Boom chakalaka! Damn it's been a long week. Aeri was slammed. I was slammed. We should have gotten slammed, but we're underage. ...My teacher gave us a lecture about how FDR was the American Hitler...I'm not going to be able to survive another one of his classes. It was really bad, guys. Really bad. But all those reviews helped us out a lot! And made us write more! Heh, we actually both got yelled at for writing in class. My teacher read what i was writing to the class! Not even cool! No one can read my handwriting so I'm good. Jerk. Bitch. Ha: Sam and Dean FTW!
Which brings me to a very important topic: pairings! Obviously, I ship-For the record, I'd like to say that neither of us support incestual pairings. Just wrong on so many levels. Preach it, Aeri. Go fuck yourself. That works too. You see, sweet readers: we'd like to know what DC pairings you guys enjoy. Curious we are, in the ways of the world. Also known as Nox has been sad and wants attention. AERITH GAN! VANISH FROM MY SIGHT! And if I refuse? I'll, i dunno, string you up the flagpole? Isn't that what people are supposed to do to nerds and smartasses? You've been trying to land a prank on me all week. I've avoided every single one. What do you think that means, Nox? Damn.
Anyways: we don't own much. The title is from Boston's Peace of Mind. Nox is a goof...the usual.
Chapter 4: I Understand About Indecision (All I Want is to Have My Peace of Mind)
"How are they?" Cass inquired, glancing at Tim's computer. Tim looked at his partner, his eyes betraying his neutral expression.
"Recovering from a run in with the cult," he replied, running his hand through his hair. "Kon got-"
"Shot?" a voice asked. Tim nodded once as their hosts walked in. Jiro looked collected as usual, while the young Japanese woman beside him looked slightly sick. Coughing quietly, she spoke again, "I got the message from my team. I'm sorry-"
"It's not your fault, Ren," Tim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How the hell'd they get past us?"
"Pay offs?" Cass offered, watching as Tim brooded. They had been travailing through Europe and Asia in pursuit of a terroristic cult. They had thought that they'd cornered them in Okinawa, but somehow they had slipped through their grasps.
"It's possible," Jiro mused. "Or maybe there's another connection we've missed. A Yakuza connection?"
"My family would be a good place to start," Ren nodded. "I suppose the two of you want to head back to the States."
"Soon," Tim replied, mind still whirling. "How did they get past us? What the hell was there to gain from attacking my team?"
"I'll have the jet ready in an hour." Ren smiled halfheartedly at them as she pulled out her cell phone. As she made arrangements in Japanese, Jiro turned to the two Gotham heroes.
"She's trying," he tried, frowning slightly. "At least she's trying to be a hero."
"I know." Cass shrugged, smiling at the girl, "She's a Guardian."
"Better yet," Tim hummed. "She knows something about this cult. They all do."
"How the hell-?"
"Allow me to explain," Falcon cut in, his dark eyes meeting hers for a moment. She cocked an eyebrow at him as the man began his tale, "It was a month ago…"
"It's good to see you again, Rae," Falcon said, placing a hand on the cloaked girl's shoulder. "You know that there's always a place for you on the Guardians."
"I appreciate that, Falcon," Raven replied, offering a small smile. Nodding at her, the ninja stepped away.
"I'll leave you and Star to it then-"
"Wait," Steph interrupted, furrowing her brow. "Star? As in Starfire?"
"Are you going to interrupt again?"
"Answer the question, then I'll be quiet."
"…Yes. Starfire is a member of the Guardians. For now at least. May I continue?"
"Possibly?"
"I'm patrolling with Blackhawk." With that the winged ninja took off into the sky, quickly covering the distance between he and his teammate.
"You hear that?" the escrima stick user questioned from his spot on a rooftop. Falcon perched next to him, listening carefully. They were in the bad part of town, where violence was the norm. However, the night was nearly silent.
"It's quiet," Falcon nodded. "Too quiet."
"My thoughts exactly." Before Falcon could suggest anything, the quiet sound of footfalls drew their attention to the alley below them. Blackhawk's lips curled as he spoke, "It's a Runner."
Sighing quietly, the ninja dropped from his perch, landing almost silently in front of the Runner. He grabbed the guy by his collar before taking off into the sky, ignoring the terrified shrieks from the low-level criminal. Staring him down, Falcon spoke coldly, "Tell me everything. Now!"
