Richard looked for her everywhere. And he literally meant everywhere. He searched the streets and the clubs and the bars and everywhere he could possibly think of that she would visit. He even searched the libraries upon recalling she mentioned she loved the classics.

But no matter where, or how hard, he looked for her, she was nowhere to be found.

And it drove him crazy.

He groaned as he perched on the edge of the fire escape near his apartment. Thinking about her wouldn't get him anywhere, and it would only serve as a distraction for him.

Now was not the time for him to be distracted.

With a sigh he dove over the edge and landed perfectly on his feet. His client had requested to meet him in the alley-which he found quite strange but didn't question-in exactly two minutes.

Nightwing ran his hand through his dark hair. He really needed to focus. He needed this job. He had to do something to distract him.

A sudden wind swept through the alley and he whipped around to face it. He couldn't help the sinking feeling in his gut that he was being watched. Now that he became slightly paranoid, he began hearing things. Someone whistling, something running into the dumpster against the wall, giggling of a girl.

Wait, why did that giggle sound familiar?

He turned back around, thinking the sound came from the mouth of the alley. Nightwing moved to follow, only, something rather odd occurred.

He felt someone blow on his ear. It was followed by feather light touches on the nape of his neck, followed by that giggle. A shiver ran down his spine and sank deep into his bones.

Richard whirled around, finding himself alone in the alley, as he had been, and noting that everything was exactly where it had been.

Nothing moved. No one was there.

So who was that standing behind him only mere seconds ago?

"Excuse me?" A male voice called out and Nigtwing faced the entrance of the alley, hand flying to his utility belt. A man in a long trench coat and fedora stood yards away from him. "Are you Nightwing?"

His hand strayed from his belt. Immediately he squared his shoulder and brought himself to his full height. He have a curt nod and the man approached him. "I have been waiting for this moment." Now that the voice was closer, Richard felt he knew the voice. Maybe his nerves were on edge from the incident just moments ago...

The man reached for his pocket, only to quickly grab the edge of the coat and throw in on the ground, the fedora following shortly after it. Nightwing stood, taking in the man's features. Tall, fairly muscular, dark hair with a few patches of gray...

Shit.

"Hello, child."

...

Running. Running was the only thing he could really do, and he couldn't even do that well. Something was definitely wrong with his ankle, he could tell by the way a sharp pain rocked through it when he put pressure on it, but stopping was not an option.

"Give it up, child!" He heard Slade behind him. "You won't get away from me this time!"

Dammit, his voice sounded closer than it had last time. If Richard was going to get away, he had to bolt, and he had to bolt fast. He pushed harder, the pain in his left ankle worsening with each stride. He was always tough when it came to injuries, but this was about to make him collapse.

Up ahead was a fence, and there was a dumpster close enough that he could jump on it, kick off the wall, and propel himself over the fence well enough so he could roll and continue to run.

He glanced over his shoulder, catching Slade at a too close for comfort distance away from him.

He made his decision.

Pushing off with his left foot, he sprang into the air, using his hands to grip the side of the dumpster, his bad ankle launching him from the dumpster, his right connecting with the wall, his left hand grabbing the top of the fence and sending him flying over.

It was then he realized he was going to have to land on his feet.

This would end very badly.

He closed his eyes and waited for the impact to break him, but instead, he felt something strong wrap around his chest, and his body was whipped around, facing the right. He opened his eyes, looking down, noticing that he was flying seven, maybe ten feet off the ground, and he was only going higher.

He caught a glimpse of black clad arms around him, and gazed above at his savior. He couldn't tell much about them, other than their face was hidden in the shadows of their hood.

Moments later, he was eased down onto his backside, his leg held straight out so it wouldn't land in the gravel. His hands caught him and eased him the rest of the way down. He felt a gentle push on his shoulders, and his back met something hard. He let out a relieved sigh and let his leg rest.

Richard's ankle throbbed and he let out a grunt, his eyes closing and the back of his head hitting the wall behind him. "Thanks for the save."

"You're welcome." A feminine voice answered, causing him sit straight up and his eyes to snap open. Before him knelt a girl with pale skin, purple hair, and four eyes, all of them red. She was easily the most intimidating woman he had ever met.

"I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you before." He said, trying to cover up his intimidation. "What's your-"

"I know you're intimidated by me," Her voice floated through the air between them, "so don't bother trying to hide it." Where had he heard that tone of voice before?

"Empath?" He questioned.

She titled her head to the side, as if confused, yet strangely, surprised. "You're a smart one, aren't you?"

"I also know you're something else," he shifted a little, wincing as a piece of gravel dug into his ankle, "but I don't know it just yet."

"Oh, Nightwing, don't the eyes give it away?" Her smile was sinister, and it made Richard want to shiver. "I'm half demon."

He smirked. "I just got saved by a demon?"

She leaned back to sit on her haunches, hands clasped between her knees. "Mhm. You owe me, Nightwing."

He relaxed into the wall. "Usually, people owe me. It's never the other way around."

"But you let Slade get the best of you, didn't 'cha?" She smiled at him again.

His blood boiled at her realization. "He caught me off guard. I thought he was out of town for the day, but I guess he decided to make a special appearance. Guess word got around I was planning something tonight."

Her smile faded as her eyes rested on his ankle. "I think you broke it." She spoke, reaching out to touch it. He jerked back and she gave a small laugh. "Relax, Boy Blunder," he glared at her at the insult, "I'm only trying to help."

"Why would you help me? You're a demon."

She flinched, as if he had struck her. She closed her eyes, and Richard watched as two of them disappeared. When she opened them again, her eyes weren't solid red. No, they looked to be normal, human eyes, only, her irises were a strange violet color. He found himself getting lost in them as he stared at her.

But, why did she seem so familiar to him?

"Half demon, thank you." She corrected, and his ankle felt a strange, yet soothing, tingling sensation. He looked down and saw his foot enveloped in some sort of black energy, and watched his laces unravel and the boot slide off his foot. If he hadn't have been watching, he wouldn't even be aware the boot was off.

"Hm," she said, leaning down to inspect it closer, "definitely broken. Nothing I can't fix."

"Fix?"

She looked up and smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I'm full of surprises."

She held her hands over his ankle and focused on her hands. A crystallized glow surrounded her hands, and he felt his body begin to react with it. He felt something move inside him, but strangely, it didn't hurt.

Richard focused on her face, watching her concentrate on the task at hand. One of her eyes twitched, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips. He jaw clenched once, then relaxed. He found her intriguing, beautiful, even.

But god, he felt he had seen her before, but he could not place a name for the life of him.

He felt the warmth spread through his entire foot, and after about a minute, she pulled her hands away, her hands grasping her knees.

Curiosity got the better of him and he moved his ankle slowly. It felt a little stiff, but it wasn't hurting. At all. He looked up at the pale girl, pure amazement on his face. A small smirk graced her lips. "Next time, try not to break any bones."

"Thank you..." He trailed off, hoping she would finish for him.

"Raven." She stated, pushing herself into her feet and walking towards the edge of the rooftop.

"Raven." He repeated. "I hope I see you again one day." He called out to her, rising to his feet, something in his brain telling him to go after her.

"Let's hope under different circumstances, Boy Wonder." She turned and gave him that cocky, almost sinful smirk. Her hands raised the hood of her dark cloak over her head, and a black energy, shaped like a raven, appeared, its wings surrounding her and phasing into the ground.

Boy Wonder? Someone had called him that just yesterday...