to get out of here, c'mon…" she barely contained a yelp when she heard an explosion behind her. She took a quick look back; the two were engaged in a fight and there was magical energy flying everywhere. But, she noticed as well that there was a golden force-field placed over her and Mr. Kent. She let out a shaky sigh. Nabu was keeping them safe from stray attacks. So he did notice her presence.
Grigor looked at the girl, then back at Kent. He tilted his head slightly and came closer to him, gently prodding him with his beak. When the man didn't react, Grigor let out a soft caw, calling for Hannah's attention.
The girl looked down at him, before laughing weakly "What do you mean? Of course he's alright!" she put her hand on Kent's shoulder, giving him a small shake "C'mon Mr. Kent, you have to wake up." Grigor let out another caw, soothing, but Hannah didn't want to listen "No! Shut up! He can't be dead!" she shook Nelson harder "Mr. Kent this isn't funny anymore!"
She let out a small cry as another explosion sounded behind her, the ground shaking beneath her. "Mr. Kent, c'mon, you have to-" she moved her hand up from his shoulder to the side of his face and froze at the contact.
Why was he so cold?
Her throat tightened uncomfortably. She moved her now shaking hand down to his neck, slowly, scared. Placing her index and middle finger lightly in the hollow located between his neck muscle and his windpipe, Hannah felt for a pulse. Her face paled considerably when she realized that she couldn't feel anything. Hannah removed her hand away from Kent's neck and slowly readjusted herself. She moved her legs from underneath her to sit more comfortably.
"He's dead." she stated in an unnaturally even voice. Hannah raised her hand to her face, covering it for a brief second as she took in a shivering breath, before she ran it through her hair, nails raking along the base of her scalp. A very dry laugh escaped her lips "106 years old, and now he decides it's time to die." the laugh sounded louder than what she had intended. She put a hand over her chest, trying to calm her erratic breathing.
Still chuckling unnaturally, Hannah got to her feet. Her legs felt shaky, her knees wobbly, her chest felt painfully hollow. But she stood up on her own two feet, no matter how insecurely it was. It took all her strength to do so, but she did it. Grigor observed her, his eyes never leaving. She looked so frail; to him, she looked like a small child again. He flew up, circling in the air above her shortly before he landed down on her shoulder. He was under the impression that doing so would cause her to break and fall to the ground. So when Hannah raised her hand to pet him instead, he felt a little more at ease.
Grigor felt his beloved master move; she turned away from her dead guardian and faced the fight that was taking place. He, too, was intrigued by the display of power between Klarion and Nabu. The force field that Doctor Fate had placed over them was still standing strong, shielding them from any harm. Hannah took a few more steps forward, her eyes glued to the show before her.
Before them, Nabu and Klarion were encased in battle.
It was almost poetic. Chaos and Order. Constantly at battle.
The Witch Boy seemed to have felt her eyes on him, for he paused in his attacks for a split second and turned his attention to her. The eyes of the two met. Coal black clashing against deep brown. Hannah felt her chest tighten.
Of course Hannah knew that the one responsible the demise of Kent Nelson was none other than him.
But the way he looked at her. The boy that stood there seemed so…small. He seemed like a child who just got caught doing something he shouldn't, but was not about to admit it. He did the deed in conscious mind and he didn't regret it, even if he knew it was wrong. But then why…?
The little moment was cut short when Doctor Fate realized Klarion was distracted and attacked. The boy let out a yelp as his body disintegrated in to the yellow flash. Hannah gasped, her body moving forward in an attempt to reach him, only to calm down when she saw Klarion appear behind Doctor Fate and shoot him out of the sky.
The fight continued. Klarion was obviously holding the upper hand, Hannah concluded, and she even knew why. With Wally as his host body, someone who pretty much didn't have mystic bone in his body, Nabu could not use his powers to his full extent.
"You're out of practice Nabu!" the Witch Boy taunted "And that pathetic host body? Zero affinity for the mystic arts!"
With a simple snap of his fingers, thunder clouds formed in the sky in a whirling vortex. Nabu barely had the time to even put up a barrier over him before the lightning struck down on him. The Lord of Order let out a grunt as the lighting flashed, struggling to hold up his shield. It took him all his concentration.
Klarion laughed "Oooh, rainbow power~" to his side, Teekl let out a meow "I am paying attention, you stupid cat!" he hissed, the cat growling in return "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm winning!"