"Th-th-th-there's this new guh-guh-guy on the s-s-s-streets. The h-h-h-h-Hood, he's called," the runner whimpered, attempting to grab onto Falcon to prevent a nasty fall.
"My arms are getting tired." The runner yelped at the comment, stammering out every piece of information he had on criminal activity in the city. He ended the tirade with a frightened squeak of:
"I heard a few guys saying that they were going to get the Hood. That's everything I know: I swear! Please don't drop me!" Falcon shrugged slightly, removing one hand from the runner's collar. Nonchalantly, he hit the criminal on the head, knocking him out cold. Slowly, Falcon lowered them to the roof where Blackhawk stood with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Why do I have the feeling I have to deliver him to jail?" the black and orange spandex dressed hero asked. Falcon tossed the unconscious body to him, chuckling slightly.
"Well, since you offered-"
"Screw you, Fal." Groaning, he attempted to throw the runner over his shoulder. "Why can't you get Bolt or Wham to do this stuff?"
"They're at the other end of the city." Growling at the ninja, Blackhawk watched as Falcon took off into the skies again, soaring off for a destination unknown to him. Growing serious, Falcon spoke quietly into his comm, "You got all of that Rin?"
"All that and more, Fal," the photographer replied, her voice distorted by the comm. "Do I even want to know-"
"Rin? The photographer? Is the entire city made up of your team now?" Falcon looked over at the blonde hero in what she assumed was disbelief.
"She used to be a hacker in Bludhaven actually. Rin's kept on a distinct need to know basis."
"Okay, how many heroes do you even have in this place?"
"How many people are in the Justice League?" Steph paused for a moment, wondering where the ninja was going with his question. "Or the Titans? The Teen Titans? The Birds of Prey? The Outsiders? The Justice Squad? Batman Inc?"
"Looks like someone did their homework."
"Can I continue the story you wanted to hear?"
"Can I get the Sparknotes version?"
"Can you shut up?"
"I said Sparknotes not Snarknotes." Falcon stared at her for a moment, before bursting out laughing. Steph allowed herself a quiet laugh of her own, aware of how absurd everything was. Here she was, face-to-face with a guy she barely knew, bantering like they were an old married couple.
"Alright, I'll sum it up for you, Bats," he began, once he had stopped laughing. "I hunted down the Hood, who naturally turned out to be the Red Hood, and smashed into the old tenet building just as he was shooting at the same people who attacked you. I managed to scare them off by my entrance, so I ordered Rin to track them through cameras as I took on the Red Hood."
"Was he…crazy?" Batgirl questioned, remembering everything she had been told about the former Robin. Although she had never met Jason, Tim's horror stories and his files were more than enough for her to get an understanding of him. He was angry, and that rage led to insanity.
"No, he's not crazy," Falcon replied, shaking his head. "Just broken."
The winged hero paused, before continuing slowly. "We had only barely begun to stop toying with each other when his partner cried out his name. She had gotten shot before I came, and the adrenaline from the fight had worn off completely. Next thing any of us knew, she was in his arms; him attempting to slow the bleeding while she told him not to bother."
"Oh god." Dick had spoken of Jason's sidekick only a few times, but it was enough for Steph to get an idea of exactly who Scarlet was. A young girl, horribly disfigured, taken in by the Fallen Robin himself. Vengeful and angry, the duo had taken on Batman and Robin a number of times and had always managed to get away.
"She died minutes before Starfire and Raven arrived with the rest of my team. Wham, Bolt, and Blackhawk took her body, while Star, I don't know, comforted him. Raven offered him the chance to numb the pain. Instead she gave him something he needed more." Batgirl looked at him, eyes showing her confusion clearly. Falcon looked down, his voice dropping, "Peace of mind."
"Do you think she's figured everything out yet?" Dick inquired, sitting on the kitchen counter. The redhead looked at him in mock-annoyance as she wheeled towards him. They were in her apartment, truly alone for the first time in what seemed like forever. Bruce was out on patrol with Damian; her team was operating without her. The two had managed to get through dinner and a half bottle of wine without a single interruption.
