FIVE YEARS AGO,

THREE MONTHS PASSED by in a blur, and then it was the last day of the year, and Odile wasn't sure how much progress they'd actually made. They had more than when they started, but a few names on a stack of papers from a late member wasn't as useful as one might think.

Seraphina had informed Remiel of Odile's location two days ago. They'd reached an agreement to come pick her up tomorrow: January first. The start of the new year.

So now she was sprawled on her bed, the evidence laid before her on the mattress, Damian sitting on the edge, eyes narrowed as he studied it all.

"You can see where he starts getting a bit... old." Damian pinched his nose. "The papers at the bottom are just all repeats of each other. Same few things said again and again and again."

"He gets fixated about the elixir of immortality at the end," Odile agreed. "But his description of the aftermath of the attack... it's useful."

"All dressed in black." Damian raised a brow. "Wounds seem to be from katanas. Kills are swift, fast, clearly an elite squad, extremely disciplined."

"Hand me that list of clans again." Odile reached out with her hand. "Surely one of these clans have to fit the description."

"Thing is, Odile, I'm not sure it is a martial arts clan. They're not usually killers. It's not customary for a martial arts clan to just wipe out another. I think we need to think bigger than that. For some reason, my mind keeps going to Deathstroke."

"Because he killed your grandfather?" Odile paused. "There is a possibility. But at the same time, if immortality was what he was after, wouldn't it make more sense for him to go after the Lazarus Pits?"

"At that point," Damian murmured, "there weren't any known Lazarus Pits. The one in Gotham was destroyed. The one in Nanda Parbat had... complications as well. It's why Remiel was sent to Gotham after the death of my grandfather. To locate a new Lazarus Pit."

"My sect was destroyed a year before your grandfather's death, right?" Odile squinted. "If it was after, it might make sense... but before?"

"Maybe." Damian looked thoughtful. "Someone interested in immortality who has the resources. It has to be one person at the helm—the elixir only works for one, right?"

"That's what the legends say." Odile shifted into a more comfortable position, cross-legged. "I don't know why the Court of Owls just popped into my head."

"They're mostly Gotham-centred. I doubt it's them. And the Talons are usually more... vicious than that." He pointed to the paper that described the aftermath of the attack. "It wouldn't have been as simple as this if it was the Talons."

"I know the killings were swift... but it's still a massacre, Damian."

"They're efficient killers. It feels like the kind of thing my grandfather would have commanded. Cut off any chances for future issues, but nothing more than absolutely necessary. Though my grandfather wouldn't have left any survivors."

"Thank god it wasn't your grandfather, then," Odile laughed humourlessly. "Wouldn't be alive otherwise."

He glanced up at her from underneath his lashes. "Yeah. Thank god for that."

Odile blinked and glanced downwards, wanting to hide her blush.

I'm glad I met you, Damian Wayne.

I'm glad I didn't die then.

Even though she sometimes wondered if life would be easier if she had. If someone else had survived in her place, they might have made more progress than her. They might already have found the culprit, retrieved the elixir. Brought justice.

But it was her who was left standing in the end. She hadn't even done anything for it. She hadn't helped join the fight like some of the other kids. She hadn't tried to run away to survive. She'd just... stayed where she'd been told.

Sometimes, Odile felt like she didn't deserve to be the one left alive.

But she was. So she was going to do something about it.

Odile turned her head. "Remiel's going to arrive any moment now. Where are you going to go, Damian? Do you want to go to Hong Kong with us for a while?"

"Maybe." He paused. "Might be nice. I don't know if I'm ready to go back to Gotham yet."

"Then come with me and Remiel." A smile spread on her face. "If you're there, she won't force me to go back to school."

"School isn't awful."

"My school was awful. I'm not a normal kid, Dami."

"Neither am I. I go to school."

"You must be a menace."

"I am."

Odile wrinkled her nose. "Narcissist."

He rolled his eyes. "In our line of work, we have to understand the psyche, mentality and culture of ordinary civilians. School is a great way to learn it."

"I talk to my neighbours."

"That's not the same." He tilted his head. "Give it a try. Just this school year. If you really hate it, then leave at the end of that."

"Maybe." Until June, then. That could be... tolerable. And six months should be enough for her to learn about ordinary civilians, as he'd put it.

God, he made them sound like aliens.

In a way, aren't you exactly that?"

No, she was still human. She was just raised differently from the rest of the world, that was all.

"Will you come with, then?" Odile asked, spreading her fingers on the bed. "I'm sure Remiel doesn't mind."

"I'll stay under until the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations," Damian said thoughtfully. "Been a while since I've gotten to celebrate that authentically."