Doctor Fate narrowed his eyes before he unleashed a powerful blast. Hannah let out a scream, barely keeping her footing "It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plain." Hannah looked up as Doctor Fate spoke. His voice was mixed with Wally's and she felt her chest ache again "I am bound to the Helmet, and use a human host. But that is not your way."
The girl took a few more steps forward, until her hands were pressed against the inside of the force-field. Her eyebrows arched in confusion at Nabu's words.
"You're babbling, Nabu!" Klarion fumed.
"Am I?"
Nabu charged an attack. Klarion put up a force-field in front of him, but, the attack missed him completely. It zoomed past him and instead, hit Teekl dead-on.
"Oh no! Teekl!" Hannah felt her throat tighten; the sight of Teekl being harmed invoked the thought of her own familiar being harmed, or worse. Nabu should know better! How could he attack a Witch's familiar; that is the lowest thing to do!
"TEEKL!" an anguished yell came from Klarion. The boy fumed as he turned to face Nabu once more "I can't believe you would assault a defenseless pussy cat!"
"We both know that creature is no cat, Witch Boy." Nabu spat "And without your familiar, you have no anchor in this reality." as he said this, Klarion's presence seemed to flicker, his body in the physical plain having trouble maintaining its existence.
"Teekl was…his anchor all along?" the girl mussed. It made sense! She felt so stupid for not figuring it out earlier! Klarion spat out insults at Nabu, completely beyond himself in anger. But the Lord of Order didn't seem fazed by such childish banter, and sent another ray of magic energy at the kid.
"Holly crap!" Klarion yelped, quickly phasing through one of his portals before the attack hit him. He appeared next to Teekl, taking his injured familiar in to his arms "We're out of here!" and just like that, the boy was gone.
As soon as he left, there was nothing but silence. The force field dissolved in to the ground, enabling her to walk around freely.
Hannah stood her ground, observing Nabu for any reactions. When he gave away none, she carefully made her way towards him. "Mr. Kent is dead." she informed him courtly as she finally stood in front of him.
"I know of Kent Nelson's demise." Nabu responded.
There was a moment of silence between them as Hannah expected him to say something more. When he didn't, she was getting irritated "Oh, you know? Is that all you can say on the matter?!"
"He tried to put on the Helmet, but was stopped by Klarion. There was nothing I could have done to save his life."
"He died protecting you!" Hannah felt her temper rising "And all you can say is 'Oh yeah, I know he's dead'. How can you be so stoic in this situation?! Mr. Kent is dead! One of your longest partners, my guardian, he is dead!" as much as she tried, she could not help the tears that were already rolling down her cheeks. She rubbed them away furiously with the ball of her thumb. She was at least thankful that her voice didn't crack.
Nabu remained silent
The girl glared at him "Is this how it's going to be then? Mr. Kent is dead, and you're taking Wally, robbing him of his future, his hopes and dreams?! He's the worst candidate you could find, the numbskull doesn't even believe in anything supernatural, unless it's achieved by science!"
As the Lord of Order continued his reign of silence, Hannah felt herself lose her conviction. "Are you just going to ignore me?" she whispered. Still no reaction "Nabu…please." her voice wavered "You can't do this to Wally. If you let him go then…" she hesitated, her voice finally cracking "…then maybe I could…" she turned her head away, her eyes shutting tightly. The words she was about to say sounded bitter, even as they formed in her head.
A bright light flashed, so bright it was even through her eyelids it was blinding. Her eyes snapped open and she turned to face Nabu, only to find Wally standing in his place "Oh my god, WALLY!" the girl jumped on him, enveloping him in a tight hug. "Wally, you're here! I mean, you were here, but now you're here!" she backed away slightly, her hands still on his shoulders. She raised her eyebrows in confusion "But…how are you here?"
The boy took a step away from her, the Helmet securely in his arms "We made a deal." he seemed very shook up "He agreed to let me go." Hannah felt her breath stop short. Was he referring to what she was about to offer to Nabu earlier? "Hannah, listen. I heard what you said." he stopped short "I mean, what you almost said. You were going to offer to trade places with me." he looked away for a moment, as if embarrassed "Thank you…you know, for wanting to do that."
The girl backed away a bit as well, running her hand through her hair "Yes, well. Yeah." she coughed a bit "You're welcome."
