I floated above the city for a while, hiding in the sunlight that beat down on the metal skyscrapers that faded outward into modest homes of clay and wood. The crowded streets bustled along in the summer heat as if my life hadn't been completely turned upside down.
What was I going to do? Turn my back on Kaldur and the League? Or turn my back on the myriad of peoples and cultures that I was destined to protect? Even before now, countries like my own were often overlooked on a global scale, despite boasting more languages, more people, and a richer history than most of the rest of the world.
My mind flashed back to Nightwing. Was it really a coincidence that Nightwing all but asked me to leave the League right before President Patil did? Batman and his apprentices wouldn't interfere with foreign policy, would they?
I flew home as fast as I could. I needed to talk to someone, but who?
I walked in the front door, and into a hurricane of cardboard boxes and newspaper. The TV was blaring the news in Tamil, Dad was shouting on the phone in Punjabi- probably to one of his brothers, then- and mom was haphazardly wrapping the plates and dishes in paper and shoving them into boxes.
"What's going on here?" I asked.
They stopped what they were doing, as if they hadn't heard the door open, and charged through the mass of cardboard and newspaper to throw their arms around me.
"Oh Kiran!" Mum cried, caressing my hair to get rid of some of the tangles.
"We saw on the news," Dad said as if that explained why the house was a mess. "Your bags are in your room. Go, pack."
"What? Why? I thought you loved it here?" I exclaimed.
That made them pause. "Did you not want to be a hero anymore? What about Parliament's AVA? Isn't that what the president wanted to speak to you about?"
My shoulders relaxed, and I could have cried tears of joy for my family.
"The Anti-Vigilante Act?" I said, cracking a smile.
"Kiran, do you have a fever?" Mum pressed the back of her wrist to my forehead
"I'm fine, Mum, I promise," I said, fending her off, "but you don't have to move on my account."
"But you can't be a hero if you live in India!" My father exclaimed, "you said it was your destiny!"
"And that hasn't changed," I said, "but there are some other options I want to explore before we totally uproot our lives. Again."
Mum and Dad laughed, looking around the mess that was our kitchen.
"I'll order some takeout for lunch," Dad grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. Now we could finally hear ourselves think.
"Kiran, would you help me here?" Mum asked, picking up one of the boxes at our feet.
"I have to make a call first, but I promise I will come back down and help you." I kissed her forehead.
"Aya," Mum sighed, "Calling boys now, are we?"
She said that as if she didn't want me to spend every waking moment planning my imaginary wedding to Karan. I rolled my eyes so she couldn't see and hurried up the stairs.
I didn't realize how tense my legs were until I sat down on the bed. My muscles sang with relief. I opened and closed my mouth a couple times to loosen my jaw. Dealing with politics made me more upset than I remembered.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts.
What was I going to do?
Cassie was out of the question. I loved her to death, but she was already going through too much. I couldn't threaten her with me leaving the League after Tim had just walked out. I felt bad about ignoring Cassie's texts. Really, I did. But I had my own stressors to think about at that moment, and trying to help her with her problems only made it worse.
My heart painfully skipped a beat as I thought of Kaldur. How would I explain it to him? Would I tell him about Nightwing's offer? Or would that shove him over the edge again? I was not going to lose Kaldur to that vicious cycle of doubt and depression he'd been in when I first met him. I loved him too much.
Artemis. Nightwing said he had chosen Artemis as a part of his squad.
The phone rang a couple times, though I didn't stop to think that I was calling her in the middle of the night in Star City.
"You're lucky you're cute, Kir," Artemis sighed as she answered.
"Did I wake you up?" I bit my nail.
"Not quite," she paused to yawn, "What's up?"
"Did a certain little bird ask you to invade Markovia with him?"
"How did you-" she stopped herself to chuckle, "He asked you too, didn't he?"
"What gave it away?" I asked. Her dry humor was rubbing off on me more than I would have liked.
"Wait, why would he ask you, though?" Brucely barked on the other end of the phone to echo her.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
My phone buzzed annoyingly.
"One second," I was about to reject the other call, but then I realized it was Cassie.
"I am so sorry this is Cassie on the other line, can I...?"
"Do your thing. Wonder Twin powers, activate, and all that." Artemis yawned, "just call back at a more reasonable hour."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Go save the world and all that."
I answered Cassie before it could go to voicemail.