"Yes! That would be great. It's boring with just me, Remiel and Daniel. And Daniel usually goes home to his parents for the actual New Year day."

"You realise today is the last day of the year?"

"I know." Odile sighed. "Crazy, isn't it? Next year I'll be fifteen. You'll be seventeen. You're going to be an adult soon. Are you scared?"

He raised a brow. "Why would I be scared? Adulthood means so much more freedom and independence. Father won't have the right to tell me what to do anymore."

Odile said, exasperated, "He'd never been able to tell you what to do in the first place."

"But he still tries. Once I'm an adult, maybe he'll stop trying. He doesn't do it as much with Grayson. Or Todd. Or Drake. He trusts them, not me."

"Then nothing will change even if you reach adulthood," Odile said stubbornly. "But isn't adulthood scary?"

"No, it's not. It's just a passage of life."

There was no point continuing this argument. Odile pulled her knees closer to herself. "Right, then. How do we continue this investigation?"

"Keep an eye out for any of these people." Damian motioned to the list of names on one piece of parchment, scrawled out in messy handwriting. "Though I confess, many of them may be as lost as you regarding the culprit. I feel like Father must have investigated the collapse of the Eyu Sect at some point. I'll see what I can glean from there."

"I don't want him to—"

"I'll be careful." Damian gave a nod. "I'll make sure to cover my trail."

"Okay." Odile sucked in a breath. "I don't know how Remiel will react to all this."

"She'll understand. It was her on a path to vengeance once."

"If she'd never come to the Yuannan Mountain Sect to reclaim her birthright, she'd have never met me. You'd have never met me," Odile said quietly. "That's incredible to hear, isn't it?"

"That's just how life works."

"I might have never left the Yuannan Mountains."

"You're smarter than that. If you wanted to leave, you'd have found a way to leave, with or without us."

"You have so much faith in me."

"You tied with me the first time we fought."

"You were holding back, were you not?"

"So were you," Damian remarked. "We were both holding back."

"I was the one who asked for a tie."

He seemed amused. "Why are you so insistent on lowering yourself compared to me?"

Because you are better than me. You're smarter, stronger, wiser, more mature. I can't compare.

She shrugged. "You're older."

"Give yourself a little credit, Odile."

"Praise from Damian Wayne. I must be dreaming."

"Someone else might be surprised. You shouldn't be." He cocked his brow. "I suppose I should start packing then, if I'm leaving with you and Remiel."

"New year, new beginnings!"

"I suppose you're staying up until midnight."

"Duh." For the last three years, Remiel had taken her out to the seafront on the last day of the year. They usually found a rooftop with a good view, brought some snacks between them, and then watched the firework display. This year, though, she'd be spending it in Guilin.

The League didn't have any celebratory activities. Seraphina didn't seem to particularly care—she was probably busy with something, because Odile hadn't seen her much for the past few days. It was just going to be her and Damian.

Odile hummed, "What do you usually do for New Year's?"

"Didn't celebrate it with the League, really. Just a special meal. If Mother was free, she'd count down with me, but we didn't bother with anything else." He paused. "We set fireworks off in Gotham. Unless we're busy. We're usually busy, really, out in the city, beating up criminals. They don't just take holidays. I think last year, when the clock struck twelve, we were fighting Joker. Bad night for Todd."

"Can't blame him," Odile mumbled. "Almost wish we were already in Hong Kong. Remiel would take us both out to see fireworks."

"That sounds fun." He sighed. "It's fine. At least I'm not spending it alone."

"I'm glad you're here, Damian."

"That's sweet of you. But then again, you're always sweet."

Odile's eyes narrowed. "I can be mean."

"Not to me." He snorted. "Don't think I've ever seen your mean side, truth be told."

"I try to be nice. Usually. But I can be nasty when I want to be. But only to people who deserve it."

"Glad I'm not on that list, then."

—

DAMIAN WAS THE one with a watch. At eleven thirty, the two of them headed onto the roof of the tallest building in the base which just so happened to have an area that was flat. Damian laid down the picnic blanket. She laid down the basket of food and drinks.

"This is nice, isn't it?" she asked, keeping her voice quiet. There would be people sleeping. Or perhaps not. Perhaps everyone was in their rooms, silent, waiting for the clock to strike twelve.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," Damian commented, glancing up. He sat down on the blanket, legs crossed before him.

"So it is." Odile tilted her head. "If the myths are true, my ancestor resides there, staring back at us."

"Do you believe it?"

"Does it matter?"

Her lips twisted upwards as she flexed her fingers, the pink projection of a bunny appearing before them, dancing around where they sat. "They say she has a bunny. Maybe I should get a bunny."

