One day turned into two, two into three, three into four.
She wasn't there.
She wasn't at school.
Everybody asked questions, her friends were worried, but Dick? He had been feeling uneasy for the most part.
For a month, she hadn't been in. There was no message given to the teachers as to why she was out for so long.
She just left without a word.
Dick pulled on his suit, grabbing his weapons, he quickly left the cave, grappling and jumping across rooftops to get to Juri's apartment.
He missed her, he missed her smile, he missed everything about her.
Arriving to her block, he knocked on the window lightly.
Ray came, yawning as he scratched his waist.
Trudging towards the window with tired eyes, he opened it up with a sigh.
'How the hell Juri stays up this late is beyond me.' He thought as he tousled his black hair about.
"So, looking for Juri?" He questioned.
"Yeah, actually." He nodded eagerly.
"Well she's not here anyway. She left." He answered as he felt his eyes shutting.
"What?" His heart sank.
She's gone? Why did she leave?
"No, no, I mean she's not here right now- she's here in the city but not at home." He quickly rephrased his words.
"Why?"
"Her painting, if you want to visit her you can." He said as he wrote down the address she was at.
"Can you do something for me?" Ray asked as he handed him the paper.
"Yeah, ofcourse."
"Make Juri leave that place, take her away from there do anything, I don't really care, as long as she's not sat painting for hours." He said as he began to walk back to his room.
"I will." Nightwing said before leaping out the window.
'Why is she over there though? That place is pretty vacant.' He thought as he grappled as fast as he could to the address.
Arriving he leaped off a platform to the ground and began to walk to the empty area with a lone building in the middle.
Multiple guns and weapons were pointed his way as he took one step into the moons light.
"Woah, hold on." Nightwing chuckled out, holding his hands up.
"Who are you?" A man seemingly from the Philippines asked with hostility as he pointed his spear towards him.
"I'm Nightwing, you know, Gotham vigilante." He shrugged.
Suddenly there was a bucket thrown out of the window, glass shattering as it clattered to the ground.
A woman let out a yelp in surprise as the glass almost fell on her.
A lollipop followed along, landing in the girl's hands.
"It's alright Young Miss, I didn't get hurt." She called back.
"Juri? She's up there?" Nightwing asked as he took another step forward, they all pointed their weapons with more hostility, towards him.
"How do you know the Young Miss."
"I'm her friend." He answered simply.
'Unfortunately, just that.'
"What is your business here?" A man asked.
"To see, Juri?" He answered slowly.
"Why?"
"I want to see my friend, duh what else am I here to do, assasinste her?" He answered.
They cocked their guns, swinging their weapons around as they closed in to him.
"I was joking, I was joking!" He quickly said, pushing a katana away from his face with his finger.
His eyes narrowed down at Nightwing in suspicion, he pressed the communicator on his ear, whispering a few words in he let out a breath through his nose.
"Let him in." He nodded to the ones guarding the door.
They nodded back, opening the door for him.
"Thanks." Nightwing grinned as he happily skipped towards the door.
Entering, he climbed up the old rusted building, making it to the top he glanced around, seeing multiple doors.
The sound of a sneeze came for the door farthest down.
He picked up his pace, his heart speeding up as he reached the door, pushing the door open his bright face slightly faltered.
"Juri...?" He said below a whisper. He stared wide eyed as he flinched slightly at the coldness of her eyes.
Her pupils dilated as she dabbed her paintbrush across the large canvas.
Her eyelids were lowered as it naturally was, her gaze sharp and piercing.
It was a frightening sight is what he would say, the gold in her eyes were dulled but still illuminated in the moons light.
She had exhaustion written across her face, terrible eyebags and a very quite demeanour to her.
She was serious.
She wasn't listening to music, neither did she have her glasses on. She was in the silence with her short sightedness blurring her view.
Despite that handicap, she was still able to create an art work even better than her other one that she did for Bruce.
Flicking her sharp eyes from her work up to Nightwing, she stood up placing her paintbrush down.
Stepping away from the stool she trudged towards him.
Before he knew it, she had already taken his hand, placing it on her waist while she locked their hands together.
"Uh, what are you doing?" He asked, a blush forming on his face as he watched her fix the both of them into a sort of dance position.
