Winds of Fate: The X Factor (Teen Titans)

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, now, after months of trying to register for these boards for the sole purpose of getting this fanfic up, let's see what happens...:sweat:
I could type some insanely long explanation as to the origins of this fanfic, etc., but, for now, I won't bother.

If people actually start reading it, I may explain a bit behind its purpose.

What you need to know?

-This fic takes place right after Season 1 of Teen Titans.

-This fic directly ties in with 'Quest for a Destiny!', a very large fanfic crossover project I have spent almost 4 years on so far altogether.

-This fic does contain spoilers for any Teen Titans fan who doesn't want anything ruined. This includes spoilers of later episodes, too. I would explain this, as well, but you'll just have to find out as you read.

- This fic contains explicit language, but I wouldn't say it's packed with it. Also, later on, there is some semi-graphic violence. I don't know what level it will reach, but it won't be meaningless. Anyway, just to be safe, this story is intended for teenage audiences and older.

For now, I'll post up the Prologue, and I'll go from there. If there are any questions, do feel free to ask, either here or by E-Mail. I'd be very happy to clear up anything, as this fic has a lot of things going on when it picks up.

Anyway, here you go. Enjoy it.

Oh! Almost forgot...I guess the best rating for this would be Teen. It contains some foul language here and there, and I guess some stuff later on will be kind of...not-for-little-kid material.

I'm aiming for a teenage audience here.

---*<Begin Transmission>*---

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Prologue- Wind's Whispers

The city was deep and relaxed, in its prime time. The glowing rays of the sun had just fled from the navy skies, and small traces of them remained, stretching out their fingers to the residents of the city.

The day had been a calm and peaceful one, and for the Titans, that was good and plenty. Not a speck of villainy was to be spotted all day, despite their patrols. And so, they rested on a triangular rooftoop, starving to eat their long-awaited dinner.

The air was rather warm and inviting, the summer zephyrs pleasant to the touch. A nice, long breeze flew by, and a slightly tan-skinned girl with deep red hair smiled as she felt it pass over her. She had eyes that glowed with emotion, and had a dainty-looking form. She sat patiently, her arms folded in her lap neatly. She was being relatively quiet, abosorbing in the atmosphere.

However, she was quickly broken out of her evening dream as bitter voices began to puncture her thoughts.

"NO! Listen, man, I WILL NOT eat meat!!" came a kind of high and defensive tone.

"Come ON, B, just this once?!" a deep, smooth voice spoke back.

The owner of the first voice was standing up, his hands on the table, his face beginning to fume a bit. He was a little unique in comparison to other people, for he was green. His eyes were very expressive and wild. He was Beastboy, a marvel with the power to transform into creatures at will. Very flexible in combat situations.

"No is NO, Cyborg! You KNOW there's no point, so give it up, man!" he grumbled to the broad person who sat to his left on the circular, red table.

In physical appearence, he was a machine, but at heart, he was human. Composed of metal, plastic, wires, ciruitry, skin, and flesh, he was an odd sight. But a formidible foe, for sure. He had a spirit as tough as the steel that plated his head. And his eyes...One was a glowing red light, the other a sharp human one. Any flesh that was shown on him was of a brown color. He was Cyborg.

"Oh, PLEASE! Every damn time we order pizza, I never get my meat! I need my protein! Why do you keep denying me the "All Meat Experience"?! Come on, I'll pay for my own, just lemme me eat some red stuff, for Superman's sake!"

He was getting a little worked up, and it showed as one of his super-strength arms pounded into the table, shaking it a little more than was neccessary. His face got nervous immediately, and he scanned around in shock, hoping he hadn't drawn too much attention.

A calm and relaxed tone came from Cyborb's left, and it's owner had an exhausted look about him.

"Guys...Can't we just order? It's really not that hard a task..." He let out a deep sigh and slumped over in his seat, resting his head in his arms, which were folded across the plastic table.

The red-haired girl cleared her throat and proposed timidly, "I am eager to experiment upon our pizza with some mint frosting..."

Beastboy and Cyborg, who had just began to bicker a bit more stared at her dully, and BB muttered, as if this was routine, "Star...Mint frosting ISN'T a topping on pizza...Remember...?"

Starfire, an alien being with super natural powers, let out a disappointed sigh and murmured politely, "I understand your view, Beastboy, but I do not understand...Is there a law somewhere that states that mint frosting is not permitted to be placed on pizza...?"

Beastboy gave her the most puzzled look any of them had shown all day, and he couldn't come up with an answer.

"Uh..." He blinked a few times in confusion, and the leader of their little band came in to settle the matter. His eyes were cloaked by a black mask of sorts, which only covered them, so they appeared as white spaces on his face. He had messy, black hair, and a tight outfit of red and green, with a yellow belt and cape to finish it off. He was Robin, the leader of the Titans.

"OK, listen...Starfire...MOST people don't eat...minty...stuff...on their pizza...Then again, most people don't drink MUSTARD..." he paused a moment to reflect. "But ya know what, Star? You're not normal. Psh," he chuckled warmly, "NONE of us are normal, let's face it!"

A few laughes came out from the bunch, except one. She had remained still and silent for the past while, not even moving. She sat in her seat, her eyes closed, her hands stretched out in a meditative pose. She had dark and depressing eyes and shining, silver hair which ran down to her shoulders. Those eyes were almost expressionless at the time, which was what she was trying to acheive. She was Raven, by far the most mysterious of the group.

Out of nowhere, it seemed, she suddenly burst out a comment. It was monotone and dim, but a comment, nonetheless. Her voice also had a slight bit of raspyness to it. Just barely.

"...Why don't we just order and get out of here...?"

Starfire let out a sigh and answered, "I apologize for the inconvenience, friends. I was merely making a suggestion."

"No, no, no, wait," Robin spat out, waving his arms around. "Ya know what, guys? How long has it been since STARFIRE got to choose the pizza?"

There was utter silence as the others stared in dismay, almost knowing what was about to happen.

"We're supposed to be a team, and teams are fair, right?"

...

Robin cleared his throat, uncomfortable from the lack of communication. Starfire, meanwhile, was staring at him expectantly.

"Right...So, I say we let Star pick tonight." He coughed out a bit as he finished by saying, "Mint frosting it is..."

There were no objections, at least not any verbal ones, and the long-haired girl was delighted.

"Oh, Robin, I thank you dearly! Thank you, friends, for joining me in my curiosity!"

"No prob," Cyborg murmured dully.

"You bet," Beastboy muttered, his eyes wandering.

"Mm hm," Raven hummed, as plain as ever.

Robin sucked in a deep breath, laid back in his seat and mumbled, "See? Now, was that so hard...?"

*<------>*

A set of shining, solid teeth sliced apart the odd food viciously, and the tongue that rested within the mouth seemed pleased. His partially mechanic arm reached out for another piece of this strange delight, his mouth watering for more.

"Man!" he cried, shaking his head in astonishment. "This is pretty GOOD!"

"Really," Beastboy agreed, his voice muffled from the sea-green plastered pizza in his jaws.

Raven's narrow eyes were glaring at the unique food in dismay, and she seemed to be pondering whether or not to try any. If she didn't QUICK, it was all going to be gone.

"Not hungry, Raven?" Robin muttered, noticing her statue state.

She didn't reply, nor did she acknowledge his existence- but Robin was used to that, and let her continue.

Starfire's gleeful eyes sparkled with happiness as she let her jaws dive into her third slice of 'Pizza a la Mint'.

"Whoa, Star," Beastboy chuckled, having just completed his first piece. "Don't wanna choke on that..."

Starfire began to attempt to speak, but realized that her mouth was full- a rude gesture, if her memories on American Culture were correct. It was hard, trying to remember all of their odd customs. But Starfire had an excellent memory, and was motivated just by the chance to learn something new.

After having gulped the food hastily, she let out a few coughs, her hands slapping her face to stop any material from flying around.

Beastboy almost jumped out of his seat, but before anyone got worried, Starfire cleared her throat and murmured, "Sorry," her face beet red.

With a nervous laugh, BB sat back down, sighing of relief.

"See?" he muttered, shaking his head. "I'll admit, though, Star, this is wicked stuff..."

The green monster rubbed his gloved hands together and grabbed his second slice eagerly, while Cyborg was working on his third, not bothering to pay any heed to those around him.

Raven finally decided to wait until they got home to eat, and began to meditate once again.

Starfire stared at the creation before her in thought, then her eyes lit up. She raised up her hand and waved it a bit, trying to catch some attention from the people wandering around the tables in uniform.

"May I request the presence of a 'waiter'?" she asked loudly, excited.

One responded, and came rushing over to their round, red eating surface.

He was kind of short for his age, and a medium build. About seventeen, from the looks of it. His legs were strong and firm, and his arms were almost equally so. His smile was inviting, and he adorned a white sweatshirt and slightly baggy blue jeans. White rubber gloves were on his hands, meant to prevent any of his skin from getting on food. A black baseball cap with the words, 'Pie in the Sky' printed in crimson red on its surface rested on his mess of light brown hair. The same logo was also on his white shirt. He almost had sideburns, and slight traces of black hairs were visible under his nose. His nose, in fact, was kind of round and slightly large. He spoke out to them in a casual tone.

"What can I do for ya, Miss?"

Starfire blushed at him, feeling slightly odd inside at first, but she dismissed the feeling as best she could and made her request.

"Dear serviceman, may you deliver a bottle of...-" She had to think a minute to remember the word for it. "-mustard...please?"

The teen worker paused, quickly surveyed the food upon the table in perplexment, but shrugged and nodded.

"Uh...Sure, Miss...Comin' right up. Just gimme a sec, okey dokey?"

Starfire nodded, smiling at the waiter warmly. "Many thanks, Sir..." she murmured, trying to pry her eyes away from his own. There was something about them...They glimmered with mystery and spirit, almost like the stars themselves. When Starfire stared into them, she felt a surge of emotion flood into her. It was strange to her, indeed. The other Titans didn't seem to notice all too much- they were too busy scarfing down mint pizza.

Starfire watched the young man walk off toward the counter near the roof's edge, and she noticed that in his big back pocket there was nestled another hat. A bright red one.

She then realized in dismay that the pizza was almost gone, and reached out to snatch a last to herself, placing it on her plate gingerly.

"Who's that guy?" Robin muttered, staring at the waiter curiously. "Haven't seen him around..."

Starfire paused, unsure herself.

"Must be new here," Beastboy suggested with a shrug, a piece of baked dough covered in green cream in his grip.

"Yea," Robin mumbled with a shrug. They came to this place frequently, and new faces didn't appear all too often.

Starfire waited patiently, not even looking at her pizza. Her eyes were up in the air as she pondered who this person was. For some reason, he struck her as a very unqiue person. Different from everyone else there. It was quite puzzling to her...

Her thoughts were popped like a bubble when a yellow tube with a sharp, pointed top was placed before her, and that odd boy gave her a grin.

"There ya go!" he declared. "Have a nice night, guys..."

"Will do," BB cried as the figure began to walk away, leaving Starfire feeling a bit shaken by his sudden presence.

Beastboy's eyes glanced over at Starfire, who, no pun intended, looked starstruck. He let out a chuckled and poked out playfully at his red-headed friend.

"My, he was nice." Starfire's shimmering eyes met his for a moment. They were narrow and sly, as he raised his brows up and down in a joking manner.

"Um..." She did not quite know how to take this gesture, and decided to pass it off.

Raven was too busy muttering to herself in deep thought, Cyborg was too busy engulfing mint pizza with his jaws, and Robin was too deeply lost in the atmosphere of the evening- so none of them noticed Starfire gleefully squeezing mustard onto her already...unique pizza.

Beastboy stared at her like she was insane, realized she was STARFIRE, and proceeded to eat his own pizza without a second thought.

Starfire scrambled to get a sufficient amount of the yellow stuff on her food, and she lifted it to her lips and opened the 'hatch doors.' However, just before it arrived on her tongue, a sound shattered their dinner.

It was a scream. A female one, coming from about a hundred yards in front of her, and about ten stories down. The pizza slipped out of her hands and plopped on her plate in surprise. Why now, of all times?

Robin jumped like a bolt of lightning and cried out, "Titans...Moof!!" There was still some pizza leftover in his mouth.

One by one, they all snapped into action, bounding away to fight the crime that dared to intrude on their evening. Starfire lagged behind by a second or two as she swallowed her piece in two bites and soared off like a bird.

The teen who had served them a minute ago spun around in alarm, sensing that someone was in danger. His eyes shimmered with seriousness, and he reached up his arm to remove the brand-name cap from his head.

It slapped against the cement floor gentley, and the boy tore the white gloves from his hands, letting them land softly next to the hat. He ripped off his white sweatshirt to reveal a crimsom red tee shirt. Now that the white shirt was gone, you could see that his blue denim jeans were in reality overalls, and two straps loosely hung over his shoulders, golden, shining buttons holding them in place.

He began to pound his black-sneakered feet against the stone beneath him, and he reached out into his huge back pocket to pull out that bright red hat. He shook it a bit, trying to unfold it, and he placed it on his head roughly, fastening it a little as he reached the building's edge.

His cap was completely red, except for a spot on his forehead- a white semi-circle rested there, and printed in this space was a big, almost glowing red 'M'.

"Time to get down to business," he muttered to himself as he tossed his body off the building nimbly, soaring down to the chaotic streets below.

---<*>---

End Transmission

---<*>---

What do you think so far? We've touched nothing, of course, this is just introducing the main characters, I guess.

By the way, any guesses as to who this figure is? This is a DC comics place, but I'm sure the basic image must be familiar to some of you.

If you guessed Mario- Nintendo's mascot- you'd be correct.

That's all I'll say for now, but there is quite a story behind it, indeed.:evil:

[oneeyemonkeypie]

WAHHHHH! Teenage mario!? WEEEEE!
where did you come up with that idea???

oh man, I almost fell outta my chair reading that.
*phew* I gonna need a minute.

I'm guessing you got an explanation? (Starfire making goo-goo eyes at mario? definately didn't see that one coming.)

I never thought about it, but mario would have superpowers compared to an average person. Nice first chap. If you've been working on it for years, then I assume you have some more chapters. post them frequently.

Also-Raven's hair is blue, not silver.

Ps.-Is pie in the sky a reference to Oasis? I remember one of their songs was like that.

[Crowgirl]

[QUOTE=oneeyemonkeypie]WAHHHHH! Teenage mario!? WEEEEE!
where did you come up with that idea???

I'm guessing you got an explanation? (Starfire making goo-goo eyes at mario? definately didn't see that one coming.)

QUOTE]

I totally agree with oneeyemonkeypie. Where's luigi?

That's really good, you've got their personalities down well. Just please, don't break Robin's heart.

Oh yeah about Mario, maybe he's new because he used to be the pizza place's plumber?:D

[Destiny_Smasher]

Geez, I wasn't expecting so many replies so quickly...But, hell, no complaints here!

Um...Well, I figured that the Prologue would indeed spark curiosity.

Now, then...

To clear up some misconception...

I haven't been working on this single fic for years. This fic is ONE PART of a HUGE crossover project I've been working on for years called 'Quest for Destiny!'

'Winds of Fate' is the division that it falls under- simply put, a division for shorter novels that focus only on a certain group of characters rather than the ENTIRE cast, which is currently comprised of over 50 characters that all have roles that intertwine with each other who I keep tabs on to the best of my ability...

Um...

I'd link to my other fiction, but I'll wait a while first. :evil: Wouldn't want you reading everything in a day, there'd be no suspense.

That was the prologue, by the way- I'm currently working on Chapter 12, and they only get longer as I go. I have been working on this particular fic over the course of a year now, though, along with two others.

Yes, I did make Starfire a bit shy about Mario, but don't worry about that, because one main aspect of this fic is a Robin/Starfire relationship.

I'd tell you more about important elements, but that would ruin it, so that's all I'll tell you for now.

Concerning 'Luigi, Bowser,' etc...

You'll just have to wait in see. ^_^ But you will be surprised, I can assure you.

And another thing- this fic DIRECTLY ties into my main one, and the whole idea is to focus on how the Teen Titans enter my main work. Bear that in mind.

But I can assure you this- the questions will be answered sooner or later, so just be patient.

I'm roughly halfway through the fic, and awesome ideas just keep flooding out, and I know you'll enjoy what I have in store.

*cough*

Whoa, there I go ranting again. You probably want to see Chapter 1, huh? :sad: Yeaaa....

For the record, I wrote the Prologue over a YEAR ago, when Raven was my least favorite. I didn't quite understand her back then, so I didn't really like her a lot...

However, as I wrote about her in my fiction, she quickly became one of my favorite fantasy characters.

Her hair isn't really blue, either...I consider it to be more of a silvery-blue, but...It's not really all too important, now is it?

---*<Begin Transmission>*---

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 1- Crossroads of Chaos

A maniacal chuckle erupted from the creature before them as he pulverized Cyborg, senting the mechanical young man flying into a parked car. The impact was rough, and the car was crushed with a loud crunching sound.

The laugh was high, quick, and frightening- but the Titans were anything but cowardly.

It's owner was a thin and lanky fellow. He had very skinny arms and legs, and a tall head. Long, thin locks of pale green hair dangled down over his face, each one reaching almost to his feet. They flew around crazily as he moved. His eyes were wide and insane, and his grin was equally so- though it was much dirtier looking than his eyes. He had a long, pointy nose, like a cone. His outfit was one made almost entirely of treebark, oddly enough.

He let out another psychotic giggle as Raven blasted a shadowy fire hydrant at him, which she had ripped from the sidewalk with her powers.

The villain simply lashed out one of his arms, which amazingly stretched out like a whip, and lashed the hydrant back at her with stunning force and accuracy. Raven was caught off guard at close range, and she, too, was knocked backward.

The other Titans were working on hacking away this creeps small army of freaks. Each one looked like a little tree- like him- but they weren't as tall, and much weaker than he. In numbers, however, they were becoming a nuisance.

"What's UP with these things?!" Beastboy cried as he transformed into a green and black panda, scarfing them down like snacks.

"I have not the slightest clue," Starfire admitted in a shout as she fried about five of them with a nicely aimed beam of energy. She shot it from her palms, and it exploded upon contact with the black pavement.

Robin was a little distant from them, and handling himself just fine. He'd kick one, punch another, lash out his boomerang at the next...They were small fry. But they were getting ANNOYING.

Just as his fist bashed into one's head, crushing it into a mushy gree pulp, Robin looked up when he heard a shrill cry.

It was the boss of these creatures, and he looked satisfied as a few of his odd, vine-like locks of hair joined together to form a thick rope, which wrapped around Robin, clutching his tight.

He couldn't break free, though he struggled. His body was lifted into the air, and he grunted in annoyance, helpless.

An innocent face stared in shock when it realized what had just happened, and a gasp erupted from its mouth.

"Robin!" a sweet voice cried in fright. "Do not worry, Robin, I am coming!"

As she sped through the air, her hands out sharply, her shining red hair flapped like mad. As she closed in on the target, green orbs of light and heat formed in her fists, and she prepared to let them fly. However, she didn't notice the pointy object that came whizzing straight at her until it was too late. A sharp dart of sorts struck her in the neck, and she cried out in pain as some strange substance seeped into her body. Whatever it was, it made her fall asleep in a matter of seconds. Her body was speeding through the air at a high velocity, but was snatched by one of the villain's vines like a frog's tongue on a fly.

Another squeaky snicker poured out from the oddball's mouth as he danced with glee, two of the five in his possession.

Robin continued to fight, but he could feel his body numbing, as well.

"DUDE!" Beastboy cried, nimbly leaping over some of the sproutling freaks and dashing at the creature.

"You're gonna be sorry, man!" he declared boldly, as he hunched over and tranformed into an emerald-colored bear, running as he did so.

"I ain't out for the count just yet!" came the booming voice of Cyborg as he, too, came rushing in, his arm extended in its cannon form.

As the two came dashing in, the lanky man had to think fast.

He came up with his strategy as large, neon blue beams of plasma came soaring at his face, directly from Cyborg's arm.

The clever woodland guy stuck out his odd nose, letting it absorb the impact in full.

"YEA, baby!" Cyborg cheered- but too soon. He skidded to a halt as he noticed the stranger's cone-shaped nose was glowing blue, and he looked unharmed.

"Aw, ****," he mumbled to himself in dismay, as his own attacks were used against him, the power of all of his shots ramming into his body at once in a turrent of blue.

He twitched like crazy, his system scrambled, and collapsed to the pavement.

The half-man, half-tree whirled around to see this green bear lunging for him, but was prepared. As he had reflected Cyborg's attacks with his nose, his arms and dug into his huge mess of 'hair' and pulled out two large beehives.

The beehives were launched liek bombs at Beastboy, who snarled in surprise as they exploded with insects. At first he continued, as if they ahdn't hit, but he quickly realized these weren't ordinary bees. The green and white striped bugs injected his body with the ame toxin that had struck Starfire and Robin, and he soon warped back to his neautral self, rolling into the ground harshly.

In utter joy, the madman scooped these two new trophies up, very pleased with himself, and let loose one of his insane laughs. But a slightly scratchy tone interrupted his fun.

"...A word of advice...Stop giggling like a child...And cut your hair while you're at it..."

It was Raven, who came gliding toward the beast, ready to avenge her fallen comrades, who were all knocked out cold.

The tree-man snorted in defiance and prepared to lash out his vines. But as they whipped through the sky, they smacked harslhy against the black barrier that raven had formed around her body.

"Nice try," she muttered, raising her palms.

She blasted the group of vines back with a little effort, and swerved around the creature, ready to strike.

But this criminal was not ready to give up just yet. He still had some more tricks.

His nose- that odd and bulbous monstrsity- began to pulse a purple color, and he focused his sights on following this pale-skinned girl as she came in for the kill.

But when Raven was about to dish out her power, a purple missile punctured her forcefield, shattering it like glass. Her foe's flying nose exploded in a cloud of purple dust, and Raven fought to stay in control of her body. But her eyes were blinded, they stung...She felt herself give in to this strange poison...

And the last of the Titans fell to the clutches of this psychopath.

He screamed in delight at the task he had accomplished. For months he'd developed his tactics, ready to annialate the Teen Titans. It had paid off.

"MREHEHEEEEEHEEEEEE!!" he wailed joyfully. "The pathetic Titans have fallen to the hands of the WHOMPING WILLOW!!"

As a barrage of frightening laughed flew into the air, the man danced around, waving the teens in the air within the grip of his long hair.

"Dammit, do I hate it when they talk in third person like that," someone muttered to himself as he stormed onto the scene.

It was the strange waiter from the 'Pie in the Sky' pizza parlor, garbed in his unique outfit.

He landed on the pavement nimbly, absorbing the fall with ease. As he rose up in an erect position, he straightened his red cap, which looked maroon in the early night's dim light.

He stood tall, his fists clenched, about twenty feet away from the Whomping Willow. His eyes were slightly glazed, and righteous justice emitted from him. Some of his fluffy brown hair poked out of the back of his hat, and it rustled in the air gentley.

The 'gifted' tree glared at him in utter surprise and confusion.

"What is this?!" he shrieked. "Who are YOU?" The bark-covered man crouched slightly in a defensive position.

The teen before him put up his fists before his face, stared him down cooly, and responded with a calm grin about him.

"My name's Mario...And I'm your worst nightmare, pal..."

*\<------>/*

Pain. It burned through his whole body as it woke up groggily. The pain was unbearable, coarsing all around him. He let out a moan and tried to open his eyes. But when he did, light began to flood in, which caused even more irritation. He squinted them shut again in agony, and growled slightly.

His ears were functioning fine, though, and he could make out voices coming from around him. The first one to meet his eardrums was very sweet, gentle, and sounded a little timid.

"They'll be fine...I'll do what I can..."

Another one responded from a little farther away. This one was kind of cocky, almost. It had spunk and attitude to it, but also a firm sense of justice and freedom.

"Don't worry too much. You look too tense. Just relax, and do what ya do..."

She hummed shyly back, "Mm hm..."

Suddenly, Robin felt a warm breeze blow by him, and he felt his pain begin to melt away. It was gradual, but he could definitely feel it. He was dying to open his eyes, but he did so slower this time. They adjusted to the light well, and he could make out figures standing around him, though it took a while to see the details, as everything was still blurry.

As it turned out, Robin was laying on a carpeted floor in a warm and oddly familiar room. His good pals were sprawled all along the floor of the room, slowly gaining conciousness. Robin was finally able to sit up, but not too fast. Pain was still clear and present, but not so much so, and the memories of what had just happened flashed through his brain like lightning. As quickly as these thoughts flew into his brain, his body was up on its feet, and he was scanning his environs frantically.

In amazement, he soon realized exactly where he was...The living room of Titan Tower. Cyborg was hunched over the round coffee table. Starfire was lying on the red couch. Raven was in the recliner off to the side, and Robin could only see her chin, as her head was propped back. Beastboy was on the ground beside Robin, and the leader of the Titans was now standing in shock, staring at the big screen before him. He was breathing heavily, and realized he was still pretty worn out from his previous fight.

"Whoa, there, buddy," came the male voice Robin had heard. He felt two firm hands latch onto his shoulders, which made him twirl around in fright with a cry.

The figure before him was a teenage boy, about his height. Robin didn't focus on details at the moment- all he knew was that a stranger was in his house.

"Geez, cool yer jets, bro," the kid eased him, sticking his palms out like a sheild. "You still look kinda banged up. Might wanna sit down a bit, huh?"

"Who are you?!" Robin spat out suddenly, backing away a little bit in alarm.

The stranger sighed with a smile, shaking his head slowly.

"Dude, just chill, OK?"

Robin paused, calming slightly. Something about this kid let him know that they were on the same side. It was his face, his sharp expression. The jade eyes that radiated attitude.

The leader sucked in a deep breath, noticing that everyone else was still out of it, and returned his gaze to this odd teen. He didn't look familiar...

Beside his eyes and his arrogant smirk, Robin also noticed he had some small, blach hairs coming out of the bottom of his chin. Poking over his forehead were a few spikey bangs of various sizes. And running down the back of his head was a smooth set of spiney hair that pointed downward, mostly. All of that hair was blue.

He wore a light jacket that was white with puffy blue cuffs. Small yellow lightning bolts ran up his sleeves. In the middle of his chest was a nifty design- a buzzsaw like shape that was a deep blue. A zipper ran down the middle of it. There was no shirt underneath the jacket- not that Robin could notice.

He had sky blue windpantswith white stripes down the sides. On the front of each leg, running lengthwise, the words 'Gotta Jet' were printed in white, block-ish writing. Traces of white socks poked up out of his sneakers, which looked very snazzy.

They were red, with white lines intricately running down them. The heels had glowing greenish circles on their outside.

Robin's breathing was still deep, and he still looked slightly unsure.

The teen rolled his eyes, his arms folded across his chest.

"Listen, buddy, I just helped save your ***** from that gay tree, and ya don't trust me?"

Robin blinked in confusion. RIGHT! That's what happened! They were getting their butts kicked by that freak...

"Wait," he mumbled, puzzled. "YOU beat that guy up?"

The figure shrugged and nodded. "Well, yea, I helped."

Robin blinked a few times, staring at him in awe.

"You mean, after he beat us up, you came in and finished him off...?" Robin felt strange saying that. Since when were there other other heroes in town?

The blue-haired boy nodded slowly, his eyes wide, as if he thought Robin was a moron.

"Yea, pretty much..."

Robin sighed deeply, abosorbing it in. He glanced at all of his comrades, feeling their were all OK. He crossed his arms and paused in thought.

"So..." he began slowly. "Uh...Who are you? Why did you save us...?"

The kid nodded, flashing a cocky grin. He put his fists on his hips and announced his answer boldy.

"I'm Sonic. And I don't need a reason to help people, do I?"

Robin shrugged, feeling that this guy had strong beliefs in justice.

"I guess...W-Wait...So..." He shook his head, sorting all of his thoughts.

"You beat up the villain, and brought us all back here, all single-handedly...?" There was suspicion in his tone.

Sonic chuckled at him and tossed his right arm.

"Psh! I wish! Nah. I've got groupies, ya know!"

Robin froze and quickly searched the room, but they were the only ones there.

"Groupies...? Where are they?"

This Sonic character tapped his fuzzy chin a little and glanced around the room. Sounding a little unsure, he replied.

"Ehhh...Well, I'll bet they're all lookin' for somethin' to eat." A laugh came out. "Yea, especially Mario..."

Robin cocked his head, curious.

"Mario...?"

Sonic turned his head back to Robin and muttered, "Oh, yea. He's our leader and everything..."

Robin grinned in realization.

"So you're telling me you're part of a team of crime-fighters, too?!" he asked eagerly.

Sonic shrugged, and as he answered, he slicked back his hair with his left hand, which was encased in a black biker's glove.

"Guess you could say that..." The spikey-headed kid seemed a tad confused as he pondered the thought. Robin's averted to other matters.

"Allright, so...Everybody's gonna be OK, then?" he checked hastily.

"Oh, sure. Everybody's good. Just need a lil' sleep, ya know?" His green eyes narrowed at Robin's white spaces for eyes. "Speakin' of which, you look like you're really missin' out...You need to take a chill pill and nap, dude."

Robin shook his head, frowning.

"I'm good, don't worry. Listen, you need to show me where these other guys are..."

Sonic let his arms drop and tilted his head a little.

"Sure, man, whatever." A devilish smile crawled across him. "Hope you can keep up."

Robin stared at him strangely. "What are you talking about? I LIVE here."

By the time he'd finished his sentence, the kid had whizzed out of the room in a blue blur, yet leaving everything in tact as well.

Robin blinked in amazement for a few seconds before another thought came to his attention.

"Wait a minute...This is OUR HOUSE!! Who invited you in here?!"

^/*/<---->\*\^

The cool air slowly wafted by the teenager's face, which had traces of bristles under the nose. He sniffed the crisp air, his cautious eyes glancing around alertly. A soft hand creeped up to his face and scratched his chin roughly, then disappeared.

A figure was staring at him from behind, unbeknowest to the boy. She was a little younger than him, and was smiling warily.

"Hey," she said calmly.

"Whoa!" the kid jumped, banging his head into the white door of the refridgerator. He yelped quietly, and rubbed his hand through his messy, light brown hair. He spun around slowly to see one of his friends, and he smiled smugly.

"What?" he asked, smiling, as he slowly stood up and closed the door, still tending his 'injury'.

The dark-skinned girl was grinning at him dully.

"Mario..." she mumbled. "This isn't our home...Are you sure it's right to be snooping around their food?" Her eyes were sad and a dark, deep blue.

Mario chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his bare hand.

"Well, uh...I mean, ya know, if it weren't for us, they'd be screwed. Besides, we've already made ourselves at home, right?"

The girl shook her head slowly and sighed, crossing her thin arms over her chest as she leaned her back against the island that rested in the middle of the kitchen.

"Mario, we did the right thing, but...We shouldn't be poking around their things, ya know...? Besides, I don't feel like I'm at home..." Her depressed blue jewels wandered around the room nervously.

Mario glanced at her from head to toe for a few seconds before he answered calmly, "You've already got your shoes off..."

The brown-skinned young woman tossed her head back in frustration and growled, "Mario, I NEVER wear shoes!"

Mario shrugged lightly, smiling in a bit of embarrassment as he stared at her cute, bare feet.

"Meh, whatever," he mumbled casting the thought aside. His face took on a solemn tone suddenly as his eyes soared around thoughtfully.

"Hey...Tenochtitlan," he mumbled shyly.

She let one smooth arm drop, while the other clung to it gracefully. "Mm...?"

"Do you think...that everything's gonna work out...?" He sounded a little unerved.

As he returned his gaze to hers, he saw the worry in her icey, white eyes.



She let her head bob a little, unsure. She had to think a moment before she could respond.

"Um...Wh-what do you mean...?" she inquired quietly, her gaze gradually returning.

Mario sifted his hand through his puffy maple hair a little, trying to relax his brain as he mumbled, "Well, ya know...Ya think they're gonna accept us...?"

Tenochtitlan's eyes were now furrowed and a dark brown.

"I don't see why not..." she murmured firmly. "We DID save them, afterall. I'm sure that they could use our help...Why else would we be here...?"

Mario nodded slowly in agreement, letting his arm flop over to his side again.

"Yea, I know...I'm as confused as you are...I was just wondering what you thought...You seem to always be right, after all." A smile crept over his face as his sight met hers.

She was smiling warmly back at him, her golden yellow retinas half covered by her eyelids.

Her soft, dark hands wandered onto the counter to gently scoop up the big red cap that had been sitting there. She ran her fingers over it, almost mesmerized, then slowly raised her hand and went to pass it to her friend.

He stepped closer to her and reached out for it with his big, sculpted hand. Much to Tenochtitlan's surprise, he playfully slapped it on her head, messing around her long, braided locks of soft, black hair.

She giggled and pushed him away roughly.

He chuckled a little and countered by shoving his hat down over her beaming, pink eyes and her shining, white grin. He always seemed capable of making her laugh. A familiar voice interrupted them, and they almost jumped. When she realized who it was, though, Tenoch smirked and roughly shoved Mario away, sending him bumping into the refrigerator.

"Whew! I was HOPING you guys didn't chomp all the grub!" Sonic had called out, just before Mario hit the fridge.

As the smooth acting guy slickly walked into the room, he glanced at Tneochtitlan, then at Mario.

"Psh. Get a room, guys," he muttered with a grin, knowing exactly what kind of reaction he was about to get.

"Hmph. Get real, Sonic," Mario protested smugly. "You know nothing's going on..."

Sonic chuckled warmly as he punched Mario on the shoulder, easing him to get out of his way.

"I know, man, I know...I'm just jokin' with ya," he mumbled warmly, reaching his arms into the array of food.

Tenoch was suddenly quiet, her eyes a dark blue. Neither of them noticed, and she let the thought go, her retinas changing into an emerald green before Sonic noticed her standing there, staring at the ground, holding an apple in his hand.

"What's up with you...?" he murmured curiously.

Her head jerked up, her dreadlocks flipping around. She slowly removed the red cap on her head and tossed it to Mario, who caught it with ease.

"Uh...I'm just...-" her kind voice trailed off, not really sure what her problem was.

"We're a little worried about what's goin' on," Mario admitted as he slipped his hat back on, feeling at one with himself as he did so.

Sonic had swallowed a bite, and just before he munched into it again, he responded.

"Ahhh...Yea..." His teeth sank into the sweet, red fruit. He added more, his mouth full. "Ah ohh hut ya mean," he attempted.

Tenochtitlan finally spoke, fiddling with the object wrapped around her forehead.

"Mm hm. I'm a little nervous, I guess..." Now that she thought about it, she was losing confidence. She blanked out for a minute, not paying attention to their conversation, wandering through her thoughts.

Why am I here...? Where did I COME from...? Who AM I...?

She became frightened for a moment when she realized the truth- she didn't have a good answer for ANY of those questions. At least not an answer she knew was correct. She felt she KIND OF knew the answers...She wanted to get out of these thoughts, and she didn't realize her eyes had turned black. As she awoke from her fear, she realized her hands were playing around with her hair, and she hastily dropped them, hoping the other two hadn't noticed. She felt much more comfortable when she noticed they were scarfing food out of the fridge like animals. Then again, they hadn't really eaten all day.

They didn't have any money to get food WITH. They didn't have any home to go to...It was as if they just arrived there out of nowhere...

Tenochtitlan was hoping with all her heart that these 'Titans' would accept her and her friends. They didn't have anywhere else to go...

It suddenly snapped in her brain that this wasn't their place, as much as she wished it WAS, and she scolded, "Guys! What are you doing?!"

Mario poked his head out of the fridge and grinned, his mouth empty for once, and he tossed a banana at her.

"Your favorite, right?" he mumbled as he dug back into the pile of consumables.

Tenoch's stomach growled as she stared at the yellow fruit in awe between her delicate looking fingers. She had to force herself to place it on the island she was next to, wincing from her hunger.

"Yea...Thank you," she murmured back sadly, still not comfortable here. Now that she thought about it...How did he know that...? Ugh...Things were SOOO confusing right now...Maybe it would be best to just forget all the complicated stuff and try and relax.

"Hey...Where's Link...?" she suddenly inquired, her eyes narrow with curiosity.

Mario laughed and muttered, "I dunno...But he better haul ass if he wants some food!"

Tenoch placed her palms on her hips and snapped, "Guys! Stop being pigs!"

"Don't WORRY," Sonic assured in a grunt, removing himself from the cold storage box, traces of color on his face.

---<*>---

End Transmission

---<*>---

Huh? HUH? What do ya think?

By the way, Tenochtitlan is an original creation of mine, and there's quite some mystery behind her. Her role is very crucial in my main work, and that's why she's in this one, too.

By the way, it's pronounced [TAY-NAWSH-TEET-LAHN]. -_-' It was the captial city of the Aztecs...But Tenochtitlan is supposed to look African, I guess...:shrug:

Whatever. :yawn: Bring on the comments, people.

Keep in mind as you read this fic- as we progress- that I really strive for character development, especially on Raven. This isn't apparent until later, butit's CRUCIAL, so please tell me what you think of the characterization as we go.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

wow.

you are a PROLIFIC writer. this fic sounds like a HUGE investment in time. please, link to it when you see fit. don't make me hunt it down and post the url. *grins evilly*

[rrarbecy]

I am not one for long posts, so I'll get to the point. AWESOME!!! thats all I have to say. Mario as an eating machine is a nice touch.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Ah...A little more feedback. Thanks for the comments.

However, I see it fit to keep you guys suspended...as you put it...'for the time being.'

Sorry. I just actually want some replied here before I run out of Chapters. I want some gradual feedback, ya know?

Oh, yea. Here ya go. Next time I may wait for a couple more posts, though.

---*<Begin Transmission>*---

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 2- Home, Sweet Home

"Guys, I'm serious," she whimpered nervously, hopping a little in fear, her purple eyes wandering around the room.

"Tenoch, cool down," Mario mumbled, shaking his head as he, too, pulled his face away. He, however, hadn't eaten as hastily as Sonic, and wasn't nearly as messy-looking.

The dark-skinned young woman sighed and placed her right hand on her forehead tiredly. Her head hurt a little, confused from all the thoughts mixing through it. It was too much compared to what she was used to...What WAS she used to?!

Tenochtitlan was a beautiful girl, who looked about 18 or so, and had a very strange outfit in comarison to the people who lived in the city she was currently in. She had thin, slender arms, and smooth, strong legs. Her arms and legs certainly had muscle in them, that was for sure, and it was clear when she fought. But based on her appearence, you couldn't tell. There were no shoes on her elegant feet, but there were a couple ankle bracelets of gold. She wore an ancient-looking skirt of sorts. It was as black as night, and it was kind of short, cutting off just a little above her knees.

Farther up was her cute stomach, which was showing between her shirt and her skirt. It was a little thin, but not too much so.

Her shirt had no sleeves, and was white in color. A unique illustration of a yellow sun was printed on its front, while a picture of a black moon was on her back. Along her thin arms were various pieces of jewelry. A gold bracelet rested on her left arm, just above her elbow, and was tight enough where it stayed there. On the other arm was a silver one, which ws located down near her wrist. A simple, shining black ring was fitted on her left ring finger. On the other arm's wrist there was a gray bandana with yellow stars pirnted on it, but it was tied around as if it was a bracelet itself. A thin metal chain dangled around her neck, and a flat, black crescent moon of metal was fastened to it, which hung just above her breasts. On each side of her pretty face were ears, of course, and each one had an earring.

Her right ear held a flat, metallic piece that looked just like an item known as a 'Shine Sprite,' which was a glowing gold. And on the opposite ear dangled a similar earring made of silver and shaped into what was known as a 'Power Star.' On her smooth forehead was a shimmering circlet colored gold. A round gem was fastened within it, right in the middle of her head. The color of the gem varied, just like the color of her own mystical eyeballs.

Then there was her soft, straight hair, which she had a decent amount of. It was tied in lots of braided dreadlocks, which loosely hung down a bit past her shoulders. Poking over her circlet a little were individual strands of her puffy, black hair.

Then there were the most important and most noticeable features about her- her eyes. She had stunning eyes that immediately grabbed attention, and there was a very mysterious quality to them. They changed colors like a mood ring. This was because, actually, they were like mood rings. The eyes, they say, are the windows to a person's soul. Tenochtitlan's were a perfect example. They shifted color with her emotions. This way, when one looked into her eyes, you could usually determine how she was feeling in her heart. Which made it a little difficult for her to hide her emotions. And she was a very emotional person, indeed. The jewel that rested on her circlet shared the same quality, and changed with her eyes, at least when she wore it.

The last piece of her ensemble was a wooden staff, which was almost as tall as her, and very strong. Three large, very skinny metal rings hung loosley from a hole just below its tip. Guess what colors they were? That's right- black, silver, and yellow. Odd marks were engraved in its sides, and the top held firmly to a sharp rock with the same properties as the one on her forehead.

Mario, while wiping his mouth, glanced up at her, and instantly felt bad for her when he saw her distraught look.

"Tenoch...You OK?" he murmured, a little puzzled. "There's nothing to worry about...Everything'll work out just fine, you'll see."

She opened her squinted eyes slowly, and Mario saw their purple tone. She looked confused.

"It's not what's going to happen that I'm worried about...It's what ALREADY happened..." She looked away, blushing slightly, and Mario and Sonic exchanged equally perplexed glances.

Suddenly, as interrupting as Sonic had been when he entered the room, was another voice very familiar to them. It was solemn and a little grumpy.

"Gee, guys, thanks for inviting me to dinner..."

Mario's eyes lit up, happy to escape the dreary mood Tenoch had set up.

"Link! Heh-ey, man! Where have YOU been?"

The blond-haired boy shrugged as he stepped in, noting the timid-looking girl and the eager-eyed boys. He looked tired, small bags forming under his eyes.

"Ugh...I've been looking for a good place to sleep, but...I mean, I'm afraid I'll wind up sleepin' in one of these freaks' places..."

Link was a fairly muscular guy, but not too broad. He was a little taller than the others, and a lot more serious-looking, at that. He wore a black leather vest around his chest, which had three golden triangled arranged in a triangular form on it- a symbol known as the Triforce. He wore a dark green sweatshirt, and brown gloves that cut off at his fingers. Baggy pants of an even darker green and deep brown army-style boots finished up the bulk of his outfit. He had a neat set of slightly darkened blonde hair. Bangs poked out over his face, slightly to the left and right, but not in the middle. An odd, short hat sat upon his hair. It was round, short, and a pale blue. Upon its center was a small Triforce contrasted against a red circle. Thin red stripes ran around the hats sides. On his pierced right ear was a small, sky blue earring, completing his look. He looked about 17 or so, and was a handsome young man.

Tenochtitlan huffed, crossing her arms stubbornly, her eyes red and firey.

"See? This is too awkward! I can't deal with this. Hey, are any of them up yet?"

Sonic scratched his short little goatee a bit and mumbled, "Well, that cape kid was up when I was there..."

"Oh, they're wakin' up?" Link wondered sleepily.

Tenoch began to stumble out of the room, tossing her staff haphazardly onto the island as she did so.

"They're in the living room, right?" she hastily questioned as she departed.

"Yea," Sonic called back as he glanced at her walking quickly down the halls.

"Where are you going?!" Mario shouted curiously.

"I'm going to apologize!!" she cried back, not even looking or stopping.

/*\--~+~--/*\

Robin was stepping through the halls of the tower slowly, dazed from the evening's events. He'd decided to leave everyone to rest where they were for the moment, and went off in search of these 'groupies'.

He was really confused, and the headache he was experiencing didn't help.

Who had saved them, why? How did they know where the Titans lived? If they were super heroes, why hadn't he heard of them before? And where the he** was he GOING, anyway?

After he paused, took a deep breath, and squinted around himself in the night's darkness, he realized he was aiming toward the brightly lit kitchen, though it was off a bit, around a corner to his left. Yea...OK, OK...He knew where he was headed, now...

That Sonic guy had said something about food, hadn't he...? What gave him the right to go pillaging their kitchen, though?

Just then, Robin had the wits scared out of him as a shadowy figure turned the corner, coming within inches of him before realizing a person was there. It was a girl, slightly taller than he, and she let out a sharp, short shriek of surprise as she jumped back, grasping her chest as if to prevent her heart from pounding out of it. Robin also let go a cry of shock, but not nearly as loud as hers.

A distant voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Robin caled down the halls from the kitchen in concern.

"Tenoch?! You allright?!"

Tenochtitlan's eyes, which were purple at the time, though Robin didn't notice, darted from him to the hallway. She paused a moment and nervously shouted back, "Uh...I'm fine! Just...I just tripped, ya know...It's kinda dark out here..." Her worried expression turned back to Robin's ever perplexed one.

"Ya sure you're OK?" the voice checked.

"Uh, oh, yea...I'm OK, don't worry..."

"Well, be a little more careful, huh?"

Tenoch's left hand was fretting with a small braid, and she yanked it off when she noticed.

"Uh...Hi," she mumbled shakily.

"Y...Y-you must be the leader, right?"

Robin crossed his thin arms over his chest, cocked a brow, and answered cooly, "Yea, that's me. Who are you? Why are you here?"

Tenoch bobbed her head, embarrassed, and attempted to explain.

"Well, uh...See, you guys were in a jam, and we came and helped, and we brought you here, so...-" she trailed off, fidgeting with her hair again, but not realizing it quite yet.

Robin nodded slowly, feeling confident this much was true. Something about this girl made him feel he could trust her, though he didn't even know her one bit.

"Wait. OK, OK...I know that, but...Listen, where are the others?" he demanded, trying to sound like he wasn't angry. He WAS, in a way, but it was more irritation.

The dark girl continued to fiddle with her braid, twirling it between her fingers, and mumbled an answer.

"Umm...Th-they're all in the kitchen, so...Listen," she spoke out firmly. "I'm really sorry about us coming in like this, we just..."

Her eyes, which were still violet, wandered. "We don't really have anyplace to GO..."

Robin felt a wave of sympathy for the girl. She seemed too innocent and honest to be mad at, and Robin felt his annoyance melt away.

"Oh...Well, er...Listen. I just wanna talk with your friends, or whatever, and try to figure out what's going on here, OK?"

Tenoch smiled shyly at him, hoping he wasn't upset.

"Uh huh." She nodded quickly, her hair bobbing around. "Follow me, allright?"

As they paced through the dark, Robin rubbed his temple and thought to himself, "Whoa...This has been one he** of a night so far..."

>[=/+*+\=]<

He stood there, amazed, perplexed, and yet...He felt kind of happy. These strangers, they...They didn't really feel like strangers. They felt like friends. Being the leader of the group, Robin decided that he could make the decision he was about to make.

"Weellll..." He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he wouldn't regret this choice later. "I guess I don't see why you can't hang out here for the night. It's the least I can do right now after you helped us out back there..."

Mario, who Robin recognized from the 'Pie in the Sky' parlor, grinned and roughly patted him on the back.

"Allright, Cardinal! Thanks a mil, man!"

Robin smiled, somehow feeling sure this guy was just joking with him.

"It's Robin," he corrected with a smirk.

"Right, right. Whatever ya say, Bluebird!"

The baggy-clothed boy wandered off a little from Robin, glancing about the room, his eyes narrow. He propped his red hat up a bit to see better.

The others continued, not noticing.

"So you guys are heroes, too, huh?" Robin murmured, amused. He was leanded up against the island, just as Tenoch had been minutes before.

"Yea...I guess you could call us that," Sonic muttered, tapping his foot, his hands at his hips.

"Didn't you say that before?" Robin inquired slowly.

Sonic's eyes bulged a bit, and he nodded.

"Yea...I'm amazed you remember. You looked STONED, man..."

"Still DOES," Link added, elbowing Sonic.

Robin sighed, shaking his head. It wasn't unlike what he experienced every other day. He pressed a question.

"So...How did you guys GET here? I mean, why don't you have anywhere to go to...?"

He was answered by utter silence and totally puzzled expressions. Tenochtitlan's was pale and afraid, her eyes black as midnight. Robin had noticed the odd way her eyes changed color, but didn't quite ask about it yet. He didn't want to be rude. He could worry about that later. Right now, he wanted to get everything sorted out and go to sleep.

"We don't really have a good answer for that right now," Mario admitted, wondering why everyone else in the room looked so upset. He was still looking around for someone, trying to figure out where they could be. He seemed oddly calm about it amidst the nervous atmosphere.

"...Huh?" Robin muttered, shaking his head quickly in confusion.

"Uh...Nevermind," Mario grumbled, trying to change the subject. "Where's Tikal, guys?"

Everyone instantly glanced at Sonic.

"Wh-what?" he squeaked.

"She's YOUR girlfriend," Link muttered with a huff.

"Well, yea, but...How am I supposed to know? I think last time I saw her she was heading upstairs, but..."

Tenochtitlan shrugged, kicking her bare feet across the tile floor.

"She's fine, I'l bet. Probably looking for us..."

"Yea," Sonic agreed.

Robin know realized there was a fifth of them. Hm.

"Whoa, whoa, wait..." He stood up sraight, sticking up his palms in confusion.

"Allright...So...You guys don't know how you got here...You have no place to go, and you've got super powers?"

They all nodded slowly, looking a bit ashamed of themselves.

"OK..." Robin grinned confidently.

"I've got the perfect idea..." He crossed his arms again, and glanced at them all carefully. "Why don't you guys join the Titans?"

There was another moment of tranquility as they all stared at one another. Tenochtitlan and Mario exchanged glances and practically spoke when they did so.

Tenoch's pink eyes said, "I guess I shouldn't have worried," while Mario's smirk replied, "I told ya so."

"Hmmm..." Mario tapped his chin carefully, rubbed the fuzz under his nose a bit, and acted as if he was really considering his answer carefully. "Why not?"

Robin smiled at that answer as he muttered, "Well, I figured since you were able to take down that stupid tree guy..."

"Yea, yea. You guys could NEED us if you fight like THAT," Sonic added in, punching Robin's shoulder.

They all spat in their comments for a few minutes, kind of in a mixture. Robin broke it by saying, "I'm gonna have to check it out with the other guys tomorrow, but...It's gettin' real late. And I'm bushed."

"Yea," Link added, yawning, which caused Tenochtitlan to yawn drearily and Robin to follow.

"Well..." Robin groaned, beginning to leave the room.

"Let's look for a place for you guys to crash, what do ya say?"

"Sounds friggin' good to me," Sonic mumbled sleepily as he followed Robin out of the room.

"The tower's pretty big, and I'm almost positive we've got some guest rooms around somewhere..." Robin announced quietly as they exited the room, walking out into the black halls.

Mario landed in front of Robin with a light thud- he'd nimbly hopped over them- and stuck up his hand into the air. It ignited in flames, and he kept his arm up like a torch.

"Lead the way, Rooster," he said slyly.

+{~/|\~}+

A groan escaped his mouth as his eyes opened slowly, letting in the dim morning light that seeped through his window shades.

His eyelids twitched, not wanting to let too much light in at once, but they finally opened all the way, and the green teen drearily rose himself out of bed. His legs and arms were sore, he noticed, standing up with a stretch.

Blinking at his bedroom in perplexment, he acknowledged the fact that it was a new day. It didn't even ocurr to him what had happened the night before. The toxins of the Willow's strange poison still jarred his memories a bit.

"Man..." He mumbled, scratching his butt roughly. His keen nose quickly picked up a delicious scent that wafted through the Tower. Whatever it was, the source was very nearby. "Sweet!" he cried, dashing for the door with a toothy grin. For once he was excited that it didn't smell like tofu.

But as he burst through his door, and into the still dim halls, he froze at what met his eyes, and he felt his gut get queasy. He felt his face get warm, his eyes glaze over. A very pretty girl was walking through the halls, toting a tray of pancakes drenched in syrup with her. She had brown skin, beautiful eyes, and an arrangement of long, thin braids. It was Tenochtitlan, but Beastboy had never seen her before in his life. Those eyes captivated him, drew him inward...Granted, the 'bod' was to his liking as well, but...Something about those eyes made him feel faint. They were a bright orange at the moment, and as they met his, they shifted to a pink, much to Beastboy's surprise.

"Oh! Hey, good morning...Beastboy, right?" she greeted, giving him an inviting smile.

"Oh, my morning just got REAL good now that YOU'RE here," Beastboy murmured in awe, just quiet enough that she couldn't quite make it out, his face dreamy and lost.

Tenochtitlan cocked her head at him, a little confused, but retained her smile.

"Hm?"

Beastboy caught himself hastily and fumbled around.

"Oh, uh, yea. Morning there..." He rubbed his neck a little. "Er...You're a new face. What's your name?"

She squinted her eyes and smiled, answering. "I'm Tenochtitlan. Nice to meet you. Robin's told me all about you." She reached out her soft hand to accept his, grasping the plate she held with the other, and he shook it eagerly.

"Uh...Oh. Pleasure's all mine," he responded, trying to sound calm. "What brings YOU here?"

As her eyelids peeled open to this comment, BB noticed the blue color that rested beneath them.

"Ummm..." She bobbed her head a little, unsure as to how to answer the question.

Beastboy immediately felt pain just looking at her upset face, and he quickly retracted his question.

"Oh. Uh, listen, if it's personal, no big. I understand."

Tenochtitlan's eyes shifted to a pale yellow and she smiled and looked back up at him shyly, blushing just barely.

"That's OK," she mumbled. "Honestly, I don't know how to answer you. I DON'T know what brings me here. All I know is that I'm here..."

Beastboy was a little confused, but it didn't matter.

"Oh!" Tenoch almost jumped, realizing she had a plate of food in her hands. "I...I was bringing breakfast to you. I hope you like it."

Beastboy let his mouth open, almost drooling. He was famished. He wanted to reach out and snatch it like the beast he was, but his concious told him that this would be rude. Amazingly, his conciousness won.

Tenochtitlan grew slightly nervous and turned her head around to the direction she had come from.

"I, uh...I don't know where you like to eat, but..."

Beastboy snapped awake from his gawk and motioned her to follow himt o his room.

"Uh...This is good," he told her as she placed it on his black, ebony dresser. "You make it yourself?" he wondered.

She shrugged, shaking her head.

"No. Mario made 'em. He's a much better cook than I am."

Beastboy cocked a brow as he picked up the fork on the plate, trying to remember how to USE one properly.

"Mario?" he mumbled. "Who's THAT?"

Tenoch lightly slapped her forehead.

"Oh, sorry. He's...He's one my friends."

Beastboy stuck his fork through a single pancake and swallwed it whole.

Tenoch let out a quiet giggle as she continued.

"Actually, soon enough he may be YOUR friend..."

Beastboy licked his lips of the syrup that stuck there, his mind jumping from food to this stranger.

"What do ya mean?" he muttered.

"Well..." Tenochtitlan sat herself down on Beastboy's odd bed gracefully, and as he stood there next to his dresser, fork in hand, he felt captured by the way she landed on his cushion. Her smile, her bright yellow eyes, the way her soft hair was tossed into the air. She totally dominated his mind and heart for a few seconds, until he caught himself staring.

The girl finished her sentence, not looking at Beastboy directly.

"Last night you guys were defeated by a strange creep, and...we saved you from him..." She was speaking slowly and thoughtfully.

Like the roar of a lion, that whole event flashed through BB's brain, and he jumped in realization. He suddenly felt incredibly stupid that he hadn't even thought of how that all turned out.

"After that, we brought you here, and...Your leader, Robin, talked with us..." She had a saddened tone as she ended the little tale. "We...don't really have anywhere to go, and...Robin suggested we join your team..."

Beastboy's eyes lit up with instant delight and he cheered, raising his arms.

"Yes! Sweetness!"

Tenoch was slightly surprised at his sudden act, but quickly recovered and let out a snicker.

"So, I take it you agree with him already, hm?"

Beastboy smiled timidly and answered, "Well, I guess you could say that..."

Tenochtitlan gazed around at the jungle-like room. It was a bit of a mess, but...she didn't mind. For some reason, it...It felt like home. Where WAS home...? NO! She had to stop asking herself these questions, or she'd go mad! After clearing her throat quickly, she jumped off of the bed and began to leave for the door.

"Um...I have to go help Mario in the kicthen, so...I-I'll see ya later. It was very nice to meet you, Beastboy!"

As she left the room in a hurry, Beastboy murmured to himself dreamily, "You have no idea how nice it was..."

[-+=/*/_\*\=+-]

"You put them all in their beds?" Sonic asked incredously. "H-How did you manage THAT one?"

The timid and quiet girl he was talking to answered in her soft, slightly low voice. "I used my...my powers..." she mumbled.

The blue-haired young man paused, reflected, and nodded. "Ohhh...So ya just, like, levitated 'em, or something?"

"Yes," she answered calmly, her arms folded up behind her back.

She had a fluffy, long hair that ran down the length of her back. It was a pale orange color, and was like silk in texture. Two poofy sections of it rose over her forehead, and a studden gold headband ran over her head behind the bangs. She had deep, lonely blue eyes. Her build was thin, and she didn't appear very physically strong. A white shirt with short sleeves covered her bosom, and its bottom arched upward over her stomach, leaving it bare. Its color was gold and had a green jem in its center. She wore a very roomy denim skirt, which hung just about where her knees were when she standed erect. Sandals were on her feet, which had straps that crawled across the top of her foot. Her skinny arms had thick, neon blue bracelets on each, the color of the midday sky. Her outfit was simple and more relaxed than the clothes of those around her. She was Tikal.

"Are you guys hungry?" came a relaxed voice from behind them as Mario stood over the stove, cooking pancakes and bacon in frying pans with ease.

"I could go for some chow, man," Sonic answered. He turned to his girlfriend and asked, "You look pretty starved. Why don't you eat some?"

She nodded in agreement, almost smiling.

"That would be a good idea," she muttered.

Two figures entered the room, both in mid conversation. They were Link and Cyborg.

"-then I took my sword and hacked the bastard's arm off," Link said grimly, swiping his arm in a downward motion.

"Aw, ya, baby," Cyborg said with a grin. "You and me- we got some sparring to do later on, lemme tell ya that."

"AFTER we eat," Link added.

"You bet, man," Cyborg agreed heartily, staring at the food being prepared.

"Oh, hey, guys. Morning there," Mario greeted, tipping his red cap slightly.

"Oh, yo, man," Cyborg greeted, nodding. "You this Mario I'm hearin' about?"

"That's me, bro," Mario answered casually, taking a spatula and slapping pancakes onto a plate.

Cyborg's eyes lit up- one literally- when he saw the bacon being cooked.

"Aw, he** yea!!" he cried in joy. "That's what I'm talkin' about! No tofu for me, da**it! You da man!"

Mario chuckled as he added a decent portion of pork to Cyborg's packed plate and handed it to him.

"Enjoy," he said, still laughing a bit.

"Don't worry," the metal-man answered as he ran for the living room merrily.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Link cried out jokingly. "Where's MY food?"

Mario shook his head, still smiling, and answered, "If ya don't leave me alone and let me make it for the other guys, you're not gonna get any," he answered with a sarcastic strictness.

Tenochtitlan came speeding into the kitchen in a rush, and skidded to a halt, slipping a little on the tile floor. A slight thud could be heard as she stopped. She winced and limped a little.

"You allright?" Mario asked, a mix of concern and a laugh coming out.

She had a half-frown on and whimper as she answered, "I think so." She sounded in pain, but holding back a laugh.

Robin's head poked into the doorway as he asked casually, "Nice goin with breakfast, guys. How about we put on some music, wake everybody up, huh?"

"You bet!" Mario said with a nod.

"Sounds good," Link muttered, shrugging.

"Oh, please!" Tenoch agreed, having just recovered from her 'injury'.

---<*>---

End Transmission

---<*>---


Huge investment of time? This fic? Well, yes...

You want see a huge investment of time? My WHOLE set of fiction is a huge investment of time, and this one novel (or short novel) is only part of it. ^_^ Biggest damned crossover fic I've ever seen, I must say.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

we-elll. I've gotten a lot more into this fic than i thought i would, i must say. since they forgot everything, is this the beggining of your huge fic, or just a side story in the main one?

you look STONED. I LOVE IT!

also, we bleep out hell, but not bastard? and i like where the BeastBoy/Tenochtitlan thing is going. Beast Boy vs Mario. yeah!

enough disjointed thoughts. very, very good. make sure you tell me where to find this huge fic some day.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Dusjointed thoughts, indeed...

OK, well...

First off, this fic is a branch off from the main one- don't fear. I will certainly link you to the main one sooner or later. ^_^ That's one point to reading this one: to get involved and want to know the whole story about what's going on, as I don't tell everything. I answer all the questions I establish, but...a lot is left out.

I look stoned? :confused: How the hell can I manage that when you can't see me and I'm not stoned at all...? :sweat:

As for hell and bastard...

My apologies. I tried to take out the censoring, but I didn't review the whoel Chapter- only ones that caught my eye.

See, when I first posted it up, I wasn't sure if they were accepted, but once I found out they WERE accepted, I let loose and didn't censor them anymore. So be patient with that. You can tell what the words are, anyway, can't ya?

As for Mario vs Beastboy...

:o Um...What in Koriand'r's name are you talking about???

Hm...*glances at Chapter quickly* Uhhh...Yeaaaa...I SUPPOSED maybe that's an assumption, but...

I don't want you thinking that Mario and Tenoch are romantically linked, 'cuz they're not. Mario's already GOT a girlfriend back home- her name is Peach. :rolleyes: And he certainly remembers her, though he may not mention it much.

However, you're still going to have to wait for more replies until you see any more of this. Sorry, but I'm not givin' output if there's no input.

:sweat:

OHHH...Stoned...yea...hehe...:sad: Riiiight...:rolleyes: Been so long since I've read this stuff...

[oneeyemonkeypie]

I see. Sorry about confusing you.

My only fear is that the reader will become so bogged down trying to remember all the characters that they will forget the plot. But we'll just have to wait and see. Keep it up.:D

[Crowgirl]

That was very nice. I like how you have a bunch of superheroes put together to form a team. Extremely cool. Also, your character, Tenochitilan, is that the name of a pokemon? She's very cool.

Post more or suffer.:evil:

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sweat:
OK, then...

What???

A POKEMON?! :sad: Well, I mean, I like Pokemon...I have my own Pokemon characters in my main fic, but...

Nonono! Tenochtitlan is my own original creation. Her name derives from the capital city of the Aztec Empire- what's now called Mexico City.

I would LOVE to tell you more about her, but that would be ruining plot, now wouldn't it? (By the way, you can just call her 'Tay,' as the Titans do later on.)

"the reader will become so bogged down trying to remember all the characters that they will forget the plot." :frylock: Ummmm...yeaaa...

See, if you have trouble with that, then you may have trouble with this fic. So far, none of my readers have complained about that. I know all the characters seem overwhelming, but believe you me, this is NOTHING.

Currently, I am keeping track of the chronology, personality, etc. of over 50 characters over the span of what I have done in the Destinia Saga, as I now call it. Trust me, it gets complex, like a spiderweb- and I LOVE it, and so do my readers...even though they probably don't see all the links that connect things...

Anyway, the whole point to this fic was to only focus on the Teen Titans and how they get involved with the bigger scheme of things.

Trust me, though, you won't be worried or confused about the plor later...I think...You'll be much more likely to be wondering what's happening next with all the little subplots put into it. A lot of these are basically relationships between characters. Romance? Oh, yes, lots.

Ummm...

Yea, by about Chapter 15, things get more complex. But I'm only on 12 right now, sooo...

Oh, right...Yea, I guess that's enough feedback for an update.


<+--->*<Begin Transmission>*<---+>

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: Teen Titans- The X Factor

Chapter 3- Up and At 'Em!

The living room of Titan Tower was alive with the vibrant sounds of rock organ, electric guitar, and singing. The energetic tune that blared from the surround sound speakers made sure that everyone was awake by now. Breakfast was still being prepared in the kitchen by a nervous Tenochtitlan, whom Mario had assigned to complete the task.

Cyborg had just finished scarfing down his meal and had plunked his plates in the sink eagerly, ready to 'get down with his robo-self.'

Link stood calmly, his stomach full and happy, and he watched the girl before him struggle to get Raven and Starfire's food prepared.

In the living room, Beastboy and Mario were jamming like maniacs to the music that filled their ears, singing the lyrics in first person. They were dancing in their socks, Mario on the couch and Beastboy on the table. They were wild, swinging the arms around as if they were playing invisible instruments haphazardly.

"When there's trouble you know who to callll...TEEN TITANS!!

From our tower we can see it aallll...TEEN TITANS!!

When there's evil on the attack- you can rest knowing we got your back.

And when the world is thrown out of controollll...

Teen Titans- GO!!!"

The grinned silly smiles and screamed the words loudly and proudly. Robin was leaned up against a doorway that led down one of the Tower's many halls, his arms crossed and an equally silly smile slapped upon him. He hummed along with the up-beat music calmly, but he was very excited with these newcomers to the team. Or, at least, he thought it would be best for them to be on the team...

"With our super powers we uniiiiite...TEEN TITANS!!

We never met a villain that we liiiiiked...TEEN TITANS!!

We got the bad guys on the run- we never stop 'til the job gets done.

And when the world needs heroes on patrooollll...

Teen Titans- GO!!!"

The two lunatics hopped crazily from their stands and dashed around the livingroom, trying to get the others to join in.

Robin laughed at them and shook his head, while Sonic complained that he was still eating through the eggs he chewed. Cyborg, however, chuckled and got up, attempting to play non-existant drums.

"We never know who we'll tangle with neeeexxtt...TEEN TITANS!!

All we know is that we are the beeeesssttt...TEEN TITANS!!

We'll set 'em straight and tell 'em what is right- we'll strike 'em down with all of our might.

And when we're done we'll all head back on hoooommme...

Teen Titans- GO!!!"



Off in the kitchen, Tenochtitlan was sweating with fright and worry, whimpering all the way. Her eyes flashed from orange to purple in quick succession as she tried to flip pancakes, eggs, and bacon- and doing horribly.

Link finally noticed how much trouble she was having, lost in his own thoughts, and rushed to help her out.

"Geez!! What the hell are you DOING?!" he cried out, noticing that the food was in danger of becoming un-edible.

Tenochtitlan jumped back out of his way, her eyes watering.

"I-I-I don't know!!" she cried. "It's not like I've ever COOKED before!" she defended shakily.

Link huffed and revived the situation, while Tenochtitlan realized what she had just said- how did she KNOW that? But...Now that she thought about it...She had no memories of using a stove, a frying pan, or being in a kitchen such as this...She felt confortable, yes, but at the same time, it felt very unfamiliar...

"Well, you're gonna have to learn to cook, then," Link snapped back. "Why did Mario leave you in charge?!" Link didn't sound angry, really, just annoyed that his food had almost been burnt.

"O-O-OK," Tenoch quickly stammared back.

Link sighed deeply, feeling that it was safe to calm down his arms from flipping, and turned off the stove slowly.

"Listen...Could you go and find whoever's up for food next?"

Tenoch nodded and hurried out the door, wishing to make up for her mistake.

As Link brushed back his hair in relief, he glanced at the mystical wooden staff leaned up against the wall beside the doorway and sighed at the dark blue gem on its tip.

*-_#+=+#_-*

Her eyes burned with annoyance as she paced through the empty hallway, the noise slowly increasing in feriocity to her ears. What were they DOING...? She was not ready to commence her day...How could she meditate properly with this racket going on that could be heard throughout all reaches of Titan Tower?

"Good morning, Raven," Robin shouted with a sly smile as she paced by, her cloak on, hood and all, as if to hide herself from the morning's warm rays.

"Not quite," she murmered, not loud enough for Robin to pick up.

She steadily stepped forth, past the psychotic boys, straight to the stereo's controls, which lay near the big-screen teleivision.

She promptly reached out a small hand and pushed a red button. The roaring sounds were killed instantly, and she almost smiled with satisfaction and relief.

"Wha?!" Beastboy cried.

"Yo, Rave!" Cyborg demanded. "What're you DOIN'? We were listenin' to that!"

"Exactly," she answered cooly, walking right past them as if they were shadows. "I'm trying to clear my mind, and hearing our pointless 'theme song' is infuriating me..."

The two Titans frowned dully, while Mario simply stood there, staring at her back as she paced off. He had a thoughtful look about her, and a hint of a smile.

"Ah," he mumbled. "Figures you have one of those..."

"What's that?" Beastboy muttered.

"Ya know, a...Er...Well, one of those dull, gothic people that want to huddle up in a corner and die because the world is so mean..." He spoke as if it were nothing amazing- which, to him, it wasn't.

"Dude, I don't CARE," Beastboy snapped back. "We live here, too, and we wanna listen to some tunes."

"Majority rules!!" Cyborg declared, raising a finger.

Mario shrugged slowly, beginning to leave toward the kitchen.

"Whoa- where are YOU going?" BB wondered. "Aren't you gonna hang out here with us some more?"

Mario paused and answered carefully, "You guys do what you want. I'm going to get my OWN breakfast- I've starved."

Beastboy froze as his stomach gurgled, as if on cue.

"Yea..." he mumbled. "Come to think of it, I didn't get enough earlier..." He looked up and chased after his new friend, crying, "Dude! Wait up, man!" He promptly shifted form to that of a hawk as he glided away, leaving Cyborg to ponder what to do next. He decided to see if Robin wanted to go a round in 'Soul Calibur II,' but he quickly noticed that Robin had vanished, as well.

"Aw, MAN!" he moaned, tossing his arms. "Where da he** did everybody go?!"

X|!/x{+}x\!|X

A somersaulting young man flew into the room and nimbly landed on the tile floors of the kitchen, a knee and a palm on the ground. He hopped to his feet and spun 180 to see Link sliding some food onto some plates.

"Eh?" he mumbled, surprised. "Link, where'd Tenoch go? Wasn't she supposed to be cooking?" the kid asked.

"Cooking?" Link moaned incredulously. "Is THAT what you call what she was doing?"

Mario frowned as he walked up to the stove, smelling the warm aromas sternly.

"What do you mean?" he mumbled curiously.

"Mario," Link spat out, eyeing him like he was a nut. "The girl's never COOKED before in her life...She almost burnt everything..."

Mario tossed his arms.

"So what?" he shot back casually. "How is she ever gonna learn if she doesn't try it herself?"

Link paused, and nodded slowly, seeing his point.

"Guess you're right," he murmured.

"So where'd she go?" Mario questioned suddenly, scratching his nose a little. He really needed to shave there, didn't he...?

Link huffed. "Oh, I dunno. I think I scared her off," he answered smugly. "She went to go get the others."

Mario nodded and grabbed himself a plate of food. He fumbled around a few drawers, looking for the silverware, and found it on his third try. Not bad.

As he pulled up a stool and sat at the island, he couldn't help but feel at home. This was his kind of place. Very roomy, kind of public, yet plenty of private spaces. Reminded him of the good old Academy of Magic...Hmm...Magic...Academy? The phrase sort of slipped on through his mind, but...Now that he thought about it, he couldn't quite grasp it. Oh, well.

The screech of a bird of prey rang through the halls, and moments later, the two teens were shocked to see a green hawk change shape into Beastboy, landing before the stove. His eyes were glazed over at the thought of more of those mouth-watering pancakes flooding into his jaws. A little drool dripped on the floor, and Mario chuckled.

"Whoa, whoa, buddy," he said, shaking his head. "You'll get your food."

Beastboy grinned. "I KNOW," he cheerfully answered. "I'd better," he added slyly, his eyes narrowing.

He suddenly froze, his eyes wide and sad.

"Hey! Wait, where'd that one chick go...Teekonoqu-"

"Tenochtitlan," Link grumbled with a smile.

Beastboy blushed, his emerald eyes wandering. "Right."

"She'll be back," Link answered. "Went to go get your red-head pal."

"Oh," BB nodded in relief. "Allright."

"Why do ya ask?" Mario wondered, having just swalloed some bacon.

"Oh, well, uh..." Beastboy fiddled with his hair a little nervously. "I just...We started talkin', and...-"

"Yea, she's pretty cool," Mario told him. "You should get to know her better. She can be a little melodramatic sometimes, but...Meh," the capped crusader shrugged calmly. "She's one of the nicest people I know."

Beastboy smiled at that comment, but he suddenly looked very curious and thoughtful.

"Where are you guys from, anyway?"

The two sighed and shook their heads.

"Not here," Link responded dully.

Beastboy scratched his chin roughly, baffled by the whole concept.

"Yea, Tekila...Er, Tenoch...titlan...Yea, she told me you guys might be staying with us..."

Mario nodded, gulping down some scrambled eggs.

"'Bout the size of it," he agreed. "At least, that's what Robin suggested."

The green monster was intrigued. If Robin wanted them here, then it was fine by him. After all, they all seemed cool enough. As he thought about it more, he got excited. More Titans to the team? Wow. This was big! It would totally change things...

He suddenly jumped with delight as he heard that calm, lovely tone ring through his ears. The one he was waiting to hear.

Tenochtitlan came dashing into the room, giggling along with Starfire. The two of them had beaming smiles on their faces, and were eager to eat.

Beastboy stood idly by as they both picked up some food and sat down at the island alongside Mario.

"'Mornin' there," the young man greeted cheerfully.

Starfire's eyes widened in surprise as she realized who it was. She'd known that Titan Tower had new guests, but...This one wasn't entirely a stranger! Her face turned red as those mysterious blue eyes of his captured her.

"You are the waiter that served us last night, are you not?" she inquired slowly, in a murmur. A smile crawled across her face.

Mario nodded. "Yea, that was me. Mustard and mint frosting, eh?" he gave her an odd look, but proceeded to eat his food without a second thought.

Starfire shrugged, a little embarrassed, and decided to eat some before she continued her conversation.

Beastboy had let Link fill up his plate, and was chomping it down at a steady pace, not even looking at it. He was too engulfed by this new girl, Tenoch. He couldn't hear what they were saying, he was too engrossed by her beauty. Her eyes...They were pink at the time. They were the loveliest pink he'd ever seen in a LONG time, so he thought.

Finally, his fork stabbed the plate directly, and he looked down to notice there weren't any rations left on it.

Link gave him an amused glance.

"Wow...You love eggs and bacon, don't ya?" he noticed.

Beastboy's brows furrowed and cocked as glared at the blonde boy.

"What are you TALKING about?" he grumbled. "I HATE eggs and bacon..."

Link's eyes widened, and he let out a laugh.

"Oh. Forgive me. You just ate five pounds of 'em!" He chuckled as his head shook slowly.

Beastboy's eyes darted to his plate to see the shreds of yellow and brown that remained.

"BLECH!" he cried out, tossing the plate into the sink nearby as he made a dash for the bathroom.

Link jumped in shock as the green kid came whizzing by, and sighed deeply as he picked up some bacon from what little was left and chewed on it slowly, savoring the rich flavor.

"Oh, geez...Yea, THAT was quite a mess..." came Robin, who had overheard their conversation as he entered. "That Mad Mod was a MORON...I sure as hell hope I don't have to go through anything like THAT again..." He frowned and began to grumble a little, shaking his head.

"Sounds like fun," Mario mumbled, scratching his chin.

"How is that?" Starfire questioned, puzzled. "It was not very entertaining at all..." Her brows furrowed a moment in thought when Mario snickered at her, messing with his hat's brim a bit. "Oh," she moaned. "That was your sense of...sarcasm, correct?"

"Right, Star," Robin chuckled, patting her back a little.

#'/{|*|}\'#

"Whoa! Hey, BB!" Cyborg cried from the coach, a small device in his hand. Beastboy was slowly wandering through the room behind him, looking slightly unwell.

"Check this out, man!" the machine-man yelled, gesturing Beastboy to have a look.

The green kid decided there couldn't be much harm in it, and groggily shifted himself to lean on the sofa's back, eyeing the screen in a half-asleep manner.

"Look at the way thee damn fish rip that thing to shreds, yo!" Cyborg was clearly overjoyed at watching the bloody mess before him onscreen as chunks of flesh and blood spewed out everywhere. Beastboy squinted, not sure he was seeing properly.

"Dude..." he murmured. "Since when do you watch Discovery Channel...?"

Cyborg's face froze, his eyes wide for a few seconds. He blinked, pushed a button on the remote in his hand, and asnwered quickly, "I don't..." and turned his head to see a football game.

Beastboy paused a moment, too dazed to realize what just happened, and proceeded back to the kitchen slowly.

No sooner had he left the room had Cyborg clicked his button again and cheered on the array of pirahnas.

<<<--->>>

About a half hour had passed. Everyone in the kitchen had chatted away, everyone had eaten breakfast, except Raven, and Robin had rounded everyone up to have a meeting of sorts in the briefing room. It was incredibly large, and rested just beyond the living room. A large screen was against the wall, with a control panel to match it.

"Allright, guys," Robin announced. "Time to discuss business..."

His eyes wandered around to make sure everyone was present, and was slightly irritated to see Raven still gone.

"Gah," he groaned. "Where's Raven?"

"No idea," Beastboy shrugged.

"I thought she went to do some more of her damn meditatin'," Cyborg muttered.

"Raven!!" Starfire called out, hoping the caped crusador would hear.

Mere seconds later, she was standing behind the lot of them, only her cold face visible. Vapid, as always, she murmured, "You called...?"

"OK, good!" Robin cried out, his hands forth.

"Guys, listen up! I know this morning has been real hectic. We have some guests, new faces...We're tryin' to get to know eachother here..."

Surprsingly, they were all silent and serious.

"The reason we're here is because I have a proposal...I have hereby invited these new friends of ours to join the Titans. Now I have to ask you guys if you're allright with this...What do you say?"

Raven's eyes bugged out in shock for a moment as she scanned the group, trying to absorb these faces in that she had yet to know. How could he be so hasty in something like this?

Starfire's eyes lit up with enthusiasm, however. What more could she want than more friends?

Cyborg grinned devilishly. New groupies, huh? That meant more people to kick in video games, more people for target practice, and more people to carry the work-load!

Beastboy was overwhelmed with happiness. Two new girls...One of 'em was taken, but...The other was all his!! And he was set on trying his luck.

"Count me in on that vote!" he gleefully shouted, raising his arm giddily.

"Hell yea!" Cyborg agreed.

"I concur!" Starfire cheered.

Raven had been studying everyone's faces, trying to decide how annoying they would be. Then, she met a blond-haired boy with a sharp face and sharper eyes. She felt her insides melt, which didn't happen very often. She fought to prevent her face from turning red, but to no avail. A grin even seeped over her, and she felt...kind of happy...?!?! What was going on?! Her eyes, if only for a second, became brilliantly glazed and joyful.

"Wh-why not...?" she mumbled as everyone stared at her in perplexment, struggling to maintain her dullness.

After a moment of silence, the sound of an explosion rang out. They all spun to see the large screen behind them cracked, and sparks spewed out of it crazily. This only added more to Raven's embarrassment.

(ontrol, control...)she told herself in thought. (You can't be like this, gotta stay calm...) Raven's powers were kept under wraps by her dullness. They were powered by emotions. If Raven got too emotional, she couldn't control herself.

As they all looked back at her, Starfire giggling, Link utterly confused, the control panel promptly ignited in flames, causing them to all cry out in surprise.

<---<*>--->

End Transmission

<---<*>--->

*sigh*

Ahhh...And so begins when I started realizing how fun writing about Raven could be...

I may or may not have said this, but I used to actually dislike Raven...

And then I watched the show more and wrote this fic, and I began to understand her better and like her a lot...She's now one of my favorite Titans...I know there's only five, but...I like 'em all, I just like Raven a lot more than I used to, so she gets some crucial plot later.

As I said, you're in for a roller-coaster ride, so make sure you're buckled. We're still going up that really tall hill at the start- ya know, where it clicks and it's all slow, and...Yeeaaa...

And then, later on, about where I am, we start the real ride.

Crowgirl, I would have to say that your avatar IS cute. ;)

That reminds me, Jinx will be a prominent character later on...

And Terra? Yea, she's comin' in, too. Don't hate her, people. She's not evil. Never was on the show, either. Just misguided and angry- like many teens.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

meh? that's my word. how dare mario say "meh!"

just kidding. I do like the chapter, especially how all the characters are more mature versions of their original characters. and i didn't say that I would lose track of the characters, just that other people might. If you say they dont, then it's all good.

[rrarbecy]

Raven is my favorite character, and you have opened the door for me to play around with her later in my story.

I love confusing things, so I should like the rest of your story. By the way, a BB/Tenoch relationship would be nice, and, if there is a BB/Tenoch relationship, I am interested to see how it would be complicated by Terra. Possibilities, possibilities. Post more.

[raven54]

hey X i'm really starting to like your story! Veeery interesting. No wonder Rae melted- Link is such a hot videogame character;) By the way, Reid, didja know "meh" made it all the way to the snowy desolate wasteland of Minnesota? Cuz it did...

[Reket]

starting to like it??? It was very good since the first chapter. I enjoyed it then and still enjoy it now! My fic is not that long yet, but I'm getting chapter 3 in sometime today!

[Destiny_Smasher]

Wow. Lots of replies...

I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but are you all girls...? :o Just wondering...:sweat:

Everybody thinks I'm a girl when they meet me online...

Sooo...Let's see...

Crowgirl, don't be hatin'. If you hate Terra for those reasons, then you're being just a cold jerk. Everyone has feelings. I'm sure YOU'VE made mistakes in your life that YOU regret, too.

Raven54, everything you said is PERFECTLY matched with my opinion, and it IS what happened. I mean, COME ON. When someone who acts pretty mature all of a sudden changes...When asked, "Why do you hate us?" and replies, "Because you were BORN," I'm detecting some slight immaturity there, and Terra's real self never acted like that. I won't give anything away, but I CAN tell you that Terra will NOT become a villain. That's it, that's all I'm sayin' for now. I actually think you'll like her.

'She basically killed (or at least tried) to kill our young heroes!'

Don't be so quick to judge. That's why the Titans feel so left out, you know. People judge them before they KNOW them.

That's why they all feel left out, and that's something that I focus on later.

Regarding romantic situations- don't worry. I'll touch on that a LOT. Matter of fact, the Chapter I'm working on right now focuses solely on that. The 'In Tower' romance escalates quite a bit.

But this story does begin going down a much darker road by the time we get to the Chapters beyond 10. Just warning you and stuff.

Oh, right. Well, all those replies deserve to have Chapter 4 put up, eh?

:sad: Actually...A whole section of Chapter 4 didn't come out right on the site I have it up on...:yawn: Damnit...That whole set of flashbacks didn't come through correctly...

One thing that has been frustrating me is that fact that I can't seem to use the same thought-quotes throughout all the sites I post my fiction on. First it was <>, but that SO did not work. Then it was [] and {}, which stuck for a while, but even tjose don't work on the main site anymore, I don't think.

I guess I'll just have to stick with (), or something. I don't know. You'll know when they're thought-quotes, I can assure you of that. :P

Sorry for the delay...I'll try to do an quick-edit job on Chapter 4 today. If you're lucky, I'll get it up in a coupel hours...If not, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow after I get out of school. Sorry about that. But the burst of enthusiasm for this fic drives me to edit that section so it doesn't suck. :shrug:

Many thanks, people. You'll love what I have in store, I know ya will.

And soon enough I'll tell you where you can go to read my other three fics. ^_^ Then what fun you may or may not have.

[Crowgirl]

I do not hate Terra, I never did. The thing was, and is, anyone can be swayed, but it takes a real fighter to say that they are sorry and prove it, like Terra did. I am not saying Terra is completely evil, just that she made that oh-so-sweet speech: 'I wanted to anniliate you and your pathetic friends.' 'And now, I never want to see your faces again.'

Seemed evil to me

Oh yeah, you want to insult my opinion, please tell it to my face. I don't really like it when people post it for the whole world to see.

[Destiny_Smasher]

:shrug:
Um...Right.

Not entirely sure who that last comment was directed to, but this IS a forum. Opinions will be openly posted, and opinions OF those opinions will be posted up, too. I mean, if you don't want your opinion insulted, don't post it up here for all to see...*sweatdrop* Not trying to be a jerk, it just makes sense, ya know...?

I personally think you're being just as cold as the Titans THEMSELVES were, though.

"She ruined my car. That seems pretty evil to me."

Seriously, you're reminding me of that line. Blech. This was BEASTBOY'S fault. I'm telling you, Terra becamer a jerk with Beastboy's help-or did you forget?

"Of course, Terra, I'll always be your friend."
"Slade's right. You don't HAVE any friends...:mad: "

Oh, no, breaking his promise wouldn't piss her off ONE BIT, I'm sure. Terra was SO CLOSE to breaking free from Slade, but OHHH NO, Beastboy had to break down and have a fit.

Besides, Terra was just acting immature and irrational. I'm sure there's been at least one time when you acted like a jerk and regretted it, right? Aside from that, you even agreed- Terra admitted her wrongdoings and atoned for her sins with her LIFE. That's anything but evil.

Everyone has two sides to them, Crowgirl. I'm a very firm believer of this, and have yet to come across anything that proves my theory otherwise. You can't love if you can't hate. That's BIG in this story, and in ALL of my fiction.