"Move in with me." She said.
"Cassie," I said, "It is midnight in DC. What are you doing up?"
"Watching Hallmark channel. Special news report said vigilantes are banned now in India. How soon can you leave?" I could hear something scraping. She was up late and eating ice cream.
"As soon as you get to bed," I told her. "But I'm still trying to figure out what to do."
My phone beeped again and I groaned.
"Guess I'm the popular kid now," I sighed, glancing at the screen. It was Kaldur.
"I'm so sorry, Cass, but Kal's calling me."
"Ugh, I hate being the third wheel." Cassie muttered through another mouthful of ice cream.
"You wouldn't have to be the third wheel if you just went to sleep," I told her.
"Ugh, fine mom."
"Hey Cass?" she stopped, "I love you. So much."
"Love you too, Kir."
I hung up and answered Kaldur.
"Let me guess, you heard?"
"Catherine called me."
"You were supposed to be sleeping!" I sighed.
"I promise I ate my fruits and vegetables. Triton can take my rest for me."
"That's not how it-" It was useless. Kaldur wouldn't sleep if even one person in his charge was at risk. And since his charge extended to the members of the biggest group of risk-takers on the planet and every other person thereupon, he never slept.
"Nevermind that. What does Catherine think?"
"Catherine says that it is up to you. India is a large country. It could use a hero like you protecting it. Even if it forms this meta human defense squad, it will take time, and they will need training. Who better than you to guide them?"
"But what about you?" I asked, "I work well with you, with all of the League. How can I leave after everything that has happened in the last week?"
"I got along just fine in the League before you were my girlfriend, Kiran." He told me with the confidence of a liar.
"What about before I was your fiancee?" I asked.
Kaldur was quiet. "I still want to marry you." He promised. "We can find a way to make it work separate from our hero life."
"We were going to have to figure out where we were going to live anyway..." I sighed. "This is just another piece of the puzzle to figure out."
"And figure out how to tell your parents."
I groaned, "Don't remind me."
"We will cross that bridge later," Kaldur assuaged, "All you need to focus on at this moment is the decision to stay in India or not. I will support you either way."
I thought back to President Patil and her ancient office, to Nightwing and his midnight visits.
Everything's always fragile. That's why you break it and build it into something stronger.
"I'll stay. I'll stay here in India." I said at last. "You can have Catherine add my name to the mass exodus."
"I will. Is there anything I can do to help you establish yourself as an independent hero in the largest subcontinent?"
"Go to sleep." I was only half joking.
"No promises."
"Please?" I begged, "We can talk more in the morning."
Kaldur thought it over. "Very well."
I sighed in relief. "I love you, Kal."
Kaldur chuckled sweetly, "I love you too, Kiran."
I hung up the phone and tossed it on my bed. I could hear Mum and Dad downstairs, laughing at themselves for their mini panic. I should have gone down to help them unpack, but I had some packing of my own to do.
Instead of calling, I sent Artemis a text, which could be read at her leisure. Once she was awake and had drunk her morning cup of coffee.
What do you take on an overnight espionage trip?
I helped my parents finish unpacking again, and told them that I was leaving the Justice League.
"But that is what you worked so hard for!" Dad said. He gestured broadly with his chopsticks, spilling rice from the carton everywhere.
"Yes, but I was working hard to become a hero. The Justice League was a huge part of it, but I can still be a hero for the people I love and care about."
"I thought vigilantes were being banned?" Mum asked. She hadn't even touched her food yet.
"They are. For now, I'm staying in India."
"Huh," Mum thought it over through a long sip of tea, "that should be interesting."
"It'll be different, that's for sure," I said, pulling out a spring roll. "And I have to go out of town in a couple days. I found a job offer."
"Out of town?" Dad asked.
I nodded, "In Markovia."
"Markovia!?" My parents shouted together.
"Where their king was just murdered?" Dad asked, his face pale.
"If you're trying to help with the taskforce, why would you move to Markovia?"
"Well, I can fly, and also I might not even take the job. If I did, it would just be for the summer. They offered to fly me out for an interview, so I took it."
"Huh." Mum took another sip from her teacup before she realized that it was empty.
"But is it safe?"
"There's martial law in place since the assassination," and four ex-Justice Leaguers about to invade and break up a human trafficking ring, "It's probably the safest place on Earth besides Fort Knox."