A/n: Before we begin, I made a slight alteration, caused by my own lack of information. Kaldur'ahm started military service at age 12, and transferred to the Conservatory at age 14. I had completely forgotten about this fact, and instead all this time treated it like he started training in the Conservatory at age 12. I'm sorry about that, but it's too late to change it now. Sorry once more.

"The Covenant"

Chapter 23: The first time

MOUNT JUSTICE

SEPTEMBER 15, 20:00 EDT

The two days spent in Wayne manor were emotionally exhausting. And being back in the Cave was a delight for both Hannah and Grigor.

Though, Hannah happiness was short lived, for as soon as she arrived she realized that the cave was short of two of its regular inhabitants. Superboy and M'gann were away, and to make it even worse, Kaldur was leaving tomorrow. Some sort of a special covert mission in Belle Reve. Hannah didn't quite catch the complete story, only snippets.

But, she was glad, at least, to be in a more familiar, more…friendly environment. She was grateful Bruce let her go back in the cave, instead staying at the manor, like his original intention was. She had managed to weasel her way out with puppy eyes and constant begging.

The manor just brought back too many memories.

As it were, she was currently relaxing in the main living area, lying on her back on the sofa. Her head hung upside down from the end of the couch, while her legs were lazily dropped over the headrest. Her arms were outstretched upwards, straight as arrows, her palms facing towards the ceiling. And Grigor was standing on top of her palms, bouncing and hopping to keep his balance as the girl absentmindedly swayed her arms from side to side, up and down, moving them in circles and watching her familiar have fun on the "ride".

"Red Tornado and I will leave tomorrow, in the bioship. We'll observe the situation in Belle Reve and contact The League as soon as we find out the info we need." Kaldur explained, tho Hannah only partly heard him as most of her attention was fixed on to Grigor's play. He was sitting on the other side of the couch, his elbows on his knees, hands brought together with the tips of his fingers touching. His posture was slouched over as he watched the girl.

After a smaller moment of silence, Hannah remembered to speak "When are you coming back?" she asked and carefully lowered one of her arms, now balancing Grigor on only one palm.

Kaldur seemed to hesitate, as if thinking of the best answer "I do not know how long the mission will last. It may be days before we come across any useful information." He looked at her once more. He wasn't quite sure, but she seemed to have been avoiding eye contact with him. Kaldur was not sure of what her behavior meant. They parted on good terms a few days ago, yet the way she acted now was unusual for her usual bubbly personality (at least, bubbly when he was anywhere near her).

The girl sighed and brought her lowered arm back up, putting it gently on Grigor's back, but still maintaining a firm grip. In a swift movement, she flipped completely around so that she was sitting upright.

"Artemis and Robin will be keeping me company, since they don't start school till' the 22nd." She suddenly announced, running a hand through her hair in order to get it out of her face "And Wally will be visiting, too. You don't have to worry about me being alone."

"I'm lying. Why do you have to leave?"

"Are you sure? You can come and-"

"I'm sure! There is no need for me to come along."

"I want to go. I want to be close to you."

"Trust me!" she grinned from ear to ear, the corners of her eyes crinkling just slightly. It felt unnatural to her, but it was a thing she had forced herself to learn.

After all, it was the little things. A fake smile was always easy to tell apart from a real one, for only a real and honest smile would cause the corners of the eyes to crinkle.

And Hannah perfected it.

Kaldur though felt a bit taken aback. He didn't know why. But still, his posture relaxed and he smiled as well, though his was a bit more subtle than her toothy grin. The atlantian stood up from where he was seated and walked up right next to the girl, one hand landing softly on her shoulder "I do." He spoke in a tone of voice that seemed to be more for reassuring her than himself.

MOUNT JUSTICE

SEPTEMBER 16, 23:57 EDT

Hannah lied on her bad, curled up just slightly. Her eyes were transfixed on to the digital clock that was glaring red numbers at her face, reminding her of the entire day she spent alone.

Kaldur had left early that day, and the three that were supposed to keep her company had things they had to attend to. Whether it was a family matter or a surprise mission out of nowhere, they apologized profusely for not being able to come. Hannah was quick to forgive and assured them it was no problem, that she will still be there when they finally have time to come and the world will not end just because they had prior commitments and couldn't make it.

That day, Hannah had managed to fight off a panic attack three times before they even started.