What Terra DID was evil. But Terra herself was never truly evil. I don't think a person CAN be 100% evil. It's impossible. However, Terra was overcome by hatred, and all the rejection she'd faced in her life was the cause of that hatred.

AHEM...

Oh, right...Anyway, it'd be great if this didn't degrade to a 'Is Terra evil?' debate and all that. I'm sure there's somewhere ELSE in these forums to do that.

<+--->*<Begin Transmission>*<---+>

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: Teen Titans- The X Factor

Chapter 4- A Question of Trust

There he sat, his eyes deep and thoughtful, lost in the past. It had been a grand day, no reports of crime...Everything was as it sould be...Or was it?

He wasn't so sure anymore. About anything. All he was sure about was that he could use all the help he could get. And that from this point on, he was part of the team. He wasn't going to make a mistake like that again. Not only had he let them down, but he'd let himself down. What he didn't quite realize, however, was that there were more people there for him than he gave credit to. Thoughts from a week ago flashed through his mind as he sat in the dark, staring at a piece of metal. It was black, and in the shape of a semi-circle, with the right edge cracked. It had been broken off of that bastard'ss face when it had been slammed by Robin's foot.

As he stared at the cruel reminder of those events, he shuddered.

(Admit it, Robin- stealing for me was a thrill, wasn't it?)

He clenched his teeth and he tried to sort it out. He didn't enjoy serving Slade, he was forced against his will...But maybe part of him DID enjoy it...

(Robin...You are my best friend...I cannot live in a world where we must fight. If you are truly evil, then do what you must.)

He could perfectly picture her face at that moment, and she was torn apart by his hostility that night. She floated there gracefully, her eyes utterly afraid and bursting with tears. He just couldn't do it. He had to disobey.

(Starfire...)

But before he could do anything else, Slade sent his devices into action, instantly paralyzing his friends, ready to kill. Faced with the decision to either listen to Slade and attack his friends...Or to watch them die...Robin felt he had no choice.

(I'm sorry...)

He flinched as he remembered blasting her fiercely with that heat ray. His brain screamed with regret and pain. Starfire deserved anything but that. Robin had failed to realize just how much she mattered to him...and how much he mattered to her. His mind flew like a jet to later on. After Slade's plan had been discovered. After his friends had come to help him.

(Everything OK?)

(I am...sorry...)

(YOU'RE sorry...? For WHAT??)

(When things were bad, there was a moment when I truly believed you were...like Slade...I doubted you, and for that, I am sorry.)

All the pain and frustration he had caused them...And what did he do when faced with it all? He RAN. That BASTARD...Why was he doing this? All for an apprentice? Robin roared to himself. Slade was up to something beyond that...Perhaps it was simply the satisfaction of making the leader of the Titans suffer emotionally, physically, AND mentally. Or maybe it was something more...But WHAT? What was it about the Titans that he sought after so?

And what would he do when he found out about these NEW members...? It suddenly hit Robin. What was he doing, dragging five innocent souls into this mess?! What if something happened to them as dire as what almost did a week ago? He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

All the pieces of paper hanging on the black wall, small devices littering the table he sat at...All of it...What did it matter? Why the he** should he care about Slade?!

He went to throw that shattered piece of mask away, but paused. He stared at it for a moment thoughtfully.

Jolted from his thoughts in the dark, the metal door behind Robin slid open smoothly, shedding a blinding light into the room. It was blinding to him, at least. There she stood, sure enough, her elegant figure equal in beauty to that of her heart.

"Robin..." she murmured sadly, as she stepped into the room.

"Star...?" he mumbled, turning to look at her.

The 'hi-tech' door slammed shut again, and Star slowly approached the table where Robin sat. He could make out her expression from the light that bounced off it behind him. It was concerned and restless. He quickly dropped the mask on the wooden table, letting it rest amongst other objects. It wasn't all dark, there was a small light hanging from the ceiling, which cast a dim glow.

Neither said a word until Starfire reached his side, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Robin, are you feeling well...?" she asked, sounding a bit nervous.

"Don't worry about me, Star, I'm fine," Robin answered calmly, glancing at her with solemnity.

"I just needed some time alone to think..."

Starfire's face saddened as she realized what was bothering him.

"We have already discussed this, Robin..." she began. "All is forgiven. We know that the reason why you served for Slade was to protect us..."

Robin sighed and let his head drop into his folded arms.

"I know..." he moaned, slightly muffled by his own arms. "But that doesn't change what happened...I've been letting you all down lately...First the Red X, then-"

"Robin," Starfire interrupted. She was not one to interrupt, but she couldn't stand to listen to him put himself down so much.

"There is no changing what has happened...But that does not mean you should feel so bad...We all are to blame, we all have played our part...But what has happened has happened, and could not have happened any other way..."

Robin lifted his head up and stared at her pretty green eyes, and he asked slowly, "What makes you say that...?"

Starfire gave him a half smile. "We are still alive, are we not? And we are still friends..."

(=/[*?*]\=)

"Much better, don't ya think?" Mario asked with a toothy grin, rubbing his upper lip proudly.

"Um...Right," Beastboy mumbled. "You shaved...So what?"

Mario rolled his eyes and sighed. "Do you think I should try and grow a real mustache or just keep shaving it?"

Beastboy shrugged incredulously. "I don't know!" he said with a chuckle. "It's not MY face!"

"I know!" Mario murmured.

"Do whatever you like," Link grumbled, trying to end it.

"OK," Mario responded simply, letting himself sit back down on the couch.

"So, then," he mumbled, cracking his fingers nimbly. "Teach me how do this...uh...What was it again? That really cool thing..."

Cyborg, who was sitting on the coach next to him, laughed. He was gripping a grey device in his hand known as a 'Wavebird.'

"OK, OK...It's called Guard Impacting," he began to explain. "It's a defense technique that throws your opponent off balance just long enough for you to strike them off guard."

"Ohhh," Mario said with a nod. "I see. Yea, that'd be pretty helpful...So, what do I push to do it...?" He stared at his own 'Wavebird' in perplexment. Yet he held it expertly, oddly enough.

"Well, you tap the control stick toward them and press 'B'," Cyborg said quickly, eager for a match.

"OK, OK..." Mario mumbled. "Allright, then let's go at it, shall we?"

Cyborg grinned devlishly. "I thought you'd never ask..."

Mario flicked his thumb around, selecting a character. One in particular caught his eye, and he froze, thoughts flooding into his brain. Images of fairies, Sages, and triangles...

"...What's up with this guy?" Mario demanded calmly, trying to hide his amusement.

"Oh, him?" Cyborg murmured, not paying full attention, glancing at Beastboy's glowing face. He seemed to be itching to play himself.

"That's, uh..."

"Link," Beastboy spat out quickly, without a second thought.

Mario stared at the young man on the screen in disbelief. Link?

It was at that moment that all three of them froze in realization. They stared at the boy on the screen. He had blonde hair, a green tunic, blue eyes...And he grasped a sword with a blue hilt. Not quite the same as the Link they knew, but STILL...

"DUDE!!" Beastboy exclaimed, thrilled.

"No kidding!" Cyborg agreed, grinning. "It looks just like him, man! That's friggin' awesome!"

"SWEET!" BB cried, dashing to get the real Link's attention.

"Dude, Link, man!" he called to the boy, who stared thoughtfully at a painting hanging on the hallway wall, just beyond the living room.

"Huh?" his eyes turned to the green-faced kid.

"You SO have to check this out!"

Link sighed. "What is it now?"

"On our video game, there's this guy that is SO like you! He even has the same NAME as you, man!"

Link blinked in perplexment.

"Um...That's nice," he mumbled, showing no interest, it seemed. Beastboy felt a little disappointed. He thought it was pretty cool. It'd be like him seeing someone who looked like him on some TV show, sharing his same name even.

Shrugging, Beastboy morphed into a chimpanzee and scampered back to the living room. He briskly clambered up the back of the sofa and sat between Mario and Cyborg on the sofa's back.

On the screen, two characters were waging war, fierce slashes and swings flying through the air. It was an entertaining sight.

Cyborg's eyes were bulging with disbelief as he jammed on his controller in frustration.

"What the hell, man?" he murmured in awe as his character fell to the ground at the hands of this odd 'Link' character, whom Mario controlled with the will of his hands.

"You kicked my ass..." Cyborg mumbled in dismay, shocked. "You sure you've never played before...?" His eyes were wide and wondrous as he glared at Mario incredulously.

"Nope. Never. Don't even know what the NAME is," Mario admitted calmly. "My Link took out your Necrid, dude."

Cyborg nodded, frowning with a competitive fury. "Geez, man...That's WHACKED..." he grumbled, quickly preparing a match.

"I take winner!" Beastboy declared hastily, waving his arms, his normal form regained. He fell off the back of the sofa, only to jump back over it and shove Cyborg to the side, stealthily swiping his video game controller.

"Soul Calibur 2 rocks, doesn't it?" he said slyly, smiling with glee. "And you're about to fall to the hands of the master, baby!"

Mario laughed at his friends confidence. "Bring it," he said smoothly.

"So, Cyborg, who should it be? Kilik? Seung Mia...?"

Cyborg pondered a moment. "Kilik, dude," he answered. "Kilik's pretty cool."

"Yea," BB agreed, pressing a few buttons.

Meanwhile, down the hall, Link's eyes were glued to the walls, observing the various artworks.

What he didn't notice was the figure in the shadows, staring at him nervously. She stood, hiding under her cloak. What was it about this boy that made her feel so different?? She had to figure it out...It was more than his looks...But he WAS handsome, there was no denying...

(Don't lose control,) she grumbled inwardly. She was doing well in managing her emotions, but she secretly feared deep inside that they'd come back if she DID talk to him. She just...felt drawn to him. Yes, he was handsome, but...He...There was something about him. For some reason, she felt he understood her.

(...Should I try to talk to him...? Why would he even want to talk to me, anyway?) she thought to herself nervously. From an outward glance, many thought Raven to be a emotionless drone, but she was anything but. She just needed to keep her emotions under control, or else she'd blow up Titan Tower or something...She felt so out of tone, standing there. Something about him made her feel this way, and she wanted to know what it was.

Creeping along like a serpant of some sort, she slithered over to Link, frozen in her tracks behind him. Quivering a bit, she shakily murmured, "Uhh....Hey, Link..."

Link paused and slowly turned around to face her shy, hidden face with his deep blue eyes.

"Huh...? Oh," he smiled. "Hey, there. Uh...Raven, is it?"

She returned his smile, feeling embarassed as she did so.

"Hey..." she mumbled, trying to regain her calm tone.

Link stared at her for a few moments awkwardly before asking slowly, "So, uh...Yea. Hi. What's up?"

Raven blinked, realizing she'd lost herself for a moment.

"Oh! Uh...Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts, and...Ya know, happens a lot, I meditate sometimes and..." She cleared her throat, feeling stupider by the minute.

"You OK...?" Link quizically asked.

"Fine," Raven spat out quietly. "I'm fine. I just wanted to know if we could...I dunno..." She'd gotten back some of her 'Raven-ness.' "Maybe we could hang out...I mean, we're gonna have to get to know eachother...or something like that...aren't we...?"

Link saw right through her mumbles. For some reason, Link felt perfectly comfortable about it. It happened all the time, he had many a fangirl. Right?...Wait...How did he remember that...? Oh, well. It felt fine with him. The more the merrier. ^_^

"Sure, Rave...Where shall we go...?"

Raven pondered a moment, appearing unexcited- Link knew otherwise.

"How about my room...?" Raven timidly suggested.

"Sounds good," Link answered slyly. "Matter of fact, I need to figure out where MY place is gonna be. I was thinking that spiffy study near yours..."

[=-+-##-+-=]

"It's just all...Creepy," she whispered slowly, gazing around at the room before her, admiring the streets below. "This place...It feels so much like home...And yet...It feels so different..." Her eyes glinted with a brownish glow as she pondered her situation.

"Are you worried...?" came the innocent voice of the long-haired girl at her side.

"No...I don't think so..." She sighed, shaking her head as her eyeballs shifted to purple. "Maybe I AM worried...I don't know, Tikal..."

"Tenochtitlan," Tikal said solemnly, nudging her friend's shoulder with her skinny arm. "You can talk to me about it..."

"I know," Tenoch muttered. "Because we're friends..."

Tikal smiled, nodding. "Exactly..."

"But WHY are we friends...?" Tenoch whimpered, confused. "I can't remember us talking or anything..."

Tikal's eyes saddened as she noticed Tenoch's blue hue. It was a tell-tale sign she was upset.

"Do you really need to know why?" she whispered calmly and thoughtfully. "Think about it...No, wait..." She pushed back a few bangs from her eyes as she wondered a moment. "Don't think about it...FEEL it..."

Tenochtitlan finally let her blue eyes meet Tikal's, and she sighed slowly, her shoulders sagging.

"...Tikal...I know...I feel our friendship...I know it's there. I just don't understand it. I mean, I just feel so confused..." She bobbed her head, leaning back on the couch tiredly.

Tikal let out a very similar sigh herself, and leaned forward, resting her chin in her palms, her elbows on her thin legs.

"Tenochtitlan, don't be so critical...I mean...Look at Sonic and I. We're...together...But yet I cannot remember us going out...I can't remember us hugging, I can't remember us talking...I don't remember us at all...And yet...I still feel drawn to him. I care about him, and he cares about me. We're romantically attached, but...Perhaps we never were...Perhaps we've never met until the other day..."

Tenoch was slightly lost, but she got the point. It didn't matter right now what she remembered, only that she knew within her heart what was right. The answers would come soon enough, she felt.

{-)!?""?!(-}

"You think so...?" Beastboy murmured, sounding unsure.

"Positive," responded the other voice. It was a little low, and had a strong sense of justice to it. It sounded comforting, and yet at the same time, it sounded as if its owner was just as confused as the green-faced young man.

The boy's bright emerald eyes deepened in thought as he pondered, grasping the small device close to his ear.

"But...What makes you so sure...?" he muttered skeptically.

"Psh. Listen, B, I can't promise you anything..." A sigh came through the phone's small speaker. "I've been in quite the mess lately myself..." As he said those words, frustration and exhaustion were clear.

Beastboy's eyes sank with sympathy.

"Really?" he mumbled, regretting having brougt the topic up. "...What's up? You...wanna talk about it...?"

The figure on the other side paused, contemplating. "Eh...Nah. I won't waste your time. Just...Listen to me, though, I know the girl."

Beastboy was totally perplexed.

"You DO?" he whispered in disbelief.

"No way..." He furrowed his brows in doubt.

"YES way," answered the voice.

"Really?" the green eyes lit up with excitement. "Well, geez! They're having memory problems and junk, they don't remember where they came from, so maybe-"

"Sorry, I can't..." the voice interrupted, as if expecting that reaction, knowing exactly where it was headed.

Beastboy paused, even more baffled. "...Wha...? Well...Wait, if you know her, then why not...?"

The tone from the other side sighed and explained quickly. "I know her very well, but she doesn't really know me. I can't help, it's not my duty."

"...Dude, WHAT are you talking about?" Beastboy had a slightly frustrated tone and about him.

"Beastboy, just listen. I know exactly how you feel right now." There a sense of longing about the teenage-sounding boy now. "Don't ask why, I just do, OK...? Uh...Call it a 'super power,' if you will, like yours..."

Beastboy grinned. "Sweet! I get it now! You can like, read minds and stuff! Awesome!"

There was a slight chuckle as the boy answered, "Well, yes, it IS awesome, but I can't read every mind. If I could, I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in..."

"Oh...Right...Sure you don't wanna talk?" BB questioned curiously.

"Ugh...Don't worry about it, it's just...It's my problem, and...Yea."

"OK..." Beastboy muttered, a semi-smile on him. "That's cool. I understand."

"But trust me on this, B, she could use somebody like you to help her out. Don't feel afraid to be open with her."

"OK..."

"Good man...Well, uh, if ya don't mind, I'll let ya go. I'd like to talk to one of your other buds, ya know?"

"No prob, big D," Beastboy responded. "We'll hear from ya. Good night!"

"Yep. Good night. Oh, and by the way, you can try all you want to beat that Mario guy, but no matter how fast your reflexes are, you'll still lose..."

*Click!*

Beastboy sat on his bed, baffled. How did he know that Mario had royally whomped everyone's butts in Soul Calibur 2?

<---<*>--->

End Transmission

<---<*>--->

[starburn1116]

that was really good
as to the terra thing
i am a stubborn person and a creature of habbit
as hard as i try i cannot change my opinion
but i will keep said opinion to myself since this argument seem to upset certain people

[Sproxie]

i just finished reading all the chapters put together now, and its really good Fan Fiction, i cant wait to see the next chapter... :D

[oneeyemonkeypie]

who's big D (the guy at the end that BB talked to?)

[rrarbecy]

Wow. Awesome. More. Please. Soon. Love it. Confusion is good. Plenty in this fic. More. Love it.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...I never said you were all boys...I was GUESSING.

As for any 'creatures of habit,' I don't care that you're sticking to your guns. All I'm saying is that I would be hurt if you judged me the same way.

But I mostly say that because if you go into this fic hating Terra, you may end up hating the Terra in my fic, who isn't the same because she doesn't get rejected.

Confusing? Bah. This isn't confusing, this is just MYSTERIOUS. It gets more confusing later.

+-{--[*Begin Transmission*]--}-+

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: Teen Titans- The X Factor

Chapter 5- The Connection

Shadows danced on the walls, haunting him in the night. He tossed, he turned, but sleep did not come to him. Visions from the past kept him awake.

Their battle with the Whomping Willow, meeting these strangers for the first time. Their first day as a new team. And then older memories came back to him, and he reflected on the past month of his life. Their battles with those creeps, 'The Hive.' And more and more surged back, all at once it seemed.

(Jerk.) (Loser.) (WHAT'D YOU SAY?!) (You got a problem, tin man?!) (Yea, and it smells like cheap hair gel!!)

(...Are we cool...?) (Frosty...)

(Earth is full of many amazing things..) (Yea. Best planet I'VE ever been to...)

(Dude...You can't be the good guys...WE'RE the good guys...)

(Patience, Robin...Patience...)

(She is good at all the games, she knows many depressing poems, she knows all the 'cool moves', and she knows when people are not talking about shovels...)

(Um...This isn't my thing, but...We just beat Slade...Shouldn't we...Celebrate...or something...?)

(Get that cane!!!)

(Someone has disposed of all our blue, furry food...)

(Must have been sent by one of our many admirers... )

(And I am SO digging the cape. It's luscious!) (It's made of a polymer titanium alloy- ten times stronger than steel...)

(It's just a natural part of being unnatural.)

(Remember that thing that attacked Star? It had friends...)

(Beastboy's powers are crucial if this mission is gonna succeed.)

(Cy! Pick up, CY!...Rrr...Dude, I know you're there, Cyborg, the phone's built into your ARM!)

(I respect your choice not to eat meat...Please respect my choice not to eat FAKE meat...)

(You're in MY world now, my duckies!)

(I'm fine, get X!...*zort* I'm fine, get X!)

(Robin, you are my best friend...)

(As much as I hate to admit it, he and I are kind of alike...But there's one thing Slade doesn't have- friends.)

Staring off into the midnight city, Robin sucked in a deep breath. Things had been crazy. But in the end, the satisfaction of knowing that they'd saved at least ONE life...That was all worth it.

#$%^-(+*+)-^%$#

As the rays of morning pierced through his window, he smiled and welcomed their rays lovingly. The smell of tea filled his nose, and the crisp morning air that flowed warmly through the windows joined it to soothe his lungs even more. His sparkling blue eyes gazed around the room in comfort, absorbing the images around him. He would miss this sight soon enough...He was going on a vacation.

As he sat at the plain wooden table leisurely, his arms folded over the back of his neck, he glanced at his brother. His eyes were alert and awake, scanning his newspaper hungrily. While his eyes, identical to his brothers, stayed glued to the newspaper, his free hand grasped his tea firmly, raising it up for a sip every now and then.

It was a quaint house, with nothing extravagant. A stove, a table, some chairs, a small chalkboard. Then there was the bedroom. It had a bunk bed, with a red blanket on the top, and a green one on the bottom. Two dressers, a lamp...And a small panel in the floor that led to their basement when opened. They didn't need a TV or a radio, if they wanted excitement, they could find it outside in minutes. But it was morning, not time for fun just yet.

"Yep..." the paper-reading brother began slowly. "It's in the paper..."

"You surprised?" the first brother murmured, still half asleep.

"Well, no, but..." the seconds trailed off. "Did you think you were gonna win, Mario?"

The first brother, a semi-pudgy man with a thick black mustache and a trademark hat, grinned and scratched through his facial hair. He was clad in a red t-shirt and blue overalls. His right foot did the same to his left foot, and both were in socks.

"Meh..." he started reluctantly. "I dunno...I guess...I just fought and won, that's all. Doesn't matter much, everybody gets their victories."

"True, true," Luigi, the second brother, muttered with a nod. "But you really wanted to win this last time, didn't you?" His eyes stayed stuck to the paper as he spoke.

"Yea," Mario admitted with a smirk. "It's been quite some time since I won, ya know?"

"Oh, yea," Luigi agreed.

"Anything else in there besides the Melee Tournament?" Mario inquired thoughtfully.

Luigi blinked, his eyes removing themselves from it and to Mario. He blinked, sipped some tea, and responded, "Not really. Just the usual. Ya know, th-"

Just then, cutting into their conversation, a familiar voice bellowed out merrily, "MAIL CALL!!" A *clunk* could be heard as their mailbox was slammed shut, and the flapping of wings could barely be heard.

"Oh, I'll get it," Luigi declared, hopping out of his seat and dashing for the door.

Mario yawned, stretched, and almost fell out of his wooden chair.

He caught himself, and pulled himself upright again, his eyes snapping alive. It'd been a long night, indeed. His hat was crooked as Luigi came in, grasping a stack of letters.

He was sifting through them with care, not even noticing his sibling, seeing which ones were for which brother, and who had sent them.

"You got three, Mario," he announced calmly, tossing the triplet of packaged papers before his sibling. He had two for himself, and eagerly sat down to start reading them, slurping from his tea yet again as he did so.

Without even looking at the letters, Mario stared up at the ceiling, concentrating hard...

"...Goombario, Bombette..." he mumbled.

"Hm?" Luigi murmured, not even looking up.

"Malon..." Mario's eyes squinted as he tried for the last one.

"Aaand...Our neice..." he finished, satisfied. "And you," he added, glancing at his brother, "Got one from Miles and another from Daisy..."

Luigi blinked at him, puzzled as to what on Stellon he was getting at, and shrugged it off, mumbling, "Yea..." and returning to his reading.

Mario sighed, rolled his eyes, and took to reading his documents, tearing apart the first envelope calmly. He was testing his vision...And it was correct, he was sure. If only he could tap deeper into its powers, maybe he could do other things, too...

"Dear Mario," began the first letter in a sort of sloppy writing.

"What's up? I watched the tournament last night on our new TV, you ROCKED, man! My Goompa says that he could teach you a thing or two, but that you weren't bad."

Mario chuckled to himself as he thought about the old coot of a Goomba.

"Anyway, the Dojo Master is teaching me and some other guys how to write. It's not easy when you don't have hands, but we can still do it, right? Anyway, I'm glad you won, I know you've been waiting a long time and training real hard. I've been training, too. Maybe sometime soon we can get the gang back together again, huh? Oh! By the way, Bombette's with me right now, she wants to write to you, but...She's still having trouble getting the hang of it, so I'll do it for her, OK? See ya!

~ Goombario"

Mario smiled as he remembered all those guys that he had befriended back then. They still hung out once in a while...But it HAD been a long time, hadn't it?

"Dear Mario,

How are you? I hope you're doing well, I'm trying my best. But it's been hard...I'm still looking for a home for myself. I can't live in Koopa Village forever. But Goombario's family is being very nice and letting me stay with them for a while. I'm thankful. ^_^ I just wanted to tell you that I miss you a lot, and I hope we can see each other soon. When my writing is better, I'll write you myself, OK? Byes!" A heart was drawn, and after it the name, 'Bombette', in an even messier style of writing.

Mario placed the letter down on the table gently, an idea brewing in his head. He was going on a vacation. Not with Peach, no...He was saving that for later...A better time...Now was not a good time...But if he could gather his old pals, that would be pretty fun...

The next letter was made of a pink paper that had some texture to it, and the writing was soft and warm.

"Dear Mr. Mario,

Did you have fun last time you came down? We appreciate you coming in to help the Cuccos, I know it's sort of annoying." Mario thought to himself. But he still had fun, even IF one of them whizzed on his overalls. "I think the party went well. Can you BELIEVE it?! I'm 18! It feels kind of weird saying it, but it's true! ^_^ My father says he can't wait to start up business in Toad Town, and I get to do it for him. I'll be selling Lon Lon goods around to all those people. ^_^ I'm so excited! I've never really been to your home before, at least not for long. Will you give me a tour when I get there? Please? Do you think the townsfolk will be spooked if I bring Epona with me? I hope not, she's a nice horse once she trusts you...Anyway, we wanted to thank you for helping us with our new dog. We're not used to Chomps, but they can be really helpful once you can tame them, can't they? OH! Well, I don't have much else to do, but I'm sure you're a busy man, so I'll let you go now. Thank you for reading; I can't wait to see you guys!

~ ^_^ Malon"

Mario cracked yet another caring grin. Malon was a real sweet girl, wasn't she? Raising animals could be hard, but she was excellent at it. She could probably be a good vet, now that he thought of it. He had a funny feeling she'd love visiting Toad Town, and he'd be happy to show her around.

Then his eyes met the last envelope. He knew who it was from, and he knew that its writer was in frustration.

He carefully tore it open to reveal the sparkling silver paper that he slipped out. It was smooth and shiny, and the writing on it was a dark black. It was from his niece, Crystal. Of course, she wasn't REALLY his niece, but...well...She looked at him as her uncle, which was fine by him.

"Dear Uncle Mario,

Way to go on winning the last Melee tournament, Uncle. You really showed them, didn't you? ^_^ I watched the whole thing on TV with my friends, it was pretty cool. By the way, you haven't seen Luna lately, have you? She just sorta disappeared, and nobody knows where she went...We're worried about her.

My father says that you should come up here to Star Haven real soon, it's been a long time...Actually, I really wish you came, too, I really miss you. Could you please take me OUT OF HERE?! Geno never lets me leave alone, but I asked him, and he said that if you supervised me, it would be all right. Just between us, I'm really mad, though. Dad's been so...controlling lately! I'm surprised he lets me BREATH without needing permission!! >:( I just want to break free from it, you know?

So what if I'm a Dragoshi? That doesn't mean I should be locked up my whole life, does it? I'm just so frustrated...>:( I mean, I'm 17 years old now, and he STILL doesn't believe in me...What should I do? How can I prove to him that I'm ready? Well, I'll see you soon, please write back when you can, or better yet, come up and see us!

Crystal"

Mario sighed deeply, nodding to himself. He knew exactly what was going on, and he was afraid of what was going to happen with his niece. She was a very unpredictable young woman, but...All the same, she was right. If she believed in her heart that she was ready to be free, then...Geno had to put more faith in her.

Doubtful about what to do about it, Mario slowly got up from the table, scooping his letters. He paced to his bedroom and placed them on his dresser with care next to some stationary he would later use to write back. As he entered the kitchen again, Luigi was hard at work jotting back to his own letters.

One had been short and simple, one sent from E. Gadd, a goofy inventor growing in fame.

"Luigi, my boy,

How goes things these days? Just wanted to send you a quick note, chap. I'm working on my newest creations, but I believe I need a few words from you. My only problem is the financial issues. If only I had enough to start things going, I'm sure I could make quite a bit to build myself a full fledged laboratory...Anyway, just wanted to poke in and ask that we arrange an appointment soon, I've improved my gasoline and dandelions soup, you should try it. Until then, lad!

E. Gadd"

The other was from another good friend of Luigi, someone who looked up to him a lot.

"Dear Luigi,

What's up? Things are goin' great here! I'm working on redesigning the Tornado, and I have some really great ideas, you need to come take a look. Other than that, nothing real big has been going on. Just the usual, I guess. Definitely no problems from Eggman...I'm starting to wonder if maybe he really did change his ways...Even Sonic isn't so sure...He did help us save Mobius before. Do you think he only did that because he still wants to control it? I dunno, but at least he's not being a problem, and that's ALWAYS a good thing. I've gotta go, Amy's screwing around with my workshop, who KNOWS what she'll mess up. See ya, Luigi, I'll stop by sometime and show you the Tornado X when it's done!

Miles Prower"

As Luigi's pen scribble replies on his parchment, he looked up to Mario and asked curiously, "So when are you goin'?"

Mario shrugged and mumbled, "I dunno. Probably pretty soon. But...First, how about we gather some buddies and play some tennis before I head off?" He grinned slyly at his brother, who returned the smile.

*=(-__-)=*

Darkness enveloped the visions echoing from the past, his memories of time past clear. But why? Where were these visions coming from? Was this HIM he saw in the past? Why, then, was he...older?

It made no sense!

His groggy eyes tried to see around him as his eager mind forced his body to wake up. He tossed his sheets off of himself and flung his exhausted body out of bed, landing on his rear on the cold floor. He needed carpets...As he slowly got up drowsily, his strange dream plaguing him, he scratched his nose lazily- only to discover that hair was already forming there once again. He paused in thought a moment, remembering the definite mustache on this character he had seen...This character he had BEEN, rather, in his dream...Or memory...WHATEVER it was.

So many pieces of the puzzle, but none of them fit together just yet...

With a heavy sigh, Mario paced to the wall of his room that was a huge window and glared up at the night sky, feeling at one with the stars as he did so.

(+*]-!-[*+)

The blowing sands bit at her innocent blue eyes, stinging them like needles. Her palms still burned from the day before in her attempts to free Chaos from that maniacal creature...She almost died, he would've killed her, too...What had he done to her? He'd...sucked out a part of her...It felt so much like parts of her were missing...She was still HER, but...Not entirely. It was so strange...And the feeling did not settle well in her heart OR her mind.

As she glanced down at her blistered, peach-colored hands, she winced as she remembered all the pain that had surged into her that evening...Not just her pain, but the pain of hundreds. He'd destroyed Station Square, and in the process destroyed many lives, as well as Angel Island. Such an act, she felt, was unforgivable. But was violence really how to settle things...?

As her frightened eyes looked up at the strong blue figure to her side, she felt some relief. No matter what, just looking at him made her feel better. That determined look in his emerald eyes...Sometimes it glowed even more fiercely than the Master Emerald itself- to her, at least. Already very close to him, riding side by side on this odd yellow ostrich of sorts, Tikal swallowed, her throat dry, and pressed her body against his, tears running down her face. A few quills of pale orange dangled over her face, and as the blue hedgehog beside her looked down, he saddened.

In a manner almost unlike him, Sonic gently brushed the soft 'hair' from in front of her eyes. He placed his fingers on her chin, and slowly raised it until she stared back at him.

"Tikal..." he murmured sympathetically. "It's all right...Everything's gonna be OK..."

She sniffled, and whispered back, "How do you know...?"

Sonic closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

"I just do...It doesn't matter HOW I know...But everything will be OK..."

After a moment's thought, Tikal shakily replied.

"I know..." She swallowed again, parched from this dessert, her voice a bit dry itself. "But...That doesn't change what happened...He killed them...All those Chao...All those people...My home...And he took Chaos Zero...What are we to do...?"

Sonic's head bobbed slightly, and his eyes wandered a bit as he mumbled, "We'll do whatever we do. Whatever out hearts tell us to do. That's how I've lived my whole life, and everything's worked out so far, right? What do you always say?"

Tikal's eyelids drooped a little more after he said that, and a small smile cracked.

"It's always darkest before dawn..." she whispered, trembling.

"Exactly..." Sonic agreed.

As the two of them leaned on each other for support, both emotionally and physically, Tikal reached her tired arm out and grabbed Sonic's hand within her own. She squeezed with all her might at the moment, which wasn't much.

{][(*)][}

Her eyes slowly opened as she lay there in her bed, her pale orange strands of hair all over the place. Her blanket had been tossed off her, and she was very sweaty. Her throat was dry, and she coughed a bit, feeling very thirsty. She sat up, slightly dazed, and rubbed her forehead. Gazing around, she realized where she was. Titan Tower. Yes, of course.

But, then...Where had she JUST BEEN? A dream.

Why did it feel so real? Like a memory, a clear and present memory...

Confused, she instantly raised her palm up to her face. No blisters, no burns...They were fine...

Well, of course they were fine! It had only been a memory...A dream! Yes, a dream...Or maybe not...? She didn't know anymore. Who DID know? But...She suddenly remembered what it felt like. Sonic...Yes, it was HIM, it WAS...But...It felt so MUCH like him, and yet...It wasn't the Sonic she had just been with mere hours ago, now was it?

With a worried expression about her, Tikal slipped her feet off of her bed and trekked off for a drink of cold water.

And, of course, on her way there, she was scared half out of her wits to see Beastboy prowling the halls- as a wolf.

"Geez...Sorry there," he muttered as he turned back into his default form. "When ya gotta go, ya gotta go..."

+~=*(=)*=~+

Those eyes...They were identical in color and radiance as his own. As he stared at them in perplexment, they clearly seemed worried. She felt so awkward, standing there, looking at him...

It had been such a long day, and neither of them had spoken to each other the whole time. And here they stood, the sun setting off in the horizon, the legions of 'warriors' around them bustling.

The spiky-headed teen that stood before the nervous girl blinked quickly, expecting a response by now. Realizing that maybe trying to speak in a crowd of people was making Amy very uncomfortable, he cleared his throat and said loudly, fighting through the noise, "Why don't we go out there for a sec?"

Amy's eyes jumped awake again, and she nodded, her cheeks slightly changing to a pink. Sonic grinned cockily and grabbed her hand, and within the next couple of seconds, all Amy could see was a blur of colors, until it was all a reddish gold, air rushing across her body.

It all came to an abrupt stop, and she felt herself continue to fall, only to be caught nimbly by Sonic's firm grip and placed upright again.

"So," Sonic began, starting to feel nervous himself from the look in her eyes. "What did ya need...?" his voice squeaked slightly at the end.

Amy giggled quietly at him as she reached out her delicate arm. Her fist was balled up tightly, holding something.

"Um..." she murmured. "Back at Star Haven...I-I made this..."

Her hand opened up to reveal a bracelet. It was fairly simple. A black string that ran through some seashells, as well as something else. It was a small shard of glittering, glowing rock. A mesmerizing shade of yellow, it seemed to be a piece of a fallen star.

"...I-I thought that m-maybe you should have it..." Amy tried to speak clearly, her face red. "I-It'll bring you good luck, and..." she trailed off, trembling.

Sonic's eyes were wide and wondrous as he stared at it, and Amy's face winced with worry. What if he didn't like it? What if he just huffed and grumbled about how annoying she was like he usually did...?

Sonic's face was solemn and almost serious. Those eyes shifted up to Amy, and she felt herself freeze. But then, to her surprise, a smile crawled across it. A very warm smile.

"Amy...I'll wear it proudly..." he told her softly. "Thank you..."

Amy's face lit up with glee and she let out a squeal. Diving at Sonic in joy, she wrapped her arms around him delicately, leaning her head on his shoulder. Sonic, at first, was taken aback, but accepted the hug gratefully. At least he had made someone happy...Right now, he felt as if everything he was doing was wrong. He'd failed all those people back on Mobius...At for that one moment, it didn't matter.

Knowing Amy wouldn't let go of her own accord, Sonic eased her away a bit, and she let herself off. Her eyes watery, Amy gently held Sonic's right arm and slipped the bracelet she'd made. After it had been placed on, she tightened it so that it wouldn't fall off his relatively skinny arm.

"There..." she mumbled. "It looks good on you..."

Sonic flipped the shells around to examine the mother of pearl on its underside. Beautiful.

"I think it looks great..." he admitted, smiling.

"Thank you..." Amy muttered, backing away a bit to give him his space. She sifted her soft quills back from her cheeks as she did so. For second, Sonic wished she hadn't moved away, but he cleared it away.

For a moment or two, they blinked at each other warmly, yet that awkwardness hung in the air.

I just put your hands all over him!! Amy scolded herself. I might as well have yanked his tail and...Come to think of it, why DIDN'T I?!

Sonic was too busy admiring his newly acquired accessory to notice Amy's red cheeks. Dirty thoughts, dirty thoughts, Amy scolded herself, again.

~Anyway, I know he likes Tikal...What was I THINKING? This is crazy... Amy's worried look became an embarrassed smile. ~But Sonic makes me do crazy things...~ Her smile grew wider and her blush even redder, the dim light from the sun's almost full vacancy making it harder to tell.

"HEY, GUYS!!"

They both jumped and glared at the caller, who was waving his arms, dashing toward them.

"You're gonna freeze out here!" It was a small, red creature. He was about half as tall as Sonic, had a lizard-like appearance, and stood on two legs. His eyes were a sparkling blue, and at the tip of his tail glowed a brilliant flame, like a huge candle.

"Oh," he paused, a drop of sweat trickling down the back of his neck. "Um...Am I interrupting something...?"

Sonic paused, his eyes wandering, and Amy blurted out, "No! No...We're fine..."

"Oh..." The creature, a Charmander, smiled slyly at her. "If you say so..." He knew that expression all too well from his friend Falco. He knew EXACTLY what that expression meant.

"Freeze?" Sonic muttered, confused. "Torch, we're out in the middle of the damm dessert!"

"Well, YEA!" Torch grumbled back, rolling his eyes. He pointed to the almost set sun.

Sonic's eyes widened. "OH!"

Amy was clueless. "What is it?" she whispered fearfully. "What's wrong...?"

Sonic tossed his arms carelessly. "No prob. It's just that desserts get really cold at night...Did we figure out the fire yet?"

Torch nodded confidently. "Oh, yea. Everything's fine. Now we just need to figure out how we're gonna sleep...All...What? Fifty of us?"

"More than that," Sonic replied with a smirk. "But we sure as hell showed that over-sized earthworm and his little buddies, didn't we?"

A snoring escaped his throat as he lay there, sound asleep. His spiky blue hair was a little messy, though. He was sprawled on his back, and some drool dripped out of his mouth. His bedroom was even more empty than the other newcomers, because he only used it for sleeping. he had to be all over the place. SO all he really had was a bed and a dresser. Sonic would much rather dart from room to room in Titan Tower than settle in his own room. After all, it was a bedroom. To him, all in needed was a bed, right?

Sleeping only in a pair of boxers, his bright blue blanket was laid upon him loosely. His right up poked out from under it and was wrapped around his head in an odd fashion. And strapped around his right arm was a beautiful necklace made of seashells and a glittering star piece.

[-=-{+-:?:-+}-=-]

"...??..Wire Frames....??" she murmured in fright and despair as she gazed down at the city below, watching hordes

The anthro-leoperd was standing next to her solemnly, her arms crossed over her chest.

"We have to leave. They're coming to take you, and I don't know what they'll do...." she growled seriously.

Tenoch turned to this beast swiftly.

"Where are you from? How did you get here? What is your purp-"

She was frozen by the cat's amber eyes, and she seemed to understand it all by using HER eyes. Yes, it was clear...

She was sent here by a huge, furry, white dragon with a small team to rescue the monkey and a few of the others. It was her mission to make sure they didn't their hands on the 'queen' of Monkey City.

".....??" She stared harder, trying to learn more, but was swiped up off the ground and onto the leopard's shoulder.

"??!!! HEY!! What are you doing?!" she shrieked in surprise.

"I'm getting you out of here!" Shina replied to the struggling ape girl.

"But..!! I can't leave! My people...!! They...We have to help them!" Tenochtitlan screamed, kicking.

"No time..." Shina replied coldly in a gruff snarl.

Tenoch was stupefied. Why was there an army attacking her city again? And she remembered- The Metal Bros......They had come back, she knew...But why? What did they want with her? She didn't have time to ponder this. She had to go and help them! She would protect them or die trying!

Just then, one of her higher ranking military monkeys dashed in, panting. Scratches covered her body, and what little her armor she wore was dented in a few places.

"Tenochtitlan!!.....Ayuu ki dall oo eek bon ramali kleaka!!" she cried.

"Yo nedd! Yo nedd!" Tenoch replied in a worrisome tone. Shina put the monkey down, but she knew there was not much use in waiting. Their success rate decreased with each passing second.

The other ape suddenly noticed Shina and got scared.

"No, no!!" Tenoch yelled, waving her hands frantically.

"It's all right! She's a friend...She's here to help..."

The guard straightened her bent helmet hastily, wiping some blood from her cheeks.

"Whew...But, Tenochtitlan...What should we do?"

Tenoch thought as she stared at one of her most loyal subjects. After some contemplation, she answered.

"Maya...They're here to get me. Tell everyone to run. Tell them to hide. Do whatever they must...For it is I they want...."

Maya frowned, shaking her head in disapproval.

"You know we cannot do that! Your people are loyal to you. They won't listen...They would rather give their lives for you than let you into their hands...They'll stop this threat as long as they can! YOU are the one who should be leaving! We can fend them off! Don't worry!"

Tenoch paused. This was getting quite dire quite fast, wasn't it?

"I..But...." she fumbled, confused.

Shina roared in frustration.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME!! You have to leave, NOWWW!!!" Her groans echoed down the hallways of marble and stone of this temple.

"If they get you, it could be extremely dangerous for all of us! You have to come with me!"

Tenoch bit her lip, turned to Maya, and gave her a tight and desperate embrace.

"Please..." she whispered, as Shina lifted her onto her shoulders roughly.

"Try to make them escape...I don't want to see them hurt..." Tears were welling up in her eyes, because she knew deep down that

Maya showed an unconfident look, her body trembling. She waved good bye, and scampered away, mustering all the courage she could.

Tenoch quickly glanced around, her eyes purple and wide.

"What about....What about Tikal?! Or Crystel, or Inky, or-"

"They're safe, my allies are getting them as we speak...." Shina firmly mumbled.

Tenoch would have to trust her word.

Just then, another familiar primate came in, looking half dead. He was wobbling around, quite injured from the looks of it. Monkeys were dashing all around down the halls of this great piece of architecture, but Tenoch recognized this one in an instant.

"Prometheus?!!" Tenoch started to tear at the sight of him. He was hurt pretty badly, blood dripping all over his face from who knew what. It appeared as if his arm was broken as well.

"Ahh...*cough* Yes," he began, his voice raspy and weak. "....Tenochtitlan....Yes..Cheerio, eh? What a pleasant night it is..." He smiled warily, and coughed a bit of red fluid onto the ground before him.

Tenoch wanted to reach down and help him, but Shina wouldn't allow it.

"Pro...." She looked down at him. "Why are you here?" her voice was trembling, her heart racing.

"You have to get out of here! You could get killed!" she forced the words out.

"Then die I shall, while serving your pure soul!" he cried out valiantly.

Shina realized these two were close, and if she didn't help this wounded fellow, the priestess would be whining about it the whole way out. So, she scooped him up in one arm and tucked him underneath an armpit.

"I say....Since when did leopards get bosoms like THAT..??" Prometheus murmured in awe as he gazed at the formations on the anthro creature's chest.

Tenoch scowled and grumbled a bit, and Prometheus snapped back to the dire situation at hand.

"Ah! No time for levity! Quite right!"

Finally, Shina pounced onward toward one of the balconies. She hopped off of the ledge, and her cargo cried out in shock as she slid down the stone blocks of the pyramid, the wind rushing past them. After she landed on the dirt ground, she started to make a mad dash for the outskirts of the city. Flames and screams engulfed their path, and Tenochtitlan realized the horror of what was happening.

While running, Prometheus slipped out of Shina's grasp, and went tumbling to the ground. Tenoch gasped, and Shina slid to turn around and get him.

There they saw a wolf running at them. A wolf with piercing red eyes, a white shirt, and jean shorts. The same type of creature as Shina was- a Zoanthrope.

"Yugo!!" Shina cried.

But then she realized Yugo had his hands full with Inky on his back, and the Chao all in his arms. The ink badger was utterly confused and horrified, while the other small creatures were quivering uncontrollably.

Shina let out a growl and ran back to get Prometheus. She had just snatched him up when a mole wearing a cape and black pants came whizzing by, Crystel and Tikal in hand.

The Zoanthrope, named Bakuryu, came whizzing by in a blur, and Shina got a good grip on Prometheus before heading off again.

But a strange metallic figure gave pursuit, and launched a ball of glowing red liquid metal at the escapees.

Shina tried her best to dodge it, but got nicked it the shoulder, and she dropped Prometheus again.

Tenoch, who was riding on Shina's back, was terrified. She jumped off to run back, but was caught in midair by Shina, and the powerful leopard kept running.

Tenoch yelled back at Prometheus, who looked up at her and smiled, glad too see she was still all right.

Little did he know Metal Mario was standing right behind him, his icy, emotionless eyes glaring downward.

The silver villain picked him up with ease and tossed him straight into a building behind him, cracking the wall.

Tenoch screamed when she saw Pro slide down the wall to the ground, blood covering him. Her black eyes burst water, and she moaned in horror.

And she knew.....He was dead.

Speechless, she stopped struggling, and just let Shina take her away. Her glazed eyes were glued to the bloody mess that had once been her friend. Gaping at the sight of him know, she felt overwhelmed.

"RUN!!" Metal Mario bellowed. "Go ahead, we've got what we want!! Sooner or later, you will be ours, too, Tenooky...Takkawee....WHATEVER!!!" he spat out hastily. His voice was fading into the distance, so he screamed his last words.

"BUT I PROMISE YOU...THEY WILL ALL BE DEAD!!"

{~_+~*~)~^~(*~+_~}

She snapped awake like a bolt of lightning, sitting upright in her bed. Beads of sweat dripped down her face, and her soft black hair was a bit sticky and disheveled. Her eyes were a midnight black, frightened and wet. Her body was trembling uncontrollably, and she tried to calm herself down. Searching for comfort, her hands fumbled in the dark room, until they arrived upon the smooth staff leaned against her bed. She gripped the staff tightly, feeling somewhat soothed, but still scared.

Why...? Why did they have to do this to her...? They killed her people, destroyed her home...And for what?

Tenochtitlan paused, staring at her staff fearfully, still quivering. She realized.

She let out a short shriek as her bedroom door flew open, and a figure stood there in the dark, staring at her. Wide-eyed and afraid, Tenochtitlan held her breath for a moment.

"Dude...Uh...Tenoch, you OK...?"

She sighed of relief, wiping some sweat from her forehead.

"...Beastboy..." she murmured, recognizing his voice.

Beastboy felt very odd standing in her doorway, so he let himself in, hoping he hadn't done anything rude.

"Um...Listen, I, uh...I heard you scream, and..." He rubbed his neck nervously as he approached her bed in the dark.

"I-I'm, OK..." Tenoch answered, her voice shaking with her body. It was dying down slowly.

"You sure? You sound freaked out..." he checked.

"I-I...I just h-had a dream...A b-bad dream..." she whispered as a tear flowed down her cheek. But the green teen couldn't see.

"Oh...Well, it must've been pretty scary," he mumbled uneasily. "Sounded like somebody was kidnapping you or something..."

"Y-yes, something like th-that..." Tenoch mumbled, hunched over on her bed. She didn't use a blanket, she felt too warm under one. She was used to warmer weather...At least she THOUGHT she was...

Beastboy didn't know what else to say. She seemed to want to be alone.

"Well, uh...Just checkin'...I'll go now, so...I hope you can sleep well..."

With a shrug and a confused expression, he exited the room. But just as the door was about to close behind him, Tenoch reached out.

"Thank you, Beastboy." It was a little scared still, but warm and thankful.

He paused and smiled, though his back was still to her.

"No prob...Good night..." he said back kindly.

*)(#0+0#)(*

The wind playfully rushed past them as they rode the great field, the galloping of the horse they rode rhythmic and unending.

The small girl who rode behind him giggled with glee, waving her arms around merrily. Her voice was sweet and soft, and her appearance also made it seem her personality reflected these traits as well.

"Where are we going?" she curiously squealed, her voice raised a bit.

The solemn figure who held the magnificent horse's reigns stared straight ahead, his gaze as firm as Death Mountain.

"We're heading back to the castle..." he grumbled seriously. "What are you so happy about?" he demanded sternly. He quickly retracted his firmness. "Sorry...I don't get it, though..."

The green-haired girl behind him frowned sadly. Her scrapes and cuts still burned, but just riding Hyrule field with Link made her forget about them.

"I'm trying to be optimistic..." she murmured sadly.

"Yea, well...Isn't it a little hard when your home just got demolished?" Link inquired.

Saria sighed deeply and tried to explain. "Of course it is...But I remember that I still have you to lean back on. And that's all I need to be happy..."

Link felt a bit touched by such a simple remark. But nonetheless, this was a dire situation. He had to gather Zelda and get the heck out of here. No doubt those Wire Frames were hot on their trail at that very moment.

"You're right," he admitted quietly. "But that doesn't mean we should sit back and let bad things happen..."

Saria nodded curtly. "Oh, of course." She held back a laugh, but it sputtered out moments later. She spoke in a sarcastic voice, gruff and deep. At least as much so as she could muster. "We have to handle things seriously. Let's go and hack their heads off, might makes right." A flurry of giggled erupted afterward.

Link rolled his eyes and sighed. Normally he would love her company, but now...It was just a little irritating, he wasn't all happy and joyous.

"You Kokiri really DON'T ever grow up, do you?" he questioned. It was hard to tell whether he meant this in a joking manner or not, however.

Saria noticed this and quickly calmed down.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm just trying to cheer you up. What's the point in frowning when you can try to smile. Look at the bottle half full!"

"Half full of bugs?" Link replied.

Saria shook her head. "You know what I mean!" she snapped playfully. "Oh, fine. Let's go and chop somebody's head off!" She snickered, punching his shoulder a little. "There's no stopping you."

Link cracked a smile.

"Slashing somebody? Well, if you insist..."

Epona, Link's faithful and loyal mare, let out an excited whinny.

"Damm right," Link cried out in agreement.

|-_\\|//_-|

Saria...?

Link sat, hunched over the edge of his bed. His elbows rested on his knees, and his chin in his palms. He was trying to sort this out.

Saria...

The name alone didn't ring a bell, but the girl's face...Her voice, her smile, her giggle. He KNEW it. It was as if he'd grown up listening to it...

But why in Hyrule would he be riding with this bruised girl to a castle...? Zelda. Hm.

Zelda...Castle...Wire Frames...?

Then it clicked. ZELDA!! A beautiful girl with golden hair and blue eyes...Yes!! The girl he adored, the girl who adored him. The girl that had dragged him into this whole 'save your country' stuff. But he loved her all the same, as pushy as she could be.

With this piece of information added to his memory banks, he still didn't have enough, If the figure in the dream was him, then why did he look different...? Everyone had point ears, and pointy noses...Why?

"Gah," he grumbled, feeling as though he'd done enough contemplating for one night. He needed to get back to sleep. The next day was sure to be interesting, and he wanted to be rested-up for it.

But there was a clear connection forming in his mind. His connection with this 'Hyrule' place.

The connection he and all his friends shared. But at that moment, this connection was only clear in the subconscious world of their dreams...

~[-/--+>]~

End Transmission

{\+-\-->+/}

[Sproxie]

man i cant wait to see what happens next!
( im very impatient) :shrug:
keep up the good work!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

lost. totally, utterly lost. so many memory fragments, why doensn't anyone know who they are?

this is so confusing! keep writing, I have to figure this out.

[starburn1116]

that was really good
i'm kind of confusedbut you say that will clear
continue soon

(p.s. i'm a girl)

[raven54]

i is also confuzzled... oh whatever i'll get it at some point:)

[rrarbecy]

Ow, my head. How confusing can a story get. I like mystery and stuff like that, but this is... woah. Its great one, the story that is.

[Crowgirl]

Okay, this is my own little speech thingamabob.


You're story is really, really good. I, like others, am a little confuzzled, but that will eventually work out, right?

Another thing, I just looked back at what I said earlier and I sound like a cold jerk (quoted) so, I'm sorry about that.:sweat:

Write more please!

[Destiny_Smasher]

Yeaaa...:sweat: Figured that would confuse people. It's supposed to, actually, so don't worry.

I mean, if you've read my main story, you may remember sections and such, as a lot of that Chapter was taken directly from it, and all...

If you've played the VG series related to the characters, then many of them will be familiar faces. Just don't that overwhelm you, it'll all come together later, I promise. I like to keep my readers curious and on their toes, but I always come through with the solution sooner or later.

What I like to do is drop puzzle pieces all over the place, but in such a way that it's often unlikely that the puzzle will be solved until the last minute, and when it is my readers can look back and go, "OH! NOW it all makes sense!! :zim: "

By the way, sorry for how my thought quotes seem to change...It's hard because I used to have a set way of going about things, but formatting on sites changed, n'...

Gah, just enjoy.

I counted the word Confused (or a close relative) 4 times since my last update...

And CrowGirl, it's all good. You don't have to like Terra, but I get offended when people are judged like that- whether they're real or ficticious. Regardless, I think you'll like Terra in this fic.

<-{--[*<Begin Transmission>*]--}->

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 6- Worried

{OK...We gotta get some work done today...} Robin thought to himself as he paced through the halls, which were slightly illuminated. {Let's see...It's about 8:00...So we should get to combat training at about 10:00...}

As he made his way to the huge living room, he could definitely hear music floating through the air. But it wasn't their jazzy 'theme song'...No, it certainly sounded more like an 'oldies' tune. As he walked onward, the sound of it got louder and louder. And he could begin to hear and comprehend the lyrics, too.

"He sits in the treetop, all day long,

Rockin' and a-boppin' and singin' this song.

All the little birdies on Jay Bird Street

Love to hear the Robin go 'Tweet-tweet-tweet!

Rockin' Robin!

Tweet! Tweet, tweet!

Rockin' Robin!

Tweet!...Tiddly tweet!

He came upon the large room that overlooked the city. The big couch before the giant TV was shaking from that raving red-capped lunatic dancing about. Beastboy, meanwhile, was shifting from one type of bird to the next, chirping and squaking every which-way possible. Cyborg, for whatever reason, was doing 'the Robot'. Sonic was standing off in a corner of them room, tapping his feet to the tunes, but staring solemnly at a bracelet fitted on his arm.

A grin crept across Robin's face as he saw them all. Mornings were certainly livlier now, weren't they?

It was interesting, indeed. Raven wasn't meditating, she was leaned up again a wall adjacent the door Robin had walked in. She didn't look irritated, angry...She looked calm. And a hint of a smile was on her. A little creeped, Robin avaoided looking at her and scanned the room. Just about everyone was there, weren't they...?

Just then, the cheerful emerald eyes he knew well appeared before him as Starfire glided over.

"Good morning!!" she cried merrily as 'Rockin' Robin' played in the background. Robin was smiling, a little surprised at everything.

"Yea..." he murmured. "Looks like it. Good morning."

"'Bout time you woke up!" Cyborg cried as he came clomping over. "Mario said he's gotta show you sumthin'!"

"What's that?" Robin inquired, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Over there," Cy bellowed, motioning Robin to head to the small table in front of the TV where (much to everyone's amazement) the remote sat.

"'Sup, Pelican?" Mario greeted with a smirk. he was laid back on the couch, relaxed, tapping his socked feet.

"Thanks for the tune," Robin said with a smile. "Uh...Cyborg said you had to show me something...?"

"OH! Right," Mario sat up straight in his seat and begun to dig in his overall pockets. His hands sifted around the denim until he found what he was looking for.

"Here, man," he said, giving a small envelope to the black-haired Titan. "I found it right here-" he tapped the coffee table briskly, "-this morning when I came downstairs."

With a curious face, Robin muttered, "Thanks," and pried open the envelope, which had no writing on its surface.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Link was laughing at Tenochtitlan, who seemed intent on cooking a half-decent breakfast, at least for herself.

She was still in pajamas, which she had decided she liked a lot. She had no memories of pajamas...And Starfire had let her borrow some of her own. They were fuzzy, covered her whole body, and were a light pink color. many people her age would argue they were 'childish', but Tenochtitlan could care less, and she wasn't used to people telling her what was 'childish' or not anyway.

"Does that look OK...?" she murmured, unsure, staring at a few pieces of french toast that she was attempting to make.

"See? MAN, what did you do your whole life?" Link snickered. "Did your parents cook for you the whole time or something?"

Tenoch was ignoring him at the moment, paying much more attention to Tikal's advice.

"Hm...Well, they look fine. You should flip them over and let the other side cook..."

"A-Allright, thanks," the dark-skinned girl mumbled, her eyes purple. Tenochtitlan was feeling very uneasy. Her dream...What had it meant? She felt so odd, out of place...Like she didn't belong here, she wasn't supposed to be here.

Sonic came walking in, perplexed and silent. He didn't run, he didn't smile...He just walked in, staring at the ground. Tikal noticed this strange behavior within a second, and immediately rushed to his side as he went to sit down on a stool next to Link.

"Sonic...?" her gentle tone inquired. "What's wrong...?"

Sonic glanced up at her, and blushed in surprise. He hadn't noticed she was in the room. He crossed his arms over his chest hurriedly.

"I, uh, well...I dunno, nothin's wrong..."

Tikal read him like a book- or more like a bright, red flag with neon lights- and placed her hand on his shoulder. She leaned on him gently, putting her other hand on his chest.

"It's all right, you can tell me..." she whispered. Sonic was now feeling VERY uncomfortable...

"Aaagghhh..." was all he could manage.

Tikal's eyes glanced over Sonic's shoulder to see Link's smirk.

"Here," she muttered, motioning him to stand up. "Come on."

Sonic reluctantly followed her, trying to hide his arm as best he could.

She was almost pulling him, and he finally gave in.

"A-All right, I'm comin'..."

As he wandered into the hallway with Tikal, he stared down at the jangling bracelet on his arm. The glowing yellow fragment on it glimmered more than usual for a moment, or so he thought.

Tikal's investigating eyes read Sonic carefully.

"Something's wrong," she declared softly.

"Wh-what are ya t-talkin' about? I never said something was wrong..." he stammered in defense.

Tikal wrapped her arms around him and said slyly, "You don't have to say something's wrong. But...If something is..." Her tone had shifted to being concerned and gentle.

Sonic was running his hands through his spiky hair nervously, when Tikal noticed the fair bracelet wrapped around his arm.

"Oh!" she cried in delight.

She brushed back some pale, orange bangs hurriedly as she inspected the cute trinket.

"This is so precious," she murmured in awe. "Where did you get it from?"

Some drops of sweat trickled down Sonic's neck as he stammared his answer.

"W-well, I, uh..."

Tikal could immediately tell something was up, and Sonic knew that SHE knew as he stared at her sympathetic blue eyes.

"OK..." he moaned. "I had a dream last night, but...It felt so REAL, so right..."

His eyes had wandered, and when they came back, Tikal's eyes were wide with wonder, her jaw was dropped, and her grip on Sonic's hands had tightened.

"You were blue...And spiky..." she whispered in awe. "...Right?"

"Yea..." Sonic muttered back, perplexed.

"It felt like...-"

"-It was really happening," Tikal finished.

After a moment to reflect, Tikal asked, "So, someone gave that to you- in your dream- and you woke up...With it on...?"

Sonic nodded, his brows furrowed.

"You think...the others...?" he mumbled thoughtfully.

"We might as well find out..." Tikal concluded solemnly.

+](÷##÷)[+

Robin had disapppeared suddenly, and Starfire- as always- became instantly worried.

"Cyborg?" she inquired the relaxed Titan. "Have you seen Robin...?"

Cyborg shook his head calmly. He paused, pondered, then lifted his index finger.

"Uh, yea, Star, actually he was here just a second ago, I think..."

Starfire's pretty green eyes scanned for her handsome little hero, but...He wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Yes...He was headed for his 'Slade' room," Raven muttered to her minutes later, trying to meditate.

Starfire's heart sank as she remembered how Robin always seemed to act when he was in that room. As thoughts flooded her, she soared through the halls.

{Robin and I are drifting apart...} she thought sadly to herself. {He is so...alone lately...I wish I could make him happy...} She drifted there, in front of that cold, uninviting door. Her head was bobbed, and her left arm was gracefully latched onto her right one.

{Perhaps it is my fault...} she worried to herself. {Maybe I have let him down...?}

With a deep sigh, Star let out a little whimper as she pushed the red button on the wall, causing the metal door to slide.

She was greeted by the dark room she had come to despise. There he sat, at his desk, hunched over something. That dim, yellow light barely covered Robin's desk, as usual.

As the metal door slammed behind her, she was almost overcome with nervousness as Robin didn't seem to notice her. Perhaps now was simply a bad time...?

Shrouded in darkness, Starfire slowly let herself fall to the ground, landing lightly on her feet. She stood a mere few feet behind Robin, trembling a bit. Was he angry? Should she leave?

She took a deep breath and swallowed, preparing to reach out for him. She opened her mouth to speak and slowly reached out her arm, but before she could say a word, he spoke.

"Hey, Star." He sounded perplexed as he turned around to face his good friend. "What's up?"

Star was a bit surprised at Robin's relatively calm attitude.

"Umm...I-I was just worried you were...-" she trailed off, noticing he understood.

"-Trying to figure out Slade...?" He smiled a little. "No, that's not on my mind right now..." He sounded a little concerned about something, however.

Starfire couldn't fully see him because his back was to the light, so she swiftly glided around the table to face him- so both faces were bathed in ample amounts of light.

"Is something wrong, Star...?" Robin inquired, sensing the uneasiness about her. He stared at her deep, troubled eyes. They were innocent, caring...Robin sometimes wondered what the group would be like without her...Would it still even be a group...?

Starfire fiddled with her hands for a few moments, unsure as to how to respond. Her eyes, avoiding Robin's, caught sight of an envelope on the desk, which had a letter on it.

"Is this what you are worrying about...?"

She scooped it up quickly, scanning the symbols written on it. She was pretty confident in her reading skills, though she was from another planet.

"Dear Titans," she read aloud. "Congratulations on the new additions to your team. But I also understand that trouble is brewing. I haven't seen you out fighting crime these past few days, but I assure you that bad things are coming. I plan to meet you all in person before things get too crazy. I hope things work out for the best...But I can make no promises. Things are not going according to their original plans...I don't mean to trouble you so much, but you really must be careful. Best of wishes...-" Starefire smiled as she read the name. "With love, Destiny Smasher..."

She placed the letter down on the table as she remembered what Destiny Smasher- Eddy- had said. He'd said she should talk with Robin about her feelings, hadn't he...? She was still...planning on it. But planning and doing were different things.

She glanced back up at Robin warily. No...Now was not the right time...

"Worried about it...?" Robin finally wondered. "Well...Not about the letter. Just...These new guys..." he sighed.

Starfire's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean...?" she murmured, a tone of fright emerging. "What is wrong with our new friends?" she demanded calmy.

"Nothing," Robin replied quickly. "It's just that...I think they're here for a reason...Ya know?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "They don't remember where they're from, they just..showed up...And this Destiny Smasher guy...How does he know what's going on...?"

He frowned in perplexment, resting his chin in his palm, his elbow on the table. Starefire stared sadly at him.

{There is surely some way I can help him...}

"Why, Robin, do you worry so much...?" she asked quietly.

Robin sighed, shaking his head. Still staring at his desk, he answered.

"I'm a leader. A leader has to take responsibility. Everytime something goes wrong, I feel like it's my fault. And I just...-" He huffed, his eyes glancing away. "I've screwed up too many times as it is. You...and the other Titans..." He looked up to face her with regret on his expression. "You almost died...because of my mistakes. That's not going to happen to these new guys...That's not going to happen ever again."

Starfire's eyes were glazed with sorrow as she leaned over the table to stare at him with concern.

"Robin, do not say such things!" she scolded him. Her voice was still sweet and soft as usual, but firm as well. As she went on, that tone got sadder.

"Things are not your fault! We are a team, and when things go bad it is not anyone's fault! It is not your fault when we are hurt...It is the crinimal's fault...You fight to stop them..."

"Then why did I BECOME one?" Robin growled, not at Star, but at himself. He really was like Slade...wasn't he...? No. No, he wasn't. Nothing like that creep!

Star paused, trembling with emotion.

"Everyone makes mistakes," she declared shakily. "Even after what you have done, I still care about you Robin, as do the others...I care so much..." Her last sentence was a whisper as she retreated from Robin's gaze.

She was too embarassed to look at him for a few moments, and stared at the dimly lit papers on the walls. Photos, news articles...All about Slade and his crime...She felt disgusted by it, and bobbed her head to look at the floor instead.

Some memories of the mess flooded back to the two of them for a minute or two, until Robin broke the silence.

"Star...?" he murmured sadly. She didn't turn to face him, so he stared at the back of her head. "Could I...? Could I have some time alone...?" Star frowned at the comment, feeling a needle puncture her heart. Why did he always want to be by himself...?

She bobbed her head and answered firmly, "No..."

Robin looked dumbfounded for a moment, and when Starfire turned around, Robin saw her despair.

"No, Robin," she whispered, watering at the eyes. "I will not leave you alone...Not now, not ever..." Her solemn eyes pierced through Robin's mask. He felt something he hadn't felt for a long time- he felt loved.

"You are my best friend, Robin." A tear slid down her cheeck. "And I will not let you hurt yourself. I will no longer let you sit alone in the dark. Not anymore..." She was letting her tears come out, wiping them away briskly.

Robin felt guilt pounding at him viciously as he gazed into her anguished face.

"I...-" He couldn't speak, though he tried.

Starfire hovered to his desk and spoke apologetically.

"Robin...I am sorry..." She sniffled, looking down, away from him. "I...I know you work hard to protect us...But you are...'too hard on yourself'. I...WE can help you, Robin. We are a group...I will do ANYTHING to make things easier...But I do not know what I am doing wrong..." She collapsed onto her knees, sniffling.

Robin got up and placed a hand on her shoulder, kneeling next to his best friend.

"Star...None of this is your fault. It's m-"

"No," she wailed. "It is not you..."

"It's not YOU, then, either," he confidently replied.

Starfire gave him a small, wary smile.

"It is...no one...?"

Robin grinned shyly back.

"It's just the way things are...You haven't done anything wrong. You're always trying to keep us together..."

She blushed a little.

"It is not I, it-"

Robin rubbed her shoulder affectionately, causing her to freeze up with that mysterious warm, fuzzy feeling.

Robin stood up slowly, while Star floated upward without realizing it. (Joyful thoughts trigger her flying, remember?)

Her face as red as her hair, Star landed on her feet. But her joy vanished as quickly as it came as those pictures, articles...visions of Slade met her eyes.

"Robin...?" she pleaded.

"Yea...?"

She sniffed, drying her tears. Staring at the masked crusader, she asked a solemn question.

"Promise me, Robin...Promise me you will no longer come to your 'Slade' room..." Her expression was desperate, her hands clasped over her chest gracefully. "Please..."

Guilt overcame him, and her graceful, beautiful eyes captured him- they were full of sorrow, frustration...and hope.

"I promise..." he said quietly. "But...Can I have an hour? Just one...To...Clean everything up."

Starfire was smiling weakly, sniffling. She nodded slowly, feeling relieved.

"After that...I promise I won't come in my...'Slade' room...anymore."

He felt so foolish saying it like that...but it was what the place had become. Wow...A room, dedicated to crime, evil...and Slade.

Staring into Starfire's graceful, compassionate eyes, Robin smiled weakly. He suddenly realized why she'd asked such a question. Because whenever he came in here, she had to see him dark, serious, and depressed.

He was caught off guard as Star, her eyes glazed, reached out for him. She glided at him gentley, wrapped her arms around him, and embraced him warmly. She squeezed him tight, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Robin..." she whispered. "And do not blame things on yourself anymore...I will take blame if I must...But you do not deserve it..."

Robin, although nervous and uneasy, returned her caring hug.

{You don't deserve pain more than anyone I've ever met...} he muttered in the realms of his mind.

~[<+--\-<*>-/--+>]~

End Transmission

{\+<--/-<*>-\-->+/}

Oh, and Starburn...Yea, I even throw in some Inuyasha in my fiction at some point. Haven't yet, but I have plans.

This fic? Meh. Probably not. But seeing as how all of my stories are a network, who knows? They're all connected, anyway. That's one thing I was trying to get across in this Chapter.

And wow...I just took a glance at it, and...WOW. Raven has CHANGED. It's certainly no mistake of mine to focus on how different she is later on compared to how she used to be...I think you'll like what I've done with her.

[Sproxie]

Finaly u post!
wow great chapter!
PLEASE keep writing!

[Destiny_Smasher]

What do you mean, 'finally'?? I've been posting, like, every other day or so!

*sigh*

But you guys aren't getting another Chapter unless I hear more about the LAST one. :shrug:

[Sproxie]

o! apparently i dont pay attention... :sweat:
any way it was great! please keep writing!

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...Well, there's a start.

As a reminder, though, I've already WRITTEN all of this. The fic is far from complete but up to Chapter 12-ish is done.

Looking back, I make a lot of dumb writing mistakes here- but it was a YEAR ago, so...

[Crowgirl]

Raven54, you are soooooooo lucky. My friends don't even know I participate in this. Actually, they don't know that I like Teen Titans either...


Destiny_Smasher, your story is good, but I suggest you lengthen the time between posts. It gets you more feedback.

Write more or die!:evil: (Your choice...)

CROWGIRL FOR PRESIDENT!!!

[rrarbecy]

I just read it, and I only have one thing to say... YOU ARE SO DAMN GOOD IT ISN'T EVEN FUNNY! I... I... I... Woah... I wish I had something else to say... :confused: Just... need...more...Sobby... coming out...destroy...everything...MORE BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sad: Hm...

Yea...

Anyway, call me DS or Destiny Smasher. I just threw that _ thingy because my original account was loopy or something...-_-' I could never log in.

As for all this 'cartoons are stupid' garbage, here's a piece of advice- talk about it more freely. If you can't be proud of who you are in front of who you hang out with, I question your friends...

I'm the only true-blue Titans fanatic amidst my friends. But I've turned them all on to the show, and they all (even my one who dislikes cartoon shows) have a likeness toward it now.

---
"Write more or die!:evil:
---

And that is why I don't wait forever to update. People start getting psycho. Even a couple of my good friends have gotten slightly violent...

I quote one of them who doesn't really WATCH TT:

"Saying that reading your fic is an addiction is an understatement."

He's a bit dangerous, we'll say...

But yes, I am intending to space out updates a tad...I kinda would like people to talk a bit more about my fiction and what they liked about it in specific rather than how their school will reject them for liking cartoons...

I'm 17, a senior in high school, and the only TV I watch is cartoons, really. I mean, the only shows I go out of my way to watch are Sonic X and TT, and I haven't even been watching Sonic X lately.

Although we're at Chapter 6 right now, we're definitely not halfway through what I've written. The Chapters have gotten exponentially longer as I have progressed. Chapter 10 and 11 are about ten times as long as Chapter 1 was, I think...At least, they took up ten times as much data on my computer...

I'm considering whether or not to post up 7...Hm...

Well, I guess I will, but you guys had better give me some feedback besides, 'This is good' if you want to see 8 soon. I want to know WHY you think it's good.

Wow. Yea, that Chapter was short...and it sucked compared to my later stuff, if ya ask me. My style has changed quite a bit in the last year...

Things get kinda happy, I think...Bu I do warn you that this fic gets really dark later on. I'm beginning to delve head first into the shadows in Chapter 12...Good stuff...Well, bad stuff, actually- you know what I mean.

Oops...Forgot to post the UPDATE. Here ya go.

<-{--[*<Begin Transmission>*]--}->

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 7- Breakin' In

"Ugh, you idiot!" Mario moaned with a chuckle. "You just LET him pass you!"

Cyborg grinned, flicking away at his gaming controller.

"Yup! This way, I actually might have a CHALLENGE..." he muttered cockily, sticking out his tongue. Beastboy frowned back. Within the course of three seconds, he'd turned into an anteater, blown a raspberry, and turned back.

Robin walked in, a small and sly grin about him. He greeted them casually.

"Hey, guys. Remember, meet outside in an hour for combat training. We need to break the new guys in," he added with a smirk, glancing at Mario.

Rubbing his fuzzy upper-lip, Mario smiled devilishly back.

"You mean, we'll be breaking YOU out."

"Well, I'd like to see that."

As Robin passed through the halls, he came upon a nervous-looking Sonic.

"Dude, have you seen Tay?"

Robin lifted a brow and muttered back, "...Tay?"

Sonic realized Robin didn't know about Tenochtitlan's nickname.

"Oh. Uh, yea, Tenochtitlan?"

"Nope, sorry, Sonic. Haven't seen her. But when you find her, be sure to tell her we're meeting out front in an hour."

Sonic flashed him a thumbs-up, gave him a 'thanks,' and whizzed onward, coming upon the entertainment room.

"Yo, Fly-Boy," Cyborg greeted with a chuckle.

"Yo," Sonic answered, glancing at his game for a moment. It seemed to be a sci-fi racing game, of course.

"Whatcha playin'?"

"F-Zero GX, man," Beastboy said with a grin. "It's the bomb. You should try it."

After another glance, Sonic tossed his arms.

"Nah...It's too slow for me," he said with a devilish grin.

"So, uh, you guys know where Tay is...?"

Beastboy, as if by instinct, spat out a reply.

"She's up on the roof, but...I don't know why. She looked kinda upset, but I think she wanted to be alone, sooo-"

"Allright, thanks," Sonic answered, ignoring the doubt in his tone. "Mario," he added, just before he zoomed off.

"What's-a matta fa you?" he inmpersonated casually.

"Uh, Tikal wants to talk to you, OK? She's hanging out near your bedroom, I think..."

Mario shrugged, tipped his hat, and scratched his nose.

"Right, then..." he mumbled, flipping over the couch and pulling off some backflips before walking off down the hall.

The door to the rooftop was blasted open by Sonic as he plowed through. Fortunately, it was already open a crack, so it swung wildly from the rough winds flooding past it.

"Yo! Tay, we're...-" He trailed as he saw her sitting, hunched up. Her braids of black hair dangled over her shoulders, adding to the sad aura that surrounded her.

"Um...Tay, are you all right?" he questioned cautiously, hoping not to trip on an emotional switch.

She glanced up at him with dark blue eyes.

"I'm OK," she mumbled. "Don't worry about it."

Sonic paused for a moment, then let her in on the meeting.

"I'll...be there...Just give me a sec..."

"All right..." After a moment of uncertainty, Sonic made the choice to leave her alone and headed to his destination.

A few minutes passed, though Tenoch didn't notice. That is, until the door opened again.

"Tay...? Youuuu OK? What's up...?" Beastboy inquired shyly.

She turned her head to meet his quickly, her eyes a shade of dark blue.

"I'm...-" She fumbled a bit, then decided to be honest.

"No...I'm not all right." She bobbed her head back down as Beastboy walked to her side.

"Dude, it's OK," he assured her calmly. "You can tell me what's going on...I can keep a secret..."

Tenoch glanced up at him hesitantly. Staring into his innocent green eyes, she felt comfortable enough to explain. With a sigh, she began.

"Well, see..." She searched for words as her green friend sat down on the cement beside her. "I just...I don't feel right here...Ya know? Like I don't belong..."

Beastboy frowned sadly, trying to come up with a remark to lighten the mood.

"Yea, I understand. Afterall, we ARE a bunch of freaks."

He'd managed a small smile from her, at least for a moment. And that was all worth it.

"No, I mean...I don't know. I just feel...like I'm not...me..." Her voice was drowned in confusion and despair.

"Aw, Tay, don't say that!" Beastboy said, elbowing her. "That's just stupid. Of course you're you!"

Tenoch smiled a little again, but it was short lived as well.

"I know...I didn't mean it like that...I meant, like, I'm not supposed to be here. I can't explain it."

Pausing to reflect, Beastboy fumbled with the thought...She thought she wasn't supposed to be here...? What kind of idea was THAT?

"Well, um...You're right," he answered calmly. "You AREN'T supposed to be here...You're supposed to be with the OTHER guys..."

Her eyes popped open- she had totally forgot, and it had only been a couple minutes! Orange-eyed, she lept to her feet and hastily scooped up her staff from the ground.

"Geez, you're right! Sorry, I've gotta go..."

Beastboy sighed and waved farewell. Just before anything could click, she had to leave. Figured.

"No prob."

But just before she left, he burst out, his insides urging him to do so.

"TAY!"

She slid a bit, skidding to a stop. Pushing her hair from her face slowly, she glanced back at him.

"Hey, uh...Later on, ya wanna...hang out...?" he questioned shyly, his cheecks a little pink. "I mean, whatever. We could eat, we could watch a flick, or...anything you want." His tone was slightly shaky.

"I..." Her eyes had shifted to purple. "...W-Well, sure, why not...? I mean, I don't have anything better to do..." He couldn't tell, but small pink spots had formed on her face, too.

After a moment of awkward silence, she turned and sped off down the stairs.

Beastboy was left with a silly grin.

{Purple, huh?...Lemme see...I think that means she's nervous. Hehe...Ya still got it, Beastboy...}

The green Titan had already been getting aquainted with Tenochtitlan's eye colors, and what each one meant. He could only guess on some, while others were obivous. Pink was DEFINITELY happy and 'laughable,' while dark blue was surely depressed. He hoped he would keep those beautiful eyes pink that night.

-=+&lt;:*:>+=-

Robin's foot tapped the ground slowly. A breeze swept over the river, cascading past the Titans playfully.

"Where did you say they were?" Robin asked patiently.

"They were talking about...uh..." Beastboy fumbled. "Well, I think it was about a dream somebody had last night or somethin'..."

"Well, wherever they were, they're here now!" Cyborg announced, waving to them. They were exiting the tower hastily, making their way down the hill to the rest of the group.

Sonic whizzed along, performing all types of flips and such as he did so, simply for show. Tikal glided through the air behind him, just as Raven and Starfire were capable of doing.

Link just dashed behind them, swiping his sword through the air eagerly.

Tenochtitlan nimbly bounded about with grace, almost like a beautiful Tarzan of sorts. (Weird description, I know.) After performing a somersault, a cartwheel, and backflip, she landed on her feet beside Link- though she almost fell shortly thereafter.

Mario was still waiting at the tower's door, a good fifty feet or so away.

He waved at the group slyly, and took a few steps back. After charging forward for a couple of seconds, he pounced into the air at a breakneck speed. Higher and higher he soared, until they couldn't see him.

"Holy crap," Beastboy muttered. "Talk about thunder thighs..."

As he flew through the air gracefully, Mario took a moment to suck in a breath of fresh air. Having admired the sun, which was almost at zenith, he scratched his head. Then, he began to plummet. As his speed increased, he flipped himself upside down, his face facing his friends below. For a few more seconds, he flew like a missle. Just before impact, he somersaulted, rotating back to an upward position. As he smacked the ground harshly, a loud 'thud' could be heard, and the ground shook. He was perfectly fine, of course. His landing position, with one knee to the ground, as well as one hand, would later be described by Beastboy as 'undeniably awesome.'

He stood up slowly, straightened his hat, and spoke to the shocked crew.

"Air's nice up there..."

"I can imagine," Robin mumbled.

"Oh, he is correct!" Starfire put in. "Very nice. It is as refreshing as a cold glass of kermbob!"

After an awkward moment of silence, the masked crusader carried on with business.

"What was the problem...?" Robin asked curiously, his hands folded over his chest.

"Oh, well..." Mario shrugged. "Nothin' big. We just..." He let the subject go, tossing his arms. "Don't worry about it...We just had a little problem, we took care of it."

They all looked nervous and embarrassed about it, whatever it was.

{Something is DEFINITELY up,} Robin concluded to himself.

"Whatever you say," he murmured, changing pace. "Anyway, I set up a combat scenario for you guys yesterday..."

"So THAT'S what you were up to," Link noted with a smirk. "Bring it on, then..."

"Awww, man, you guys are gonna LOVE it," Cyborg added with amticipation.

The original five Titans arranged themselves on the 'sidelines' of what would quickly become a battle scene. The clearing was of a decent size, with a few shrubs and bushes here and there. Robin stood at his control panel, eagerly awaiting to see these five in action.

"Countdown initiated!" he announced. "Good luck guys..."

Mario tipped his hat, smiling that smug smile of his.

"Thanks, Blue-Footed Booby!" he called. Robin shook his head and let out a grin.

Beastboy felt uneasy as he saw Tenochtitlan's upset expression. What was bugging her so much...? Maybe he could do something about it...

Before he knew it, her graceful body had flown into action to avoid a stream of bullets being fired at her by the cannons that had been set up.

As she landed, more soared at her, and she twirled her staff around at an insanely high speed, deflecting them all away.

One was flattened to a pulp as Mario came slamming down into it, while Link had swung his blade clear througyh another. Sonic had taken out a couple by rushing past them and delivering some swift kicks. Tikal destroyed the last one by holding out her hands- the bullets were reflected right back, causing the machine to explode.

By the time the cannons had stopped, another threat had emerged. The bushes and shrubs had all shown their true forms. They were insect-like combat machines with round bodies and long, skinny legs. Their eyes fired red lasers at their foes.

Mario easily lept into the thick of their midst, and tried to grab their attention. As they all took aim at him, the others prepared their attacks.

Link attemtped to hack at one, only to find that his sword was repelled by their thick armor.

"What?! But this is the Master-"

"No, it's not, you idiot!" Sonic grumbled. "That was the whole point!"

"What're they talking about...?" Raven mumbled, confused. Starfire, who was gliding beside her, could only shrug, just as puzzled as she.

Sonic slammed his fists at high velocity, but his efforts were lost as well. He easily escaped being fried, but Link had more difficulty. Just before a beam singed him, it was stopped. Tikal had neutralized the blast with a forcefield of orange energy.

Mario, in the meantime, was performing amazing maneuvers in order to dodge the blasts of these robots. His hands began to ignite, and in the middle of the air, he launched balls of flames at his opposition.

Much to his disappointment, the flaming orbs barely scratched the surface of the metal spiders.

As he landed firmly, he grumbled, "Damnit. What did that metalhead make these pieces of crap out of...?"

"Beats the hell outta me," Link replied.

But they'd forgotten about Tenochtitlan, who was a short distance away. He eyes were closed, and her hands were folded on her chest. Her staff was floating in front of her, rapidly rotating in circles. She was muttering words that were unrecognizable.

"Alakaht eeshna noo toru teela, ahsh kot misa noom..."

"What's she DOING...?" Beastboy questioned, baffled.

"She's chanting," Raven muttered, intrigued.

"Aztec Sun, hear my call," she whispered, grabbing her staff. It was halted quite suddenly, and she pointed it at her foes. As she opened her eyes, they glowed a fierce red. The circlet and staff-tip complemented that red. Within seconds of her burning stare, the spiders were melting into sloppy puddles of metal.

"Wow," Robin said to himself. "That's something you don't see every day...What's her power?" he turned to Cyborg. The mechanized human shrugged.

"Got me, Robin. Nobody's filled me in."

"Whatever power she possesses," Starfire concluded, "It will no doubt aid us..."

"No kidding," Beastboy moaned, surprised.

Cyborg suddenly lit up, and hopped with sheer excitement.

"Give 'em the surprise!" he demanded.

"No problem," Robin responded, pressng a few keys.

Rising from the waters of the river their island rested upon was a robot. A robot in the shape of a man. He was tall, strong, and was moving at a very stealthy pace. He looked almost just like Slade.

Starfire gasped in horror, retreating to Robin's side.

"It is SLADE!!" she cried out. "Quickly, we must-"

"Star, chill!" Cyborg rold her as he grabbed her and firmly set her on the ground. "It's just somethin' me and Robin have been working on..."

Seeing Star's perplexed state, Robin explained.

"We took one of the 'Slade' robots I disarmed and modified it. We kept the same combat programming in it that Slade originally created, but we toned it down so it wasn't set to kill."

The face wasn't exactly normal, but resembled it.

It immediately went to trip Link with a round-house kick, and it succeeded. Sonic was immediately on it, tossing whirling blades of wind from his hands like shurikens. The Slade bot took the blows with ease and went to nail Sonic in the head, only to miss, due to the teen's agility. The blue-headed wonder smacked him with a flurry of fists, but they all bounced off. With a ferocious punch, Sonic was sent spiraling away.

"Sonic!" Tikal cried, soaring to his side. But the Slade imposter dashed for her from behind.

Mario lept in to intercept, stunning him with some flaming balls. And then the machine drew an extendable staff from his back (just like the one Robin has) and twirled it expertly, deflecting fireballs. Swing a fierce vertical blow, the Slade fake was taken by surprise as a beam of pure, white light smashed intpo his back. He twitched a bit, getting over the shock the attack had caused by the time he'd turned, Tenochtitlan was pelting him with her staff, though the hits weren't doing much. He swiped at her, but she nimbly dodged all his attacks with ease. A horizontal, a few vertical spins, a diagnol strike...No matter what it dished out, she avoided it and countered.