They stood in awkward silence. The two of them never were on the same level; with Hannah being very passionate about her magical heritage and Wally being…well, Wally. When they were younger, they would get in to many arguments and fights over the probability of the mystic arts, which resulted in the current awkward tension between the two.
Wally sighed "This is ridiculous." he let out and walked up to the girl "Listen, there is a big chance that after today I may or may not be more open to the idea of magic being real. Which means there is even a bigger chance that I am actually really, really sorry for all those times I teased you about magic." he declared "But you have to promise not to tell anyone. Especially not Artemis! She'll never let me hear the end of it!"
Hannah actually managed to smile at how flustered he looked "I promise I won't." she gently slapped his shoulder "Even if I don't know who Artemis is."
She watched at Wally let out a tired smile and felt a bit better that she managed to get such a reaction out of him. Though, unfortunately, it quickly dropped from his lips as he looked behind her. It didn't take her long to realize what he was looking at. Hannah turned around and the two of them silently made their way towards Kent Nelson. Wally kneeled down and picked up the locket that was next to Kent's body. He opened it, taking a look at the picture of Inza inside, before he turned to Hannah. He took her hand in to his and put the locket in to her palm. Hannah had trouble moving her eyes away from the locket in her hand, unsure what to do with it.
"Kent said…" Wally started, unsure of his own words "…he said it's okay to be sad." he put a hand on to her shoulder, trying to comfort her "But he also asked you not to mourn over him too long. You're too young to spend your life in grief."
Hannah's breath hitched in her throat as she swallowed down a sob that threatened to escape her. Before the tears had a chance to fall, she rubbed her eyes, forcing herself to regain her composure. When the tears that threatened to fall were gone, she furrowed her brows, determined, and nodded. And with that, she turned towards her passed guardian once more, kneeling down next to him. Hannah gently placed the locket in to Kent's hand.
The two teenagers mourned the loss of Kent Nelson in silence.
SALEM
AUGUST 21, 15:50 EDT
A soft knock suddenly returned Hannah from her thoughts. She shook her head, her mind buzzing with so many thoughts that it felt like she wasn't even thinking about anything at all "Yes?"
"Hannah?" M'gann's voice was soft "The ceremony is about to start."
"Give me just one minute, I'll be right out!" Hannah called out.
Hannah sighed and turned back to her vanity mirror, inspecting her image. Grigor was perched comfortably on the top of the mirror, his claws scratching the wooden frame. It was the second day since Kent Nelson died; as well as the day of his funeral. She cast a glance at the clock on the wall and saw that the ceremony should be starting soon; just like M'gann had informed her. Lazily, she turned back to the mirror once again. Kent was to be buried next to Inza, near the Tower. The Justice league, along with the sidekicks, had gathered already, she guessed, and were waiting outside. She, on the other hand, was sitting in her room up in the Tower, mentally preparing herself for the entire ordeal.
Her image in the mirror seemed so foreign to her. Ever since Kent's death she…she felt estranged from herself. She felt like the person in the mirror was a complete stranger to her. Sure, the girl in the mirror looked familiar; her blond hair was neatly combed, reaching her shoulders, her brown eyes watched back curiously. She wore the same black shirt and skirt she did. But she seemed like she wasn't her at all.
The girl reached out one hand to touch the mirror, her duplicate doing the same. It felt so bizarre.
She thought back to when she first changed her hair to blond. It wasn't her natural color. But, when she was 10, she cut all her hair and dyed it to blond. It was her way of dealing with what had happened to her at that time. It was her way of leaving who she was and what had happened behind her. She didn't like thinking back to that time and instantly discarded those thoughts.
"You're too young to spend your life in grief."
The last words Kent had sent her way, via Wally. They were constantly echoing in her head. "Maybe…" she wondered out loud "…maybe I should start anew…?"
Hannah gave the girl in the mirror one last look; the girl was broken, sad and grieving. Maybe it was for the best to leave that girl behind. Hannah bit her lip, before closing her eyes and sighing. When she opened them again, they were determined and focused.
She raised one hand to her hair, entangling her fingers in the blond locks. "Goodbye." she whispered and pulled her hand away from her head, the locks entangled in her fingers following the movement. As they did, they started growing longer, blond hair turning in to dark brown. When they were long enough, they fell from her fingers, landing neatly down her back, reaching about an inch bellow her shoulders. The rest of her hair followed the same example and changed their color and length to match.