She mumbled some words to herself, he didn't quite catch any of what she was saying
She took his hand from her waist and pulled it up just near her ribcage under her chest.
"Woah-" He was beyond flustered now, looking away.
"Don't look away, look at me." She demanded as she gently tilted his face back to her.
Staring into his masked eyes for a moment, he saw her pools of gold soften the slightest bit.
'You are so much like him.' She thought, she's been trying to ignore her feelings towards him for the past couple of weeks now.
It seems as though she was too late in trying to turn her back on the attraction she has towards him.
'I have other things to do instead of loving him...' She thought, caressing his cheek as a sorrowful look crossed her face.
He was confused at her sudden action, concern bubbling within him at the look in her eyes.
With Tobi in a now stable condition, he was still kept in the hospital to rest. Her mother had cried so hard after she had heard the news.
Her father sent the best doctors and surgeons to get him treated, their father was so worried.
They couldn't travel to Gotham to see him because now that everybody knows of the attack, they have been trying to wipe out all the people that caused him harm.
Now Juri was put on a line of stress, she had the painting to finish off and she had to sort out the situation with the sudden blames that have been put on them for stealing priceless art pieces.
Her eyes hardened again as she focused back on the position they were in.
"Juri, are you okay-?"
"No. Keep you're hands here." She said, her eyes narrowing as she thought hard.
She sucked the side of her bottom lip, the position was perfect. Just what she was looking for.
Pulling away from him, she muttered a word of gratitude, handing him a lolipop as she walked back to her seat.
"...what? What was that for?" He asked blinking in surprise.
"Refrence." She answered simply.
"What do you need, I can only spare you a good bit of my time." She said
"Well I don't really need anything." He said rocking back and forth on his heels like a child.
She glanced up at him for a split second before returning her gaze back to the painting.
"Then why are you here?" She questioned.
"Mn, no reason." He grinned.
She stared at him while she cleaned her brush.
"Get out." She said.
"Harsh." He pouted.
"I am very busy trying to finish this off and with my stupid and irrational brother in the hospital, I have to help stabilise these fools that are complaining over silly things." She groaned out as her head began to pang with pain.
Closing her eyes, she put her head in her hands as she felt frustrated.
She felt hands on her shoulders, giving a very nice massage to ease her tense back.
"Relax for a minute, you look like you haven't slept." He said.
"Because I haven't." She replied, setting back to work.
"Seriously? Have you even left this place?" He asked as he bent to the side looking at her.
"For the last three weeks, no." She replied.
He looked up at the large canvas and his eyes widened.
It was beyond incredible, she was like a prodigy. Her art was so detailed, each being had their own clothing and design.
"What happened to your other one?" He asked his eyes still not able to comprehend the marvellous piece of art.
"Got wrecked by that stupid skank, she knew what she was doing. I'm not going to let her get her way, I'm going to complete this and show her a piece of me." She said.
He couldn't believe it. She set her mind to this and she was going to complete it within a month.
But she wasn't prioritising her health.
He took the brush out of her hand.
"Man, what are you- Ah!" He took her, lifting her up and slinging her onto his shoulder.
"Let me go! I need to finish-"
"You need to relax for a while, you still have a week and a few days to deprive yourself of sleep, let me do this for you." He said as he began to walk towards the window.
"Did Ray set you up?" She asked with a defeated sigh.
"Eh, sort of." He shrugged.
Putting his one leg on the smashed window, he let a big grin spread across his face.
"This'll be like our date." He said.
She rolled her eyes at him, letting out a scoff.
"Yeah, whatever just take me away and bring. Me. Back." She said in seriousness.
"I hear you princess."
"Young Miss!"
"Juri sama!"
Yells came from down below as the guards drew their weapons.
Juri pushed herself backwards, still holding onto Nightwing as he now had her bridal style.
"I'm just going to get some fresh air, if I come back hurt you can kill him." She said nonchalantly.
Nightwing let out a dramatic, sharp gasp in shock at her words.
"I'm just playing, but still. Do not let anybody up in this room." She said sternly as she glazed her eyes over them.
They all gave her looks of understanding.
"Understood." They said in sync, bowing their heads towards her.
"Alright, whisk me away and waste my time." She said with a roll of her eyes as she held onto him.