"Wow..." Beastboy murmured in awe. "She's got you runnin' for your money, Robin..."

"So it seems," Robin muttered back, impressed.

Just after a swift hit to the head from Tay, the bot was shaken by Link and Mario, who rammed it from the back.

In a fit of artificial rage, it spun its staff all around wildly, knocking them away like pins. Mario and Tenochtitlan landed on their feet with ease, while Link was slammed on his back. Sonic was back in action and had zipped around the Slade wannabe to Mario's side.

"Wanna give him a Sonic Boom?" Mario asked slyly, cracking his knuckles.

Sonic smiled devilishly and replied, "I've got the 'Sonic' if you'v got the 'Boom.'"

"Damn right! Let's do this," the leader of the group said as he pounced high into the air, his hands above his head as he charged up energy.

Sonic balled up his fists, and spiny, blue orbs of power formed there. He made a dash for his opponent, just as Mario's huge ball of flame came crashing down. He swiftly somersaulted over the opposition, and landed facing them. He whipped his energy into the air, and it collided with the orb of fire. The ball exploded as it hit 'Slade', and Sonic's wind energy cut clean through him.

What was left was two halves of what used to be a weapon.

"...Damn," was all Cyborg could manage as the dust cleared.

"Yea, they're not bad," Robin added honestly.

"That it? That's all you got?" Sonic gloated, chuckling.

"Hey, we put that together in one day!" Cyborg protested.

"And anyway, where did you guys learn to fight like that?"

They all paused to reflect on that question.

"...Experience...?" Mario hypothesized. The others nodded, clueless to the answer.

"Well..." Robin began. "All I can say is that you guys have some real potential there...Now all we have to do is learn to work our two teams as one, and we'll have everything in the bag..."

"Indeed," Starfire put in. "I believe that together we could..." She paused, trying to find the right phrase. "...We could...'open a can'...Correct...?" She didn't quite get where the term originated from, but she was fairly sure that phrase fit.

Robin chuckled, shaking his head. "Yea, that about says it," he said heartily.

Beastboy was already at Tay's side, congratulating her eagerly.

"MAN! Where did you learn that stuff?! That was awesome!"

Tenochtitlan smiled shyly. "Well, it just...comes naturally."

Raven was even impressed, for she could sense the potential the girl had after seeing her in action.

{Go ahead, you need to get to know them better. After all, you're going to be living with them from now on...}

"So, uhh..." she began, uneasy. "How about you and I meditate sometime...? You could tell me how your powers work, maybe we could teach eachother something, or..."

{Just let it go, you sound like an idiot...}

Tenochtitlan's eyes were orange, and she nodded quickly.

"Oh, sure! That sounds great!" she answered.

"What did I tell ya?" Link said to Cyborg, wiping oil from his blade.

Cyborg cocked his head and admitted, "Yea, you guys know what you're doin'..."

Link glanced around the group, smiling.

"Yea, it's weird. I know I've done stuff like this before, but...I couldn't tell ya what it was I did..." He noticed Raven was staring at him, and once his eyes caught hers, the large, purple eyes flew away, and she retreated from his gaze, hiding within her cloak.

As Beastboy and Tenochtitlan began to walk by, Link asked a question.

"Sooo...Why does she always wear that thing? I mean, she has the whole goth thing goin'...Does she have HAIR, even?"

Beastboy chuckled and answered, "Oh, Rave's like that, man...Nobody gets her, really. 'Sides, she's as pale as a ghost, and just as creepy too..." He gave Link a comical grin and strolled off.

"You were GREAT out there," Tikal said sweetly, nestling her head on Sonic's shoulder.

"Thanks. You weren't too bad, either."

She shook her head, not in agreement.

"I didn't really help much..." she mumbled. "I just...I don't like violence...I mean, even IF they're just robots. I just don't like it..."

"I know," he said with a sigh. "But Tikal, not everything can be solved the clean way."

She nodded sadly. "I certainly know that."

And all of a sudden, a beeping sounded interrupted everyone's coversations.

Robin flicked out his Titan Com. After inspecting it for a couple of seconds, he announced the situation.

"We got a bank robbery in progess, guys. Come on."

"Yea, our first crime as a ten-some," Beastboy said with a grin.

As they raced off to their cruiser, the green hero asked, "So...What's up with robbing banks, anyway? I mean, they ALWAYS get caught..."

"You'd be amazed at how moronic people can be..." Raven replied calmly.

{Yea, just like YOU...} one of those voices in her head grumbled. {You're so messed up that you can't talk with people without feeling stupid. Social anxiety freak...}

[^)#$-=+/\+=-$#(^]

Having battered some foolish robbers with cloaking capabilities into the ground, the Titans had returned home. After some more training as a group, as well as the usual hanging out, the day was done with.

Raven retreated to her room as the usual 'get together' time the Titans had commenced. Things were so chaotic that no one seemed to notice.

Not too much crime lately...But she wasn't complaining.

Her room was so lonely, so cold...Why did it seem so cold? She came here every night, but...All of a sudden, she felt so lonely. She got an idea. Meditation. That was the ticket. She could dive into her mind and not worry about the darkness of her room...Or maybe...She had a better idea.

She walked over to her dresser calmly, trying to keep all her jambled feelings barred up inside herself. A struggle that took place every single day...She slid open an old wooden drawer and scooped up a very mysterious mirror. This mirror was quite interesting in the fact that it was a portal to her MIND. Now whenever she looked at it, she was reminded of the time Beastboy and Cyborg were accidently sucked into it...What a mess that was...

{That mirror is a portal into my MIND...NOT A PLAY THING!!}

She held it up to her face and stared at her reflection for a few moments...She slipped off her hood so she could see her whole face...And, for the first time in a LONG time, she wondered if she looked...'nice'. What would a guy like Link think...? Would he find her...'cute?' She hadn't dared to remove her hood while he was around. What if he thought she was ugly...?

{Sooo...Why does she always wear that thing? I mean, she has the whole goth thing goin'...Does she have HAIR, even?}

{Oh, Rave's like that, man...'Sides, she's as pale as a ghost, and just as creepy too...}

She knew Beastboy was just kidding around, but still...It hurt a little bit. He didn't have to say that to Link.

Staring at herself sadly, she felt that he was right. Her skin was practically white, she must look like a freak who hated sunlight and who wasn't interested in a social life...

{Why would he like me at all, anyway...?} she asked herself dispondently. {He probably thinks I'm not very attractive at all...I can't even TALK when I'm around him...No doubt he thinks I'm an idiot, too...}

As she sighed in despair, she realized she was in her mind now. She was standing on a chunk of gray rock, hovering in the middle of nowhere. A dead tree was hunched over on one corner of this rock, and many other rocks like it drifted far off. And various parts of her persona were standing around her, if it weren't odd enough. But this was her mind at a strange, physical- like level.

"That's right," one growled. "He thinks you're a moron. Don't even THINK about anything between you and him..." It was in a red cloak. "He's a jerk, anyway. He doesn't give a damn about you...

"You don't have a chance..." another moaned sadly, this one in a shade of purple.

"What are you DOING, anyway? You're getting all worked up about some silly boy who you don't even know! Geez, you're letting all this crap get to you! Stop it, it's not like you!" a brown-garbed Raven scolded.

"I-I know," she stammared. "I can't help it..." She sounded genuinely upset, unlike she did in the physical realm. "I don't know what to do...Whenever I feel anywhere close to this, I just...ignore it, and it goes away...But I can't get this feeling to go away forever. I don't know what to do..."

"OO!!" cried a pink Raven merrily. "Like, why don't you go ASK HIM OUT?! That would SO totally ROCK if he said yes!" She jumped over and pleaded to herself, hopping merrily.

The 'normal' Raven shook her head quickly.

"Are you crazy...?"

Another version of herself, the purple one, replied.

"No...You can't...He'll say 'no'...What if he says 'no'? You can't take that...You can't ask him."

"Oh, stop being a wuss!" a green shade snapped. "It's no big deal! So what if he says no? It's not like he'll be a jerk about it! Just go and do it, don't look back."

The real Raven nodded slowly, still doubtful.

"Right!" the pink one chimed. "It would be TOTALLY cool!"

After a few other portions of her personality agreed, Raven felt a little more confident.

"A-All right...I'll ask him...Sometime..." She trembled a bit, nervous. She didn't want her friends to see her like this...If she asked, and he turned her down...Gah. She had to risk it.

"I can't let this bother me anymore," she decided, staring at the other versions of herself. Many nodded, while a few rolled their eyes or shook their heads.

Having come to a decision about the matter, Raven exited the strange world of her mind, finding herself back in her room, on her bed. She placed the mirror on her nightstand and got up, contemplated about when and where to ask. What were they all doing right now...? Watching a movie, no doubt...She couldn't watch a movie right now. What if she BLEW UP something. by accident..? That would be real smooth...

Raven was a very sensitive and VERY emotional person deep inside. But she had to control those emotions, or else her powers would wreck the physical world around her.

She decided to go and watch whatever freakish horror flick Beastboy had set up, and consider MAYBE talking with Link later on. Tomorrow...Yes, tomorrow would be much better. She'd have a whole day to figure out what to say.

Raven's self-esteem was VERY lacking, especially lately. She never really reached out for support from her friends, and often didn't give any either, so it was no wonder. This was a habit she would have to break very soon, or else she'd be getting very miserable very fast.

{If it weren't for my friends,} she pondered as she walked down the hall, {where would I be...?} She sighed. {I don't know...I can't even imagine. I need to...thank them...somehow...}

She let out a small grin as she reflected on this. Ever since Link had shown up, he'd helped her realize things about herself she still didn't quite understand. She was thankful he and his friends had shown up. Where would the roller coaster of her mind take her next...?

~[<+--\-<*>-/--+>]~

End Transmission

{\+<--/-<*>-\-->+/}

[rrarbecy]

Um...that was...AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You really have a good grip on all of the characters. You think of Raven like I do. Low self esteem, doubting herself, a very complex character.

Oh, and by the way, Sobby is what I turn into when I get sad. It's like the Incredible Hulk. I can't remember which thread I first mentioned him in. :sweat:

[starburn1116]

that was great!!
you said that you want some specifics
i loved the training scene
i also loved the part in Raven's mind
and please don't be angry if we go on a group discussion
our minds wander:sweat:

[Sproxie]

Man that was so great i dont know what to say....
fav. parts- fighting scenes, beast boy and tay, ravens mind, just about everything... please post soon!

i never thought raven would be the type to worry about her looks.....

[raven54]

WOW!!!!!!!! this is really excellent- I also always thought that Raven was insecure but hid behind her tough, moody, emotionless image. The fight scenes were also very well done- they were described so well that you could see them in your mind's eye. FANTABULOUS (fantastic+fabulous).

POST MORE SOON!!!!!!!

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, well...We DID get some feedback that time, huh?

I'm not going to post more quite yet. If demand is high enough, I will Saturday morning.

I would love to hear some guesses as to what's going on. How's the mystery gripping you at this point? Any specific parts that seemed suspicious? I don't mean bluntly suspicious, though.

Chapter 8- Happy Blorthog!!

The plot thickens some more, like tomato soup. Starfire is excited about Blorthog, a holiday celebrated on her home, but a familiar foe rears his ugly head. Familiar, that is, depending on your definiton. He comes from the future, and he knows all about the Titans from what he's read on their history- or does he?

"OOO! Who's got your belt?! I got your belt!!"

Oh, and, uh...Link steals Beastboy's belt.

Coming soon...:harley:

[oneeyemonkeypie]

hmm, drawing heavily from "how long is forever" i see.

For some reason I didn't like that episode so much. It was depressing to see the possible future. anyways, I thought this fic would be a trainwreck at first (sorry, but I thought the other characters would be wussy, like mario is in the games) but you made a believer. I check for updates every day. It's really awesome.
And I got a situation just like yours, too. I'm a senior and for some reason, all I want to watch is cartoons. I just dont like anything else. unfortunately, the number of people who watch cartoons in my school is 2 counting me. so It doesn't come up much. oh well...
keep postin'!
(and go see my fic in my sig, i think you'll like it. start from the beginning.)

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...A trainwreck...Ah...Well, that's splendid. :sad:

Mario, a wuss? Well, no, he doesn't have the flashy karate moves of Robin, but believe me, hes got his own talents. If anything, video games worldwide owe their respect to him. Mario put console gaming on the map. Mario began to show how we can dive in other worlds to explore and vanquish evil, not just shoot stuff and get high scores.

Anyway, I will certainly agree that he isn't a 'kick-ass' character most of the time, but have you played Super Smash Bros. Melee? That game defined, for me, what Mario should be. I LOVE that game...It ties with Paper Mario 1 as my favorite game of all. (Though Paper Mario 2 may well push its predecessor down a notch).

In my fanfiction, I strive to show the characters the way I think they should be. Although Mario's Italian accent has, in fact, rubbed off on me, I picture him without it.

Sonic and Tikal dating is certainly not something the games illustrate, either.

Anyway...*blinkblink* I'm looking forward to Paper Mario 2. And after I'm done with it, I can figure out how to weave it into my fiction, using the characters in it while sort of twisting things around so everything doesn't seem AS kiddy-ish.

Um...'Seriously drawing' from that episode, eh? Not really. Actually, I don't do this out of lack of ideas, I do this because ideas started WHIRLING. The episode does NOT play out like my Chapter. Matter of fact, only ONE SCENE is similar to that episode.

<-{--[*<Begin Transmission>*]--}->
Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 8- Happy Blorthog

The beams of morning pierced her eyelids, beckoning her emerald eyes to face the world.

They sprung open in an instant as she tossed her blanket off eagerly.

She paused a moment, trying to remember.

{There was something of dire importance today...But what was it?}

It smacked her in the face like Robin and Slade smacked each other.

"Blorthog!!" she squealed with glee, tossing her arms. Her excited eyes darted around her adorable room. She had done a bit of Blorthog preparation over the past few days, finding gifts for everyone. She was looking forward to a day of celebration and friendly togetherness.

{I have been eagerly anticipating this occasion for a long period of time...What shall we do first? Where shall we begin?}

/_-_\=+^+=/_-_\

"Aw, MAN, It was fun. We stayed up pretty late, too..." Beastboy told his colleagues.

"...What did you DO?" Cyborg probed. "Were you naughty...?" he added devilishly.

Beastboy shoved him over as they paced through the halls, his cheeks flushed.

"'Course not! We just...Hung out, ya know...?"

"Oh, I KNOW," Cyborg chuckled.

Beastboy huffed and replied, "I'm serious, Dude. Nothing happened."

The morning's atmosphere was bright and cheery, though Titan Tower was a relatively dim place.

Complimenting the warm feeling that morning was Tenochtitlan, with her bright smile and enthusiastic eyes. She bounded through the halls merrily, grinning a marvelous grin.

She slipped through the hallways in a clumsy yet merry manner, when she happened to come upon exactly who she was looking for.

As she met up with Cyborg, Robin, and Beastboy, she grinned playfully and waved sweetly.

"Good morning, guys!" she cried in a cute voice. "Sleep well?"

Robin was amused at her cheerful demeanor. Just yesterday she seemed so down and depressed. What had made her so happy all of a sudden?

"You bet," Cyborg replied.

"Like a baby," Beastboy added. As the two of them locked eyes, there was an awkward moment of silence, and they both blushed. Tenochtitlan, after a moment's hesitation, spread her arms out like a great bird and wrapped Beastboy in their warm, soft touch. She embraced him gently, and he was taken by surprise by her sudden display of affection. His cheeks were flushed, and he felt his legs get weak as he placed his arms around her in return.

Her head on his shoulder, Tenochtitlan murmured, "Thank you for yesterday...I'm really looking forward to tonight," she added in an even sweeter voice. As her eyes met Robin and Cyborg's awe-struck expressions, her face flushed red, and her pink eyes turned orange. She let the green teen go quickly, brushing bangs from her eyes hurriedly.

After another shy smile, she scampered off down the halls of Titan Tower as suddenly as she arrived. Beastboy was left dazed and giddy.

"...So, uh...What KIND of nothin' happened last night?" Cyborg inquired, intrigued.

Recovering from his shock, Beastboy shrugged, smiling dreamily.

"Nothing like THAT..." he muttered.

Robin crossed his arms.

"Oh, you're saving that stuff for tonight, I see...?" he questioned slyly.

Beastboy laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, wasn't PLANNING on it, but..." After a second, he cleared his throat and explained.

"Well, after the movie last night, I took her up to my room, and we worked on hers a bit, and...Well...We got down to talking, ya know..." He was beginning to trail off, both physically and verbally.

Cyborg stepped up ahead of him, smiling.

"Aw, no. You're gonna tell us..."

"OK, OK..." he mumbled, blushing.

"Well, see...I asked her out on a date," he answered simply.

Cyborg's human eye widened, and his red light eye blinked, as if his computers had miscalculated. Robin, behind the two of them, had an impressed smile.

"...Say WHAT...?" Cyborg managed.

"Ya KNOW," Beastboy eased, tossing his arms. "A date...I'm gonna make her dinner, and then we're gonna go out for a stroll on the town, know what I mean?" He raised his brows up and down devilishly. "Then it's all up to the Beastman. Just gotta swoon her with some of my natural charm..."

"Oh, yea," Robin chuckled. "Tofu really sets up the romantic scene..."

Beastboy shook his head and waved his index finger triumphantly.

"That's the thing- she likes my cooking."

Cyborg's jaw dropped to add to his previous expression.

"...Say WHAT?!"

"Exactly!" Beastboy squealed with delight. "Aw, man...It's gonna be great..."

Robin wasn't so sure about it, though...Who knew what a romantic problem could lead to...?

"Well, congratulations, Beastboy," he said. "Now...Can we go get some breakfast already?"

"...Oh! Yea..."

"...She likes tofu...?" Cyborg muttered in amazement. "But I will admit, she's real pretty, B. You're lucky."

Beastboy nodded wildly. "Don't need to tell me, man...Can you say 'curvelicious?' She's as hot as a geyser..." As Beastboy drooled a bit, Robin sighed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Interesting phrasing there," he admitted. "But seriously, I'm hungry. You guys babble on if ya want..."

As the young man vanished down the halls, Beastboy regained his senses.

"She really is a great person, too, don't get me wrong," he quickly defended himself, as if Cyborg was judging him- though he wasn't, of course.

"You lucky dog, man..." he muttered, shaking his head.

"Every dog has his day," Beastboy added cheerfully. "Today is mine."

"I guess...Good luck, B. You're gonna need it, yo..."

"Yea, thanks...Hey!"

=_.>]{*}[&lt;._=

{Glorious...All is ready...}

Starfire quickly scooped up a group of strange necklaces. These necklaces were made of odd metal balls that jangled like wind chimes. She removed them from her dresser drawer, which was packed full of wrapped gifts for such an occasion.

Wearing them on her neck, arms, and hands, Starfire sped off down the hallways like a chiming torpedo. On her way, a dark figure came into view, and she ran right into them. Two female cries of surprise echoed through the hall as Starfire and Tenochtitlan tumbled to the ground and rolled a bit. Tenoch's head smacked against the wall from the force, and she lay dazed for a moment, moaning.

As Starfire regained her bearings, she got up to her knees, rubbing her head. Every movement was accompanied by a cheery jangling, though. She gasped in shock, realizing what had just happened. She reached her hands out to Tay's arms, helping her friend get up.

"Owww..." she whimpered, her hand still stuck to her head. "What was that for...?"

Starfire spoke quickly and apologetically.

"I am truly sorry, dear friend. Please forgive my foolishness. I was merely- "

"It's OK, I'm all right," Tay assured, checking to see that she hadn't lost any body parts from the fall. Her eyes had flashed from purple to orange as she stumbled to her feet, grasping her staff.

"You are not angry...?" Starfire probed, her hands clasped.

"Oh, no, of course not!" she replied warmly, yellow-eyed. "But why were you in such a hurry...?"

Starfire smiled nervously as she hurried to collect her necklaces.

Tenochtitlan was immediately caught by their beautiful sounds.

"You see, I am very excited, for today is a great holiday."

Tenochtitlan was puzzled, so she asked what kind of holiday it was.

Starfire giggled sweetly and draped a jingling necklace around Tay's head.

"Happy Blorthog!!"

Her eyes brown, her expression confused, Tay couldn't think of a response.

Starfire grabbed her by the hand and began to pull her through the halls, heading for the main living room.

"WHOA! W-W-WAIT, Star!!" she yelped. She was forced to adapt to the speed quickly, and as she jogged, she asked, "What're we doing?"

Smiling brightly, Starfire answered, "Why, we are going to begin the festivities, of course!"

Utterly lost, Tay decided to wait and find out what on Stellon the Tamaranian was babbling about.

As they neared the living room, they slowed down, as Starfire realized she might accidentally slam into someone else.

She noticed the orange coloring of Tenochtitlan's circlet and eyes, and questioned her.

"Um...So, shall you join me in celebrating such a grand occasion?"

Tay nodded slowly, but Starfire felt there was something else on her mind.

"What ails you? Blorthog is no day to be upset. Please, do tell. Perhaps I may be able to assist...?"

Tenichtitlan blushed slightly and shrugged, going to a pink color now.

"Well, see...I sorta already have plans for today, but..."

Starfire frowned slightly. She was hoping to get the whole group to come together for the day.

"What are these plans? You will have time to frolic with us and sing joyous songs of bonding, yes?"

Tay giggled. "Joyous songs of bonding, huh? That sounds like an offer I can't refuse. Sure, of course I can celebrate...uh...Bargglehop with you."

Starfire smiled, shaking her head. "Blorthog. It is the Tamaranian Festival of Friendship on my home planet."

"...Really? Like, a day to celebrate...your friends...?"

Starfire grinned a big smile. "Yes! It is quite glorious!" She paused, realizing why Tay had seemed so confused.

"You...You do not have such a holiday on this planet...?"

Tenochtitlan felt a pang of hurt once again. This planet? What did she know about this planet? She wasn't FROM this planet...

"Well, no, where I come from there isn't really such a day...But-" She leaned over on her friend's shoulder, smiling. "There's certainly nothing wrong with us having it today!"

Starfire wrapped her arms around Tay and crushed her with a strength not demonstrated by her arms appearance.

"Truly glorious!"

As she let the dark-skinned teen breathe, she probed a bit more.

"What are your other plans, though...? May I join you?"

Tenoch laughed. "Well, you could, but...It'd probably be best if you didn't."

Starfire felt hurt by this comment, and when Tay realized it, she quickly explained.

"I didn't mean it like that, Star. It's just...I'm going out on a date tonight..."

The emerald eyes of Starfire glimmered like the sun.

"Delightful! Truly! Please, I must know everything! You will tell me the details afterward, I hope?"

Tenochtitlan turned pink yet again- both in the eyes and the cheeks.

"Sure..." she murmured.

"Would I happen to know the fortunate male you shall be spending your evening with?" she asked slyly.

"Hehe...Well, I HOPE so..."

There was an awkward moment of silence as Star stared at Tay expectantly.

"..."

"See, Beastboy asked me out..."

Starfire was struck with surprise- but not the bad kind.

"Truly?!" she demanded, excited.

Tay nodded shyly, her soft bangs flopping around.

"I am enthralled, dear friend! I congratulate you. Beastboy is...unique, no doubt. I believe you will make an adorable couple."

"Thanks...Today's looking up, isn't it?"

"It certainly is! Now all we must do is break our night's fast without an argument...I must prepare. I shall see you shortly."

"All right, Star. See ya..."

#-+:{{+}}:+-#

"Got any Kings?"

"Go fish..."

"Damnit..."

"Yo, Sonic!"

"What up?"

"Gimme a seven, baby."

"Gah..."

"Booyah..."

"Cy, you got a three?"

"Naw, man. Go fish..."

"Mario. Do YOU have a three?"

"..."

Mario slapped his card on the table, passing it to Link. The blonde scooped it up and added it to his hand, then placed two threes on the table before him.

They were in a very laid-back looking room, very different to the normal design that much of the Tower had. It was a warm, semi-dim room, with black walls and some lights dangling from the ceiling. It was a sort of recreation room, complete with a billiards table, air hockey, ping-pong, and dartboard. The card table, fit for five, rested near the entrance, while the billiard table centered the room.

Sonic eyed Beastboy suspiciously, who was on the other side of the room, showing Tikal how to play pool.

"So, Link, got an ace for me?"

"Go fish-"

Robin whipped into the room swiftly as he realized that this was where mostly everybody was.

"There you guys are," he said casually. "Breakfast's up."

Beastboy glanced up with concern.

"Got ya covered," Robin assured him. "I made plenty of scrambled eggs, and Raven dished up some pancakes."

"Aw, yea!" Cyborg cried, leaping up out of his seat and dropping his cards.

Playing cards were slapped to the table as the gang of hungry teenage boys prepared to digest the first meal of the day.

Tikal knocked the cue ball smoothly, and it sailed across the green surface, elegantly tipping the yellow 9 ball into a side pocket. She hopped with excitement.

"I got it in! Beastboy, I-"

She suddenly noticed that she was the only one in the room. After a moment of tranquility (which she decided to enjoy while she could) she gave in to her own hunger.

(+)-*-*-(+)

"Dude, where's Star?"

Robin shrugged. "Got me...I haven't seen her at all yet...But she'll come when she's hungry."

Beastboy nodded in agreement and dug into his pancakes with full force, using his hands in place of utensils. Tenoch, who was sitting beside him of course, held back giggles with her palm.

"Well, she better get her ass here FAST, 'cause I ain't leavin' any food behind!" Cyborg declared, chomping into some eggs.

"Awww, very nice," he murmured, food muffling his voice. He gave Robin a thumbs-up, who simply tossed his hand.

"Wow, Ray, these things are pretty good," Mario complimented, scratching his nose.

She sat next to him, a shy look about her.

"Uh, thanks..." she answered with her raspy tone. Naturally, she was seated beside Link, though not necessarily by choice.

"Could you pass the salt?" Link muttered to her.

She froze for a moment. Her fork, which she still hadn't touched, began to jangle a bit on the table. Her plate slid slightly. Her eggs did an short little dance of sorts while shrouded in a black veil. And finally, the saltshaker came under her control. She eagerly sent it soaring toward the blonde, who nimbly caught it in his sculpted hand.

"Whoa...Hehe...Geez, Raven, nice show ya put on there..." he mumbled with a chuckle. Raven grouchily glared at her eggs and pancakes.

{Idiot...It was just a SALT SHAKER...But no, you had to fumble around and turn it into some ridiculous-} She suddenly noticed that her pancakes had jumped on top of her eggs. With a sigh, she decided it would probably be best to eat as quickly as possible and spare herself further embarrassment.

As a conversation picked up concerning team tactics that could be used in the heat of battle, Raven noticed Starfire sneak into the room. She looked hilarious with all the odd, metal necklaces around her. They jangled with a lively ring as she flew toward the table. Waving her arms about, she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"HAPPY BLORTHOG, DEAR FRIENDS!!!"

Everyone had the wits scared out of them, and they all swerved their heads to stare at the hovering alien.

Each expression seemed more bewildered then the next. Starfire paused with them, slowly checking all their faces of pure confusion.

Her arms sagged down with disappointment. She whimpered to them, throwing her hands a little.

"...Blorthog...? Do you not know of Blorthog...? The Tamaranian Festival of Friendship...?"

"...Um...Well, we do NOW," Beastboy mumbled. "So...You gonna eat anything, or what?"

Starfire sighed, bobbing her head. How could none of them know of Blorthog? To her, it was just plain crazy.

"Yea, Star, if you don't take those flapjacks real soon, I WILL," Cy said with a grin.

Starfire frowned irritably as she glided around the table. After a moment of thought, she came to a conclusion. If they didn't know about Blorthog, she would teach them how special it was.

So, she started at Beastboy, and hung one around his neck. He froze, a syrupy mass of food about to reach his face, and waited until Star had removed her arms. Without second thought, he continued his feasting. Tenoch smiled and stared at his gobbling face. He was so cute...His bright, beaming eyes, his pointy little ears, and his shiny smile all caught her attention. She'd noticed them before, but...Now he was different. Because now she felt she was allowed to admire him without guilt, she supposed.

She playfully smacked his spiffy necklace, and the silver balls jingled merrily. He swallowed, then blinked at her in surprise. With a grin, he slapped hers back.

Starfire draped one around every one of the Titans, but none of them really seemed to quite understand why she was doing it. They were all too concerned with breakfast and their random conversation.

Starfire took her seat, in-between Robin and Beastboy, and waited patiently for an opening in the dialogue around her. After a few minutes, Cyborg and Sonic began to feud over who should get the last of the scrambled eggs, and neither was willing to back down. Everyone else began to excuse themselves, all heading toward the living room. Starfire had wandered off in thought, trying to plan out the events of the day. She suddenly awoke, realizing that Cyborg and Sonic were poking at each other’s hands with their forks.

"Oh, oh, bring it, ya sack of hair gel!"

"Fine with me, ya lump of rust!"

Starfire gasped in surprise as Sonic's fork was stabbed at the table just before her as Cyborg dashed around her chair. Their fork fencing took them down the hall, and Starfire jumped up from her chair, preparing to scold them.

As Sonic gave Cyborg a few vertical swings, forcing him further back, Starfire flew in-between them.

"Why, may I ask, are you dueling with culinary equipment?" she asked firmly.

"Because he's a jerk and won't even split the eggs with me," Sonic grumbled.

"Hey! I need my protein!"

"What?! You're half metal!! What good's protein gonna do ya?!"

"PLEASE!!" Star cried, pressing her palms into their chests to pull them apart. "Refrain from this quarreling. Friends do not fight this way over food!"

As their utensils clattered some more, pushing Starfire out of their feud, Cyborg complained some more.

"Well, maybe if this cocky little noobie gave me some more respect, I wouldn't have to put him in his place!"

It was an odd sight. They were fork fencing, using all types of nifty techniques, and their bell-like necklaces jangled beautifully. Fretting over this event, Star pondered how to resolve it. Before she could figure one out, Sonic nimbly hopped over Cyborg's head and went speeding off down the hall, snickering.

"Yea, dat's right! You better run!" the mechanical 'man' cried, giving chase.

With a huff, the Tamaranian pursued the pair, which led her to the living room. Of course, Raven and Robin were having a dispute about how loud the video game was.

"I only turned it up so I wouldn't have to listen to them!!" Robin defended, pointing at Link and Beastboy, who were wrestling around on the ground.

"Give it BACK, you jerk!" Beastboy demanded.

"OOO! Who's got your belt?! I got your belt!!" Link whipped it in the air briskly, and it happened to smack into Tikal's head, who was trying to read one of Raven's old books. The force of it lashed at her square in the face, and she yelped in pain.

"Link!" she whined, rubbing the red spot on her face as she dropped the book in a fit.

"BE CAREFUL WITH THOSE," Raven growled as she threw out her hand, preventing it from slamming into the ground.

Starfire stood in anguish, petrified from the events around her. How could such chaos break out on this day?

Naturally, Cyborg and Sonic entered the room, slashing their 'weapons' around fiercely, adding to the mayhem.

As Robin told Raven to chill, who complained to Tikal, who was whimpering to Link, who was taunting Beastboy, who had shoved into Sonic, who had stabbed Cyborg in the eye, who wasn't willing to back down, Starfire trembled with fury.

{How dare they mock Blorthog in such a way?} she asked herself, beginning to bubble up with anger.

And then, something finally broke her self-control. Cyborg threw his fork to the floor and grabbed Sonic by the neck, ripping his necklace off of him. Star let out a gasp as it came colliding with the ground, each ball of metal bouncing about with a ringing tone. Her eyes welled up, her fists balled up, her teeth clenched, and she exploded.

"STOP!!!"

And it was as if she had frozen time for a few moments. Everyone had froze in place, staring at her in fear. Cyborg's arms were wrapped around Sonic's neck, Beastboy was climbing up Link's shoulders, Tikal was defending herself from Raven's wrath, and Robin was trying to hold her back.

Panting, Starfire glared at them all. After a couple seconds to catch her breath, she ranted on at them.

"Why do you argue like this? Friends must NEVER fight like this! Especially on Blorthog! This is UNACCEPTABLE!! Do you wish to bring the Reckmahs upon us all?!"

After some blinking, the Titans removed themselves from each other and stared at the broken necklace on the ground with guilt.

"I have been looking forward to Blorthog for many 24 hour periods, and I will not accept this feuding between my friends, old or new."

"...What's Reckmahs...?" Tikal meekly mumbled. Star sighed, bobbing her head. She answered sadly and slowly.

"The Reckmahs is when close friends drift apart, farther and farther, until their friendships die..."

Robin assured her, "Star, don't say things like that. We're still friends..."

"Yea," Beastboy mumbled. "We're not...Reck-whatever-ing. We're cool."

"Mm hm," Tikal said with a nod.

"Just because we're yelling and, well, bugging the hell out of each other, doesn't mean we HATE each other," Sonic added.

Starfire sighed, still not so confident.

"...Why do you not apologize, then?"

After an awkward moment of silence, some mutters and mumbles rang out as everyone said sorry to one another, realizing how immature they were acting.

"Oh, come on, it's not big deal," Mario boldly proclaimed, casually strolling in with Tenochtitlan. "People piss each other off all the time, even best friends. Hell, you think me and my brother get along peachy all the time?"

"You...Have a brother?" Robin questioned, surprised.

"Well..." Mario paused, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Yea, I do. Or...At least, I think I do...Somewhere..."

"So...I should not worry?" Starfire timidly mumbled, not so sure.

"Well, not really. I mean, come on, we're all pals here, right?" Mario outstretched his arms, glancing at everyone in the room, who agreed with him. "Yea...It's just...You'll always have fights and such. I guess having ten people living in the same house can do that, anyway."

"'Sides," Beastboy concluded, "We're TEENAGERS! Duh! It's like, some sort of supernatural instinct to get on each other’s nerves, ya know?"

Starfire didn't quite understand what he meant. Did that mean she wasn't normal?

"We shall stay friends, then? Through all troubles that we may pass upon...?"

"Of course!" Robin immediately answered. "We'll stay being friends, don't you worry..."

"...So...We shall end this quarrelling for today, at least...?" Starfire hoped aloud. "Today is a day of great bonding and friendship. Shall we...go and play various games in the room of recreation, perhaps?"

And then, all at once, there was a beeping throughout the room. A little ditty played from Robin's communicator, and he briefly scanned it to see what the problem was.

"Together-ness time is gonna have to wait," he said solemnly. "The city's museum of archaeology has been broken into. Let's move."

)+(=|=)+(

TTX Chapter 8-2

A guard fired his pistol at the intruder, who merely chuckled as a laser came flying from his shoulder. The red beam smacked right into his weapon, and it went soaring about twenty feet or so, clattering to the ground.

The guard, standing in the dark halls of the museum, grabbed his pain- ridden hand.

"Oh, please...Do you honestly believe your prehistoric 'weapons' will take care of me?" a snobby tone came out from the criminal as he leisurely strolled by. He had a skinny mustache, and wore gold-colored armor, including a helmet. A large, smooth stone was fitted into his chest. He looked quite strange, indeed.

The guards around him all attacked, but their weapons proved useless, and he disarmed them in moments. As they attempted to fight him physically, he singed them with his laser cannon, easily dispatching them.

"I come from the future," he announced to the battered guards. "Your old ways are quite pathetic, I must admit. And now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking what is mine..."

He stepped forth, gazing at a clear container that held his treasure. It was a clock. A very mysterious clock, surely, but a clock. Shielded by its dent-resistant casing, one might think the robber would have trouble opening it.

But all he had to do was reach out for it- his arms went clear through, shrouded in a strange field of energy.

"Ahhh...At last, the Clock of Eternity...Valuable in the past, priceless in the future..." His eyes sparkled as he removed it from its case. It was quite a beautiful piece of work, and now it was his.

"But for the present, you'll keep your filthy hands off of it," came the stern tone of a teenage boy from not far away. The man turned to the balcony above him in this dark museum to see a boy with black hair, a cape, and an 'R' on his shirt.

"Ah...The Teen Titans," he murmured expectantly. "I've been waiting for you to arrive. I've read all about you in the historical archives..."

"Archive THIS!" Cyborg cried, blasting his arm cannon. The thick blue beam missed him as he back flipped out of its way. As he landed, he shot out his shoulder cannons at the balcony, blasting a section of it apart. The five original Titans came down a level and began to square off with him, while the remaining five waited above, out of sight.

Robin had given them orders to stay back. It wasn't because he didn't think they could get things done, per say, it was more that he felt he could catch the enemy by surprise by making them believe there were only five Titans at first. He'd give them the signal to jump in.

Beastboy pounced into the air, transforming into a hawk. With his new form, he dove at this mysterious man's face, jabbing with his beak and talons. The man waved his arms and blasted his lasers haphazardly. A beam batted Beastboy into a wall off in the distance.

From above, Tenochtitlan gasped in agony, aching to help her friend, but Mario stopped her firmly.

Starfire came flying at him, with Raven beside her. She flung blasts of green energy at him, which he absorbed with relative ease. He smashed Starfire with a quick punch, and she shrieked as she sailed in the air. Raven held up a shield to reflect his lasers and Robin and Cyborg prepared to attack from behind. Raven was pounded by the man's attacks until her black shield gave way. A couple beams singed her arm, and as she began to fall, he grabbed her leg, swinging her to the ground behind him.

Cyborg came at him with full force, ready to land a nice punch. He side stepped it, and spun around to face Cyborg. His opponent already had a nice plasma ray heading at him, but it only managed to take out one of his cannons. The gold-plated man gave Cyborg a roundhouse kick, and followed up with a few zaps to his chest, shocking him.

Robin swiped at him with his nifty little metal staff that could retract. The thief laughed as it hit his side, cracking in two.

"I come from the future," he announced. "All of your weapons are useless."

Robin growled and hopped into the air, spin-kicking at him. He reached out his arm, deflected Robin's kick, and smashed him with the other arm fiercely.

The five Titans lay on the ground, dazed, and so the man decided it was time to leave.

"Ah, you've been too kind, but I really must be going back to the future..." he said arrogantly, waving farewell as a portal sprung from his chest jewel.

There wasn't time to wait for Robin to signal. It was time to act. Starfire, however, already realized this, and was ready to pounce at him.

But before she did, Mario landed roughly in front of her, halting her with his hand. His palm was sticking out at the robber, who stared at them, dumbfounded. A ball of flames appeared in that palm, and Mario raised it above him slowly, charging it up.

Starfire watched in amazement as he threw his arm, flicked his wrist, and sent the energy careening at the thief. It traveled so fast she hardly saw it, but it certainly hit, exploding on impact with his face. He stumbled back a step, dropping the artifact, which was scooped up swiftly by Sonic, who came rushing in to take it. Before the man knew it, Link was in his face, slashing at his tough armor briskly, though not causing even a scratch.

The man hurriedly kicked Link in the face, slamming him to the smooth, marble floor.

"Who are you?!" He demanded, readying his cannons to shoot Sonic down, who had paused a moment to taunt him from about twenty feet away.

"We're the rest of the Teen Titans," Mario said smoothly, who leapt at him with full force.

He ducked, narrowly escaping the blow.

"W-What?! Th-that's impossible! I researched this date thoroughly, and there were only FIVE Titans!" he growled in surprise and annoyance. {Although,} he added mentally as he shot at Mario, {The sixth one joined shortly after this, I suppose I could've miscalculated...But she isn't here, and there were certainly NOT ten Titans, I was assured there were only five!}

Mario expertly dodged shot after shot, and he laughed as he did so.

"Must not have done a good enough job on your homework," he jeered.

The portal was still lingering in the air, and the time-traveler realized that his best plan would be to take the relic and escape.

He could make out a blue blur speeding about all around him, trying to throw him off whack. And then, a dark-skinned girl was in his face, slamming at him with her staff. Her eyes glowed a fierce red, but he wasn't afraid. He threw a small, disc-shaped device at her, which she blocked with her staff. Too bad it exploded on impact, blowing her into the air. Beastboy, who had regained his senses, immediately went to save her, turning into a gorilla. As she came toward the ground, he opened up his huge arms and caught her, trying to be as gentle as he could. He morphed back to normal, and her body leaned on his shoulder.

"You OK?" he demanded.

She shook her head slowly, still dizzy from the blast. With a cough, she choked out, "I'm all right..."

Starfire took another shot as Mario shouted something to Sonic that neither her nor her opponent could make out from the noise. Green explosions battered at his suit, and he guarded his face with his arms. Star decided to charge up a huge blast to throw all at once. As she did so, he unveiled his face, and prepared another bomb disc to throw. Her wave of green energy jolted into him shortly after he threw his weapon, which traveled clear through her energy and sent her spiraling. But Star's attack had succeeded in sliding him right next to his own portal. As he stared up at the scene around him, he could see Robin and Cyborg grinning at Sonic, who hid his arms behind his back and blew a raspberry.

"You pathetic little-"

He reached out his arms and grabbed Sonic's thin body, shaking his viciously. Sonic's arms waved about in the air, but the didn't hold the clock.

"What?!" he growled, tossing Sonic aside. He frantically searched the room, only to see Cyborg charging his beam, and Robin drawing a small boomerang- like device.

Just then, a dainty little hand poked his back, and he spun to see Tikal's innocent little face smiling with glee as she presented him the Clock of Eternity. His eyes sparkled with glee and he reached out to swipe it from her, but his hands belted the orange force field she had created. As Tikal giggled, the man frowned irritably, clenching his teeth.

"YO!" Cyborg shouted, catching his attention.

He whirled to see Robin's device smack into his stone, cracking it.

"GAH! NO! My vortex!" he shouted in despair. A large, blue beam shocked him, forcing him backwards another step. Tikal eagerly waved him goodbye merrily as Mario landed right in front of him and gave him a good, solid punch. The blow blasted him into the portal, and in a dazzling display of lights, he was gone.

After a few moments of silence in the dark, cheers rang out from the team.

"BOOYAH!!"

"Sweet!"

"Hell yea..."

"Damn right..."

"Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about..."

Starfire rushed to Raven's side, helping her up. Her left arm was bleeding some from the laser she had received.

"Raven!! You are injured!" she cried with worry.

Raven squeezed her arm, which ached severely, though she hid this fact.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. "It's just a little-"

"You are being drained of your vital bodily fluids! Dreadful! We must give you aid posthaste!" Star reached for Raven's shoulder to help comfort her, but the pal girl threw it off.

"It's nothing," she growled firmly. "I can take care of it..."

Starfire bit her lip as Raven continued to let blood ooze from her arm.

"Whoa!" Sonic cried, noticed her. "Man, what happened to you, Goth?"

She groaned, turning away from him.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

Robin called out to them, waving.

"Hey, you guys ready to head home?"

Starfire sighed, and turned to face Robin.

"Raven has been wounded!" she cried.

"What?"

The rest rushed over to see what was wrong.

Raven hid herself under her cloak, drifting away.

"Raven?" Cyborg called to her back. "You all right?"

"YES," she hissed. Cyborg froze from the coldness in her words.

"What happened?" Robin asked, approaching her. She ignored him, forming a barrier around herself.

"Her arm," Starfire murmured with concern. "It was damaged by that villain's lasers...Her bodily fluid...It is seeping from the point of contact."

"Say what?" Beastboy growled, supporting Tay, who seemed to have a limp.

"She's bleeding," Robin muttered simply.

"It's not serious, is it?" he checked. Starfire winced.

"I-I believe so."

Robin huffed and attempted to approach her again.

"Raven, what gives?" he demanded with worry as he noticed a small puddle of glistening crimson forming beneath her hovering form.

Suddenly, she spun around fiercely, flashing out both of her arms. Her left one now had only a bruise where the severe wound had been.

"...It looks fine to me," Robin muttered, confused.

Starfire frowned in thought. Raven must have quickly tended to it herself with her powers.

"It was nothing, just a scratch," she insisted.

"Whoa, OK," Robin said, backing off with his hands up. "No big deal, then. Let's all get back home..."

As they all began to pace toward home, Link whispered to Robin, "Is always this weird?"

"Yea, that was kinda freaky," Mario added quietly.

"She's always unpredictable," Robin admitted in a murmur.

Raven kept floating as Starfire drifted beside her. Tikal was placing the Clock back in its proper place- or least close to it, as the case was still sealed tightly.

"Raven..." Starfire mumbled nervously.

Her friend ignored her, simply rushing away hurriedly. She moved smoothly and silently, like a shadow. Starfire sighed deeply, very troubled by her friend. Something was wrong, and she wanted to help...

{Why do I always find so much trouble in my attempts to aid my friends...?}

Raven was indeed in need, and Starfire knew it. Something was amiss, and she intended on helping her. It was Blorthog, and on such a day there was no excuse not to help a friend in need.

*#*-*#*

"All right, let's see..." Beastboy mumbled to himself, scanning the note in his hands. Something written on it caught his attention.

"What? I am NOT getting you bacon, Cyborg."

"Come ON, BB! Ya know I need my bacon!"

Starfire, hovering over Beastboy's shoulder, called out.

"Do not fear, Cyborg. I shall retrieve your strips of pig meat in Beastboy's stead!"

Beastboy rolled his eyes and folded up the list, placing it in his pocket. He turned to Starfire and waved his arm.

"C'mon, Star. You ready?"

The girl floated gracefully in front of him, smiling.

"Oh, yes! Very ready!" she cried merrily. "We are to retrieve sufficient rations to meet our requirements, correct?"

"Uhh...Yea...Basically...Grocery shopping"

"Then leave we shall! Quickly," she grabbed his arm and began to fly off. "We must waste no time!"

"Wah!" Beastboy yelped as his arm was yanked. He suddenly realized what he was getting himself into.

-----

Sorry, I had to split it into two...

[Destiny_Smasher]

+-)(*)(*)(*)(-+

Beastboy tapped his foot thoughtfully, trying to decide what to get. He stared at the dairy section, pondering what he should buy.

"Yo, Star," he called to his friend. "What else do we need?"

Starfire, who manned the shopping cart, quickly pulled out the grocery list and referenced it.

"Um..." She scanned past the checked products and found what she was looking for.

"Your purchase reminder list says that we require lactose liquid...Milk?"

"Oh. Yea..." He grinned with embarrassment as he grabbed a couple gallons of the white drink and plopped them into the cart.

"What else?"

Star nodded, noting the paper again.

"And...That is all...Oh, wait...It also says we are in need of...Chocolate...Ah! Glorious! That is the brown confection that-"

"Yea, uh...Almost forgot..." Beastboy mumbled, dashing for the candy aisle. Starfire grabbed the cart and pushed it along with him. They rushed through the store, almost knocking over an old lady.

"Sorry!" Starfire called behind her.

Beastboy had skidded to a stop and had grabbed a heart-shaped box. Starfire took note of this, and realized that the chocolate was not for her to eat.

"Ahh...I understand," she mumbled. "Perhaps this is why 'Tulips' are also on the grocery list...?" she said slyly.

"GAH! I totally forgot those, too!" Beastboy cried, throwing the box of chocolates at Star, who caught them in surprise.

After a minute or so, he returned, panting, with a bouquet of purple tulips in hand.

"They are truly delightful," Starfire murmured, picturing Beastboy handing them to Tay.

Suddenly, she froze, lost in thought. Beastboy reviewed the list and realized they had picked up everything.

"Yea, that's it," he announced as he began to push the cart along. After a moment, he realized Star wasn't following.

"...Uh...Star? What's up?" he asked quizzically.

Star snapped out of her trance and floated over to Beastboy.

"Um...Beastboy...May I ask for your advice...?" she mumbled nervously, poking her index fingers at one another.

"Sure, what's up?" he wondered curiously.

"Well..." Starfire bobbed her head, embarrassed. "You see, I...Your courageousness to ask Tenochtitlan out to court with you...It has inspired me to pursue my own wishes, but...I do not know how to go about my operations..."

After giving her a confused look, he muttered, "What...?"

She sighed, shook her head, and dismissed it.

"Um...'Never mind'...? It is...not important..."

Beastboy shook his head, and as Star drifted by him, he caught her shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa...Star, it's not something to be ashamed of. What is it? You like somebody...?"

Star blushed and grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I...I like many people..."

"You KNOW what I mean...Go on...What, you need advice from a MAN'S point of view...?" He puffed out his chest proudly.

"I...suppose...It is..." She huffed, finding trouble trying to say what she wanted to.

"There is...someone...who I care for deeply. I wish to express my true feelings for them, but when I try, I cannot make them come out...I am afraid..."

Beastboy patted her back lightly as he chuckled.

"What's there to be scared of? I mean, it's just a date. You ask them out, and...if they don't want to, they'll tell ya, and ya go about your business..."

Star shook her head, avoiding his gaze, her cheeks red.

"No, it is...I am fearful that I may ruin what I have with this person...I do not wish to make them feel uncomfortable, I truly wish to make them happy, but...I do not know HOW..."

Beastboy smirked as he fit things together. It wasn't too hard to tell who this 'someone' was, and he understood where she was coming from. He didn't quite seem like the 'dating' type of guy.

"Listen. All you have to do is tell them exactly how you feel, and what you want. That's it."

Star looked up at him, trembling.

"But, what if-"

"Don't worry. See, that's the thing! You start asking yourself, 'What if-?' and you're gonna lead yourself to trouble. Just think of 'what if' on a positive side. Ya know, like...Instead of, 'What if he says no?' ask yourself, 'What if he says YES?'"

Starfire smiled meekly, still uneasy about it all.

"Listen. If you never take risks, you can't expect to gain anything. Every good thing you ever can get has a risk that was taken behind it. So just let it all go and talk about it."

He placed his finger on her forehead.

"Stop letting THIS decide for you-" he moved it to her chest, "- and start letting THIS decide..."

Starfire grabbed her chest slowly, as if absorbing the statement. Something she knew fully well she should do, but...She had to be reminded of it. Yes. Tonight. Tonight was the night she would talk to him. Blorthog, her favorite day of the year. It was perfect. Hopefully, things would work out.

She smiled cheerfully and squeezed Beastboy lovingly.

"Thank you, dear friend! Your words inspire me further!"

"No...problem," he choked as he tried to return her friendly embrace.

#(-[+]-)#

"Soo...What's this crap again...?" Mario questioned doubtfully, poking at his plate with a spoon.

After Beastboy has served up dinner as he had promised (though had hoped he could be alone with Tay), Starfire had eagerly prepared dessert, and Tenochtitlan had helped her. The result was a strange concoction that resembled jello with strange blobs of fuzzy objects drifting in it.

"This is Tamaranian Blorthog Bragnark!" Starfire exclaimed with joy as she placed another plated of it in front of Beastboy.

"...Mm...Yea, sounds great," Sonic mumbled doubtfully, staring at it in fear. Tikal frowned and elbowed him sternly. He huffed and slowly scooped up a portion of the substance.

"Made with real Globbalike Fungus!" Tay added cheerfully, slurping a decent chunk of it merrily.

If Beastboy weren't already green, he would've turned it at the sight of her gulping it down.

"Well, if she can eat Star's food," Cyborg muttered to him, "Then she should have no problem downing YOURS..."

As Starfire eagerly took her seat, she paused, noticing the empty seat beside her.

"Ummm...Where is Robin...?" she mumbled. Realization struck- both of the seats beside her were empty. "And Raven?"

She glanced around the room to see everyone else shrug simply.

Starfire frowned sadly as she decided to find them.

"I shall retrieve them. Please, enjoy your meal," she said as she flew out of them room thoughtfully.

No sooner had she left the room had Cyborg jumped out of his seat and made way for the trash can.

"What're you doing?!" Tenochtitlan demanded angrily. He froze, just before his jelly-like substance had slid into the garbage.

"I, uh...Well, er...I just remembered- I'm allergic to those, eh...Fungus...thingies..."

Tay eyed him suspiciously (brown), then decided that he was lying. Regardless, she knew she couldn't hold it against him.

"The least you could do is ask if anyone ELSE wants some," she responded bitterly.

He froze, eyes wide, and slowly raised his plate. It wobbled, and he almost dropped it from his dish, but caught it carefully.

"Mmm...Actually, I'll take summa that," Mario called, raising his arm. He swallowed some, patting his stomach. "Tastes like...Sushi mixed with ice cream...Distinct flavor...I like it. Good job, Tay. Didn't know you could cook..."

Tay blushed, squinted her eyes.

"I COULDN'T cook, but I've been working on it."

Beastboy slid his plate in front of her, and she lit up with joy.

"OO!! You don't want yours, either?" she asked excitedly.

Beastboy rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"No, uh, see...It looks good and all, but...If you really want it...I mean..."

Tenoch grinned and gave him a quick hug before diving into yet another helping of Bragnark.

"Actually, uh..." He stared in disbelief as she swallowed bites of it whole. "Um..." He glanced at everyone else in the room, and they got the hint to leave.

"Actually what?" Tay mumbled, looking back up at him.

"Nothin'. So, uh...Where do ya wanna go tonight?" he muttered shyly as the kitchen room grew empty and quiet.

Tenoch paused a moment to think, her eyes orange.

"Hm. How about you surprise me?" she said cheerily.

"Sure...OK..." Beastboy mumbled, standing up, her took her hand, like a gentlemen, and pushed her seat in.

"Ya know, you don't have to be so formal," she said with a giggle. "It's not like you..."

His eyes widened.

"OH! Y-you don't like it?" he quickly questioned, removing his hand from hers.

She smiled, shaking her head. "Oh, don't worry so much. Just be you." She grabbed her arm and placed his palm back in hers. They both blushed meekly.

"No prob," he answered, sticking out his tongue at her. She blew him a raspberry back.

=_(-)+_+(-)_=

It burned like mad, she couldn't stop it from hurting...GAH! Such an irritating little injury, and yet it wouldn't desist!

She sucked in air between her teeth as another wave of pain flashed through her arm. It wasn't bleeding, but where the gash has been there was now a blackish spot on her arm.

{Look at you...} A voice penetrated the physical agony. {You didn't help a damn bit today. You got herself hurt, and now you can't handle it...}

{I have it under control. It's NOTHING...} she snapped back.

{Why does it not feel so good, then?} a sadder tone questioned. {It should have gone away by now...}

{The more I concentrate on it, the more it's going to hurt...}

{You DO know why it hurts so much, right?} a stern voice muttered. {It's not the arm that's really hurting you. It's your heart that hurts...All day, you've sat alone, hiding from your friends. Why? Because you feel rejected. You feel out of place.}

{No matter what I do, they'll never really accept me,} she defended herself. {There's no point in getting upset over something I have no control over...}

{But you ARE getting upset about it...Weren't you going to show your friends how much you really cared about them today? What ever happened to that plan?}

{I...I've been distracted...}

{Of course...}

*THUMPTHUMPTHUMP*

Raven jumped, scared stiff from the pounding that echoed through her dreary room. After a moment, she realized it was her door. A sweet and concerned voice penetrated it and called out to her.

"Raven...? Raven, are you well? It is Starfire! Um...I have prepared a delicacy of my home planet for you, do you-"

"Not hungry," she growled.

Starfire stood outside the door, her eyes sad and frustrated.

"Oh...Well, perhaps you wish to-"

"Be alone...?" Raven finished.

"...May I...'be alone' with you? May I partake in your meditation?"

"No, just go away," Raven groaned irritably.

Starfire huffed, clenching her fists. Why did no one ever accept her help?

Just then, Raven noticed her dresser rattle. Some statues in her room began to tremble. Her books slowly began to fall off of their case, and her bed began to shake slightly.

"Raven...? What is going on?" Starfire asked solemnly.

"N-Nothing, I just..." Raven trailed off, realizing that her powers were going out of whack. She hadn't been meditating properly lately, and in her emotional mess, she was letting her powers go a little wild.

{Let her in!!} her screamed in her mind. Not any of those other voices, but herself. {You know you want some support right now, and you know Star will give it...}

"Raven, I am concerned that you are upset. Please, if I may-"

"All right, all right..." she mumbled, bobbing her head.

Starfire eagerly opened the door and flew in, seeing Raven huddled up on her old-fashioned bed, hiding in her cloak. As the door slid shut behind her, Star landed softly next to Raven.

Noticing her shadowed face, Starfire reached out and arm. Raven froze up for a moment, but let Star remove her hood to reveal her face.

"There..." she said with a slight smile. "I wish to see you face-to- face..."

"Why? What's so special about it...?" she grumbled, still looking away.

"Your face? Oh, Raven, your face is very special. Your eyes, they...They open a portal to your soul..."

Raven's lip curled, almost smiling, but not quite.

"And Raven, my friend, your eyes tell me that you are quite troubled. Please...If we are truly friends, then...You shall tell me what is hindering your happiness on such a day as Blorthog..."

Raven glanced at her, but quickly retreated again.

"It's nothing, really."

"I do not think so," Star answered calmly. After a moment’s thought, she offered a deal. "If you reveal your ailments to me...I shall...inform you of my own. Does this sound fair...?"

Raven was a little confused, but this somehow made her feel more comfortable.

"Well...OK...If you really need to know..."

Starfire clapped her hands briskly with joy.

"Glorious. Now, please, hold nothing back. We are friends, you have nothing to hide. I promise, I shall not tease..."

Raven gulped, feeling all her emotions welling up inside her, ready to burst.

{Go on, just let it out. Just...pretend like she's not there, and just talk...}

She cleared her throat and closed her eyes. She bobbed her head, letting her silver hair hang low, and mumbled. Starfire leaned over to listen.

"I'm just real stressed lately, with all these things going on...We just got five more roommates, and it's not easy to come to grips with all the new faces and noises..."

Starfire noticed Raven's arms poking out of her cloak. The one that had been attacked earlier now had a black spot on it. She gasped in fear.

"Raven! Your arm, it..."

Raven's eyes snapped open, and she yanked her arm back into the darkness.

"My arm's fine, just bruised..."

Starfire inspected Raven dubiously, seeing through her. She looked nervous, and paler than usual.

"Raven, please...Do not lie," she asked sadly. "I am your friend, are I not? You know I would never..." She trailed off with a sigh, dropping her arm.

Raven's eyes darted around the room anxiously.

"You're right," she murmured, huffing. "Listen, it's fine, really. I fixed it up myself, but I guess it still needs more time..."

Starfire cracked a smile and let it go.

"Thank you," she mumbled. "But...Something else ails you..."

Raven nodded slowly, feeling somewhat better about the situation. With a deep breath, she continued.

"I don't know, I guess I feel...less wanted. Like everyone's judging me."

Starfire shook her head, but Raven went on.

"Maybe they're not, but it feels like it. I feel so out of place. Everybody can be smiling and...and laughing...And I just sit there by myself. It's not like anybody would enjoy my company anyway, so-"

"Do not say these things!" Starfire urged, staring Raven dead in the eyes with concern. "Raven...You are wanted. Perhaps...Perhaps we may not show it sometimes, but...We are afraid we may anger you..."

Raven's eyes widened.

"You're afraid of ME...?" she mumbled.

Starfire shrugged, bobbing her head.

"Well...Maybe the others are not, but I am...on occasion. I do not wish to endanger your happiness, and Robin always says that you wish to be alone..."

Raven paused to think on this for a moment, frowning in perplexment.

"...Well, Star...I'm afraid of YOU guys...Just...Some part of me always says that I'll never be accepted. I'm too...'out there.' So I get over it."

Starfire gave Raven a pat on the shoulder.

"Dear friend, do you not think that I feel same way? I am from another world, too. But I have learned many things here, and I do not let my differences halt myself. You must never feel afraid to be with your friends..."

She made sure Raven's wide eyes were locked with hers as she spoke firmly.

"We are your friends, Raven. We would never think badly of you...All you must do is open yourself, and then we will all understand you better. But we already accept you..."

"...Really...?" the pale-skinned girl mumbled hopefully. "But...I can't. If I let my emotions get out of hand, then my powers will go crazy...So I meditate every day to clear my mind of everything..."

Starfire contemplated for a minute or two of silence, then came up with the solution.

"Raven, you meditate to forget your own emotions...But...This is unhealthy, it is why you feel so scared and...unfriendly...Is it not...?"

Raven narrowed her eyes as it struck. Maybe she was getting on to something.

"I believe," Star continued, "that you hide your feelings so much that when you cannot ignore them, you lose control over your powers."

Raven nodded slowly, recognizing this fact.

"...Perhaps if you stopped hiding your emotions and let them out more often, then..." Her eyes lit up and she figured out to phrase it right. "Yes. Raven, your feelings escape you in one fashion or another. Either you destroy them within, or they come out in the form of energy...But if you let them out willingly...Maybe you will not have to worry about ignoring them OR losing control..."

The purple-eyed teen stared at the ground thoughtfully.

{Maybe she's on to something...I never really tried that...But...I don't know what'll happen...}

"That's not as easy for me as it is for you, Starfire," she mumbled quietly. "You're used to being all...open...But I'm not. I can't just change myself so drastically."

Starfire giggled.

"You are correct, Raven. But you are not changing yourself. These feelings...They are already part of you, are they not? You just must let what is inside out..."

Star gave Raven an encouraging smile as she stood up.

"I must depart. Robin is missing, as well. No doubt he requires cheer. But I hope I have aided you in your troubles."

Raven meekly smiled back, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

"...Thanks, Starfire..." she mumbled shyly. "I, uh...I'll think about what you said..."

Starfire hopped merrily, clapping her hands.

"Glorious! Then...You shall join us? There is still time left to frolic on this glorious Blorthog!"

Raven nodded slowly.

"Um...Yea, I'll be there in a little while. I just need some time to think first..."

"Of course, friend. I look forward to seeing you soon."

As the door slid shut, Raven gazed out her window into the cloudy night sky. The lights of the city reflected in her wet, violet eyes as she thought deeply.

{...She's right...This is what must be holding me back. This whole time, I've been...Not being ME. I've been hiding myself INSIDE. If I turn myself inside out, then maybe...Maybe I'll start to feel better. It's worth a try...}

=+~(+)~+=

The crickets chirped their song of solitude peacefully as a slight breeze played with the blades of grass and the leaves of trees. The sky was a golden color, the clouds all around it bathed in a glorious light as the distant sun slowly sunk into the horizon.

A couple of teenagers were walking hand-in-hand up a hill. One was a beautiful dark-skinned girl with soft braids of black hair. The other was green with pointy ears and short, messy hair.

"I still can't believe it..." Beastboy mumbled to himself incredously. "How old are you?"

Tenochtitlan shrugged, not sure as to how to take Beastboy's surprise.

"I'm eighteen..." she mumbled. "Is there...something wrong...?"

"Oh, no, that's fine..." Beastboy assured her. "It's just...I can't believe you've never been out on a date before..."

Tay tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, I don't remember much, but...I KNOW I've never been on a date. Tikal's been on plenty, though, I know that. She used to tell me all about them..."

Beastboy shook his head. How could such a wonderful girl in physical beauty and emotional beauty spend her first eighteen years without a single date?

"Well...Are you happy...?" he asked her, cringing with worry. He hoped he'd provided a good example.

She smiled, her eyes pink, and rubbed his hand softly.

"Of course I am. I've had fun."

Beastboy sighed of relief inside. Good. At least she had enjoyed herself. He couldn't ask for anymore than that. As they reached the top of the hill, they could see the sunset quite clearly, and its glow bounced off if their lively eyes in a stunning manner.

"HOWEVER," Tay added slyly, narrowing her eyes. "Something's missing..."

Beastboy froze up. Missing? What was missing...? He hadn't forgotten anything, had he? No, no...They'd gone everywhere he'd planned.

"...What's that?" he asked, wrapping his empty hand in her other one as he stared deeply into the brilliant pink jewels on her face. They glowed with happiness, and her cheeks flushed the same color.

"It's missing a kiss," she said simply. As she playfully tugged on his arms, she added, "Did you honestly think you would get through the night without having to give me a kiss...?"

Beastboy's jaw was dropped.

"A...A kiss...? F-from ME?" he choked out in excitement.

Tay giggled.

"Well, if you really don't want to, I COULD go and kiss that squirrel over there..."

Beastboy suddenly shrank in size and stared up at her with cute, black eyes and a bushy tail. This caused Tay to laugh even more.

"BB!! Stop it!" she snickered. "I want to kiss the REAL you..."

Beastboy was back to his normal form, grinning wildly.

"Well, here I am, feel free!" he squeaked.

Tenochtitlan paused a moment, trying to figure things out. She carefully placed her arms around Beastboy's shoulders, causing him to tremble. His hands found their way at her hips, and they inched closer, until their faces were inched apart.

Beastboy braced himself for the worst- or best, rather. He closed his eyes and waited a moment as her face approached his. Suddenly, he was caught by surprise as he received his kiss- an Eskimo kiss. She rubbed her nose against his lovingly for a moment, giggling sweetly. He couldn't help but laugh, too, and he returned it. As they removed their heads, their faces were bright red, their eyes conveying their enjoyment.

"Ya know," Beastboy mumbled devilishly. "That was great, but...I was thinking something more like...-" He trailed off, slowly moving his lips toward hers. And, once again, he was caught off guard as he puckered up too early- he'd hit her fingers. She'd held them up to stop him, and was waving her other index finger at him.

"Ah ah ahhh..." she said playfully. Beastboy was disappointed and confused, but that ended quite shortly. "You're doing it all wrong...Like THIS..."

She lowered her fingers slowly and gazed at him deeply with a very relaxed and, as far as Beastboy was concerned, arousing expression. Ever so carefully, her lips softly touched his, and Beastboy felt as if air from heaven escaped her mouth into his.

It was over as suddenly as it had arrived, but it was well worth it.

He couldn't say a word. All he was capable of doing was standing in awe, gazing off into the air dreamily. Tenoch grinned with laughter, but managed to hold it in.

"I guess I know what I'm doing better than YOU do," she chuckled. "So I guess experience has nothing to do with it..."

Beastboy took a deep and slow breath, then said quietly, "You SWEAR you've never done this before...?" as if he still couldn't believe it.

"No, I swear," she cried, giving him a small slap on the shoulder. "Why would I lie?"

"Well, you're pretty deceptive, playing all innocent on me," he replied smoothly, blocking the next smack that was given to him.

-]_(*[+]*)_[-

Starfire sighed deeply as she drearily drifted down the hallways. Suddenly, she bumped upon Tikal, who sat gracefully, reading an old, brown book with thick, wood covers. Its pages were yellowed and old, with an ancient language written upon them.

Star gazed curiously over her shoulder, and she turned to face the tanned girl.

"Oh, Star...What is it?" she asked calmly, slowly closing the book.

Starfire fiddled with her fingers nervously as she murmured with worry.

"I cannot find Robin anywhere. I wish for him to join us in our celebration. Shall you come, too?"

Tikal nodded happily, placing the book on her hip.

"Sure, I just needed a little time alone. Robin?" She tapped her chin, glancing down the hall.

"Yea, I saw him go into that room over there," she mumbled, pointing out a door near the end of the hall.

Star nodded briskly and zipped toward it, waving farewell.

"Many thanks!" she called out.

----------

({[]})({[]})*({[]})({[]})

Suddenly, she froze up with fear and gasped in horror. She now realized what room this was...It was...It was the 'Slade' room...

"No..." she whimpered. "This cannot be right...Robin, he promised..." Water was beginning to form in her beautiful eyes. Robin couldn't break his promises, he just...he just couldn't!

She faced her fears and pressed a button, opening the door. But her fears were quickly recognized as the room sprawled out before her. The darkness, the dim light, and the papers on the walls...It was all like before.

She gulped and trudged in, her legs feeling weak.

Robin was hunched over his desk, just like before, staring at something in his hand. As Star approached, she felt her stomach get queasy. She stopped, unable to get any closer. How could Robin break his promise? How could he continue to hurt himself like this?

And then the masked crusader spun around in his chair to see Star. He had a warm grin about him, and was almost chuckling. But then he saw Star's destroyed expression, and he froze.

"S-Starfire? Wh...What's wrong?" he muttered, confused.

Star simply frowned at him with disappointment, and squinted her eyes shut. She crossed her arms over her chest firmly, and bobbed her head.

"Wh...-?" Robin got up as she began to hobble out of the room. He grabbed her shoulder firmly, and spun her body around.

"Star, is this about the last time?" he asked slowly and nervously. Starfire simply gave him an almost angry glance, then looked away.

"Star," Robin tried to convince her, "I know what I promised. And I haven't ignored it. Look..." He rose up what he had been looking at to her face. "Look at this..."

She reluctantly opened her eyes to see a picture of five teenagers, all lined up in front of their new home.

"Do you remember that day?" he said slowly, smiling fondly. "When we finally became a full-fledged team? When you joined us...?"

Starfire's eyes now glowed with memories, her expression full of awe.

"I do..." she whispered. "But..." She blinked in confusion. "What relevance does this photograph have with-" Robin had eased her further into the room, where it all began to make sense. The desk, it had pictures on it- pictures of the Titans. It had an old prototype communicator, and some of Robin's old devices. Upon the wall were various articles of how the Titans had 'saved the day,' as well as other various pictures and things from their past.

"...I understand..." she murmured with a rising glee. "This is no longer a Slade room...It is a...friendship room!" She finished with glee, hopping a little. "Robin, this is fantastic! I find it truly appealing!"

Robin nodded, glancing around the room.

"Yes, I thought you'd like it," he muttered. He led Starfire to a small couch he had placed next to the desk, leaned up against the wall. Another small light hung above it, but Starfire left it off. She enjoyed the dim setting. He could see his face fine, and he could make out hers.

"So, uh...Did you need something?" he asked as he sat down and admired a black helmet with pointed ears that made the centerpiece of his desk.

Starfire suddenly froze up. This was a perfect opportunity, wasn't it? They were alone...It was Blorthog day, of course. Nothing could go terribly wrong, correct? She had made Raven spill her heart out a bit. She should start 'practicing what she preached,' as they said it.

"Oh! Well, I..." She twiddled her thumbs nervously, her eyes wandering. "Everyone else is waiting for us so we may spend more bonding time as a unit, but..." She cleared her throat as it was becoming dry. "There is something of importance I wish to speak to you about beforehand."

Robin nodded slowly, staring at another picture Cyborg had taken- without permission, of course. Using his hand, he had snuck in a picture of Starfire and Robin on a ferris wheel together. They were both laughing about who-knew-what, but...

"Shoot," he answered calmly, continuing to gaze at the photo.

"Um...Well, I know I still have many things to learn of the peoples of your planet...And I am still studying, but I believe this matter does not require much study...I am...not well learned in the ways of courtship in your world, but I might guess that perhaps they are quite similar to those of Tamaran, and..."

Robin was staring at her in perplexment now, trying to make sense of her rambling.

"Forgive me and my incompetent mumbling," Star whispered, embarrassed. Her cheeks had become bright red- as red as her soft, shining hair.

"No, it's all right," Robin answered smoothly.

"...I...I..." Starfire couldn't manage her words properly. {How do I explain such intense emotions in words? Perhaps I should just let my question burst outward...}

And so, out of nowhere (almost), she muttered a question. It was very clear, very solemn, and pleading.

"...Robin, if you don't mind my asking...Would you wish to...'go out' with me...? On a date...?"

Though she had paused here and there, her voice had not wavered one bit. She was showing as much courage and confidence as she could muster at the moment.

Robin gave her a completely puzzled look, and she felt that courage begin to crumble. Robin scratched his chin for a moment, contemplating such a question as Starfire froze up. And then, quite suddenly, he glanced back up at her expectant eyes, and he let out a light smile.

"Why wouldn't I, Star? Of course."

Starfire's eyes sparkled with joy, and she grabbed Robin's hands excitedly.

"Oh, glorious," she whispered, grinning a huge grin. "Thank you dearly, Robin...You will no regret your decision. We will enjoy a lovely evening, I assure you!"

She scrambled up from her seat, bringing a blushing Robin up with her. She squeezed his hands tightly in hers for a moment as her mind wandered from place to place.

"We must arrange our plans posthaste. Where is it you wish you go? What activities shall we participate in?"

Robin let out a small laugh and shrugged.

"You're the one who though of the idea. We'll go wherever you want..."

Star's next action was to bow to Robin elegantly, letting her flowing red hair fall over her shoulder. As she rose, she took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself.

"...You are truly generous, Robin...Might I suggest we go to a romantic restaurant to consume our evening meal...?" She tapped her cheek thoughtfully as she paced a little, looking upward. "Aaand...I believe it would be delightful if we visited the carnival that is in session this week. Yes, that would be glorious..."

As she glanced back at Robin, she paused, her face suddenly being humbled by his smile. She returned the warm grin that he displayed. It was so unlike him, but Star knew it was him, all the same.

"So...At eight, then?" Robin asked casually, though he looked a little nervous. Star nodded quickly at him in the adorable way she often did.

"Yes, that would be very sufficient," she murmured. "But...This night is still young...Do you wish you partake in the rituals of Blorthog? Everyone else is waiting for our company..."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Robin said in a warm, quiet tone.

~[<+--\-<*>-/--+>]~

End Transmission

{\+<--/-<*>-\-->+/


You people had better appreciate that, ya know. You may not be getting another update for a while. Give mer some more DETAILS, people. If you're going to be demanding of me, I'm going to be demanding of YOU.

[Sproxie]

that was GREAT! so is raven's personality going to change?
anyway i like it all! this was probably the best chapter so far! u got a little bit of everybody in there! :) keep writing!

[raven54]

he's right- I LOVE THIS STORY:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

GIVE ME MORE OR I WILL FIND YOU (or be put back into my nice padded room in a straitjacket)

Smash- you like Super Smash Bros. too? Cool- I love that game! Is that where the "smasher" part of your SN comes from?

and FYI- I've been copy-and-pasting this fic into Word and you are a page shy of 100 at 10 pt arial font!!! congrats

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...:sad:

Well, not quite what I was looking for, but...At least it's positive.

Yes, actually, that IS where 'Smasher' comes from.

I've used this name as my net-name for...wow...5, 6 years now...?

Anyway, um...

OH! Raven's personality?

Well, I LOVED the episode 'Spellbound' because Raven was depicted JUST like I always pictured her! If you saw Raven in Spellbound, you have a good taste of the character she's gradually going to turn into.

I so called the white cloak. :anime:

Actually, ya know...100 pages doesn't sound like much compared to what I HAVE written these past few years of my life...Then again, it IS typed...

My first fanfic? Well...Let's see...

It JUST reached 100-notebook pages when I was done with it. A Pokemon fanfic. And if you know me, you can imagine what I did with it and what I am CONTINUING to do with it as I bring my Pokemon characters into my network of fiction.

Bear in mind that this fic is one story of many that all tie together like a spider web, so to say.

Don't worry- when I finish posting what I have of this fic, I'll introduce you to my other ones.

Chapter 9, 10, and 11 are huge, I can say that. About Chapter 13 is where I ALMOST am, and that's roughly 1/2 or 2/3 into the story. It's hard to say at this point.

I also have a Golden Sun going and a newly-started Tales of Symphonia.

But it all ties into the BIG one- Quest for Destiny!

I guess you place that fic under 'Melee,' as it DOES have all the Melee characters in it, and SO MUCH MORE.

Update? Oh, no, not yet, folks.

DETAILS, people. If you love this fic so much, that should be easy!

Action- what do you think?

Location- Am I portraying atmosphere well?

Expressions- can you see the way their faces move?

Relationships- Do they feel real?

Character development(Though this isn't big until later)- Are the characters slowly changing without you thinking, (That doesn't seem right...) ?

So yea, peeps, tell me more.

[Sproxie]

not posting yet is Sooo evil.... :(
well hmmm let me be the first....

Action- GREAT
Location- Definately
Expressions-Yes
Relationships- EXTREMELY
Character development- Are the characters slowly changing without you thinking, (That doesn't seem right...) ? sure it does and in a way yes....



is that good?
please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, please post, pleese post soon...

[raven54]

I personally reeeeeealy like the way you do the relationships- romantic or friendship-wise. Spellbound was a kick ass episode as far as Raven is concerned. They did it perfectly- tho I don't get who Cardiac is. Action- very nicely done, not jerky at all. Location-good. Sprox is right- they're changing- but GRADUALLY, which is very important. They don't just wake up one day all different, you see how they got there. Expressions-yup, you got that down.

So good job. YOU EVIL PERSON HOW DARE YOU LEAVE US HANGIN! although it's true most of the posts weren't very discriptive- but we were just at a loss for words, maybe:D

[Destiny_Smasher]

:frylock:

OK...What was that all about? Someone had better let the rest of us in on this.

If you wanna keep secrets amongst yourselves, that's all fine and good, but if it gets talked about here, people- like me- are going to want to know what you're talking about. So please, do enlighten us.

I can assume that it was a spoiler, but what was it a spoiler ABOUT?
*sigh*

I'm really depressed because my flashdrive, 'Starfire,' is missing. Damnit, she cost me $70, and I've only had her for a couple months or so...I'm going to have buy a new one if I can't find it, and I think it may have gotten stolen...*sigh*

Uber depressing...Raven, my main computer, shall weep tonight. Oh, and, well...I guess I could refrain from using Robin, my gaming controller, as some sort of 'moment of silence' type thing or something...

Damnit, does that piss me off...I ALWAYS put things that are important in the SAME PLACE ALL THE TIME so I never lose it, and it's always those important things that get LOST!! :mad:

I guess I'll have to buy a new one in a couple weeks...Man, does that piss me off so bad...There's almost a week's pay, down the drain...Six days of waking up at 4 a.m. to mop floors and getting out of work at 6:30 or so with just enough time to catch a wink before school...

Um...So, yea...I think I'll crawl in a corner with my DK Bongos and wait until this weekend when I can get Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Once I have that, it'll all be good and I probably won't even worry about my flashdrive until a week later when I can buy myself a new one that I will take better care of...

Yea, and this bloody cold isn't helping. Twice now I've had to leave the computer for fear of choking on my own mucus. I popped both eardrums blowing my nose...:sad:

Anyway, um...Where was I...?

Well, uh, that '100 pages' down there SHOULD be a THOUSAND pages. *sweatdrop* Hm...Just a sec...

100 pages.

1000 pages.

Just checking. On one website I could never write 1000 for some reason...-_-'

So, em...About character development...

As I said, Raven evolves drastically. Like I ALSO said, Spellbound depicted her ina way very similar to how she is LATER- but I wrote her like that before she was like that on the show. :anime:

I was worried that Raven would jump too drastically or something, but, apparently, the transition was very nice. Actually, it starts becoming apparent in this next Chapter: 9. Nine is long. Quite long.

Hm...But whether to post it up or not...? So soon...Well, I guess...mm...Gah...

OK, OK...I'll post up Chapter 9 now. But I'd better get lots of feedback, and I want some specifics, like what scenes you liked most, particular moments, etc.

And you're going to have to be patient for the next one.

The Q4D! Saga...

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 9- Awkward

"Mmm...It was just...I've never experienced anything like it before..." Tenochtitlan murmured dreamily.

"Your lips came into contact with each other...?" Starfire whispered with glee.

Tay nodded, smiling weakly, her cheeks flushed.

Tikal rapidly clapped her hands in a quiet fashion, beaming with joy.

"That's delightful!" she said merrily. "You two really make a cute couple, I think..."

"Thanks," Tay managed out, still captured by that moment from the night before. That kiss...It was so perfect, so right...She'd never had any experience like that before.

{I feel so guilty,} she thought to herself. {It's like it's too good...Like I'm not supposed to be doing that sort of thing...} She found her own thoughts comical. What was she to complain about? Everything was working out great! She was learning to cook, she was finding out what dating was like, she had new friends...And yet...There was a HUMONGOUS empty space amidst it all. She ignored it, but it was still there. No happiness she could have here would get rid of it. If only she knew what would fill that gap in...

Raven was walking behind them shyly. She hadn't said much since they had began their trek through the tower that morning. She just felt so unsure about trying to open herself up. But she was gradually working on it.

{I just need to let the real me out...} she kept telling herself.

She glanced at Starfire's face. It was elated and excited. Nervous, even. She could feel all these mixed emotions coming out from the girl.

"...So, Star...What's up with you...?" she managed to croak out.

Star paused in surprise for a moment, and she turned her head behind her to see the hooded girl. She slowed her pacing slightly so that the two of them were side-by-side, and looked at the big, purple eyes of the Titan. They were ready to explode with emotions. Just like her own were.

"...I-I...-" she fumbled as her hands fidgeted with one another. "Wh- whatever do you mean? There is nothing wrong, I am feeling quite fine..." she answered with a slight shakiness to her. In a playful way of trying to forget her nervousness, she threw Raven's hood off her head. Raven was taken aback for a moment, and it almost seemed as if she would frown irritably. Instead, she let out a small giggle. Yes, a giggle. Though almost unnoticeable, there was no denying that it was a giggle coming from Raven.

"You don't need to hide anything Star," she said, smiling slightly. "We're friends, aren't we?" She gave Starfire a sly and warm expression, and Star remembered their conversation last night.

{"If you reveal your ailments to me...I shall...inform you of my own. Does this sound fair...?"}

Her own words from the previous evening echoed back. Of course! She'd forgotten to express her own fears to Raven. After a weak and embarrassed smile, she began to mumble her comments.

"You see, Raven, I...I have been having a very strange feeling as of late..." She realized her own mistake and corrected it. "I have been feeling this way for quite a period of time, actually...And I could no longer hide it...Therefore, I...I have asked Robin to partake in the ritual of 'dating.' We are to 'go out' this evening..."

Raven's face was shocked and joyed at the same time.

"...Wow," was all she could mutter at first. "Th-...That's great, Starfire," she said with a tone of happiness not common to her usual self. "I-I hope things go well...I always thought that would happen sooner or later..." she added slyly with a smirk.

"...It is...that obvious?" Starfire whispered in terror.

Raven chuckled casually, showing her teeth in a humorous grin.

"Yea...It's that obvious," she answered, holding back more laughs.

Starfire's face went beet red, and she looked away for a moment. After some hesitation, she asked Raven a question slowly.

"Raven...Do you wish to aid me in preparing for this occasion...?" She half- cringed with fear from the answer. She was really hoping that her good friend would be able to help her with this matter.

Raven noticed the worry and fear of rejection on Star's face. She really wanted to impress Robin. Although Raven believed that one shouldn't go out of their way just to impress someone to be liked, she realized that this was a date- impressing your partner was often have the fun.

She squinted her eyes and smiled. She answered, "Of course I would," in her raspy yet excited tone.

"OH! Can we help?" Tenoch cried in glee with a loud clap.

Tikal elbowed her and said, "I think it would be better if I helped YOU. Besides," she smiled at Star's blushing face. "I want Starfire's look to be a surprise."

Starfire giggled back, nodding.

"I can assure you that it will be," she squealed.

As the other three conversed about their plans, Raven zoned out. Her face lost its glow.

{They're all so happy...} she thought to herself. {They all have a boyfriend. I'll bet they must have a lot of fun. I just wish I knew what it was like...I feel so left out. Tonight they all get to go out with their 'guys', and I'll be alone. But I guess it makes sense...Why would they want to spend time with me, anyway, when they have that 'someone special'?...} She sighed inwardly, wishing that she had their beauty. Of course, Raven did not give herself enough credit. Her self-esteem was a wreck; it had been for the past while. She wasn't nearly as ugly as she thought she was- many a guy would find her attractive. But who cared? Even IF a guy thought she was pretty, what personality did they have to love? Just a...fake, dull, and depressing one...

{I have to get rid of it,} she declared to herself. {I can't expect to find good friendship or love if I have a wall set up that won't let them IN...}

"-something to eat?"

Raven snapped awake to realize she was in the kitchen, and Tay was attempting to whip up some food. She had been asked a question, but she hadn't quite caught it. She answered it with a blank look and silence, trying to get over the shock of having no recollection of getting to the kitchen.

"I'll take something to eat," Link announced as he entered the room with Cyborg.

"Count me in!" Cyborg agreed.

Tenochtitlan was flattered by their trust with her at the stove.

"Y-you actually want to let me cook?" she muttered in disbelief.

Link, who had been picking on her for the past long while, leaned up against the wall next to the stove and answered casually, "Why not? You're not half bad. Ya need some more work, yea, but ya won't get good if ya don't practice, right?"

"R-right!" Tay exclaimed eagerly. "Don't you worry, I won't let you down!"

Raven had found herself inching toward the opposite side of the room since the blonde had entered.

{...Agh! Why do I have to be such an idiot...?}

Raven suddenly felt her arm tense up in pain, out of nowhere. It locked up a bit, captured by hurt. She froze in shock and let out a cry, snatching it with her other arm.

The others gasped in surprise and rushed to her to see what was the matter.

"Raven!" Star whimpered with worry, noticing her clenched teeth. "Is it your arm...?"

Raven nodded quickly and squinted her eyes shut as another wave of pain surged up from her arm. It was a burning, but from the inside. An icy cold burning. The feeling you get when you're so cold it hurts. She couldn't move her arm out of her cloak to show it, it ached so.