(a/n: please read the authors note at the bottom for a little treat involving this scene!)
Shoulders tense, Hannah took in her current appearance. Her hair was now colored a dark brown, reaching down below her shoulders. Half-way down, the locks started curling up, much unlike her former, completely straight blonde hair.
"It still doesn't fit…" she muttered. Grigor cawed from on top of the mirror and Hannah put her thumb to her lips, biting in to it slightly. "Maybe…" she looked down to the vanity table, inspecting the different cosmetic products she used. Her eyes landed on a pair of scissors and she raised an eyebrow, an idea hitting her. She took the instrument, inspecting it for a few moments, before she gathered up the courage to use them.
Grigor looked down on his beloved master as she used the scissors. She never cut her hair, using only magic to maintain it, so she seemed a bit inexperienced with them. She let out soft grunts as she struggled with the scissors, cutting her bangs. He couldn't help but feel a bit worried when he saw how she cut them.
"There, this is so much better!" she exclaimed and looked at her reflection. Her bangs were not as neat as she wanted them too, but they had the basic shape she was aiming for. They took the shape of a V, longer in the middle and shorter as they spread out. Hearing Grigor's disgruntled caw, she frowned "What do you mean? Who could they remind me of?"
The crow rolled his eyes. He wasn't about to tell her that she unconsciously cut her bangs in the same style like the Witch Boy.
Hannah stood up, deciding to ignore Grigor for the moment. She took a black ribbon from inside one of the drawers and tied her hair in a low pony tail, before giving her reflection one last look "Death is the marking of new beginnings. It is time to start over." she spoke up, her familiar flying down and landing on her shoulder. "Let's go, Grigor."
She made her way out of her room, finding M'gann waiting for her patiently outside the door. "Hey, you…ready?" the Martian seemed to hesitate when she saw how different Hannah looked.
Without a second thought, Hannah walked up right next to M'gann, smiling softly "I felt like I needed a change. You like?" she asked, doing a small twirl.
M'gann's lips twitched in a smile, her eyes warming up in understanding "It suits you." she offered Hannah to move ahead first "C'mon, everyone is waiting."
SALEM
AUGUST 21, 16:07 EDT
It was an appropriately horrid, rainy day, Hannah concluded. The skies wept for the loss of such a great man. Everyone was here, at least from what she could see. She was acquainted with most of the Justice League, and pretty much all of the sidekicks, so she recognized all the faces. She was glad to see Robin, as he was not there during the rescue mission with his team. M'gann told her that he was away with Batman on a mission of their own.
The Team, as Hannah had decided to call them for the time being, had stayed in the Tower with her all day yesterday while the adults arranged everything needed for Kent's funeral. Hannah was more than thankful to both groups for what they had done. During this time, she got more acquainted with the new members she hadn't known. She finally learned who this Artemis that Wally had told her about was. And Hannah had to admit, she girl was not only gorgeous, but incredibly likable. Superboy, on the other hand, was not the friendliest type, but he seemed supportive enough in Hannah's time of need. Miss Martian also felt close enough to her and gave away her real identity. M'gann Morz. She insisted that Hannah called her Megan though, even if Hannah liked the original version of her name better. She barely let Hannah spend a second alone, and to be honest, Hannah liked the attention and care she had given her. She was very fond of the Martian girl already.
Red Tornado was the one who was giving a speech in Kent Nelson's memory. Hannah felt that she would not be able to be able to come out of giving a speech with her mental health intact, so she politely declined doing so and asked someone else to do it. Red Tornado volunteered immediately. She was very thankful for that.
"Kent Nelson did not require a magic helmet to be a hero." Tornado spoke "Kent dedicated his life, gave his life, to safeguard this world from evil. May he finally find rest with his beloved Inza."
Hannah bit her lips, the pain distracting her from the urge to start crying. She didn't like crying in front of people. So instead, she tried to focus on something else for at least a moment. She looked away from Tornado; she looked away from the graves of Kent and Inza, placed next to each other. She just needed to calm herself for long enough to ward away tears.
She scanned everything around her, distracting her mind. Her eyes glazed hastily over trees and building, before she, unexpectedly, caught sight of a figure standing in the shade of a tree far from them. She squinted her eyes a bit, trying to see better. It almost looked like…
"…Klarion?!" Hannah looked around at the people present to see if any of them had noticed the boy. But it seemed none of them did.
