AN: Hi! Here is the second chapter, posted within 3 hours of the first one! Of course it probably helped that I had it pre-typed... Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own YJ! DC Comics does!

Run. Run. Had to keep running.

A twelve-year-old boy dashed through the trees, avoided brambles and tree roots with a mastered grace. Never daring to look back, he jumped over a fallen tree and splashed through a shallow creek. He could see the light of day ahead of him. He was almost away from them. He was almost free of their influence. He passed the last tree to find himself…

…in the middle of a brightly-lit circus. Five figures could be seen falling from the trapeze. With a sickening crunch they landed, right in front of them. He stared horrorstruck, his bright blue eyes wide. The two females and three males only stayed still for a moment before they started to rise. Their joints were bent at seemingly impossible angles as the bloodstained group began to reach for the young boy in front of them. The black haired child backed away before hearing the performers voices whispering to him.

Kill…Kill…Kill…Kill…KILL!

Dark brown, almost black, eyes bolted open as their owner sat up in a cold sweat, panting. However, it soon turned into dry, rattling coughs that stirred up dust in the freezing room. After Dick's small frame stopped shaking, he slid on his shoes before rising. Walking to the window at the edge of his sparsely furnished room, he peered out of the shattered window to see the sun just beginning to rise.

Smirking, the raven-haired boy jumped onto the window sill and pulled out his grappling gun. The thirteen-year-old caught his hook on the adjacent building before swinging off into the crisp morning air. Flipping perfectly onto a rooftop, Dick looked over the edge to spot a hot dog stand. He readied himself to jump down when another coughing fit overtook him. After a while, the shuddering stopped and the mumble of, "Stupid flu", could be heard before a black streak landed in the shadows directly behind the vendor.

Shoving his hands into his jean pockets, Dick walked around to the front of the cart. The vendor looked up before giving a bright smile- albeit fake.

"Hey there sonny, what can I get for you?"

Giving back an equally artificial grin, Dick politely replied, "two dogs with ketchup, mustard, and chili, please."

"Comin' right up."

After a short wait for his breakfast, Dick paid for the hot dogs before beginning to walk along in the morning air. Deep in thought and feeling miserable from being sick, he didn't notice subtle movements in the alleys he passed.

Dick's POV

Sometimes I wonder why I live in an abandoned apartment. I mean, sure, I get about $10 each night from singing, but I use that money for food. If I wanted to be able to eat and have medicine for when I get sick, I could go admit to Social Services that I'm not dead. Yeah that would go over well. I'd walk up to the front desk and say, "Hi! My name's Dick Grayson, orphaned acrobat. You pronounced me deceased a few years back but I was really kidnapped by a group of assassins. Got an extra bed?"

Huh. I might actually try that just for their reactions.

Anyway, here I am, walking along in the melting snow of Gotham with a slight fever and bad cough, with hot dogs for breakfast. My life is so messed up.

Wandering along the empty streets, I make a split second decision and turned left onto Turner Drive. I was hoping to find some valuable stuff in their trashcans. That's how I found my guitar, bucket, and blanket.

However, before I could even take two steps into the shadowed alley, someone grabbed me from behind.

Now let's get something straight, I can usually tell when someone's around, except when I'm sick, cold, and tired. So in my defense, I was not at the top of my game.

Letting my instincts take over, I drove my heel into my attacker's foot, elbowed him in his gut, and bashed his head with my own. His grip slackened and he fell unconscious almost immediately. Before I could take in my surroundings, another man came at me with a crowbar. Rolling between his legs, I then leaped up and delivered a precise spin kick. He was down, too.

The next idiot had a pocket knife. Wow, how original. Rushing forward, I simultaneously kneed his gut and punched his face, following up with a tight backflip into his chin. Almost too easy.

Before I could bask in my victory, though, I started coughing again. A forth thug grabbed me around my midriff and pressed a rag over my mouth. Chloroform.

I couldn't help but feel dread rise inside me as I lost consciousness.

AN: Okay, just to put this out there, I will not be doing 1st person POV very often. I just did that to help explain certain points in the story. And that was my first action scene so I hope I did okay. And BTW I have some questions about acronyms on Fanfiction. If I get some wrong or I just don't know what it is, can you review and tell me? Thanks!

1) OC: Original Character

2) OOC: Out of Character

3) AU: Alternate Universe

4) Slash: Boy/Boy Romance

5) Fluff: Cutesy love

6) Anon Meme: I have no earthly idea

Anyways, watch for updates! Later!