Starfire immediately opened the cloak up, and let out a shriek of fright. The black 'bruise' on Raven's arm had grown to about twice its size since the previous night, spreading out. The center was even darker than it had been, and yet the skin itself didn't appear to be damaged in any way. Everyone around her gasped in horror at the sight of the injury, backing away slightly.

{Just perfect...Now I look even scarier than I did before,} Raven complained to herself, her body tensed up and rigid.

"W-we must find the others quickly!" Star exclaimed. "Surely Robin will know what to do!"

Cyborg stepped to Raven quickly, and motioned Link to help him out. As Starfire and the other girls ran off to find Robin, Cyborg began preparations on analyzing the wound.

"Yo, get her on the counter," he commanded, nodding his head toward the nearby island counter.

Link nodded solemnly, and inched toward Raven.

"Don't worry, Ray," Cyborg said calmly as Link wrapped his arms around her. "We're gonna figure out what's up, a'ight?"

Raven's eyes were shut tight in agony, and she cried out in pain as Link scooped her light body up off the floor. Link was a strong guy for his looks, and had little trouble lifting her up over the counter. Raven's eyes opened slowly, for she felt more relaxed with his arms around her. Her pain died down somewhat as she blankly gazed up at his serious face, though she was dazed. As Link gently set her down back first onto the cool, marble counter, Cyborg was pressing buttons on his arm and pulling out a long, thin cord from one of his fingers. At the end of the cord was a suction cup- like tip.

Raven tried to relax, but she was having trouble doing so, especially with Link hovering over her while she was sprawled out on this countertop.

"Thanks, man," Cyborg muttered to Link as he focused on attaching the suction pad to Raven's arm in the middle of the area where the dark spot had grown. "Damn," he murmured with worry, shaking his head slowly. "What happened...?" he asked quietly as his strong hands firmly stuck the pad in place.

Raven, her arm numb from the pain, groaned out her reply. A whimper carried through her words as well, which seemed very out-of-place for her.

"I-I don't know...It was fine before, I took care of it, but...-" She trailed off as water began to form in her eyes from the constant burning. Cyborg had to rip her free arm off of the injured one, and he commanded Link to pin it to the table beside her. She grunted and struggled slightly to remove the arm from its grasp, but to no avail.

Cyborg had a serious and thoughtful look about him as he waited patiently for his results to come in. After carefully inspecting the small screen on his arm, he shook his head in awe.

"I don't get it...I'm pickin' up some strange energy signature..." he muttered dubiously. "Whatever it is, it's no disease...And it ain't just a bruise, either..."

"What IS it, then?" Link questioned with worry as he held Raven's arm down, who had given up and seemed about ready to pass out. Cyborg nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"No clue," was all he could say in response.

Robin burst into the room in a rush, and scrambled with the others to the table. They were all chattering to each other quietly as they all seemed to gaze down at her. She felt like a lab rat in a cage under their watchful eyes.

"You OK?" murmured Beastboy with shock.

"You don't look so good," Tay mumbled nervously, staring with worry at her injury.

"I'm...all right," she managed to groan out between clenched teeth.

"What's wrong with her?" Robin demanded with concern.

Cyborg gave a frightened expression as he answered honestly, "Beats me. I can't figure it out. I'm getting energy readings, but otherwise her arm seems fine..."

Robin's gaze shifted to his aching friend who was sprawled across the table, his masked eyes showing suspicion.

"Raven, what happened?" he asked calmly.

She huffed out air from her mouth and glared at the ceiling as dully as she could, the intense burning of her arm dying down so it wasn't unbearable.

"I'm not sure," she whimpered, squinting. "I can't think of anything...The laser, it...It wasn't a big deal, I took care of it..."

Robin nodded slowly, believing he had figured out a possible solution. He turned to Cyborg and gave out his hypothesis solemnly.

"You think that maybe that guy's lasers somehow did this?"

Cyborg shrugged as she slowly removed the data collector from Raven's arm, which caused her to flinch and suck in air between her teeth.

"About the only thing I can think of," the robot-human answered with a shrug. "That guy was from the future, right? Maybe he had the technology to do this kinda stuff..."

Starfire had glided slowly over to where Raven's head rested and gently massaged her friend's forehead, admiring the small jewel that was placed there.

"All is fine, friend. You will be well soon enough," she comforted the girl.

"I hope so," Raven grumbled, realizing that the pain was dying down gradually. She glanced down at her arm hopefully, but much to her dismay, the darkness had not receded a bit.

"Raven, you just sit tight," Robin advised as Cyborg lifted her up with ease in his powerful arms.

Raven nodded drearily, but she was losing conscience. Before she knew it, she was in the living room, her body laid down on the couch on its side. Her head was propped up on a small, velvety pillow. A soft cloth blanket of black was nestled around her, and she snuggled with it, embracing its fuzzy texture. Her cloak was draped over the couch's spine, but she couldn't see it, as her head was facing the outside of the furniture.

She paused for a moment, confused. Trying to figure out what had occurred, she was surprised to see one of her fellow Titans pace into the room quietly and carefully. At first, all she could see were two brown, smooth, bare feet with bracelets dangling the right one. She glanced up slowly to make out the mysterious outfit of Tenochtitlan, who was carefully carrying a ceramic bowl of thick tomato soup. As Tay gently set the soup down on the coffee table, she glanced over to see that Raven was awake. Her orange eyes turned into yellow as she gave Raven a friendly smile, pushing the hair that had fallen over her face back.

"You feeling any better...?" she inquired hopefully.

Raven slowly sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her. She would've felt bitter cold without it, though she couldn't determine why- it was perfectly warm in the room. She smelled the food's aroma, which made her salivate. She gazed into the soup in a bit of a daze and murmured softly, "Mm...I'm better...Thanks..."

Tay rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as she gave out a piece of information.

"I hope you like the soup...I made it myself. I heard that tomato is your favorite."

Raven cracked a smile and nodded slowly. She brushed away the strands of her light-purple hair that had stuck to her face or been moved in her sleep. Her big, purple eyes glowed with appreciation up at Tay, who felt touched by them.

"Thanks, Tay..." she whispered shyly, her cheeks getting slightly pink for a second. They went back to normal as she immediately wondered where everyone else was.

"Something came up," Tenochtitlan explained. "So I volunteered to stay here and take care of you. They should be back pretty soon, it didn't seem too serious."

Raven's head bobbed up and down a little as her hand reached out for the metal spoon that had been placed beside her bowl. Her hand was trembling, and she didn't understand why. Noticing the blackness that had grown from within it, she quickly pulled it back in and sent out her right arm. She began to slurp up the thick, red liquid eagerly, giving in to her hunger. Tay chuckled heartily at the sight- Raven, hunched over a coffee table, a blanket around her, sucking down soup like an animal.

"Don't choke!" she giggled out, shaking her head. Raven swallowed her latest bite and grinned slightly.

{This isn't so bad,} she thought to herself peacefully. {I feel great...besides my arm, at least. Maybe Starfire was right; this seems to be working...}

++)(=)(++

Robin ran his hand through the crispy, singed grass carefully. A circle of blackened grass was all the hard evidence the Titans had been left with when they arrived on the scene in the city's park. The others searched frantically for clues all around Robin. Beastboy was inspecting nearby trees, Cyborg was scanning bushes littering the area, but not one spot of raw proof could be found except this patch of toasted vegetation.

Robin' perplexed face glanced up to see Starfire, who had just zipped up to him with news. As he gazed up at her, she paused, frozen in embarrassment. Red splotches formed on her cheeks, but she tried to be serious.

"Nearby witnesses report that they recollect the vision of an interplanetary transportation device flying overhead."

Robin nodded slowly, crumbling some of the burnt plant in his hand and letting it float down to the ground.

"A UFO, huh...? They weren't trying to attack, that's for sure. There was nothing here to attack...But was there no ONE...?"

Starfire shrugged slightly, puzzled.

"Tikal, Sonic," Robin called out, waving an arm to them. Sonic was at his side in a quick blur, while Tikal hurried to glide to him.

"Yes?"

"What's up?"

Robin tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"I want you to go to the police office and see if there's any reports of missing persons...This event happened not too long ago, but...There's no harm in checking..."

"You bet!"

"Of course."

}{{
}}{

24 hours had passed, and there was no sign of any kidnappings, amazingly enough. Robin had concluded, "Whatever they came here for, they got it," and decided to leave the matter at that. There were other crimes to worry about, after all.

It was about three o'clock in the afternoon now, and everyone had wandered off to do their own thing.

Starfire was eagerly preparing for her plans with Robin that evening, trying to avoid him at all costs. This way, he would be surprised.

She had been 'clinging' to Beastboy and Tenochtitlan for the past few hours, trying to see how they acted around each other. She was also asking for advice in little tidbits in their conversations. At the current moment, she was off getting changed into what she would later wear that evening, while Beastboy and Tay were hanging out in BB's bedroom.

"It's about TIME she left us alone," Beastboy sighed after a couple minutes of peaceful silence.

"Oh, B," Tay huffed, shaking her head slowly as she examined his sloppy dresser. "Don't say it like that...Star's such a sweet person, and she's been so good to me..."

Beastboy was staring at his ceiling from his bed thoughtfully, sprawled out on his back in a disorderly fashion.

"Sorry," he moaned apologetically. "I didn't-...Don't get me wrong, Star is awesome. It's just that I've been dying to get some time with you alone, ya know...?"

Tenochtitlan's eyes turned pink, but she didn't face her newly-found boyfriend. He WAS her boyfriend, wasn't he...? Well, maybe not OFFICIALLY, quite yet, but yes, he was...She was still observing the articles of clothing that were loosely hanging out of his drawers. She was trying to give his room a little more order, but not too much. She knew he liked his messiness. Just the other day, Tikal had arranged all of his horror movies in order of release date (she'd been a little bored) and Beastboy went insane.

{My movies!! They're...They're in ORDER?! How am I supposed to find anything?!}

"I know," she replied to him in a cheery whisper. "I've been looking forward to it, too, B. But we have other friends, you know. We can't just shut the rest of the world away..."

Beastboy continued to reflect peacefully, blissfully unaware that Tay was tidying things up slightly. As she picked up a pair of leopard-patterned boxers off the floor, she let out a giggle. Fortunately, Beastboy seemed too concerned with something else to worry about it. He merely shook his head and blushed.

"I can't wait to see you in THIS," she cried humorously, snickering.

"You're gonna have to earn it," Beastboy answered with a sneaky tone, grinning back up at the ceiling.

Breaking through their comical moment was a rapping at the door. It was rushed and slightly urgent.

"Hello?" Beastboy called out, slightly surprised.

"Beastboy?" It was Starfire. "Tenochtitlan? It is I, Starfire. I seek your opinion on an important matter. May I be permitted to enter?"

Tay saw Beastboy's expression wince, and she shook her head with a smile.

"Of course!" she sang out sweetly, sitting down on the bed beside Beastboy.

The door slid open quickly and shut as an angelic figure crossed into the room. She was very noticeable, with a dim pink dress of silk, though it had no intricate patterns upon it. Her flaming, shiny red hair cascaded down her shoulders as if usually did, and her green eyes glowed with excitement. Her dress had no sleeves, but she wore smooth satin gloves that ran up just past her elbows, their shade a bright pink. She wore elegant high-heels as red as her hair, as well, and she was surprisingly comfortable in them.

Beastboy's jaw had dropped in awe as he gazed at her from head to toe.

"...Am I...strange...?" Starfire questioned dubiously, confused about Beastboy's stare.

"Ga...N...N-no, not at all," he stumbled, rubbing his eyes to see if they were deceiving him. "Y-you look GREAT, Starfire!" he murmured in awe, impressed. Tenochtitlan smacked him on the back of the head swiftly, shooting him a sly grin.

"B-but you look great, too," Beastboy quickly added, defending himself from another blow. "VERY great..."

Starfire looked at herself with a lack of esteem. She wasn't sure if it was good enough. It was kind of plain...

"Yes, Star," Tay added cheerfully, pleased with her look. "You look very pretty, I'm sure Robin will be taken off his feet!"

Starfire smiled meekly, trying to picture the thought.

"Thank you, friends, for your opinion," she mumbled, her tan cheeks turning pink. "I hope Robin finds this as sufficient as you do..."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry, Star," Beastboy responded coolly, tossing an arm. "I mean, he's a teenage guy, and...Well...you're...-" He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he trailed off.

"You can say it," Tay whispered in his pointy ear.

Beastboy knew as well as Tay that Starfire could use an ego-boost, so he decided to admit it.

"Star, I think you're lookin' pretty hot, honestly..." He glanced away quickly, feeling far too embarrassed to look either girl in the face. He couldn't help his hormones! It's not like he was a lustful pig or anything...

Starfire's expression changed to a very confused one as she hovered an inch or so off the ground.

Tenochtitlan giggled and rubbed Beastboy's hair affectionately.

"I do not feel that my temperature has-"

"That's not what he means," Tay snickered, her eyes pink.

"...I do not understand," Starfire muttered, feeling like a complete idiot. This term seemed to be common knowledge, and she knew she had heard it before, but had never quite understood it. She often felt foolish to ask in the middle of a conversation what a phrase meant, pr to ask at all. Imagine going up to someone and asking them what that term meant- quite embarrassing, perhaps?

"It's OK," Tenoch said, calming down, but still beaming. "When someone says that, at least in the way he meant it...What he was saying is that you're very pretty. You're...attractive..." She rotated her hand, hoping Star would get the idea. After a moment of analysis, her eyes popped wide, and she gasped.

"...Attractive...?" she sheepishly squeaked. "When the hormones of the body- in this case, testosterone- arouse the reproductive organs-"

"ALL RIGHT, that's enough of that," Beastboy almost shrieked loudly, his voice trembling and scratched. "Never mind I said it, no big!"

Starfire paused and saw his nervous grin, and it made her smile. Did Robin think this? She could admit she felt the same about him...But it was far more than that, just as her friendship with Beastboy was far beyond the fact that he thought she had a pretty face.

"...Thank you, Beastboy," she said, bowing her head down slightly. With a giggle, she waved her hand to her two friends. "I apologize for bringing such an awkward situation upon you. If you do not mind, I shall take my leave and prepare for this evening..."

"You sure?" Tay asked with a slight sadness. "You don't have to leave so soon." Beastboy was wincing beside her, and Star could sense he felt degraded enough.

"No, I am fine, but many thanks for your offer...I know you wish to be alone, as I will be with Robin this evening." She smiled as brightly as she could, and floated gracefully out of the room, her mind stuck on what Beastboy had said.

_-_(*-*)_-_

Raven's eyes slowly scanned the hallway, making sure that no one had followed them. Starfire, still in her graceful attire, came soaring into the room ahead of her as she checked. The results satisfying, Raven stepped into her room, pressing he button that closed the metal door.

After a moment of silence, her curious purple eyes gazing at her friend's excited emerald ones, Raven spoke inquisitively.

"What is it...?"

Starfire was smiling sheepishly, and she had her arms behind her in an innocent pose.

"I-I was wondering if you could enlighten me regarding a few matters...?"

Raven lifted one of her brows slowly, and nodded toward her bed.

"Well, if we're going to talk, the least you could do is sit down," she announced quietly. Starfire nodded eagerly, and floated over to the bed, sitting herself on the black blankets carefully.

Raven, her cloak cast aside, gently sat herself down. Her arm was looking a little better than it had been earlier. She'd recovered fine, but was still feeling a little lethargic. A twinge of pain shot through head- brief, but it shook her. She grabbed her forehead in a moment of agony. After she opened her eyes, she realized that Star had her hand on her shoulder, checking to see she was all right.

"Raven? What is wrong?" Star demanded with concern.

"Nothing, just a little headache," Raven muttered with a deep breath as it melted away. After a pause, Star let her gloved arm drop to her side and asked another related question.

"Have you been ill all day?"

Raven shrugged, staring at the cold wooden floor.

"I guess you could say that," she admitted. "Whatever's wrong with me, it's been hurting all day, in waves. It comes and goes. Don't worry, I'll be fine." She gave a weak smile to her friend, who returned it.

"I know, Raven," she replied warmly. "You have friends to help you; of course you will be fine."

Another few seconds of tranquility passed, and Raven tried to focus on the point of their meeting.

"So...Why did you want to talk to me...?" she inquired with great curiosity.

Starfire blushed wildly, brushing off a few dust specks from her pink dress.

"You have not guessed?" she asked, a little surprised. Raven shook her head, puzzled.

"No idea."

Beaming, Star proceeded to explain.

"Yesterday, in the evening, I was able to arrange a meeting with Robin tonight. We are to spend our first date together."

Raven nodded calmly, as she could recall hearing about this that morning.

"But...Why are you here? What's wrong?"

Star paused with a slight nervousness, and answered, "You see, Raven, I do not wish to ruin my evening with Robin. I was wondering if you could lend me advice, perhaps...?"

A smile spread across Raven's face, and she felt touched that Star was seeking advice from her.

{She trusts me,} she realized. {She really looks up to me enough to ask me about this?}

Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she tried to think of something to say.

"If you do not wish to speak, I will understand..." Starfire said softly.

Raven shook her head quickly, her purple eyes darting to her friend.

"No, not at all. I'm just a little...surprised, is all."

Starfire shrugged and said, "I do not see why you should be surprised...After all, did you not say this morning that you would eagerly help me to prepare...?"

Raven muttered, "Mm...Yea, I remember now. It's just that...I've never BEEN on a date before, so...I don't see what I would know..."

Starfire gasped slightly, and whispered, "You have not ever 'gone out', as well? Ever?"

Raven shook her head slowly, her head bobbed.

Starfire smiled warmly and gave her a small hug.

"Do not feel ashamed, Raven. For you are not alone!"

Raven cracked a smile and returned the hug.

{This isn't so bad...} she thought. {Maybe Starfire is right about all of this, I really do feel a lot better.}

After their friendly embraced had been broken, Starfire went on to ask her questions.

"So, Raven...Could you possibly inform me of what actions I should or should not take...?"

"Well," Raven rolled her eyes with playful grin. "Like I said, I really don't think I'm an expert at all...But..." After a few seconds to think, she drew out more information. "Where are you two going...?"

Starfire's face went blank, as she hadn't quite figured that out yet.

"I see," Raven slyly said.

"I was hoping YOU would tell ME," Star admitted meekly.

"I'm not really sure. I can't quite say where Robin would want to go, you know? He doesn't strike me as the type of person to 'go out' at ALL..."

Starfire frowned with fright.

"He will not enjoy himself no matter where we travel?"

Raven sighed with a smile.

"I never said that. First of all, the main thing you should probably work on is calming down. The more hyperactive you are, the more tense you'll feel..."

Starfire nodded quickly, her eyes wide.

"I understand. I am just very excited, I have waited for this day to come for so long, I-"

Raven's index finger poked up before her friend's face, quieting her immediately.

"Um...Just so you know, that's NOT being calm..." she said with a small laugh.

"Starfire...I...-" She stumbled, unsure about whether or not to give out such information or not. As she gazed at Starfire's curious, caring, and loyal eyes, she decided there could be no harm in saying it.

"I know how excited you feel, Star. I've known for a long time. I've seen it in your eyes." She stared deeply at Star's emeralds and nodded slowly, her feelings confirmed. "I can see it right now..."

Starfire's face was red, and she smiled weakly.

"You really like him, and...You want nothing more than to be by his side..." Raven felt very confident in saying these things.

Starfire's head moved up and down in embarrassment.

"You are correct..." she whispered shyly.

"I understand how hard it might be to just...slow down, and take things one at a time..." Raven said with a slight shrug. "...I'm not saying you have to."

She let another warm, friendly smile meet Starfire's blushing face.

"But last night, you made me realize that it's better to do what ME tells me to do and not what OTHERS tell me to do...If your heart tells you to be open, excited, and happy, then...Do it...It's what makes you YOU, Star, and I, for one, wouldn't want it any other way..."

Starfire's eyes were glazed with realization as Raven's words blew through her like a breeze. Raven really WAS changing, and for the better, wasn't she? Maybe 'change' was a bad word. Raven was beginning to act the way she had felt the whole time. This was 'truly glorious,' and Star felt even happier than she had before.

"I thank you, Raven," she whispered merrily. "You inspire me to carry on. I agree. I will not worry about such foolish things as what others expect me to do. I will do what STARFIRE says I should do..."

Raven beamed as she felt the bond between her and Starfire grow. Starfire was no doubt her closest friend, and she felt that their relationship had grown ten fold within a month's time.

"Great," she declared. "Then you have nothing to worry about. So where are you going to go...?"

Starfire tapped her chin thoughtfully, her hands getting slightly sweaty within the soft gloves she wore.

"I believe we shall traverse to a ration-serving facility..."

"What kind?" Raven questioned, finding Star's phrasing humorous.

"...Um...A facility that serves...pasta confections...?" Starfire muttered doubtfully. "I feel I know of a place that has the ambient I desire..."

Raven nodded slowly. Italian restaurants were nice, sure...

"Then I wish for us to journey to the carnival near the bay...Yes, I have seen their Ferris wheel..." Star's eyes glowed with anticipation.

"You love Ferris wheels," Raven remembered aloud.

"Correct...Yes, I believe that will be sufficient enough for the evening..."

Raven's head was cocked to the side as she tried to imagine it. Not with Robin, of course...With Link...? Well...Maybe. That would be nice. But she felt she didn't quite know Link well enough to be able to picture such moments as vividly as Star could.

"That sounds pretty good," Raven said, still smiling. "You guys will have fun, no doubt."

Star nodded quickly, brushing one of her sideburns from her cheek with a dainty elegance.

Raven contemplated for a moment, and then proceed to make her request.

"Um...Could you...tell me about it...afterward?" she mumbled, very awkwardly.

Star was a bit surprised at first, but she bounced on the bed's cushions playfully, yelping, "I would be DELIGHTED, dear friend! Do not fear, I will not spare any details!" She floated up to her feet and squealed out with joy, "I must prepare! I am so very enthralled!"

She flew to the doorway and pressed the button that opened her exit. Raven began to scramble to her feet and catch up with her as she waved good-bye and called, "Many thanks to you, Raven!"

But just as she turned to leave, Raven reached out an arm, barely tapping Star's shoulder.

"Wait," she muttered, but with a slight desperation. Star spun around to see Raven's wide and pleading violet eyes.

"Raven...?"

Raven's cheeks turned pink, and she quickly scanned over Star's shoulders to see that the nearby halls were empty. She whispered out to her good friend nervously.

"I-I just wanted...A good-bye hug..." She looked ashamed to ask for such a thing, as if she felt she didn't deserve one. It was as if she thought one had to earn a hug, and she done nothing to earn it.

"...Of COURSE..." Starfire whispered back, a tear forming in her right eye. She let Raven's tired, trembling body lean against her.

{I have never seen Raven quite like this...} Starfire realized. {But I see the joy in her eyes...The same longing I have for love...She wants friendship. And I possess a boundless supply to give to her...}

"Thank you..." Raven barely managed, feeling that mutual support she craved.

"Raven..." Star quietly murmured, her eyes meeting Raven's arm. The black spot upon it was about half as big as it had been when she had arrived. "Your wound, it is healing..."

Raven blinked at it, still pink-faced, and shrugged it aside. She could care less, she felt wonderful.

"I...I must go now, Raven, please forgive-"

"It's all right, I want you to enjoy yourself. You have to get ready," Raven replied quickly, straightening Starfire's soft silk dress.

"You look great. Knock him dead..." she mumbled with a grin. Starfire's face radiated with excitement as she drifted off down the halls. There was still some time left.

=:_+-+-+_:=

[Destiny_Smasher]

"Aw, yea...You got NOTHIN', baby!"

Mario huffed back at Cyborg, flicking his controller with great precision. His eyes were determined and fierce. He wasn't about to lose just yet. And yet his demeanor was calm and collected.

About three seconds later, Cyborg's jaw dropped in amazement as his character was sent soaring into the air, only to be battered and bruised while falling in a spectacular combo attack that ended with a flashy finisher. The letters 'K.O.' were splattered across the screen as Mario tipped his hat.

"...Damn..." Cyborg murmured in awe. "You've NEVER touched a Gamestation before?!" he demanded, not able to believe it.

Mario shook his head coolly, placing the controller on the carper lazily. "Nope. The controller's not incredibly efficient, though. I like the Gamecube better..."

Cyborg let out a huge sigh as these words hit him. How was he so good so fast? As Mario slowly stood up and shifted his overalls, Cyborg asked, "Whoa, wait up. Another round, man?"

Mario shrugged casually, scratching his nose.

"Meh...Don't really feel like it. That game's too simple. Soul Calibur has more depth to it..."

Cyborg's eyes slowly wandered back to the game, which he went to switch off.

Robin was pacing in the back of the room, left and right. He had a nervous expression on his face, too, and he was dressed in a tuxedo. A black vest and pants, as well as a white shirt with a small black bow tie.

When Mario noticed this, he simply grinned and let out a chuckle. Cyborg's already baffled face, however, grew ever more confused and shocked.

"...Robin? What're YOU doing? What's with the get-up?" he asked, wide-eyed.

Robin jumped like a jack-rabbit and turned to his two friends puzzled faces.

"I-I'm just waiting..." he muttered with a sheepishness not usual to himself.

"...For what...?" Cyborg questioned fearfully, coming up to his side.

"W-well, it's just..." Robin scratched through his spiky hair nervously and grumbled out, "I have a date tonight..."

Cyborg looked flabbergasted for a moment, but it soon evolved into a devilish grin.

"With WHO...?" he asked slyly, elbowing Robin.

"...With...-" Robin stumbled, as he was still somewhat doubtful about this whole situation. "With Star..."

Cyborg's brow lifted up with amusement.

"REALLY?" he checked cheerfully. "No kiddin'?"

Robin nodded with embarrassment.

"She asked me out, and...I couldn't refuse her, ya know? It's not like-" He began to pace fretfully again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. CHILL, bro!" he cried, stopping him dead with his huge hands. "You look like you're SCARED or something..." he noted humorously.

"I AM," Robin snapped back.

Mario and Cy exchanged baffled glances and turned back.

"Of WHAT?" Mario demanded slowly.

"I...I dunno. It just doesn't feel right..." Robin admitted. "I didn't really think about it when she asked me, I just said, 'Sure,' but now it just doesn't-"

"Robin, you're crazy, man," Cyborg laughed, rubbing his tense shoulders. "Sure, Star's a bit outta the ball park-"

"Try outta the planet," Robin broke in with a grumble.

"Well...Yea. So what?" Mario asked, his arms stretched out. "She's a real nice girl, Robin. She likes you a lot, or haven't you noticed?"

Robin sighed and groaned out, "I've tried to ignore that..."

"Why?!" Cybrog demanded. "What's so bad about it?"

Robin shook his head slowly, trying to put it into words.

"I have a responsibility, Cyborg. I can't just abandon my duties for a little fun. Besides, what if...-? What if that kind of relationship interferes with our job?"

Cyborg was a little confused, and he let his arms drop to his sides as Robin continued.

"Slade might still be after me. If he finds out about something like this, what do you think he's going to do?"

"...Kidnap Star and use her to get YOU," Cyborg admitted with worry, rubbing his chin.

"Besides," Robin added, his voice a little shaky. "I might...screw something up...I could get her mad, and maybe she won't talk to me or something..."

"What are you SMOKING, Rooster?" Mario snickered, giving the frowning Robin a punch on the arm.

"Teenage girls are unpredictable," Robin advised sternly. "At least in these kinds of situations..."

"Starfire isn't your average teenage girl, Rob," Cyborg tried to convince him. "She's not that stupid."

After another moment's contemplation, Robin let out a big sigh of relief and dropped the subject.

"You're right. I should just enjoy myself."

"There ya go!" Cyborg slammed him in the back so hard he fell over on his face. "...My bad," he muttered meekly.

(*{-})+({-}*)

"MAN, Rob, you worry too much!" Cyborg declared as he eased Robin down the hallway toward the main door. "Settle down, yo, it's no big..."

Robin sucked in a very deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"Dude, it's gonna be OKAY," Beastboy attempted to convince him, patting his left shoulder. "You're gonna have a BLAST, man!"

Tenochtitlan giggled as she messed around with Robin's hair from his right. "He's right, Robin! You'll be FINE, just RELAX..."

They reached the main hallway, which had a few chairs lined along the maroon carpet that ran through the middle. Starfire was standing beside Raven, far off near the door. He could see her waving to him, and it looked like she was dressed in fine clothing, as well.

The closer they got to the Tamaranian, the calmer and more comfortable Robin became. No words were spoken until they were face-to-face, smiling at each other with great embarrassment. Starfire, after avoiding his gaze for a moment, spoke out shyly.

"You are ready to depart...?"

After admiring her outfit, as well as her glowing green eyes, Robin gave her a smirk and reached out his hand.

"I'm always ready," he answered with his casual tone.

Starfire beamed with glee and accepted his bare hand with her gloved one. As they both waved their good-byes to their friends, Raven stuck out her palm, using her powers.

Robin hopped into the air, his eyes bulging, as a small, yellow device was extracted from a pocket within his tidy vest. The communicator was whisked away to Raven's hand, who glared at him devilishly.

"...Uh...Raven, I kinda need that," Robin mumbled, shaking slightly.

"No, you don't," she firmly responded, grasping it tightly. After he considered what to say, Robin began to spit out, "But what if-"

"We'll deal with it," Raven replied in her raspy tone, with a slight hint of threat. After letting out a small chuckle at Robin's frightened face, she bid them off with her hand. "Now go on. And you'd better enjoy yourselves..."

As Robin nervously turned to Starfire, the girl gave Raven a small smile that said, {Many thanks, friend.} Raven's violet eyes answered, {No problem.}

"W-well, uh...W-we'll be seeing you later," Robin stammered as he walked speedily out the door, dragging Starfire behind him. She floated through the air at a vertical angle as she was yanked out, and grinned a gigantic grin to her friends, waving with her free arm.

"Good evening, all!" she called to them.

The two Titans were given a flurry of encouragement and farewells as the enormous door slid shut with a 'whooshing' sound.

"You are BAD," Cyborg said slyly, giving her a grin. "You just shattered the little confidence the poor guy had..."

Raven returned his devilish look and nodded. "I know. He's going to have to earn it back."

~*-+[~]+-*~

The atmosphere was relaxed, warm, and inviting. Star had brought Robin to an Italian restaurant downtown. It was a very clean and tidy place, well kept, with excellent service and even better food. The candle light was a touch that Starfire liked very much- it gave the place a more romantic feeling.

They were waiting for their meal to arrive- the ice had yet to be broken thoroughly. The sheet of ice on the lake had been cracked by now, but not yet open. Starfire attempted to chip away at it some more.

"Robin...Did the waiter strike you as...familiar...?" she asked shyly, trying to catch his gaze.

Robin was nervously glancing about, feeling uneasy.

"Nah, just seemed like every other waiter around here to me..." he muttered, looking around the room at random people eating their pasta. Starfire frowned, displeased with the fact that things were not going as well as she had hoped.

"Robin..." she called quietly, but with a firmer tone. He picked up on the slight tint of irritability in her voice, so he looked at her.

"What is troubling you?" she asked, her sharpness dulled. "Are you...not enjoying yourself...?" Her voice had turned soft and curious.

"No, Star," he told her calmly. "I'm fine...Just a little anxious, I don't know..."

Starfire fiddled with her hands for a moment, then told him, "There is no reason for you to be afraid, Robin..."

Robin cracked a small and short-lived smile, nodding.

"I just don't like sitting here with all these people around..." he admitted, feeling foolish. Starfire weakly grinned.

"I understand...I believe you will enjoy our next location. But I have not consumed sufficient rations today, forgive me."

Robin shook his head and chuckled.

"Don't worry. It's fine here. I'm just more of a loner."

"I know this. I was merely hoping that we could...fit in better..." She felt a little silly when she said it aloud. She was always trying to fit in, and yet she wasn't. She wanted to fit in, but...She wanted to be herself. Obviously, both were not possible. But 'herself' had said that this place was nice, and worth their time. Maybe she had been wrong. She sipped at her root beer through a straw, her throat dry.

The waiter came back with two dishes of food and placed them with care before each of them. He was a tall, thin teenager with radiant blue eyes. He had the classic Italian mustache, as well- two thin lines that curved outward. For his age, his mustache was a bit surprising. He wore a comfy, white outfit with a name tag that read, 'Luigi.' Something about him seemed familiar, but Star didn't care to address it- she was too concerned about her date to worry.

Their meal was a very quiet and odd one. The most quiet they'd had in quite some time...It reminded Star of the night when Robin's cover as the Red X had been blown. No one had said a word at dinner, they were all silent, just as they were tonight. Whenever Starfire spoke up, Robin somehow managed to end the conversation pretty quickly. Star wasn't going to give up, though. She was determined to find out what was going on later on, when they were alone.

$-*)(*-$

Side by side they slowly strolled along down the sidewalks in the dark, their paths lit by various lampposts and the light that filtered out through windows. They were a mere inch or two apart, but they didn't touch, and they were not hand-in-hand as Star desired. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to just grab his hand or not.

{What if such an action is not customary? Perhaps holding hands is not permitted on one's first date...I should've asked Raven about these matters. Now I am confused as to what I am allowed to do or not...}

What Star didn't quite realize was how silly she would've have sounded to herself. She was so concerned with the traditions of Earthlings that she wasn't doing what 'Star' told her to do. 'Star' wanted to wrap an arm around his shoulder and another in his hand and soar through the dark blue skies. But this, she felt, would no doubt make Robin very uncomfortable.

The loud rumbling of thunder shattered her worries as she realized that the sky was now thick with black clouds.

{This is NOT very glorious,} she whimpered in her mind. Rain would not do quite yet. She still had to take Robin the Ferris wheel!

"I certainly hope the precipitation refrains from falling for at least a decent portion of time," she wished aloud. Breaking the ice was much harder than she thought when Robin was in his 'dark' kind of mood. Robin shrugged, still not looking up at her.

"It's just rain, Star. Where are we going, anyway?" He finally turned to see her face, trying his best to be casual.

"I am keeping that a secret until we arrive, but I am sure you will be most pleased," she answered with an eager smile.

"Ah, I see," he responded coolly.

An impulse had been driving her mad since they had started walking intensified. That impulse that wanted to hold his hand. Starfire looked around, noticing that they were nearing the carnival. A few people dotted the pier, as it was a bit late, but there was still a decent amount of people. Her tan face reddening, Starfire gave in to that instinctive impulse. She moved her right arm- the one closest to him- quite slowly and carefully. It managed to reach Robin's left arm, and it wrapped itself around that arm. The hand crawled down his tuxedo sleeve, reached a white cuff, and finally arrived at his bare hand. Upon reaching its destination, her hand gently squeezed his.

Robin didn't jump in surprise, however. He wasn't quite expecting it, but it somehow didn't come as a shock. A pleasant shock, at least.

Starfire noticed that Robin stared at their interlocked hands for a second in slight confusion, and she bit her lip.

"A-am I not doing this correctly?" she squeaked, loosening her grip.

Robin's face flicked back up to hers, and he let out a small snicker.

"No, Star," he answered with a smile. "You're doing just fine..." He shook his head humorously and he let out a sigh.

"Truly?" Star checked, unsettled by his laughing. "Am I not supposed to...do something with my other hand...? This is adequate?"

In response to this comment, Robin decided to take advantage of her clueless ness yet...teach her at the time.

"Here," he said, unlatching their arms. He gave her a sly grin as he wrapped his left arm around her waist, resting his hand on her left hip. Starfire's eyes widened, and she smiled sheepishly. "Now you do that to me," Robin suggested calmly.

Starfire hesitantly squirmed her slender, gentle arm around Robin, placing it in the same area. She was shaking a bit, as she was now the one in the nervous position. She could feel a little sweat developing in her long gloves- a problem she grew a bit accustomed to, as she usually wore such articles.

Robin tugged her in just enough so their hips touched. Their faces were both pink, their insides tingled.

"Th-this is natural...?" Starfire whispered nervously, hoping no one around them noticed how silly they looked. "We are...touching at the hips. It is all right for such appendages to be located so close to the pelvic region?"

Robin couldn't hold back a laugh as he asked her, "What, it's not adequate enough?"

Starfire shook her head quickly with a very embarrassed smile and brushed a sideburn back to its usual spot.

"No, no, Robin! N-not at all! This is...VERY sufficient!"

With a devilish smirk, Robin added, "Thought so."

They began to walk along, adjusting slightly to maximize their comfort, when Robin popped a curiosity question.

"Sooo...How would we do this back on your home...?"

Star's head shrunk into her shoulders slightly as she reluctantly broke free from their interlocked state to switch it to a different form.

"Hm...If we were acquaintances as we are tonight- a pair of...romancers...- " She rubbed the back of her neck meekly as she continued. "We would...-" Now she had to recall the term she was looking for. "We would 'go out on the town' in a manner such as this..."

Star proceeded to hang her right arm around Robin's shoulder in a very gentle manner, and told him to do the same to her. She went on to carefully rest her head on his firm left shoulder, snuggling a little to get it to feel just right. Her shiny, blood red hair draped over Robin's back, tingling his spine almost. Lastly, she placed her left hand on his chest, as if it were a fragile flower. Robin's guts were churning from close contact such as this- something he wasn't quite used to. Of course, he couldn't deny that it was quite comfy.

Starfire reached out and snatched Robin's free arm and pinned in to his chest, holding it in place with her own.

"...Yes...I believe this is correct..."

"Feels correct to me," Robin said coolly, lifting his brows up and down a little.

"Of course," Star added, "We would gracefully soar toward our destination, but...You are incapable of flight, thus we would not be able to sustain such positioning..."

She separated herself from him for a moment, brushing off her dress and straightening her hair. Her face flushed as red as her hair, she said to him, "I do not wish to be given strange looks, however, so we should probably proceed in the manner you suggested."

Robin tried to straighten up his own hair- at least as much as he could.

"Whatever suits you, Star," he muttered, preparing to head off again, passing a young man on a park bench who was staring at them in surprise and amusement.

*({[+]})*

Cyborg was flicking at his gaming controller madly, while Raven went to sit next to him on the sofa, sipping herbal tea.

"How can you DRINK that stuff?" Cyborg asked with disgust, shaking his head slowly.

"I manage," she answered calmly, placing her teacup on the coffee table before her. "How can you waste precious hours of your life rotting your brain like that?" she sharply struck back.

"I manage!" the robotic teen chuckled.

Raven took the old book that she had carried with her and cracked it open, beginning to delve into this new work of literature she had recently come across. Raven had so many books that she passed her evenings reading any she had yet to finish- she still had a good fifty or so to go. But this one caught her eye. It had been hidden behind the bookcase, as it had somehow slipped from its spot.

"So, whatcha readin' about, Ray? I'm sure it's much more interesting than blasting the hell outta zombies with a magnum..."

Raven frowned bitterly at his sarcasm and decided to give him a few details.

"If you must know...I'm really not entirely sure what it's about. It's written in a dialect I've never seen before. All I have to go by are these strange drawings..."

She stared at one in particular as her curiosity tried to figure out what was going on. A very large, worm-like creature with a beak-like mouth was terrorizing a city, from what she could gather.

"WOOOWWWW," Cyborg shouted dully. "A bunch of junk ya can't even understand. So tell me again, what good is it?"

"It's very old and valuable!" she snapped, taking another sip. "Someone's gotta know what these markings mean..."

Sonic came whizzing into the room, dragging Tikal at a vertical angle behind him, who was giggling with glee. They flew through the room like a bolt of lightning, and Raven's hair was whipped into her face, which prompted an agitated frown. The least they could do is run around like maniacs OUTSIDE of the tower...And then, quite suddenly, her vision flashed with darkness, revealing Tikal staring at the very book in her hands thoughtfully. It skipped back to normal, leaving her breathless for a moment.

Cyborg noticed her gasp, and her body tense up for a moment. He was worried that perhaps her arm was giving her trouble, and quickly checked.

"Ray? You all right?"

Raven realized it had only been a vision and nodded, slightly dazed.

"I'm...I'm fine..." she answered quietly, closing her book and carefully setting it down on the table. She scooped up her warm, fragrant tea and began to drink once again.

Feeling assured that it was no big deal, Cyborg went back to his game.

Raven watched him dully for a minute or two, then asked, out of nowhere, "Soooo...Why, exactly, are you blowing heads off of the undead...?"

"'Cuz I can," Cyborg replied with a huge grin.

"...Right..."

The ground began to tremble slightly, and that trembling gradually grew to a small earthquake.

Wide-eyed, Raven and Cyborg turned around to see a green rhinoceros pounding through the room at breakneck speed. Tenochtitlan was riding on its back, wearing a HUGE smile and screaming with excitement. The rumbling caused Raven to drop her tea, which spilt all over her legs. The cup shattered on the floor in front of the frightened girl. The noise died down as quickly as it had grown, and Raven sat with grit teeth. One could swear that a blood vessel bulged out of her forehead for a moment or two. But she took a deep breath, tried to relax herself, and stood up slowly, relatively calm. Cyborg was amazed at such a display- not the rhino, but Raven.

As she proceeded to clean up the mess, picking up pieces of ceramic with care, she sighed.

"I'll be back in a second; make sure nobody touches my book, all right?"

Cyborg nodded, a puzzled look about him.

"Gotcha," he murmured.

)))-(((

"Third one this month," Raven grumbled as she bid her broken tea cup farewell, tossing it into the garbage can. She grabbed the paper towels and dried her legs off.

She took them with her to clean up the tea that had been splashed to the carpet- not her idea of fun.

{They were just playing around, though,} she realized. {It's not really a big deal...There's no point in getting upset over it. Unless a fifty dollar teacup is really that big a deal...}

As she stepped through the dark halls toward the living room, she could hear voices echo. It was Mario and Link, talking to each other. She couldn't help but overhear their conversation as she walked.

"She's a blonde?"

"Oh, yea. Blonde, blue eyes...Peach was her name...Er...IS her name. Peach Toadstool."

"Peach? Pfht. That's kind of a stupid name."

"It fits her," Mario responded confidently. "What about you...?"

"Meh...To be honest, I don't really remember...I mean, I see a LOT of faces, but I couldn't tell you if I was going out with any of them. I DO remember Zelda, though. Yea...Same as your girl- blonde hair, blue eyes...But, she has...pointy ears..."

"...Pointy ears, ya say?" Mario asked, quite amused. "Elves, or something...?"

"I dunno, I guess. But I remember her very clearly. It was because of HER that all my problems got started. If it wasn't for her, I'd have had a much easier time, I can tell you that."

Who was Zelda? Whoever she was, she thankfully sounded like someone who had gotten on Link's nerves.

Mario and Link's eyes popped wide for a split second as a shadowy figure crossed right by them in the dark hallways.

"Whoa, Ray, is that you?" Mario asked as she hurriedly stumbled along.

"Hi," she moaned, her insides jittery.

"Where are ya goin' in such a hurry?" Link asked as she gradually vanished. There was no reply, and Link and Mario simply exchanged confused glances.

|~+~)\_/(~+~|

As Raven took her seat again, she felt a bit groggy. It wasn't really that late- at least not on her terms- and this struck her as a bit odd.

"Oh, Ray!" Cyborg cried in fake desperation, on his knees. "I'm so glad you're here! I was fightin' off ninja warriors and robot commandos that were after your infinitely valuable book! Oh, it was HORRIBLE!"

Raven sat cross-legged on the couch, holding the hardcover in her lap. She stared at Cyborg dully, with that usual look. Cyborg awaited her reply, and was blown away by it. She laughed. Not too heartily, but he KNEW she laughed.

She covered her mouth with her hand to hold it back, but a chortle came out. Small, quiet, but definitely existent.

Cyborg couldn't get off his knees, as he was in shock. The tiny smile on Raven's face diminished.

{Uh oh,} she thought.

"Uhh..." she began with that light raspiness she had. "Is something wrong, Cyborg...?"

Cyborg, still recovering, got to his feet and asked with some confusion, "I should be askin' YOU that..."

Her eyes showing worry, Raven stammered, "Wh...What do you mean...? I feel fine..."

Raven's good robotic pal sat down on the couch next to her, spreading his arms over the spine casually.

"You sure, Ray? You're lookin' a little pale...Well, more than usual," he joked.

Raven cracked another small smile at his humor, causing him to sit up straight and point at her.

"Ya did it again," he murmured in awe.

"...D-did what...?"

"...You smiled..." Cyborg said slyly, wiggling his index finger. "And that sure as hell ain't business as usual."

Raven's eyes wandered a little as she realized that he was right.

"You have been actin' a little weirder than normal lately..." Cyborg noted suspiciously. "Is anything up? Does it have anything to do with your arm or somethin'?"

Raven paused as she stared at the black spot on her arm. It had grown since her talk with Starfire, but only by a little. She couldn't really feel it- and she wasn't complaining.

"Well..." she began shyly. "It's...Lots of things...I'm just...-" She trailed off, feeling a question burning into her mind that needed answering.

"Cyborg...You said I've been acting weird." He nodded solemnly in reply. "...Did you mean a BAD kind of weird...?"

Cocking a brow, Cyborg stumbled for an answer.

"Wh...I don't...Ray, what're you gettin' at?"

"Just answer the question," she demanded firmly- yet with a slight desperation.

"A-all right, okay...Naw, Ray. See, that's the thing. You've been actin' weird, because...You talk a little more, you..." He rotated his arm at her, trying to phrase his thoughts.

"Like just now. I made a joke, and instead of giving me some smart remark...you laughed. Last time I checked, Ray, you don't DO that..."

Raven wasn't looking at him now, she felt too uncomfortable with this conversation. Cyborg wasn't Starfire, and Raven felt he wouldn't understand. He wasn't from another world, he could control his own powers, and he wasn't as sensitive and...Whatever it was that made Star STAR. Obviously, Cyborg and Starfire weren't the same.

"Let's just say things have been changing a bit lately," she mumbled.

"Like what...? Is it serious?"

"...It's...-" {Of COURSE it's serious...} "It's nothing you need to worry about."

Cyborg's human eye dug deep into Raven's wide, violet ones.

"Ray, we've ALL been a bit worried. You sure nothin's wrong? You can tell me what's up, you know."

Raven sighed, rubbing her forehead with her right arm. A small headache had developed, but it didn't hurt too much.

"I've just been...Feeling weird lately, to be honest. So I guess it's no wonder I might be acting weird..."

"Really?" Cyborg murmured back sarcastically. "Couldn't tell."

Raven let out a small huff through her nose and continued.

"I've been talking to Star a lot lately, and she's been...helping me realize a few things about myself. I'm beginning to have more control over my powers, and...I'm just changing a little...Is that okay?" Her last sentence had a bit more bite than the rest.

Cyborg smiled and gave her a hearty pat on the back, trying not to be too rough. He gave her a big grin, squinting merrily.

"Ray, that's great. I think you're changing for the better. Just don't get TOO different on me, will ya?"

Raven smiled back, massaging her injured arm gently.

"Don't worry," she assured. A few moments of tranquility passed as Cyborg reached over for the remote and clicked the television on, checking the TV schedule.

"So," he began casually. "Would all this have anything to do with Link?" He lifted his brows her way, smirking.

Raven's eyes bulged open with shock, her cheeks went pink, and a few drops of sweat formed on her neck. A velvet pillow that was resting behind her was shrouded in shadow, only to explode into a feathery cloud that drifted to the floor.

"Thought so," Cyborg confirmed to himself, his eyes still glued to the TV.

"...I guess it's kinda obvious, then..." Raven muttered, wondering what everyone thought of it if it was, indeed, so clear.

"If it wasn't for the fact that stuff spontaneously explodes when you and him are in the same room, I might not be so sure," Cyborg explained, holding back a snicker.

"...It's not big deal," Raven defended. "It's not like I LIKE him or anything..."

Cyborg's jaw fell a bit as he creaked his head in her direction.

"W-well, I mean...Yea, it's a little crush," Raven admitted quietly, her face alert to see that no one else was present. "But I hardly know him, really..."

"Yea, and he knows you even LESS," Cyborg added. "Ya think maybe it's 'cuz ya AVOID 'im all the time?"

"...That...might be it," Raven admitted.

"I already KNOW he doesn't like ME," Raven mumbled, staring down at her book solemnly. "So there's no point...He already has a girlfriend..."

Cyborg gave her a suspicious look.

"And how, exactly, do you know that?"

Raven bit her lip, not looking up at him.

"...I guess I don't..." Her words were barely audible, but Cyborg caught them.

"Riiiight...Did ya ever ASK him?"

"...No..." She looked up at him and explained herself quickly. "But I wouldn't be surprised. I doubt the only girls he's met live in this tower, Cyborg. He probably has a girlfriend from home...WHEREVER he lives..."

Cyborg shrugged, shaking his head. "Well...Maybe..."

"Besides, it's like everyone here is going out with each other as it IS...I don't want to make things even more hectic..."

Cyborg chuckled, nodding his head.

"Even Starfire and ROBIN are out on a date," Raven pointed out. "And Robin doesn't strike me as the type of person to DO dating..."

"Naw kiddin'!" Cyborg agreed, his brows lifted. "But they're havin' fun, I'll bet. You're right, though. It's like you and me are the only ones in this tower who aren't datin' anybody..."

After a moment to absorb this thought, the two Titans glanced at each other with creeped-out faces and skidded across the couch slightly in opposite directions.

"...You don't-?" Cyborg started, trembling.

"No," Raven spat. "...And you-?"

"'Course not," Cyborg answered quickly.

After a sigh of relief, Raven cracked open her book again.

"This is getting a little ridiculous," she grumbled. "Is it really such a good idea for all of this...'in-dating' stuff...? We have enough to worry about, right?"

Cyborg grinned slyly, his eyes back on the TV.

"Why don't I go get Link, and you can ask him that yourself...?"

Raven frowned, and the remote flew from Cyborg's hands into the TV set, knocking the batteries out. As it clattered to the floor, Cyborg stretched out his arm to punch Raven in the shoulder.

With an "Ulp!" Raven flew off the couch's left arm and smacked into the ground, her legs dangling above her on the sofa.

"...You're going to regret having done that," she growled with a mixed tone of friendly competition and irritability.

*!(-)!*

The city lights to their right sparkled like the stars above. The skies were clear and dark, opening up a window to the rest of the galaxy.

The air was a bit chilled from the breezes that blew in once in a while, and whenever one did, it gave Starfire goose bumps on her arms. If it weren't for the fact that Robin was seated mere inches to her right, she'd be shivering. To their left was the glittering surface of the bay- the glorious bridge, and Titan Tower. And then, the wondrous sites of their city grew tall and surpassed them as the Ferris wheel they were boarded on continued its rotation. As they passed by the ground and rose up again, Starfire, once again, began a conversation. This was it- the last part of their evening. She wanted to at least get something across to him.

"I wonder how our friends are doing..." she murmured thoughtfully, gazing off at the tower.

"They're fine," Robin assured, seeing that the lights on one floor of the tower were switched on. They were at the top most floor. After putting more thinking into the matter, Robin reconsidered.

"Actually..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "They might've burned something down by now...Maybe we should go back and check on them..."

Starfire smiled as she turned to look at his joking face, and shook her head.

"Raven would be angry if we did that," she informed. "She seemed intent on making sure our evening would not be interrupted."

"No kidding," Robin grimly agreed. "...By the way, Star...About Raven- what's going on?"

Starfire's smile went away, and she seemed reluctant to speak about it. Raven might not feel comfortable if she told Robin too much.

"Raven is...She is fine. I believe she is feeling better than she has in quite some period of time. That is, if you ignore her injury...Raven is simply changing a bit, as all people do."

Robin lifted a brow at her, a bit baffled, but shrugged it off.

"If you say so," he mumbled. "As long as everything's OK..."

There was another moment of peace between them, and Starfire was intent on not letting the conversation slip away just yet.

"Um, Robin," she called softly, placing a hand on leg.

"...Star...?" He got a little nervous, as he wasn't all too sure as to where this was going.

"I am curious...Why did you accept my offer...? To come with me tonight...?" Her emerald eyes were glazed, and Robin got lost in them for a moment.

"...How could I refuse?" he came back. Starfire sighed, her eyes drifting to the sights around them.

"I wish to know if you feel the same way that I do..." she murmured, her voice trembling, but just a little. Robin was DEFINITELY nervous now, and he was shaking slightly. Starfire felt it as his hand landed on hers, and this made her feel awkward, as well.

"...I-if I am making you feel discomforted, you do not have to-"

"No, Star, you're right," Robin answered solemnly, rubbing Starfire's wrist with his thumb. He shifted himself a bit, and turned to face his friend. He looked a little ashamed, and Starfire felt that her guts had been emptied.

"I'm just not really the type of guy who likes to...go out on dates, or...anything like that. To be honest, I've had so much on my mind lately that this shouldn't be dumped on top of it..."

Star could sense what was going on, and she didn't want to face it. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears as he went on.

"I don't KNOW how I feel right now, Star...It's not so simple for me. You...You're STARFIRE." He smiled weakly. "And you have no idea how much I value your friendship..."

Starfire gave him the same smile in return and nodded.

"I believe I know fully well..." she whispered shakily.

"You're just...-Starfire, I'm not lying when I say that I think you're more courageous than any of us..."

Starfire was taken aback by such a statement, but before she said anything, Robin explained.

"You aren't afraid of what other people think about you." He saw that Starfire was shaking her head in doubt. "Well...Sure you are, but I would guess ANYONE would be if they moved to another planet...What I mean is that you aren't afraid to be YOU. You're honest...open-hearted...You're the most passionate person I've ever met, Starfire," Robin admitted, getting sentimental himself. "If it weren't for you, who knows where the Titans would be right now. You hold us together..."

"Because you are my friends," Starfire said, as if it were blatantly obvious. "I would never abandon you..."

Robin nodded slowly. "I know, Star. But...Not everyone's like that...You'd be surprised at how easily you can lose people, even people you never thought you'd lose..."

Starfire was speechless for a moment as she tried to comprehend what he meant.

"I'll get to the point," Robin grumbled. After a deep breath, he calmly went on. "Starfire...I'm not entirely sure how you feel about me, but...I think I have the general idea, and...I just don't know...I didn't think us going out on a simple date would be such a big deal, but it IS- for me, at least. I just don't feel entirely right."

"...I have made you feel awkward," Starfire whispered in realization. "I...I did not mean to, Robin. I thought...-"

"Star, it's not YOU," Robin boldly announced, sighing. "It's me. You KNOW where you want to go. You KNOW how you feel...But I'm not sure yet."

"Robin," Starfire said firmly, gripping his arm with the same caring firmness as her voice.

"It is all right...You do not need to rush yourself, Robin. If you do not give yourself time to make good decisions, then you may regret those you make...I have had plenty of time to decide what I want to do...I only know how I feel because I have been given so much time to decide."

She swallowed as a tear slowly slithered down her tan cheek.

"Robin, you are my best friend...I will do anything to hold onto that..." The strength in her voice was slowly diminishing as she went on, dying to a whisper as she finished. "Yes, Robin...I have developed emotions for you that go...beyond a friendship. But if you do not feel the same way, that will not change how much I value your companionship. I will never leave your side, Robin...Not now, and not ever...I promise..." She'd captured him in her arms and embraced him warmly, leaving him stunned. This was a big deal for HER, too.

Robin was left speechless at her words. He knew that he could depend on Star, but he never really realized that she cared about him THIS much, and it meant a lot to him.

"...Star..." was about the most he could say for a while, until he decided to melt into the hug with her. After an uncounted period of time- not too long, but not too short, Robin finally managed some words out.

"...I didn't say I didn't want to...date you...or anything like that...I'm just not sure, you have to give me some time..." Robin furrowed his brows as she broke up the hug, sifting her hair out so it was straight again. Robin hesitantly asked a question.

"...How do you feel about me...? C-could you...explain it...a little more...?" Robin didn't know quite how stupid he sounded. He felt that if Starfire described her feelings in more depth, he could determine for himself if he shared them.

Starfire was wiping a few small tears away from her face, and she choked a laugh.

"...I believe I have explained very thoroughly," she mumbled. "But...I think I can demonstrate..." She smiled with a slyness that wasn't quite what Robin was used to as she leaned toward him. Robin knew exactly what she was about to do, and he was almost afraid. And yet, at the same time, another part of him had absolutely no problem at all...

Starfire tipped her head to the side as she opened her lips to catch his within them. About a second or two passed as they kissed, and Robin couldn't deny that it was pleasurable. Her warm breath, her soft lips- absolutely fine. He was certainly shocked, however, when a slender and wet object slithered its way into his mouth, flicked at his tongue, and escaped as quickly as it had come. It wasn't...bad...It was perfectly fine, just...surprising...No sooner after that did Starfire remove her mouth from his, her face blushing wildly.

Left awestruck, Robin coughed out, "Eh hem, yea...That was...quite a demonstration, all right..."

Starfire wasn't sure if what she had done was 'acceptable,' but Robin DID say he admired the fact that she tried to be herself amidst the crowd. When she first arrived on Earth, Star had wanted so badly to blend in with the people of the planet. Once she started to hang around the Titans, she began to realize that around her friends, she was appreciated for who she was- not what she should be.

"...You understand...?" she asked in a murmur. Robin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Uhh...I think so...What was...with the tongue thing...?" he questioned. He knew of French kissing, but her tongue had lashed at his like a whip...Kind of odd, he thought. Starfire's face went pale as she caught that sheer fright in his demeanor.

{I have once again made him feel awkward,} she realized.

"Ih...I-is such an action considered strange?" she questioned shakily, unsure herself. She'd seen Earthlings kiss, but...One could never tell what they were doing with their tongues.

Robin shrugged, smiling meekly. "That depends on who you ask, but...It's usually not something you do on a first date...It implies...uh...a strong sexual attraction..."

Starfire shook her head slightly in frustration, feeling more embarrassed than she had all night. It seemed she HAD screwed up again.

"I-it's not like it was BAD, just kind of a surprise," Robin added shyly.

"...On Tamaran, such an action is not looked at with the same sexual implicities it might have here on Earth. It is truly more of an emotional symbol. It is a way of saying what I have already told you, only without words..."

Robin wasn't so sure what those words were.

"...I will never leave you side...I care for you in a fashion beyond friendship...Though-" she whispered with great embarrassment, "-that is not to say there is no sexual attraction..."

Robin ran his hands through his hair shakily as he sucked in a long breath.

"I see..." he muttered. "...Starfire, this is...This is going a bit too fast for me...I'm kinda confused, I'll admit. Just give me some time to figure all of this out, all right?"

Starfire nodded slowly, giving him a hesitant smile.

"...I...I understand...It is your choice, Robin, not mine...But do not feel afraid to tell me the truth, for it will not sway me..."

[starburn1116]

YES!
YESYESYES!!!
she kissed him!!
i loved it
i was on the edge of my seat the WHOLE time
the scene i LOVED:
THE KISS THE KISS THE KISS
and i also loved the scene with raven and cyborg
i think the change in raven is just right
not too fast and not too short
please give me MORE!!!!!!!!!!

[raven54]

i absolutely love the change you're making in Raven! specifically... all scenes. the part with bb and tenoch and star was HILARIOUS! i was laughing, like, forever. And THE KISS was great:D. what will Robin decide??? Rae+Link, maybe?? or even a Rae+Cy?? I WANNA KNOW!!!!! *sob*

and that thing i wrote before... sorry i posted something and tried to code it so you can't read it unless you highlight it but it didn't work. it might be common knowledge but i wasn't sure... but whatever, you can find it on almost anywhere- common rumor.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

OK. i take back anything I ever said bad about you, I LOVE THIS FIC!

IT"S AMAZING!
I like the fact that even though you introduced new characters, you still develop the old ones too. Its great. Bring on CH. 10. And this thing is just a side story, your real fic must be HUGE. like 50,000 words at least. WOW!
I'm gonna literally drop a deuce when you link us to it.
also, how long will we have to wait for Robin to decide yay or nay on a relationship with star. like a few chapters, or will he never decide.

OK, enough compliments. All you ever seem to do is post on this thread. Go review my fics too now. One of em is in my sig, and the other is called "the raven flocks alone." Join the fun!

once again, GREAT chapter.

[raven54]

reid's right it IS fun. he's a good writer too so i think you'd enjoy it. and L.W.'s fics. And P.C.'s fics. And Crowgirl's, and rrarbecy's, and starburn's, and Rae's, and panda22's, and ..... :D

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well...I see we got some feedback during the weekend...This is good.

This means you guys will get Chapter 10.

Um...But before that...

---
"as long as you can read from one point continuously to another and progress chronologically, then it's all good."
---

I'm not entirely sure what you mean...No, the fics are not all chronologically placed- that is, one fic does not take place after another. On the contrary- they all take place at the same time, but from different characters points of view. Quest for Destiny! is the core of it all, and it includes EVERYONE at some point or another.

Winds of Fate is a subdivision of Quest for Destiny!- all of the Winds of Fate stories take place during the same course of time and all end in the same place- leading right into Q4D!.

---
"as to the hints
umm...
i remember those things from the t.v. show
is that it?
please don't be angry with me
maybe i'll get it tomorrow"
---

Um...Why would I be angry...?

Oh, well, then again...On another site I DO deal with morons who sometimes don't get the most obvious things when I throw it out there...

By the end of Chapter 10 it should be painfully clear that, yes, they are LIKE the episodes in Season 2. This fic starts right after 'Season 1,' so to say. But, in case you haven't realized, things aren't happening the same. This is very important and will be explained later in more detail over the next Chapter or two, methinks...

Hm...I know of a handy image-hosting site...I just need to find it...Then I can show you guys some of my own banners...

I feel reluctant to visit that avatar site now...

Robin being killed doesn't sound fun...

Raven shooting Starfire in the head DEFINITELY doesn't sound like something I want to look at...Oh, no, not the blood. I love blood in movies and the like- at least, where they're supposed to be and such.

As far as guys saying that guys are cute...

Girls comment on other girls being cute all the time, last I checked...Even in Paper Mario 2! Come to think of it, Paper Mario 2 has more 'sexual incinuations' than any Mario game I've ever played before, that's for sure. Plenty of flirting, all right- even people hitting on Mario. :p I love that game thus far...It has deterred me from writing these past few days. You can blame it for me not updating this weekend, I guess- not that I could get on the net, anyway...

Anyway, guys ARE allowed to be able to tell if other guys are attractive to girls, you know. In a way, it's sort of like scoping out 'competition'...

I could explain many reasons why guys find certain qualities in girls attractive and vice versa- Discovery Channel is a wonderful thing- but this isn't the time for that, now is it?

Speaking of sexual incinuations, here's Chapter 10! By the way- it's frickin' LONG.


<-{--[*<Begin Transmission>*]--}->

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 10- Rough Around the Edges

{Their civilization was destroyed...}

The girl was in deep thought and awe as she flipped a tan page over to reveal the opposite side. The edges of the pages of her book were a bit tattered, but in fair condition. Raven was quite intrigued as to how this book felt so old, yet looked relatively well. She had a strange sense about these old tomes- she could FEEL how old they were.

{When I use my powers on an object, I become a part of it, and...it becomes a part of me...}

She could remember that odd conversation she had with Cyborg weeks ago faintly. It was the same type of connection Cyborg had with machines.

{Hm...} She studied another drawing carefully. It portrayed a girl- one of these strange 'echidna' creatures (though they didn't look like echidnas SHE knew of at all). The girl was leaned up against a very large diamond of some sort. Lines were drawn around the gem, as if to portray a radiant glow.

{Whatever was happening to them...This girl stopped it,} Raven realized, gazing at the pictures on the following pages, skipping a large amount of strange text. The large monster that had been attacking this ancient civilization was being...sucked into the large stone...Raven was completely confused, but something had been compelling her to read on. She finally decided that it was a little late. Normally she would stay up and read more, but she had had quite a rough day- physically, mentally, and emotionally.

She then realized that she wasn't even in her bedroom- the book had been so captivating. She was sitting exactly where she had been when Cyborg had left to go to bed- on the couch in the main living room on the top floor and center of the tower.

As she closed her old tome and rubbed her eyes, she was almost frightened as a figure came drifting into the room, looking almost like a gloomy ghost in the darkness.

"...Starfire...?" she mumbled tiredly. "Is that you...?"

"...Mmm..." came a weary hum.

Raven could sense that Starfire was sleepy, and slightly upset about something.

"Where's Robin...?" she asked quietly, floating over toward Star. Her skinny arms were hanging low, and her eyelids were half open. Her elegant dress waved around as she flew along, adding more to her ghost-like appearance.

"Starfire?" Raven tapped her tuckered out friend on the shoulder sharply. "Whhhhat's going on? What took you guys so long?"

Starfire's eyes opened a bit, revealing bags beneath them.

"...We were...delayed..." Starfire went on to explain briefly about how a clown at the carnival had gone berserk and started mutating balloons into monsters. They had taken care of the matter before the rest of the Titans had been contacted.

"Whoa," Raven muttered, feeling sorry. "...That kinda...sucks..."

Starfire nodded, her head tipping to the side slightly. Raven helped ease her through the halls to her bedroom, conversing a little on the way.

"So...How did things go...before the end?"

Starfire rubbed at her eyes and moaned, "I do not know," massaging her forehead warily. "I cannot say...It...is late, I have exhausted myself, and- ...Please forgive me, Raven, but I must save my story for tomorrow. If I do not receive the efficient amount of rest I require, then-" She let loose a huge yawn, stretching her gloved arms out wide. "-...then I will be unable to perform actions of any kind, let alone recite my experiences..."

They had reached her room, and Starfire was flopping herself down on her cushiony bed. Raven was expecting her to at least take her shoes off, but she was too sleepy to do so, it seemed. Chuckling, Raven slipped the shiny red heels off of her sore feet and tossed them to the side of the bed. Her mouth agape, Star was already diving into slumber, letting out a gentle snore as she did so. Raven almost had trouble restraining her snickers as she slid a puffy pillow under Starfire's head.

"Quite a night, huh?" she mumbled, shaking her head lightly. She realized just how funny this really was- a month ago she could care less about such a sight. But tonight, it made her laugh. {I guess I'm changing more than I thought.}

Seeing that her friend would sleep just fine- like a log- Raven exited the room, proceeding toward her own place. She didn't notice the darkened figure walking behind her, though, until he called out.

"...Raven?"

Raven's heart skipped a beat as she spun around, relieved to see it was only Robin, who was still in his tuxedo.

"Oh, Robin, uh...Did things go well?" she muttered slowly.

Robin sighed as he paced toward her, shrugging.

"I guess...Wh...What were you doing?" he asked her, completely baffled.

"I, eh...I was just making sure she got to her BED all right, she seemed really tired, so...-"

Robin finally got to where she was standing in the black hallways, and gave her a perplexed expression.

"Umm...If you say so...If ya don't mind...-" he trailed off, rounding the corner to his room, which was down the hall a piece.

"Well, good night, then," Raven called back, just as confused as he was.

{What's up with Robin?} Raven pondered as she opened her door, watching it close. {Something must have happened, and I don't think it had to do with a clown...}

-

"SAY WHAT?!" Beastboy shrieked, utterly shocked.

Mario nodded slightly, smirking, as Robin's comment sunk in. He was leaned up against the wall of the gym, lifting a small weight with his right arm.

Cyborg, who had been bench-pressing, had accidentally dropped his weight. He would've been out of breath if his body weren't made of titanium.

"Seriously?" he wheezed out.

Robin, who was focusing on a big punching bag, nodded solemnly. After giving it a swift spin-kick, he answered verbally, "She did..."

"...Starfire...? Frenching...?" Beastboy murmured in complete surprise.

"Tell me about it," Cyborg moaned, ripping his heavy weights off of him. "That just don't sound right, Rob..."

"I KNOW, Cyborg...That's why I was confused..." Robin proceeded to give the tough, orange sack a flurry of kung fu chops.

"Dude, I knew Star liked you and everything, but...FRENCHING...?" Beastboy's voice cracked, his eyes wide.

"She said on her home planet that it doesn't mean the same thing it means here," Robin explained, trying to settle his friends down.

"...Psh, yea, that's what she'll TELL you," Beastboy told him with suspicion. "Starfire's not stupid, Robin. She knows what she's doing."

Robin took a deep breath as he nailed the bag with his fists.

"I KNOW, Beastboy," he grumbled through clenched teeth. "But Starfire doesn't LIE, either..."

Beastboy was caught on that one. "Oh...Right. Yea, forgot about that part..." he mumbled meekly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So...How good was she?"

After a moment of silence, everyone in the room slowly creaked their heads to stare at Mario's sly and humorous smile. It was a bit hard to tell whether his question was serious or not.

But either way, the answer became obvious as Robin's cheeks flushed as red as Mario's hat. Cyborg started to chuckle heartily, and Beastboy elbowed Robin with congratulations.

"Hehe...What's up, Rob? Cat got your tongue?" He quickly morphed into a Jaguar, growled, and switched back to normal.

"...Guh...It was...interesting," Robin squeaked, coughing.

"Haha...Boo yah, baby," Cyborg laughed. "Rob got the goods, huh?"

Robin was slowly inching his way out of the room.

"HEY! Who's hungry for breakfast?" he asked loudly in a desperate attempt to drop the subject.

"Shall we continue our torturing later?" Beastboy asked his comrades devilishly.

"Oh, let's," Mario replied with the same evil tone.

/)=(

"REAL eggs!!"

"Tofu eggs!!"

As Sonic and Beastboy were at each other's throats, Tikal sighed in the background, shaking her head slowly. She was leaned up against the counter next to the fridge, and didn't even notice Tenochtitlan pour her a glass of orange juice.

"Oh!...Thank you," she said politely.

"No problem," Tay replied contently. She watched the quarrel go on as the two kept shouting and shoving each other.

"...Should we stop them...?" Tikal asked nervously. Tenoch giggled as she sipped some citrus liquid.

"I dunno. They're really cute when they're mad, don't ya think?"

"Oh, yes, VERY," Raven answered with some humor as she poured herself some tea from the pot that had been brewing nearby.

"Oh, Ray," Tay muttered, giving her a light push in the arm. "Do you want us to get Link in the fight, too? Maybe then you'll be happy..." She ended her sentence with a teasing finger wave.

The orange juice in her glass was blackened just before it exploded vertically, splattering on the ceiling.

"...Sorry," Raven mumbled embarrassedly after a moment of silence, reaching for some paper towels and flying to the ceiling to clean it off. BB and Sonic were still going at it, while Cyborg had jumped in to cast his vote for bacon.

"...I was just kidding, Ray," Tay mumbled. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's all right, Tenochtitlan," Raven assured her shyly. "I guess there's no point in trying to hide it..."

"You like Link?" Tikal guessed, though it wasn't quite a guess. She was trying to be polite, at least, instead of embarrassing the girl further.

"...You could say that," she slowly murmured with pink cheeks.

"Why don't ya ask him out on a date, then?" Tay whispered, elbowing her. Raven shook her head quickly, not glancing at her friend's orange eyes. "Or at least spend some time with him..."

"I-I can't," she grumbled. "I just can't see us dating..."

Tikal shrugged, as she could understand how that felt. She once felt that way about Sonic. Why that was she couldn't quite remember, but as she glanced at him, she knew what was linked to it. Sonic's arms were tightly wrapped around Beastboy's head, and around his arm was that bracelet of small seashells. That bracelet...A girl had given it to him...He had told her that, but that was as far as he'd spoken of the matter...She could feel the presence and the personality, but not the name or the appearance of this girl.

"You'll never know until you ASK," Tay slyly told her. Raven's expression winced briefly.

"I KNOW. I don't WANT to ask..." she groaned between grit teeth. "At least not yet...I'm not ready..."

Tenochtitlan smiled warmly and gave Raven's head a friendly pat.

"That's OK. Don't rush yourself." She had yellow eyes now, and was rubbing Raven's shoulder calmly. "You're too tense, you need to lighten up a bit."

"I've been trying," Raven admitted, sipping her tea.

Tenochtitlan noticed the black spot on her arm, about as big as it had been the morning before. She couldn't help but reach out and try to touch it. Raven flinched a little as she did so, and the girl removed her hands immediately.

"I'm sorry," she spat out quickly, her color purple now. "Does that hurt?"

Raven glanced at it to note its size, and muttered, "Nnnot really."

Tay slowly moved her hand toward it again, glancing up to Raven for approval. Raven nodded slightly and held her arm out. Perplexed with brown eyes, Tenochtitlan rubbed her friend's smooth black skin. It felt like it should, at least. It felt perfectly fine.

"It's internal?" she wondered aloud. Raven shrugged.

"Not sure," she mumbled. "Whatever it is, I hope it stops soon..."

They let out a cry of surprise as Sonic's body came whizzing by them. He crashed into the sink, causing a clanky rumble. Beastboy, in gorilla form, pounded his chest wildly, grunting. No sooner had he shown off had Cyborg lunged at him, battering the boy's thick skull with his big fists. Raven was left with her tea splattered all over her, once again. {Another $50,} she growled mentally.

"...I suddenly lost my appetite," Raven groaned dully. "I'll see you girls later..."

"Bye." "See ya."

The frowning girl hurried from the room, seeking shelter from their pointless chaos. She headed for her room, eager to dive back into her book. She'd eat later on, when all the kiddies were done playing.

(!)(!)

As a slightly upset-looking Starfire had drifted into the kitchen, her arms drooping, the boys were still wrestling each other. Tay and Tikal had given up on trying to stop them. It had gotten to the point where now they were just sparring for the heck of it- and the kitchen just happened to where they were at the time.

Starfire attempted to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, but when she headed for the cupboard to retrieve some food, Beastboy came slamming into her, knocking her head into the wooden doors. She frowned bitterly as she lay on the floor, her head jammed into a pile of cereal boxes. Popping herself out and shaking her hair back behind her head, she fiercely grabbed a box of 'Syrupy Sugary Cubes' and slammed it on the countertop.

"Why must breakfast constantly be converted into a foolish game?" she grumbled. "You three act as if you have been infected with the oomple bobs!"

Everyone in the room had no idea what she was talking about, but based on her touchy demeanor, no one dared to ask. "You quarrel is as if the Gragglorians have declared war upon Javveb Six..."

She paused and glanced at their perplexed faces dully.

"Perhaps there is a satisfactory explanation behind such behavior?" she asked with a snippy voice. There was about three seconds of uncomfortable silence.

"...Tofu sucks," Cyborg answered, trying to lighten the room up. Beastboy even cracked a smile, but Star didn't. She simply let out one of her high 'Hmph!''s and got a cup out, pouring the brown chunks of 'Syrupy Sugary Cubes' into it.

"Something wrong, Star?" Beastboy inquired fearfully.

One of Starfire's short red brows raised, and she spoke with a fake cheerfulness.

"What would lead you to hypothesize such a notion?" She was dumping milk into her large cup of cereal, now. "I simply do not appreciate such behavior in an area designed for consuming rations..." She slammed the fridge door shut after putting the milk back in it. She loved milk; it was one of her favorite drinks. Mustard was included on that list, of course. She proceeded to rant at them in the same snippy tone as she had before.

"Why argue over what you will dine upon when you all can simply concoct your own meals? Such a thought must require too much brain activity, and you have insufficient-"

Cutting into her sarcastic speech was Robin, who came trudging into the room tiredly. As Starfire noticed his presence, she let out a short shriek and whipped open a cabinet door, hiding herself from his gaze. When Robin found out that Starfire was in the room, he did the same- but with the refrigerator door. He snatched an orange and quickly closed the door, sneaking out of the room as quickly and quietly as he could.

Starfire acknowledged his leave. Biting her lip, she drew the cupboard shut, sighing.

"Uhhhh...Star...?" Beastboy poked, breaking the strange silence. He tried again to uncover the mystery. "...What's up...?"

Starfire gave him a despondent glance before drinking from her tall cup of cereal. After crunching the food within it, she grumbled, "Nothing is 'up.' Quite the contrary..."

Before she knew it, Tay was behind her, stroking her shiny, smooth hair warmly.

"Care to talk about it...?" she asked sympathetically.

Starfire whimpered, and whispered, "I do not wish to place any burden upon you...It is my own difficulty, I must overcome it."

"STAR," Tay moaned, shoving her somewhat. "You won't be putting anything on us, all right? Don't you know you can talk about stuff with us?"

"Yea!" Beastboy agreed, walking to her side. "We're all here for ya."

"He's right, yo," Cyborg agreed.

"Of course," came Tikal.

"You bet," Sonic added with smirk.

Starfire was fidgeting with her hair nervously, blushing.

"I-...Perhaps...Mmm...Later," she finally spat out with a sigh. "I do not wish to converse so candidly about such matters at this time..." She gulped another mouthful of cereal as she began to exit the room. "Forgive me, friends. I will see you later..."

The others gazed in confused silence as Star exited the room in a rush.

"...Dude, something happened last night with those two," Beastboy announced bluntly.

"NAW, ya think?" Cyborg groaned. "They're both only actin' weird as all get out..."

Tenochtitlan eyed Beastboy carefully before murmuring, "What do you know about this?"

Beastboy flashed a nervous grin as he recalled the morning's conversation he'd had with Robin and the guys.

Suddenly, his face became pale and horrified as he remembered the major detail of it all- at least, to him, it was the major detail.

"...Starfire...FRENCHING...???" he whispered to himself to awe.

Cyborg shook his head and smacked his face.

"...What?" Tay mumbled, her purple eyes wide.

"Starfire got a little...touchy-feely with Rob last night. You know how she can be, just imagine it on a warm, fuzzy level," Cyborg explained. "If ya don't know how much that girl likes him, yo crazy," he added.

"But STILL," Beastboy squeaked. "She French-kissed him on the first date..." He almost fell over, but Tay caught his skinny body.

"...Hit third base at the crack of the bat, huh?" Sonic chuckled to himself. "Didn't know she had it in her..."

Tikal frowned and smacked his shoulder. "Sonic, don't talk about it like THAT," she scolded.

"What? I was just kidding," he grumbled back at her defensively.

"Yo!" Cyborg cried, shutting them all up. "I don't think it's really any o' our business what they DID, all right? What matters is that they're actin' messed up."

"Starfire probably made Robin feel awkward," Tenochtitlan guessed. "She seems to have a habit of doing that to people..." She felt a little sad for her Tamaranian friend.

"'Sides, Robin's not quite a lady's man, anyways," Beastboy said sneakily, lifting his brows.

"Whatever," Cyborg growled. "My point is that they're bein' weird, and we need to help fix it."

"That sounds like a good idea," Tikal admitted, nodding. Sonic, who had carefully snuck around the kitchen as this conversation unfolded, was getting a pan ready to scramble eggs. REAL eggs.

/=-=

The golden canyon was trembling as they dashed across its sandy surfaces. They had been alerted when small earthquakes began to pop up outside the city to the west. Whatever it was, it wasn't natural, and it was headed right toward them. Cyborg, Beastboy, Link, and Tenochtitlan had immediately jumped in the T-car, while Robin had hopped in his slick R-Cycle. Raven and Starfire soared with Tikal through the air speedily, and Sonic ran below them, alongside the two vehicles. Mario, however, was making large bounds in the distance. The leaps he made were long enough and fast enough to keep up with his comrades.

Raven had attempted to squeeze some info out of Starfire, but Star had dropped the subject immediately, saying that now was not the time for gossiping.

"You WILL tell me later, then," Raven checked.

Starfire's emerald eyes quickly examined Raven's seriousness.

"...Of course, Raven," she murmured solemnly.

Meanwhile, in the T-Car, Link was getting car sick, and Tay was hanging her head out of the window, letting her black braids of hair flow wildly. She giggled as Beastboy did the same in front of her, as he was sitting a seat ahead. He stuck out his tongue, however, and let the saliva that flung off splash his girlfriend in the face. She laughed in a giddy fashion as she wiped it off with her bare arm.

"Don't be gettin' any slobber on my baby," Cyborg snapped quickly. "Me and Ray spent a long time fixin' her up..."

Bursting into their car was Robin voice from the radio. The whirring of his cycle roared in the background as he told them the plan.

"I've found our target- three giant scorpions. Everyone in the T-Car, take out the one on the left. Everyone else, destroy the one on the right. I'll start on the middle one, so back me up when you're done. Titans, let's move!"

"Gotcha Rob," Cyborg replied. He grinned as he veered off to the left, and the car rocked from the rough terrain. "You heard the man- let's roll!"

The deep gash in the earth below them that formed a canyon gradually shrunk as they sped away from it, and a thirty-foot black metal scorpion was getting bigger.

"Hang tight, y'all!" the bionic teen shouted as he carefully approached their enemy. He teased it as he whizzed right by it, and it took a swipe with its right claw, only to miss. With a whooping yell, Cyborg slammed the wheel to the left, sending the car spinning ninety degrees and bumping over a boulder. It skidded to a stop, and all four of them barged out of their vehicle, prepared for battle.

Beastboy's body metamorphosized into a pterodactyl, and Tenochtitlan pounced onto his back with great agility. As the duo rose into the sky, Tay readied her strong, wooden staff, her eyes glowing red.

Cyborg pounded his feet into the ground as he stuck out his right arm, charging his cannon. With great precision, he nailed the creature's face about three times, stunning it some. As it recovered, it crawled back a little, stiffening its long tail. The giant spike on the end looked very unfriendly, and it was about to slam into whatever it could.

Link was running alongside Cyborg, carrying his sword in his left hand and a new toy in his right. Cyborg had helped him develop a very durable shield, which Link certainly knew how to use. It was made of the same material as Cyborg's armor, so it provided good protection. Link had painted a very simple design on it- three yellow triangle arranged in a triangle themselves. The boy was ready to jump into action, and he suggested a strategy.

"I'll take care of his tail, you keep blasting his face!"

Cyborg nodded in reply, and the two split up, dodging in opposite directions. As the segmented metal tail whipped into the ground with great speed, it crushed the dirt to dust, but got caught in the hard ground. As Cyborg gleefully pelted at its face with more blue energy, Link raised his sword up over his head. As he bounded forth, he used the momentum to send his sword slicing through the air vertically, clipping off the tail's tip in one clean sweep. The noise the sword made as it cut through the metal and hit the rocky floor was loud and satisfying.

"My turn!!" Tay screamed with cheer as she twirled her staff with insane speed in her right hand and shot out her left palm. A fierce gust of freezing cold wind- about twenty feet in diameter- blew downward at the foe. Chunks of ice could be heard as they crunched into the black surface of the strange robotic beast. After about ten seconds of this barrage, the creature hardened over in a case of frozen water. It struggled to break free, but Cyborg and Link had already plotted another tactic before it could do so.

"Thanks, Tay!" Cyborg called, waving an arm to the dup above. He was a bit surprised as he accidentally wound up catching a glance of Tenochtitlan's underwear- a sight he never expected to see, for sure. She was wearing a skirt and was flying about thirty feet above him, so it was no surprise. He immediately looked away, wincing.

"NAUGH-TY!!" Tenochtitlan teased, laughing humorously, for she knew what had just happened.

Link was left in the dark, and Beastboy eyed Cyborg with a frown, still in her pterodactyl form.

"What-?"

"Nothin'," Cyborg interrupted Link, aiming his cannon at the monster's head yet again. "You ready?"

"Anytime, anywhere," Link answered coolly, reeling back his left arm. He whipped it forward, sending his blade whirling through the sky, spinning like a buzz saw. Cyborg fired his giant laser at it, which send it even faster. The combination exploded into their enemy's head, shattering it to pieces. as icy chunks of robot rained down, the remains of the machine slowly clattered to the dusty ground, and the ice coating around it cracked off. Strange fluid spilled out of its neck, creating a puddle of black where its head used to be.

"Booyah!" Cyborg jeered, giving Link a high-five. Links blue-hilted blade came wildly twirling downward. It came to an abrupt stop as it hit the ground, making a chink sound as it did so. It landed at a sixty-degree angle, its metal digging a few inches into the dirt.

]-)()(-[

While this was going on, about three hundred yards away, on the other side of the canyon, the rest of the gang was pounding the second scorpion.

Mario, about fifty feet behind it, bent down before launching his body into the air quite fast. As he came whizzing at it like a missile, he flung flames from his palms with great speed, which exploded into the monster's back and tail. Sonic was distracting it with his agility- it would waste its time taking swipes, only to miss. Mario had flipped his body 180 degrees so that as he collided with the foe, his feet came crunching into the back of its head, and he bounced off gracefully, nailing its tail with a swift kick as he did so.

Raven, in the meantime, had scooped up rocks and boulders in the nearby area with her supernatural powers, and was preparing to blow them away like rockets. The stones exploded into the robot's back as Sonic tossed a disc of blue wind energy into its gut. Tikal was hovering before it now, and absorbed all the blows it attempted to land with her barrier. As she brushed her bangs out of her view, she watched Mario come crashing into its head with a mighty stomp, crushing it on impact. He held out his right palm and shot out a steady stream of fire into its 'skull' to continue the damage.

Raven recognized that this beast was done for, but she realized something else, too.