So, the new-found brunette let herself look at what she thought was Klarion. No, it was definitely him, she concluded. She recognized Teekl in his arms. Hannah felt Grigor tense, his claws tightening on her shoulders and scratching her, but she raised her hand to pet him, telling him this way to calm down. "What is he doing here?" she wondered. Klarion stood there, observing the ceremony quietly. Though Hannah had to admit that the chance of Klarion coming for the funeral was less than likely. "So then…why?"
He seemed to take his attention away from the happening for a brief moment as he told something to Teekl, before he lifted his gaze up back to her. Hannah arched her eyebrows, almost like she tried to ask him what he was doing. Klarion, even if he had seen her clearly enough, didn't really respond. He just gave her one last look before a portal appeared above his head and moved down over him, before disappearing silently.
Hannah wasn't sure if Klarion was even there or if she had imagined it.
SALEM
AUGUST 21, 18:00 EDT
"…and you can come live with us!" M'gann exclaimed "Wouldn't that be great? Me and Superboy already live there, but having you around will be great! The more the merrier!" she giggled. The girls were walking around the Tower. Most of the people left after the funeral was over, as Hannah had asked them to, with only M'gann and Superboy remaining. She wanted to have some time to recollect her thoughts. M'gann offered to walk Hannah to her room before she and Superboy left in the bioship. "That way, you won't have to be alone. Batman already said it would be okay!"
Hannah chuckled "That sounds great, M'gann. But can I sleep on the decision? Moving is not always as easy as it seems."
"Of course!" M'gann beamed. The two reached the door to Hannah's room, and when they stopped, M'gann gave Hannah a big hug, startling her slightly "Trust me, it will be fun. I promise. You will be part of the team, part of our family!" She took a step back from the brunette, still smiling. "I'll come visit tomorrow and you can tell me what you decided, okay?"
"You have yourself a deal." Hannah nodded, feeling M'gann's excitement rub off on her. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Do you know the way out?"
"Of course!" the girl laughed "Goodbye Hannah!"
"Bye M'gann!" Hannah watched as M'gann retreated back through the way they came. She smiled a bit before turning around and walking in to her room, closing the door behind her and leaning against it.
Removing the ribbon from her hair, she slid down the door a bi. She felt absolutely exhausted. Both emotionally and physically. She wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep.
"Long time no see."
…maybe that sleep would have to wait.
Grigor let out a sound very similar to growling, and Hannah narrowed her eyes at the boy seated comfortably on the sofa inside her room, his orange cat lying comfortably across his lap.
"If by 'long time' you mean 'since this afternoon', then yes, long time no see." Hannah drawled, crossing her arms.
Klarion's lips stretched in to a toothy leer "I like what you did with your hair."
Hannah felt the corner of her lips twitch up in a sneer. Grigor, on the other hand, was already cawing dangerously, his feathers ruffling in anger. "Calm down." she told him in a stern voice; the bird looked at her in disbelief, before he flew off her shoulders and landed on top of the mirror, glaring daggers at their uninvited guests. But he stayed silent this time. "Now, let us start this again. Why are you here, Witch Boy?"
Klarion shooshed Teekl from his lap so he could stand up "I came to see you." he stated as if it were something obvious. "Well, actually, to offer my condolences and sincere apology."
Hearing these words, Hannah finally felt herself snap. In moments, she was away from the door and in front of the Witch Boy, pushing him roughly in anger "Condolences? Apology?!" she roared "How dare you?! How dare you come to me after what you had done and speak such filthy lies to me?!" her voice cracked, but still she fought off the tears. By this point, Klarion was pushed against the wall, her hand gripping his collar so tight that her knuckles turned white from pressure. "You have no regret over the death of Kent Nelson, Witch Boy! Someone like you has no regret over any death that came by your hand!"
"I never said I was sorry I killed him!" Klarion retorted, amazingly calm given the situation. Hannah let out a feral growl and raised one fist in to a position to punch him. Klarion covered his face when she did that, the memory of how she almost broke his nose before flashing before his eyes. "What I am apologizing for is killing someone close to you!"
Hannah tensed up "Excuse you?"
Klarion relaxed a bit when no fist flew flying in his face. He looked down at her, his face serious "I said that I am sorry that I killed someone you cared about."