"Right away." He smirked as he grappled to a rooftop farther down.
"I'll be back soon!" She said as her voice faded down into the dark night.
The usual sirens blowing filled her ears as she kept her eyes shut, not wanting to look down.
He set her down on land and she opened her eyes, they were on the rooftop of a large company building, the view from up their was spectacular.
Juri still kept her distance from the ledge, sitting herself down on the cold, concrete floor.
"It's nice, isn't it?" He questioned, grinning at her.
She nodded her head with a hum, a smile slipping onto her face.
She brought her knees up to her chest as she placed her head down, she was thinking. Very hard.
"What's wrong? Talk to me." He said, sitting himself beside her.
"Mn, I don't know, should I tell you, should I not?" She questioned to herself as she bobbed her head from side to side.
"You can if you want, if it makes you feel better." He said.
"It's weird though." She said, grimacing at the thought.
"I've dealt with many types of weird, yours shouldn't be any different." He snorted out.
"If I tell you...don't tell anybody." She said, glancing towards him.
He nodded his head.
He waited for her to speak, staring at her patiently.
She then groaned.
"Ew, no, that's weird as shit." She mumbled.
"I'm sure it's not that bad." He chuckled at her.
"It hurts like a bitch." She said, keeping her gaze focused ahead.
"What does?"
"...Loving someone." She said meekly, her gaze softening from the hard and focused stare she had before.
His eyes widened as the words left her mouth.
'She loves someone? Who? Who is it? Who does she love?' His mind raced with the many boys he has encountered in his school and those that he thinks Juri has a liking too.
"That's surprising. You actually having an attraction to somebody?" He said, chuckling trying to play his previous surprise off.
"That's what I'm saying!? And he's my friend as well."
'She couldn't like James, he eats too loud in front of her, she hates it. Neither does she like Carl, he has too much pride, she doesn't like being bested in that-'
Placing her face in her palms, she let out a breath.
Lolling her head back, a pained expression crossed her face as she looked into the cloudless dark night, the moon in full sight.
"I have never wanted somebody so bad until now, he has already accepted what I look like so what else should I be afraid of?" She said as she shut her eyes.
"He's always there for me, always helping me, caring for me, keeping me great company- I mean, I could go on forever. He's so good to me but I can't have that. I can't have him."
Her eyes glistened with longing.
Such a look in her eyes that he has never seen her express.
Who is this person that is capable of making her speak like this?
"There are risks of him finding out what I do, or I just come clean myself and hope he doesn't turn his back on me." She said rubbing her hands across her face.
"Over thinking is such a fat pain in the ass, if it wasn't such a problem for me. I think I would be more confident in expressing my feelings to him."
"Who is it?" He questioned.
Juri, turned her head towards him, looking him dead in the eye.
"Do you go to Gotham Highschool?" She asked.
"No." He lied smoothly.
"Do you live anywhere around here?"
"I can't tell you where but it's somewhere. Maybe around here maybe around the central park, who knows." He shrugged.
"...I'll take that as a no." She replied.
"It's that bastard, Dick." She answered blankly.
What the emotions he was feeling were, was beyond him.
His breath was hitched and caught in his throat, he didn't know what to say, how to react.
He gaped at her, wide eyes and an upright body.
"If I do end up confessing and if we end up in some way working things out, I would have to tell him about my family."
"I trust him, I trust him way too much but I'm alright with that. I'm just afraid of how he would react, how he would see me."
'My love doesn't and will never change for you.'
"Besides that, I don't want to be faced with rejection. I'm the one that has been rejecting not the other way round." She said.
'I won't reject you. I love you.'
"It's better if I don't even think about it."
"Why?"
"Like I said, it hurts like a bitch. Liking somebody that is too different from you is really a pain, he's just a civilian and I deal with money in lots of ways, forging signatures, copying paintings, stealing things- I mean, would you want a girl that does that?"
'If the girl is you. Yes.'
"I...don't know."
"Mhm, anyway, I regret telling you who I like." She said blankly as she stared at him.
"W-what? Why?" He asked.
"Because, you might be friends with him or you might know him- are you, him?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes at him while she leaned forward.
"No,no,no- what?" He bursted out laughing at this.
"If I find out you told him, you better be making sure you sleep with one eye open. Cause I'm not playing around." She said.