{Where'd Starfire go?}

Off in the canyon, Robin was speeding in his cycle, heading straight for the last scorpion, who was chasing a girl with long, blonde hair. Robin couldn't make out any details at the time- only that she was running from it. He adjusted his steering a little and put the pedal to the metal. He came zipping along and managed to scoop the teenage girl with his right arm as he continued to steer with his left, skillfully zooming around the robotic creature. A few seconds later, when he felt they were at a safe distance, he skidded to a stop, setting the confused young woman on her feet.

"What-...?" she managed to mumble.

"It's all right, we've got ya covered," Robin assured her. "Just hang in tight."

He prepared to speed off, but the girl chased after him.

"What are you doing?!" she cried out. As she jogged his way, she realized that he was going to attempt to destroy the robot. What he didn't know was that she wasn't helpless.

Robin was closing in on his foe, and he withdrew a birdarang from his belt. The scorpion didn't notice his presence, however, as it seemed to be distracted from the front. Robin whipped out his device swiftly, and it whizzed through the air before exploding on the creature's back, doing a bit of damage. Robin slowed his vehicle down considerably as he reached the back of the beast Robin proceeded to whip out his extendable metal bo and make a run for the monster's tail, eager to lop it off.

The girl he had left behind was making ground, though, as she was gliding their way on a small boulder that was shrouded in yellow energy. She shot her fists into the air, and they glowed a beaming gold. The ground began to tremble slightly, and parts of the canyon's upper section began to crumble. Robin noticed this, and he prepared to speed out of the way of the rockslide about to occur. However, as he passed the monster, he noticed something up ahead that he hadn't seen before.

The scorpion was having a fight with Starfire as it tried to claw her and she blasted starbolts at it. Star was caught off guard when she noticed the earthquake going on, leaving her open to attack. A large, black claw clamped itself around her fiercely, stunning her. Gasping for breath from the blow to her gut, Star was too dazed to act. Robin's adrenaline kicked in immediately, and he lashed out his staff like a boomerang. It twirled fiercely through the air before crashing into the metal claw, releasing Starfire from its grasp. She plummeted toward the ground, half conscious, as Robin increased his speed to catch her. Chunks of stone were falling from the canyon's sides now, but Robin was too concerned with saving his friend.

He pressed a blue button quickly, setting his bike on auto drive, and held out his arms desperately. In the millisecond he felt her silky, blood red hair touch his gloves, he felt relieved. However, just as her body landed in his hands, a boulder had fallen to the ground before him, just to his left. He couldn't really see with Starfire's hair whipping at his helmet's visor, and he couldn't switch off auto-drive with her in his hands, anyway.

As a result, his bike rammed into the boulder and veered to the right, heading for a fresh pile of rocks that had smashed into the dirt. As the bike flipped vertically from colliding head-on into another rock, Robin and Starfire were sent careening into the rubble with a crash.

/)-][-(

Her eyelids slowly creaked open, twitching madly as they did so. She couldn't see anything, however, as everything was a blurry mess for a few seconds. Her head was whirling, and she didn't know where she was. Before the Tamaranian realized her location, she felt pain everywhere. Surges of pain shot from all around her body. Her arm, her leg, her wrist...And ESPECIALLY her head. She slowly reached up a hand to rub her aching cranium, but no sooner had she moved it was she paralyzed with a wave of hurting. She sucked in air, her teeth clenched, and grabbed her aching right arm with her left, only to feel that it was in a sling.

But now her nerves had been awakened, and she now knew where she was. She was laying on the couch in the main living room, her head pitched up by a fluffy, velvet pillow. She could feel that something was wrapped around her head, as well. She moved her left arm- which was completely bare, up to her forehead carefully. She went through the messy bangs to feel a bandage wrapped around her head. She moved to the back of her neck to notice that her hair had been lifted when the bandage was put in place, so you could only see it in the front.

With a groan, she managed to sit herself upright briefly. She noticed her legs were bare, as well- the boots had been removed. Another strap of cloth had been tightly squeezed around her left calf, and a red spot could be seen through it. Scratches and bruises covered her legs and arm, and she could feel them all burning. With a whimper, she slowly set herself down again, wishing to go back to sleep and avoid the awful pain. There was no one around at the moment, and Starfire wished there were.

{What has happened to me?} she wondered in confusion, her mind clouded. {How did I sustain such injuries...?}

After some concentration through the numbing headache she was experiencing, she could recall a canyon. Yes, and a robot...Robin...She was going to help him, and...She couldn't really remember much more than that.

"DANG...Were you messed up, or what?"

Starfire's eyes shot open to see Sonic shaking his head down at her. He had that look on his face that showed he was trying to envision the pain first- hand.

"Yes, she was injured quite badly," Tikal murmured from his side sadly. When she noticed that Starfire was awake, she smiled sympathetically. "Are you feeling all right...?"

"I am not sure," Star answered shakily.

"Well, you WILL be all right soon enough," Tenochtitlan answered calmly, straightening out her red hair with care.

"...Forgive me for asking, but...What has happened?" she moaned drearily, squinting her eyes in mid sentence.

"Don't worry about that right now," Tay answered. "Just take it easy, OK, Star?"

"Mmm," Star cringed back, her face contorting from the rush of pain flowing into her head. As she drifted out of consciousness, the people around her conversed about what to do next.

)(

"Is she all right?" his voice solemnly questioned.

"Uh...She's-" Cyborg fumbled a bit. "She's a bit banged up, but-"

"Is she all right??" Robin demanded again with a much firmer tone.

"Yea, Rob, yea," his friend assured, sticking his palms out defensively. "She's just a little messed up, but Ray says she'll be fine."

"Don't worry about Starfire," Raven told Robin calmly. "She's tough- she'll be OK. But you...We need to worry about you first..."

"What? What are you talking about? Go help HER first," Robin commanded, as if it were a given.

Raven began to place her palms around Robin's leg cast.

"Trust me, Robin, she's better off than you are. She's a Tamaranian, so she'll heal quicker than you. Your leg needs some attention right now before it worsens..."

As black orbs shrouded her hands as she prepared to work on Robin's leg, Cyborg decided to check on the others out in the hall to see how they treating this strange girl that had shown up.

"I just sorta hop from here to there. I go where the wind takes me," the blonde girl told them. She was a very thin girl with big purple eyes. Her gold hair flowed down just below her shoulders. She wore a black sweatshirt and yellow shorts, and a pair of goggles was slung around her neck.

"Mm," Link hummed with a nod.

"So how do ya like our digs?" Mario asked her casually.

"Ehhh..." Terra glanced about the hallway. "It's a little...serious. But it's really nice, I'll admit."

"So, uh...Where do YOU live?" Beastboy asked her curiously.

Terra bit her lip and slowly answered. "Well...I told you, I go from place to place...I don't really HAVE a home..."

"Oh," Beastboy mumbled sadly.

Cyborg walked up to the group and stuck his metal hand out. As the girl nervously accepted the handshake, Cyborg asked, "So, little lady, what's your name?"

"I'm Terra. Nice to meet ya. You're Cyborg, aren't you?"

The robo-man grinned and shrugged. "Well, whaddya know? I'm famous."

"I've heard about you guys," Terra pointed out excitedly. "The Teen Titans. You guys rock!"

"Thanks," Beastboy murmured, his cheeks pink as she smiled at him.

"But I heard there were only five of you," she added, confused.

"Ya heard wrong," Mario informed her, scratching his head. "We've been ten for about a couple weeks."

"Really...?" Terra's eyes glowed for a moment with hope. {Does that mean that I might have a home? A REAL home? Not a cave, or a cliff, but a real home...?}

"Oh, yea," Beastboy confirmed.

"You know," Terra piped up suddenly, looking like she would burst. "I've got some powers myself, ya know..."

A sudden scream of agony exploded through the halls as Raven operated on Robin, obviously having induced some type of pain.

"Whoa..." Terra whispered in shock. "Was that your friend...?"

"Don't worry about Rob," Cyborg assured her. "He's a'ight. That accident was pretty nasty, though. Lucky you didn't get caught in there..."

Terra smirked half-heartedly, feeling guilt pound into her.

"Y-y-yea..."

((()))

[Destiny_Smasher]

"Star! What are you doing? Sit down." Tenochtitlan eased Starfire back to the couch's cushion, being very careful not to hurt her.

"But-"

"But nothing!" Tay cut her off with concern. She spoke with her gentle tone, but it displayed her worry powerfully. "You sit here and take it easy, Star." Tenochtitlan's eyes were a violet shade as she spoke, her soft chocolate hand on her friend's shoulder. She crouched down in front of the couch, before Star's head. Sonic and Tikal had left to check on Robin, so Tenochtitlan stayed to care for the Tamaranian.

Starfire whimpered, her emerald eyes glazed. Staring at the ceiling, she murmured, "Robin...What happened to Robin...?" She squinted her eyes shut as the pounding headache she was going through came in full force.

Tenochtitlan sighed as her purple glance moved to the floor.

"You don't remember, do you?" she mumbled.

"I only...-" Star cringed for a moment. "I only remember that I went to help Robin, and...I am worried that perhaps he...-" She sucked in air between her teeth and let out a deep breath. Tay's grip on her shoulder tightened for a moment as she could almost feel the pain herself.

"You and Robin were caught in a rockslide. Robin's doing fine. Don't worry, OK?"

Star's green eyes stared over to Tay's violet ones.

"I AM worried...I must see him..."

Tenochtitlan could feel the desperation in Star's voice and see it in her pleading face.

"You can't right now, Star," she whispered, feeling awful. "I'm sorry, but...You just need to relax, all right? You're in bad shape."

"I do not need to be informed of what pain I am going through," Starfire informed Tenochtitlan firmly. "I believe I am the best judge of my own condition."

Starfire sat up slowly, and Tay eyed her carefully.

"Star..."

Starfire began to drift upward slightly, and Tay was hesitant to grab her for a moment.

"Starfire, you really shouldn't-"

"I do not care," Star spat out with some bitterness, her head throbbing. She was hovering shakily, and it looked like she might collapse any moment. "I wish to see Robin, and...-" She trailed off, overcome with fatigue and pain in a nasty combination. Tenochtitlan had jumped up and reached her arms out to wrap them around her friend. As Starfire gave way, Tay grasped her tightly, trying to be careful, Star's head flopped back over Tay's arms, her blood red hair draping down. Staring at Star's tan chin, Tenochtitlan had some difficulty in setting her down to a laying position. Star moaned here and there, and Tay sat, staring at her agonizing expression.

"...Tay?" Beastboy had come into the large, relatively quite room. "How is she?" he asked slowly.

Tay was sniffling, sitting with her knees to her chin. She couldn't bear to see her friend in such pain.

"Tay..." Beastboy sat next to her and put his skinny arm around her shoulder. "She's gonna be all right..." he tried to assure her, though he was worried himself. The bandages all over her made him feel horrible. She was worse off then Robin was. At least Robin had been wearing some protective gear- like a helmet, for one. Starfire had been left with a big, bloody gash on her head. Fortunately, it was now covered in white cloth, but a dark red spot could be seen.

He tried to come up with something humorous to lighten the mood a bit.

"Whoa," he muttered in realization. "She's wearing as little clothes as you are!"

Tay choked a laugh and elbowed him, still watery-eyed. "Beastboy, it's not funny," she mumbled as her small smile vanished.

"No, seriously, she's almost naked!"

"Beastboy," she scolded with brown eyes, her tone stern. He quickly caught on to it and shut his mouth.

"Sorry..."

"She didn't deserve this," Tay spat out bitterly. "Star didn't deserve this...Neither did Robin...What did they ever do??"

Beastboy was a little taken back by her sudden burst.

"Well, Tay...It's-...Stuff happens, ya know? I mean, you can't expect to fight crime without-" He stopped talking when he saw tears flooding down Tenochtitlan's face, and she pressed her body against his. Beastboy had a gut feeling that this went beyond Robin and Starfire.

"...Why?" she gasped. "They didn't deserve it...They all died...because of ME..." She squeaked at the end, and Beastboy felt her soft hands dig into his shoulders. "All of them...just gone..."

She began to mumble inaudibly as her body trembled, and Beastboy was completely confused. What was she talking about? It seemed that this event reminded her of something from her past somehow or something...

"Tay? Wait...Who's 'them?' C'mon, tell me what you're talking about..." He shook her a little, trying to awaken her from her trauma.

Her eyes peeled open, but she couldn't see since they were full of water.

"I-...They-...I don't KNOW," she whimpered, getting frustrated. "I can't remember, but...I do, sort of, and-..." She drooped her head down again in despair. "I feel like I'm ripped in half," she whispered, her black hair dangling before her face, which was pressed against Beastboy's chest. "I have memories, but...They don't make sense, and I-..." She huffed, letting tears drip into her lap. "I don't remember MYSELF, and it's scary, and-" She broke down, her voice shaking terribly. It was difficult to describe in words.

Beastboy was shocked and upset from this sudden burst of agony. First Star and Robin, now Tay...He rubbed her back slowly, waiting for her to calm down. Over the next five or ten minutes, she seemed to drift out of consciousness and come back.

"You OK now?" Beastboy finally asked her when he noticed she wasn't crying. She blinked up at him with confused, violet eyes.

"Hm?" She lifted her head from his body, rubbing it slowly.

"You, eh...You were just-..." Beastboy lifted a brow, perplexed. "Um...You don't remember," he grumbled in realization.

Tay wiped water from her cheeks, overcome with an awkward feeling.

"...What don't I remember?" she asked.

Before Beastboy could say anything in response, Raven came flying into the room, her cape whipping about. She looked like a shadow that flowed through the air, her expression dire.

As she reached the couch, she hovered over it momentarily, staring at Starfire's bruised body. She had a very sympathetic look about her- one that could never be found on Raven of weeks passed.

"Starfire," she mumbled as she descended, her hands flashing with black energy. "Starfire, can you hear me?" she asked as she drifted in the air just above her best friend.

"Nnnn," Star answered, gradually peeling open her eyes.

Raven sighed of relief as she inspected Starfire's injuries.

"Good...Star, I'm gonna need you to stay with me, all right? Can you do that?"

"...-will try..." she weakly answered.

"That's it. Now..." Her purple eyes scanned across the Tamaranian body as she decided where to start. {Her injuries are serious...But they've improved since we got her here...} Raven knew that this was because her Tamaranian body was in a rush to heal her injuries. Though she was able to do this, it also drained her more than it would a normal human.

Raven pressed her hands against Star's left calf, where a bandage had been wrapped to stop bleeding.

Starfire let out a shrill and quick cry, and Raven winced as she retreated her arms.

"Sorry!" she spat ," Star whimpered, quite awake now.

"...A-all right..."

Beastboy and Tay watched, amazed, as Raven placed her palms back on Starfire's leg. The girl grit her teeth and sucked in air as Raven massaged her flesh, helping to heal the wound.

As Raven 'operated,' Mario came running through the room, holding a red envelope with a paw print printed on it. Grasping his cap with his free hand as he scrambled about, he asked Beastboy and Tenochtitlan (who were exiting the room), "Where are they keepin' Rob?"

"Um...I think he's down in his bedroom," Beastboy muttered.

"Right," Mario thanked, tipping his hat as he bounded through the halls. As usual, they were dimly lit, so Mario didn't notice the new girl that was meandering along. He brushed into her by accident as he rounded a corner, causing her to yelp out in shock.

"Whoa!" She caught her breath when she realized it was Mario. Brushing her blonder hair out of her face, she said, "Oh, hey, Mario."

"Yo, Terra. Like the digs?" he asked her as he scratched his nose.

"Actually, it's pretty cool. REALLY huge. All ten of you guys live in here?" She almost couldn't believe that ten teenagers could GET ALONG in the same room.

"I guess so," Mario said casually, shifting his cap about a little.

"Wow," Terra mumbled. {Wish I had a home like this...}

"Ya know, there's always room for more," Mario added slyly as he stomped off down the halls.

"Mm," Terra hummed to herself thoughtfully. As she paced down the halls, thoughts plagued her.

{Would they really accept me...? No one else has. Everywhere I go, I'm rejected. It's like I'm a walking disaster...} She let out a deep sigh. {If they found out it was ME who caused that rockslide...I didn't MEAN to hurt them, but what would THEY care, anyway? I can't undo it now. They're super heroes...I have a 'super power'...But I can't CONTROL it. What if they find out?}

Terra felt guilt from her past and loneliness tugging at her, so she tried to hide her feelings away as she came to the living room where the strange red-head had been placed.

The odd ghost girl was standing over her bandaged body. As Terra walked over, she immediately asked, "She's OK, right? I mean...Is it really serious, or-"

"She'll be fine," the pale-skinned girl dully spat. "She's in a lot of pain, and she's not going to be able to do much for a few days, but she's going to be all right."

{She just had to go and help Robin, didn't she?} Raven pondered to herself. {She seemed kind of angry this morning, though, and she was avoiding him...Hm...}

"Sooo...She's fine. Whew. Good," Terra quickly mumbled, taking a deep sigh of relief.

The girl moved a loose strand of silver-blue hair from her forehead and stared at Terra suspiciously.

"What were you doing out in that canyon, anyway? And why were those machines chasing you?"

Terra's big eyes couldn't stand the piercing glare of Raven. Clearly, she was upset about her friends being hurt.

"I was crashing in a cave up there," Terra mumbled. "But I don't know what was with the big bugs."

Raven let out a small huff through her nose, glancing back over to a sleeping Starfire.

"...Why were you sleeping in a cave?" she interrogated further. "Don't you have a home?"

Terra didn't reply and wouldn't look up to Raven, her expression full of shame.

"...Oh," Raven murmured, feeling shame herself. "...I...didn't know. Sorry. I'm just concerned about my friends here..."

"No, I understand," Terra muttered. "I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault," Raven mumbled back to her, placing a hand on Starfire's forehead as she tenderly sifted her fingers through her bangs.

Terra's guilt flash-flooded back to her, and she didn't want to be reminded of it.

"Yea...Well...I, uh...I'll see ya later...Raven, was it?"

"Yea." Raven's purple eyes looked up to her. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Oh, right. Terra. Yea, that's me."

"Nice to meet you, Terra."

"Pleasure's all mine."

Terra was half out of the room at this point, desperate to avoid further conversation. This Raven girl seemed kind of creepy. Yet at the same time she seemed like a good person.

In her hurry to rush out, she nearly bumped into Beastboy.

"Geez, watch it, girl!" Beastboy laughed as she stumbled around him haphazardly.

"Sorry!" Terra cried out, embarrassed. "You're Beastboy, aren't you?" Her cheeks remained slightly pink as they spoke.

"Yep. That's me- the big BB," he announced with a mock arrogance and his classic sly grin, causing Terra to snicker.

"A little full of yourself, aren't you?" she asked.

"He's ALWAYS like that," came the sweet voice of Tenochtitlan who came from behind, strangling him in a hug from behind. Terra immediately caught on to the fact that they were a couple, and felt awkward in their 'cuddly' presence.

"Oh...Uh, so what's your name?"

"I'm Tenochtitlan!" she chirped merrily. "You're this Terra girl I've heard about, aren't you?"

"That would be me," Terra answered weakly. somebody show me to the bathroom or something?"

"OH! Sure! I'd be glad to!" Tay squealed. "I'll be back, B," she said, leaning over him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go check on Rob, so..."

"All right! I'll meet ya there, my little monster!" She pinched his ear playfully as she went off, her eyes pink and giddy.

As Beastboy rubbed his face, he muttered to himself, "Maybe I'm a monster, but I'm a LUCKY monster."

==

"What?? Really? Where was it?"

Mario handed it to Robin, who was laying in his bed. His broken leg was in a sling and propped on some pillows, while he had a few bandages on his bare arms. Compared to Starfire, he'd made it out well. As he ripped it open, Mario explained.

"Yea, it was just sitting in the fridge when we got back. Weird place for it."

"Yea," Robin murmured, focusing on the document.

{Dear Titans,

How's the new girl doing? She's not as normal as you may think. So sorry about the accident there, by the way. I hope all is well.

But enough formalities. This letter has been sent to notify you about a meeting. I wish to come face-to-face with the Teen Titans later this week. I know this may be inconvenient, but it is imperative that you come- all of you.

I believe that I may hold the answers to some of your questions. I will inform you as to the whereabouts of our meeting point at a later date.

In the meanwhile, make sure that Star and Robin get plenty of rest- even if it means pinning Robin down to his bed.

An old face will re-emerge tomorrow night, so be prepared.

The shadows are growing, Titans. Be ready for them, for within ten days one of your ranks will fall like a meteor from the heavens, crashing down to the planet...They shall be engulfed by the darkness. The Light will come from an unexpected source- the Darkness. Do what your Light tells you, and I'm sure you'll come out OK...

Oh, and Robin...I saw you and Starfire last night. Very cute.

How was she, by the way?

Destiny Smasher}

Mario noticed that Robin's face had grown beet red, and the expression looked VERY familiar. Robin folded the note up and slipped it into a drawer in his marble nightstand.

"...Sooo...Anything important?"

Robin was scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"He wants to meet us in a few days," Robin mumbled. "He knows something we don't, apparently. If you ask me, I'd say this 'Destiny Smasher' is a pretty suspicious character..."

-/-

"Thanks, it's been real great. You guys have been cool to me, but I really need to-"

"Aw, no," Cyborg interrupted her as she began to head for the main door. "Where do you think you're goin'?" he asked slyly.

Terra gave him a blank expression.

"Yea..." Cyborg murmured. "Listen, Terra. You CAN stay the night and all that. It's not like we don't have room or anything..."

"...Really?" Terra responded quietly, surprised. "You...want me to stay longer?"

"Of course we do!" Tenochtitlan cried. "Why wouldn't we? We barely know you."

"'Sides," Beastboy put in, "You don't have anyplace better to go right now, do ya?"

"One more day, huh?" Sonic suggested. "Just one. Then, if you really want to go, ya can."

Tikal gave her a sympathetic smile as she glanced around the room from one Titan to the next.

"Terra, you need a home. There's always room for more here, you know."

"One big happy family," Link mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Big, anyway."

Terra showed uncertainty, but how could she refuse? It had been some time since someone had wanted her to stay. Usually it was that they wanted her to LEAVE.

"...I guess it couldn't hurt to stay here another day," Terra said shyly with a shrug.

Some cheers rang out from the Titans as Terra agreed to their terms.

"So tomorrow are you going to show us what you're made of, rock girl?" Link asked her, jabbing her side with an elbow. Terra got a little worried for a moment. She'd helped to take down the scorpion after her accident, so the Titans knew about her powers- they just didn't know that it was her who'd caused the rockslide.

"Oh, yea...You bet," she mumbled sheepishly.

/=--=

"I am fine, Raven," Star tried to assure her friend. "There is nothing more you can do at this time. I thank you dearly, but-...Please, I am fine..."

Raven kept her hands to herself at that point, feeling embarrassed.

"You're sure, Star? You don't look so good, and-"

"I do not FEEL so good," Star agreed in a moan, rubbing her bandaged forehead. "But I will manage, and I will be in fit shape soon enough, thanks to your efforts." Her emerald eyes glowed with appreciation at her friend.

"No problem."

They were in Starfire's bedroom now, and it was evening by now. Starfire had been seated onto her round, cushy bed, which rested in the middle of her colorful, warm room. Her body was still covered in dressings, though they had been changed during the day, and her wounds had been cleaned again. She didn't look so bad now, but she certainly didn't look very great, either. She was sitting up on the side of her bed at the time, her aching legs dangling over the sides. Her bare toes were tickled by her soft, red carpet, and her broken arm was propped up by a puffy velvet pillow in the shape of a magenta heart in her lap. Star had been told to try to make sure she kept her arm up so that the blood didn't all rush to it- which would result in a lot of pain.

Her body trembled somewhat, and Raven guessed this was because she was chilled.

She took a folded quilt of pink and red squares from the foot of Star's bed and used her powers to shroud it in shadow, snuggly wrapping it around Starfire's shoulders. Star smiled weakly, grateful.

"Better?" Raven checked as she floated before her best friend, legs crossed. She looked like the stereotypic monk in meditation- though she wasn't meditating. Ever since she'd started being more free about her feelings, she found herself with more time to do things besides meditating, and she loved it.

"Very sufficient," Star replied slowly, another twinge of hurt hitting her head.

"So, uh...Do you want me to leave, or-?"

"No, dear friend," Star spurt out quickly. "I do not wish to be alone..."

"Good," Raven answered with a smile. "Neither do I."

"I, um-...You wanted to know about my date with Robin, did you not?"

"Oh!" Her eyes bulged in realization. "Yea, I'm really curious."

Starfire beamed with joy as she begun to recite the events of the evening. From the restaurant, to them holding hands, to the Ferris wheel. And as she got nearer to the end, she got more detailed.

"And so...I leaned my body toward his...And I parted my lips, and...-" She paused, caught in a trance. Raven stared at her, wide-eyed, on the edge of her seat.

"And...-? And what?" Raven whispered with excitement. "Did you kiss? You did, didn't you?" she concluded in a sneaky tone.

Starfire closed her eyes slowly, humming in response. She traveled back in time to that moment, captured by its heavenly touch.

Raven let out a gleeful grin and rubbed Starfire's shoulder in encouragement.

"That's great, Starfire! Good for you. I knew it was only a matter of time..."

Starfire's eyes jolted open, breaking her smile. Raven's eyes were big and joyful, but Star's expression drastically shifted to one of worry as memories flooded back. Her head began to ache some more on top of it, so she squinted her eyes shut as she bared the pain for a moment or two.

"Are you OK?" Raven made sure. Star sighed slowly, nodding.

"...Our lips touched...We exchanged breaths..." she whispered, having recovered. "But...I may have made a mistake..."

Raven lifted a brow, perplexed. What could she have done wrong? She'd done everything right, from what Raven could gather.

"You see," Starfire mumbled, looking at her tan feet. "I-...We-..." She let it come out quickly in a burst of words. "I touched my tongue to his."

Raven froze a moment, absorbing the thought. Starfire glanced away, her cheeks flushing as red as her hair.

"...Whoa..." the Goth girl murmured. "...W-wait...You did WHAT?"

"...We touched tongues," Star whimpered with shame.

Raven's eyes were still wide, but in a completely different way- shock.

"...Starfire, that-...Well, I don't think that's natural for a first-"

"I understand that NOW," Starfire snapped in frustration. "I still have the expression on Robin's face imprinted into my mind's eye. He was clearly not comfortable with my actions...I regret them now..." She let out a huff, feeling exhausted just thinking about it.

"Starfire," Raven began solemnly. "Why did you do it?"

Starfire but her lip and explained quickly. "I did not know such actions implied strong thoughts of sexual orientation in this culture. On Tamaran, such a display of affection is very powerful, but it is interpreted in a different manner- a very emotional one. Touching tongues conveys feelings of passion toward your partner...It is meant to send the message that you will always be there for that person, and that you love them in a romantic fashion, and-..."

She slowed down, feeling like a complete idiot. Raven weakly smiled, finding it all a little comical. It wasn't THAT big of a deal, she supposed. It certainly could've gone worse, and Raven had a feeling that Robin enjoyed it to some extent.

"You told Robin all this, right?"

"Of COURSE I did!" Star insisted in exasperation.

"Good." Raven waited until Starfire's brilliant green eyes met her own to go on. "Starfire, you're very...open...And Robin's not. Robin...I'm not sure that he's ready for such a commitment. You probably scared him a little. Is THAT why you two were acting strange this morning?"

"I suppose it is," the Tamaranian admitted sheepishly. "Whenever I think about the matter, I feel as if a parasitic Squabblork has taken dominance over my digestive system..."

"I know what you mean," Raven said with a humorous grin. Raven eerily drifted to Star's side. "Starfire, I don't know what's going to happen between you and Robin...But I'll tell you this much: As long as you stay true to yourself, everything will turn out OK. You taught me that, Star, and it's worked so far. Just make sure you let Robin know how much you care about him. Don't rest until he knows- without a doubt- that you will always be there for him...That is, if that's how you feel..."

"Raven, I do not know what I would do for him," Starfire admitted. "If the conditions arose, it is likely I would give my life..." she whispered in a daze.

"...I have no doubts," Raven muttered. "I think he feels the same way- he just hasn't realized it yet. He's ALWAYS there for you, too. Every time you get hurt, who's there to save you?" She grinned slyly at Starfire. "I don't think that's a coincidence. Give him time to find it in himself. Maybe it's not there, but even if it's not, you two will be friends, won't you?"

"...I will always be Robin's friend," Starfire said with confidence. "I have vowed this to myself." Her beautiful, green eyes were glazed with a strong sense of assurance.

Raven didn't say a word to that, and massaged Star's sore back with her right arm.

"See? There's nothing to worry about. Make sure he knows how you feel..."

{I'm one to talk...I should do the same, too, shouldn't I...?} Raven pondered to herself. {I need to find some way to let all of my friends know how much I appreciate them...If it weren't for them, I'd probably be insane- literally.}

Star contemplated this deeply for a tranquil moment or two.

"Raven," she mumbled. "I love you..."

Raven froze like a statue, confused by her friend's words. But her gut didn't ball up in a knot, and after a second to contemplate it, she knew fully well what Starfire meant.

"NO! No no no, Raven! Please, do not misinterpret me! I did not mean it in THAT fashion..."

Raven sighed deeply of relief. {You sick fool!} she yelled inwardly. {Get your head out of the mud.}

"I love you as a dear friend. I love all of the Titans...Love is a very mysterious word in your world, I have begun to understand. A man loves a woman, a mother loves a son, and a father loves this strange 'football' I've heard about...I may not understand all of these meanings, but...I do know that, to myself, love is a word that is the connection to a powerful emotion of caring. I love all of my friends, and I feel I may love Robin in an even deeper sense..." Starfire trailed her thought off, feeling foolish rambling about it for so long. Raven had to understand her point by now.

"Starfire...You have no idea how much I appreciate your friendship. I want you to know that. You're the most caring person I've ever met, Starfire. I've changed because of you. You've made me who I am, and I'm thankful. I hope you know that I'll be there for you through anything, too."

Starfire's eyes widened with surprise, and it seemed like she didn't believe what Raven had just told her. To confirm it to Starfire, Raven added, "I promise..." Starfire absorbed it for a moment, and her eyes became glazed with joy.

"...So we are best friends," Star concluded.

"...I guess we are," Raven mumbled, pink-faced.

Both girls felt very strange and immature at that moment. For weeks they had slowly grown closer as friends. Now they had finally acknowledged how deep their friendship truly was- there were now no doubts on either side, as there had been before. They were best friends, and a true best friend was not something one lost easily.

The bond between two teenage girls had been forged into a chain of tremendous strength. Time was conspiring with Fate to test this chain and see just how powerful it was.

Starfire's mouth creaked open wide, letting out an exhausted yawn.

"Forgive me," she muttered drowsily. "I have had trouble staying awake today..."

Raven smiled, removing her hand from Star's back.

"I'm not surprised, Star. Your body's rushing to heal your wounds."

"I am aware," Star mumbled. "I am certain I will be in a healthy condition within a few days. But what about Robin?"

"Don't worry. He's fine. It'll take him a little longer than you, but...I helped speed up the process, otherwise he wouldn't be able to walk right for months."

"Mm," Star hummed, her eyelids drooping.

Raven positioned Starfire's body onto her bed so that she was lying down. Her head was on a nice, big, pillow, while her broken arm remained over her body's level on another pillow. A few moans came out from Star as she struggled to stay awake.

"Take things easy tomorrow, Star, and get plenty of rest," Raven mumbled, unsure as to whether or not she actually heard her.

Raven neatly set the soft quilt over her friend as she admired her sleeping face. She looked so innocent. Raven knew that Starfire was not perfect, of course, but she did a very good job of keeping her dark side at bay. It was thanks to her that Raven was starting to control her own.

"Good night, Starfire," she whispered as she floated out of the room like a majestic spirit, switching the lights off with her mind.

///|||\\\

[Destiny_Smasher]

The moon's light was strong enough to illuminate her bright, blonde hair as she sat on the island's edge, gazing off toward the ocean.

Link simply stood behind her, absorbing the atmosphere. It was about one in the morning, though Link wasn't aware to this fact. He finally decided to strike up a conversation with the mysterious girl as she skipped stones over the lake. She didn't even have to move, as she used her powers to control the rocks. A pebble would levitate beside her, then launch forth with great speed as her eyes flashed gold.

"Didn't like the couch?" Link mumbled as he took a seat on the cold stones beside her.

"Oh, Link," she murmured. "...Nah, I just can't get to sleep."

"...Nervous?" Link probed.

"Actually, yea," Terra admitted slowly.

"Don't be," Link assured her. "If you've got no home to go to, Terra, I'm telling ya- stay with us. You're more than welcome, I guarantee it."

Terra sighed, looking doubtful.

"I've heard you guys say that a million times now," she grumbled.

"That's because it's TRUE," Link blatantly told her. "What do you have to be nervous about? We're a bunch of misfits as it is, Terra. Mind telling me why you're so damned worried?"

Terra shut her eyes shut in disgrace, and groaned, "Fine. I can't fully control my powers..." She almost winced as she realized what she'd just blurted out. {YOU MORON!} she shouted at herself.

Link blinked at her dully.

"That's it?" he muttered with a shrug. "Psh. That's nothing! You've got nothing to be so worked up about. Practice will change that."

"Link," Terra spat out, glancing up at his stern, blue eyes that glowed in the moon's rays like the waters of the bay itself. "I didn't say anything before, but...It's my fault that your friends got hurt. I tried to help, but I lost control, and-..." She shook her head quickly, looking away. She seemed to be afraid of his reaction.

"Oh...That kinda sucks...But, listen, Terra, everybody makes mistakes. It's OK. My friends will understand. It's not like you WANTED to hurt them, right?"

Terra nodded slowly, staring at the ripples in the bay's waters.

"Just be honest with them. Everything'll be good. Tomorrow's a new day. You be honest with them and explain your situation. I'll bet they'll be more than willing to help you."

"You really think so...?" Terra mumbled.

"You know it," Link responded coolly.

{Wow...Maybe he IS right. It sounds a little too good to be true...}

"All right, Link. I'll see what happens, then," she said in resolution.

"Good. Now, uh...Lemme me see ya skip those rocks again. That's freakin' cool..."

/(')(')/

"How do ya think she's gonna take it?" Cyborg wondered curiously, seeking Sonic's opinion.

Sonic shrugged in his slick way. "Psh. Got me. All I know is that she's gonna have quite the time..."

"Heheh...Booya, baby." Cyborg stuck out his fist, and Sonic rapped it with his own.

They were sitting outside Titan Tower on the bumpy area in the back. Jagged stones ripped through the water's surface, and the terrain was rough to walk on. The wind was blowing steadily, and water sprayed from the shores as waves crashed into them.

"Robin, are you sure you should be here?" Tikal asked him with worry. "What if you hurt yourself?"

Robin was hobbling about using two crutches, having some trouble traversing to a nice, flat area.

"Tikal, I'm good," Robin spat out. "I have to see Terra in action if I'm going to decide how valuable she'll be to the team."

Tikal sighed and shrugged it off. There was no point in telling Robin what was good for him, because he never listened, anyway.

Raven, floating a few feet away, noticed the difficulty Robin was experiencing, so she stuck out her palm and forced him gently over to a smooth boulder, carefully placing him upon it.

"Thanks," Robin muttered, embarrassed. Raven didn't reply, though. She was pondering what was running through his mind. Meanwhile, standing in front of Raven, Link called out to Mario, who was waiting patiently on a small cliff for his opponent to show up.

"Don't go easy on her, man! Make her work hard!"

"You know it!" Mario called back, flashing a thumbs-up.

The Titans were waiting eagerly for Terra to arrive, as it had been arranged that she would spar with Mario for practice to show what she could do.

A sudden rumbling could be heard in the distance as Terra ripped a large chunk of stones from the ground with her powers and hopped on. She flipped her goggles onto her eyes as she drove her rock to speed through the air toward Mario, who grinned, bending his legs slightly. Her blonde hair whipped around haphazardly as she came zipping along, smiling.

Raven yelped in shock as a giant boulder came soaring inches from her face, nearly clipping her nose off. Wide eyed, she caught her breath for a moment and glared at Terra, annoyed.

"She'd better watch what she's doing before someone gets hurt," Raven grumbled between grit teeth.

Everyone else was silent as the battle unfolded before them in a flash.

Terra kept going on, ready to ram straight into Mario. But Mario was prepared, and he hopped up, pulling his legs in. They came into contact with the front of Terra's rock, and he used the built up momentum to propel his body forward as he sprung his legs out. For a second, he was flying ahead of the stone, and he did a back flip into midair as Terra caught up with him. His legs went flying in an uppercut kick, and Terra fell over as she dodged the blow, grasping her rock firmly.

She swung her hand around, causing her ride to change direction. As it slowed to turn, she scramble to her feet and regained balance, getting ready to take the offensive again. She increased speed as she sped toward Mario again, who was running straight at her. Suddenly, she hopped off of her stone, landing shakily on her feet. The rock continued to sail right at Mario's calm face. He bounded toward it and gave it a fierce kick with his left foot, crushing the boulder to shards. The pieces scattered as they went on through the air, eventually falling to the ground.

Mario landed in a crouching position, staring up at her from under his cap's brim. He slowly rose, sticking his right hand out, palm up, and waved his fingers toward him as if to say, {Come and get me- if you can.}

Terra punched her fists up as they glowed gold, and a pillar of earth began to sprout from the ground under Mario's feet. He kept his balance as the tower grew and grew, and when it came to a sudden stop, he noticed the barrage of pebbles that was headed his way. He immediately covered his face with his arms as he skidded down the side of the pillar of rock, kicking up lots of dust and creating lots of friction. Small stones battered at him, but he endured. Just as it looked like he'd crash into the ground, he bounced off of the tower vertically and outstretched his arms forward into a diving pose. Wide-eyed, Terra panicked and pulled up a jagged spike from the ground before her, and Mario went smashing into it fist first. It cracked and crumbled apart, and Terra gazed in surprise as Mario shook his wrists about, grumbling to himself.

Terra took advantage of this free moment to raise herself about twenty feet up on her own cylindrical stone structure. As Mario approached, Terra snapped her fingers, and a bar of rock shot out right at him, jabbing his gut. He groaned as he back up a little, eager to leap on up and knock her off.

Mario leapt onto the bar nimbly, and as Terra blasted out another section of stone, Mario ducked and quickly grabbed it, using it to swing up and land on it. Predicting Terra's next move, Mario held on firmly to the bar after landing and let himself drop forward as another bar jutted out where his head had been. He flipped up using his momentum and jumped to the newest section, flowing his flip into another 360 swing and flying into the air in front of the stone tower. Another section jumped at him as he somersaulted, but it missed and her caught it in the pits of his legs. After hanging upside down for a moment, he climbed up onto it and crouched for a second. Propelling his body into the air with great speed, he kneed Terra in the chin as he shot upward.

Terra stumbled back, dazed, and tripped off of her platform. Everyone gasped in worry, but Terra's eyes glowed gold as she stretched out her arms. Two small rocks rocketed out of the ground and into her palms, and she slowly drifted to safety.

Mario slammed into the dirt before her as her tower crumbled apart into dirt, created a big pile that was slowly dispersed by a gusts of wind as the breeze picked up.

Cheers erupted from the group of spectators, and Terra was amazed at the applause. Mario was clapping his hands, too, and tipped his hat to her.

"Very good," he complimented. "Lots of potential."

The other Titans began top run to her side eagerly, all giving her their words of excitement and anticipation.

Robin made it down to them with some effort after a minute, and her stuck out his hand to hers.

"Congratulations, Terra. I'd say you passed. A little rough in your technique, but that's something some training will fix."

"Really? You think so?"

"Aw, yea, girl!" Cyborg cried, shaking her hand with his large, metal one. "You got skills."

"Way to keep her on her toes, bro," Sonic said to Mario with a nod. Mario shrugged in reply, scratching at his sideburns lazily. His fists had some small bruises on them, but he didn't seem to mind. No pain, no gain.

Link was standing in the background, and Raven was standing beside him. He wasn't paying any attention to her, but she was glancing at him here and there, as if she wanted to start a conversation. Whatever it was she wanted to say, she didn't get to say it, because Link approached Terra and gave her a glare as she exited the crowd and headed for the Tower.

"Go on and tell 'em," he muttered quietly as she brushed by. Terra paused, her eyes filled with doubt.

"I-I don't know. What if-?"

"Tell 'em," Link insisted.

Terra huffed, slapping her gloved hand over her face and rubbing it downward.

"Fine," she groaned.

"What is it?" Raven asked slowly.

Terra's eyes jumped up to her, as she hadn't noticed the girl was there before. {Geez, she's like a ghost,} Terra thought.

"I-..." Terra eyed the entire group as they began to trek back to their home. "Guys," she called out, stretching her arms out wide. "There's something I need to tell you guys..."

"What's up?" Beastboy wondered with curiosity.

"I, uh...Haven't been completely honest..." she mumbled, looking down with embarrassment. {What if they get mad? What if they hate me?}

{Stop doubting yourself, Terra,} Link's mind said.

"What do you mean?" Robin inquired slowly.

Terra's eyes flashed with fear, and she stammered as she spoke.

"W-well, it's j-just that...I...I can't control my powers all the time..."

Terra flinched, waiting for criticism, but none came.

"...So?" Cyborg murmured, shrugging. "You think we're all perfect?"

"All of us have been working on getting better at using our powers for a LONG time, Terra," Raven mumbled in her raspy and gentle voice. "I've still got a way to go myself. It's...nothing to feel bad about..."

"It's not...?" Terra said, stupefied.

"Of course not!" Tay laughed. "Just give it time. You'll get better."

Terra's cheeks turned pink.

"You think so?" she asked with some excitement.

"YES, we think so," Link cried out in exasperation, patting her on the back.

"I'm sorry about you and your friend, Robin," Terra quickly added, looking at his semi-crippled body.

He lifted a brow for a moment, then it clicked.

"That was YOU?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yea, it was, and I'm REALLY sorry; I didn't mean it, I was trying to help, and-"

"That's amazing," Robin interrupted. "Do you know what kind of potential you have? Imagine what you could pull off if you work hard...And, well, know what you're DOING..."

"...You're...not angry?" she sheepishly said, lifted a brow.

"He's just feeling better now because now he knows that it wasn't HIS mistake," Link whispered to her from her side.

"It's all right," Robin assured her, giving Link a sly glare. "You can't expect to fight crime without getting hurt..."

"But I'm not a criminal," Terra informed him as they paced to their huge front door, up the hill.

"Maybe not, but accidents happen, Terra," Raven assured her. "There's been a couple times when MY powers went out of control..."

"Your mind is FREAKY," Beastboy spurt out, shaking his head. Raven gave him a dull dagger glare.

"Gee, thanks," she grumbled. After turning back to Terra, Raven continued. "I used to have to meditate ALL the time to keep my powers in check. But I've learned how to use them properly over a long period of training, so now I hardly have to meditate at all."

"Hm," was all Terra said to that.

"Just don't worry about it," Robin tried to assure her.

{Wow...} Terra thought to herself as the giant metal doors of Titans Tower opened up. {Link was right. Maybe these guys really ARE different. It's like they already want to be friends with me, even after they know how dangerous I can be...Are they...my friends? Already?} She almost couldn't believe it.

&lt;(-}{}{-)>

After entering the Tower, everyone made a rush for the kitchen, eager to scarf down some lunch. Raven, however, hurried upstairs to check on Starfire.

She had reached a floor below Starfire's bedroom when she found the Tamaranian wandering the halls. She was floating around, of course, as her legs still hurt when she tried to walk. Her eyes were sad and lonely, and Raven felt awful just by looking at them.

"Starfire? What're-"

"EEE!" Star cried in surprise as she spun to her side to see Raven in the shadows. She sighed deeply of relief, and her eyes glowed with joy as she glided to the gothic-dressed girl.

"Raven. Oh, dear friend, I did not know where you went. I awoke and went in search of rations, only to discover that there was no one taking residence within our home!"

"We were just outside watching Terra try show us her powers," Raven explained quickly, inspecting Starfire to make sure it was safe for her to be up and about.

"...Terra...?" Starfire murmured, completely baffled. Raven's expression went blank, and she realized that Starfire had never gotten to MEET Terra, since she'd practically been sleeping for the past day and a half.

"Oh! Wow...You need to meet her, Starfire. She might be staying with us..."

"A new Titan? ANOTHER new friend??" Starfire gasped ecstatically.

"Maybe," Raven replied calmly. "Listen, Star, uh...You should probably go sit down...If you're hungry, I'd be more than glad to-"

"Do not place my burdens upon you, Raven," Starfire insisted, shaking her head. "I am fine. I have consumed a sufficient amount of food and beverage. I merely sought companionship."

"Well, um...I can give you that, too," Raven suggested with a weak smile. "Here, come on." She led Star to her bedroom, which was only a few steps down the hall.

"...What do you wish to talk about? What shall we do?"

Raven pondered a moment. "We can talk about whatever you want. Like...We could plan to go somewhere tonight, if you want. I don't know...You said you wanted to visit the mall downtown."

"Oh, that's a glorious idea," Star exclaimed, shaking her fist before her merrily.

(-/>&lt;-)

Tenochtitlan was sprawled out on her bed, staring up at her ceiling longingly. A small green cat with dark green stripes was curled up on her stomach, purring happily. Her bedroom had a mysterious ambient to it. The ceiling was black with glow-in-the-dark stars, and the walls had trees painted on the walls, making the room look like a jungle horizon at night. She had a bed in the middle of the room that had a green, puffy blanket with leaf patterns on it, and her bamboo nightstand had a palm tree lamp on it. The leaves of the tree acted as the shade.

Only this small lamp was on, so you could only see her bed, really. The rest of the room was dim, since it was sundown.

Tay scratched at the green cat's ears tenderly, and he meowed innocently as he stared at her dark blue eyes. After nimbly hopping off of her and landing on the floor next to the bed, the cat morphed into Beastboy, who sat next to Tay's bed, leaning his elbow on it next to her hip.

"What's up, Tay?" he murmured quietly.

"I don't know," Tenoch mumbled dully.

"It's about that weird dream, isn't it?" BB questioned sadly. "Dude, you freaked out earlier and junk. Crying and everything...Ya scared me, ya know."

Tay glanced down at him, feeling bad.

"I'm sorry," she groaned. "I can't help it. It's like I'm in another world..."

"...Maybe you ARE," BB suggested with a shrug. "Starfire's an alien...Maybe YOU are, too. It wouldn't surprise me. You're having, like, flashbacks or something, right?"

Tay nodded slowly, agreeing. "Yea...That would make sense, wouldn't it?"

Beastboy slowly slid his hand around hers, and she tightened her grip on his in return.

"Doesn't matter, Tay. No matter what, we're gonna be here for you. Or at least I am."

"...I know," she whispered. "I am-"

A blaring alarm rang, and the Titan couple hopped to their feet, knowing that duty called.

"It's go time," Beastboy cried as he and Tay raced through the halls.

(------)

"WH-WHA?!" Terra was stumbling around in a daze, as she'd fallen asleep not too long beforehand.

Link grabbed her arm and dragged her off to where the other Titans were quickly gathering. A large screen and a panel of buttons was spread out before them on the interior wall with a digital map of the city flashed onto it. A red dot was blinking in a particular spot in the northern region.

Robin came wobbling as fast as he could, while Star glided beside him, her body still bandaged, for the most part. Raven, with a sigh, moved Robin over quite quickly in an orb of black energy, causing him to shout in surprise.

"Is it-?" he began eagerly.

"It's him," Cyborg confirmed solemnly, staring at the screen.

"Him?" Terra mumbled.

"Slade," Robin growled. "Looks like he finally decided to show his ugly face around."

"Ya mean his ugly MASK?" Beastboy joked, though no one seemed to find humor in it.

"Slade? Oh, you mean that big jerk you told us about," Tay murmured.

"Mm hm," Raven hummed with a nod. "Slade's bad news." As Robin and Cyborg conversed about the upcoming mission, Raven whispered in Tay's ear. "Between you and me, Robin can get a little...psychotic...when it comes to Slade."

"Oh," she mumbled nervously.

"All right, guys," Robin announced, getting their attention. "Slade's...an old 'friend' of ours, so let's greet him properly. He's got his goons down in a mining facility in the outskirts of the city."

"Why would he go there?" Beastboy wondered.

"A diamond of excellent quality and substantial size was located and is still being held under strict security beneath the surface," Starfire informed them as she inspected a paragraph of text at the bottom left corner of the screen.

"Whatever he plans to do with the diamond isn't good, I'm sure," Robin guessed. "Cyborg, you're in charge," he added to his good friend.

"No prob, Rob," Cy responded. "A'ight, let's roll!"

As the pounding of feet rumbled down the hall, a couple of the Titans remained beside Robin while Star floated down the hall in a bit of a hurry.

"Umm...So what's going on with ME?" Terra mumbled in confusion.

"You can go help out the rest of the team," Robin firmly suggested. "Be careful."

"Gotcha," Terra answered, grinning eagerly.

Raven drifted before the two as Terra scampered away.

"Raven?" Robin muttered.

"I'm surprised you're not trying to come with us," Raven suspiciously noted.

Robin groaned, narrowing his eyes. "You have no idea how much I want to get even with him," he growled.

"I know," she mumbled. "Robin, take good care of Star. And take good care of yourself."

Robin nodded slowly, a little intrigued by Raven's concern.

"And..." Raven paused, her eyes wandering. "I know what happened last night, Robin. You need to think about it, you know."

Robin blushed and let out a sigh.

"I know, Raven..."

"I'm not trying to rush you, but...You and Star are both here...ALONE...You really need to talk about it."

"...Gah...I'll try..." Robin scratched his neck, doubtful.

"You WILL," Raven insisted.

Robin was shocked by Raven's outgoing attitude.

"...All right, OK..."

Raven began to fly off like a ghost through the dark halls, slipping her hood over her head.

"Good night, Robin."

"Raven!" Robin called out, stopping her. He knew she had to catch up with the others, but he just had to ask a question. She slowly turned around, puzzled.

"...Yea...?"

"Why are you so concerned about my relationship with Starfire?" Robin asked. He said it in a tone that conveyed how irritated he was that she was minding his business when he didn't want her to.

"Because you and Starfire are my friends," Raven mumbled, feeling a little awkward. "I just don't want to see either of you get hurt...Is there a problem with that?" she added in her usual Raven tone.

"No," was all Robin said, rubbing his chin. "Good night..."

Feeling a little foolish, Raven whizzed off, trying to reach the rest of the team.

{Wow...I just...spat it out so easily. Now that I think about it, maybe I'm butting in on something that I shouldn't be...I guess I should tone it down a bit before I go too far. I hope I didn't get Robin angry at me or something...}

:=-=/:

"Dude, this car ROCKS!" Terra exclaimed with excitement as she watched buildings fly by at breakneck speed.

Cyborg grinned a flashy smile. "Really? Well, I built this baby myself, with some help from Ray..."

"You BUILT this?? That is SO cool!" Terra cried.

"Hey, I helped with a few mods," Link pointed out from the front passenger seat as he reached his fist out to Cyborg, who knuckled it back.

"Aw, yea."

Tenochtitlan was sitting beside Terra, smiling at a green cheetah that was swiftly sprinting beside the T-Car. On the other side of the vehicle, Raven came soaring along, her face dire.

"Nice of ya to tag along, Ray," Cyborg said, shaking his head. "What took ya so long?"

"Nothing, I was just talking to Robin real quick."

Cyborg, his eyes on the road, shrugged. "Whatever."

:=-=/:

The whirring of the elevator was all that could be heard in the lonely halls of Titan Tower as Robin rode up to the third floor- where Starfire, Raven, and Mario's bedrooms were. His mind was flooded with ideas and questions.

He was feeling very nervous and worried about it all as the memories came back. He had just gotten over this awkward feeling, and here it was, back again so soon.

That kiss...It was still embedded in his brain like a diamond in a ring. It was certainly special, all right...And then the tongue had to come and ruin it...Or...well...make it better...Robin wasn't entirely sure- it was both.

{It will not sway me...}

Starfire's words echoed from their first date, when things were dying down- just before that stupid clown had his fun. Robin reflected on these words. He knew that Starfire would understand if he chose not to pursue such a relationship, but...

{Why SHOULDN'T I?} Robin asked himself. {The pros outweigh the cons, don't they?...Starfire's everything I could want in a girlfriend, I guess...}

Robin reflected on the memories they had shared together for his confirmation.

{She's caring, compassionate, loyal...Honest, smart, brave...She's beautiful, inside and out...And here she is, hoping to be my girlfriend...I'M the one who should be pleading, not her...}

Robin was reaching his epiphany, slowly but surely. The elevator had come to a halt without him realizing it, and he looked up to see the dark, cold hallway of the third floor. Hobbling around on his crutch, Robin gradually made his way toward his destination, his mind whirling as he did so.

{But, then again...What if it interferes with our job? Gah. But what if it's worth it...? It very well may be...I'll never know until I try. Besides, even if it doesn't work out, Starfire isn't going to hate me all of a sudden. Yea...I should be grateful, if anything. I should take her up on her offer. She'll be happy, and I'll be happy...Yea...}

Robin suddenly became aware of the big, painted door before him. Starfire's door was a sliding, metal one, like the rest, but hers was different. During that 'Blorthog' holiday of hers, she'd gathered everyone around to paint her door. The result was merely a collage of little pictures. Robin stared at the Birdarang he'd slapped on. It didn't look half bad, actually...He glanced up at the name, 'Starfire,' which was painted in red. The writing was in a cursive style, though a bit sloppy, and the 'i' was dotted with a heart.

Robin smiled warmly as he stared at it and reflected on all the good times- and bad times- they had shared.

{It's not like a puzzle you need to solve,} Raven had tried to explain earlier that day. {You don't figure out the answer- you already know it.}

{Yea, man, just chill out and take it easy,} Cyborg had suggested.

{I have known the answer the whole time,} Robin agreed. {I've just been too afraid to admit it, because I don't know what'll happen...This whole time I've been trying to be brave and fight Slade and crime, and...I've been too afraid to face Starfire or MYSELF...Not anymore. Time I faced my fears and overcame them.}

Robin leaned on his crutch for support as he stuck out his free hand and rapped at the door. There was a moment or two of silence as Robin stood on the edge, awaiting an answer. Starfire knew it was him- there was no one else there.

Finally, he received a slow, "Come in..." Robin pressed the red button next to the pass code panel, and the door slid open.

He slowly stepped into the warm, colorful bedroom, his eyes jumping to his friend, who avoided his gaze. She was sitting on her oval bed- which was right in the middle of the room- staring out the clear glass wall to the city's lights.

"...Hey," Robin muttered, his guts wrenching already.

"Good evening," Star murmured in response, feeling just as nervous as he.

"Uh..." Robin stood awkwardly for a moment, staring at her boots and sleeves on the ground beside her bed. All was silent for another few seconds until she realized he was there.

She gasped and spun her head around. "OH! Forgive my rudeness, Robin, I- ...Please, sit down..." She carefully floated over a few inches so Robin could sit beside her. Robin was very careful as he rounded her bed and slowly sat.

Once again, there was tranquility, and Robin gazed at Starfire, hoping she would make eye contact with him soon, which she hadn't yet.

He finally decided to start the conversation, and Starfire did, too, at the same time.

"I know that the past couple days have been-" "I apologize for acting in such a manner that-"

They both stopped and paused, waiting for the other to continue. Neither did, so they both started up again.

"I shouldn't have left you hanging like that, and-" "I am truly sorry for my actions, I shouldn't have-"

Their cheeks were pink, and Star finally looked up to him, embarrassed. They smiled weakly as nothing was said for another couple seconds.

"Please, speak first," Starfire offered him, breaking that wall.

Robin took a deep breath before beginning.

"All right...Starfire, I know that it seems that things didn't go too well the other night, but-"

"I am TRULY sorry!" Star spat out apologetically. "I never meant to cause you such discomfort..."

"No, no...It's all right," Robin said, calming her down. "Just listen."

Starfire sealed her lips, her eyes wandering off to the horizon out the window.

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately, Star, and I came to a decision..."

Her gaze jumped back to him in anticipation and rubbed her bandaged head a little as he continued.

"Yea, Star, you crept me out the other night, but-..." He smiled sheepishly. "I'd say it was in a good way, I just didn't know how to take it at first..."

Star's eyes lit up with excitement, and her mouth was agape slightly.

"That doesn't mean to do that all over the place," Robin hastily added, and Star nodded quickly, blushing. "Sure, I felt uncomfortable, but I made you feel the same way when I didn't answer you...I'm sorry."

"Robin, you do not need to apolo-"

Robin silenced her with a solemn stare, and Starfire was quiet again.

"I've known the answer the whole time, it's just that I'm not sure whether to act on it or not."

Starfire was fiddling with the loose end of a bandage on her thigh out of nervousness.

"Starfire, I don't really like going on dates...But...The other night- that was the first time I ever ENJOYED myself on a date..."

The Tamaranian blushed a little, running her fingers across her sideburn to straighten it out.

"I want to feel that again, Star," Robin said bluntly. "And I know that you do, too..."

A grin spread across his friend's face as her eyes glowed, and she nodded giddily.

"I was just concerned because I was worried what the consequences might be," Robin explained- though Star wasn't quite listening.

Robin reached out his arm to grab hold of her smooth, bare hand and ran the other through his shiny, slick hair.

"Starfire, I can't believe it took me so long to decide...You're everything I could ever want out a girlfriend, or out of a BEST friend..."

Flattered, Star stared at his bare toes, her face getting red.

"You're the kindest person I know...You're brave, you stick up for yourself..." He remembered how his mind has phrased it. "You're a beautiful person, inside and out...And I would like it if we gave this 'dating' thing a try..." He let go of her hand, and they both stared as the two appendages parted.

Starfire let out a hyper giggle and she landed a small kiss on Robin's cheek, catching him off guard.

"That is wonderful, Robin! I am truly grateful you are willing to give me another chance. When shall we perform our next courtship ritual?"

After a confused pause, Robin caught on and pondered. "A date? I don't know...How about tomorrow night? We won't really be able to DO much of anything," he mumbled, noting their conditions.

"We will be capable of doing plenty," Starfire insisted, very pleased. As the excitement of the moment died down, Star seemed to think deeply about something. "...You said our first date was the first appointment you found satisfactory...There were others...?" She had a slight twinge of jealous curiosity.

"Nothing ever happened," Robin assured her, getting a bit nervous. "Certainly nothing close to what happened on the Ferris wheel..."

"So..." Starfire murmured, her mind rushing from one place to the next. "Now we are...-" She lifted a brow as she recited the phrase, still not quite sure about it. "...'One hot item'...?"

Robin chuckled and went to pat her shoulder, only to notice the sling the arm was in. Grabbing her hand again and squeezing it, he laughed, "You could say that."

"Glorious," Starfire whispered in awe. "Shall we visit a movie-viewing theater to watch a fright-inducing picture?"

Robin shrugged. He didn't CARE where they went- he was sure he'd have fun with Starfire anyway. But this time he'd try his best to make sure it was not an awkward experience.

"Sure, that sounds great," he answered her calmly. After seeing her smile, he decided to ask her about something that was bugging him.

"Star, do you know what's up with Raven? She's been acting really weird lately...I've noticed you two have been spending a lot of time lately...You never did that before."

Starfire had a vague memory of Robin asking the same question some while ago, but she explained, anyway.

"Raven is-...Raven and I have discovered that we enjoy each other's companionship. Raven is happy because she is able to be more open with her emotions, and I am happy because Raven is happy."

Robin nodded slowly.

"What do you mean, 'more open?' She HAS been acting strange compared to her usual self. Is that why she hasn't been meditating as often lately?"

Star nodded quickly, then winced as she realized she'd just given her sore head a good shake.

"Raven has much more control over her powers now- at least, this is what she has told me. She is still frustrated because she wishes you all to know how she appreciates your friendship...She just does not know how to express it."

Robin lifted a brow. {Appreciating friendship? Star really HAS been an influence on her, hasn't she? Not really a bad thing, I guess...}

"All right..." Robin had heard enough of that matter, and another curiosity question popped into his head. "So what do you think about this new girl- Terra?"

Starfire sighed ands shrugged. "I cannot say. I do not know her well enough...But I am sure she will make a grand addition to our team..."

"Yea..." Robin mumbled.

{They shall be engulfed by the darkness.}

That letter was nagging at him. What did this 'Destiny Smasher' know? Who was he working for, and what was his goal? Robin had to know- and he was confident he'd find out.

Who would be 'engulfed by darkness?' Perhaps Terra...Robin didn't know her enough to be able to decide her loyalty. Maybe this 'Destiny Smasher' character had sent her to the Titans specifically to betray them...

And what was Slade up to amidst all this?

{Maybe he's working in conjunction with Destiny Smasher...} Robin theorized.

"-could get transportation from Cyborg via the T-Car...I am certain that a movie would not be strenuous. I only hope we are ALLOWED to leave...The other Titans may not let us..."

"They will," Robin assured her, breaking out of his trance. "They're probably all joking about us behind our backs," he guessed with a small laugh.

"Do you believe they are well?" Starfire asked meekly, worried for her friends.

"They're fine," Robin told her with confidence.

=)/-(=

"Dat's it!" Cyborg encouraged to the rest of the team as they carried out their battle strategy.

They had arrived on the scene on cue as hordes of Slade's robotic ninjas were causing chaos in the mines, sending poor miners fleeing for their lives.

The ninjas were modeled to look like Slade himself, complete with masks. Those masks had two shades- the section with the eyes (which were glinting lights) were ovals of red, while the rest was black. They were sort of hunched over like half-ape men, their shoulders covered in metal plating. Their hands had sharp claws, and they used those claws to attack swiftly.

They were in a large opening with elevators rising to the surface and cranes carrying girders. All working had come to a halt, of course, but the equipment remained behind- free to be used as tools of destruction.

The Titans had gone to work, quickly dispatching one ninja after the other. Sonic would rip them apart with swift kicks, while Mario would incinerate them with flames. Link would slice them clean in half, and Tenochtitlan would use powerful magical attacks to blast her foes, riding Beastboy like a steed as he transformed into random creatures.

Terra and Raven were cooperating, using their powers to crush the robots. Cyborg was enjoying himself, blowing them to pieces with his energy cannon.

"Yo, Terra, can ya get me up there?" Cyborg asked of their aid, who was fighting nearby.

"Sure," she called, flicking his wrists as the ground around Cyborg trembled. A flat section was ripped out, and Terra heaved it upward onto a platform being held up by a crane. About five girders were stacked in a pyramid shape, and Cyborg grinned gleefully as he pounced onto the platform, causing it to sway and creak some.

"Thanks!" he shouted down as Terra slammed the stone smack into a ninja.

Cyborg glanced below him to see Terra and Raven below him.

"Better get out day way, ladies!" he cried as he scooped a ten-foot girder in his hands, ready to wield it like a baseball bat.

Terra ran out of the way, but Raven glanced up to see what was going on. Her already pale face lost color as she saw giant bars of metal raining down on her. She immediately surrounded herself in a shadow shield, and the girders bounced off, squishing all the enemies around her in the process. Cyborg landed directly on her orb, and shrugged sheepishly.

"I told ya to get outta the way," he mumbled as he bounded off, swinging his new weapon vertically and decimating a machine.

Raven huffed, recovering her nerves that had been shot, and took a deep breath before grabbing hold of a girder herself with her powers and following Cyborg's lead, swinging it around as a bludgeoning tool.

A low rumbling started up as a ninja took the wheel of a large drilling machine. It was like a tank with a huge vertical drill on the front. As it spun wildly, the Titans around took cover. Tikal used her abilities to slow it down, pushing against it with her defensive powers. Sonic took the opportunity to quickly knock out the driver with a well-placed kick, sending it skidding across the ground.

Tay and Beastboy were doing perfectly fine, taking out anything that approached them.

Mario, in the meanwhile, was enjoying himself as he flipped from spot to spot, annihilating anything he came across. He even was daring enough to fight near Raven, who was now twirling three girders around. He would roll under one and dive over another, finishing off any foes Raven hit. Raven was very tempted to actually try hitting him when he winked at her in- between attacks.

"Raven! Mario! Link!" Cyborg shouted to the nearby Titans as he swung at three in a row, ripping their bodies in half. "Take Terra and make sure that diamond's all right!"

Raven dismissed her metal by throwing it at a horde of the ninjas, who were firing strange red laser at them from small pistols.

Terra tore open the earth to snag a ride, and Link hopped on beside her, his running speed not quite efficient.

Raven created a disk of darkness large enough for Mario to hitch a ride on, and he enjoyed using it as a strange snowboard of sorts in the air as they rushed through a long, dark hallway toward their destination.

Their surrounding became pitch black, though they could see light in the distance as they grew ever closer to the room concealing the treasure. However, lurking in the shadows was a horde of Slade's minions, ready to strike. As they whizzed overhead, Mario nailed one in the face as it tried to attack him with a firm punch, and Raven jolted one with a blast of black electricity.

Terra and Link weren't quite as lucky, though, as about three jumped up, clinging to their rock and clawing at their feet. Link cut one's arm off, and another's head with fierce strokes, but they were losing speed and height as more piled on. They eventually came to a stop, bowling over a few as they crashed into the ground, leaving Raven and Mario to check on the diamond.

Terra had some difficulty trying to attack- it was dark, and their foes were quite close to them- she might accidentally hit Link. The strange swordsman was doing fine without her aid, however, for a time. He had taken out a good half of them before his sword was knocked from his hands- and he couldn't see where it had landed. He was quickly overcome by a dog pile of the machines.

"Get your hands off of him!" Terra growled as she sent a pillar of the ceiling smashing into a couple of them.

Terra was surprised, however, when a shadowed man carrying a large, beautiful stone came running right by, untouched by the ninjas. He was swiftly running off, and Terra knew that wasn't good. Though she couldn't make out any details in his appearance, she felt she knew who it was.

{That must be Slade,} she realized. After glancing over to Link, who had retrieved his sword and was gaining the upper hand again, Terra decided to track down Slade herself before he could escape.

"I'll be fine. Take him out, Terra- you can do it!!" Link shouted at her as he swiped his blade wildly, hacking off metal body parts.

She followed the shadowed figure down a dark corridor, using the sound of his feet smacking the rocks as a guide. After about a minute or two of chasing, she was shocked to see she had come to a dead end. Breathing heavily, she glanced about the darkness to try and make out her surroundings to see if she had missed a turn- the sound of her target escaping was gone.

As she regained her bearings, she received quite a shock.

"Good evening, Terra."

Her heart skipped a beat as she whirled around to see where the deep, deceptive voice had come from. Her long blonde hair whipped into her face, and she quickly shoved it away as she realized that Slade was standing three feet in front of her, glowering down at her. She couldn't see his face, but she could see his right eye, and just by looking at the glint in it she could tell he was smirking at her.

He was a very mysterious man, that was for certain. He was tall and muscular, but you couldn't see a single patch of his skin. His body was covered in a strange suit that had metal plating on the arms and legs. His face was the creepiest part. It was covered in a cold mask of metal. It was divided into two halves- the left half was entirely black- not even a space for an eye. The right side was a deep red, and a section of the mask was left open for his evil eye to stare through. Slits were cut through it for his mouth.

"So nice of you to drop in," he said calmly with a coldness to them. "Why don't you stay a while?"

Terra frowned at him bitterly as she backed away a bit.

"You're the one who's staying," she growled at him, slicing her hands vertically through the air. The ground began to tremble, dust began to crumble from the ceiling, and Slade stood before her firmly, his expression remaining collected as boulders came crashing from the walls behind him, causing a blockade.

"...I see you've made yourself at home," he said slyly as he began to pace around her in a circle. She kept her fists squeezed, ready to strike if he made a sudden move. "That's good. It's about time we got to know each other."

"I already know enough about you," Terra hissed at him coldly.

"Oh, do you, now?" Slade inquired, amused. "I'm sure the Titans have told you all they know about me- which isn't much."

Terra didn't say a word, and didn't let her guard down as Slade was about halfway to making a complete circle.

"Listen, I don't need to know anything about you except that you're a criminal and cause people trouble." Terra viciously bit at him with her words.

She could see that scary glint in his eyes again as he spoke to her with a devilish tone.

"Ah, something we have in common. You see? We're getting to know each other already, Terra."

Terra was temporarily immobilized by his words. Her own sentence reverberated through her mind in agony for a split second. {...Is he right...? I have caused a lot of trouble, but...No! No. I was trying to help people out, I just...messed up. I'm not TRYING to hurt them...}

Slade pierced her thoughts like a knife through a curtain.

"You know just as well as I do, Terra- you're a threat to those around you."

He finally came to her face again, and he stared at her confused face with a sense of authority.

"I've been keeping my eye on you for some time, now, Terra...I know how your life runs. You move to a city, and you try to do good...but you FAIL..."

Terra winced as he almost rubbed the word into her face without even moving.

"Instead of solving the situation, you make it worse. And then everyone hates you- so you're forced to move to a new location. And what will you do there? You'll make a 'friend' or two, and then lose them when they find out about your powers..."

Terra was overwhelmed with horrible memories. Faces of fear, people in pain, buildings destroyed...She tried to defend herself, but the burden was too heavy at the moment, and she only opened her mouth- no words came out.

"And these new 'friends' of yours are no better than the rest of them...They'll be nice to you now, but once they truly see how you can hurt them, they'll reject you, Terra..."

The girl finally snapped at him as she remembered the Titans encouraging her earlier.

"They're not like that!" She took a deep breath as Slade continued his glare at her. "The Titans are outcasts, just like me! They KNOW about my powers, and they understand me..."

"They don't understand how dangerous you truly ARE, Terra...And when you folly...they won't forget it. And you WILL make mistakes, Terra..."

Terra's teeth were clenched tight in frustration as she questioned just how loyal the Titans would prove to be.

{...Maybe I will, but...So do the Titans...And they seem to be fine with it.}

"So what?" she barked. "They don't care..."

"They're not your friends, Terra. You HAVE no friends."

"Shut up!!!" she screamed harshly. "...Just...shut up...They ARE my friends...They took me IN...I injured their leader, but...They're FINE with it...They forgave me...The others didn't do that. The Titans are different- they understand me."

"Terra, you seem to-"

"BACK OFF!!" Terra roared at him, her eyes glowing golden.

Slade seemed irritated by her words.

"...You're making a mistake, Terra- your specialty, it seems. I can change that...How are you supposed to learn to control your powers from a group of misfits who can't fully control THEIRS? I can be your teacher, Terra...I am not an adolescent like your so-called 'friends.'"

Terra was baring her teeth at him, ready to attack.

"...You have a choice, Terra..." he said, inching his way toward her slowly. "You can be by my side and learn to become more powerful than you could ever imagine...Or...You can stay with your pathetic little FRIENDS and be removed. There's no turning back...Now-"

"SHUT UP, you creep! I don't CARE!!" she yelled at him in anger, throwing her arms out to shove him away.

A rough spike of stone swiftly burst out of the ground right in front of Terra, blocking Slade from counter-attacking.

Terra was paralyzed with fear for a second, not knowing where he would strike from. She cried in surprise as the rock before her was blown into pieces, and many chunks were thrown against her body.

"Yet another mistake, Terra, and a terrible one at that..."

Terra heard his cold words and, for the first time in their conversation, he seemed angry.

"You should know better," he concluded as he withdrew a metal bo from his back that retracted like Robin's. Slade's however, was about as long as he was.

Slade twirled it around expertly for a moment or two as Terra stared in awe, getting ready to dodge. Without any sign of warning, the bo went flying into her face, knocking her into the wall to her left. Startled and dazed, Terra groaned in pain.

Slade took a few steps back, predicting her next action. She flung her hand before her blindly, ripping some rocks from the wall and hurtling them at her foe.

He sidestepped and ducked to avoid them all with ease, and by now Terra was glaring at him with anger, her arms hanging at her sides, flashing with yellow light. Slade waited for her to attack this time, and she sent a very strong flurry his way. As he studied the positions of the incoming rocks within a second, he got ready to dodge them. A small one to his left, a nice round one he ducked under as he ran, a barrage of sharp ones he cut through with his bo, and lastly, a large oval one that he needed to crack fiercely with his bo to smash in half. As the earth came tumbling behind him, he grasped the remaining half of his weapon- the rest had been broken from the solid obstacle.

As he dropped it to the ground, it clattered loudly. He slowly pressed forward toward Terra with a calm and cold demeanor as he saw her eyes emitting light, her face afraid.

"Don't lose control, don't lose control," she was chanting to herself. Her head was burning with pain as the ground rumbled and dust rained from the ceiling. She was cowering, her hands covering her head as she was overcome by the pain.

"How can you lose something you never HAD?" Slade asked devilishly, raising his voice above the noise.

Terra moaned in agony as her response.

Slade began to step away, detaching a small round orb from his belt. As he threw it against the rockslide Terra had created earlier, he bid her farewell.

"Have it your way, child," he yelled at her as the small device exploded, opening up an escape. "Live your life as an outcast..."

Tears were flooding down Terra's face from the pain- mentally and physically. Every time this happened she remembered every single time she'd caused destruction and hurt innocent people.

It all became a blurry mess of pain and sadness as she blacked out, her body covered in dirt as the ceiling began to fall apart.

==

{I can't believe she tried fighting Slade by herself...} Raven was shocked and disappointed at the same time. She wasn't upset that Slade got away- she was upset because Terra was the newbie, and she didn't have any backup to help her. Fortunately, Terra hadn't been hurt too badly- just a small bruise on her cheek. They had yet to hear her give them the account of what had happened, but Raven knew that she had found Slade.

She was feeling exhausted, but she wouldn't be able to sleep not knowing that Robin and Starfire were still OK. Anything could've happened while they were gone...

She had been scanning the Tower ever since they had checked on Terra. As usual, everyone else was pretty much hanging out in the same general area, while Raven had gone on by herself.

She had decided that Starfire would surely be in her bedroom, and the door was unlocked like always, so she snuck in to make sure her best friend was sleeping soundly. She was pleasantly surprised.

The soft, ovular bed had two bodies sprawled over it. On the right side of the bed was Robin, his head flat on the bed, and his leg pitched up over the frilled pillow his head should've been using. His slender yet strong left arm was flopped over the edge of the bed, and his shoes were lying on the floor at the foot of Star's bed. Starfire was sleeping beside him, her head on his stomach. Her flowing red hair draped over his side, and her injured arm rested on the bed beside her. Her bare feet dangled over the bed, as well. Her expression was warm and peaceful, and Raven noticed that Robin seemed to have a similar one, too, their chests slowly expanding and retracting. Starfire's left hand was down beside her, loosely wrapping around Robin's right hand.

{Well...I guess they talked,} Raven concluded, impressed. {Looks like they did a lot more than talking, though...I told you not to be naughty, Robin...} Raven knew that nothing like that had happened, however. It plucked a string on the harp of her heart, this romantic sight. {She's so happy,} Raven noticed, staring at Star's smiling face. {I wonder...Will I ever meet someone right for me...? Will I ever get to feel what they feel...?}

She sighed warmly as she slowly and ever so carefully lifted Star's hurt arm onto another pillow above her head, and she let out a small moan.

"Good night, guys," she whispered to them calmly as she clicked the light off with her powers, exiting slowly.

{Tomorrow, Raven...You have to tell them tomorrow...}

~[<+--\-<*>-/--+>]~

End Transmission

{\+<--/-<*>-\-->+/}

Um...So, like, yea...Obviously seeing lots of character development here. You guys have a LOT to comment on, so you'd better do it if you want to see 11 soon. That's a lot of stuff there, and I wanna hear a lot about what you think.

[rrarbecy]

****...
That does look long.
I want to read it, but I have to finish my homework first.
I can't wait, since I read the last couple paragraphs.:o

[rrarbecy]

Stuffy academic version:
I take an Honors English class, so I know everything you are talking about.
I love what you're doing, taking snippets from actual eps and changing the outcomes.
I also like, the oposite of what Monkeypie thinks, what your doing with Robin and Starfire. It's really realistic, what you're doing with them. It's not a flawless relationship like all the others, its an extremely complicated and awkward relationship, which is more like real relationships.
I also enjoy the major character development with Raven. Nobody really develops her, and it's a nice change with your story.
Finally, I love what you're doing with Terra. You're, like, completely recreating the character, in a good way.

Gutteral reaction:
OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS STORY SO MUCH! MY GOD! AMAZING, AWESOME, GODLIKE! I NEED MORE.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Ooooo, you are good.
You tiptoed a very graceful line with the robin/starfire relationship. They seem like best friends that also date. They are definately going out which pleases the r/s shippers, but they aren't all kissy and cuddly (like Beast Boy and Tenotchitlan) so deviants like me don't get upset over it.

NICELY DONE!

I applaud you for that. I also like where Raven is headed. Might there be some competition with terra? Hmm...

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...Well, I think this here is...Yep, Chapter 11...

That means that you guys only have two more Chapters to rummage through of this fic until we're done with what I have so far...And 12 is pretty short compared to 10 and 11.

Anyway, er...

Yea. See, you ARE digging yourself deeper, ray54. See, you have to remember that this fic is NOT really separate. This fic is part of the Destinia Saga, and it's only separate because I decided to put it in its own little fic so Teen Titans fans would read it and not have to read about the other 50+ main characters and what-not...That and I could concentrate on just the Titans and develop their personalities better and such.

But if you like this fic, I STRONGLY suggest you read my other fiction.

Quest for Destiny! starts off pretty slow and all, but it does pick up later on, trust me. But that's for later- though not too far off, methinks.

Anyway, I won't hold you back any longer. Here's 11. Um...Just a sec...

This Chapter is HUGE!! So you'd BETTER be damned happy!! Don't say I didn't warn you!

-{--[ Begin Transmission ]--}-

The Destinia Saga...

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 11- Smashed Destiny

The late morning light made her emerald eyes sparkle as they welcomed the glowing rays in. Her eyelids remained half closed as her face had a dreamy smile plastered upon it. She glanced to her right a little to see Robin's head. His jaw was slightly open, and his eyes were closed. Starfire could feel her head slowly rising and falling in rhythm, and she realized that she was resting on Robin's chest at an angle. This, of course, only made her feel better and want to go back to sleep. It was the type of moment she had only been dreaming of for the longest time.

As she noticed that the door was closed and Robin didn't look like he was about to wake, Starfire decided to relish this moment and milk it for all it was worth. She latched her hand around his own as she snuggled her head a little closer to his neck.

{I am going to assume that perhaps Robin no longer feels he lacks the readiness for a romantic relationship.}

----------------

"You really DO have to drink that stuff every morning, don't you?" Beastboy asked her, shaking his head.

"Mm hm," Raven replied as she tilted an old ceramic tea cup to her lips.

"Blech!" Beastboy shot out his tongue in disgust.

Tenochtitlan beamed as she shoved a glass of orange juice into his hands.

"I have to drink THIS every morning," she told him. He grinned back at her as his nose shifted into an elephant snout and sucked it all up like a straw.

Giggling, Tay chugged her own drink down in one go. Raven smirked at their horseplay, and they both turned to her.

"Well?" Beastboy said expectantly. As two pairs of green eyes stared at her, Raven hatched an idea.

She dropped her tea cup, and it hovered in darkness in the air before her face. She opened her mouth wide as the brown liquid- which turned black- eerily swerved through the air as a beam, sailing straight into her mouth.

"Nice!" Beastboy laughed, giving her applause.

"Wow, Ray, you're not hiding in your hood this morning," Link commented humorously as he used a large mug to give himself a heaping serving of coffee. "That's something new."

Ray smiled weakly, not facing him.

"What, have you found out how nice SUNSHINE is, or something?" he asked her jokingly before gulping down some of his drink.

"You could say that," Raven muttered as she caught her cup in her hand and walked briskly away. After she was gone, Tay was hovering around where Link was standing at the counter, beside the coffee machine. His words somehow felt like needles, and Raven didn't like it in the least.

"Is ???" she whispered in excitement. Beastboy's eyes bulged open as he lunged for her, grabbing her arm.

"Ih- NOPE! That's, eh, chocolate milk!" he lied to her, dragging her away. "Isn't it, Link?"

Link stared at him dully, sipped from his drink, and shrugged. "Sure."

"See? NOT coffee, so let's just stay away from it, and-"

"I can HANDLE it this time!" Tenochtitlan whimpered. "I promise I won't go crazy..."

"Oh, that's what you're gonna tell me NOW, and then you're gonna get hooked again, n'-..."

"Fine," Tay huffed as she gave in and began to exit the room beside Beastboy.

"Thanks. That stuff's not good for you- last time I we had to pin you up against the wall and-" Beastboy paused as he noticed that his girlfriend was not beside him. Immediately worried, he spun around to see her diving at the coffee machine, snatching the glass container filled with it and splashing it all over her face. She was squatting on the counter, holding herself up with one arm on a cupboard drawer, the other hand pouring the coffee into her face. Link was standing casually beside her, sucking down his own serving of the caffienated beverage.

With a yelp, Beastboy dashed for her and began attempting to pry it from her hands as it went spilling all over. Fortunately, it wasn't too hot, otherwise they'd both have been burned quite badly.

"If it's not Raven who's creeping me out, it's someone ELSE," Link concluded with a sigh as he sat on a stool at the island and watched for entertainment.

----------------

"AW YEAH!! Twenty-five hit combo, baby!!"

Cyborg grinned widely with glee as he battled against an opponent online on his Gamestation. Mario was relaxing on the couch beside him on the his left, laying back with his legs kicked up on the coffee table and his hands on his neck. He didn't seem terribly excited, however.

After glancing at two large robots beating the crap out of each other on the large screen, Raven sighed and took a seat on Cyborg's right. She smiled as she noticed the ancient book she had been reading on the table. She must've left it there the night before.

Cyborg seemed to really be getting into the action, and some of the guys gathered around to cheer him on.

"That's it, man!" Beastboy cried. Tay flinched behind him with every blow exchanged onscreen. This sort of strange entertainment was still new to her. She sneaked out of the room, letting the boys play with their toy.

Cyborg let out a grunt here and there as he realized he was losing the upper hand.

"What is THAT, man?" Sonic demanded as Cyborg's character was thrown to the ground by a downward vertical punch.

"K.O.!!!" an announcer bellowed.

Raven was staring at the screen in the corner of her eye, and she made a sly remark.

"You blocked when you should have parried."

Cyborg glanced over to her smirking face, and he couldn't help but grin himself. A deep voice boomed from the screen as Cyborg's opponent spoke to him over the net.

"You have been decimated by Atlas, the champion of all!"

Lifting a brow, Cyborg sighed and placed his controller down on the table as he began to stand up and leave. However, Mario kicked down on it with his foot, flipping it upward. Catching it with ease, he pressed the 'Start' button and moved his cursor down to the word 'Rematch.'

Cyborg froze and imediately sat back down. Everyone else in the room grew deathly quiet- Mario was playing.

"Oh, ho!" the mysterious opposition chuckled. "You think you possess the power to triumph over Atlas? Atlas is perfect, Atlas has no flaws. No human can defeat Atlas."

Mario simply cracked a devilish smile.

"Human? Where?" he muttered devilishly.

----------------

Tenoch gasped in shock from her new friend's tale.

"Are...Are you serious...?"

"Psh- yea!" Terra cried out, rubbing her head where a bandaid had been placed.

"Man," Link moaned, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm real sorry I wasn't there, Terra..."

"It's all right," Terra assured him with a smile. "I'm kinda glad you weren't there...I wasn't so sure I could stand up for myself like that, but...I guess I was wrong." She laughed at herself a little.

Tay was still caught in shock, though, and burst out in protest.

"The other Titans said that this Slade person is REALLY dangerous...You shouldn't have tried fighting him alone like that!" she scolded, giving her a light shove.

"I was FINE," Terra defended herself. "Besides, I got the diamond back, didn't I? He was going to get away..."

Tay sighed deeply, shaking her head slowly.

"I guess..."

"I proved I have what it takes to be a Titan, though, wouldn't ya say?" she asked, feeling confident about herself.

"I'd say so," Link agreed, patting her on the back. "You keep this up and you'll be a true Titan in no time."

Beastboy came bounding in the room, a huge smile plastered upon him. He paused and gave Tay a kiss on the cheeck before sitting beside her and grabbing her hand.

"Dude! You missed it, Tay! Mario SO kicked that guy's butt! It was great! They were-"

Sonic had blown into the kitchen, tossing everyone's hair all over. The girls present obviously made out worse than the guys did, having much more hair to worry about.

"Did you guys see Tikal?" he asked quickly, his legs twitching.

"Er...No," Link mumbled. He glanced at the others, who all shook their heads and muttered their "no"'s. Tay and Terra shoved all of their hair out of their faces.

"Damnit," Sonic growled, tossing his arms. "Where is she NOW? She was JUST with me a minute ago, n' then BAM- she's gone. Grrr!!"

