A/N: Now, just let me tell you: notice the date. This chapter and last chapter take place in early August. Roy meets Cheshire on September 7th in Taiwan. So yes: Roy was thinking of Verena. This is a direct sequel to last chapter. It was also based off of Nee by Fujita Maiko.

STAR CITY
AUGUST 4, 2010
00:12 PDT

ROY HARPER

"V!" a voice stopped us as we were walking along the empty streets of Star City.

The two of us turned around and I saw Dick standing in the middle of the sidewalk, a bright smile on his face as his eyes focused solely on Verena and Verena alone.

I didn't have to look down to know a brilliant smile had appeared on Verena's face, because she suddenly left my side, half-dashing, half-skipping to Dick.

She launched herself into his arms, and Dick let out a laugh as he caught her easily, swinging her once around before placing her on the ground.

"Did you have a nice day?" Dick asked like the attentive guy he was.

"Yep!" Verena perked up, smiling brightly at him. "Roy bought me ice-cream and then we hung out at the park. Oh, we also stopped this robbery!"

"Out of uniform?" Dick asked curiously, looking from Verena to me before refocusing his attention on the girl before him.

"Mhm," Verena nodded. "What're you doing here?"

"Well," Dick grinned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm here to escort you back home. For one, it's past midnight. Another reason's 'cause I missed you." He then glanced at me and gave me a nod of acknowledgement. "Thanks for dealing with her for the day, Roy."

"Stop acting like my father," Verena playfully swatter her brother. "And Roy always wants to spend time with me." She whirled around and beamed at me, waving happily. "Bye, Roy! Let's hang out some other time!"

Well, of course we will.

I enjoyed spending time with Verena. She made me feel like a kid, something I didn't experience when I should've when I was younger. Despite our age differences, I felt that I was her age when spending time with her.

Her emerald orbs sparkled, which was a deep contrast compared to the dark night sky and dim streets lights. I felt my heart skip a deep and mentally groaned to myself. Please Verena, can you not look at me like that?

I nodded somewhat stiffly and gave a small wave, hoping that it came off normally, before the two spun their heels to walk away in the opposite direction.

I stared at their retreating backs, watching as Dick snaked an arm around Verena's waist, before pulling her close to him so they were hip-to-hip... well, as close as they could get with their height differences.

I saw Verena throw her head back in laughter before she playfully bumped her hip with his, and then leaned into his touch.

Looking at them side-by-side, despite their differences, they looked quite well-matched. Honestly, Verena's probably the only one that can handle all of Dick's perks and childishness. At the same time, she also drew out some kind of maturity he had somewhere hidden within him.

I smiled a bit ruefully before turning my heel, going back home.

As I walked along the streets, I something compelled me to look up.

As I did, I saw the stars that twinkled brightly in the sky, accompanying the moon in some sort of rhythmic pattern. I continued to walk down the street, which was devoid of any life except for mine.

I felt something warm slide down my cheek and reached up to wipe it away. I was confused when I saw that it was wet...

I was looking upwards, but it definitely wasn't raining. It was only going down my cheek.

Then I realized what it was.

But I was confused as to why I was crying.

I thought about Verena's smiling face, which was supposed to make me smile. It always did. Her smile was just like sunshine after a long, dark storm and it did wonders to lighten my feelings. But this time, it only started making my shoulders shake as the tears escaped faster.

I gasped for breath as I suddenly found my lungs collapsing on me, and let out a choked sound.

My eyes darted around quickly, looking for some place to seek refuge.

I found a dark alleyway and made a dash for it, running into the darkness and rested my back against the cold, dirty brick wall.

I leaned my head back, ignoring the dull pain of my head colliding with the wall. Instead, I only felt it getting insanely hotter as I struggled to breathe and stop the flowing of these tears.

I began sliding down the wall, before my bottom came in contact with the cool, filthy ground. I rested my forehead on my knees, and covering the back of my head with my arms, like I was going to be attacked.

My entire body shook uncontrollably, as multiple flashes of Verena's smile appeared in my head.

She had beamed at me the moment she saw me once she exited that Zeta-Beam this morning. It just had an uncanny ability to just... lighten me. It made the entire weight of the world fall off my shoulders.

It always calmed me down.

Why wasn't this calming me down?

I sat there, feeling so cold and alone, unable to move.

Why?

A/N: I just need to say this before I get reviews/comments about this chapter: this is not pedophilia. I know that Roy is 18 and Verena is 11, but it isn't. Pedophilia is described as a sexual attraction from an adult to a prepubescent child. Just gotta get that said. Remember to review/request, guys! :)