Shaking her head at him, Barbara answered simply, "Knowing her, not a chance. They're probably having a field day with this."
"Falcon's team never was the most mature group." A thin eyebrow rose at his comment, followed shortly by a quick:
"Need I remind you of your teams, Boy Wonder?"
"Boy Wonder?" Dick did his best to put on an indignant expression, only truly succeeding in earning a smirk from the gorgeous redhead across from him. Deciding instead to grin lewdly at her, he commented, "You won't be saying that later."
"You sure about that?" Hopping off the counter, Dick scooped the red haired hero out of her chair, and carried her bridal-style towards the bedroom.
"Completely," he hummed, before capturing her lips with his own.
AN: Oh god...I wrote fluff. Of course that was the part my teacher read to the class. Naturally. Anyways, that Snarknotes comment was actually something Aeri had said during one of her rehearsals apparently. Yup! Wade tells me these things *shakes head*. Anyways, unfortunately there's no Jason in this chapter. Next one for sure, we promise.
Review Answers:
Sand Torrent: Don't sell yourself short, Hawkie! Thanks for the compliments! It wasn't very action-filled or thrilling though...but like Nox the Fox said: don't sell yourself short. If you spend all your time comparing yourself to others in terms of style and skill, you only degrade your own work. Your style and skill level is different from mine or Nox's since you are you're own person. Aeri...that was beautiful. Thanks, Nox.
Gakupo's Lover: Finally, more Vocaloid fans. Am I to guess that you love GACKT as well? Thanks for the compliments, and if you want to see the voice of Gakupo kick ass, then watch Bunraku! Nox, we shouldn't advertise for things...we don't get paid for it. Anyways, it is nice to have a Vocaloid fan reading our work. It's different to say the least.
Italianxxxxpoet: Hiya Vergil! Guess what? We don't care that you're a creepy stalker guy! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hate you with an undying passion, Verge. I do feel bad for you Aeri, that role can't be an easy one. It's not.
Reilly: Yes. Yes it was. Aeri, answer his next question. Only a small group of ocs in this story are ours. I can't tell you how the others came up with their characters, but we'll explain ours. Rin, short for Katherine, is from an original work of mine called Binary. Her nickname's Thorin in that, but we decided to change her appearance and name slightly for this piece as its a different universe. Thorin is based off of myself and a few close friends. Ren, who appeared in this chapter, is from Nox's original piece Heart of Darkness. Ren, in that, is an actual deity, a Kitsune to be exact. Who she is in this is pretty obvious. Originally she was based off of me, before my bro reworked the personality for the RPG he frequents. Now she's more like Nox and a couple of friends of ours. One of whom is dead. So the character has now become even dearer to my heart. If the RPers who created the OCs we're using want to tell us how they came up with their characters, be my guest.
Richard's Girl: Not that I know of. Hey Hawkie! Is Blackhawk a member of the Blackhawks? OR is he related to Nighthawk in anyway?
IvyxHarley: Hehehe, oopies? And cut us some slack, the Scarecrow idea fell through.
Guest: ...I love Jason too...but he's not in it yet. Just a bit of backstory.
Broken Shadows: I love them too...Kon got a mention? He got shot in da face! With da kryptonite mon! Nox, don't. Party pooper, no cake for you.
LovethatJoker: Yes...yes you are. Because everyone else is a butthead! OR, y'know, tired.
Other Guest: Thanks! We hope you like it. *winks*
Anyways, I got a special message for my bro: Hyiea, there are not one, but two, oneshots in the process for you. One is what you mock requested. The other is what the story Falcon was telling was supposed to be (AKA part of the original draft of this chapter). In case no one here is familiar with the Gans, I'll explain. Aeri has a big bro who inspired her to write. She calls him Ace, Hyiea, Fal, etc. His name is as elusive as hers. I don't think anyone we know knows your real name, Aeri. What can I say? Seriously, she laughs whenever we try to guess.
Ha, please. Anyways, time to write a research paper on guitars. I'm out *drops mic*
What no! Aeri! Won't you procrastinate with me? I need you by my side so i can take over the world! Anyways, I love you guys, hopefully you all review. Probably you won't, but i'm cool with that. Oh, Fallen: your fic with the semi-Wall/Babs pairing is amazing. Best thing I've ever read. Peace out!