He zipped off out of the room, clearly concerned.

"What's his deal?" Beastboy mumbled curiously.

Tenoch giggled, her eyes beaming yellow.

"Tikal's like that," she explained. "She'll be there one minute and off wandering around the next. A real free-spirited girl..." Tay sighed as her mind itself wandered. "I've known her for some while..." She got slightly excited as she began to tell Beastboy about a past experience.

"I remember this one day when I was showing her around my home, and at about EVERY place we went to I'd be telling her stuff, and I'd look, and OF COURSE she wouldn't be there..." Tenochtitlan was glowing with joy as she remembered the events.

Beastboy carefully studied her beautiful yellow retinas.

"Tay...You...You're REMEMBERING," he tried to make her realize, squeezing her hand. She blinked out of her vision and her jaw dropped.

"I am!" she squealed happily. "Oh, oh..." She concentrated as she tried to remember more. "Um...Old buildings...Lots of old buildings...And...And trees and fruit, l-like a jungle..." She was squinting, milking the memory for all it was worth, but she couldn't really get any more out of it.

"Hm...That's it," she mumbled.

"It's more than yesterday," Beastboy encouraged, rubbing her shoulder.

Terra was completely baffled about all of this, but Link had attemtped to fill her in on it the night before. It was a real mess, but it made her feel better to know that she wasn't the only one who didn't know what she was doing.

"That would SO creep me out," Terra said to Link, remarking the whole 'not-being-able-to-remember-the-past' thing.

"Meh. It doesn't really matter to me anymore," Link admitted. "I'm where I am- and that's that. Doesn't matter where I was, now does it?"

"...Maybe," Terra shrugged, unsure.

When they looked up, Beastboy was calmly taking the coffee pot away from his girlfriend and placing it on the counter as she wiped the liquid from her face with her arms.

"Happy now?" he asked her with a disappointed face.

----------------

"Aw, yea, bro," Cyborg said with a nod, hitting Mario's knuckles with his own. "Dat's the good stuff. You kicked it to his FACE, man."

Mario was back in his relaxed position, smirking.

"Mah. That guy got a fistful of his own crap. That's how it's done."

Cyborg laughed a little, impressed by the gaming spectacle he had just witnessed. Suddenly, he felt his arm vibrate as it lit up with neon blue light and the Teen Titans theme was beeped out from it.

He lifted his arm up to his face to inspect his 'phone' and see who was calling. He wasn't greeted by a face, however. Only a black screen with a mysterious symbol on it. It was in red, and it was a pawprint with three claws. A little confused, Cyborg answered.

"Hello?"

"..."

There was silence for a moment, and Cyborg waited quietly for an answer.

"Cyborg. Good morning."

Cyborg lifted a brow, perplexed.

"Uhhh...Yea. Who is this?" he asked, still dumbfounded.

"...This would be Destiny Smasher...Is Robin there?"

Cyborg glanced up at Mario, who was still smirking at him. He shrugged, having no idea where Robin was.

"Haven't seen Bluejay lately," he admitted. "I think he's still snoozin'.

"Is it important? I think the guy's still sleepin'," Cyborg explained. "Got a message ya want me to send him?"

The voice on the other side was solemn and calm as it delivered a response.

"Tell Robin that Destiny Smasher wishes to meet the Titans in person this evening. All of the Titans are to attend- ALL of them. We'll meet on the roof of the Wayne Enterprises building tonight at sunset."

A bit surprised and puzzled, Cyborg gave him a, "Yea, all right...I'll tell him," and realized that no one was there anymore.

"Whoa...Now that's messed up," he murmured to himself. "Yo," he said to Mario, dropping his arm back down. "You know what that was about?"

Mario shrugged, scratching his hair underneath his cap. He nodded toward the coffee table, noting the empty space on the right side where Raven had been sitting.

"Say, eh...Didn't Ray leave her book there?" he pondered aloud.

"...Yea," Cyborg answered slowly, puzzled. "But I didn't see her come back and get it..."

----------------

"Nothing happened!" Robin grumbled to Raven with a huff added at the end. "We talked, and...I don't know, we just...-"

Raven was smiling a big smile, and she rubbed his shoulder a little.

"Oh, I'm not worried about you, Robin. It's HER I'm worried about," she told him with a little laugh.

"...Yea," Robin muttered, feeling uncomfortable.

"So you're going out on another date tonight?"

Robin nodded, looking out of Starfire's window. They were in her room, but she had gone to the bathroom.

"Star said you were going to see a movie..." Robin clearly seemed distraught about something, so Raven silenced herself, waiting for him to say what he was going to- she knew he was going to say something.

"Raven, could you do me a favor?" he asked slowly. He almost felt bad about it, but he felt it needed to be said.

"Yea?" Raven responded, curious.

"Could you tell me...Why do you care so much about MY business with Starfire?" He had a hint of hostility about him, and it was like he had whipped a verbal birdarang at Raven's face. Raven bit her lip, looking down at the floor. She felt pretty foolish.

{I never really considered how ROBIN felt...I feel so stupid...}

"I've been...getting on your nerves..." Raven concluded aloud.

"Yes, you HAVE," Robin bluntly lashed out. "Everyone has- I'm sick of it! This isn't your business, it's mine and hers. If Starfire's going to tell you about what happens, fine. But you don't need to blab about it to everyone else, because-"

"I wasn't!" Raven defended herself, holding her palms out.

Robin huffed and shook his head. "Whatever!" he growled. "I just don't need everyone hassling me about it, all right? If you have your opinions, could you keep them to yourself?"

Raven avoided his gaze, staring at the random decorations on Starfire's beautifully crafted dresser. She felt like hiding in her cloak and storming out of the room. His tone was getting that bitterness to it and it felt like he was yelling at her. Raven couldn't stand being yelled at, for one reason or another. It made her feel horrible.

"Mm," she hummed back quickly. {I get the point!}

"You know how I am, Raven," Robin continued, venting his frustration. "I don't like being told what to do when it's nobody's business, and I need my privacy...So just back off a bit. I don't know what's been getting into you lately, but...-"

He was taking deep breaths, pacing back in forth in front of her bed in a limp. His leg was in a foot cast, but he could hobble in it without a crutch now. He let loose a deep sigh as he tiredly plopped himself onto the bed's edge, his back facing her. After a pause, he apologized.

"Sorry," he grumbled. "It's not just you, it's everybody..."

"...It's all right," Raven muttered, still feeling afraid to say anything more.

"...Starfire's been telling me about how proud she is about the progress you've made with your powers, and...-"

"...Really...?" Raven was a little surprised, and she turned her head to look at Robin.

"...I know what it's like- feeling lonely when you're surrounded by people...I used to be that way, too."

{...He did...?}

"Star gets so happy when she talks about how much better you're doing lately. And I've noticed that you haven't had any problems with your powers, and you don't spend all of your day by yourself. To be honest, Raven, I'm impressed myself."

Raven's cheecks were pink, but Robin still wasn't glancing her way, so she averted her gaze back to the dresser.

"I didn't mean to be so nosy," she explained slowly. "Starfire's my best friend...I never thought for the longest time I would ever have a REAL friend...Honestly, I'm not sure I KNEW what one really WAS for a while. Ever since I became a Titan, I've always felt...detached...from everyone...But Starfire's helped me realize that I don't have to be. I care about her more than anything I've ever cared about in my life. And I'm sure she cares about YOU even more."

She took a pause to collect her thoughts and breathe. Moving her loose bang from her forehead, she finished.

"I don't want to see Starfire get hurt, Robin. I guess I just want to make sure you don't do anything that WOULD hurt her."

Robin gave her a puzzled expression as he turned around and eyed her. He was still getting over the fact that she hadn't been putting her hood on lately. It made her look like a different person- maybe because she kind of was. The way Star had explained it was that this Raven had been there all along, she just hadn't gotten the chance to come out until now. Robin figured this made sense, but it didn't change how different she seemed.

"Why would I hurt Starfire?" he questioned her incredulously.

Raven shook her head, closing her eyes. "I don't know," she grumbled. "I'm afraid that I myself may hurt her in some way. I don't like seeing people get hurt, especially when it's because of me..."

"You used to do it a LOT," Robin reminded her, his brow lifted. It seemed so strange to hear RAVEN of all people saying such a thing. She always used to be ready with a dry and bitter joke, or some sarcasm to put everyone's spirits down.

"I know," she moaned, rubbing her forehead as she sighed. "I don't know WHY..."

"I think I know," Robin theorized- as usual. "You said you felt detached...If you didn't think you could ever have a real friend, you decided that you shouldn't even try and do the opposite...It's a psychological defense..."

"...Maybe," Raven mumbled. It wasn't important anymore. "I don't want to see YOU hurt, either...Because...Star would be upset...I would, too, but...She would be more." She laughed a little. "And if that happens, I get upset, which makes HER upset even MORE..."

"I think I understand what you're trying to say," Robin concluded. "It's just a security measure. Don't worry. There's no reason I would hurt Starfire."

He made sure he'd caught her attention. He stared at her glassy, purple eyes with his firm, serious face as he told her, "I swear, Raven- I won't hurt her. Just don't butt in, all right?"

Raven smiled weakly. "Deal."

"Now we just-"

"Oh! Good morning, Raven!" Starfire squealed as she floated into the room, discovering her friend. She stretched her free arm out wide as she reached out for a hug. Raven smiled warmly as she rubbed Starfire's back. As they separated, Raven inspected her thoroughly.

"How is your arm?" she asked calmly, still grinning a little.

Starfire's eyes wandered upward, as she didn't know for certain. She moved it a little, and it didn't hurt, so she moved it some more to confirm it. With a gasp of joy, she exclaimed, "It does not induce pain!"

"Great," Raven said eagerly as she used her powers to rip the cast carefully off of the girl's arm and let it drop to the floor.

"And you, Robin? How's your leg?"

Robin, still seated on Star's bed, slowly stood up straight and placed pressure on his broken leg. He continued to do so a few times as he realized that it didn't hurt too much at all.

"...I think it's all right," he hastily spat out once he reached this conclusion.

Raven eyed him suspiciously. She knew he'd lie just so he could be out there fighting crime, but she believed him.

"You're sure?" she checked, readying her hands to remove the cast. Robin nodded eagerly, ready to be rid of the vile attachment.

The cast became surrounded by a black aura as it was shredded apart and fell to the floor in a messy pile.

"OK...But you're still not going to be off waging war with thugs on the street," Raven added carefully, sucking away Robin's anticipation. "That leg's not ready for anything strenuous yet...And Starfire," she turned to her best friend, "Your arm should be pretty fine, but I'm not sure about your head...You should take it easy as well..."

Starfire nodded obediently, scratching her bare arm- it was itchy from the material that had been on it for so long. Her head bandage had been removed while she was in the bathroom, so now, from an outside look, she was injury-free.

Raven floated up from the ground and drifted toward the door in an eery fashion.

"I'll leave you guys alone," she announced, glancing at Robin for approval. He gave her a thankful smile as he waved.

"Yea, we'll be there in a minute, Raven..."

Starfire turned around to the goth girl, blushing.

"Yes, I shall converse with you later-quite thoroughly-on the topics at hand," she said with a sly smile that Robin couldn't see.

Raven smirked back and pressed a button behind her, shutting the door.

Robin was rubbing the back of his neck nervously as Star beamed at him.

"Was there something you wished to address?" she asked cheerfully.

"Um...Starfire," Robin began slowly. "...We need to talk a little bit."

Star frowned sadly. Was there ALWAYS a problem? Just once, could they have a day without picking flaws out of it? No, because Robin was always a perfectionist. Starfire admired his courage, his drive to do what he thought was right...He never gave up. But sometimes he could go too far. She'd have to compromise, though, as one has to in any relationship.

"...Very well," she mumbled. "What is the matter we must overcome...?"

"It's about us," Robin muttered.

{I am SINCERELY surprised,} Starfire grumbled in her mind.

"Star, I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I really don't want all the other Titans to know what's going on between us...Ya know? It just-...I need my privacy. I don't understand how you can go and tell everyone things, but I don't really appreciate that..."

Starfire narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure it out.

"Robin, I understand your feelings, but what good comes from an experience if you cannot share it with others...?"

Robin huffed, rubbing his forehead.

"Star, I just mean that there are some things that should be just between two people. The Titans don't have to know EVERYTHING about us."

Star sighed, hoping to end the conversation fast.

"Robin, I believe I can determine what experiences to recall to my friends and which ones not to...If you do not trust me, I-" Her tone was getting touchy.

"It's not like that," Robin quickly defended. "...Nevermind," he groaned, feeling like an idiot for bringing it up. "Tell them what you want, you're right...I just get sick of them pestering me about it. I don't need Cyborg's advice about what to do on a date- if I did, I'd ASK. And I certainly don't need RAVEN of all people telling me how to play my cards right, either."

"What is wrong with Raven?" Star asked with that snippy tone.

"Nothing, it's just weird," Robin spat out, avoiding any further conflict. "Let's just sort this out later, it's not important...I didn't mean to get you upset."

"I am not upset," Starfire assured him, though she sounded upset all the same. "I am merely confused..."

"Later," Robin muttered, holding up his palms vertically. "We'll have lots of time tonight."

Star gave a light sigh and nodded. "Mm hm. We shall make an arrangement during our courtship rit-...er...'date'...But at the current moment, I have a strong desire to give my body rations to digest. Shall we break our fast?"

Robin chuckled at her speech and agreed heartily.

----------------

[Destiny_Smasher]

Raven was quite concerned about the fact that her book seemed to have vanished out of thin air. She was patrolling the halls of the Tower in search of her fellows.

Nobody she had found so far knew where it had gone to- or, at least, they said they didn't. It couldn't have just walked away...Then again...

Raven gasped in surprise as she rounded a corner to see a girl with pale orange hair and a loose denim skirt sitting against the wall. She was cross-legged, her blue eyes gazing thoughtfully into the browned pages of a very old book that was in her lap.

"Tikal?? What are you doing with my book?" Raven almost shouted. Tikal jumped with fright, her eyes bugged out with shock. "I thought I told you not to touch them...They're very old!" she scolded as she swiped it from Tikal's skinny arms.

Tikal gasped, feeling ashamed as she realized that she'd gotten carried away.

"...I'm sorry," she murmured, wincing. "I didn't mean to steal it. I couldn't resist, it was so captivating..."

Raven took a deep breath, gaining control of her anger.

"It's OK. Sorry for yelling, I just don't like people touching my things...I don't have much, and what I DO have are antiques."

She paused as she stared at the book's cover. A strange stone carved into a cut diamond shape was carved into the wooden surface.

"...You liked this, too?" Raven asked slowly, trying to turn the conversation in a positive direction.

Tikal nodded, hurrying to her feet. She dusted herself off quickly and spoke shakily.

"The story is fascinating." She grinned sheepishly, as if she was hiding a secret. "But I believe that some of the history is inaccurate..."

Raven lifted a brow, utterly confused.

"What...?"

Tikal blushed at Raven's odd glance.

"Well...It just doesn't seem right," she mumbled. Now that she thought about it, she realized just how far fetched the situation was.

"...What do you mean?" Raven asked her suspiciously.

"I, uh...I've been reading it, but-"

"HOW?" Raven interrupted in a demanding voice. "You UNDERSTAND it?"

"...Well, of COURSE I do," Tikal mumbled, feeling a little small. "I learned it when I was a child..."

Raven's jaw was slightly agape as she pondered this statement. How and why would she learn an ancient language when she was a child?

"...I thought you said you couldn't remember your past..." she reminded both herself and Tikal.

"I know. I couldn't before," Tikal agreed. "But as I've been reading this book, it's been coming back to me..." She stared at the book in Raven's hands with longing.

"Really? But how?" The gothic girl was completely amazed by this. She almost refused to believe it.

Tikal took a deep breath. {Would she believe me if I told her...?}

Reluctantly, Tikal reached out her hand, hoping to accept the old tome. Eager for an answer, Ravan handed it to her, being careful not to let go until she was sure Tikal had a firm grasp on it.

Tikal opened the cover with care, knowing how touchy the mysterious girl before her could be. She examined the front cover's inside and pointed out some writing.

"See? This is the signature of an old friend of mine..." she mumbled.

Raven stared at it in awe. She placed her palm on the book as she tried to squeeze the past from it. But the memories were very old, and she couldn't get them to come.

"My friend's name was Andlos..." Tikal smiled fondly at the thought of him. She couldn't remember much, but she felt his presence in her heart and mind. The signature had sparked the memory. "He was very smart. He loved to read, especially about science and history...I'm not surprised this was his..."

Raven suddenly realized something that didn't make sense at all. If she knew this person...If she knew this language...How old was she???

"Tikal, wait." She paused, having trouble absorbing it in. "Are you saying that you were ALIVE when this happened...?"

Tikal's eyes grew sad. {She doubts me...} She nodded slowly, hoping that she could convice Raven that she knew it was true. Inside herself, she could feel these memories. As she read, she began to recall instances and events. It was haunting at times and wonderous at others. It was as if it had become an addiction to read it. She had always made sure to place the book back where she had found it, though. But Raven had finally caught her this time.

"I...I guess so...I don't know to explain it, but I KNOW it...I LIVED through some of these events..." She flipped through the book thoughtfully. She glanced at the pages that spoke of a young princess sealing away the great Chaos that would destroy the planet...And she knew...it was HER...But she wasn't ready to tell Raven- or ANYONE- such a claim just yet. She came upon one page and began to read about what it described, pointing it to Raven, who couldn't make sense of the words, but could understand the picture. It was a girl who had fallen and was obviously dead, but she didn't look entirely human.

"Zepha..." Tikal murmured. "Zepha was a friend of mine...And-and Cyclos...Cyclos was my old boyfriend..." She pointed out a strange creature in the old drawings who had spikey hair. "Cyclos was brave and strong...But he never really liked the traditions our people placed upon him...Father disliked him, and he disliked father..." She sighed sadly. "But when times were difficult, he was always there for the people. He had a strong sense of justice..."

Raven was baffled by how she seemed to talk about him.

"You sound like you don't miss him..."

Tikal shook her head. "Why should I miss him? He's still with me..." She smiled warmly.

"And Zepha...Poor Zepha...You see, disaster struck our people, and Cyclos was sent off to war...Zepha...She loved him just as much as I did. But, well...She never told him. After all, he was my mate, and...-" Tikal sighed deeply, feeling guilty, though she knew she couldn't have done much about the matter. "But Zepha was a dear and true friend to us both. When Cyclos went to fight, she followed him. And...She was killed trying to help him..."

Tikal couldn't bear to speak of the matter further and turned the page to skip ahead.

"Cyclos died during that war...I wasn't able to end it before his death." She wasn't crying, though, and this made Raven very confused.

"I do not wish to linger on old memories," she mumbled, closing the book. "At least not sad ones."

"...Do you miss your old home?" Raven asked as Tikal handed back the old book. Tikal shook her head slowly. "I guess I do not. I am content with friends like those I have here. Friends like you are all I need," she said kindly, causing Raven to blush a little. "However, I am afraid that I may have to return to my old home..."

"Why?" Raven was certainly full of curiosity.

"If the memories I am collecting are all true, then returning home is inevitable to us all..."

"Oh," Raven mumbled, a little disheartened. She was just discovering how great it was to MAKE friends, and before she could really have them, she would have to say good-bye...? As long as she had Starfire, she'd survive.

"We all have choices to make," Tikal muttered. "We all have our own paths to take...Otherwise the world would be thrown into chaos...Chaos can be good, but it can also be very bad...Chaos is power, power that is enriched by the heart...But if misused- if enriched by the darkness- chaos is often a terrible thing..."

Raven would normally reflect on such thoughts, but she was eager to move on to other matters. This was a little confusing. She had to investigate it later on.

"Are the others regaining their memories, as well?" she questioned as she placed the book in her arm pit.

Tikal shrugged. "I suppose I should ask, hm?" Raven nodded quickly.

"Sorry, Tikal, I've...gotta go. If you want to look at my book later, you can, but...Ask next time, would you?"

----------------

"Yea, Rob, he called askin' for ya just a little while ago, but you were sleepin' an' all, so-..."

"What did he want?" Robin demanded, obviously eager for an answer.

"Apparently, he wants us to meet him tonight at sunset on the roof of the Wayne Enterprises building downtown..." Cyborg seemed a little confused, but he didn't seem to care too much, either.

Robin huffed. This 'Destiny Smasher' was definitely becoming very suspicious...Did he know Robin's relation to Bruce Wayne, or was it merely a coicidence...? He seemed to know what was going on with the Titans, so it was probably the first of the two...

"...He'll get what he wants," Robin mumbled, flicking at his controller like a madman. "We're going to be there, and we're going to be ready for any tricks this guy has up his sleeve..."

Starfire was hovering behind the two as they played their video game.

"Why are you so certain he is an enemy?" she inquired, slightly upset that Robin believed such a thing. He seemed like a nice person to her...Something seemed to be missing from his life, however. Starfire knew fully well what this was- it was what she was searching for herself. It was what she hoped to find in Robin.

Robin huffed, having lost his concentration. Failing horribly against Cyborg, he grumbled to Starfire, "I'm not certain, but something about him doesn't seem right. We can't let our guard down."

"I suppose you are correct," Starfire admitted, hoping he was wrong.

"Oh, hey, Starfire."

Star whirled around slowly, fearing she may topple over if she did so too fast. She was still feeling light-headed every now and then. But her head was cleared completely as she saw the excited smile on her best friend's face.

"Yes, Raven?"

"I, uh-..." She glanced down ay Cyborg and Robin a little nervously. "I was wondering if...if we could-..." Her eyes popped back up at the glowing green ones before her. "-...hang out..."

A grin exploded onto Starfire's face as she clasped her hands together with joy.

"Of course!" She zipped through the air down the hall, heading for their bedrooms. Raven quickly caught up with her, wondering what she was thinking. "Was there a particular location you were intending to visit?" she inquired quickly.

"I-I dunno...I was thinking that maybe we could...go to the mall, or-"

"YES! A glorius idea! The shopping center at the core of the city would be ideal for this 'hanging out'!"

Raven felt alive as she rushed through the dark halls with her excited friend. Though it may seem foolish to the average teen, this was a big deal for Raven. Raven didn't 'hang out' or go places with anyone, really...Whenever she did it was because the whole group was going.

"We can visit a vendor that specializes in distributing articles of clothing!" Starfire cried with glee as she opened the door to her room, flying inside. It slammed shut behind her, though, leaving Raven in the dust. With a small chuckle, Raven tapped the door with her knuckle.

"Uhhh...Star...?"

"Oh! Forgive me!" her muffled voice called. She seemed to be preoccupied. "07734!" She was giving Raven the passcode to her bedroom's door.

{Wow...She's practically giving me her key,} Raven thought to herself. She'd have to find the right opportunity to return the gesture. After punching in the digits on the pad at the door's side, Raven was almost pushed over as Starfire came bounding out with a small leather object on a strap hanging on her arm. It was a purse, though Raven wasn't very acquainted with them- nor did she want to be.

"I am in the possession of sixty-four and thirty-six hundredths units of the local currency..."

"..." Raven blinked at her, wide-eyed.

"I, uh...I have about a hundred," Raven mumbled, unsure as to whether or not this was such a good idea. Then again, she'd probably find a good book while she was at it.

After gathering her money and letting Starfire stuff it into a pocket of her purse, Raven followed her breakneck pace of flight as they came zipping through the main living room again.

"Raven and I are traveling to the shopping center," she informed Robin hastily before speeding off.

"Wh-..." Robin stuck out an arm as they brushed past. "Make sure you guys meet us at the Wayne Enterprises building at sunset if you're staying out!!!" he yelled, cupping his hands. With a groan, he shook his head and continued his walk to the elevator.

{Now she's going to tell Raven about everything last night,} his brain grumbled. {...I wonder if it's such a good idea to let those two spend so much time together...}

----------------

The restaurant was bustling with activity that night. It was a Friday, afterall, so this was no surprise. The place was warm, though kind of dark at the same time. Waiters were running about, ready to serve all the hungry customers.

One waiter, in particular, was halted from his errand by a skinny toothpick of a kid dressed in a neat little tuxedo. He had some fuzz growing on his face, and his brown hair was all messed up.

"Hey, hey! Luigi, man! Your shift was up ten minutes ago! Let me take the reigns!"

The tall and slender teen who had been addressed skidded to a stop, a silver platter in hand. He turned to face his fellow employee as the kid swiped the dish from his gloved hand.

"Wow! Mama mia," the teen murmured in awe as he glanced at the clock with his bright, blue eyes. {I'm late...I told her I'd meet her at six thirty...}

"I'll catch-a you later, Jeb," he called to the boy who had taken his place. {The boss is going to kill him...He looks like a slob tonight...But what else is new?}

He ran to the employee bathroom and began to swap his clothes around. A neat, white dresshirt and a vest for a green T-shirt. A pair of neat black shoes for brown boot-like sneakers. Black dresspants were traded for a pair of slightly baggy, denim overalls. He threw off his gloves and threw them into the laundry bin as he grabbed a green cap off of his hook and flopped it onto his head. It had a white semi-circle on the forehead and a green letter 'L' inside it.

{She's going to be so mad at me,} he growled mentally. {But at least I'm not TOO late this time...}

In his haste, he almost forgot to punch himself out on the timeclock. Skidding to a halt in a goofy fashion, he reached out his arm and snagged the piece of paper with his name on it and slipped it into the slot. Kachunk! It printed out his time in the proper space, and he dropped it into its proper place as well.

Rushing down the streets of the city he had found himself in weeks ago, he found himself bumping into this guy and brushing against that lady. He'd apologize quickly with each small collision and proceed.

After only five minutes of dashing about, he came to his destination- a small ice cream shop at the corner of Balberry Street called 'Luigi's Ice.' The place had become their usual meeting spot by now, and the manager always gave Luigi some free Italian ice for stopping by.

{I-a refuse to let-a my fellow Italiano get away-a without-a eating my ice- fantastico!} That's what he'd say when Luigi declined his offer. You couldn't refuse the man, though- he was just too kind.

His name was Luigi, as well, but he was quite a bit older. A very charming old man who had a mustache upon his face comprised of two thin, shiny groups of hair that curled. The teen Luigi also had a mustache like this, but his was not as large. He was meaning to shave it sooner or later, anyway. It just didn't look quite right on him- but everytime he tried, it never seemed to work- it'd grow back in a day.

His eyes darted across the tables that were alligned outside the store, next to the sidewalk. He panicked for a moment, but he finally found her sitting at the far table. She didn't notice him at first, and she was twirling her spoon around in her ice cream, which was getting a little mushy. It was strawberry and orange sherbet- her favorite. Her emerald eyes- normally fierce and bursting with life- were glazed and dull. It was like comparing a silver sword to an old, rusty dagger. She just didn't seem like herself.

She was a very pretty girl of 17, and she certainly stuck out in a crowd. Her smile was bright and warm, and her eyes could glow like the sun itself. She had puffy pink hair that ran down just past her shoulders. They were in wide, floppy locks, and she had a set of small, stringy bangs on her forehead, while three long spines of hair drooped over her head- they were arranged in a vertical line. Her outfit changed all the time- as most people's outfits do, ironically. That night she was wearing a sleeveless red shirt with a large, blue feather printed on it. The feather was being tossed by the wind. Two skinny gold bracelets were on her wrists- she seemed to wear them everywhere.

She normally wore skirts and shorts, but that night she was wearing a pair of loose, black jeans. Luigi knew something was wrong- she loved to be showy with her legs. It was a little hard NOT to notice this over time. So seeing her wear jeans- and loose ones at that- made Luigi feel suspicion.

Her name was Amy Rose. She'd been working at the counter of a fast food restuarant for a couple of weeks now- a depressing enough job as it was. But somehow she made it seem cheerful in her own strange way. Amy was usually very optimistic and could find the silver lining in any storm cloud. Luigi didn't quite share the same optimism. She was overall what one could call very feminine, but there was certainly a toughness inside her. It was like she was a soft cookie with a tough center instead of the other way around.

"Amy!" he greeted as he sat himself down hurriedly. He still had an Italian accent about him, though. "I'm-a so glad to-a see you here! I thought-a-"

"Cut the crap," Amy growled at him irritably. That was another thing about Amy. She seemed to be the sweetest, kindest person, but once every here and there she'd have a mood swing. This one wasn't a normal one, though. She wouldn't have wanted to see him if it was. This one wasn't just a mood swing- it had a purpose.

Luigi coughed, realizing his foolishness. "Sorry, Amy, you know how my boss is."

Luigi's boss wanted all of his waiters to speak in an accent when serving customers to add to the atmosphere. Luigi felt right at home doing this, of course, and often left work with it stuck on his tongue.

Amy huffed in reply, still not making eye-contact with him.

"Nice of you to show up, anyway," she mumbled, calming down a bit. "I was worried you weren't going to come...Nice mustache by the way," she added sarcastically. "I thought you were going to shave it?"

"I DID," Luigi defended. He shook his head and sighed.

"Right...What took you so long? I thought you got out at six-thirty..."

"I got a bit tied up with work," he explained, hoping to get to the matter at hand. "What's wrong, Amy? You look troubled."

"That's because I AM," she honestly answered in a murmur before scooping up a spoonful of ice cream.

"And why would that be?" he asked, rotating his hand.

A breeze blew by, and Amy sighed as her hair waved a bit. She looked up at Luigi sadly, watching the way his green cap fluttered in the wind. The concern in his eyes caught her attention.

"I finally found him," she mumbled with a mixed tone.

Luigi grinned with joy. "Really? That's wonderful!" But his grin was vaporized by Amy's depressing glare.

"No, it's not," she moaned. "I saw him with another girl...They were walking hand-in-hand..."

Luigi nodded slowly, his expression saddened.

"Sorry to hear that," he mumbled.

Amy took a deep breath as she rubbed her head in frustration.

"At least I found out where he's living," she mumbled, trying to be optimistic- as usual.

"Oh?"

Amy pointed her finger in what seemed to be a random direction.

"He's living in that giant tower out on the bay," she answered dully.

"In Titan Tower?" Luigi murmured. "I thought that's where those super-heroes live..."

Amy took a deep breath, her eyes closed. After a pause, she let out a small smile. She whispered, "He's super, all right..."

"Why would he be there?" Luigi said to himself, quite curious and oblivious to Amy's tone just a moment before. "I don't know about you, but I say we go up there tomorrow and find out if he IS there..."

Amy nodded drearily, her eyes going back to thoughtful and sad.

"Yea..."

Luigi was greeted cheerfully by a pudgy old man who patted him on the back warmly. He was a well rounded man with a plaid shirt and yellow and white striped pants. He wore a black bow tie. Definitely one to stick out in a crowd.

"Eh, it's-a Luigi! And how are-a you-a doing on this-a lovely night?"

"I'm doing well, Mr. Chelli," he answered.

"Ahhh..." The owner of the store glanced at Amy's depressed appearence. "I see-a your friend is not-a so well..."

"No," Amy grumbled.

"Not-a even my ICE-a CREAM brings you joy? Hm...It must-a be serious! What's-a matter for you, little Rose?"

She huffed out some air and she drummed her fingers on the table, her cheeck in her palm, the elbow on the table.

"I-a see...It's about-a this-a Sonic I hear about-a, no?"

There was still no answer, and Mr. Chelli decided to try and lighten the mood the way he did best- offering free ice cream.

After he had gone, Amy began to look less angry and more thoughtful.

"Mm...You're right...We have to go see him tomorrow..."

Luigi didn't say anything as she ranted her thoughts aloud.

"Just because he has a girlfriend doesn't mean I should just forget about him, right? Yea...But I wonder...Does he even CARE about me? Do you think...?" She stared at the table with worry as she thought it out aloud. "I don't really remember much, but....I remember that he was trying to avoid me...I wonder if I did something wrong..." She huffed, shaking her head. "Whatever it is, I know he didn't want me around...But maybe he misses me...? Probably not..."

"Honestly, Amy, I don't know. But you sure seem to care about HIM."

"I do..." she mumbled, red spots forming under her eyes. "With everything in me." She was smiling sheepishly. {Wow, did I just say that out loud...? It sounds so much more CORNY than in my head...But it IS true...}

"And he knows...?"

There was a pause as Amy tried to figure the answer.

"I doubt it," she concluded slowly.

"There's one thing you might want to work on. A great hockey player once said that you miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

----------------

"I don't know, Starfire...I feel weird..."

"Oh, come now, Raven! I am certain you will look fantastic! You needn't worry about embarrassment...I am the only one present!"

Starfire stared at the dressing room door with anticipation. She had let Raven choose her own outfit to try on, ignoring her while she chose so it would be a surprise.

Starfire herself wasn't planning on spending money on clothes that day, though. She was saving it for something else. Raven wasn't interested at first, either, but Starfire convinced her that she should try a new look.

{If you are truly a different Raven, you require a different appearence that fits the new 'you!'}

With a sigh, Raven mumbled, "All right..." The door slowly creaked open as Raven squirmed out sheepishly.

Her face was pink, her teeth were clenched with nervousness, and her hands fiddled with each other a little.

Her face was the same as it always was, but it didn't look as dead as it normally did- perhaps this was because it wasn't hiding in the darkness.

She had left her old cloak for a new look, all right. She wore a light pink sweatshirt with short sleeves. Her arms felt so strange- they felt naked. She was so used to wearing something on them. Despite this, they felt free, and she liked that. Her shirt was soft and cottony and not leathery and tight. It was as if her body could breath. The shirt still had a purple hood, though, but it was draped over her back. For some reason, she liked the hood, even if she wasn't really going to wear it. Two drawstrings hung over her chest a little bit. Upon the pink shirt's front was printed a design that had caught Raven's eye. It was a heart broken in two halves. Each half had its own little angel wing to match. For one reason or another, Raven found it charming. It felt like HER, somehow. Raven was used to having her legs free and exposed, so she had picked a pair of black denim shorts to wear. Her old, outdated footwear had been replaced with a pair of light, navy blue sneakers. All in all, she looked much less gothic and more natural and modern.

Starfire's face lit up like a beacon as she clasped her hands together in excitement.

"Raven! I am amazed at your taste! You truly look like the 'New Raven,' now. Glorius! Our friends will find it appealing, I am certain!"

"...Rrrrreally?" A smile crawled across her face as Starfire nodded with a wide grin. "I didn't-"

Beep beep beep be-beeeep beep beep beepbeep

The Titan Theme chimed from a yellow communicator that was sitting on a table behind Raven in the dressing room. Raven grabbed it and flicked it open, answering the call.

"What is it?" she asked, greeted by Robin's face.

"It's almost sunset, you two," Robin informed them. He was about to start another sentence, but he paused, distracted by Raven's appearence. "Raven?? What did-...Nevermind. Just...Make sure you guys get to the Wayne building really soon. We have a meeting there, remember?"

"But what about your date with Starfire?" Raven asked slowly, glancing up at her friend's face.

Robin gave her a look that reminded her of their conversation that morning.

"Don't worry about it," he put it simply.

"Oh, eh..." Raven trailed off in a mumble, feeling a little stupid. "We'll...leave right now...We'll see ya..."

----------------

[Destiny_Smasher]

"Mm MM...Look at that, ya'll," Cyborg murmured, staring at the glowing orb that slowly sank into the horizon. The sky was painted like a marvelous ocean of red, orange and blue.

"It's real pretty," Tenoch agreed quietly, leaning against Beastboy. It was kind of a funny sight, as she was slightly taller than him, so she rested her head on his. Her left arm was around his shoulder, while her other was in his hand. His right arm was around her waist, and he grasped her hand with his left.

"That's great, but where is he?" Robin grumbled, gazing around the city. The view was pretty nice from the rooftop of the skyscraper they were on. In huge neon lights on the building's top, the word 'Wayne' was spelled out. "And where are Starfire and Raven?? They should be here by now..."

"Chill out, Oreal," Mario said calmly, leaning up against the base of the 'W.' "They'll be here soon..."

"So will HE," Robin grumbled. "And we'll need all the help we can get in case he has something planned..."

"Man, what makes you so sure he's out to get us?" Cyborg asked him, shaking his head. "He doesn't seem like a bad guy to ME..."

"All right, NOW who are we talking about?" Terra groaned, frustrated that she never seemed to know what was going on.

"He calls himself Destiny Smasher," Link told her. "We don't know crap about him, but he keeps sending us messages."

"He knows something we don't," Robin growled, tapping his foot impatiently. "And whatever it is, he hasn't told us yet. I want to get the truth out of him. I've just got a bad feeling..."

"Whatever," Sonic grumbled as he stared at the giant neon lights. The temptation to start up his old antics took over, but Tikal held him back. "If he doesn't show in two minutes, I'm gone." Tikal kept her arm wrapped tightly around his, and it looked like she was restraining him.

"Calm down, Cyclos..." she murmured quietly to him.

He paused, a little confused.

"What?" he mumbled in a whisper. Tikal stared at him blankly for a moment.

"Calm down," she repeated, rubbing his back with her free hand.

Sonic lifted a brow at her. "No, you called me something..." She blinked at him with wide eyes for a second.

"...I called you by your NAME, didn't I?" she murmured slowly.

"No," Sonic replied. "You called me something weird..." Tikal suddenly realized her mistake and her face flushed red.

"Oh, I-...I have been reading a very fascinating book lately, and I've really gotten into it," she told him, feeling a little like she was lying.

"No kiddin," Sonic said to her calmly as he stared down into the streets below. His eye had caught sight of something that drew him in for some reason. It was a girl, about his age, with soft pink hair. She was walking down the streets by herself, looking as if she were frightened by something...Something about her seemed so familiar...Her emerald green eyes matched his own. But the expression about her- the sad, frightened expression- did NOT seem familiar on her. A harsh breeze picked up for a couple moments, and he lost sight of her as she disappeared around a corner.

Tikal was examining the streets as well, wondering what he was staring at.

"Cycl-" She paused, shaking her head slightly in frustration. "Sonic, what is it...?"

Sonic was silent, and he glanced down at his arm. The bracelet around it clattered in the wind, the seashells knocking against each other peacefully. The chunk of bright, yellow stone seemed to glow, but it slowly diminished.

"I don't know," he answered calmly.

----------------

"The celestial body has nearly vanished from our view," Starfire groaned aloud as they whizzed through the city near the rooftops, searching for their destination. They hadn't really gotten the chance to do much of anything except buy Raven a new outfit. She was carrying her old leotard and cape in her arm. The skies were mostly dark blue, escept toward the west, where about a third of the sun remained. The skies around it were reddish in color as it set.

"I do hope Robin will not be disappointed in our late arrival..."

"He'll live," Raven grumbled. "After he scolds us, of course." She smirked, able to picture what he would say perfectly. But as the buildings below came and went, she saw something rather strange atop one. It was a boy in an odd outfit atop a skyscraper. The tall structure's tip was about twenty feet higher than their current altitude, and she could see the young man on the scraper's top. He was leaning outward, toward the edge, grasping the attentae on top with his hand. His other hand was hanging in the air. He seemed very calm and casual as he stood there, watching them approach him.

His outfit was certainly not the average civilian attire. He wore a red tunic of sorts with a big blue leather belt at the waist. A baggy pair of white pants rustled from the moving air at such heights. Across his chest was a silver metal vest of sorts. The plate covered his chest and hung over his shoulders to his back, as well. Plastered upon the vest's center was a strange black pawprint with three claws. On the left side of the plate was a red circle with two slashes cut through it- they intersected to form a cross in the lower left corner. On the right side of the plate was a similar symbol- but this one was a square, and its slashes were diagonal and horizontal. It was also blue. Strapped around the teenager's neck was a maroon scarf. Each end flowed down either side of him- one in front, one in back. On the front tip, just before some frills, another odd logo was sewed in silver. This one was a heart-like shape with a cross at its bottom tip.

The tunic's sleeves were short, and on the right arm's sleeve was printed a strange mushroom of white and red- on the opposite side was a blue buzzsaw of some kind. His pants also had different designs on either side- the right leg had a yellow lightning bolt run down its length with a silver lining. The left pantleg had a black bolt. On his shins were two strange, dark green objects that seemed to be made of wood- some type of shin guards, one could guess. His shoes had golden soles and were orange and brown. They were laced tightly.

On his hands were a pair of loose biking gloves. The right hand was red, of course, and the left was blue, following the pattern. And on the back of the right hand was that red circle symbol- the square-shaped blue one was also mimicked on the corresponding side. Slung on his back were two sheathes that crossed diagonally. Once again, continuing the tradition the rest of the outfit used, the sword inserted on his right side was thin and had a brightly colored hilt of orange with a pink jewel embedded into its center. The very edge of the hilt had a small white orb with green spots on it. The opposite blade's hilt had black leather wrapped tightly around it. The place where the blade started had three jagged edges on each side- two purple with a gray in the middle. A black diamond gem rested in the center.

Lastly, there was his face. A very expressive face, though it was very calm and had a small smile to it at the time. You couldn't see his eyes, as a pair of reflective sunglasses covered them up. A small beard poked out of his chin- its hairs about an inch or two long. He had a mess of curved chocolate hair that ran a bit long down the back of his neck. The bangs that hung over his forehead parted at the center, where yet another mysterious symbol could be seen. But Raven recognized this one- Link wore it on the center of his little Russian-like hat. It was three gold triangles arranged in a triangle themselves. On Link's hat they were sewed, but they seemed to be tattooed on this person's head.

"Who is that...?" she murmured as they approached him. She shifted her angle a little as she got closer, and Star had adjusted her flight as well.

"I am...not sure," she mumbled. As she gazed into his face, she felt she had already met him, though. "He seems to wish to communicate with us..." She mumbled to Raven, who was a couple of feet beside her.

As they drew closer, the figure leaned further out, until he caught them both by surprise- he jumped off.

The girls both let out a gasp as he plummeted toward the ground in very calm fashion.

Instinctively, Starfire dove down to save him, and Raven followed in a nosedive, as well. The boy's arms were straight up as he drew closer to the streets below by the minute. The air rushing by her face rapidly, Starfire lashed out her hand to grasp his within it. She veered her direction upward to avoid smashing into the ground, and she carried the teen through the air by the arm. Raven snatched the other arm so that his first one wouldn't get ripped off. After a moment of gliding in silence, Raven asked him, "What's wrong with you?"

"Many things," he slyly answered, that same smirk plastered to his face.

"Do you not realize that you could have been injured- quite seriously? Had you collided with the earth as such a velocity, you would most certainly have sustained fatal wounds..."

"And what were you doing up there, anyway?" Raven added in with suspicion.

"Waiting for you two, of course. You're late, you know."

The girls exchanged confused glances as they slowly descended upon a flat rooftop, dropping their guest gentley.

"Late...?" Raven mumbled.

"Yea. Robin's gettin' pretty pissed, ya know..."

Starfire stared at him with concentration for a moment. She recognized his voice...

"We have met before, correct?" she checked. He nodded quickly as he shook his arms around to wake them up.

"In a sense, anyway," he added to his nod.

Starfire's eyes bulged open wide as it came to her.

"You are...Eddy...?"

He tightened his gloves a little as he nodded once again. Raven lifted a brow. How did Starfire know this person?

"Destiny Smasher...That'd be me," he introduced himself. Raven's jaw was agape as she remembered who this was.

"So YOU'RE the one Robin has been so concerned about..." she muttered.

"Yea...But, uh, seriously...We're late and everything," he mumbled hastily, dashing to the building's edge. As he pounced off, Raven and Starfire got worried again. But before they could jump off the side of the building to save him, he was already hovering along in the air, seeming to fly in the same manner as they had.

A bit baffled by this- looking back at the previous event- the two Titans decided to follow him and think things out later.

----------------

"What do you MEAN you lost him??"

"I apologize!" Star whimpered to Robin's demanding question. "We pursued him, but he vanished from our view..."

The rest of the Titans were arranged in a group around Raven, checking out her new outfit.

"I like the hood," Tenochtitlan complimented as she tossed the purple hood a bit. "It's cute."

"Yea, but...Dude, what's with the little ANGEL WINGS...?" Beastboy murmured, pointing at the shirt's design.

"Well, it...-" Raven was interrupted before she could explain.

"Looks nice," Cyborg said with a nod.

"Thanks," Raven answered, smiling weakly.

"It's adorable," Tikal added.

"Yea...It's all right," Sonic mumbled with a shrug. He could care less.

"Um...Yea, it's pretty neat," Terra murmured, not quite realizing how big a deal it was for Raven.

"Ya know..." Link said thoughtfully, "I think it actually fits you..."

"I-I guess," Raven mumbled meekly, her cheecks pink from all the attention she was getting.

"No, he's right. It definitely fits you."

Everyone paused as they noticed that this wasn't a familiar voice. Raven and Starfire knew who it was. Everyone's eyes darted to the edge of the building's roof. Standing there, the sunset at his back, was Destiny Smasher, his arms crossed over his chest. He had a little smirk on his face.

"Sorry for the delay, folks. Now that I'm here, let's get down to business."

Robin's fists clenched up, as did his teeth.

"Careful," he warned the other Titans. "We don't know what he's capable of."

Lifting a brow, the character before them slightly cocked his head.

"Ehhh...I'm flattered you think I'm such a threat n' all, but...I'm on YOUR side..." He paused and muttered inaudibly, "Basically."

"What do you want?" Robin demanded, getting straight to the point. He was clearly disturbed by this guy's calm nature. It seemed suspicious.

"Well...I came here to talk to you guys."

"Well, you found us," Sonic said awkwardly.

"So start givin' up some answers, yo," Cyborg added with some firmness.

"Answers, huh?" DS straightened his little goatee. "Well...If you want answers, you're gonna have to ask the right questions," he replied sneakily.

After a couple moments of silence, Beastboy finally piped up to initiate the conversation.

"...Why are we here?"

"You're here because I asked you to come. You came because you're curious, obviously."

"...But why did you ask us to come at all?" Tay put in her question.

Destiny Smasher continued to play with his short beard as he proceeded.

"I summoned you here because I needed to talk to you."

"...Yea...?" Link wondered. "About what?"

"I came here because I can see...Past, present, and future...I have seen plenty. I know bits of your past, chunks of your present, and pieces of your future..."

"And what's that all mean? Why did you want to see US?" Robin inquired, his eyes narrowed.

"I'm here because...I came to warn you..." he replied solemnly. There was a brief moment of silence until Raven's lips parted, emitting sound to break the silence.

"Warn us...?" she whispered. "Of what...?"

He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. He lifted up his right index finger into the air. With a very sly tone about him, he spoke.

"THAT, Raven, is the right question."

----------------

Destiny Smasher had told them that before they continued, they had to all take a seat. Arranging themselves in a circle of teenagers, they began to dig deeper.

"All right, guys," Destiny Smasher began, stretching his legs out before folding them into a cross-legged position. "Are you ready to see how deep the rabbithole goes...?" He was answered by some confused glances, a skeptical face, and a few nods. "Right, then," he muttered, collecting his thoughts.

"Ya see...Weird things have been going on lately..."

"Wow, you're psychic," Raven muttered dryly, two spots from his right. Starfire was at his right side, and Raven, of course, was right beside her. He let out a smile at her comment and pressed on.

"And it concerns you new Titans," he completed his thought, giving each of them a glance.

"What about us?" Terra wondered from his left side.

"Yea," Beastboy added one space down, "Do you know somethin' we don't?"

Destiny Smasher let out a light chuckle. "That depends..." He shook his head quickly, getting back to his topic.

"See, I've seen your future...Two futures, actually..." He seemed to have caught some slight attention. "One future with your newcomers, and one without."

The Titans gave each other puzzled glances as they waited for him to go on.

"You see, Fate had a plan for you Titans. But something happened that SHOULDN'T have. And now that plan has gotten thrown off whack. Things haven't been going the way they were supposed to."

"Supposed to...?" Cyborg seemed baffled.

"You were meant to do certain things," DS explained further. Cyborg stared at his reflection on his black sunglasses. "But a critical event happened, and everything has been messed up."

"What are you TALKING about?" Beastboy grumbled, slightly irritated. Destiny Smasher scratched his neck before speaking some more.

"When these new Titans arrived, your Fate was altered. I've seen your Destiny. I've seen what Fate had planned for you to do." He turned to Terra's big eyes and delved into a frightening idea. He spoke very calmly, his face very solemn.

"You met Terra. But Terra felt rejected because-..." He paused, seeing the emotion in her eyes, and he decided to keep the rest private. "-...Terra couldn't control her powers. So she ran away. She came back, having gained full control of her abilities...However...She had done so because a mysterious character had taken her in as his pupil and trained her...She became his apprentice...She betrayed the Titans- a choice she had made before she came back to join them. She realized her actions were ruthless, and seeked forgiveness...But it was not given intially, and Terra took this personally." The Titans were all captured by his tale- a tale that was not a reality to them and would never be. "Slade and Terra- together- combined their talents to bring the Teen Titans down- one by one. Jump City fell to its knees at their hands...And the Titans struck back with a vengeance. In the end, Terra sacraficed her life to save her old friends. She was a good friend and a devilish enemy..."

Destiny Smasher took his gaze away from Terra's trembling eyes to the group, who was completely bewildered. Many seemed to be glaring at Terra with suspicion.

"You're going to betray us?" Tikal murmured with fear.

"N-no!" Terra cried, rapidly shaking her head. "I wouldn't! I-"

"No," DS confirmed. "That won't happen. It was what SHOULD have happened. What should have happened in a few weeks...But it won't happen. Because THEY arrived..." He pointed his gloved finger at them one by one. "Mario...Sonic...Tikal...Link...And Tenochtitlan...Your advent has made wrinkles in time and space...This dimension's fate will be different...How much so is hard to say."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Beastboy growled. "DIMENSION...?"

"You mean we're in another dimension?" Cyborg asked, wide-eyed.

"No," Destiny Smasher answered firmly. "You've been in this dimension...But this one and another were once connected as one. At the point in time when they came here, this dimension split from the original..."

"What he's trying to say-" Raven explained, glancing at him for approval, "-is that we're living in an alternate reality...We're going down a different path..." She saw him nod at her guess.

"Exactly. The split occurs where they arrived here...It's...like a tree branch. They start at the same base, but break up at you go...Or somethin' like that..."

"Do you possess knowledge as to the whereabouts of their origins?" Starfire whispered curiously. He sighed and shrugged.

"Well, yes..."

"Why do you refuse to reveal such information?" she asked him quietly.

"You guys will figure it out when the time is right."

"Oh, come ON," Sonic grumbled. "If you told us, then maybe we could get back home!"

"...You wish to leave...?" Starfire meekly asked.

Sonic saw her wide eyes and sighed, shaking his head.

"No, not like that...But we have lives that we have to live...Don't we...?"

"That's what you ARE doing," DS assured him. "If I were to give you all the answers now, you wouldn't have the drive behind you to find out yourself, and you would never find your way."

"Are you saying that we have to go back to where we came from?" Tenoch wondered sadly. She didn't want to leave her friends here, which was clear by her violet eyes.

Destiny Smasher huffed and placed his hand over his mouth as he thought deeply.

"...You don't have to...But if you don't, then the threads of Fate will be loosened even further. There's so much going on that you don't understand..."

"We would if you TOLD us!" Beastboy growled. "Stop beating around the bush!"

"I can't!!" he spat back in frustration. "If one is given all the answers to their life, then what do they have to live for?"

There was a few seconds of tranquility as this comment was pondered deeply.

"Life wouldn't be the same without mystery. There's no point in living when you know exactly what's going to happen in the end, is there?"

"I guess," Beastboy mumbled with a shrug.

"Listen...We're not going to get anywhere babbling like this. I need to talk with every one of you individually. There are certain things that you are meant to hear, and you alone."

He was getting some very irritated and skeptical looks, but he rose to his feet.

"Terra, you're first," he announced to her as he beckoned them to rise. "The rest of you- go over to the next building...Please."

Cyborg shrugged, Beastboyshook his head, and Robin rushed off with a huff to the edge. He bounded to the next building with ease and landed nimbly. Cyborg was close behind, using his powerful legs and some rocket boosts from his feet to cross the gap- he landed with a loud thud.

Sonic rushed over in a dashing jump, and Mario vanished from sight for about half a minute before landing roughly. Tikal glided slowly over, and Tay rode Beastboy- who had become a pteradactyl. Starfire waved a small good-bye as she left, which made Terra and DS smile. Raven followed her, which was no surprise. But as she began to cross, she realized that Link was contemplating a way over. Her heart skipped a beat as she jumped at the chance to help him.

"I-I'll get you over," she mumbled quickly as she grabbed his arm and carried him across. She made sure to hover down slowly and place him with care on the roof.

"Uh...Thanks, Ray," he said to her, with a shrug. She floated in front of him briefly, her cheecks slightly pink.

{Am I blushing??} she worried to herself. Link couldn't tell, however, as the sun was setting from her back.

"Yea," she muttered, "It was n-"

"Gah!!" Robin growled, pacing back and forth.

"Robin...?" Starfire reached out for his shoulder with concern. "What ails you?"

"This is a waste of time," he groaned. "This guy's speaking in riddles. What does he want? Why is he here? Who does he work for?" Robin's breathing seemed a bit quick as he continued his pacing.

"He told us that he is here for a reason, just as we are," Starfire attemtped to answer.

"If we're all here for a reason, then what is HIS?" Robin demanded calmly, not even looking up. "We have no idea what he's capable of doing. What if this is just a decoy to-"

"Yo!" Cyborg firmly clamped his hand over Robin's head, halting his course. "You need to CHILL, man. This guy ain't bad news."

"Cyborg is correct," Starfire agreed with a nod. "He is here to help us. We may not understand how or why- but I am certain that it would be beneficial to hear him out."

----------------

Now that the others were out of earshot, DS turned to Terra and began to speak.

"So, Terra...Have you been hanging in there?"

She felt very nervous and confused after everything he had just said and her head was bobbed.

"Y-yea..."

"You did a good job last night, ya know," he complimented her. "You really should be proud of what you did."

"How do you know about that?" she whispered, feeling very uneasy.

"I told you, Terra...I can see things."

"Last night," she said solemnly. "That was when I should've left...Wasn't it...?" She was beginning to believe his theories. Destiny Smasher nodded slowly.

"Mm. But You didn't. Because things have been happening differently. And for you, that's a good thing."

"I'm supposed to die in a few weeks," Terra mumbled, overcoming that thought.

"But you won't now," DS assured her. "Put it behind you. This is a different ball game now."

Terra sighed deeply, brushing her long blonde hair from her face. She stared at him with her big eyes and spoke some more.

"So what do I do? If my...purpose...was to die...Then...-"

"Don't think of it like that," DS told her, placing a consoling hand on her shoulder. "We're all here for a reason, but not necessarily for a purpose. A reason is the 'why,' and the purpose is the 'because.' You can make your own because. I'm sure that Fate has plans for you here, but...Just don't worry about it," he spat out, holding out his other palm.

"This is what you need to hear. You should be very proud of how you stood tall against Slade last night. You trust your new friends. That bruise on your face...That's a symbol of that friendship you defended."

Terra nodded, her eyes wandering. She rubbed the mark on her cheeck thoughtfully.

"And that's a wonderful thing," he added. "You've got a ways to go, but you're definitely on the right path. Just stick to your guns, and be you." He shrugged. "That's it, really...There's nothing more I can tell you..."

Terra shrugged as he held out his hand to shake hers.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "I guess. But tell me- do they trust ME?"

Destiny Smasher smiled at her fearful face.

"They do, Terra. Everyone deserves a chance. They know that. Just get to know them some more. Show them what you're made of." He grinned as he gave her a pat on the back and led her to the other Titans, bringing across the gap by flying over.

----------------

"Yep, you next, Cy Sly."

"Well, all right!" Cyborg lept on ahead of Destiny Smasher to land on the building before he did. DS chuckled to himself as he met Cy on the other side. He stared down at DS with his solemn face. He knew things were going to get serious soon. He could feel it in the guy's words.

"So where do ya wanna start?" Destiny asked him casually.

"All I wanna know is what you said ya gotta tell me," he replied with a shrug.

"Right, then..." DS muttered. "Cyborg, I can't quite think of what to say to you. From what I can tell, you seem to be just keen with everything. The past behind you is just that- the past. The future- you seem like you'll take whatever comes as it comes..."

Cyborg smirked. "Got that right."

"I can't see very much about you...Your past or your future. That tells me that you don't need help. I think you're going to come out just fine in the end of all this."

"This...?" he asked, lifting a brow. "What 'end of all this?'"

"The war," Destiny Smasher calmly answered. "That's all I can really tell you. A war is brewing...It's started, already. The initial first conflict has happened more recently than you think. But the battlefield is larger than anything you could imagine. Everyone has their part to play in it, and it will take every link in the chain to reach the end. I'm telling you this because I know you'll be cool about it. That's what you're meant to know. You just keep going about things the way you do. And be ready for what's in store."

"...All right, man," Cyborg told him, feeling odd about it, but trusting him. "Whatever works, yo."

"Well, there we go," Destiny Smasher concluded. "Could you go over and get Link for me?"

"You betcha, bro." Cyborg and DS slammed fists lightly as he went to the group to retrieve his friend.

----------------

[Destiny_Smasher]

"Gettin' those memories back?"

Link scratched his head and shrugged. "Not really. I remember a little bit here and there, but..."

"Hm. Would you happen to remember anything about your weapons...?" DS asked him curiously.

"...Um...My sword...?" Link guessed. He was clueless.

"Well...Sure, that, too...You understand why it doesn't-"

"Yea, I get that," Link muttered. "I don't know WHY, but I do understand...Are you going to tell me why?"

"No." Destiny crossed his arms and began to explain. "Link, this is what I have to tell YOU. Within you- ALL of you Titans- lies untapped power. Back home, you didn't just use a sword and shield, you used a LOT of things. Bombs, a boomerang, a bow...You had a whole arsenal."

"...How the hell would I carryu that much crap AROUND...?" Link asked him, highly skeptical.

"You didn't," DS told him with a girn. "Not really. You see, you could...pull them, out of nowhere- at will. You used something that I like to call the 'N-Force.' You could only use it at a novice's level, but..."

"What are saying?" he wondered. "That I have super powers I don't remember?"

"Sort of," DS replied quickly. "If you want my advice, practice. Try to remember fighting. Try to remember those weapons you used to use. If you concentrate and work at it, you should begin to start getting the hang of it again. And believe me, you're going to need it. You guys have a LONG couple of weeks ahead of you..."

"Uh huh," Link mumbled with a nod. {This guy's a nut job.}

"Fine, don't believe me," DS said, turning his head. "But I'm tellin' ya what you need to hear..."

"Yea..." Link muttered, shaking his head slowly. "I'll think about it."

"I know," DS told him with a chuckle. "Now could ya go get Mario for me?"

"Uh..." Link took a few steps before he realized something. "How am I gonna-?"

"Don't worry. Raven'll help you across." Link huffed at that comment and turned around.

"Yea, about that-..."

"Figure that out on your own," DS answered, knowing what he was about to ask. "I can't give all the answers. I don't KNOW all the answers, for that matter. You'll make a choice when the time comes, as will she."

"Yea..." Link moaned as he went on, a bit confused. He tried to clear his brain from all of this junk clogging it up.

----------------

Mario admired the way the sky was becoming dark blue, like a sea pouring over the light. The sun was quickly disappearing. He was scratching his hjand through his hair, his cap being grasped loosely in his other palm.

"So, whatcha need?" Mario asked in that calm, almost bored way he often did.

"Well...You have to answer MY question." Destiny Smasher stared into his deep, sparkling, blue eyes.

"You know what's going on, don't you?" he asked slowly. "You know what you guys have to do...Right?"

Mario nodded casually, placing his cap back on his head.

"Thought so. You know what you're doing..." DS nodded. "You always have. Help them out, but don't baby them."

"I know," Mario assured him. "Now you tell ME somethin'...My bro...Is he here, too?"

DS paused and sighed. "He is." Mario, his palm on his mouth, tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"...Then I guess I should drag him into this mess, too, hm?"

"I guess so."

Mario smirked and dropped his hand to his side. "Right on." He glanced back up at DS, his mind whirling. "Things are about to heat up soon, aren't they?"

"You know it," DS assured him, causing his smile to grow even larger.

"Nice."

----------------

"I thought you wouldn't mind, Sonic..."

"Just lead me to the ass and I'll kick it."

"You sound pretty confident."

"You seem to know enough about me to know that I don't LOSE."

"This much is true, isn't it?" DS muttered with a smile. "But I can assure you that even you won't be having a great time soon enough..."

"If you say so, pal," Sonic shrugged it off. "Bring on the party."

"Yea..." Destiny seemed to have his head elsewhere now. "So, uh...The girl...Do you remember her?"

Sonic paused, and he felt his gut tighten, for he somehow knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Yea, the one with the pink hair," DS added smoothly, observing his wide eyes. "Do you know who she is?"

Sonic cleared his throat and tried to act cool about it.

"I, eh-...Sorta, yea."

"Well that's good," DS told him. "She'd be real hurt if you'd forgotten. And I know you wouldn't want to make her feel that way..."

Sonic huffed. "Why do you care?" he spat out.

"Someone's feeling vulnerable," Destiny teased. "She's been looking for you for some time, you know."

Sonic didn't answer. He stared at the floor beneath him, narrow-eyed.

"You think you understand how she feels, but you don't. I just think you outta know that. Stop shutting her out like you do. Give her a damn chance, man."

Sonic groaned in reply. "Yea, whatever..."

"Fine, don't listen to me."

"I'll do what I want," Sonic grumbled.

"I know that. It's your choice. That's obvious. I'm just here to warn you."

----------------

"Your memories are getting mixed up. That's what the problem is."

Tikal hummed drearily, her expression worried.

"How can I fix it...?"

DS shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. It's something you'll just have to work out on your own. You have two lives, in a sense, Tikal. I'm sure you've realized that by now. You lived thousands of years ago..."

"Then I was sealed away for a long time," she added, knowing that much very well. "And now I have a life in this period. You're saying that I'm remembering things from my old life and confusing them with my current one..."

"Exactly. Do you know why?"

Tikal nodded slowly. "It's because I used to know them in the past...They were just different back then..." She seemed confused by the whole mess.

"You got it," DS told her. "That's it. All you have to do is distinguish them apart now. And...The girl...You know about her, don't you...?"

Tikal blinked as her mind rushed. She glanced up at him and guessed. "Zepha...?"

His expression got contorted. "Weellll...Close enough..."

"I forget what her name is NOW," Tikal said quietly, staring up at the moon, which was beginning to become visible. "But yes...I remember her..."

"And-...?" DS trailed off his question.

"And..." Tikal sighed. "We were dear friends...But I fear she may be angry with me...I AM dating Sonic..."

"You'd be surprised, Tikal. She may have a different name, and she may look a little different, but...She's still the same person you once knew."

"Mm..." Tikal's eyes stared blankly into the sky as she got lost in thought.

----------------

"So, uh...What happened with all that stuff you were going through before?" Beastboy asked, trying to start the conversation.

"You remember," DS noted. "Don't worry about it. It's behind me...Pretty much."

Beastboy bit his lip. "Yea...Gettin' rejected isn't fun..."

"You don't need to tell me. But what are you talking about? Aren't things between you and Tenochtitlan going well?"

His eyes lit up and he beamed. "Oh, yea! You were right about her, man! She's SO totally awesome!!"

"Yep..."

"But...I asked her, and she said doesn't remember you..."

"She shouldn't. She's never met me, really, but I know her well..."

Beastboy lifted a brow. "It's confusing," DS dismissed, tossing his arm. "But I do know about her."

"So aren't you going to tell her about it?" He shook his head quickly.

"She needs to discover herself on her own. But, if you want, I WILL tell YOU..."

"I'm all ears," he said hastily, gaining elephant ears on his head briefly.

"You're right in your guest that Tay is from another planet. ALL of them are..."

"Not Terra," Beastboy assumed.

"No...Speaking of which, what do you think of her...?"

Beastboy's eyes widened. "Well...She's real cool...Cute, too...Why?"

He smirked. "Just wonderin'." BB eyed him suspiciously, forgetting that subject.

"Do you know why she's been having these nightmares...?"

"Oh, those." DS scratched his head where an itch had formed. "Yea, that's her re-living recent memories..."

"...Something bad happened...?"

"Very," DS answered, leaving it at that. "Quite tragic...But, well...War is like that..."

Beastboy's jaw dropped. "Whoa, wait...War...?"

"Uh, yea." DS realized that BB was still clueless to that. "There's some stuff goin' on back at her home. That's why she needs to head back soon. She's needed- quite badly."

"Really? She's important, then, huh?"

"More than you could imagine," Destiny Smasher confidently told him.

"So...Does that mean that I'm going to have to say good bye...?"

DS shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not...All depends on the choices you guys make...Anyway, time's up," he mumbled, feeling that he'd told Beastboy a little too much for his own good. "You just keep takin' good care of her and everything."

"Of course I will," Beastboy told him.

"Good boy." Destiny Smasher chortled- he couldn't help but adding the phrases, "Sit. Stay."

Beastboy rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Real funny."

----------------

"Why won't you tell me?!" Tenochtitlan whimpered, hopping in frustration.

"I can't!" DS groaned, his palm over his face. "You aren't mean to know that yet!"

She huffed, her eyes brown. She gave up, placing one hand firmly on her staff and the other on her hip.

"If you aren't going to tell me anything, why'd you want to talk with me?" she asked with slight bitterness.

"Because there's things I need to tell you- but not that. All I can say about that is that you'll find the answers when the time is right."

DS wiped some sweat from his forhead as he noticed that the sun was just about gone- but traces of its light still lingered on the horizon.

Tay tapped her foot, her mind racing.

"What do my nightmares mean?" she asked firmly. "You know," she added. "Could you PLEASE tell me that, at least?"

"Mm...You rnightmares are, as you fear, memories. Fairly recent memories, actually..."

"Then...-" she paused, her eyes narrowing as she lifted her free hand to her face, staring at it in confusion. "That's not right," she murmured. "If those are memories, then I'm...-"

"Not human," Destiny answered solemnly. "You're right. You've known it this whole time, haven't you? Is it any wonder you grew a fondness for Beastboy almost immediately?"

Tay's eyes widened as she began to examine herself in shock. She HAD known it this whole time, but she never really consciously realized it...She ran her hand at the base of her spine as she could imagine a tail there- as it should be. She ran her palm over her left arm slowly, almost feeling fur that should be there- but wasn't.

"I'm...a monkey..." she murmured, feeling like a complete fool saying it aloud. A name oozed its way from her memory banks, and she whispered it aloud in awe. "Monandeera...That-...I-...I was from...the Monandeera..."

"You were their leader," DS informed her, feeling sympathy as he witnessed the confusion in her eyes- which were shifting from purple to brown to blue to black at random. "Do you remember?"

She gulped, her throat dry, and she nodded. Taking a deep breath, she looked back up at him and not herself.

"Sort of...I-..."

A memory from weeks ago suddenly became very clear for some reason.

Mario had thrown a banana at her from the refridgerator.

{Your favorite, right?} he'd said.

{Yea...How did you know...?}

Tay gasped in realization. Mario had known the whole time...

"How did Mario know...?" she whispered, very puzzled.

"Mario...Is more in touch with things..." DS mumbled, shrugging. "He has great powers at his disposal, but with them comes great responsibility. He's beginning to realize that power, as well as the great responsibility."

"So...He knows what you know...?" she inquired. DS laughed at the question.

"Oh, no. Not at all. He just...knows more than YOU do."

"Oh," Tay said simply. "But...If I'm not really human, then...-" she trailed off, her head shaking slightly as she looked at him, perplexed.

"That's the part you're going to have to find out in good time."

She sighed, disappointed with the response.

"I still don't understand," she began another question. "...What do you mean when you say we're 'not supposed to be here?'"

Destiny Smasher stuck up an index finger.

"Ah. Thought you'd wonder about that...See..." He ran his hand through his hair. "Fate just didn't have plans for you to come here...But, then again-" he chuckled, "-Fate didn't have plans for a LOT of stuff that's been going on all OVER. It's a big mess, really..."

"So...Is it bad that we're here?" she seemed worried about it as she spoke timidly.

"Not exactly. I mean, in a sense. But it's really nothing for you to worry about. Fate just had some re-organizing to do, you could say."

"...But if we want things to go back to the way they should be, we should try to follow what Fate wanted to start with, shouldn't we...? It would help prevent these bad things from happening, right?"

DS' bottom lip slid to the side as he pondered the notion. "Well...I...I guess so...I mean, it might make things easier, I suppose, but there's really no way in telling-"

"Then what was meant to happen with Beastboy?" she wondered, her voice quiet. It trembled slightly.

"Er...Well, eh, I don't really think it's all too-"

"Please, just tell me. I don't want it to be my fault that he's not living the way he should be."

DS sighed deeply. He knew what would happen if he told her...But she had asked, and he knew that in this case, he was obliged to answer.

"...Beastboy...He was never supposed to meet you...He was supposed to meet Terra, and start falling in love with her, and-..." DS shook his head slowly as he watched her eyes go dark blue.

"I thought so..." she murmured drearily.

"Don't take it like that," DS tried to tell her. "Just because that's not how it was supposed to be doesn't mean it CAN'T be. You can't make things the way they are meant to be- it's too late."

"I know," she answered solemnly, taking a deep breath. "But if Beastboy is meant to be with Terra, then...-"

DS groaned, shaking his head. There wasn't anything he could do about it now, though.

"Terra isn't going to die, right?" Tay quickly shot out as the idea hit her. "Not the way she would have, right?"

"No," DS moaned, his arms crossed. "She won't."

Tay nodded with some determination. "Yea..." she whispered, staring at the bracelets around her ankles.

"Tenochtitlan, are you sure this is what you want to do?" the mysertious teen asked the chocolate-skinned girl. "I'm telling you that it doesn't HAVE to be that way. If it did, you wouldn't be here at all..."

"I understand that," she muttered. "But if he was meant to be with HER, then...He'd probably be happier..." She was very confident about this, though she didn't quite enjoy it, either.

"...If it's what you think you have to do, then-...Well, obviously, it's your choice. And, like all choices, it will contribute to the future that lies in store for you..."

"Yea..."

"Quite a future ahead of you, at that..."

"..."

"...I'm sorry..."

"...For what...?" she whispered curiously.

"...For their deaths..." DS said quietly. She knew what he was speaking of, and it brought tears to her eyes.

"..."

"They died for a good cause, Tenochtitlan. They understand more about you than you do yourself. And someday you'll realize who you REALLY are. At least, I hope...If you don't...-" He shrugged solemnly. "...There will be many more deaths than the Monandeera..."

"..." Her eyes were wet and black. "...They'll pay..." she choked through the tears. "...I'll never forgive them for what they did..."

"...Honestly, I don't blame you," DS told her as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a consoling embrace. "But don't let it consume you, Tay." He smiled warmly as he wiped droplets from her eyes. "OK?"

"...Mm hm..." She gave him a weak smile.

"Don't ever lose all hope...No matter what. It's that small glimmer of light in the darkness- your flame- that will keep you alive in the cold."

----------------

Robin glared at him with that piercing suspicion that he had kept since they'd met eyes earlier.

"...Why was she crying...?" he asked to start off, breaking the tense silence.

"Because she remembers," he put it simply.

"...What?" Robin let down his bitter guard as he asked.

"She knows the cruelty of the war that has started."

Robin had his arms folded over his chest.

"A war?" He said it quite critically. "...What kind...?"

DS scratched his nose. "Oh, well...Interplanetary and all that," he said it with sarcasm. "It's bigger than you could imagine. And it's sucking you in."

Robin shook his head. "And how would you know all of this?"

Destiny Smasher smiled. "Of course, you would ask me that, wouldn't you? I would know because...-" he rotated his hand, looking for the right phrase. "-...Well...It's the reason I'm here- because I know. I know because...I choose to create the questions, and I choose to seek the answers..." He glanced up at Robin, only to see the purely doubious expression upon his face.

"...Riiiight..." He seemed to find his speech to be quite pointless.

"That's not important," DS dismissed it. "What's important is YOU."

Robin cocked his head to the side a little.

"Uh huh...How's that?"

"Have you been heeding my warning?" Destiny Smasher questioned with a sigh.

"Not particularly," Robin answered honestly.

"You should be," DS told him quickly. "You have a lot of big decisions coming your way, and I fear that without a little help, your choices may result in a series of unfortunate events..."

"...What kind of choices...?" Robin pondered slowly, lifting a brow.

"Choices you don't understand yet." Robin huffed through his nose at the vague response.

"You said that one of us will...'fall to darkness,'" he muttered, bringing up the topic. "What did you mean?"

"Ah, now there's the question I knew you'd ask." DS cracked his knuckles as he yawned and leaned back, floating a few inches from the ground in a laid back state. "I can't quite explain it to you in full, but...I'll put it this way- some things never change, and some things do."

"...?" Robin stared at him expectantly.

"Terra was meant to become Slade's apprentice- that changed. But Slade is still looking for an apprentice- that hasn't. The question is- if not Terra, then who?"

"...Doesn't matter," Robin spat out solemnly. "We'll get them back. I was once-"

"I know, Robin, you don't need to tell me," DS interrupted. "But if you DO 'get them back'...What price will you have to pay...?" he asked sneakily. Robin's jaw opened slightly, as this phrase almost frightened him, giving him a very unsettling feeling in his gut. The way DS had said it gave him goosbumps.

"...'The Light will come from an unexpected place- the Darkness,'" Robin quoted, breaking out of the shivers. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"Oh, come ON, Robin- you're a smart kid. You'll figure it out when the time is right; you always do."

"...Mm," was all he said in response, frustrated by all of these riddles.

"So," DS said began on a much lighter note, "What movie are you taking Starfire to see tonight?"

Robin's face bubbled up with annoyance as he groaned- EVERYONE just HAD to be nosy, didn't they?

"..."

"Might I suggest Wicked Scary 2? Horror movies are always good for dates."

"...I don't need your advice," Robin growled, eyeing him irritably.

"Didn't say ya did," DS defended with a shrug. "Just a thought. I hope you realize just how lucky you are, ya know."

Robin's fists, which had clenched up, loosened up, as did his whole demeanor.

"...Huh?"

"I'm sure the choices I'd make would be drastically different than yours, though," he mumbled- to himself, it seemed. Robin seemed in the dark, so DS clued him in. "Star's a really great girl...Wish I was in your position, to be frank."

Robin smiled weakly for a second as thoughts flooded him. They were right- as mysterious as he was, he had good intentions, but...Robin still doubted him.

"...Listen...Uh...Destiny Smasher..." He had one hand on his mouth, its index finger extending to his cheeck. "How can I believe what you're saying...?"

DS loosened his gloves a little, as his hands were getting a tad sweaty.

"Hard to say, Dick...It's all whether-"

"Wait- what?" Robin interrupted him, his voice alert. DS stared at his surprised face for a moment before smirking.

"Ya know, your old pal Vic had a much easier time believing me than you do, Mr. Grayson." Robin's jaw was agape, his eyes wide and amazed. "Oh, but, uh...You know him better as Cyborg, don't you? Geez, what am I saying? I mean, it's not fair to call you by your old name if you don't know mine, is it?"

Robin was speechless for a moment or two, and before he could manage a word in, DS added on.

"Did you think it was a mere coicidence that I wanted to meet you on the WAYNE building? I mean, come on!"

Robin, who had lifted his finger, dropped it and took a deep breath. After a pause of thought, he responded.

"You could've found out those names without too much trouble," Robin confidently told him.

"Yea...You're always a skeptic, aren't you? I guess if I had lost my parents in a trapeze accident I'd be cautious, too..."

Robin's face evolved into one of fury and frustration.

"...You...-" he couldn't finish his sentence, because he didn't know how.

"So you'll keep my little warnings in mind, then?" Destiny asked with optimism.

"...Yea..." Robin murmured, confused. How did he figure that out? How could he have known that...?

"Hold on to that letter. It should come in handy- what, with your Bat-given detective skills and all..." He grabbed Robin's hand and shook it wildly before giving him a hug and patting him on the back roughly.

"Ya know, Robin, never underestimate yourself. You're the leader of this crazy bunch- and you're the only damned full human here. No superpowers- just brains and raw talent. Don't put it to waste."

Rubbing his head in a daze, Robin realized that DS had hauled him over the gap and back with his teammates.

"All right, you," he said as he place Robin down. He wasn't talking to Robin, though. His comment was aimed at Raven. "Come on, now."

Raven obliged and followed him over, leaving Robin puzzled and solemn.

----------------

[Destiny_Smasher]

Raven could feel warmth poor into her slightly chilled body by his embrace. It felt so familiar to her- it felt like Starfire, in some strange way. After the brief 'hello hug,' Destiny Smasher began to speak.

"You seem like the hugging type to me," he told her, explaining his orevious action. "At least, you do NOW. Geez...But look back a month ago, and you were definitely different..." He examined her new outfit. "By the way, did I happen to tell you how much better I think you look in that?"

Raven smiled weakly at his compliment- the difference a mere wardrobe change seemed to make was amazing...

"I think you might have," she mumbled, looking at the sneakers on her feet. "It feels a little weird, but I know it'll grow on me..."

"It will," DS assured her. "You used to think you'd never be accepted by your friends, and that's changed, hasn't it?"

Raven brows shifted into a worried expression as her purple eyes glanced up at him.

"Yea...I have changed, haven't I?"

"No denying it. You're still Raven- but now you're inside out- the walls have been broken down, ya know?"

She nodded, her lips curved upward slightly.

"Thanks to Starfire," she added.

DS stared at her eyes for a moment or two, feeling emotion pouring out of them.

"She helped you remember what love is," he murmured aloud.

"...I-...Yea...She did..." Raven mumbled, realizing this fact herself. "She's helped me appreciate what I have. I don't know where I'd be without her, or what I'd do without her."

"Yea, best friends are like that," Destiny Smasher told her warmly. There was a pause, and he decided to bring up another topic. "By the way, when are you gonna ask Link out?"

Raven's face turned pink, her eyes wide, and her brows raised.

"I-uh...I was-..."

DS chuckled at her embarrassed manner.

"Soon," Raven answered. "Very soon." Her eyes narrowed at him as his laughing died down.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked her.

"I...What if he doesn't like me? What if he thinks I'm creepy, or ugly, or-?"

DS slapped his hand lightly on her lips, cutting off the rest of that sentence.

"OK, before you say ANOTHER WORD, you're going to take that back."

Raven, surprised, blinked at him as he removed his palm from her mouth.

"...?"

"You're not ugly," DS firmly told her. "Say it."

"...I'm...not ugly," Raven mumbled awkwardly.

"There's a pet peeve I have," DS told her with a smile. "I can't stand it when a cute girl put down her looks."

Raven lifted a brow at his comment.

"...You think...I'm-?"

"Of course," he honestly replied. "I'm certainly not the only one, at that..."

"...What are you talking about?" she curiously questioned. DS knew he'd get her with that last sentence.

"Oh, well..." He tilted his head left and right a little bit. "On my way here, for example- I met this little kid. Freckled little freak he, was," he said with a chuckled. "Kind of annoying, too- realy clingy. Anyway, once he found out I was going to se the Titans, all he could talk about was 'how hot Raven' was." He grinned devilishly at Raven's pink face.

"But besides looks, you've got a good personality in you- now that you accept YOURSELF. And you've got a good head on your shoulders...You're bound to find someone soon."

"...Are you...-" she eyed him slyly, "-...hitting on me...?"

DS laughed. "If that's how you wanna look at it, be my guest. SOMEONE oughtta be, if ya ask me. You shouldn't give up on Link so easily, you've got a lot of good qualities he might like- you'll never know if you never give it a chance."

Raven was flattered by his flow of compliments, but she wanted to know why he pressed her about Link.

"Do you...know what he's going to say if I ask...?" she quietly asked him.

DS bit his lip and shrugged. "Well, yea, but...-"

"I know," Raven muttered. "I don't need you to tell me."

"...Just because I know what the answer is, it doesn't mean I know what will work out and what won't. I see Starfire and Robin going out on a date tonight, but I couldn't tell you where they'll be a year from now. Who knows? I only know pieces, but I can tell the near future the best."

"Oh..."

Raven seemed to be very curious about all of that, and DS had chosen to make it a point to try to explain that a little later on.

"...Yea...Starfire's so lucky...I wish I knew what it was like- what she feels," Raven whispered, almost to herself, it seemed. "No matter how close I get with my friends...-"

"There's still that hole in your heart," DS finished for her solemnly. "Like part of you is missing- like your life in incomplete."

Raven stared at him- he seemed to understand fully well what she meant.

"I know what it's like," he told her as he stared up into the dark bllue sky. Traces of light rested in the horizon behind him, and the stars were beginning to come out. The moon was almost full, and he could see it well up above. "I feel content with my life- except that one thing. If I could find that special someone...it would all be complete..."

Raven felt kind of strange for a moment, but she decided to say what was on her mind.

"...We both seem to be looking for the same thing..." she murmured, looking up to the moon as well. Her voice had a hinting about it, conveying a possibility.

"...Yea," DS mumbled in agreement, seeing what his earlier comments had brought upon himself. "...You want to know what Starfire feels, hm?" he muttered as his glance came down.

"...I...I-I guess I do," she said with a small shrug.

DS nodded slowly. He made a very strange choice at that moment. He reached out his arms and welcomed her in to a deep hug. He poured every ounce of emotion within him into it, envisioning the joy he would have when he met his soulmate some day. At least, that's what Raven got out of it. She could feel this emotion coming through, and she realized that he shared the same longing for it that she did. She returned it, feeling an understanding about the matter. She knew what Starfire felt- she just had yet to find the time and person to fully realize it and express it.

"...I think that's what it is," DS told her as he let go. His sentence ended with a cough.

Raven stood in a small daze for a moment. "...I know why she gets so worked up, then," Ray mumbled to herself. "...You know..." she glanced up at him, feeling her guts tremble. "...We...-" She had started her sentence very slowly, but it got cut off by DS.

"Can't," he interrupted. "Believe me, Ray, if it was possible, I would've gone after you some time ago," he told her with good humor and a hearty laugh. She blinked at him in confusion. What was he talking about?

"...'Possible?'...Why...-?" She was puzzled, indeed. She felt a little rejected at the same time. She hadn't even ASKED.

"Welcome to my world," DS told her, regarding her feeling of rejection. She knew it was what he was referring to, somehow.

"Listen- It can't work out. It's not possible."

"...You said that," Raven mumbled. She felt like he'd toyed her, in a sense.

"Sorry," DS muttered, once again speaking of her thoughts- and she knew it. I'll try..."

Raven stared at him expectantly, getting over the previous situation.

"Ya see...We're...from different worlds..." he began slowly, having trouble.

"Starfire and Robin are," Ravenn quicly reminded him.

"I know, I know, that's...not what I mean..." His brows furrowed as he tried to process how to tell her.

"Ya see, Ray...I'm...not really here..."

Raven blinked at him. What was he babbling about? She'd just hugged him- he was there, all right.

"...I'm here to YOU- but I'm not really here. See..." he groaned. "This is reality to you- it's your reality. So when I'm here, I can seem real...But I'm not really here."

Raven sighed. This wasn't making much sense at all.

"Like I said, it's complicated." He scratched his neck a little. "...Where I come from, you're...not real. You don't exist- not physically. In a state of mind, you do. You affect my 'world' just like a physical thing would- but you don't really exist."

Raven nodded slowly, sort of grasping the concept.

"I myself don't quite fully understand it," he admitted. "I feel like some of my friends are people who don't exist- and yet, they DO. They HAVE to, in some sense..." He growled at himself and tossed his arms. "It's too complex. It would take hours to sort it all out and explain it to you properly. It's not important. "The point is that we have two totally different lives to live. Though they're connected, they're drastically apart. After tonight, I don't know if you'll ever see me again," he concluded with a shrug. "I'll see you, though. I'll be around to keep on eye on all of you, don't worry about that."

"..." Raven frowned sadly. She'd just met him, and she'd have to say good-bye? Why did this seem to be happening a lot lately...?

"You'll probably see me around again, sooner or later," DS guessed, nodding slightly. "After all, this whole mess is my fault, now isn't it?"

Raven blinked at him, expecting him to explain- but he didn't, really.

"I've gotta start what I finish-" he paused, realizing the way he'd mixed words. "Scratch that, reverse..." he muttered, shaking his head quickly.

"Raven, just remember this- never give up on yourself. You're stronger than you think you are." He had his hands on her shoulders and was speaking very confidently, trying to get his case across. "You've been down a rough road, but it's only going to get tougher."

Raven's sad eyes stared at her face in the reflection of his sunglasses, and she nodded quickly.

"And Raven, I'm telling you- you'll find your soulmate, somewhere. I don't know who, or when, or where...But you will..." He smiled at her, and she cracked a shy grin as well.

"...What about you?" she wondered.

He dropped his hands to his hips and took a deep sigh.