This was the first time she had been…alone, since that one night she spent at the Tower after Kent Nelson's death. Not counting Grigor, of course. But, she had grown so accustomed to the loud chatter of her fellow teammates that Grigor's voice seemed so lonely to her now.

Grigor was sleeping. He tried staying up, tried to help her sleep more soundly, but he tired quickly. For all his abilities and strength, he was still but a bird, regardless of his magical abilities. He couldn't stay awake for as long as Hannah could.

So it was just Hannah, watching the clock anxiously as it mocked her. It mocked her relentlessly, reminding her of the time she spent alone, of those who were not there with her today.

She glared as all the digits changed in to zeros, indicating that the day has gone and passed, and a new one had started.

As she laid there, she felt her hand move, brushing against the red gemstone embedded in to the fine metal of the band around her finger. A shiver ran up her spine and she felt an involuntary smile etch on to her lips. Maybe it was because she was completely exhausted, but Hannah took an almost sick enjoyment in that ring and the secrets it held. She shouldn't even be in possession of it! If anyone were to ever figure it out...

But, she noted, the thrill it provided for her was almost worth the risk.

And the ring itself offered her a strange comfort. Even without invoking the person who gifted it to her.

Hannah turned to lie on her back and lifted the hand with the ring above her, observing it in silence. In one swift movement, she brought it down to her lips, pressing a soft kiss on to it, before moving it upwards and letting the gem press against her forehead. She closed her eyes; a strange calmness coming over her.

With one more deep breath, sleep somehow finally overtook her.

SHADOW DIMENSION

SEPTEMBER 17, TIME STAMP NOT AVAILABLE

Klarion let out an anguished gasp, shooting up from his meditative state, and at the same time waking Teekl from her sleep, the cat flying off of his lap in alarm. His hand flew to his chest, clutching on his coat in desperation.

"Wha…" he managed to force down the lump in his throat that was obstructing his breathing for a moment "What…is going on?"

It came out of nowhere. The most wicked feeling ever, shooting through him and making his heart skip a beat and his gut wrench. It was horrible, he hated it! It was gone as quick as it came, though, but he could still feel the aftermath in the form of goosebumps running down his skin and little flutters in his stomach.

He had no idea what came over him or why it felt so nice-

Klarion shook his head. No! It didn't feel nice! It didn't feel nice at all! It was horrid! He hated it! Was it Hannah? Was it the ring? Was it something else? He had no idea! It just came out of nowhere!

Letting out a loud groan, the witch boy leaned back in to his shadow lounge. Teekl, deeming it safe to approach him, gracefully jumped back up in to his lap. Klarion, feeling her presence once again, automatically put his hand over her, petting her fondly.

"I don't like this." He muttered "I don't like this at all."

POSEIDONIS

FIVE YEARS AGO

"My students, today is a special day!" Queen Mera announced to the young magic-users that were training under her "A guest has come to visit us from the dry-lands, hungry for knowledge! I expect all of you to treat her as our own during her stay here!"

The children murmured between themselves, wondering who from the surface world could even come down to Atlantis. Kaldur listened to the excited chatter of his classmates, curiosity waking up in him as well.

"A surface dweller, in Atlantis?" Garth commented as quietly as possible, leaning in closer to his friend so he could hear "I wonder how weird their diving gear will look!" he snickered. Kaldur let a small laugh escape him, trying to imagine what the person would be wearing. The surface dwellers sure had the weirdest diving gear, they looked absolutely silly.

Mera turned around, calling for the guest "Come now child, there is no need to be shy." She spoke in a motherly tone, reaching out her hand to whoever was hiding in the shadows of the pillars of the Conservatory.

The person that came out was nothing any of the children had expected.

She was tinny and quite petite, and seemed to around their age. Perhaps younger, but that could be just her size deceiving them. She wore simple violet wet-suit and a black t-shirt over it, which flapped around in the water freely. Her hair was short and blond, flaying around her round face and chubby freckled cheeks like a small halo. She held her arms behind her back, her shoulders slouched, as she tried to make herself look smaller than she already was. She floated over and stood next to the queen.

"Hi." She spoke shyly and offered a smile to the group of kids in front of her.

"Wow." Garth's jaw dropped "She's…cute."

Mera put a comforting hand on the girls back "This is Hannah, children." She introduced "She is an incredibly magic user from the surface, and has come to learn of Atlantean magic as well. And we, as well, have much to learn from her." Mera smiled and looked over her students "Is there anyone volunteering to be Hannah's guide during her stay?"