"You'd need a magical bunny for that."

"Don't you have a cow?"

"So?"

"Your cow isn't magical."

"Because I'm not magical."

"Ha! You admit it. I am magical. I use magic."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever floats your boat, Odile."

She pouted. "You're just purposefully messing with me now. Bunny's cute, eh?" She willed her projection to land on her outstretched arm, grinning at it before allowing it to vanish. "One's up there staring back at us, maybe, wondering what the hell we're doing up here."

"Shut up and eat, Odile."

She decided not to argue. They'd ransacked the kitchen for snacks. There weren't many. A few packets of chips. A couple Chinese pastries. Damian had grabbed a bottle of wine. She attempted to get him to give her some, but he was adamant with his answer.

"Stick to your orange juice, Odile. Remiel isn't going to show up tomorrow to you having a hangover."

Odile's eyes narrowed. "But if Remiel wasn't showing up tomorrow you'd give me wine?"

"No. I'm not letting Seraphina know I gave you alcohol either. Settle down."

"You're not of age to drink alcohol either."

"I'm a special case."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

So Odile stuck to her orange juice.

"Why are we up here, by the way?" she pondered aloud. "Not like we're going to see fireworks."

"We're here to enjoy the moon, of course." Damian cocked his head. "And chat. And be melodramatic about it all."

"We're always melodramatic. Don't need to be on a rooftop for it."

"Makes it funner, don't you think?"

"Damian, I'm going to punch you."

"Very rude of you, Odile."

"Why do you love saying my name? You keep doing it."

"Do I? Maybe it's because I helped choose it. A sense of closeness, you know."

"Sure, Dami."

"You keep saying my name too."

"Not as much as you say mine."

They glared at each other. He rolled his eyes. She kept staring at him.

The moon was bright tonight. And Damian basked under it. It highlighted his features, almost as if he was glowing, immortal. Odile swallowed and tore her gaze away.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." Odile adjusted her position on the picnic mat. "Just thinking."

"Stop thinking. You can keep thinking tomorrow."

"A bit difficult to turn down my head sometimes."

Damian rolled his eyes. "It's New Year's Eve. It's twenty minutes until the clock strikes twelve."

"What do people do when the clock strikes twelve?"

"Depends on the place." Damian tilted his head. "In Scotland, people clean the house. In Brazil, some people dress in white and jump into the ocean. In Greece, some people smash pomegranates."

"Don't think we have any of those lying around. What do you guys do? Except beating people up and setting off fireworks?"

"Another custom is kissing someone as the clock strikes twelve." He made a face. "I had to watch Drake and Brown do that once. And Father and Miss Kyle."

"Catwoman?"

"It was an awkward few seconds."

Odile's mind was already elsewhere. A kiss as the clock strikes twelve...

"Have you ever kissed anyone?"

"Like, on New Year's? Or just, any time?"

"Both?"

Her heart was pounding. He was sixteen. It wouldn't completely surprise her if he had. But at the same time, there was just some part of her that prayed that...

"No. Never."

"Really?"

"I'm too busy for that."

"Huh."

"I assume the same for you, Miss Fourteen-year-old."

"Yeah, no. I don't even know any boys my age except for you, really."

"Maybe I'll introduce you to some of my friends." He looked thoughtful. "You should meet Jonathan sometimes."

"Jonathan?"

"You might know him as Superboy."

"Oh yes, I have heard of him."

"Maybe I'll introduce you to some of the Titans as well."

"These are all your friends?"

"I suppose so."

"That would be nice." She yawned. "Next summer then, when I'm in Gotham. So... do you have a crush on anyone?"

He glanced at her, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Why so curious?"

"Look, I want gossip. I won't tell. Only people I can tell are Daniel and Remiel anyways."

"No crushes." He shook his head. "Like I said, I'm too busy for all that."

"Really? I mean, Dick and Remiel were busy at your age too, but—"

"I have more things to do than Grayson and Remiel." He shook his head. "Romance will just distract me."

"Oh."

He raised a brow. "You sound disappointed."

"You're so boring, Damian."

They sat there, just chatting. And at eleven fifty-nine, Damian laid down his watch before the two of them. And they watched as the second hand got closer and closer towards twelve.

And when the new year came, he reached over and scrunched up her hair. "Happy New Year, Odile Yu."

She leant over and gave him a tight hug. He froze for a moment, and then slowly relaxed.

"Happy New Year, Dami."

sort of just a cutesie chapter, also marks the end of this particular flashback!!! third flashback is a lot more dramatic, involves jon, and is very very tied into what will be happening with the modern day story line