"I don't know...Maybe...Maybe not. I guess it all depends on what Fate has planned for me and what choices I make as a result..." He shrugged. "Maybe Fate has her in my plan- whoever she might be. Maybe she doesn't. But maybe I'll decide not to follow those plans- in which case, who knows what will happen. When Fate's plans aren't followed, you never know what will happen amidst the chaos."

Raven remembered what Tikal had spoked of earlier that morning. Perhaps she had a grasp on this idea he was speaking of.

"I can PROMISE you this-" DS told her quite seriously, pounding his chest with his right fist. "If I ever DO find her...I'm gonna try like hell to make her feel like the happiest girl in the world..."

Raven smiled at his words. They touched her insidem for she felt the same way herself- and she had a hunch that Starfire shared this, too. Star seemed to have a head start on them both, though.

"...Yea, so...Well, I guess that's that," DS mumbled as he glanced at the Titans on the other building, conversing to each other.

Raven caught him off guard with a friendly good-bye hug, patting his back gently.

"Thanks, Eddy," she muttered to him, remembering the name Starfire had called him. He blushed a bit as he patted his hand through her straight hair a little.

"Yea...Thanks to you, too. But you shouldn't be thanking me- you know who you should be thanking." He let out a chuckle. "I need to thank her myself."

----------------

He knew what would happen, so he braced himself for impact as she practically dive-bombed him with a bubbly hug as a greeting. She seemed to love hugging even more than he did. At least she had the courage to go through with it most of the time.

“Greetings, new friend Eddy! You are feeling well, yes?” she cried out cheerfully. He laughed as he squeezed her in return.

“You know it,” he replied. “And you?”

“I am...’awesome,’” she answered eagerly as the proper word came to her. “...But I am also very curious...and confused,” she added as the embrace was broken, and her brows were slightly furrowed. “What information do you wish to share with me?”

DS rubbed his neck some as he pondered what to say.

“Well...If you wanna get down to brass tacks...You’ve got a very long week ahead of you,” he began. “All of you Titans do. It’s not going to be a fun time, I can assure you.”

Starfire sighed sadly, looking down at her hands as she twiddled her fingers nervously.

“I was afraid you would tell me that...You said that you came here to warn us of something, but...what is it that threatens us?”

“...Yourselves,” DS answered solemnly, shaking his head slightly.

Starfire’s jaw was left open slightly as she felt a tingle fly up her spine.

“...Oh...” she whispered in shock. “...How-?”

“You’ll see,” DS spat out.

“Mm...” Starfire felt her insides crumbling apart for some reason. Would she lose a friend...? She couldn’t bear the thought...What if something horrible happened to Raven, or Robin, or any of the other Titans? {I will not allow my friends to fall apart...}

“Star, I’m going to try to convince you not to worry about it.” Star nodded quickly, but you could tell she was having difficulty. “Now, I know exactly how you feel- believe me. But don’t worry about it, all right?”

Starfire frowned and began to protest.

“How can you expect me to not care about the well-being of my friends when I know that something terrible will happen to them?” Her voice rose and began to grow very upset as she spoke.

“Starfire, I never said not to CARE,” DS reminded her. “I said not to WORRY. It took me a while to figure it out, but...When you worry, it’s because you’re not DOING anything about the problem.”

Star cracked a smile through her frown and agreed. “I understand,” she mumbled. “...But what can I do? How can I help?”

“To be honest, Starfire, that’s for you to figure out. With warning or without, bad things are going to happen. It’s all a matter of what you do about it.”

"I am still upset and confused," Starfire admitted to him gloomily. "Why would you warn me of disaster if you did not want me to worry...?"

"Listen, Star...You guys...-" he scratched his head. "-don't know what's going on, entirely. I can't tell you everything, because if I did, you might make things WORSE. If I warn you, then I catch your attention and make you aware that something is afoot...Your curiosity will lead you to the answers at the right time...At least, that's what I think..."

Starfire sighed and shook her head. "I do not fully comprehend all of this, but I have a notion that neither do you...I will concentrate on the tasks before me..."

"Good plan," DS told her with a smile. "Liiiiike...dating Robin?"

Star's cheecks flushed and she grinned weakly. "Y-yes...That is...located at the peak of my list..."

"I wish you good luck," Destiny Smasher said to her calmly.

"I thank you."

"Now tonight, when you go to see that movie, try to break that tension a little, ya know?"

Starfire's eyes wandered away from him as she was reminded of that 'tongue' incident. Ever since, they'd both been acting awkward around each other.

"I will certainly try," she mumbled. After waiting for a few moments for Starfire to reflect, DS went on to another topic.

"Star...What do you think Raven thinks of you...?"

Starfire lifted a small, red brow, a bit taken back.

"I...I am not entirely sure...I feel that Raven...and I...are best friends...If Raven cares for me in the fashion that I do her, nothing will break our bond."

"You really think so?" Destiny Smasher murmured thoughtfully.

"...I...Of course!" Starfire replied with slight bitterness. "Why would I not? I will never give up on Raven- no matter what. I will not give up on Robin, as well...Or any of my friends..."

Destiny Smasher smiled at her defensive expression. He nodded, his face warm.

"...Yea...I know. I understand you."

Starfire stared at the reflective surface of his glasses, curious.

"...?"

"I'll tell you what, though, Star..." He sighed deeply as his done grew a bit dire. "...Not everyone feels the way we do...Not everyone seems to quite understand...Sometimes people give up on you, no matter how much you're there for them..."

Starfire sighed sadly and nodded, bobbing her head. "I know...My...My sister, she...-" Starfire couldn't finish, her heart ached so. Painful memories began to pour into her mind, and she had to evaporate them before they flooded her heart.

"...Mm..." DS tapped his foot as he decided what to say next. "Starfire, I have this to say to you- your friendships...The bonds between the Titans will be tested...I don't know how it will all turn out in the end, but...-"

"I will not give up on any of them," Starfire declated solemnly.

"Good," DS muttered. He took a deep breath and went to tell her his last comment.

"Starfire...I want to thank you..."

"...Thank me...? You wish to give me thanks...? What actions have I performed to deserve such thanks?"

"...You've helped me realize who I really am...You're like...the person I hope to spend my life with...I believe you and I are similar...On Tamaran, are there others like you?"

Starfire tilted her head slightly and shrugged. "I suppose there are, yes...Yes, there are those on my planet with whom I can relate..."

"Well...If there's one person like me from where I come from, there's bound to be another. I'm sure sooner or later I'll find someone like you..."

"...But...Why do require such a person? I am right here..."

"...Yes, but...You're with Robin." He smiled. "And besides...You won't be seeing much of me, anyway...I need to return to my home."

"Ohh..." Starfire frowned. Through her upset expression, she asked, "May we journey to your home and meet again in the future?"

DS shrugged. "Well...You guys visit my home every day." He smiled. "You just don't realize it."

Starfire blinked at his perplexing riddle.

"Don't worry, though. I'll be coming back here quite often. I'll look over you guys, like I have been...Who knows? Maybe we WILL meet each other again?"

"That would be delightful..." Starfire murmured. "And perhaps then we could do the 'hanging out.' I am certain it would be enjoyable."

DS chuckled, nodding slowly. "Yea...Star...”

“Yes?” she murmured slowly.

“...I used to be more like you...I still am, deep inside, but...” He sighed, shaking his head. “Not outside as much anymore...I got stepped on one too many times, and-...I used to trust anyone and everyone, and I used to forgive very easily- like you. I can still find it in my heart to forgive anyone for anything, but...It’s just not as easy anymore...” He looked at her seriously and spoke so.

“Star...You have had a dark past- more serious than mine, I’m sure...How did that form you into who you are today? And...What do you think about your sister?”

Starfire dove into the pool of memories that rested at the bottom of her brain, knowing that doing so would induce pain- as it did.

“My sister...She used to not be so intolerable...” Star’s emerald eyes were getting wet at the bottom now. “But...After what we were put through together...We both made different decisions on how to deal with life...Blackfire concluded that in life, you must be strong if you do not wish to be hurt- that if you do not hurt back, you will only be weakened more...That is why she has become so cold...”

“And you...?”

“I...I could not fathom why anyone would put someone else through so much torture as my sister and I were put through...I swore to myself that I would never cause such pain upon another being...”

“Mm...” DS hummed in agreement. “...That’s basically what happened to me, but...just not as serious...Maybe your sister will turn around sooner or later- if you can show her the way.”

Star shook her head sadly as a tear dripped out from her left eye.

“I am afraid that is not possible in the near future, for my sister has been imprisoned for her crimes.”

DS raised a brow, but quickly nodded. “Oh, yea...” After a moment of silence, the two of them both realized it was about time to separate.

Starfire hovered a few inches from the ground as she hugged him warmly, hoping the gesture was an acceptable form of farewell. DS took gratitude and squeezed back.

"Thanks again, Star. You've helped me more than you think. And Raven...She's very grateful, as well. ALL of the Titans are grateful to have you around. Keep them together as best you can, all right?"

"I will," Starfire answered confidently. "As best I can."

"I hope so...Without you, the Titans...would be lost...And without the Titans, YOU would be lost."

As their hug ended, DS loosened his stiff neck some and stretched out his arms. He began to pace toward the edge of the building, but he paused, looking up at the sky. Off in the horizon, to the north, a glowing star sparkled.

"...The first star out tonight," he noted in a whisper. "Isn't it beautiful...?"

"...Yes...It is," Starfire agreed quietly.

"The North Star," He murmured in awe. "At least, YOUR North Star...Nonetheless...Soon, it will be surrounded by hundreds of stars...But no matter what, it will stand out from the others. And everyone will look to it for guidance when they're lost..."

"...Mm," Star hummed, pondering his words.

"And yet," he continued, "Without its fellow stars, its alone in the cold darkness..."

As he put a foot on the edge of the building, facing the north, he looked back at her calmly and smiled softly.

"...Be like that star...Be a light for those who need help...Be there for people when they need you- follow that heart of yours. You can't save everyone, but that doesn't mean you can't save SOMEONE. And sooner or later, you're going to need someone to save you. Just don't give up..." He sighed, feeling like he was rambling. "Always remember this, Koriand'r: Rain will make the flowers grow...Without bad, good cannot exist...The world is composed of black and white, blended together to create a gray that shines like silver."

With that, he bounded off of the building and plummeted to the streets below.

"..."

Starfire reflected on his parting words. {He knew my name...?} she pondered. {...Yes...He would be one to know, would he not?...Rain will make the flowers grow...I understand. Thank you. I will remember your words...Eddy...}

----------------
WHEW!

Yea, long, eh?

I tried to give some time to everybody there at the end...

Soooo...The plot thickens...:evil: I can't wait to see what hypotheses erupt from you guys...I wonder if anyone will guess the answer to the riddle in time? I doubt it, but hey.

[raven54]

holy... freaking...crap...

i'll get back to you when i read it... 225? 225?! 225?!!? 225?!!?!!?
THAT'S 56 PAGES OF NEW STUFF!!!!:eek:

[Destiny_Smasher]

Whoa, hey, babay- my thread's on FIRE. :sweat:

Um...225...?

What are you babbling about...?

Pages? Or something? Yea. See, uh...Like I said, I take my fiction seriously.

And the X Factor is about 1/3 of what I've written in the past year...Maybe a little more...? Not much.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

That was long. just long.

It answered like 4 questions and raised millions.
So DS is from a parallel reality, right? I'm guessing some sort of dream world. The Titans visit it every day, so thats got to be what it is.
Honestly, I forgot everything I wanted to ask except stuff about the last section cause it was so long. took like 30 minutes to read.

anyways-how big is this war? Is it interplanetary, or interdimensional? and who are the opposing sides?

DS caused this somehow and now is trying to fix it, like he works for fate? thats wierd.

Now, I have 2 questions that you must answer. It is imperative!
1.) how far will you go with the titans aspect in quest for destiny? how far into their future will you take us? far, or will you just end it and let our imaginations take over?
2.) In the main Q4D tale, will all the characters in your fics unite in the end in one final battle? or will everyone's actions have a cumulative affect? I think a final battle would be sweet!

damn, your fic is so all encompassing! It's almost hard to follow. Anyways, would you mind if I made a passing reference to your character (DS) in my fic? It wouldn't be disparaging, I promise!

[Sproxie]

DAMN! (to both how good that was, and how long)
some things words just cant describe. thank goodness for smilies :eek:

lets see, i liked, no LOVED everything:
-desiny Smasher, and his ability
-how we all learned (sorta) about each of the titans
- raven's new look, wow...
-
DS slapped his hand lightly on her lips, cutting off the rest of that sentence.

"OK, before you say ANOTHER WORD, you're going to take that back."

Raven, surprised, blinked at him as he removed his palm from her mouth.

"...?"

"You're not ugly," DS firmly told her. "Say it."

"...I'm...not ugly," Raven mumbled awkwardly.

"There's a pet peeve I have," DS told her with a smile. "I can't stand it when a cute girl put down her looks."

Raven lifted a brow at his comment.

"...You think...I'm-?"

"Of course," he honestly replied. "I'm certainly not the only one, at that..."

"...What are you talking about?" she curiously questioned. DS knew he'd get her with that last sentence.

"Oh, well..." He tilted his head left and right a little bit. "On my way here, for example- I met this little kid. Freckled little freak he, was," he said with a chuckled. "Kind of annoying, too- realy clingy. Anyway, once he found out I was going to se the Titans, all he could talk about was 'how hot Raven' was." He grinned devilishly at Raven's pink face.

"But besides looks, you've got a good personality in you- now that you accept YOURSELF. And you've got a good head on your shoulders...You're bound to find someone soon."

"...Are you...-" she eyed him slyly, "-...hitting on me...?"

DS laughed. "If that's how you wanna look at it, be my guest. SOMEONE oughtta be, if ya ask me. LOVED that part, it was hilarius escpecially-
"...Are you...-" she eyed him slyly, "-...hitting on me...?"-ah, forget it, too much to write, i liked EVERYTHING!!

[raven54]

^i agree. that was HILARIOUS!!

hmmm...destiny smasher the character- very cool.
i agree w/ the Monkey- a final showdown would be totally awesome
raven's new look- weird to imagine, but would be cool
mysteries and questions galore- what the heck, just take all Reid said and i second it-he's better at this than most anyone else at reviewing anyways
it was nice to learn something about Tenoch's past. Monkeys rule!!
your riddle is still puzzling me
and i'm still looking for your massive fic but can't find it. it IS online somewhere... right?
the new charries have to leave at the end, right? or wrong... i think by the time this is over i'll have dug myself to the other side of the globe:sweat:

[Rae]

Soooo...The plot thickens...:evil: I can't wait to see what hypotheses erupt from you guys...I wonder if anyone will guess the answer to the riddle in time? I doubt it, but hey.

Ok this a random guess but does something happen to Raven? i only say this because DS keeps saying how Rae and Star have a strong bond and That Light comes from the Darkness, etc and the first thing that came into my head was Rae

Heck i'm probably wrong but am i right??

[oneeyemonkeypie]

well, i managed to find teen titans the x factor, another teen titans story you wrote. So does this replace that one? cause they're definately different. I also found golden sunrise, but didn't read it yet. You seemed to post em and leave in january.

Just showing you that if I really feel the need to find it, it will be found.

Keep me happy, or i'll be forced to dig it up:D

*cracks fingers* | 4|v| +3]-[ |\|37 /\/\45+312!!

Pw|\|3|)!!:sweat:

[oneeyemonkeypie]

I wanted to use the char. It's not that I dont get him: I'm sure I dont. I just was going to refer to the fact that he had grand plans and his goal was to help save the universe and win a gigantic intergalactic war. That's as far as I was gonna go with him. And that is what he's doing.

Soo many stories! I'm afraid that it will be too much to read and I'll get bored. Oh well, I'll just have to wait.

And you had another X factor on planet nintendo. I know they have the same titles, but the stories are different. That one had pokemon in it. So I was right, they are not the same.

OK, clear it up once and for all.

There are various winds of fate stories that provide background and lead to involvement of all the chars in your main fic Q4D, right? So Q4D is a standalone fic, and all of the winds of fate stories detail various members involvement in it?

[rrarbecy]

1. You use a lot of quotes from other things.
"With great power comes great responsibility"- Spider-Man
"A series of unfortunate events"- A Series of Unfortunate Events
"Scratch that, reverse it"-Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory

2. That. Was. Really. Long.

3. LUIGI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. You say some really deep and insightful things in this story.

5. I can't wait to see where this is headed. Awesome.

[rrarbecy]

This makes for a good story.
1. An ongoing Riddle
2. Impending war
3. Secrets
4. Plot twists
The list never stops because this story is that good.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Ah! It's so overly complicated!

I love what you write, but I just don't think I can sit through that.

[Pookey]

I'm speechless!! I love the fact that Raven is changing, and that Robin and Star are finally showing their true feelings, ect. ect.! Please post soon!:p

[Pookey]

:eek: OMG!!!!!!!!!!:eek: I can not get over the Robin and Starfire scences. I have read the parts from the farris wheel to the bed scene about 3 times.:anime: I love this story!!! (Sits in background praying that the relationship goes MUCH further, hint, hint):cool:

[Destiny_Smasher]

I see you've caught on to a habit. I never post ANYTHING ANYWHERE on Sunday, because I can never get on the net.

Um...Pookey...? Wow. That's gonna sound so wrong when I refer to you...:sweat:

Bed scene...? :sad: Um, well, yea...It DID take place...on a bed...but...not really a 'bed scene,' more like-...Nothing like THAT happened, n'-...:anime: Yea.

Regardless, yes, the Starfire/Robin relationship is certainly a core element of the plot. And yes, it will prove to be CRUCIAL in a couple of Chapters.

MONKEYPIE!! Damn you, you didn't give me a link! I need to know what the hell site you were talking about! If you read the X Factor and it had POKEMON in it (don't get me wrong, I love 'em, but they just aren't in The X Factor) then something needs to be changed, or I need to prove you wrong.

Overly complicated? Pah. Wuss. :p If the fire's too hot, get OUT DA KITCHEN! :D But seriously, when you think about it, isn't real life complex? I'm literally diving into an alternate reality where the choices different characters who hardly ever see each other make affect each other- just like our lives here. Isn't it great?

*sigh*

Does anyone want to take a stab at my riddle?

No? :shrug: Very well...I think it'd be much better if you figured it out for YOURSELF, but...

[spoiler]OK. Here it is. Destiny Smasher- is me. :eek: No, seriously. Like, LITERALLY ME. Think about it...

I'm a guy sitting in our reality, writing a fanfic about characters in an ALTERNATE reality. In theory, their reality exists SOMEWHERE, even if it's just in my head. Odd thing is, it can be visited. I visit their 'world' every time I write, and so do YOU whenever you READ it!

I know what all teh characters are thinking because I'm WRITING IT! I can see into the future a little, but not very far away- I know what's going to happen in the next Chapter, but I can't say for sure how it'll all end.

"I came here because I can see...Past, present, and future...I have seen plenty. I know bits of your past, chunks of your present, and pieces of your future..."

Now that you know what I mean, do you understand that sentence?

I started the War because I IMAGINED IT UP.

"See, I've seen your future...Two futures, actually..." He seemed to have caught some slight attention. "One future with your newcomers, and one without."

Now really, can you figure this one out?

I watch Teen Titans on TV. I've seen their planned fate. What SHOULD HAVE happened.

"When these new Titans arrived, your Fate was altered. I've seen your Destiny. I've seen what Fate had planned for you to do."

The Titans affect our world every time their show is aired somewhere.

We visit their world all the time, but they can't visit ours, because there's no real for them to do so, I guess.

---
“Mm...” DS hummed in agreement. “...That’s basically what happened to me, but...just not as serious...Maybe your sister will turn around sooner or later- if you can show her the way.”

Star shook her head sadly as a tear dripped out from her left eye.

“I am afraid that is not possible in the near future, for my sister has been imprisoned for her crimes.”

DS raised a brow, but quickly nodded. “Oh, yea...” After a moment of silence, the two of them both realized it was about time to separate.
---

Yea, see, there's a hint to an upcoming idea in the plot.

Yea, yea, it's all crazy talk, and maybe you don't get it. I guess it's kinda deep. Ah, well. Go back through that Chapter again now that you get it, and maybe it'll make a lot more sense- if you want to.

Now, then...Onto my last Chapter thus far...After this, you're just gonna have to waitlike everyone else, or I can hook you up with my other fiction to read while you wait...:evil:

---Begin Transmission---

Chapter 12- The Chain's Links

Starfire stared at the small piece of paper in her hand as they walked down the carpeted hallway. It was a sort of dark hall, with a dark blue ceiling and maroon walls. Posters decorated the halls with a nostalgia about them, as they depicted films that had been produced years ago. Starfire glanced at them in awe, feeling as though she was traveling through time. She paced onward, oblivious to the fact that Robin had stopped walking. There were no others in that hall- they were late to the movie.

"Uh...Star," Robin called quietly to her. She snapped awake and spun her head around to see Robin, his brow lifted. "Where are you going? Our movies right in here- Theater 4." Starfire noticed a small black object jutting out of the wall above the door. A picture displaying the title "Wicked Scary 2" was printed upon it. A little embarrassed, Starfire briskly walked to Robin's side.

"Forgive me," she murmured, catching one last glimpse of the old framed pictures.

"It's all right," Robin mumbled as he reached out his arm to open the double doors before him that lead to darkness.

"Oh! One moment," Starfire grabbed his shoulder lightly. He turned his head slowly, puzzled by this action.

"I-..." She held up the piece of paper in her hand. "-do not have pockets equipped on my you...-?"

Robin took the flat object from her hand carefully and stared at her in bewilderment.

"Uh...Star, this is the ticket stub...You don't need this any more," he informed her.

"I understand," Star assured him with a small smile. "But I wish to keep it for sentimental value."

Robin sighed and shrugged and he placed it in a pocket in his smooth, green pants. After slipping it into a safe spot, Robin hesitated for a moment, removing his other hand from the doorknob.

"...We are late, are we not...?" Starfire reminded him.

"Well, yea," Robin mumbled, with a slight movement of the shoulders. "But there's going to be trailers on for the next half hour, anyway..."

Starfire couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with him, but she decided that now would be a good time to try and get a little intimate and get things moving. Without warning, though not sudden, she grabbed Robin's hand in her own, intertwining their arms. Not a word was spoken regarding the action, which Robin seemed to comfortably accept.

They both paused a moment to relish the moment before each placed an arm on a door and pushed it open. Hand-in-hand, they both carefully stepped into the shadows of the room beyond.

----------

OK...Calm down, Raven...Deep breaths...

The pale-faced girl was sucking in air in small, quick breaths. She had to force herself to start breathing slower, or else her lungs would explode like balloons.

All right, now...Just think of what you're going to say, Raven...You can't just jump in there and act like a fool...What did Starfire say...?

Raven was leaning against a wall, her back to it, and she took a deep breath as she calmed Raven gulped, finding her throat dry. ...I just need to go in there and ask him one question- that's all.

As she rested in the hall just outside the door to where he was, she felt herself slipping out of the world around her and into the one within her mind. She was falling into the realms of her mind, reaching a meditative state. She hadn't done so in quite some while now, and things had changed drastically since her last visit.

The black skies with streaks of stars had become a dark blue atmosphere full of clouds. The floating islands of jagged stones were traded for endless fields of short grass. A single tree stood tall before her, its size enormous and unbelieveable. It didn't feel like a tree- it felt more like a deity. Raven gazed up at it in wonder. As the realization that she was meditating hit her, she took a deep breath and calmed her nerves, which had been ready to burst like a volcano. This would be a good opportunity to clear her mind and settle down.

Raven had found herself a foot or two in front of the gigantic vegetation, and she gazed out at the horizon before her. Lightning bugs were drifting about all over, illuminating the already wonderous sight.

Sitting down with her back on the treebark, the girl noticed that she was wearing a cape. This discovery led to her to realize that she was wearing her old outfit. There was, however, a very large difference from the usual attire- this suit was white instead of black and blue. Raven stared at the white sleeves on her arms in awe as she pondered this interesting fact.

"White," she mumbled calmly, wondering very deeply about what this change signified.

"It looks SO totally awesome!" squealed a cheery voice from her right. Her head flashed up to see her clone clothed in bright pink.

"...Thanks," Raven said quietly back to herself, a little surprised. Pink wandered around Raven aimlessly, staring up at the sky like a child. A lightning bug landed innocently on her nose, and she giggled sweetly as her olfactory organ wrinkled up from its tickling feet. As the bug flicked out its wings and began to rapidly beat them to escape, Pink let loose another volley of snickers.

Raven smiled warmly as she observed this behavior. It had been so long since she'd been able to express such an emotion as true joy. But now she had nothing to be sad about, really. She was staisfied with what she had, and she had to let it out somehow and let those know who should.

"If you're, like, so happy and everything," Pink slowly began, scratching her cheeck, "Why are you, like, so nervous, and stuff...?"

Raven huffed out in frustration. She was right.

"I-I'm about to solve that problem," she hastily spat out.

Pink chuckled, "Yea...That's only, like, the twentieth time you've said THAT..."

Raven frowned at the remark, but couldn't defend herself.

"...We CAN'T ask him..." came a depressed and self-esteem-drained tone from the Gray-garbed Raven that had been making its way around the tree to their side.

"...Hm...?" Raven was puzzled. "Why not...?"

"...He'll just reject us," Gray whimpered, her face shrouded in darkness by the hood she wore.

"You don't know that," Raven objected, shaking her head and getting up from her squatted position.

"...Of course we don't KNOW," Gray groaned dispondently. "But you fear the possibility just as I do..." she added darkly.

"..."

Raven blinked at her, the guts inside her wriggling with uncertainty.

"Don't listen to her," Pink insisted, jumping inbetween them. "Just think- wouldn't it be, like, totally AWESOME if you went out on a date to, like, a cofeehouse or something?"

Raven smirked lightly and shrugged. "Yea, that would be really nice..."

"You'll never know if you never ASK," came a confident and energetic tone from above them. All three faces swerved vertically to see another Raven sitting on a tree branch directly over them. She blended in perfectly with the vegetation, as she adorned a green cloak. Her grin was almost unsettling as she stared down at them.

"Better to regret what you've done that what you HAVEN'T done," she pointed out with a sly smile.

"Mm," was all the white one could say at first in response as she pondered this. "Yea..."

"Whatever," came a deeper, duller Raven who was on a nearby branch. In an orange outfit, she burped and scratched her head lazily. She looked more like a sloth than a human. "Who cares?"

Ignoring Orange, the others continued their flood of comments.

"Yea, it's not like it's a big deal."

"WHAT? It is, like, SO a big deal!"

"It doesn't matter...It will only lead to disappointment..."

"Shut up!"

"What do YOU know?"

"..."

"Is it time for us to eat yet?"

"It's POINTLESS."

After that last comment harshly broke through the dialogue, the other Ravens present were silenced and glared as the red division of Raven's persona- her hatred- approached.

"That's what you used to say," it explained in a hiss. "It's all pointless. People come and people go. There's no reason to worry about it."

"..." Raven was caught by the four piercing eyes of the entity within herself. They were glowing like flames from hell under the crimson hood. Raven's violet eyes became shocked for a moment, but they calmed down to an annoyed frown as the creepy aura eerily drifted to the group.

"Well?" she demanded a reply, sounding like cinderblocks grinding against each other.

"...I'm different now," she answered coldly. "I want nothing to do with you..."

A diabolical laugh erupted from Red, and it sounded almost like a banshee.

"Oh, you don't have a choice!" she chuckled as she calmed. "You're stuck with me. You can't be kind if you can't be cold..."

"...I know that," Raven bitterly spat back as she stepped within inches of her hatred. "But I don't have to listen to my hate. I have a choice."

"Maybe so...But you be careful...I have a partner now...Someone you might know..." She slowly turned around toward the horizon.

Raven's gaze shifted to the distant fields of grass that were being tossed by the breeze. Though it was dark, Raven could make out a figure through the fireflies. It was, of course, another part of herself. But it wasn't a familiar one. She could see its coloring, as it wasn't too far away. It was...dressed in black...with a purple cape...?

As she narrowed her eyes to focus on the being, who seemed to be staring her down with disgust, she tried to make out the face- but all she could see were shadows in the hood. It didn't seem to HAVE a face...It was like a phantom in the rolling hills that grimly stood in wait. Raven didn't know what it was waiting for, however.

The surprise and shock of this image brought Raven back to reality in the blink of an eye- her sight sucuumbed to darkness, and then the tower rebuilt itself around her.

Raven was grateful that there was not a soul around to see her in such a state, huddled in a quivering mass on the floor beside the door to the rec room.

"Pull yourself together," she growled to herself as she slowly stumbled to her feet, still shaken from what she had seen. That 'Raven'...It was one she'd never seen before...And yet, it had such an odd familiarity about it.

Collecting her emotions into a pool and sifting through them, the girl was able to calm her nerves and act coherently enough to push a green button on the wall. The metal doors before her slid open swiftly, and Raven pushed herself into the world beyond.

Link was playing billiards by himself- which was a relief. She was really hoping he would be alone. His eyes were calm yet concentrated as he aimed carefully and slammed his arm in a straight line, sending his poolstick into the white orb, which slid across the fuzzy green surface and knocked a yellow ball into a corner pocket.

"...Hey," Raven managed to wrestle out of her mouth.

"Oh." He looked up at her with slight surprise. "I didn't see you come in..."

"...Yea..." Raven murmured. She hadn't really heard what he'd just said- not a word. She almost felt like hiding in her hood, because she knew her cheecks had to be becoming red. They sure felt like it. But she didn't really have a hood to hide in, anyway. At least, not one that would shadow her face. She hid her arms behind her back and fidgeted with her fingers nervously. She did a good job of hiding it, though.

"So...What are ya doing here?" Link wondered, though he could feel in his gut that he had a general idea as to why.

"I...was just wondering how you were, and-..." She trailed off, watching as he elegantly slammed the cue ball into a wall, and it richocheted off to knock a blue ball that bumped an orange into a hole.

"...That's pretty impressive," she muttered with a weak smile.

"Thanks," Link replied, feeling slightly uneasy with the way she was acting.

"...So...are you busy?" Raven asked, watching him from behind as he prepared for another carefully-placed move.

"Uhhh...-" Link didn't really answer, and what he muttered was barely audible.

"Do you...wanna hang out tonight...? I dunno, we could go to a club, or-"

"Sorry," Link muttered, continuing to avoid her gaze. "I'm, uh...busy tonight..."

Raven sighed inwardly, feeling like all the hope she'd just built up had fallen apart.

"Oh...heh...Yea...W-well, OK...How ab-"

The doors rushed open as a skinny girl came bounding through the area. It was Terra, and she seemed to be in quite a hurry.

"Link!! What are you DOING? We're LATE! You're always late, aren't you?"

Link set down his poolstick and chuckled at her impatience. She was standing with a frown on her face and her hands on her hips. Her foot was tapping rapidly, too. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump.

"Late? Me? If you say so," he muttered slyly. Terra returned his devilish look with the same frown she had entered with- though it had lightened slightly. Raven felt VERY awkward in the room with these two staring at each other the way they were. Her insides seemed to be turning into ooze and forming into a squishy lump at the base of her gut. Whatever it was, it was very uncomfortable.

"Are we going out or what?" Terra finally spat out as she snapped out of it, remembering their arrangement. It was as if a knife had been jammed into Raven's stomach, and blood was trickling out of it slowly.

"Yea," Link said, acting as if the answer were obvious. He paused a moment before he ran off with her. "Uh, we'll see ya later, Ray," he mumbled with discomfort.

"Yea, Raven, have a good night!" Terra wished her with enthusiasm. Raven simply stood there, blinking at them in shock as they exited the room hurriedly. She felt her legs giving out on her and sat down on the pool table, letting them dangle over the side. Her eyes remained wide and almost emotionless for about a minute or two as she processed what had just happened.

"...A good night," she murmured to herself dully. "Of course..."

----------

"No, not really..." She kept trying to hide her face from him, for a coupel reasons.

"Oh...That kinda sucks..." Beastboy sat on his messy bed and looked down at her. She was cleaning up the random articles of clothing that were sprawled about his floor. She always did it when she was in his room. But this night it was more out of nervousness. She didn't want to just abandon him, but...she felt so horrible after what she'd heard.

"So, uh..." Beastboy was having trouble speaking, with her seeming be be ignoring him and what not. "...Why were you crying before...? You didn't tell me."

"...Oh, it was...lots of things..." she whispered, tossing the dirty clothes into a hamper she had set up in his room, since he seemed to need one.

Beastboy eyed her back with suspicion. Something wasn't right.

"Tay..." he called calmly to her.

"Hm?" she hummed back, keeping her face out of sight by inspecting his closet.

"Tay!" he cried, a little louder this time. She froze in place and trembling slightly from the seriousness in his tone. "What's your deal?"

She blinked, clenched her teeth in nervousness, and stood solemnly. When he demanded 'what her deal' was, she'd dropped the random objects in her hands.

"..."

"Tay..." Beastboy sighed with frustration as he hopped off of his bed and made his way toward her. She stood, motionless, almost like a statue. But as the green teen reached out his arm to comfort her, she pulled herself away from him and took a few brisk steps away, bobbing her head. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to form a shell. It wasn't to protect herself, she felt, but to protect him.

Beastboy frowned with some bitterness. Why was she acting like this?

"Tenochtitlan!" he growled, annoyed. "What is WITH you? You've been acting all...messed up..."

There wasn't a reply at all. Hardly a motion.

"Why are you ignoring me?!" With a huff of confusion and frustration, Beastboy grabbed Tay's shoulder and eased her in his direction while moving himself in front of her. She gasped as he saw her face and his angered emerald eyes met her frightened ones. They had flashed purple for a moment, but after they stared at each other for a second, they quickly shifted to brown, and then dark blue.

Beastboy's face was drained of the viciousness it had only a minute before, and his jaw dropped open slightly.

Tay slowly pushed him away and turned her head away, tears forming.

Utterly puzzled and concerned, Beastboy desperately lashed out his arm and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight.

"...Tay..." he murmured apathetically. "I...I didn't-..."

"It's all right," she spat out quietly. "...I'm sorry..."

"...Huh?"

She looked to him, her hair draped over her bobbed head. Through her soft black braids of hair, her eyes glared up at him. They were glazed and dark as midnight- pitch black. They flickered with purple shades here and there, but black was the prominent color, for certain. Beastboy stumbled back slightly in shock. That color wasn't familiar at all. He lost his grip on her trembling hand as she staggered through his room and flew out the door. Dazed from what had just happened, Beastboy needed a few seconds to put together the event that had just taken place. Once he had come to a decision, he dashed into the hallway and glanced both ways into the darkness. Unsure as to which way she had gone, he bent over and metamorphosized into a green dog. Sniffing the air rabidly, he caught her scent and trailed it through the bleak corridors, his feet padding against the floors with great speed.

----------

A bloodcurdling scream erupted like a volcano, making them both jump in surprise. Robin felt the blood to his left hand being cut off as Starfire's grip tightened immensely. The two were leaning into each other, and Starfire's eyes were wide with fright from the images and sounds engulfing her.

"What is it? What is it?" demanded a panicky voice from the movie.

"I-I just saw...I-it was..." The female was stammaring wildly to the male's question. "I-I think...I think it got Jamie..."

"Oh my God..."

Starfire glanced up at Robin's face, and was a bit surprised to see that he was looking at her. They both smiled at each other for a moment until Robin's glance went back to the cheesy flick before them.

Starfire rubbed her fingers against his hand, relishing the feeling of the smooth, green leather-like gloves. She felt warm inside when she felt it returned to her.

(He is much more relaxed this evening,) Starfire noticed, sneaking a quick peek at his face. It was calm and laid back- there was even a small smile on it. She could tell that he was a bit nervous, or warm, at least, because some beads of sweat were slowly trickling down his neck. Much more interested in him than the movie, she stroked her hand thorugh his thick, streamlined hair. It was smooth and kind of flexible, in a sense. She would move it, and it would flop right back to where it had been. Her hand slowly made its way down, where she massaged his tensed up shoulder. Kneading her fingers into his tight muscles methodically, Starfire curled her lips into a smile as Robin blushed back at her.

Robin took his hand out of Starfire's grip and moved it to the Tamaranian's face. Star froze up as she felt his adroit fingers carefully caress her face with a gentleness to them unlike the Boy Wonder. Staring into the mask on his face, she felt comfort and warmth radiating from within. He delicately pushed the long, crimson sideburn on her right cheeck behind her round ear as he paused, considering his next move. Starfire's wondrous eyes were glazed abnd wide with surprise. She'd thought that Robin wasn't interested in such activites at the time. She was hoping to ease him some, but she could see in his eyes- somehow- that he desired contact. She was so shocked that she didn't see the event that happened next coming beforehand. Robin dove in quickly and kissed her on the lips. It was brief, but quite a pleasant experience for the alien girl. As she felt his soft lips touch her mouth, she almost gasped, but was rapidly sucked into the moment. As they exchanged breaths, they both forgot about all the tension that had ended their first date in the blink of an eye. That certainly didn't matter now. Their kiss lasted but only a few seconds, but it was more than enough for the both of them. It was at that moment, leaning into Starfire, that Robin reached an epiphany regarding his feelings for this girl. Indeed, she was special to him.

(The others were right,) Robin thought to himself. (I can have a relationship like this. Yea...There's nothing wrong with this. She deserves it, I know that. Maybe I don't deserve to be WITH her, but...I'll enjoy any moment I get. Just gotta try to calm down. That seems to work well...)

----------

"Oh! Hey, Raven!" Beastboy called out as he chanced to see her dragging her feet in the halls. "Have you seen-?" He paused in midsentence when he saw the way she was acting- her head hung low, her eyes glazed and dispondent...His words flowed into another question. "Whoa...Ray. You OK?"

She glanced back up at him, her eyes half closed as she bit her bottom lip.

"Agghhhh..." Beastboy froze up, frightened by the look on her face. "...Oh..." he squeaked. "Hh...Have you seen Tay...?"

Raven sighed as she lifted her arm into the air lazily and pointed a finger toward the staircase at the end of the hallway.

"She went up," she mumbled in her gravely voice.

"Thanks, Ray," Beastboy meekly said as he ambled away, shaken by Raven's moodswings. As he climbed the stairs sluggishly, he began to feel a knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

(Black...? What does BLACK mean...?) It was driving him nuts, because he had the rest figured out, but black was a mystery. It wasn't something he'd seen in her before, at least not very often. (Is she really mad at me? Man, I've gotta find her...)

Beastboy had a notion that she had went straight for the rooftop. That seemed to be where she went when she was upset. Usually one of the the other girls would flock to her side and give her support over whatever minor thing it was she was sad about.

He discovered her on the rooftop, just as he had expected. She was sitting on the front of the tower, dangerously close to the edge. Closing the metal door behind him with care to not make a sound, Beastboy gaped in awe at her. There was little wind at the time, surprisingly, so she seemed fairly motionless as she was hunched on the concrete floor. His lanky body inched its way toward the dark-skinned entity until he was a couple feet from her. His shadow was cast upon her from the moonlight, which caused her to gasp in a panic and scramble her body around to see him. When their eyes locked, there was a moment when neither seemed to be able to move them. Tenochtitlan eventually shattered the awkward tranquility by stammaring, "Wh-what are you doing here?" She had a slight touch of darkness in her voice that made Beastboy's insides tremble with fear.

"...I came to check on you..." he whispered shakily. "...What is going ON?..."

Tay turned her head away from him and hung it low as she balled her body up again. She sat with her knees scrunched up in front of her and her arms hugging them, with her forehead resting on her slender, chocolate arms. Her hair- a twilight black shade- dangled down over her, covering up her face. It was as if a cloud of darkness veiled her from him, and it made him very uneasy when his brain conjured up the idea from the image before him.

"Beastboy...Just go..." she murmured weakly. "Please..."

Beastboy huffed and sat beside her. "I'm not going to leave until you tell me what's up," he firmly answered. "So spill it."

Tay sucked in a breath of chilly air and exhaled slowly, her body quivering.

"We really shouldn't talk about it..."

"What is it? Did I do something wrong? Listen, if you're going to dump me or something, let me know why."

"No, B," she whimpered, lifted her head slightly. "It's not like that..."

"Then what IS it like??" he demanded, his tongue sharpened.

"...Beasty, it's-...We can't be dating anymore..."

Beastboy's insides were becoming more like mud every second.

"Why?" he snapped, confused.

"...We aren't supposed to..." Tay whispered, dropping her head back down. "We were never meant to be..."

The green teen's eyes widened as his jaw dropped. He was appalled by the comment.

"What? What are you talking about? What did I do?"

"Nothing! You did nothing," she asured him, trying to remain calm. "It's not you, it's ME. I remember what's happened to me, and...I don't want to bring you into it..."

"Tay, it doesn't matter. Why does that mean-...?" he was getting lost in his own thoughts as he trailed off.

"Beastboy, you weren't ever supposed to meet me. You were supposed to like Terra..." Tay grumbled.

"What?! Terra??" Beatsboy almost choked from her words. Did she think he would rather go out with her? "Tay...Terra's really cool, but...She's not YOU."

"But-..." Tenoch coughed as she finally pulled her eyes to meet his. They were a dull blue at this point. "You were supposed to fall in love with her, not me...What if you'd be happier with her than me...?"

Beastboy almost felt like vomitting from her theory. He took a shivering arm and landed it on her head softly. She dove into his deep green eyes as he explained his take on the situation.

"...Tay, who cares? Did that Destiny Smasher guy go telling you all of this?" His tone oozed a bitter taste.

"...He-..." She gulped, her throat dry. "He said that we were never meant to meet, but-..."

"Did he put you up to this? You don't have to listen to him," Beastboy added viciously.

"No!" Tay groaned. "He didn't. I chose this myself. There's more to it than that..."

"Like what?"

Tay's arms flopped to her sides to support her as she leaned back a little.

"There are terrible things going on, Beastboy...I'm afraid..."

"Tay, you have all of us here to protect you..."

"I KNOW that," she huffed. "It's not like that. I'm afraid of MYSELF..."

"...Huh...?" He was totally clueless.

"...Beastboy...I-..." She wasn't ready to confess to him who she really was just yet, so she cut off the thought. "...Back at my home, a war is starting. And I have to be there. I don't want you guys to be put in harm's way..."

Beastboy paused a moment to try and fathom this idea. "I don't know what's going on, Tay. But don't worry about it right now. We'll help you through it, OK?"

"...Thank you," she whispered warmly, though she was filled with doubt. "But...We can't have this kind of relationship anymore..."

Everything he had been trying to build back up fell to pieces in an instant. Leaving him speechless, Tenochtitlan continued.

"Beastboy, it's for the best. I won't let you get pulled into my problems. This is my choice, and if you care about me, you'll let me go through with it."

His breathing getting shaky, Beastboy turned his head away from her.

"I have good reasons, B...At least give me some time to figure these things out...Maybe then-..." She let the end of the sentence drift into the air. "Please. Just...Leave me alone for a while...I need time..."

"But-..." He glanced up at her dispondent black pupils and had the urge to throw up again.

"I'm sorry. There's just so much I need to figure out...So much you don't understand..."

"I WOULD if you-"

"Please..." she whispered desperately. "We're from two different worlds...We have two different paths. I want you to be happy, and you won't be if you go down my road..."

"...Tenoch-"

"Just go!" she whimpered at him with some ferocity. "Please!"

As he removed his hand from her and stood up slowly, his face shifted into one of anger and frustration. As he stumbled for the door downstairs, he called back to her.

"...You don't have to do this alone..."

"...I know...I choose to..."

"I'm not just gonna give up, you know," he told her firmly as he gave her one last glance.

"...Thank you...I'm sorry, B...If I can fix things...I'll let you know..."

His brain rattled, his heart shackled, the green-skinned Titan let out a depressed sigh as he closed the door behind him, utterly confused.

(...I guess I have to trust her...)

----------

For the first time in a while, she felt wholly relaxed as she entered her bedroom to sleep. As usual, they had returned late, and the rest of the team had gone to bed already. After bidding each other good night with flushed faces, the two Titans departed to their chambers.

As she entered her cozy, pink-infested quarters, Starfire held up her hand and set it aglow with green to see her way through the dark room. The normally cheery room was bleak and lonely in the night. She thought of her evening with Robin to glide her to her ovular bed and rested herself on its soft matress, her body exhausted. After slipping her long boots from her tan legs diggedly, Starfire inhaled a large breath of air as she began to sprawl herself onto her bed. However, she was startled to hear a crinkling sound as she felt a small section of parchment come into contact with her left thigh.

Perplexed, Starfire sat up quickly and yanked the paper from underneath herself as she held it up to her face. As emerald light from her glowing eyes radiated the writing, she read the symbols.

28951

A small red eyebrow on Starfire's face was lifted as she pondered the meaning of these numbers.

(My door was locked when I left, was it not...? No one could have placed this here...But I disclosed my security number to Raven. Yes...She must have left this note here. Ah! It is no doubt the passcode to her door. But why would she leave it here while I was gone?...Perhaps she was hoping that I might give her company tonight. But it is late...)

Starfire extinguished her eyeballs and shifted her glance to a digital clock on her white dresser that read, "01:23."

(Mm...) She grasped the small paper in her hand as she crawled out of her bed slowly, drifting to her door. (It is possible that Raven may require my emotional support...There is no harm in checking...)

----------

"Beastboy? Hey, is everything OK?"

The lean, green, morphing machine blinked wildly, his mind popping like a delicate bubble.

"Wha?? Whazza-?..." He stared up at Robin with bloodshot eyes.

"Whoa," Robin moaned, taking a step back from the teen, who sat on the couch in a fetal position. "Geez...What happened to you? Shouldn't you be getting some sleep?"

"Y-yea, right..." he mumbled, his body uncurling and crawling off of the couch and onto the red, plain carpet on the floor. "Thanks, dude...Night..." He scrambled through the halls in a drunken style, holding his hand up to the walls for support from time to time for support as he dragged his feet to hobble away.

Robin considered trying to investigate the matter, but he wanted to try ending his night on a peaceful note. Besides, Beastboy didn't look in the mood to talk about it, anyway.

----------

She was paralyzed by the pain as it squeezed her left arm ferociously. Her right hand clenched the arm as she writhed in agony on her bed, trying to numb the intense burning. It wasn't the type of burning sensation from fire, but that from ice. Her eyes were squinted tightly and her teeth were grit, her face contorted into a horrified expression. Her chest rapidly contracted as she gasped for air in a frenzy. Her breathing was forceful and fast. Her entire left arm was a mass of black flesh. From her freezing fingertips to her shoulder the shadow spread. It looked as if she had used her powers on her own appendage. Strands of straight, purple hair stuck to her forehead from the layer of sweat she was covered in.

Three knocks echoed through the empty room, each one slightly louder than the previous one. But Raven couldn't hear a single one, as her body was being dominated by the mysterious force possessing her limb.

After a few moments, the door shifted to the side smoothly, revealing the silhouette of Starfire in the night. As she blinked in the dark, she couldn't see much of anything, but she heard Raven moaning from the far end of the room where her bed was laid, and her heart skipped a beat.

Her bare feet smacked the bare, cold floor as she dashed in panic to her friend, who was sprawled across her bed, squirming every which way. Confused and unable to decipher the situation in the darkness, Starfire flung her arms out and wrapped them around Raven desperately, trying to get her to calm down so she could figure out what was going on.

Feeling the familiar warmth of her soft-skinned hands and delicate fingers, Raven's body received a shot of relaxation. Her tossing and turning died down dramatically once she realized that Starfire was right beside her. The pain hadn't stopped, however, but it felt less threatening as she was captured by her friend's embrace. She squeezed back as best she could with her right hand, which trembled violently. Starfire, who was sitting on her knees beside the bed, leaned into Raven, her eyes glazed. About ten seconds passed until Raven's breathing slowed. She inhaled heavily, but not at a breakneck speed. Keeping her head pressed against Raven's shoulder, Starfire spoke slowly, shaking a little.

"...Raven...You are...better...?" a comforting and sweet voice inquired.

"...I-I think so..." she whispered.

Starfire removed herself quite carefully from Raven and lifted her body with grace into the air over the bed to examine the blackened flesh of her best friend. She sunk to to the wooden boards as she lowered her head to the arm and observed it. It had halved in size since Star had entered the room, and the Tamaranian was puzzled. She was beginning to wonder why it changed size, and she felt she had an idea.

"...Your injury...It has reduced in magnitude by fifty percent," she informed Raven quietly, her eyes focused in thought.

"Really...?" Raven tilted her head upward a little to inspect it herself.

Star's hand shot out to stop the girl from straining herself. She pushed her hand gently against Raven's pale forehead, placing it on a dull pillow.

"Please...Relax," the alien murmured to comfort her, lightly pushing the sweaty hair from her friend's face. "Now tell me, please...Why were you upset? Why did you leave the passcode to your bedroom in my quarters?"

Raven's violet eyes wandered away from the emerald jewels on Starfire's face. The wet surface on both pairs of eyes glistened in the moonlight that trickled through the window behind them.

"...I-...Tonight-...I wanted to see you..."

Starfire frowned with slight frustration, as she could tell that Raven was meandering around the subject.

"Please, Raven," she pleaded, staring as the intrinsic wound of darkness was steadily increasing in size. "You know you can tell me..."

After taking a deep breath between her teeth, Raven whispered out, "I asked Link out tonight..."

"...Ohh..." Starfire moaned softly, for she knew that her friend had been rejected. "...I am...sorry, Raven..."

"...No," she mumbled. "It's OK...He's dating Terra, anyway...Besides, he thinks I'm creepy..." she added coldly.

Star gasped, holding her palm to her lips. "Raven, do not say such things! You atre not 'creepy!' If Link said such words to you-"

"No, no...But I know that's what he thinks," she grumbled, still looking away. "He never really liked me from when we met. I make him feel awkward, I know I do. I can see it in his eyes when I talk to him, Starfire..."

Starfire's jaw was agape as the black mass consumed half of her arm again.

She sighed sadly and reached her arm out to Raven's face, gently stroking her gaunt cheeck with the back of her hand.

"Raven...Stop," she said firmly, beginning to choke up a little. "You are no longer the Raven who puts yourself down so harshly...Link is not who you are meant to be paired with. That is all. He does not find you disgusting- none of us do, and there is no reason for ANYONE to think such things of you. You are special, Raven. Do not let anyone convince you otherwise." By the end, her voice was quivering with sadness as her hand had crawled to Raven's and clenched it tightly.

"...Starfire..." Raven whispered in an awe-struck daze. "I-..."

"I will carry you, Raven..." Starfire murmured, wiping tears from her face.

Raven understood exactly what Starfire was saying in these words, and her eyes finally burst with tears that flowed down her face like poignant tributaries.

"When your dreams give out...When the stars go blind...When the darkness starts to fill your mind...When you've fallen behind...I will carry you..." Starfire's words were hushed whispers that Raven could hardly make out, and they only made her tears increase.

"...Starfire...Thank you..." She closed her eyelids, feeling at peace, and eased the orange-tinted arm of the alien to her face. "I will carry you, too, Starfire...I promise."

Starfire smiled with pure joy as she witnessed the twilight energy in Raven's arm shrink back down to miniscule proportions. She had figured it out. Raven had used her own powers to repair the wound, but she had made an error and her own dark powers had possessed it. When Raven felt horrible about herself, it would grow and possess her. It was as if...the wound was an incarnation of the doubt within herself. It was her self-hatred given form. And Starfire was determined to destroy it.

----------
End Transmission
----------

Ah, Clay Aikmen...:sad: Or was his name-...? Ah, well, whatever. Irrelevant.

[Pookey]

Only one word can describe this chapter, WWWWOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!
That was awsome!:D
Srry that my comment earlier sounded so wrong, but at the time thats all i could think of saying. oopps:sweat:
Please post soon!!!:D

[rrarbecy]

Everything. Everything is... *SPIT IT OUT MAN!*
EVERYTHING IS GREAT, WONDERFUL, PERFECT!!!

*makes list*
Hearts broken:Raven
Beast Boy
Tay

Damn, Robin and Star are the only happy ones.

I know its another reality, but can Beast Boy ever be happy?:crying:
*makes list*
Beast Boy's Heart Breaks:Terra
Tay

That last Star/Raven scene was really touching and hints toward something.

Keep this up, and you'll be in the Hall of Fame in no time.

[raven54]

*squealies*

so great!!!!!!!! i've decided that i don't care how long your posts are- it would be far crueler to make us wait! that was the riddle you were talking about? i knew that. really, i did *shifty eyes*. anyways, as usual, spectacular. i feel bad for BB- everyone has someone either betraying him or dumping him:crying: . at least it's for a good reason...sorta. and he won't give up on Tay. ouch that sucks to be Rae. just as she's getting better she has a HUGE excuse to retreat within herself... at least Star was there to help her out. it should be interesting how she chooses to deal with Link, cuz he's still obviously gonna be around and everything.. Talk about wanting to hide under a rock. Rrarbecy's right, Star and Robin are basically the only happy ones. and Sonic and Tikal, too, i guess. the star/rae scene was (also like rrarbecy said) very touching and emotional. self-hatred? been there. it sucks.

most of that wasn't much help, but whatever.

this fic is totally kicking some major ass... post the next part soon and keep up the good work!!:D

[oneeyemonkeypie]

......................................

.uh......ah......AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I GET IT NOW!

Destiny Smasher is "you", and this is really happening. In your mind! AHHH! IT MAKES SENSE!
Wow, now it works. This is probably the best plot idea I have ever seen. I'll even put up with all the mushy Robin/Starfire stuff because that is such an awesome idea.

As for that other story, I'm looking. It seemed like it was a different story, but maybe it was just farther than this one. It was like 60 something pages long, and I only skimmed. I'll try to find it again, but I make no promises.

*is swamped with AP Calc HW*

[Pookey]

This story kicks major butt!! I love it1 I have a strange feeling that Raven and Cyborg may hook up. Just a feeling!:shrug: The Robin and Starfire scences are my fav. (Probaly b/c they are my fav. characters toghether:anime: ) Poor B.B. WILL HE EVER HAVE A RELATIONSHIP THAT DOESN'T GO DOWNHILL?:( O well we will find out AS SOON AS YOU POST:evil:

[Destiny_Smasher]

*sweatdrop*

Whoa, ho, hey...

Yea...Feedback up the roof, I see...

At least some details were thrown in there.

It's pretty neat when I read all of these different opinions, about how Ray should be with so-and-so, and Robin and Starfire being mushy is bad, and how evil Terra is, and...:sweat: Yea, it's great 'cause no matter what you guys tell me, things will happen the way they will.

MAN!! There's so much I want to say to correct you guys on things that are wrong, but it's all stuff that hasn't HAPPENED YET.

Actually, yea...Sonic and Tikal...Didn't really pay any heed to them. Next Chappy. Yea. That's when Amy comes into the picture...:anime: Obviously there's been some foreshadowing, and if you're a Sonic fan, you definitely have a grasp on what to expect.

Raven romance? :sad: Hm...I honestly don't know at this point...

DAMMIT, stop saying that Terra is evil!!! Geez...What, she's not allowed to be happy? It's not HER fault that Ray liked Link...Man...

About that...We'll be seeing some...interesting interaction between Raven and Terra...and Beastboy and Tay...and Link, too, I guess...

Well, actually, everyone.

Cyborg and Ray? Oh, sure. Well, no, I mean...I can see it, but it's not happening in this fic. Didn't I TELL you guys?

Hello?? Cyborg, Jinx...? Obvious on show...? Yaw. :p

Ya know, this fic DOES have a lot of heartbreak in it, doesn't it?

What doesn't kill you makes ya stronger.

"Damn, Robin and Star are the only happy ones." Yea. :sweat:

Dramatic sad stuff like that builds character. Wait 'til you see what happens next...

SOOOO...Guesses about the whole 'One will fall to Darkness' thing? Hm?

Yea. You'll be in for a shock...Even if you do manage to guess right.

And no, damnit, it's not Terra. :rolleyes:

Um...About the next Chapter...

See, that's the last one I've WRITTEN so far. Sooo...It'll be a while...But please, do keep posting. It gives me the drive to write.

And if you guys want to read some of my OTHER stuff while you're WAITING...I would HIGHLY suggest it.

I've got a Tales of Symphonia fic started (though two of the stars are InuYasha and Kagome) along with a Golden Sun fic (which also directly ties into the last fic) and, of course, the one that is the core to the whole series- the fic that all of the Winds of Fate lead IN to.

And what about the last Star/Rob scene? What does it foreshadow?? Huh...?

[Pookey]

AAAAHHHHH, the suspense is killing me enough all ready!!! I can't wait for the next Ch.!!!!
I never said Terra was evil, but she is not my fav. character. I still think shes ok but i would definetly live without her! My opinion, not yours.:sweat:
Any way on to other matters, Cyborg and Jinx never really "clicked" as so to speak. I mean they did have a crush in Deception, but after Wavelength i think Cy will end up with Bummblebee or Raven? Agian my opinion, not yours.:sweat:
Don't take too long b/c i'm driving myself insane over here!!!!!! POST ASAP!! no wait make that NOW!!!:D

[oneeyemonkeypie]

And what about the last Star/Rob scene? What does it foreshadow?? Huh...?
Well, not a whole bunch. Robin realizes that Starfire is a good person, and he can have a relationship with her. My guess is that either Robin or her will turn to the dark side and their relationship will be painfully torn apart, and at the end there will be a happy reunion (or none, if it's a depressing fic.)

Unless you wanna reveal something I missed...*hint hint*

[Kimada]

...Did you know that it takes around five hours to read this entire thing straight through, counting the hour break when my web went down? If this post seems wiggy, that's because I'm bringing up points I've seen through the entire thread, so sorry about that.
*sigh* It seems that I must both thank you, GS, for this well done story arc, and curse you for raising the bar for the rest of us writers.:shrug: Well, if there's a reason to write better, I should not complain.
Since one of your major requests is feedback, I'll lay it on. To start with your strengths, I believe that it's clear to everyone reading that it lies in your manipulation of your characters, both origional and borrowed. How they think, act, and react is a highly developed trait, and you've honed it fairly well. While there might be the occaitonal scene of out-of-characteritis, the length of the story allows for you to mold the characters into the direction you wish. Thankfully, you space out these moments to fit the characters, such as Raven's emotional metamorph.
Now, for any minor flaws in your writing. I do not mean to nitpick, but criticising helps improve technique, so I hope you do the same to my writings once I begin to post. :anime: Anyhoo, one common tic that gets me are the occational redundant descriptions. For example, early on when you would point out once or twice a chapter that Raven had bad self-esteem. It tended to, if not break up, then cause a few bumps in the story, since it persumed that the reader couldn't figure it out through her actions. There were other examples, but the raven one is the most noticible. I think you might find the story smoothing out better if you simply make the actions speak for themselves, and not add onto them with an additional description.
Mind you, if you like driving the point home, go nuts, we all have our own styles after all. :D
Hmmm, what else. Ah yes, while you have no control over this (since the stories are based around this theme), you might want to make some sort of FAQ for the characters, either out of the story or make a little interlude about them and their background. Crossovers have the problem of brining in characters from unknown sources, and so the reader has a harder time focusing on them. While I knew about mario, link, and sonic (and your original character is built around mystery), the remaining new female is a complete mystery to me, and as such I draw a mental blank every time she pops up.
Looks like you're moving quite a bit away from the second season, keeping only the core elements (the unknown apprentice). The side jokes are amusing, such as atlas's challenge being brushed aside, and I like how you're not bogging down with what we already know.
Mildly ironic that there's more facial hair in this fanfic than in most others out there. I don't know why I noticed that... :sweat:
Oh, and when you/your character showed up, you just loooved those movie quotes, didn't you? Matrix, AI, all the good mystery ones.
Although when you/he sat down , it did bring up a bunch of questions. Is this a self-insertion, or did you make your screen name after the character? And how much if DS not telling, or worse, outright lying? After all, not only are the displaced five not in their own worlds, but they've been physically (mentally?) changed to 'fit in', suggesting a greater hand in this. Hopefully it was directed rather than an accident.
Lots of usage of Fate and Destiny. (Have you played Chrono cross?) Of course, the reader is forced to ask if there is such a thing, due to the actions of the characters. After all, if there is Fate, then it hasn't been changed by the introduction of five new teens, since it was fated to hapen. I could go on for days, but I'm betting I'm already drying out your eyes.
Oh, nice job on dropping starfire's name, but you made a slight mistake on Robin. You brought up his background from the circus, but the directers of TT have made a point to say that he's not one of Comic's three robins. He has no alter-identity, he's just robin. Still, once you've broken down the dimentional barriors, a little time tweeking isn't so tough, eh?
As a question that you can answer without giving anything away, is the Raven in your story somewhat ignorant of her power and heratige? The black spot on the arm is a clear indication of internal struggle (or at least a power backlash), yet she seem's unawere of its cause. Oh, and are you going to bring up her father at all, or just push that aside since it might not have a place in your story. (She's had to control her emotions because she is part demon, after all).
I haven't heard the annalagy of a rope used before when describing multiple worlds. Spiderweb, yes, but not a rope. I prefer to look at it as a crystal, all the worlds being of the same 'whole' (same people), while each facit of the crustal shows a different scene. But that's just me.
And before I finish (not because I've run out of things to say, but rather I've taken up a lot of your time), I would like to congradulate you on your aptitude for mixing teens with unhappy relationships. Head on the nail and all that.
Anyway, congrats on the good story so far, hopeing that you'll praise and critique my stories when I put them out, and would like to say that we share the love of the large stories :D , good luck and farewell. I'm off to soak my eyeballs.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, uh...Yea, I'd say that would be feedback, all right...

Thing is, it seems you're judging me on a few things that you don't understand...

Did I not already explain the whole DS thing?? I'm, eh...PRETTY sure I explained that with fair amounts of detail. Yea, I have. And about 'Fate,' and such, my interpretation of Fate isn't the same as the basic definition.

As far as my fiction is concerned...Their Fate is a PLAN, and because things have been messed up, that plan is going well...That's why I keep some elements of Season 2 while making it totally different.

Once I reach Killer Moth in the next Chapter, though, it should become pretty obvious how different things are, and after that 'episode,' I won't be including any others. In a way, it'll be similar, but...

"After all, if there is Fate, then it hasn't been changed by the introduction of five new teens, since it was fated to hapen."

Um...No. :p See, that's the whole point. They WEREN'T supposed to ever arrive on this planet...And they DID...And so things got messed up...
It's weird, I know. A very odd view of Fate. But yes, Chrono Cross gave me some ideas, for sure. (Man, why does Janice have to have big, fat, ugly hands, anyway? And what the hell is up with the voodoo doll??)

And yes, damnit, I've played Chrono Cross. :anime: And yes, that has inspired some of my ideas.

As far as 'backgrounds' goes...

Um, do I CARE what the producers of the show say about Robin's identity? NO. This is MY story, MY interpretation. And, YAW, they only showed that one scene in Robin's mind in the episode 'Haunted,' as someone already pointed out. Now, COME ON, people, how am I SUPPOSED to interpret that?

Another thing- I only know as much about Raven as the show has told me. I haven't read the old comic books, nor do I WISH to. ECK, they're so UGLY in those, for one thing...They look like they're in their 20's or 30's, not their teens...

About Tikal- (Golly, you can't even remember the NAME??) I don't expect everyone to know who she is. If you people want a 'FAQ,' I TOLD you- read my MAIN story. That's one of the whole points...If people were really confused about that, I would guess they might, I dunno, ASK ME who she was. You should be just as confused about Tay if Tikal stumps you, ya know...

I can't really put up a very good 'FAQ' to the new characters because it doesn't matter whether you 'know' them, you really DON'T know them until you read Quest for Destiny! And about their appearances changing and what-not...I'm not a moron. I've had the ending of this story planned out for a year now, and there's a perfectly good (yet bizarre) explanation for that.

Remember the title- The X Factor.

You complain because my descriptions are redundant, but you complain that I don't describe anything at the same time...

The only reason that me describing Raven's lack of self esteem is redundant to you is because you already KNOW Raven. If you didn't know Raven, it wouldn't seem quite as redundant, now would it?

"It tended to, if not break up, then cause a few bumps in the story, since it persumed that the reader couldn't figure it out through her actions."

Yea, so if that's true, why do I need to explain to you who Tikal is? Wouldn't you figure it out by her actions?

As for Raven's injury...Um, yea, she's fully aware of the fact that she caused it herself...She just doesn't know for certain- or at least, she DIDN'T know before- what was making it fluctuate the way it was.

"Mildly ironic that there's more facial hair in this fanfic than in most others out there. I don't know why I noticed that... :sweat: "

Um...There's...Two people on the team who have facial hair, no? Mario, and Sonic. Well, if you count Luigi, him, too, but he's not on the team. Oh, then there's me...

Yea, reading what you said, I'd say you haven't actually READ this whole thread so far...If you have, it seems you skipped some things, or something...Because I know I explained my net-name, and the whole riddle there...:shrug:

"Although when you/he sat down , it did bring up a bunch of questions. Is this a self-insertion, or did you make your screen name after the character?"

Um, yaw...People, is it just me, or did I, in fact, explain that...? :sweat:

"I do not mean to nitpick,"

*chortle* Yea, OK...:rolleyes: I'd say some of that was nitpicking...But that's fine. It just seems that some of the things you're judging you don't understand fully...You DO realize that a lot of the things you pointed out are things that aren't SUPPOSED to make sense at this point, right?

"Oh, and are you going to bring up her father at all, or just push that aside since it might not have a place in your story. (She's had to control her emotions because she is part demon, after all)."

I find it really funny that people keep asking me, "Are you gonna do this?" and "Are you gonna do that?" when if they were just patient and READ the story, they'd find OUT.

And a rope still works. So there. :p My fic is not the same as yours, I'm fairly certain. Unless you're in the middle of four fics with a total of over 50 main characters plus who knows how many minor ones- all of which you pay attention to and make sure they seem 'real'- etc. etc., and all of their stories intertwine with each other and connect...Well, yea. :sweat: I mean, if you ARE writing something like that, please, do show me.

Again, with the 'FAQ'...

If you CARE so much, why don't you just...Look it UP? I mean...Yea. Or you could, I don't know, ASK me about it...:rolleyes: Or did I say that already?

Besides, what do you WANT me to tell you about Tikal? If you've read my main fic, you'd have some general ideas, but...The Titans have no clue about her background, either...

I can't really show you a pic of her, because then you'll probably wind up associating her 'Sonic' look with this fic instead of her humanoid one...-_-'

And Tikal's background...Well, since this is MY story...Mine has much more to it than the Sonic games (or at least the ONE she was in) tell you...

If you really want to know what Tikal's TRUE form looks like...

http://www.deviantart.com/view/5858441/

And, well, Sonic...I'm guessing you may know what HE looks like...

http://money.cnn.com/2003/02/25/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/sonic.jpg

Then, ya know, like, Link, n' stuff...

http://www.zeldadungeon.net/gallery/Wallpapers/Official/1024x768/linkbow.jpg

And, BOOSHAH, my main man, Mario...

http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/m-smashbros_gcn_ss22-jpg.jpg

And, well...Tay is someone I made up...But see, bear in mind that NONE of those characters look that way right now in this fic...There's an explanation, but...You'll just have to wait and see...

[Kimada]

*Chuckles* That was amusing. Well, it looks like you answered all my questions, those that you could answer without giving away any plot, that is.

You've got me on character appearance, chrono cross (that freaky voodoo doll...), background (I had missed that detain in haunted. whoopsy :sweat: ), and character detail. While I still stick with my points with the extra descriptions and not enough information, since they're about two different areas about your writing, it seems that this is an important part of your style, and so no change is needed.
I agree on the comic book art. Yeesh, but that was fugly.
It's the whole fate thing that's just got me in a bind. I mean, if they did arive, how could they not hae been fated to? While one world/reality had it's own rules and plot, couldn't it be argued that this world has its own fate, and they're simply following it? Of course, going by that standard, Destiny Smasher is nothing more than a pawn/agent of fate, since he can do nothing other than what it dictates.
Now that sounds like it will be a fun argument. :D
And, as a mild mode of self defense, that was nit-picking. A true critique would have gone on for five more pages. :anime: Ah well.
If you're still in school, and you prefer long breaks to write, does this mean we will see the next chapter around thanksgiving or Christmas? Either way, looking forward to it.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...I wasn't really trying to 'stick it to him'... :sad: I just don't like being judged when the judge doesn't quite understand what is being judged...He has some fair points, though. My English teacher also has noticed my habitof being repetitive, but...That's my style, is all. I often repeat things that are important, and also to help stylize the context. Raven has low self-esteem. She feels her life is repetitive, so I'm repetitive in saying it so the reader feels the redundancy she feels in an indirect way. :shrug:

As far as not giving ENOUGH information, (assuming you're referring to the 'new' characters) that's trhe whole POINT. I write this fic assuming you don't really know who they ARE, but if you read Q4D!, you'll catch lots of little tidbits and such. Remember Chapter 5, I believe it was? Freaky flash-backs, and such? All excerpts from Q4D!

If you don't know about Mario's background, then that's great- you understand how the Titans feel and it adds to the mystery. If you DO, then that's ALSO great, because you understand what he's been through and may catch some of the jokes he and Luigi will throw around once they re-unite. (The next Chapter) This is the same with Amy and Sonic, too. You don't HAVE to know it, and it works both ways.

Um...Do I have to explain the Fate thing AGAIN?

Listen, you have to shove the denotative definition out of your head. In this fic, Fate is not what HAS to happen. It is was is SUPPOSED to happen.

This 'world' that they are on has been broken off from the original, or 'real' one. (Trying not to ruin plot here) A massive reaction caused the creation of this alternate reality, and because this reality was never MEANT to exist, its Destiny isn't set in stone. A world that Fate has no plans for has no pre-determined Fate, now does it? Obviously, this makes you say, "Well, yes, but it was Fated that this would happen, blabla," but it wasn't.

Like I said, Fate is a PLAN, it's what SHOULD happen. Because there have been very freakish unbalances of mana, energy, Mako, (whatever you wanna call it) and such, Fate's plans themselves are being distorted, both here, and elsewhere. This, obviously, presents a problem, because it means that Fate, technically, doesn't EXIST for the future at this point. It's weird... :shrug:

Maybe I should play through Chrono Cross again, but wouldn't you agree there are similar concepts here? Or did you hate Chrono Cross?

To me, Fate is more like an entity that plans things out, and sometimes those plans don't work. When they don't, things get messy, as they are right now.

WHAT?! What's this garbage about me being a pawn of Fate??

Hello!!! I am the one who is DISTORTING FATE'S PLANS!! Doy! Why do you think everything is all messed up? I'm the fanfiction writer, and I'm the one who started all of this.

Despite that, I can't say for sure how it will all end...It's not predestined what will happen...People, places, and ideas have come into this fiction that I never even THOUGHT I would include.

So I guess I imagine Fate as a writer, in a way...But that's beside the point.

Dictionary definitions don't matter- this is FANTASY. Enough logic where it seems feasible and we can live in it, but also enough where we aren't barred down by rules.

Actually, I'm seriously considering writing at least two endings to my main fic (not this one)...

SO! Next Chapter? Well, I've written enough to match the length of the last Chapter...But there's more to come. It's hard to say when I'll be done. By Christmas? Oh, for Din's sake, I HOPE SO. By Thanksgiving? Fairly likely, unless I get really stormed by something and only write in my other fics...

Matter of fact...I think I'll go write about Mario and Luigi meeting eachother right now. :sweat:

Let's just hope that later on when the moths show up they don't go all mutanty like Silky did... :eek: Not that they'll NEED to in order to carry out their purpose.. :zim:

[raven54]

lets see.. so far, i like Link, Snoball, and Mario. the Yoshi Trio (yoshi/tarts/fireball) has some great character interaction too. and, well... i really like all the characters so far ('cept Fireball sometimes grates on your nerves a bit sometimes, but i think that's what you were going for) Falco's a chauvinistic pig (LOVED it when nana stuck it to him). the fights are well done and everything seems to fit together nicely. good job.

[Destiny_Smasher]

'Falco's a chauvinistic pig'

:sweat: Thought you were talking about my Pidgeotto for a sec, there...

Yea, see, there's a problem...I have so many characters I have a few instance where there are multiple characters with the same NAME...:D

Anyway, thanks for that input.

Nana? Oh, yes, very important, actually...

OK, well, I guess EVERYBODY is important at some point or another, but Nana gets more story than a lot of the other characters, just not until later on.

Fireball is SUPPOSED to grate on your nerves. He's not REALLY a jerk. He just acts like one. :p

And please, people, I KNOW you want an update!! :crying: Damnit, I've been slaving away, concentrating allof my writing time on the next Chapter. Pfh...Ya know what'll happen, don't ya?

You'll all complain because of how LONG it IS when I finally DO get it up!! :yawn: OY!

I'm tellin' ya, it's gonna be long. Expect about the length of 10 or 11. And expect some conflicts, for sure. I'd say I'm 2/3 done with the Chapter. Now we focus on the action/crimefighting stuff to finish the Chapter off with a bang...sort of...:shrug: More like a collapse, but...Anyway...

So, yea, I AM working on it.

So many ideas, so little time to write them down and write them down WELL.

OK, then. If you want me to read other fics around here, which ones are worth my time?

[raven54]

well, read Reid's fic if ya haven't yet. Crowgirl's is very good, as is all of Lord Welshi's stuff (duh). Kregor8's fic is well written, rrarbecy's is a fun read, Rae's fic (though you'll have to wade through the remains of the mob/anti-mob standoff), Reaper's Strife(written by... Juice, maybe?). the fic by EternalShadow and the one by PressureCooker. the fic by Welshi's Mate puts an interesting spin on things, all of Magick's fics, and a few more that i can't think of at the moment. sorry for the lack of titles:sweat: and if you'd like to read my fic (azul celeste) i'd be honored.

[Destiny_Smasher]

:eek:

Ummm...Yea, see, I don't have TIME, you understand. Not right now.

I was thinking, like, ya know, two or three...I could spend hours wading around and find decent fics but not a single one that inspires me or makes me think.

I did decide to start reading Welshi's. Good stuff. Funny stuff.

I mean, COME ON. Cyborg getting arrested for indecent exposure? :anime:

Ya know, if feedback stays at this rate, then I may consider posting up the first section of Chapter 13 very soon... ( ;) ;) )

*shrug*

But who knows whether you'll LIKE it...I have a good feeling that by the end of this Chapter you should ALL have at least a theory of who shall 'fall to Darkness.'

Anti-Terra people...may like this Chapter... :sweat: I guess...? But for the millionth time, BEFORE people start griping, Terra was not a bad person until Slade got a hold of her.

It IS true that she CHOSE that path...But, as you can see, she made up for it and took responsibility for the choices she made with her LIFE, and voluntarily, at that.

:p Ah, yes...I get to have fun with the Sonic/Tikal/Amy triangle, finally...

I got a food in the stove.

Then there's the fun I get to have next Chapter, but dramatically and humorously. Don't want to kill you with dire, serious drama, of course, so I have to throw in a good bathroom scene to induce laughs. :zim: Mwaha.

STILL working away at it...Haven't lost TOO much sleep yet...:sad: Hoping to have it all done by Friday. Then it's a break from that and on to my other fics for a little while.

But at about that time, once I get over this nasty little BUMP here in the story with the moths and the prom and the shouting and the action and the flinging of vulgar Tamaranian words and the essence of teamwork being loosened-... :eek: Whew. Yea. Where was I? Oh, by that time I'll have more motivation to write more.

See, during the weekend I wrote a good bit because I had some issues to play with, but now it's time to get 'serious'. Just like the Titans, when that stupid alarm goes off, I have to do my duty. Can't ignore the fact that crime happens, now, can we?

Of course, it'll be MUCH more fun later when we get to meet the Red Comet... :rolleyes:

And then, of course, we have Slade AND Brother Blood... :shrug:

Yea. Let the good times roll. Or, well...the bad times, I guess... :cool:

[Destiny_Smasher]

:shrug: Hm...Well, I guess it's finally time to start sticking up Chapter 13.

I guess I'll post this one up in sections, know what I mean?

Instead of one huge chunk all at once later on.

So here's the start of Chapter 13- Thirteen.

And, YAW, there's a pretty good damn reason why it's named that. :rolleyes: You just won't get it until the end of the Chapter, is all.

<-{--[ Begin Transmission ]--}->

The Destinia Saga...

Winds of Fate: The X Factor

Chapter 13- Thirteen

"I SAID I was sorry!!" the lean, green, semi-mustachoied teen spat out in defense.

He received a light slap on the shoulder from the usually peppy girl before him. She didn't really seem angry, but more or less frustrated and upset.

"Well...Well why weren't you here last night, then??" she demanded with some ferocity.

"Amy, calm down," he tried to settle her, keeping his palms up to defend himself from her wrath. "I got held up. We had some troubles with the sinks, so I put in some extra hours to fix up the plumbing. It was a real mess, and they didn't have time to-"

"Whatever!" Amy hissed, crossing her arms over her chest as she slammed herself down into a chair. "Are you going to leave me alone tonight, too? I thought you wanted to see your brother!"

Luigi sighed as he slowly rested himself across the table from her. He heard the light pattering of rain drops on the large umbrella that covered the table on the corner of the busy street. It was a peaceful morning, at least.

"Of course I do..."

"Then why haven't you gone there yet???" Amy asked him in exasperation.

Luigi shrugged and scratched his nose.

"I guess I kinda-...Well...I'm not sure. Yea, you're right. What the heck, let's go, then."

"...Wh-?!" Amy's eyes widened. "Like, r-right now?!"

Luigi lifted a brow at her. "Well, sure, why not? You seemed so eager just a second ago..."

"I can't just GO right now!" she grumbled, staring at herself. "I need to get changed, and put on makeup, and-" She jumped to her feet quickly, and she twitched a little, ready to dash off.

"Um...All right," Luigi muttered nervously. "You go do that- I'll just wait here for you."

He thought she looked OK, though. Very casual- a tight cotton T-shirt of red and a pair of black jeans. But Luigi liked the casual look more than the fancy dress-up. It was rare to see him in a suit- he only wore one at work because he HAD to. A nice baggy pair of denim overalls with brass buckles and a roomy green tee was all he ever needed, along with his trusty cap.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Amy told him as she rushed down the street, whimpering from the light rain that had started.

----------

"...How could I get an F?!"

A groan spilled from the girl's mouth as she slammed her head into her crossed arms on the desk.

"Maybe you're tryin' too hard," bellowed a gruff, deep voice from behind her. It was followed by a crunching sound as its owner chomped into a crispy chocolate bar.

"But I NEVER get F's..." the girl grumbled, glaring at the paper that lay in front of her. A small reading lamp illuminated the desk, while the rest of the room was fairly dark- there were no windows. It appeared to be a dorm room of some kind.

"Oh, put a cork in it, Jinx," complained an irritating voice that could be best described in one word as 'snotty.' It had a very whiny quality about it, like a spoiled child. "Who cares about your crud-munchin' test? Geez, Miss Perfect..."

The girl in the mysterious garb at the desk frowned bitterly. She wore a strange black skirt like that of a witch, and tall boots with thick soles. She had pale skin and pink eyes that looked like a cat's. Her hair was in a unique shape- it didn't run down her shoulder, it poked up in what looked sort of like two horns, with black stripes running in rings in the middle of eahc 'horn.' A few fuzzy bangs stuck down, as well. She was Jinx, a dark girl with bizarre powers- bad luck.

"Glad to know you care so much, Gizmo," she bitterly snapped. "The Headmaster is upset as it is..." She sighed, sinking her head back onto the plastic desk. "First there was the desks, then the sinks..." A despondent huff poured from her lips. "And let's not forget the cafeteria fiasco..."

"That was so cool," chuckled the burly man of a teen that was laid back leisurely in a corner of the room, snacking on various junk foods. He wa sa goliath, indeed. His body was thick with muscle, making him about as big as Cyborg. His fists were humongous- he could grab the average head easily within his chubby fingers. His face was covered with orange facial hair that formed a furry beard, while it spiked up on his head in a mess. His eyes were simply white, and they looked hostile. He also had oversized canines to add to his animalistic form.

"Mammoth," Jinx growled, "It was NOT cool...The only reason I haven't been exspelled yet is because my grades are so high, but...-" She rubbed her aching head gently with her thin fingers. "-Ugh...Now what am I gonna do?" she whimpered.

"You could, I dunno, NOT destroy stuff at lunch and fling food all over like a maniac," Gizmo, the small and utterly devilish kid, suggested. He was very small, but his brains made up for his size. His head was round and bald, and he wore goggles on his eyes so you couldn't see them. He always had a black box of sorts attached to his back, and it was with this device that he controlled a massive array of gadgets- hence his name. From metallic legs to make him move like a spider to a rocket, Gizmo used his mechanical brilliance to make up for his small stature.

"...I can't CONTROL it, you idiot! My powers have been malfunctioning lately. If I don't resolve the problem soon, I WILL be exspelled..." She crumbled up the failed test in her one hand as she rested her head on the other, the corresponding elbow on the gray desk.

"You make it sound like it's a BAD thing," Gizmo snickered. He was playing a video game on a small television screen that was mounted in the wall beside his bed. Various electronics were scattered around his part of the room, ranging from a surround sound set of speakers to a laptop to a stereo. He felt his head get thwacked by a ball of paper, which bounced off comically. Jinx was standing beside him, and she huffed, criss-crossing her thin arms.

"Well, it is for me," she hissed at him. "I don't have anywhere else to GO. This is IT for me. Without the HIVE, I have nothing. If you don't care, then fine. Besides, it's not like we're friends, anyway- right??"

Gizmo had turned his head and ignored his game to look up at her scowling face.

"Aw, come ON, Jinx, stop being such a snot!" he told her. "Geez, Brother Blood's not gonna kick you out over some dumb test!"

"Yea," Mammoth agreed. "I fail all the time," he told her with a grin.

"Yes, but YOU aren't demolishing sections of the school by accident!" Jinx whimpered. "Whatever," she shook her head, turning to the door. "You guys are no help. I'm leaving this pig pen."

With a shrug, Mammoth watched Jinx stomp out of the room, the metal door swishing to a close behind her.

"MAN, what is her PROBLEM?" Gizmo grumbled.

"Heh, must be that time of the month," Mammoth joked with a loud laugh.

"No kidding," the little, bald machine marvel chortled.

"...But she was serious, huh?" Mammoth added thoughfully after a moment.

"What? About gettin' exspelled? Oh, please. She's such a teacher's pet that they don't want to even let her out of the dog house."

"...Yea..." Mammoth had his doubts. "But the Headmaster almost lost the hair he's got left after what happened the other day, know what I mean?"

"...Meh," Gizmo grunted through the side of his mouth. "Who cares? It's her problem, not ours."

Standing outside of their door quietly, Jinx leaned againt the wall. She stared at the ground dully, her pink eyes glazed.

-----------

"Where shall we 'date' this evening??" Starfire asked, hopping with excitement.

Robin groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh...Well, I don't know, Star. We just went out last night, so-..."

"Oh." Her hopes melted into mud. "I understand. It would be too stressful, would it not?" SHe was sympathetic about it, though.

"Yea," Robin admitted. "Besides, we have a job to do."

"You are correct," Starfire agreed with a serious look. "We must not let desire deter us from our goal."

"Right," Robin muttered, not quite paying attention as he stepped into the rec room. "OK, guys, time to get some training done!" he called into the room, catching everyone's attention.

"Gotcha, Rob," Cyborg shouted back, a poolstick in his hands. "We'll be down in a few."

"All right," Rob replied as he exited the room. Starfire glided to his side as he proceeded to head to the elevator at the end of the hallway.

"Robin, you seem quite stressed, indeed," she observed. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really," Robin answered calmly. "But Slade's up to no good again. We have no idea what he has planned..."

"Of course," Starfire replied in a murmur. A well established point."

"Besides," Robin added. "We have a huge team, now, so we'd better work on some team-WORK."

----------

"WHOA, now! Be careful, Pyrocitor-" came a sarcastic taunt from a cloaked wizard. You couldn't make out her face in her black hood at all, and you couldn't see any of her appendages, either, due to her robe's massive amounts of cloth. She was talking to a fellow student, who was a rough looking kid with fiery hair, a red t-shirt, and yellow shorts. "-You don't want to make her upset. She might sick a black cat at you!"

The expression of the skinny girl being mocked was one of utter loathing. The grit teeth, clenched fists, and burning eyes of Jinx reflected how angry she was at the time as she stormed through the hallway. The wizard girl drifted aongside her, her head cocked to the side as she spoke to her as if she were a toddler.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jinxy. Are you mad? You aren't going to make the walls fall down by 'accident' again, are you? That would be a shame...We wouldn't want to see such a perfect girl like you get EXSPELLED, would we?"

Two fierce, cat-like eyes darted to the right to glare at the shadowed face of the pest.