At the words "incredibly skilled", Kaldur's attention perked up. As soon as Queen Mera finished speaking, his arm shot up in to the air. Unfortunately for him, his best friend raised his arm at the same time.

"Kaldur'ahm, Garth, how considerate of you both." Mera smiled "I'm not sure if she needs two guides, though."

Kaldur felt his heart drop. He didn't want to have to fight with Garth over who gets to be the girls guide. But at the same time, he was incredibly curious as to what he could learn from her, as Queen Mera had formerly said. He sighed, coming to the conclusion that his friendship with Garth was more important, and was about to drop his arm and let his best friend take this one, when the girl spoke.

"N-no, I don't mind." Hannah bubbled to the queen "It's even better this way." She smiled "The more, the merrier!"

Mera chuckled "You are quite correct, young one. Very well. Kaldur'ah, Garth, the two of you will be in charge of young miss Hannah during the entirety of her stay. Make sure to treat her well."

Kaldur watched as the young girl swam towards him, a smile etched on to her face. "Hi, I'm Hannah." She introduced herself, one hand behind her back and the other twirling her hair.

"I am Kaldur'ah, but friends call me Kaldur." He smiled at the girl

"I'm Garth!" the boy next to him jumped in over-excitedly, extending his hand for a handshake "Hi!" Hannah seemed a bit taken aback by his enthusiasm, but managed to smile neither the less, taking his hand in to hers for a handshake. "And this is Tula, she is our friend as well."

A red-haired girl floated over from where she stood next to Garth "It is nice to meet you, Hannah."

Hannah smiled at both of them, before her attention turned back to Kaldur "I like your tattoos." She exclaimed out of the blue.

Kaldur looked at the eel tattoos on his arms. He didn't find them as fascinating as she did; most students had them. "Thank you." He blinked, a bit taken aback by her compliment "They enhance my mystical ability."

The girls eyes lit up and she quickly reached for his left arm, holding it gently in her hands and examining it closely. She traced the tattoos with her fingers "That is so neat!"

Her enchantment with something he found so ordinary made Kaldur smile.

"It's a very simple spell~" Hannah bragged. "Actually very elementary, I learned it at a young age because I loved exploring and hiding in lakes when I was little! It enables me to breathe under water and sustain the water pressure with ease."

It had been a few hours after Hannah had joined the class in the Conservatory of Sorcery down in Poseidonis. And needless to say, Hannah was not shy when it came to showing off her magical abilities. It seemed that as much as interacting with others made her timid, dealing with anything involving sorcery showed of exactly how full of herself she was. She came first in all the exercises and performed spells the class had been learning for weeks in less than a few tries. Needless to say, everyone was taken aback by how talented she was.

"That is amazing!" Tula was beyond excited. The two girls got along quite well

"I'm just happy to be around other magic-users!" Hannah was just as excited as Tula "It's lonely on the surface world; we don't really have anything like the Conservatory there."

"I have never seen anyone our age that is as talented as you! And I should know, Kaldur and I are at the top of the class, and you surpass us in every way! We could learn so much from you!"

Kaldur decided to join in the conversation "Our next class isn't for another hour. Perhaps you could…show us some spells?" he insisted. The girl amazed him, her skills amazed him. As Tula said, he could learn so much from her. And he wanted to; he wanted to be the best, to excel. And with someone like Hannah there, he felt like it would give him a head start. "Perhaps some techniques as well?"

"Yes!" Garth joined in "Private lessons would be amazing!"

"Of course!" Hannah agreed full heartedly "It will be fun!"

Unfortunately, "fun" was not the word anyone would use to describe the mess that was soon to ensue. No one was quite sure how it happened though. How exactly it evolved in to what would best be described as a "cock fight" between Kaldur and Garth. The two friends seemed to both want Hannah's attention as she volunteered to teach them some of her spells. Kaldur wanted to be in the center of her attention so that she would favor him and teach him more. Garth, on the other hand, seemed to have just wanted her attention.