She could feel her entire body tense up so much that it almost hurt, the urge to punch him rising. And for a second, she snapped her fist back as if she were going to, but her lips quivered horribly. She tried once more, but again, her lower lip quivered and she bit down it to it, trying to stop it.
"…are you going to punch me or not?"
"Shut up!" Hannah growled. She held her head low, her bangs covering most of her face "What kind of an apology is that?" she let out a dry laugh "Y…you idiot!" she lowered down the hand that threatened to break his nose. Instead, she brought her fist to his chest, hitting it, though not as hard as one would expect "T-that is the worst apology I heard in my life!" her voice quivered and she sucked in a sharp breath. Her entire body was so tense that she expected that it would break at any moment.
Klarion placed a hand gently over her shoulder.
And she broke.
A loud sob finally erupted from her lips.
Her legs gave way under her and Hannah fell down to her knees, uncontrollable sobs escaping her. Klarion kneeled down with her, both of his hands gripping her shoulders tightly as the girl trembled violently with each heart wrenching sob. "I'm sorry." he repeated once more and Hannah gripped on to his coat tightly, her forehead pressed tightly against his chest. By now, her sobs were so uncontrollable that she felt like she might forget how to breathe and choke. But she couldn't stop anymore, not even if she wanted to.
Her hands released their iron grip on the boy and flew to her chest, gripping her shirt "I-it…it hur-ts so bad!" she cried.
"I know." Klarion replied.
"Y..yo…you ki-lled him!" the girl shouted and punched his chest with one hand.
"I know."
Hannah gasped a few times, her lungs screaming for oxygen "You KILLED him!"
"I know." he repeated once more "I'm sorry he was important to you."
The girl let out a loud wail, pushing her body closer to Klarion, seeking comfort. Klarion responded almost instantly, placing one hand on top of her head, his fingers entangling themselves in to her locks. The two of them stayed like that for some time, the girl sobbing grossly and the boy letting her take comfort in his embrace. As time passed, her tears slowly subsided until the only thing that was left were the dry hiccups and sobs that escaped her.
When even the sobs finally died out, Hannah felt lighter than air. This was the first time she had cried ever since Kent had died, and it felt liberating. Her head hurt from crying, her throat was scratched up and sore and her lungs burned from all the sobbing, and she knew her entire face was probably a horrid, red and puffy mess. But she felt better than she had in days.
Hannah took in a deep, shaky breath "Klarion…" she rasped "…I forgot to thank you…for saving my life back then." she heard him let out a huff through his nose in a silent laugh.
"Yes, you did." he responded quite cockily.
The girl let out a laugh, even if her sore throat disagreed with that action, so the laugh ended in a cough. Hannah brought up her arm to her face and wiped away any excess snot and tears with her sleeve "Don't be an ass."
"I rescued you from splattering on the ground even after you almost broke my nose." Klarion pointed out "I think I can be an ass for not receiving a proper 'thank you'."
She hit his chest lightly "Shut up. You still killed Mr. Kent."
Klarion shifted slightly, his body a bit sore from being in one position for so long "And I apologized!" he exclaimed dramatically "And yet, I am still not receiving any gratitude for saving your life!"
Another hoarse laugh escaped Hannah. She moved and properly embraced Klarion, her chin resting on his shoulder and her arms enveloping him completely. The boy seemed to freeze, not expecting this turn of events. She tightened the embrace on him, bringing him closer.
"Thank you, Klarion."
A/n: Angst! Character death! Fluff! Pretty much everything you need.
I apologize in advance if the apology scene was... not very Klarion. It was hard to write out, and even now it still feels unnatural to have him apologize. Albeit, he was an ass even as he apologized, but still. (I hope everyone understood what exactly he was sorry for. He didn't regret killing Kent, per say, but more regreted that the person he killed was someone Hannah cared for. What an ass.)
Alright so, I am not sure when I will update again after this. But I made sure to make this chapter long, as an apology for that former hiatus.
ALSO VERY IMPORTANT NOTE. A while ago, I actually animated the scene where Hannah grows out her hair with magic. I'm incredibly proud of it, and I think you might like it too. It is on my tumblr! Go see it please, I think it will help you see that scene better!
The link is: freakxwannaxbe {dot} tumblr {dot} com/tagged/animation
It is the first post you will see. Just erase the spaces and put actual periods instead of {dot}. Enjoy!