"I don't even know this guy!" He chuckled out.
"You better not." She said clicking her tongue as she stood up and stretched.
She stumbled back into Nightwing as vertigo hit for a couple of seconds.
"Damn..." She mumbled as she massaged her face.
Picking her up bridal style once again, he got out his grapple.
"So, where will it be your highness." He smirked down at her blank face.
"Down near the Beacons club." She said as she slipped on her tinted glasses. She shut her eyes, burying her face into his chest as she felt tired.
"What are you doing over there?" He asked, walking towards the ledge.
"I have to deal with fugly, childish, grown adults that complain over the littlest things. Tobi would've done it but I need to be there since, apparently, I forged this one guys signature and put him in jail." She said.
"That's rough."
"Tell me about it." She sighed out, he jumped off the building, Juri's hold on him tightened in fear.
As they arrived, guns were immediately pointed towards them.
Specifically Nigthwing.
"Juri?" Nightwing called out, he looked down at her and saw her limp in his arms, her eyes shut closed and her head tilted back like she was dead.
"Uh, Juri-"
"Why do you have the boss' helper?" One man said, his machine gun pointed right at him.
"Helper?" He mumbled, he then shook his head.
"We're friends." He said, focusing on the situation at hand.
"What did you do to her?"
"Nothing-"
"She looks dead. Did you, kill her?" They stalked closer towards him, cocking their guns as they glared harshly at him.
"What-!? No, she's not dead-"
"Kill him."
"No, no, no- hold on-!"
Juri bursted out laughing, she couldn't hold it in anymore, it was too hilarious to her.
Slipping out of his hold, she slapped her knees as she tried to gasp for breath.
"That was very funny." Nightwing said plainly.
"Aw, I'm sorry." She apologised, holding her stomach as she let out the rest of her laughs.
"Oh, my days! I can't." She said as she giggled out.
Nightwing stared at her blankly.
"You angry at me?" She chuckled out with a wide smirk.
He didn't reply, simply turning his head away with folded arms.
'Such a child.'
Pulling his face back towards her, she placed a light peck on his cheek.
Turning around she ignored the surprised look on his face.
"Let's go boys, gotta make your mama proud!" She said as she grinned.
"We greet you. Ms. Juri!" They chorused as they bowed down respectfully towards her.
"Young Miss or even Juri sama would have been better..." She grumbled out, shaking her head she waved behind her at Nightwing before she was led inside the bustling club.
They walked through the main part, making their way to the back where all the sponsors and the rich were kept.
A service provided just for them.
Juri's head was immediately pushed down as a glass bottle was thrown her way, it smashed against the wall, luckily it didn't hurt her in any way.
"Are you alright, Ms.Juri?" The guard asked.
"AHAHA! Who's this chic? Red hair? What are you trying to be, a Satsuki?" An old man that goes by the name, PK, slurred as he swished his glass of whiskey around.
"Ah, leave the girl alone, she's the young Boss' helper." Another man by the name of Jensal, said as he blew a cloud of smoke from his lips.
"Mn, she's pretty hot." A young man, Chase, said behind the couch, he let out a groan as the woman he had under him let out a loud cry in pleasure.
"You're the bitch that forged my signature onto an illegal contract!?" An older man, Bonsall, said, clenching his hands tightly as he shoved a woman that was kissing his neck, away from him.
"You gonna answer or just stand there-!?"
She grabbed the gun left unattended on a table and shot the man three times in the leg.
Everybody went silent, Juri threw the gun at PK, hitting him square in the nose.
Stomping towards Bonsall, she hauled him up by a fist full of his hair.
Slamming his face into her knee, blood flew out if his nose.
She didn't stop there though.
She smashed his head, repeatedly into the wall out of pure rage.
With each connection to the concrete wall, blood splattered from his face.
Throwing his unconscious and feeble, bloodied body to the ground, she turned around to be faced with the other men and their own group of guys, pointing guns at her.
"Pull the trigger, I dare you." She said darkly.
"Oh? Aren't you a cocky one." Chase said as he zipped his pants up, his gun pointed at her.
"If you value those lives of yours that aren't even worth a small split of a quarter of an amount my life is, I advise you to put your fucking weapons. Away." She spat out as her face hardened.