"Concentrate your energy in to your palms." Hannah instructed "Let it flow naturally; don't force it, just gently persuade it." The water around her shifted, compressing between her hands. It became brighter, almost resembling a flame "Compressing water in this manor awakens the molecules, but be sure not to overdo it; hydrogen is explosive and it could go off in your hand." She relaxed her stance and held out the glowing ball in one hand; it was the size of a slightly bigger marble "This is a great weapon when bigger; but I use it as amateur firecrackers!" she grinned and threw it to the ground. The ball exploded, much like a firecracker would, not causing any real damage unless you count the loud sound and flash it created. "Even this small it can stun enemies!"

The three atlantians concentrated on their own crackling-ball, as Hannah fondly called it.

"I'm doing it!" Garth exclaimed, water gathering between his palms and starting to glow "I'm doing it!"

Hannah looked as the water started glowing alarmingly bright "Garth, be careful, don't overdo it or else it might…" she was interrupted by a loud bang and a bright flash. "…explode." Garth's crackling-ball exploded in his face; thankfully it didn't do any damage except startle him. As it blew up, he let out a yelp and swam backwards in alarm. The bright flash forced him to see nothing but stars for a few seconds.

"Garth!" Tula called out in worry, quickly swimming to his side "Are you alright?"

The boy rubbed at his eyes "Yeah…just feeling stupid." Hannah was at his side in seconds as well, taking his hands in to hers and examining his palms for any kind of injury. Garth celebrated mentally at the attention he was getting.

"You have to be careful! If it was too big, it could have hurt you!" Hannah scolded. "You're lucky you only got away with being startled."

"Hannah." Kaldur's voice reached her and she turned her attention away from Garth. She was greeted by Kaldur holding a marble-sized glowing orb in his hand, looking quite proud of himself "Am I doing it correctly?"

"Kaldur, that is amazing!"

Hannah left Garth's side, much to the boys dismay, and was in front of Kaldur, examining his crackling-ball. Garth pouted a little bit as she started spewing words of praise at Kaldur'ahm. But, instead of sulking, he got to back on to his feet and started again. "Garth, perhaps you shouldn't try it again…" Tula pressed on in worry, but he chose to ignore her.

His eyes lit up as the water moved around him and between his hands. This time he made sure to stop before it blew up. "Hannah, look!" he called out, but the girl didn't seem to hear him. She was too busy cooing over Kaldur. He frowned and pouted once more, puffing up his cheeks.

Feeling a bit mischievous, he grinned. The crackling-balls didn't do any harm, except startle and daze. So there really wasn't any harm to his idea. In a swift move, he threw his orb at Kaldur, hitting his back. The bang startled the boy enough for him to explode his own orb. Kaldur yelped in surprise, the flash from the orb limiting his sight to nothing but white for a good few seconds.

"Garth! That was uncalled for!" Tula scolded

He, on the other hand, grinned "Whoops, my hand slipped!"

Kaldur turned around to face Garth, rubbing his eyes as his sight returned to him. He saw the look on Garth's face, and felt himself mirror him. He knew a challenge when he saw one, and he was not about to turn this one down.

Without a second thought, he charged another crackling-ball, throwing it up once before hurling it at Garth.

It soon evolved in to a full blown fight between the two.

"Stop it! Garth, Kaldur, stop!" Tula scolded them as they fired crackling-balls at each other.

"You two just learned the spell, you need to be more careful!" Hannah joined in.

The two didn't listen. Much to the dismay of the two girls. Tula even let out a condescending "ugh, boys" under her breath. Garth and Kaldur continued their fight, trying to both outwit each other and show off to Hannah more.

Unfortunately, as things usually go, it got out of hand pretty quickly. Trying to overpower each other, they started building bigger orbs. It was only a matter of time before disaster struck. It took but one stray, oversized orb hitting one of the pillars of the Conservatory. Being the size of an adult mans fist, it held much more power to it than the marble-sized cracker ones Hannah had taught them to use. When it made contact with the pillar, it exploded bigger than before, causing considerable damage. The pillar let out an agonizing creek as it struggled to stay upright, but gravity took its toll on it and it started cracking under pressure.

"Look out!"

"It's falling!"

The pillar was collapsing, the four kids standing in its way. They tried moving away as fast as they could, but it was coming at them incredibly fast. "Tula, hurry!" Kaldur called out to the girl who was falling behind. Panic ran through him as he already visualized his friend being crushed. He turned around, about to swim over to somehow try and help her get out of the way faster, when Hannah sped past him.

The blonde girl stopped straight in front of the pillar and held out her hand, her palm facing outwards. Kaldur watched mutely, his mouth agape, as violent energy surrounded her, dancing wildly around her body. Her eyes glowed bright just before she sent the violet energy shooting at the pillar, enveloping the massive structure completely. As she did so, it stopped in mid-water, unmoving, frozen.

Kaldur was left in awe at her display of power.

"Who is responsible for this?!" Queen Mera's voice boomed, anger evident. The four kids stood in line, each one of them staring at the floor in shame. "A ancient pillar, standing proudly for centuries, destroyed in a children's game! And that is not the worst of it! What if any of you got hurt? How could you be so careless, young ones?!"

Hannah swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling tears burn her eyes. Could one even cry underwater? "Queen Mera…it…it was my fault. I was the one who taught them the spell, I-"

Kaldur stepped up "No, it was my fault." He intervened "It was my attack that hit the pillar, causing it to collapse."

"No, it was me!" Garth jumped in as well "I was the one who started the fight in the first place."

Queen Mera watched the three argue with each other over whose fault it was. She put a hand to her head and sighed, feeling a small headache coming on "Young ones, please." She called out, the three silencing instantly. "While I am disappointed that you have been so careless, I have to admit that I feel pride in my heart." She kneeled down so to be on their eye-level "I am proud of how you guard each other, I am proud how you stand up for each other. It seems you already made a strong friendship between each other today. And even though you have caused all this chaos, you managed to save Tula and everyone else from being hurt."

She straightened up "But do not think that your misdeeds will go unpunished. I will come back later once I think of a suitable punishment for your inconsiderate and dangerous actions today. For now, you are not allowed to come back to class for the rest of the day, you will stay in this room and think about what you have done."

"Yes Queen Mera." The four chorused. Pleased, Mera turned around and left, closing the door behind her.

Hannah let out a shaky breath "She is scary."

"She is the Queen. She has to be scary." Tula let out in a meek tone of voice.

"Thank you, both of you, for standing up for me and trying to shift the blame to yourselves." Hannah said "You didn't have to do it, I didn't want you to get in trouble!"

Kaldur smiled, floating up in front of her "The same goes for us. You only wished to help us learn; it was the two of us who took it too far."

"And we apologize." Garth joined in.

"We can only hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive us." Kaldur continued, holding out his hand towards her. "You are, after all, our friend now. I would be very saddened if I ruined my friendship with you before it had the chance to bloom."

Hannah felt her heart flutter and cheeks flush. Shaking her head in an attempt to recollect herself, she ignored Kaldur's offered hand. Instead, she opted for a hug, taking the boy by surprise. "Of course I forgive you!" she squealed, squeezing him tightly "I have friends! I have friends! This is so exciting!"

"You've never had friends before?" Tula arched her eyebrows, not believing what she was hearing

"No, never! This is my first time!" Hannah cooed, still hanging on to Kaldur "I am so glad!"

Kaldur couldn't help but smile at her sincere joy before hugging her back.

BELLE REVE PARISH

SEPTEMBER 18, 20:00 CDT

"Aqualad."

Kaldur opened his eyes. It took him a few moments to take in his surroundings. "Red Tornado." He muttered back, sitting up straighter in his seat. "I apologize. I got lost in my own thoughts."

"Were you recollecting joyous memories?" Red Tornado questioned, curious "Your face showed off the expression of serenity."

The teen nodded absentmindedly "Yes. They were indeed joyous memories." He smiled "Of the first time I met a friend."

"Fascinating." Red Tornado commented, interested in how memories affected Kaldur's current mood. He still hadn't quite caught on to human behavior, so it was always interesting for him to study him.

Before he could speak any further, a voice reached Kaldur's mind "Aqualad, pull us out. The mission is over."

"Alright Miss Martian." Aqualad replied "Call in the league, Miss Martian established contact. It is over."

Leaning back in to his seat, Aqualad closed his eyes just for a little bit, while Red Tornado contacted the League. It was strange, how the memories of the first time he met Hannah came so naturally and so vividly in to his mind.

He felt a smile come on to his lips. The first time he met her. It was a joyous occasion indeed.

A/n: Another chapter, finished. Ahhh, I really need to step up my writing game.

It's past 2 am and I can't write review replies, but thanks to all who revieved.

PepperCornPie

Swirlypasta (loved your review! feel free to send me a private message, btw ;D )

Ground-Cinnamon

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Jem Fukuyama