They flinched subtly.
"Tch, just because you've been appointed by that young phsyco to help us doesn't mean anything." PK groaned out as he got a tissue pressed on his nose.
Stomping towards him, she swung her leg back and applied so much force, swinging her leg forwards she connected her foot with his chin.
He jolted upwards as he felt his brain shake, hitting his skull. His eyes rolled back, he couldn't hold his ground anymore.
Grabbing him by his throat, she slammed him onto the glass table, breaking it in the process.
A man with extremely long hair tied back into a high ponytail came bursting through the doors, a smart suit on and a scar running across his nose.
His dark eyes widened upon seeing Juri.
He caught wind of commotion going on in here and immediately dashed after hearing Juri's name.
"Kai! Get this phsyco out of here! Kill her!" Chase gritted out at the Asian man.
Kai's eyes reverted back to his usual blank look.
He straightened his posture and bowed down deeply towards a seething Juri.
He knew who she was.
"Juri-sama, gomeiwaku o okake shimashita koto o fukaku owabi mōshiagemasu."
(Juri sama, I deeply apologise for the trouble they have caused you.)
He said, sincerity lacing his tone as he kept his head down.
Everybody present in the room were beyond puzzled at what he was saying and how deeply he was bowing.
Kai is the right hand man of Tobi, Tobi's most trusted people.He knows who she is, she also knows him but faintly.
They had met when she was a simple child.
She couldn't remeber much about him except for the fact that she kicked his groin because he didn't give her a bit of his ice cream.
Juri glanced towards him, throwing PK's body to the side.
She walked close towards Kai.
"Watashi no tasuke nashi ni kono hito-tachi ni anata to futarikiri de au koto o kyoka shita watashi no gokai ni taishite, watashi wa yorokonde batsu o ukemasu."
(I will gladly take any punishment for my misinterpritation on allowing these men to meet you alone without my help.)
"Ayamatta hō ga ī yo, watashi wa mōsukoshi de sunatsubu hitotsubu no kachi mo nai yatsura o koroshite shimau tokorodatta." She scoffed out in annoyance.
(you better be sorry, I was close to murdering these pricks that are not worth even a molecule of a grain of sand.)
She scoffed out in annoyance.
He still kept his bowing position.
"Anata ni taisuru karera no taido o hijō ni zan'nen ni omoimasu. Anata ga fusawashī to omou batsu o watashi ni ataete mo yoideshou."
(I am very sorry for their behaviour towards you. You may give me a punishment you see fit.)
"Buy me a new Veneta dress." She demanded.
"Ofcourse." He answered, raising his head, he smiled at her fondly.
She gave him a wide smirk back and slapped his shoulder.
"She literally just knocked the snot out of both of your guests and you're just going to allow it?" Jensal questioned with a glare.
"Must I remind you that, Ms.Juri, is a helper. A very close one to the Young Master, Tobi sama." He said as his dark eyes pierced into them.
"You all have disrespected her to a level that is unacceptable, she is here to solve the problems you imbeciles have, in the Young Masters stead."
"Mhm, tell 'em." Juri hummed out as she crossed her arms.
"Ms. Juri, I must advise you to refrain from shooting our clients. You are forbidden from using any weapons to kill somebody." He said lowly towards her, leaning in so that they both can hear.
"He was being such a cunt though." She whined lightly.
"I understand, but it's just for your sake and your parents." He said as he nodded.
"M'kay... listen up you overgrown ranch crackers. You will listen to every thing I say, we clear up whatever problems your snow cricket self's are incapable of solving and we all go home happy and jolly, yeah?" She said.
She didn't get a response from them.
Furrowing her brows, she clenched her hands.
"Do I make myself clear?" She gritted out, they quickly nodded in response.
"You will only speak when spoken too, you will obey my every word. You will not try and argue with me because I will always be right. And you will not ever, question my position." She said coldly as her eyes glazed over everyone.
'A real Satsuki she is. She has grown.' Kai thought, his eyes shut as he listened to her words.
"Do you understand?"
They nodded their heads briskly once again.
"Use you're words."
"Yes ma'am."
Juri smirked slowly as it spread big across her face.
"Hm, I like the sound of that." She hummed out in pleasure as she felt her ego heighten.
-4402 words