"SHUT-UP, Nerga..."

"Ohhh...You ARE upset, aren't you, Jinxy?"

"Urrrgh..."

"You shouldn't get sssoo worked up, huh?" a hissing tone poked in from her left. It was 'Pyrocitor,' another annoyance. "I mean, geezzz, it would kinda sssuck if there was another food fight becaussse of you, ya think?"

"If you two don't silence yourselves RIGHT NOW, you WILL regret it..."

"Will we, now?" Nerga probed.

Jinx sucked air in between her teeth, her nails digging into her palms. She felt a familiar wave of energy flow from her fingertips, and she gasped as an uncontrolled spasm of negative power erupted from her hands. The lights in the hallway flickered off, and she could feel small objects landing on her head and shoulders. The ground was rumbling slightly, and Jinx felt her body trembling just as much without its aid. Her powers were going haywire again. It had started as a slight inconvenience a few weeks ago, but had gradually grown into a serious problem.

"Holy ssshit!!" yelped Pyrocitor as he glanced around himself, frozen. The hallway was still illuminated by his flaming head, but that light quickly disappeared as he fled off, running for his life. Other bystanders in the vicinity were making a run for it, as well, while Nerga remained to torture Jinx until the last moment.

"Well, it was nice knowin' ya, Jinxy. It was only a matter of time," her snobby voice jabbed at Jinx, who was hugging a wall, trying her best to concentrate and control the misfortune as the bully before her vanished into the shadows.

As she could feel the thundering force of the ceiling above her falling down, she shoved open the nearest door and lunged in, slamming it behind her. She paused, her body deathly tense as she braced for the impact. She was toppled over buy the earthquake that was caused as a whole section of hallway floor collapsed and crushed the floor she was on, tumbling both sections down to the one below her. Jinx didn't see the devastation, nor did she want to.

Confused, afraid, and frustrated, Jinx stumbled to a small table to her side, scrambling to seat her shaking body into a frail chair. She glared at the small, round mirror that was miracuosly left intact on the wall above the wooden table. Gazing into her pink, dulled eyes that were growing wetter by the minute, Jinx grumbled to herself, "It's over..."

She let out a small shriek as the glass before her shattered to bitty pieces instantaneously, the shards raining to the table. A tear slid down her pale cheeck as she rammed her fist into the wooden surface, splashing glass into the air.

----------

"Tay, what's up?" Robin asked with curiosity. "Your whole game's thrown off...Come on, I know you've got more than that."

Tenochtitlan was avoiding his gaze, and she only seemed to stare the giant, padded mat below her bare feet.

"..."

"One more round," Robin said as he prepared for combat.

Tenochtitlan didn't budge an inch, but her fingers held a tight grip on her wooden staff. Her eyes were dull a and navy blue.

"Here I come," Robin warned, elevating his voice as he lunged forth. He was thrown off balance a little as Tay swiftly backflipped, dodging his fist. A small grin crawled across Robin's face as he realized that she was entering her combat mode.

He flung a small barrage of silver orbs at her, but she twirled her staff with her adroit fingers, and every one exploded on contact, creating small bursts of flame. Tay followed this move with a forward somersault into the air. She came down with her staff held out, and it made a loud 'thwack' as it smacked the mat. Robin had sidestepped out of the way and lifted his foot to strike with a powerful kick. His blow connected with Tay's side, and she tumbled to the floor. She hardly seemed to hit it, though, and she dropped her staff and used her hands to +flip her body back up immediately. She grabbed her weapon between her feet and pulled them up, dropping it in midair as she landed upright. After catching it in her hands, she pointed it forward as it- and her eyes- flashed red.

Robin cried out in surprise as a searing hot beam of fire zipped right by him. He could feel the heat from it on his face for the second that it lasted. Beastboy, up on a balcony above, cheered at the action. He paused afterward, and his thoughts began to wander.

(Maybe that's it...Maybe Tay doesn't think I'm...'manly enough' for her...If there's really a war or something, then...She probably thinks I'm a wuss and can't help her...)

As the two traded furious blows, their fellow Titans were clapping and rooting, unable to pick a side. Robin pulled out his staff halfway through the sparring session, and things got even more interesting. The twirling of metal and wood in the air and the smacking sound they made when they collided added to the etertainment factor.

Tenochtitlan was getting very fierce in her fighting, though, while Robin was holding back some. His gadgets were countered with harsh magic.

A birdarang was easily blown away by Tay's bare hand, and she crushed Robin's chest with a ball of black and purple energy from that hand. Before he could get back on his feet from the blow, Tay lunged forth and pinned him to the ground, keeping his arms back with her staff. She glared down at his face, and he was shocked to see that the tiara on her head had turned black, and her eyes slowly shifted from red to the same shade.

"What's with THAT, Rob?" Cyborg taunted his friend.

"You have more than that," Raven noted.

"Yea, that was way too short!" Sonic grumbled. "How about some more action? You want ME to come down there...?"

"WOO!" Beastboy cried. "You GO, Tay!! You're an animal!!"

Robin was completely confused at Tenochtitlan's reaction to that comment. Her eyes grew wide and lightened to a dark blue, and she loosened up on Robin, getting off of him quickly.

"...Nn-..." She spun her head to stare up at him. "No I'm NOT!! I'm a PERSON...just like EVERYONE ELSE!!" she shouted hysterically. Met with utterly perplexed faces, she chucked her staff into the padded ground and dashed for the exit, storming out of the room.

It took a few moments for her to leave, and there was hushed silence until she did, and then the murmuring began.

"What's with her?" Terra asked.

"Got me," Link grumbled.

"Did I say something nasty...?" Beastboy wondered aloud as guilt poured through him.

"I don't think so," Raven muttered. "But maybe she took it the wrong way. Is something going on between you two?" she wondered, speaking quietly as she isolated him from the others a little. "You haven't talked to each other at all this morning, and usually, you're-..."

"Yea," Beastboy groaned, frowning. He crossed his arms and huffed. "I don't know WHAT her deal is, but...There must be something wrong with me. I must have made her mad, or something..."

"Really?" Raven asked him- they were walking down the stairs that led up to the balcony at this point. Starfire had wanted to go and find out what was wrong with Tay, but the others convinced her not to.

"She's been weird today," Link had warned her.

"Yea, she wants to be alone," Robin announced. "She'll be fine...So, who's trying next? Can we get a two-on-two going here?"

"Aw, yea, Rob!" Cyborg cried, raising his shaking arm. "Me and Sonic'll take out any foo' who wants to bring it. Ain't dat right?" He turned to Sonic and stuck out a fist. His knuckles were rapped Sonic's much smaller hand.

"You know it!"

"So, Rob, whatchoo thinkin'? You and Star, me and him?"

Robin turned his head over to Starfire a little and shrugged. He was answered by a giggle and a "Let the challenge commence!"

----------

"Yea, so...Then she just told me to leave...Man, I feel like such a goober..."

Raven sighed as she walked beside him, lowering her sweater over her waist to make sure no tummy was showing.

"...Whoa...That doesn't sound like her," Raven noted, confused.

"Yeah, I KNOW that," Beastboy grumbled. "I kept trying to get her to tell me what the DEAL was, but she wouldn't..."

Raven paced at his side with her arms crossed over her chest and her head slightly tilted down.

"Mm," she hummed in reply carefully. "...Tenochtitlan must have a reason for acting this way...Can you think of anything you might've done to get her angry?"

Beastboy ran his hand through his green hair in frustration as his eyes glared at the floor.

"No...But...She thinks that I want to be with Terra, and not her..."

Raven angled her head up to glance at Beastboy's perplexed profile. "...So-"

"Of course not," Beastboy spat out at her quietly before she could ask the question. "No...Terra's awesome, but...I like TAY...Besides, Terra's already with Link, right?"

Raven could feel her guts tightening up, and her arms squeezed her body a little more, as if to suprress it.

"Uhhh...Y-yea, I think..."

"...Right," Beastboy grumbled with a huff as he covered his face with his gloved palm.

Raven could feel the desperation oozing out of him, and she felt awful about it. All she had was a crush on Link, while Beastboy had obviously developed much more than that. That part of Raven that felt sympathy and wanted to help decided to take action. This part of Raven had once been like a wilted flower that Starfire had given water and sunshine to so that it could grow into a beautiful blossom once again.

"...Wwwell...I'll try talking to her about it, and see if I discover anything..." she told him slowly.

Beastboy stared at her in disbelief, his brows furrowed. Raven bit her lip slightly as her conversation with Robin the day before stormed into her mind.

("I've been...getting on your nerves...")

("Yes, you HAVE.")

"Ummm..." Raven swung her arms behind her back and hooked the right hand on the left arm nervously. "I-I'm sorry...It's none of my business, I shouldn't-"

"Dude," Beastboy said calmly, grabbing her shoulder. "Chill out...I'm not MAD. It's just...-" He grinned, his cheecks turning a little pink. "I didn't know you cared that much..." He dropped his arm and rubbed the back of his neck as he murmured on. "You just never really did stuff like that, ya know?"

Raven was feeling embarrassed about this, too.

"I-I've changed, Beastboy," she mumbled, glancing down at her blue sneakers.

"Totally," BB agreed, holding his hand up into the air. At first, Raven didn't know what he was doing, but she quickly processed that he was waiting for a high five. She took her arm and swung it lightly at his hand, making a 'pfft,' noise, as he was wearing gloves. "But, seriously," Beastboy asked her after the friendly gesture, "You would DO that for me...?" His tone illustrated at least some sense of disbelief.

Raven twirled her finger around a purple drawstring from her hood as she muttered, "Of course...Why wouldn't I?" She looked up to his glazed, emerald eyes. "You really like her, don't you?"

"You know it..." he whispered, his pointed ears drooping down a tad. Raven smiled weakly back at him.

"That's all the reason I need," she whispered back warmly. Raven was truly beginning to understand why Starfire did the things she did. She was starting to comprehend her way of thinking and why she was so happy all of the time. It was because being a true friend gave you true friends in return.

----------

"Raven..." Tenochtitlan let a deep sigh flow out. She was hunched over on the table a little, and her hair was drooping over so you couldn't make out her eyes. She had one arm on the table before her, and her other was up on an elbow, its hand against her forehead. Raven was seated beside her on a stool in the kitchen, her hands neatly folded in her lap.

"I'm not mad at Beastboy..."

"If you're not mad, then why were you shouting at him?" Raven asked quietly. She would glance around from time to time to make sure that no one was eavedropping on them.

"...Was I...?" she murmured with guilt. "I didn't mean to yell at him, or anyone..." She rubbed her nose with her finger and sniffed. "I guess I'm mad at myself..."

Raven didn't say anything, but she lifted a brow, and Tay could tell by the silence that she was curious.

"It's...It's hard to explain, and...I REALLY don't want to talk about it..."

Ray gentley rubbed her shoulder with her left hand (she noticed that her black 'bruise' wasn't visible).

"That's OK...You don't have to. But...Why did you say what you said before? We KNOW you're a person, Tay, nobody was questioning that."

Tenochtitlan sniffled and wiped her eye as she mumbled on. "...I know...I know I'm a person...I was before I came here, a-and I still am..."

"...Sooo...Why did you go hysterical...?"

Tay ran her palm down her face slowly, and let it stay on her mouth as she continued, making her voice muffled.

"...I don't know if you'll believe me, but-"

"I'll believe you," Raven interjected, continuing to rub Tay's bare shoulder with her pale hand.

"...I'm not...Not the way you see me. It's not who I really am..."

"...Huh?"

Tay slapped her hand onto the table, her teeth clenched with fret.

"...Back home, I'm really...I'm...a monkey..."

Raven would've giggled at the thought, but she knew that the girlw as dead serious. She couldn't see her face, but the gem on her circlet was a dark purple.

"...A monkey?" she whispered, bewildered. "You don't look like a monkey..."

Tay huffed and put her head down on the table into her folded arms.

"But I AM..." she grumbled, the sound quieted by her flesh.

"What are you saying? That you...transformed?" Raven guessed carefully.

"...I don't know HOW," Tenochtitlan groaned. She lifted her head a little and rested her chin on her dark arms. "...But yes...When B said that I was like...an animal...I just...I kinda went crazy. But it's hard to explain, because...I WAS a monkey before...but not just...a MONKEY. I mean, I was still...a PERSON..."

"...Whoa...So, on your planet, monkeys can talk...?"

"I'm sure there's even stranger things to you than that," Tenoch droned. "But that's really not a big deal, I'm just still getting used to it. That's all."

Raven crossed her legs and floated to Tay's back, where she began to massage the girl's smooth, dark skin. Her shoulders were left bare by the black shirt she wore at the time, and most of her back was open, too. Raven hadn't thought much of it, but Tay did seem to only wear what she had to. This made sense, afterall...(I doubt monkeys are used to wearing clothes like me...) she noted in her mind. Tay even refused to put on shoes. Raven concluded that whether she had been an ape or not, she certainly was a beautiful human.

"It's no wonder you and Beastboy get along so well," Raven joked, cracking a small smile. She hoped to lighten the mood, and she did, at least some. A small giggled sneaked out of Tenochtitlan's lips.

"Yea..."

Raven's expression shifted to a sympathetic one as she remembered why she had decided to talk with Tay in the first place.

"...You know...He's really worried about you..." she whispered.

"...I know..." Tay murmured after a pause. "I feel so awful about it..."

"You don't want to be in that kind of relationship?" Raven hypothesized skeptically.

"That's not it. It's...complicated...I can't right now. I've been getting my memories back, and the more I do, the more I realize that I can't do this to you guys..."

"What are you talking about? You haven't done-"

"No, it's what'll happen sooner or later. Raven, we all have to get back to our homes, because there's a war going on. And I don't want to drag the Titans into it. It's our problem. You guys have done so much for us, and...-" The girl shed a tear or two as she dropped the rest of her sentence.

"Hey, girls, what's up?" an excited Titan greeted as she entered the room. Though neither girl turned to face her, they certainly knew who it was.

"...Oh, uh...Y-yea...Hi, Terra," Raven murmured, her insides knotting up.

Tay coughed as she brushed her tears away.

"Mm hm..."

The blonde teen was ripping through the fridge, and as she came out with a small jug of vanilla pudding, she began to try to start a conversation.

"So, how-"

Her face went pale when she noticed that no one was in the room. She frowned, feeling very awkward, and sighed as she retrieved a spoon from a drawer. She couldn't help but feel that they had no interest in associating themselves with her, and it made her feel quite uncomfortable. She slowly stepped out of the room, a little perplexed. All three young women had come out of the room with twisted innards.

----------

So, um, yaw, holy crap.

This Chapter IS long. I mean, that's not even a third of it...Well, MAYBE a third of it...Depends on how long the rest will be. But yea, I'd say that's about 1/4 of it...

So stay tuned for some more soon, after I see some detailed feedback like last time.

[Sproxie]

*drool*
ok that was actually weird in the end, i acutally felt bad for terra, and thats not like me.
but wow, Raven has changed So much it's scary. go read the first few chapters and compare them with this one, wow.
This was a GREAT chapter! i really want you to post soon! please :crying:

[Pookey]

That was really good. I kinda feel bad for Terra, but then again she is not my fav. character. Raven has changed a whole lot. She is my third fav. character now. (Of course Robin and Starfire are my FAVORITES) Anyway, the way you show change in the characters is awsome.

I'll be waiting for your update.:D

[Rae]

I don;t know if i can do a detailed feed back but here goes

I like the way you spend equal amount of time develpoping each character and you develop them well

I liked the fact that you brought Tay's monkey past into her fighting it was interesting

I liked the scene where Rae was talking to BB then when she talked to Tay. I also liked when Terra came in and that bit. It was amazing

I'm sorry but that's as detailed as i'm going to get!

[rrarbecy]

Her face went pale when she noticed that no one was in the room. She frowned, feeling very awkward, and sighed as she retrieved a spoon from a drawer. She couldn't help but feel that they had no interest in associating themselves with her, and it made her feel quite uncomfortable. She slowly stepped out of the room, a little perplexed. All three young women had come out of the room with twisted innards.

That sucks. I know how it feels to feel unwanted, and it hurts like hell. I, for one, will be first to yell at you if she falls into the darkness.:mad:


This part of Raven had once been like a wilted flower that Starfire had given water and sunshine to so that it could grow into a beautiful blossom once again.

It was because being a true friend gave you true friends in return.
I loved those! Absolutely beautiful.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, now, there's a pretty good amount of feedback. Geez, keep that up for another day and I'll practically HAVE to post the next section of 13 for you guys...

Wow. I actually shouldn't be here right now, so I'll try to say things quick...

Terra becoming evil...Well...I believe the fic itself has already bluntly explained that...But, then again, who knows, eh?

You feel bad for Terra now? Oh, it gets better. I mean, worse. :sweat:

Actually, it gets worse for just about EVERYBODY...-_-'

But you'll just have to wait and find out, eh?

Tenochtitlan being a monkey probably sounds REALLY bizarre, but the real truth behind her identity is one of the most important elements in my fiction. Period. When you consider she's BASICALLy a 'fan-made' Mario character (kind of a stretch, but she lives on Mario's planet) then it's not that surprising.

And yes, her skills in battle do come from her experience as a monkey, of course. Kinda like Amy and HER skills...:sweat:

Sheena and Lloyd are two characters from a game called Tales of Symphonia for the Gamecube...Um...NOT MINE. InuYasha, Kagome, and...Well, actually, just about EVERY character in A Thousand Needles isn't mine, really...*sweatdrop*

I mean, if you want to know background, need me to explain some story you don't know from the past, etc., just E-Mail me and I'll gladly do so when I have time.

quest4destiny@hotmail.com

So, um...Yea. Thanks for that feedback. Gimme a little more and you can expect to see more by Friday, and probably the rest Monday. I'm hoping.

[Destiny_Smasher]

As a side note, Tales of Symphonia will be released on PS2 sometime soon if it hasn't already. It's just that the GCN got it first. Like Viewtiful Joe.

But Paper Mario 2 bests both of those games, for sure.

Ahem. So, ehh...Here's more of 13, I guess. I wanna see some more details, folks!

Well, here's a chunk more. Maybe you'll get to see some more tomorrow...That all depends.

Yea, sorry for the spacing...For some reason, it wouldn't come out normal...*shrug*

----------



"I promise, Headmaster, I won't-"



"You've already had your three chances, Jinx," the demanding, long-faced man overruled. "You've become a nuisance more than an asset to the HIVE. You're disrupting your fellow classmates from learning, and therefore, you are no longer fit to remain a student at my school."



"...You can't-"



"My decision is final," he growled at the pleading face of the pink-haired girl. "As of this moment, you are exspelled from HIVE Academy. Now, begone."



A large, hexagon door of metal quickly slid open at the opposite end of the room. The room was the large, central area of the private school (where teens with superpowers were taught how to use them for self gain rather than the common good). The huge opening in the middle was where Jinx stood, alone, while about every student populated the many seats around the preimeter. It was like a colleseum, and the 'ceaser' sat in a yellow, floating chair at the head of it all, towering above the failure of a child. He was a very suspicious man with a skinny face and a pointed chin. His hair was white and slicked back somewhat. He wore a robe of sorts, like a pope, and it was decorated with gold cuffs.



Overhwlemed by his glowering face, Jinx spun her head around the audience, calling for help.



"GIZMO!! MAMMOTH!!" she shouted desperately. But there was no reply. Distraught and defeated, Jinx dragged her skinny legs inch by inch, heading for the door. As she reached her destination, however, she paused. She hatched a mischievous little plan, and after concocting it, she whirled around, her arms stretched, and pulsed power through her palms. As jagged, pink waves of energy blasted through the air, Brother Blood, the Headmaster, fumed. His eyes began to glow a fierce red, and Jinx felt her brain get racked with pain, but she endured it. Gasping for air, she glanced up at Blood to see a slightly surprised look on his face, but then he turned his attention to two of his students that had been hiding in the halls outside the room.



Jinx felt her body get paralyzed by a shot of electricity, and she watched as the sights around her turned upside down. She couldn't feel anything, but she could still see, and what she saw was Mammoth's face above her, and Gizmo hovering at his side. Mammoth's eyes and Gizmo's goggles had the same ominous red aura that Brother Blood had. It was at that moment that a lot of past events made sense to Jinx, and the missing pieces all fit into place. Brother Blood could control his students with some type of telepathy. This was the last thing Jinx could think of before everything turned black and she slipped into the world of the subconcious.



----------



"Geez, Tikal, would you quite readin' that dumb book? Let's go DO something, I can't stand sittin' around in here..."



The spiny hair of the teen was pushed back a little with every brisk step he took as he paced in circles around Tikal, his speed quick for walking. She almost ignored him, her eyes wide and glued to the ancient pages.



Sonic was rambling in the background, but she didn't catch a word of it. She was on her side, holding her head up with an elbow and turning pages with the other arm. Her body was on the black sofa, and the book was on a footrest right beside it. She began to feel a bit chilly, which was most likely caused by the air movement Sonic was creating. Her thick, pale, orange hair would shift slightly everytime he passed from behind. She finally pried herself away from the book's grasp at last, managing to close the old yet well kept cover after sticking a little yellow ribbon inside to keep her place. Her palms stuck to her arms as she rubbed them, trying to warm them up. Noticing that her shirt had slid up a bit, she tugged the white cloth down so it only revealed her belly button and not much beyond that. After brushing off her roomy, denim skirt, she moved her skinny legs over so she was sitting upright, and carefully slid her feet into her leather sandals. After she had gone through this little process, she finally acknowledged Sonic's presence, and felt embarrassed. As he zipped by behind her, she brushed the mass of soft orange on her head with her fingers so it was straight and entirely behind her.



"-get some chili dogs down town, see a flick, or something?" Sonic had come to an immediate halt right before her, and his foot tapped impatiently as he awaited a response.



"Oh, that sounds...fine. Yes, if that's what you wish, then let's go."



Sonic cocked his head to the side just a bit and eyed her suspiciously.



"You didn't hear ANYTHING I just said, did you?" he asked her with a frown.



"..." She didn't answer, her cheecks pink.



Sonic huffed and tossed his arm.



"Whatever, as long as I've got your attention NOW. Guess I'd better take you around town while that book isn't hypnotizing ya..."



Tikal fiddled with the metal hairband of gold on her head as she realized just how much time she'd been spending reading the old text.



"I'm sorry," she mumbled.



"It's OK," Sonic grumbled back half-heartedly as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the couch. "So, uh...Whaddya think? Wanna see if BB and Tay are in the mood for a double date?"



Tikal, her hands latched together behind her back, showed some teeth in a nervous smile.



"I-I'm not sure that would be a good idea," she murmured shakily.



"Why?" Sonic asked her, clueless. "They busy?"



Tikal followed Sonic down the hall slowly, forcing him to calm his own feet down.



"No, Sonic, they...They're not dating right now..."



Sonic shot her some disbelief, his brows furrowed. "What?? Why not? They seemed pretty hot for each other to ME..." He scratched his blue chin hairs, erked by the thought.



"There's more to it than THAT," Tikal assured him. "I think they still like each other. But it seems that Tenochtitlan is beginning to understand who we are, and what that would mean for Beastboy when we get back home..."



"Yea," Sonic said quietly, combing his chin his with his fingertips thoughtfully.



"...Well, what about Link...?"



Tikal shrugged. "I don't think that he's really thought about it."



"Well, maybe it's for the best that he hasn't."



"Perhaps...So what are you going to do about Zepha...?"



Sonic dropped his hand from his face and blinked at her dully.



"Oh, I mean, Amy," she quickly corrected herself. "She'll find us sooner or later. You know that, right?"



Sonic glanced at the makeshift bracelet on his left arm. The chunk of otherworldly stone would flicker like a lightbulb from time to time, and it began to pulse after he gave it a glance.



"Well, yea...So what?"



"...Are you going to...you know...Brush her off, like you always do?" Tikal wondered. By the tone in her voice, you could tell she didn't approve of this choice.



"Whoa, hey, I never said I'd do that!" he responded, slapping his hands up for protection.



"So what ARE you going to do...?" Tikal questioned calmly, moving the bracelets on her arms some.



"...I dunno. It doesn't matter, anyway, she's still gonna be the same old Amy," he concluded with a sulking shrug.



"...You think so...?" she pondered as she ran her hand through his rough, gel-filled hair, putting any loose strands into place.



"Oh, yea. Stubborn, as usual," he said restlessly.



Tikal smiled behind him as she finished touching him up.



"Sounds like someone I know," she murmured slyly.



----------



"Corner pocket, man," Cyborg announced calmly as he aimed his billiard stick at the heavy black ball on the table. After a second or two to prepare for his shot, he carefully slid his arm forward, and the wooden pole made contact with the eight ball. It swiftly rolled across the fuzzy green surface and landed gracefully in the designated pouch.



"Booyah," he cheered cooly, balling his fist up before his face.



"Smooth," Mario congratulated him with a nod.



"You may be able to take me out in Robosmash 2003, but ain't nobody beats Cyborg in pool."



"Duly noted," Mario said with a smirk. "Are you that confident with your poker game?"



"What if I am?" he asked as he set the poolstick on the table.



"Then maybe we have ourselves a match to play. Let's go round up the guys."



"I hear ya."



No sooner had they cleaned up their game had Terra popped into the room- she seemed to have quite the habit of doing that.



"Oh! Hey, guys! I've been lookin' for ya!"



"Yo, Terra!" Cyborg walked over to greet her. They pressed knuckles together in a friendly manner. "How's my little rock n' roller?"



"Great," she responded. "Whatcha up to?"



"Me and my bro were just chillin'," he answered as Mario stepped over slowly, scratching at his matted brown hair. As he put his cap back on his head lazily, Terra's eyes lit up.



"Mario! Oh, that's right! That reminds me, Mario, somebody just came over a little while ago...They said they were your brother, I guess..."



"What?" Mario responded, suddenly quite eager. "Why didn't anyone tell me before??"



"Sorry," Terra mumbled shamefully, her head shrinking down slightly. "Robin told me to go look for you, and I, uh...Sorta got caught up on the way over..." She looked pretty guilty about whatever it was, but Mario didn't bother probing.



"Well, whatever," he spat out as he darted out the door, the other two following him. "As long as he's still here."



"Yea! Yea, he's still here," Terra quickly assured him.



"Don't we have some intercom system built into the tower or something?" Mario wondered aloud. "Ya know, for things like this?"



"Well, yea," Cyborg mumbled. "But it's been on the fritz these past couple days, man. I can't figure out what's wrong with it. Some of the security I set up has been messin' up in the middle of the night, too," he admitted with a touch of suspicion.



"Might wanna look into that," Mario suggested, glancing at him expectantly.



"I got it," Cyborg told him defensively.



"Anyway-" Terra jumped in, "-this guy had some girl with him, and she seemed to know you, too..."



Mario's face grew deep with thought.



"...Was she blonde?" he asked, his eyes narrow. Terra shook her head quickly to answer the question. "Hm."



"She had pink hair," Terra explained. "She was pretty, uh...peppy. Real excited. Wouldn't shut up about Sonic for some reason."



Mario chuckled lightly as faint memories of the girl came back to him.



"That sounds like someone I know, all right," he muttered. "I just don't know what she's doing HERE..."



----------



"Yea, so...Well, that's what I've been up to, anyway...You got the pizza place, and I got the fancy restuarant..." Luigi smirked at his brother. "What's THAT tell you, Bro?"



"It TELLS me that I like workin' casual, and you need to get all dressed up," Mario countered with the same smile.



"I've gotta admit, though- your digs are WAY better than mine," Luigi admitted as he gazed around Mario's room. Some red shirts were tossed on the floor at the foot of his bed. His wall was hand-painted and depicted a pixelated environment with brown bricks, yellow blocks with question marks, mushrooms, and turtles. (If you've played the original Super Mario Bros., you should have a pretty good idea of what kind of wall he has. If you haven't, then it's very safe to say you don't play video games at all.)



Above his bed was a wooden hook that would hold up his hat when he slumbered. His blanket was completely red, with a large, white 'M' stitched in the middle, and he had white sheets. The room had brown tiles for a floor, which seemed like an odd choice to most. Both brothers were sitting in beanbag chairs beside the bed, and both were in their classic garb. They wore a t-shirt (Mario in red and Luigi in green) and blue, denim overalls with brass buckles. They wore brown workboots with thick soles. Traces of hair lingered under their noses, and no matter how often they shaved, it seemed to grow back into a fairly bushy mustache in a day or two. They both shared the same sapphire eyes- deep, entrancing eyes that were almost unworldly.



"You have a whole tower to live in," Luigi added. "All I have is an APARTMENT. How did THAT happen?"



Mario shrugged, holding back a laugh. "Got me..."



"I ALWAYS get the short end of the stick," Luigi complained, shaking his head.



"Isn't it great?" Mario joked, patting him on the back. "But ya know what the bigger question is? We're all HERE. How did THAT frickin' happen?"



Luigi rubbed his forehead as he struggled to gather faint memories.



"...You said it was unpredictable where we'd end up, right?"



Mario nodded and groaned. "Yea...Yea, I know. We're all damn newbies to the N-Force. That was just a hell of a task, and it had to be done. At least we're still ALIVE."



Luigi shrugged, resting his elbows on his legs and his chin in his hands.



"That's not gonna do us any good if we're stuck HERE...We have to get BACK."



"No ****, Sherlock," Mario grumbled, rubbing his fuzzy upper lip. "Ya know what's buggin' me, though? I'm a TEENAGER."



Luigi blinked at him for a moment until he realized what he was talking about.



"Oh, right! Of course...And you're WHINING about it?"



"Well, NO!" Mario answered. "But, last time I checked, I had a few more years under my toolbelt, ya know?"



Luigi laughed heartily. "How old ARE we, anyway?"



Mario snickered and shook his head. "Only the Stars know, Bro...But we're sure as hell older than THIS..."



"Yea...None of you have figured that one out, huh? The whole...human...teenager...thing."



Mario shrugged as he cocked his head. "Well, I mean...The rest of 'em are SUPPOSED to be teens. Link, Sonic...the others. But none of them are HUMAN..."



The green brother tapped his chin thoughtfully as he pondered.



"Mm hm..."



"So how did you get an apartment, anyway?" Mario wondered, curious.



"Well...I just sorta...had one..." Luigi mumbled back, now realizing how cloudy his memory was. "The farthest I remember, I was renting it out."



Mario nodded quickly, having found his answer.



"Same here. I had one, too, before I started sackin' here..."



"Yep..." Luigi yawned as he stretched. "So we don't have any idea why we're like this?"



"Nope."



"...So we have no idea how to get back," Luigi concluded.



Mario lifted his brows a little as he stared at the ground dully. "Yep. That's about it."



"...Well, that's just peachy," Luigi grumbled, slapping his knee in frustration. He grinned slyly as he realized what he'd just said. He saw Mario sigh, and considered apologizing for the inside pun, but his brother just tossed his arm. "I was hoping you guys might've figured something out by now."



"We've been TRYIN', Bro, believe me."



"We're gonna have to try HARDER," Luigi declared firmly. "Who knows where everyone ELSE wound up. I mean, imagine...We could be all spread out across the galaxy, or something..."



"Better than being dead." Mario brushed the thought off. "At least we still have a CHANCE. Would you rather have gotten crushed by a million tons of Mobian soil?"



The slightly taller and skinnier brother rubbed his neck, trying to calm down.



"You're right...So what do we do now?"



Mario removed his hat and let it hang casually in one arm as he ran the other hand through his dishevled maple hair.



"We wait," he answered smoothly.



"...Wait? Wh-...For what??" Luigi demanded quietly.



"We wait for Sideris."



"...Wha-...?"



"...She has the answers..." Mario concluded. He gave Luigi a glance that was instantly read as, (You'll find out when the time comes.)



Luigi came to understand by that glance that all Mario knew of this person's existence was that they would arrive soon. If Mario was confident with this course of action, Luigi would go with it.



"All right, Bro."



"Until then, you do what you want. I'm helping the Titans."



"...I gotcha. So, should I...-?"



"I dunno. I think we've got enough to take on anything this wussy city's gonna throw at us anytime soon. If I need ya, I'll call ya." He dug through his black nightstand and pulled out a Titan communicater. Luigi accepted it and slipped it with care into a pocket on the front of his overalls.



"Until then, you just enjoy yourself. Relax, chill out..." He took a deep breath and finished his sentence solemnly. "Relish it while you can. This damn war just got started. There's no turning back now..."



"...It's times like this when I sit and have a nice, hot cup of coffee and start whippin' up a Fruit Parfait..." Luigi muttered reminescently.



Mario glanced up at him and shrugged.



"That's 'cuz I'm always the one hauling ass," he declared jokingly, and got a punch on his shoulder in response. "Well, you're the chef, pal, so you start getting things ready, then. Put your heroic skills to work."



Luigi chuckled and shook his head slowly.



"How's a Hoolumbian sound?"



Mario stared at him, clueless.



"Whaddya make THAT with? Wh- Is it like a frappachino, or somethin'?"



"No," Luigi immediately told him, tossing his arms as they both slowly rose from their seats. "You mix two parts Hoo Beans with three parts Woo Beans..."



Mario blinked at him, his eyes wide and utterly void of understanding.



"...Riiight..."



"And for the Parfait, I'm gonna need some Keel Mango and Peachy Peach..." Luigi muttered, having not glanced up at his brother's completely perplexed face.



"...You forget how you got your current HOUSE, but you remember your damned recipes..." he grumbled, pulling his hat down over his face in disgust.



----------



"Where is she??" Amy screamed, hopping like a rabid dog. "Come on, where's Tikal? I missed her SO MUCH!" Sonic was almost creeped out by her joy, and he was getting the familiar headache that he always associated Amy with as she skipped through the dark halls behind him.



"...Uhh...Yea, she's probably around here, reading that stupid book," Sonic grumbled, though Amy didn't catch it in all of her excitement. But at the same time, Sonic was trying desperately to ignore HER.



"WOW, you guys live in such a HUUUUGE house!!" she squealed, holding her palms up to her cheecks in shock.



Sonic was especially displeased with himself at the fact that watching her bound around was undeniably turning him on. She was wearing a black T-shirt- a fairly tight one, at that- with the phrase, 'I've got all the 1-Up's you need' printed in green letters on its front. The term '1-Up's' was highlighted by a certain pair of feminine organs. The shirt seemed to curve up at her waist to show her tummy, which Sonic found to be rather cute- which he hated himself for. On her slender legs was a pair of white denim shorts to contrast the black. They were quite similar to Raven's, actually, but Raven's were longer, going almost to the knees, while hers were the opposite. Half of her body was exposed, it could be easily argued. Sonic couldn't help but admire her face- her sparkling, emerald eyes, her soft, pink locks, and her charming smile.



"So you've been, like, fighting crime with these guys, and stuff?" she asked, oblivious to their weeks of toil.



"Yea," Sonic grunted, trying to ignore her again as he realized he had just been staring. Amy pondered deeply for a few moments. Her brows were furrowed and she frowned in concentration as she recalled an event from some while ago.



"So you guys saved me from the Whomping Willow...?" she murmured, wondering if her guess was right.



"What?" Sonic asked her, baffled.



"Huh, I guess you don't remember, so...-" she trailed off, deciding that it was too unlikely. Sonic wasn't there when the Titans had come to stop the half-tree, half-man. It had been a crisp evening, and Amy had done her grocery shopping a little late. On her way back to her apartment, she'd encountered a bizarre man with tree branches for arms and leaves for hair. He'd knocked her groceries from her hands and went to attack, when a band of teenage superheroes showed up to save her. However, before she could thank them, Amy panicked and sped off for home. What she didn't realize was that Sonic had shown up shortly afterward to help take down the vegetative threat.



Amy's attention to this matter derailed immediately as she caught sight of her good friend sitting with her legs crossed in the dim halls, just as they turned a corner. Sonic waved an arm and called out to her, but was cut off.



"Oh, hey, T-"



"TIKAL!!!" Amy screamed, scaring the girl half to death as she dropped to her knees and squeazed Tikal in her arms. She laughed in a giddy fashion as she did so, and Tikal removed her hands from the old text in her lap to return it. It wasn't until after she started hugging her that she got over the initial shock and realized who it was.



(ZEPHA-No, wait...) "AMY!" she cried out with glee and giggled back. "Wow, how did you get here?" she asked estactically.



"I found out you guys were with the Titans," Amy explained in a rush as she plopped down beside her, letting her legs stretch out into the hall.



Tikal slowly closed her book and set it aside.



"This is a pleasant surprise," she said cheerfully. "Don't you think, Sonic?"



Sonic stammared out, "I-it's a s-surprise, all right...Yea..."



The two girls snickered at his wide eyes and slightly ajar mouth. The two seemed to have already established an unspoken pact to team up on him and cause him to act in awkward ways with their feminine charm. He could handle ONE cute girl that liked him- but two?



A very odd love triangle existed between the three, indeed. This relationship did not have to be remembered to still be intact, of course. After having his heart broken years back, Sonic had finally decided to start a new romantic life. Despite Amy's many advances, Sonic seemed solid on not letting her near him. What he didn't realize was how Amy really felt. As far as he was concerned, she was a smitten twit who just wanted to make out with him. The truth was far more than that, and Amy had known Sonic quite long enough to safely say that she did love him in the real sense of the word. She wanted to see him happy, and would do anything for his wellbeing. And so, when Sonic began to start attaching to Tikal, Amy did nothing at all to stop him, though she yearned for his affection herself. Tikal, on the other hand, liked Sonic quite a lot, as well, but she always wondered if perhaps he'd be better off with Amy. As a result, there was no real sense of jealously between the two girls. There was...'anti-competition.' Afterall, from their points of view, the other girl could make Sonic happy, so that earned respect. From Sonic's point of view...they both could make him happy. Ergo, his dilemma. At the present moment in time, he had decided to actually start dating Tikal, and all had gone well, as Amy hadn't been around to divert his attention. But...Now she WAS. And that could certainly prove to throw his romantic world off its orbit.



"...So...I-I guess I'll let you two hang out, n'...-" He blinked nervously at both sets of beautiful eyes staring up at him- one a deep, dark blue, and the other en emerald green indentical to his own. He was captured by two equally heartwarming smiles, and he caught himself before he began to observe their feminine forms in depth. He shamefully turned his back to them as he quickly looked for an exit from this situation. He couldn't stand to be in the presence of them both at the same time- not just yet, anyway. "I, uh...I got...a food...in the stove..." he muttered in a very sloppy fashion as he prepared to race off- which he did quiet eagerly.



A flurry of small giggles came from the two girls as they relished the moment. Watching Sonic squirm gave them joy- they got to see him be in the powerful position of the hero all too often, and it was nice to know he was still a person like everyone else, no matter how much he tried to show off. All the same, Amy and Tikal would often feel awkward around each other when they got in the right mood. This was expected, as they were both vouching for Sonic's affection. But they wouldn't let that stop them from being friends, that was for sure. Besides, it would be pretty hard for either of them NOT to find a decent man in their lives.



----------



The air was still damp from the earlier rain, but at least it wasn't still soaking out. She would have to sleep out there, so she certainly hoped it stayed that way. With the money she had saved up, she had bought herself a tent to sleep in. She considered herself lucky, as a tent was a lot better than a cardboard box. She decided to spend what little cash she had left on her meals for the day. She tried not to dwell on thoughts of what she'd be doing the next day, or the day after that, so she binged herself on some alcohol while she was at it. It was quite east to persuade the tender into letting her drink, what with the freakish superpowers and what-not. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, one can imagine, but after she was alert enough, she wandered her way to the city park with her tent in hand and managed to get some assistance from a kind citizen to set it up. Shortly thereafter, she passed out, falling like a tree felled by a lumberjack. She drowned her frustration in dreams as a looming thundercloud began filling up the sky within her mind's landscape.



(Years of hard work at the HIVE...gone...Now what?)



----------

[Sproxie]

OoooOOooOoOooo, Great chapter!
I loved everything!
is Jinx gonna try to join the Titans? hmmm.....
Sonic, Tikal and Amy... i wonder whats gonna happen with them. POST SOON! please :crying:

[Pookey]

Oh this is so good. I can't wait for more. What's gonna happen to Jinx? Can't wait to find out.:anime:

[rrarbecy]

The only thing I can find bad about that is the fact that you spelled cheeks wrong. Here's what I liked most:

1."The term '1-Up's' was highlighted by a certain pair of feminine organs."
HA. You naughty devil, you. That, and the entire description of Amy was priceless.

2.The way you described the way Amy and Tikal feel about Sonic and vice versa was great too. I love it all!

[Destiny_Smasher]

:anime: Oh, yes. Describing Amy is fun. She's the character so far that actually changes what she wears to a different outfit on a day-to-day basis.

When you think about it, that's actually NORMAL, isn't it? But Amy doesn't consider herself a 'Superhero,' so she doesn't really have a superhero outfit.

Ironically, I have yet to dress her in her ACTUAL outfit that she wears in the Sonic series. As you'll see, though, I like to base all of her shirts on video game shirts that very well could exist- some of them do. As for the 1-Ups thing, I really enjoyed that myself. :sweat: 'Unedeniably turning him on' was another phrase I especially liked.

Anyway, I'm just a bit excited about that because I finally get to play with that love triangle. I haven't written far enough into Q4D! to start that yet...Matter of fact, where I am now is when Sonic is just starting to try to attach himself to Tikal. Sonic...has some issues in his past...Actually, all three of them do. And a lot of it is rooted in their lives two millenia ago. Hopefully, you've caught on to that little bit I made up. Tikal, according to the actual storyline of the games, WAS alive thousands of years ago. I decided to give Sonic, Amy, and a couple other characters 'past lives,' etc.

Jinx? Well...She's certainly not planning on joining the Titans, I can tell you that. You'll have to wait and see, eh? I don't think you'll see her until the next Chapter...

:yawn: Damn volleyball...I joined volleyball to have fun...:sad: But I'm NOT. I mean, our couch...I dunno...He just gets on my nerves. And for cryining out loud, it's taken him a few weeks to remember what I NAME IS!!! :shrug: He just seems to damn stubborn about getting better and winning and how I shouldn't ever miss practice even though my parents need me for more important things or I'm sick or I didn't KNOW we HAD practice, and-...*sigh* It's stressing me out. We haven't really started any games yet, so I'm considering quitting while I'm not too committed.

I could suck as much at the end of the season as I do now, but if I had fun, I'd be satisfied...

I'd rather not getting and have fun that get better and NOT have fun...Know what I mean?

Oyyyy...I HATE quitting on ANYTHING...But there's just no reason for me to stay on the team...And I'm getting sick of getting a bad rep with my couch because I only show up to practice half the time because I have BETTER THINGS TO DO.

During break this week one of my BEST FRIENDS who I haven't seen since the beginning of the schoolyear is coming up here to New York, and I want to hang out with him while I can. But volleyball practice is everyday this next week except for Thanksgiving, and that could seriously interrupt any plans I may have with my friends...

Maybe I should just quit, then...:yawn: I'm rattling my brain over something that I shouldn't be, anyway.

Now when TENNIS SEASON starts, I'll be gung ho, because I LOVE tennis, and I don't love volleyball...It seems that with every practice I dislike the game a little bit more...

Oh, sorry. :sweat: Here I am rambling about tennis when you guys want to read more...

Well, here's more, then! Let's see...some concentration on Terra, and we finally get to see some big groupy-type stuff. Ya know, EVERYBODY in the scene at once. ^_^ Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to see these guys all together at the dinner table...Makes me remember what things are worth living, in a sense.

----------



"What a night, huh?"



"Yea...So we invited them to come back here again today?" Robin murmured, unsure. He wasn't actually the one to do the inviting, as his fellows had instead.



"Yea, that happened," Raven mumbled with a shrug. "It's not like they caused us trouble or anything..."



"I know," Robin muttered. "I just don't want them getting in our way when something comes up..."



"Don't sweat, man," Cyborg assured as he removed a large hunk of freshly cooked ham from the stove. They weren't in the real kicthen of the tower, but in the smaller one that was connected to the 'living room'. "Whatever happens, we got it covered." He realized how bright red his hands were, and he immediately set down the pan with the meat on it and doused his hands in cold water from a nearby sink.



"Yea," Robin muttered, nodding his head slowly.



"It's bugging you, isn't it?" Raven asked him quietly as she sipped from her teacup beside him at the counter.



"...What?" Robin asked, more curious than she was, it seemed.



"Slade," Raven answered simply, as if it were obvious. "You're worried that he's planning something..."



Robin huffed through his nose and frowned slightly. "Do you blame me?"



"No..." Raven said honestly, staring at her tea in thought. "I have a bad feeling myself...Something's going to happen tonight..." She seemed very sure about this, and yet she was confused at the same time.



"...What's gonna happen?" Cyborg asked eagerly after a quiet pause.



"I-I don't know," Raven quickly stammared back.



"Then we'd better be on our guard today," Robin concluded, tapping his fist on the countertop. "We can't take any chances...We have to be ready."



"Ready? For what?"



The three teens glanced up to see the curious face of Terra gazing at them from the far side of the counter.



"For anything," Robin replied after a brief moment of awkward silence.



"Oh." The blonde eagerly scampered over to investigate the scent that had lured her into the room. "Wow, what smells so good?" she asked with some excitement.



Cyborg, who had been carefully slicing the meat into sections, told her, "Grab a plate, n' you can find out."



"Haha!" Terra laughed as she swooped to a cabinet behind the robotic titan and snatched a few plates and placed them gentley beside her fellow crimefighter. As Cyborg dropped a piece of warm meat onto Terra's plate, he saw her very alert face and noticed the bags underneath her big, blue eyes.



"Whoa, Terra...Man, you get any sleep last night?" he asked with some concern as she drooled over her meal, fork and knife at the ready.



"Uh, well..." She shrugged and grinned nervously. "Not really...I didn't get back until late last night, ya know..."



"Oh..." Cyborg paused after a moment as Terra walked over to Robin and Raven to sit beside them. "Yo, wait up," he said with some suspicion. "...How late were you?" he wondered.



Terra paused and rotated her head around slowly. "I dunno...Like...Three, or something..." She sounded a little guilty.



Cyborg's eyes narrowed as he solemnly questioned, "Then how did you get IN? I never told you the passcode to the Tower's main entrance, and I always turn on security before I go to sleep..."



"...W-well, I was with Link..." Terra muttered, glancing to her side as she sat down beside Raven, who seemed to be ignoring her completely.



"Oh," Cyborg muttered, feeling a bit foolish. Something had been a bit messy with the security system over the last day or two, and Cyborg wasn't too pleased. He was dead-set on getting to the bottom of the mystery before it became a serious problem.



"So," Terra began, trying to sound bright as she aimed her comments to Raven as Robin walked past to retrieve his own portion of ham. "What are you guys up to?"



"..."



Raven gave no answer. She didn't even give Terra a glance, making the girl feel very out of place.



"Ummm..." Terra's brows and mouth curved downward into a frown, as she was confused. "...Is something wrong, or-...?"



"...I'm fine," Raven assured her calmly, with no sense of hostility. As she said this, she stood up slowly, carrying her tea cup and saucer with her to the sink. All the while, her eyes never even caught sight of the blonde girl, who took some personal offense.



"OK..." she muttered back with just a slight touch of grouchiness.



Robin noticed the odd tension in the air, and it unsettled him a bit. It was hard to have so many teenagers in one building without some tension, wasn't it? They all watched as Raven slowly paced out of the room, not saying a single word. The room was silent for the minute or so it took for her to exit, aside from the sound of her sneakers tapping the floor. As the sliding doors closed behind her, they all went about their business.



"...Is she mad at me...?" Terra squeaked out, hoping that either of the boys would have an idea.



"Why would Raven be mad at you?" Robin asked in the way a detective would. You could tell that he was pondering the question himself.



"I don't know!" Terra whimpered defensively.



"She DID seem ticked, man," Cyborg murmured as he sat down on the opposite side of the counter. "Maybe you should try to talk."



Terra shrugged and huffed, staring at her untouched ham and poking it with her fork.



"...Yea, but...We were just fine yesterday...Maybe she's just in a bad mood...?"



Robin had certainly noticed Raven's mood change with Terra's advent into the room, but he couldn't bring himself to mention it to her. "It's certainly possible, knowing Raven," he concluded. "She has her mood swings..."



"No kiddin'..." Cyborg muttered. "But she's been real cool lately." He chomped into his ham, and added another comment after swallowing. "Who KNOWS what's up with her...?"



"Yea," Terra mumbled dully. (What did I do?) she worried. (Did I say something, or...? Rrrgh...I don't know...How can I talk with her if she won't talk BACK?)



"You gonna eat that, or what?" Cyborg inquired, pointing a knife in her direction. She snapped awake and began to chow down on her meal, though it somehow tasted a little worse than it would have a couple minutes earlier.



----------



"Doesn't it seem so familiar?" Tikal asked, her eyes wide as she flashed the pages to Tenochtitlan.



"It-...Yea...It DOES..." she murmured, staring at the old picture in awe.



They were sitting in the main living room, but no one else was around at the time. Many were having some combat practice, like Raven and Starfire, while others were in the rec room, playing some poker.



Tikal had come upon a strange part of the book that talked about a bizarre creature that had been alive those two millenia ago. A detailed drawing on the right page depicted a being in the shape of a star. It had a bright face, and small lines drawn around it to illustrate an aura of some kind. Tikal had read the ancient text beside the picture.



"It says that its name was Stellon..." Tikal mumbled.



Tay nodded slowly, her eyes glued to the picture. "Yea...That name...I KNOW that name..." she whispered, her orange eyes remaining focused. They switched to green and lost their concentration when Tikal pulled the book back to her and gazed down at it.



"Do you know what it was...?" Tikal wondered, glancing up at her with dark blue eyes.



Tay shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know...But I know the name. And it does seem VERY familiar for some reason..."



"Are either of you two up for some volleyball??"



The sudden question from behind the two girls made them both jump slightly. After a quick breath, their two heads slowly turned around to see a grinning Terra grasping a white ball in her armpit. Tay shifted her head back around and continued to glance through the book, trying to ignore the nervous knot building in her stomach from the girl's presence.



"Well, um..." Tikal looked to Tay and asked, "Would you like to?"



"I, eh, no..." she quickly muttered, her head not budging an inch. "I really wanna find out more about this...stuff here..."



Tikal shrugged and gave Terra an apologetic look.



"Sorry, Terra...Maybe some other time..."



Terra nodded, her bright smile diminished. "Nah, it's all right..." she mumbled dully, feeling that sense of rejection that was becoming more familiar with every passing hour. She paused, tossing the ball a little, then asked them, "What are you reading, anyway?"



"...Oh, it's one of Raven's old books," Tikal explained. "We think it might hold some answers to where we came from..."



"Ah." There was some more silence before she fired another question to Tenochtitlan.



"So, um...Tay...Where's Beastboy? I mean, you two are together, like, all the time...aren't you?"



Tay didn't even move her head up at all. Her face suddenly turned bitter, and her eyes grew red. This frightened both of the other girls in the room, and their jaws dropped a bit.



"...I don't know where Beastboy is," she murmured darkly. "And I don't care," she lashed out. "...Not that it's any of your business..." she finished quite ferociously.



Terra was trembling from the tension in the air. It felt so thick that it was hard to breathe. Grasping the volleyball between her hands as firmly as she could so she wouldn't drop it, Terra began to slowly step away from the couch, her mouth gaping open.





"O-O-OK," she stammared quickly. "I-I'll just, uh, l-leave you alone, then..."



Once she had stepped back about ten feet, she turned and stormed off, desperate to leave as soon as possible. Tikal was in shock to say good-bye, and she felt a bit guilty after the doors had closed behind Terra.



"...Tenochtitlan!" she gasped. "What was THAT all about...?"



"..." Tay frowned sourly and slammed the book shut. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed through her nose. "Doesn't matter..." she grumbled, her eyes still red. "It's not your problem..."



"...Um..." Tikal's hands were quivering in her lap from her friend's outburst, and she didn't know how to respond.



----------



Terra stomped through the halls, her face fuming with frustration. She squeezed the volleyball in her hands as she stepped through the dim walkways. She didn't notice, but Beastboy was heading in her direction, his motions quite casual. But his leisurely state of mind was broken as he watched Terra violently whip the volleyball at the wall with a grunt. It richotcheted off of the wall and bounced a few times before rolling to a slow stop. Beastboy had slowed to a halt as the ball bumped into his foot. He paused, glanced down at the ball, then stared at Terra in surprise as she panted roughly. Her face lost its coloring as she came to realize the fact that Beastboy was gazing blankly at her, his face pale.



"..." She opened her mouth, but couldn't get any words out.



"...Dude..." Beastboy squeaked. "You got issues, Terra...?"



"...I-I..." Terra sighed, letting her arms and head drop. As Beastboy walked up to her, she pushed some hair out of her face. "Sorry," she mumbled quickly.



"...'S OK," the green teen told her, his expression filled with worry and confusion. "You must really be in the mood to play volleyball, or something..."



Terra cracked a small smile, but it faded immediately after. "No...I'm just a little confused, and-..." She groaned, her teeth clenched.



"Dude! Chill, 's all right..." Beastboy said with a small laugh, trying to lighten her mood. He placed his hand on her shoulder to help calm her down. Terra took a deep breath, holding her hand on her head.



"It's like everybody's mad at me...And I don't know why, and-..." Her eyes were beginning to get damp, and she sniffled, trying hard not to break down.



"Whoa, hey," Beastboy said quietly, his ears flopping down slightly. "Why would people be mad at you? What are you talking about?"



Terra wiped her eyes and coughed lightly as she tried to explain, her voice trembling. "I-I don't know! But Raven...She keeps ignoring me, and I KNOW she's doing it on purpose...And then, just now, Tenochtitlan-..."



Beastboy's face grew serious at the sound of that name. "What about her? What did she do? Is she OK?" Terra's shoulders moved up a little in a shrug.



"She...I-I...She just seemed so angry at me...I just asked her where you were, because...I dunno, you guys are just with each other all the time...I was just wondering, but she had to spaz out at me..."



Beastboy's eyes, which had been solemn and filled with worry, changed to an angry calm.



"...Was she being a jerk to you?" he asked quietly, a tooth poking out of his lips when he closed his mouth.



"No, she-..." Terra sighed, a headache developing. "Well, kind of...I mean, she didn't have to go and shout at me, I was just-"



"Don't worry about it," Beastboy assured her firmly. "I'll take care of it..." He declared boldly as he rubbed her shoulder. He began to strut his way to the room where Terra had come from, and she spun around, a bit frightened at the outcome.



"What-...?"



Beastboy huffed. "Me and Tay have got some issues right now, and I'm gettin' sick of it. Now she wants to bring YOU into it?" He growled like a dog as he marched into battle.



Terra's insides churned with doubt, and she pondered the situation as Beastboy neared the living room. She finally decided that if she let Beastboy start an arguement, it might get pinned on her, and she certainly didn't want even more anger being sent her way. Besides, she figured there was enough negativity between the two as it was.



"Beastboy!! Wait!" she called, dashing off to chase him. Her boots smacked the ground loudly as she rushed to stop him before he did something reckless.



----------



"I was just telling her the truth!" Tenochtitlan snapped at Beastboy's question.



"You didn't have to YELL at her!" Beastboy shouted back. "What did she ever do??" Terra was standing beside a frightened Tikal, away from the two. Tay was still seated on the couch on her knees, and she was turned backwards to face Beastboy. Her arms were placed on sofa's spine, and she glared at him with red eyes from behind it.



"Our relationship isn't any of her business!" Tenoch huffed in reply, her face slightly sinister.



"She was just asking where I was," Beastboy corrected her. "Besides, you shouldn't go freaking out..."



"...What do YOU care, anyway??" Tay demanded. "All you care about is dating..." she added in a foul tone, her eyes narrowed.



"...WHAT??" Beastboy growled after a moment. "That's a LIE! I-"



"-just want to make out with girls," Tay finished his sentence coldly. "So since you can't with me, you're going to look for someone else..." Tay's burning eyes shot through Terra for a moment or two.



Beastboy's face was fuming. His teeth were clenched and his fists were balled up tightly.



"I don't know WHAT is up with you," Beastboy hissed between his teeth. "But I don't want to put up with it, and I don't think THEY want to, either." He pointed his arm out to Tikal and Terra, who were paralyzed from the conflict. "You're creepin' us all out, Tay, and you better stop. All that stuff you're saying about me is a LIE, Tenochtitlan..."



"Is it?" she asked, her fiery eyes narrow.



Beastboy kicked his foot in frustration and groaned. "Ya know what?" he said with fury. "Ya know that stuff I said before about not giving up on you?" He pointed his index finger at her frowning face. "Well, forget it!!" he yelled, tossing his arm. "You'd rather say junk about me just to make yourself feel better...It's not MY fault you're having problems...I don't know WHAT they are, but you don't want me to help you, so I WON'T. OK?! You wanna act like a jerk and pick fights? Screw you!!!"



With that, Beastboy's body changed into a cheetah and sprinted wildly out of the room and down the dark halls from where he had come.



The room grew deathly quiet for a moment and Tay watched him leave. Her red, fiery eyes darted to Terra and Tikal, who felt their stomachs turn into puddles as they were melted. They watched as the color on her circlet morphed into a pitch black, which here eyes did, as well.



"Fine..." she grumbled, turning around on the couch and began growling to herself. "What does he know? He has no idea...Doesn't understand...Don't need him...Didn't before...All dead...Every last one...My fault..." Her grumbling had gradually shifted into crying, and she wiped at her face to try to clean the tears that were flowing down her face. "I'll kill them..." she hissed. "All of them...Don't need anyone..." She grabbed the book sitting beside her on the couch and whipped it into the air behind her. It soared wildly, its old pages being flipped around. Tikal gasped, and Terra lunged forth to catch it. After a slippery success, Terra neatly closed it and returned it to Tikal, who nodded to say thanks. After glancing at a furious Tenochtitlan, the two decided to leave the room. As they reached the nearby door up a small flight of stairs, Tikal paused, her face full of regret. Terra patted her back as the doors slid open and proceeded while Tikal stood, holding the book to her chest. She took a deep breath of sorrow before following Terra into the door and away from the irrational girl.



----------



"And then Miss Hyper here bumps into me, and spaghetti goes flying ALL OVER the poor guy..."



A flurry of laughter erupted from the group, and the pink-haired girl beside Luigi gave him a slap on the shoulder, her face red and smiling.



"Well, it wasn't my fault that you weren't watching where you were going..." she added.



Luigi chuckled. "What? You hit me from the SIDE. I was well aware of where I was going. YOU were the one who wasn't looking. You were too busy trying to see if SONIC was around..." He nudged her in the rip, and she flinched, her cheecks growing more red by the moment. She glanced across the circle of people to Sonic and smiled weakly at him. Sonic snickered back at her embarrassed face as the conversation around them continued.



Sonic was wearing his usual wind pants and jacket. He looked like a jogger with his plastic-like clothing and his spiffy red sneakers. Amy especially liked the yellow words that ran down his pants- 'Gotta Jet'. Amy was wearing a shirt very similar to the one she had worn the day before, only this one was black. On the stomach of the shirt were the words, 'Game Over' in white and in a very pixelated font. She wore tight black jeans with bellbottoms, along with simple, pink sneakers.



(Is he going out with Tikal?) Amy wondered, her eyes still glued on his face, though he didn't notice. (Ugh...He probably is...I wish I'd found him sooner. But, then again, maybe he's NOT going out with her...I haven't seen them holding hands...) She pried her gaze away from him and stared downward blankly. (Where IS Tikal, anyway?)



"Did you have to clean up the confections by yourself?" Starfire wondered.



"Well, no, I got some help," Luigi told her.



Cyborg slowly stood up and stretched. "All right, ya'll...Dinner time! I'm cookin'!"



"Oh, hey!" Luigi jumped up to his feet, as well. "Can I help out?"



Cyborg blinked at him, his brows lifted and his eyes wide. "Uhhh...Yea, man."



"If you don't WANT me to," Luigi mumbled. "I understand how a chef can be," he said with a grin.



"Naw, man, sure," Cyborg muttered. "Just that...nobody ever really asks to help, know what I mean?"



"Well, hey, I love cooking. It was about my favorite class in college."



As they both left the room to start whipping up dishes for dinner, Cyborg flashed him a perplexed face. "Whoa, wait...You went to college already?"



Luigi rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I, uh...Yea, but-..."



"Man, how old ARE you...?" he wondered.



"Good question," Luigi mumbled awkwardly.



----------



Starfire let out a very satisfied hum as she leaned her head against Robin's shoulder. Robin rubbed her hand with his thumb slowly as they both sat on the edge of the tower's roof. They faced the setting sun side by side, and there was a light breeze that continued to blow the whole time they were up there.



"You are...relaxed," Starfire noticed, her expression shocked and her voice elated.



"What?" Robin muttered, snapping out of his mental trance.



"You are calm," Starfire explained, removing her head from his body and glancing at him. "Normally, you would be worrying about Slade, or tired from training, or-..." She cut off her sentence and smiled warmly. "But I can sense that you are at peace," she murmured, putting her head back down. Robin smirked as he leaned into her in return.



"Why wouldn't I be?" Robin said quietly. All of his worries had indeed melted away. It was the first time in a LONG time that he felt this way.



"I have no complaints," Starfire assured. A few minutes passed by without any words. The sun moved down into the horizon a little bit during this time. Starfire broke the tranquility as she detached herself from Robin once again to look at his face.



"...May I request...a favor?" she asked quietly, here eyes solemn.



"Of course," Robin told her, upset about her seriousness.



Starfire paused and her eyes wandered a bit nervously. She bit her bottom lip and tapped her palms together softly.



"What is it?" Robin inquired with concern.



"May I-...Will you permit me to look at...your face...?" she whispered. She looked ashamed just to ask the question.



"...My...My face?" Robin muttered, a bit confused.



"...Your ENTIRE face..." Starfire murmured with a tint of hope. "I have...never seen it...Your eyes..."



Robin took a deep breath as his gaze turned to the setting sun.



"I don't know," Robin muttered, bobbing his head. "That's like...me asking you to...take off your shirt, or something..." he answered awkwardly.



Starfire blinked at him, her jaw slightly lowered. After a moment of serious consideration, she muttered, "If those are the conditions that must be met, I will-"



"NO, nonono," Robin hastily spat out, sticking his hands out like warning signs. "That's all right..."



Starfire's brows furrowed at his reaction. "You do not wish to see-"



"It's not that," Robin quickly interjected. "I just can't take my mask off..."



Starfire cocked her head sideways, her puzzled expression remaining. "Why?"



"...I don't know," he answered honestly. "You know how much I like my privacy. I just can't do that."



Starfire sighed. She had known he would reply to her question with such an answer, but she had to ask it.



"I understand," she mumbled, poking her index fingers together a few times. "Then please, spare no more time on the matter."



"Sorry," Robin apologized quietly. Starfire ran her hand through his spiky black hair and smiled.



"You are who you are," she said softly. "I can do nothing to change that, and I do not wish to. But...Perhaps one day you may change your mind..."



"...Perhaps..."



Robin slowly stood up and suggested calmly, "We should go inside. They're probably ready to eat by now." He held down a hand to lift Starfire to her feet, who floated herself up and landed gently.



----------



"Mm MMMM!! MAN!" Cyborg took a huge sniff of the warm air that rose from the dish. He placed the pan on the counter and watched Luigi stir a metal spoon in a small pot beside him over a burner. "Why ain't you the CHEF at that restaurant you work at, yo?" Cyborg asked in amazment. "You got SKILLS, man!"



"Thanks," Luigi said as he wafted the fumes from the thick, brown liquid. "Oh, yea...Perfection..." He grabbed the oven mitts that rested in a nearby drawer and slipped them on. They were red and had Robin's yellow and black 'R' logo on them. Luigi chuckled at the sight of them, then proceeded to pull out another pan from the stove and place it, too, on the counter with care. "Biscuits came out great," he muttered before going back to his gravy.



Cyborg, quite impressed with the culinary talent before him, decided it was best to back off and let the pro do the finishing touches.



"what college did you GO to, man?"



Luigi laughed. "Been so long..." he mumbled, shaking his head. "I don't really remember..."



Cyborg lifted a brow at the remark. (So long...? What's he TALKIN' about...?)



"Whatever, I need to go talk to your boss and get you a PROMOTION, man!"



"You really think I'm that good, do ya?" Luigi asked curiously as he went to the fridge to take out the butter for the biscuits.



"Are you kiddin' me?" Cyborg answered, shaking his head slightly. "Man, my MOMMA never made biscuits like that..."



Luigi shrugged. "Well...I DID get quite an education on it..."



"...So what did Big M go to college for?"



It took Luigi a moment to process 'Big M' into 'Mario'.



"Well, uh...Like I said, it's hard to remember...I think he just did a lot of repair work...Ya know, plumbing, construction...But then we grew up." He smiled and nodded his head. "Yep. Started our own business. Then one day, it was like we had started a new life..." He tipped his green cap as his brain went into nostalgic mode.



"I know what ya mean, man," Cyborg murmured solemnly, staring at his metallic arm. After a pause, he escaped his haunting memories and said to Luigi, "Yo. I'll go round up the crew, you finish things up, a'ight?"



"You got it."



----------



The group of teenagers were arranged at a circular table that had been set up for the meal in the kitchen. The table had barely fit, but the team managed. They passed the mashed potatoes around and chowed down on biscuits while conversing openly about many tales. Laughter was in great abundance that evening, and, in a way, it didn't feel right.



Beastboy sat with a gloomy look about him as he jabbed his fork into his mashed potatoes with no gravy. There were some untouched peas on his plate, as well, and a glass of soymilk rested next to his elbow, which was on the table to support his head. The seat beside him was empty, though a plate had been prepared where Tenochtitlan would sit. He was certainly not surprised that she hadn't showed up, but guilt was beginning to set in as his words echoed through his head.



"Yo! Misto Roboto!" Mario cried from Beastboy's right to his left. "Pass that milk this way, man!"



"You got it, Bro," Cyborg answered, grabbing the plastic gallon container. His hand went flying across the table, a cord connecting it to the rest of his arm. Mario caught it and removed the milk. With a chuckled, he threw it up into the air, and Cyborg sucked it back in. Amy, who was seated beside him, jumped in fright from the action. Her emerald eyes wide with fear, she blinked at him incredulously.



"...Wh-...??"



Cyborg laughed heartily and shook his head. "Just a natural part of being unnatural," he said to her. She took a deep breath, holding her chest to make sure her heart didn't burst through. The metallic hand had almost smacked into her on its way back, terrifying her. Sonic, in the meanwhile, was snickering from her left, though he tried to contain it.



"Hey! It's not funny!" Amy snapped at him bitterly, nailing him in the shoulder. He held his palm over his mouth, though the laughter continued. "I almost got hurt!"



"That's what's funny about it," Sonic chortled.



"Amy's just not used to hanging around with...our type," Tikal murmured.



"What??" Amy cried out defensively. "What do you mean, 'your type?' I'm your type!" she insisted.



"...Prove it," Sonic dared her with a devlish grin.



Amy huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine, then. After dinner, I WILL."



"Man," Cyborg muttered. "For a little lady, you sure got some big attitude, huh?"



"You better believe it," Amy replied tartly with a grin.



"So then, for Halloween that year, we went Trick-Or-Treating dressed like drag queens!" Luigi laughed. "Oh, man, it was hilarious..."



"Yea, guys kept asking him for his number!" Mario added in jokingly. This comment caused another eruption of laughs from the group, as well as Luigi shoving his cap over his eyes.



"Sounds like you two had quite a childhood," Raven noted before slowly chewing on a piece of sliced chicken.



"What? HAD? What are YOU talkin' about?" Mario asked, shaking his head. "We still ARE kids!"



Raven smiled back at him and nodded. "Can't disagree there."



"Robin, what is this...'Tricker Cheating'? It does not sound very pleasant..." Starfire wondered in a whisper, oblivious.



Robin grinned as he proceeded to explain the concept to her while the other conversation continued.



"...You OK, Beastboy?" Terra asked from his right. She would've been sitting beside Tay had the girl shown up.



Beastboy's glum, green eyes looked up at her, and he tried to regain some posture in his seating.



"Sure, I'm fine..."



"Still upset about...before...huh?" Terra asked him quietly, leaning a little. She realized how silly it was to sit one chair away, so she got up and switched plates to sit beside him. Link noticed this, and he looked at her curiously.



"...Uhhh...?" Terra, before sitting down, walked over to Link and whispered in his ear, her eyes darting a bit to make sure she hadn't caught much attention.



"Beastboy and Tay have been having a lot of...problems...He needs some cheering up."



Link nodded as he saw the grumpy, green boy stab his mashed potatoes and place a gob of it into his mouth lazily.



Link proceeded to rip apart at a drumstick as Terra went to sit beside Beastboy. Link wasn't exactly the type to comfort others when they were down. It wasn't really his style. If he had a problem, he fixed it himself and expected no pity. While growing up, the only person who'd ever really showed him any sympathy- true sympathy- was a girl named Saria. He still remembered her...Her personality had some easily back into his mind, and her image slowly thereafter. His closest childhood friend wasn't something he was willing to forget. Link respected her quite a lot, and if Terra was going to show any of her attributes, he certainly didn't mind. But he himself wasn't very good at motivational speaking, and he couldn't really stand watching all of the 'girl power' pep sessions that took place around the tower. Only when Saria had comforted him as a child did he truly find it meaningful. He had faint memories of slaying a great evil and saving his country, but very clear memories of times from his past when Saria had given him the power to go on. A true friend in and out she had been.



(I'll make it up to her someday,) he'd decided.



As Link drowned himself in the past and the others spoke of their nearby futures, Terra tried to help Beastboy fix his present.



"You wanna talk about it?" She wondered, leaning her head down over the table as he did. She pushed her long, shiny hair out of the way after it had sagged down in her view.



Beastboy rubbed his forehead and dropped his fork down on his plate.



"...Terra, I'm sorry about earlier..."



"No, it's OK," Terra assured him. "You're having some problems. It happens."



"No, I mean...You didn't have to see us like that, ya know? I kinda dragged you into it, n' I'm sorry..."



"BB, it's not your fault," Terra attemtped to convince him. "Tenochtitlan's the one acting weird. I don't think it's because of you...After you left, she started muttering about-..." Terra stopped, shaking her head.



"About what?" Beastboy asked quietly yet desperately.



"I don't know, like...'You didn't understand', and that she was gonna...kill someone..." Terra glanced at him with raised eyebrows and grit teeth.



Beastboy shook his head slowly and stared at his food. "Man, I don't know WHAT has gotten into her..." he whimpered out.She's been having these nightmares lately, and keeps sayin' how 'it's all her fault,' and stuff, but I don't know what she's talkin' about." A tear dripped down from his cheeck into his peas, and Terra rubbed his arm a little to comfort him.



"Whatever it is, we'll help her," she told him. "All of us. We're a team, right?"



Beastboy rubbed his nose, his expression devoid of any hope.



"Right?" Terra repeated, her hope drained a little.



"...Yea..." he mumbled. "But I'm still-"



ROOOOP! ROOOOP! ROOOOP!



Everyone in the room was captured in waves of red light as a siren blared. All words were cut off, and after a second or two, Robin jumped to his feet.



"Let's move!" he cried, making a swift exit.



Everyone began to shuffle out of the room and follow the leader down some flights of stairs. Amy remained in a state of shock, and after a few moments, Sonic stood before her, tapping his feet impatiently.



"Well? You gonna prove it, or not?"



Amy gave him a determined glare and hopped out of her chair with confidence as she chased the crowd down to prepare for some crime-fighting.



----------


OOOOOHHH...

Robin: TROUBLE!!! Titans, MOVE!! :mad:

Mario: Damnit, Robin, would ya quit sayin' that? :rolleyes:

Link: What if I don't FEEL like moving...? :shrug:

AHEM! Anyway, soooo...

Well, the action-packed ending will be around...:sad: Ummm...Soon. I wanna see more feedback. That section has a LOT to be talked about, folks, and you're probably gonna have all weekend 'til I'm done. So get crackin'. :zim:

[Sproxie]

:eek:
oooo great chapter! i thoroughly enjoyed this! does amy have powers?
yea, in the begining i felt pretty bad for terra. :sad:
sooo Tay is going, insane? or does she just need someone to talk to that understands her...?
so many questions!
when does Jinx come in again?
either way, good chapter. and you don't like volleyball? that is my favorite sport. but yea, my coach was a moron too. :shrug:

[raven54]

bejezzes, that IS a lot to comment on ok, here goes:

ouch... Terra needs a hug http://e.deviantart.com/emoticons/h/hug.gif
Tay's going wacko on Terra and everybody was pretty damn awesome. Psychotic, anyone? or emotional distress... either one.
since i didn't have time to review the chapter before this, i must say that i agree w/ rrarbecy
1."The term '1-Up's' was highlighted by a certain pair of feminine organs."
HA. You naughty devil, you. That, and the entire description of Amy was priceless.

2.The way you described the way Amy and Tikal feel about Sonic and vice versa was great too. I love it all! that... was... hilarious! i noticed that you do that in pretty much all of your fics, try and describe... ah... feminine qualities without sounding like some oversexed teenager (or repetitive). it adds some more humor to the mix.
yeah, volleyball's really fun in a non-competitive setting, and really sucks when it's competitive. I always hated volleyball in gym because it was the only sport we played that i didn't get. eh, if you're not having fun you should probably quit, even though it sucks to. why waste your time doing something you're hating?

also, if you're wishing to read some of the stories on this forum (the ones that i posted before) but don't have time to collect them, just PM me and i can send you the files.

i'll eagerly wait for Monday!!! actually, i wont. i have finals Tues- Wed. i eagerly await after school Monday... then i have to study for Bio.

[Pookey]

WOW!! That was awsome dude! I did feel bad for Terra in the begining, but it slowly faded away. OH! Robin and Starfire moment! *squeals* ARG! we have to wait till monday! Mondays suck, oh wait i have the whole week off! GO ME, GO ME!!:D

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...

---
I did feel bad for Terra in the begining, but it slowly faded away.
---

Yea, about two or three people said that, but didn't explain...

WHY? What, are you MAD at her now, or something? None of this mess is her fault at all, you know. If you were in her position, I'd doubt you'd be feeling very good about yourself.

---
i noticed that you do that in pretty much all of your fics, try and describe... ah... feminine qualities without sounding like some oversexed teenager (or repetitive).
---

Yea...:sweat: I try to describe masculine features as well, but not as often, I don't think. Go figure. I'm a guy (and a straight one at that) so I probably notice female features a bit more readily...But I do try...Speaking of which, I have a hair fetish. :p There's something you may not have wanted to know...But I've noticed that when you read my writing and know that, you certainly notice it. I pay a decent amount of attention to hair. Odd, eh? Perhaps disturbing?

As far as Amy's 'powers', you'll have to wait and see what happens.

---
"So then, for Halloween that year, we went Trick-Or-Treating dressed like drag queens!" Luigi laughed. "Oh, man, it was hilarious..."



"Yea, guys kept asking him for his number!" Mario added in jokingly. This comment caused another eruption of laughs from the group, as well as Luigi shoving his cap over his eyes.
---

Hehe. Liked that a lot. If you've been playing the recent Mario games, you'll probably get the full humor of that inside joke. Oops...
"as well as Luigi shoving his cap over his eyes."
Heh. Yea, that makes it sound like Luigi put his OWN cap over HIS head in shame...But what I MEANT to say was that he shoved MARIO'S cap over his head...Heh. I'll have to change that...

Hmmm...Now we get to bash moths. :anime: LOTS of moths.

Aaaaand...We get a bit of a cliffy ending to Chapter 13, we do.

---
Cheerleaders are angels
---

:p Hey, you fixed it!

[Pookey]

I'm not mad at Terra, I just felt bad for her b/c she felt left out, (I guess you could say)
Thanks for noticing that i fixed my sig. srry I can't spell. I have a bad habit of spelling easy words wrong! he, he!! :sweat:
I have no school this week, i feel so lucky!!:D

[rrarbecy]

Here's what rrarbecy thinks. The only thing bad was that you spelled cheeks wrong AGAIN.

"I don't know," Robin muttered, bobbing his head. "That's like...me asking you to...take off your shirt, or something..." he answered awkwardly.
Starfire blinked at him, her jaw slightly lowered. After a moment of serious consideration, she muttered, "If those are the conditions that must be met, I will-"
"NO, nonono," Robin hastily spat out, sticking his hands out like warning signs. "That's all right..."
Starfire's brows furrowed at his reaction. "You do not wish to see-"
"It's not that," Robin quickly interjected. "I just can't take my mask off..."
"OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH. Don't say no Robin." That whole exchange was hilarious.

HA. Robin DOES want to see...well, "a certain pair of feminine organs"

2.Terra does need a hug. And Beast Boy. Even when they're not "together," they still have much in common. Their problems, mostly. That relationship would have been perfect in the series.

In short. YOU ARE A GENIUS! How do you come up with this stuff?

[Destiny_Smasher]

:p Where DO I come up with this stuff?

I guess my brain has a mind of its own. :bugs1:

So, uh...WOW. I mean, just, wow. Just about every Nintendo DS in retail stores (like Wal-Mart) was SOLD OUT at the DAY OF RELEASE. I mean, WOW. That's just insane. Now it's gonna be a few more days until Nintendo ships some more out, but if I was them, I'd do it real quick knowing how much support they've got behind them.

SO! That's not enough feedback worthy of another update.

About cheecks...:P It's a habit. Once you spell a word a certain way, it takes a while to correct it. And that word is one of my weak points. And I only really use it for tears sliding down and blushing, but still...

I'm not fully DONE yet, but I do have more. You gusy just aren't gonna see it until I hear more from ya.

[starburn1116]

i'm not gone
i'm right here

to reveiw:

i loved this chapter. the description of Amy was especially good for people like me who have no idea what she looks like.

The robin/star relationship is comming along nicely. true to your word they are not all mooshy. that is good. i have seen a few fics where the are so *insert big word for mooshy here* that it makes you sick. then there are fics where they aren't together at all and robin is with raven and/or starfire is with BEASTBOY:eek: . needless to say, i like you interpretation better. together but relucant. well not quite reluctant, just kind of... yeah

the luigi and mario scene was interesting too
i have absolutly no idea why

i did as i was supposed to and i gave a much more detailed review than i would have
i did my part
do yours
update please:crying: <---a shocking survey has revealed that noone can resist this smilie(except nevermore). let's see how it works on DS MUHAHAHAHAHAHA

peace peoples

[Pookey]

update please:crying: <---a shocking survey has revealed that noone can resist this smilie(except nevermore). let's see how it works on DS MUHAHAHAHAHAHALets hope that survey is right...:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:
I think that should be enough. :evil: :crying: :crying: :crying:


Sprox 083Vacation??? what vacation? is everyone off from school/work but me or something???
o and DS PLEASE post!!!!!!I'm sorry.:crying: You can go on my vacation for me. I don't want a vacation (surprising, yes?)

P.S.:crying: he,he :crying: I love this smilie:crying: why, I do not know?:crying:

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sad:

Um...That smiley doesn't work on ME, either. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. :p :evil:

Oh, wait... :sweat:

Well, I was right. MAJOR X Factor blockage. Once I started writing in my other fics, writing came along MUCH smoother than the end of this Chapter has. Heck, if I really bust my butt tomorrow, I may have an update for ALL of my fics by Monday. At least by Friday.

The end of this Chapter very well may have to wait a while longer. But I assure you that the next Chapter will be worth the wait. After all, this Chapter is REALLY gonna leave you with a foul taste in your mouth- I hope, anyway.

Um...Yeeeaaa...

"i loved this chapter. the description of Amy was especially good for people like me who have no idea what she looks like. "

See, uh...NONE of the characters in this fic look the way they should.

Amy isn't a human. She's a Mobian HEDGEHOG. Mario? Hopefully you know that he's not a teenager. And Link has pointy ears, for one thing. And in case you forgot, Tay's a MONKEY. And Amy has never worn any of the outfits I've given her, actually...Nope. She always wears the same one, pretty much. Kinda like...the Teen Titans...

So I have to describe their appearences anyway, because they look different. That's actually important to the story, as you'll discover. WHY do they look different, and how did it happen? Questions abound, and all shall be answered by the story's end.

So, eh...Hey, I think I'll update a Thousand Needles tomorrow...

As for your update...It'll have to wait. Sorry, folks, but no damn smiley is gonna make me sit for an hour and hopefully write ONE paragraph.

Besides, I get to write about InuYasha n' Kagome, and Metal Mario beating the crap out of some teenage heroes, and various love stories, and civil war breaking out on Mobius, and the despair of an 18 year-old farmgirl named Malon on Hylia, and an amazing robot- no, Reploid- no...Well, he's Megaman X, and WHATEVER kind of 'robot' he is, he kicks ASS.

So the strife of these teen superheroes shall have to wait a little while, as they all waited this past month.

[raven54]

Heck, if I really bust my butt tomorrow, I may have an update for ALL of my fics by Monday. At least by Friday. Are you serious? w00t!!! inu/kagome! yes!!

[Sproxie]

But I assure you that the next Chapter will be worth the wait. After all, this Chapter is REALLY gonna leave you with a foul taste in your mouth- I hope, anyway.:crying: WHY ARE YOU TEASING US???!? and then not posting the next chapter...? :crying:
*sigh* i''l get over it, but ill make sure to check out all the other fics... and I really hope you can update this Fic soon!!!

[Pookey]

Stupid smilie!!! *kicks sad smilie out the door* *mumbles under breath*

Anywho...:rolleyes: We will wait for your update, or at least I will, I don't know about them though. :sweat:
*points to a crowd behind the computer chair, who have red glowing eyes.* :evil:
"Everybody! DS will post SOON!!!" (crowd starts inching closer to Pookey)
GREEAAATT!!! he, he The crowd is now poking me with pitch forks, This may be a while. I'll hold off the crowd.


As you can see from above...I am just a little hyper *remember...no more chocolate while on computer, unless writing your own fic.*

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, then, there's some enthusiasm...That's good...

Why I tease you? Why do I constantly have a mystery for you to ponder? Why do I send you a barrage a questions?

Because keeping you readers in suspense is a key to fiction, or writing of any kind, for that matter.

So, yea...Got a bit carried away during the weekend...

But so long as I continue at a good clip, I am confident that all of my fics(including a Sonic one I will be starting soon that is based on that old book that Tikal's been poking through) will have an update- so long as all goes well.

A Thousand Needles? Got one ready.

Quest for Destiny!? Almost done with the next Chappy there, too. Golden Sunrise? About halfway through 8. The X Factor? Well, you guys have read most of the Chapter, but I'm still about where I was before the weekend. Basically, I'm about 4/5 through the Chapter or so...

And I haven't started my Sonic fic, but I probably will pretty soon. It shouldn't be as long as my others because there's...just not a WHOLE lot to talk about. Plenty of interesting ideas I throw in there, I'd say.

So for now you'll have to wait and pass the time reading my otehr stuff- or other fics in general, for that matter.

[Crowgirl]

SONIC!!!!!!!!:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :anime: :anime: :anime: :anime: :anime: :anime: :anime: :anime: :anime: :sweat: :sweat:

Heh heh, oops.

I love this sooooo much, please continue!!!!! More! Don't make me get my chopsticks....

[Pookey]

OOOHHH!! Suspense...I love that...NOT!!
But I will be as patient as possible. I promise:anime:
Sonic rules, but I perfer Mario..:p

[Sproxie]

Suspence is Evil, Linkin Park is good *cough* i mean umm.... :sweat: LINK is my fav! :rolleyes: :sweat:

[rrarbecy]

Linkin Park...*shakes head*
COLLECTIVE SOUL ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[raven54]

he's got you there, Sprox... but i like both. FLIP-FLOPPER!!! heehee:rolleyes:

oh yeah i was so caught up in Inuyasha fangirl-dom that i forgot to say... Golden Sun... and more Q4D!... yesh, i will have a lot of reading to do.

[rrarbecy]

he's got you there, Sprox... but i like both. FLIP-FLOPPER!!! heehee:rolleyes:

oh yeah i was so caught up in Inuyasha fangirl-dom that i forgot to say... Golden Sun... and more Q4D!... yesh, i will have a lot of reading to do.
You like Collective Soul? AWESOME!!! I just went to their concert on Saturday and it was the second best concert I've ever been to.

Oh, and by the way...IT'S SODA!!!!

[Sproxie]

he's got you there, Sprox... but i like both. FLIP-FLOPPER!!! heehee:rolleyes:

oh yeah i was so caught up in Inuyasha fangirl-dom that i forgot to say... Golden Sun... and more Q4D!... yesh, i will have a lot of reading to do.I like ALOT of music, Linkin Park, Maroon 5, Incubus, well yea alot, including Collective Soul.

you go to concerts??? LUCKY!

[raven54]

lucky... waaah!! i wanna go too!!! no, it's POP. pop is more fun and describes the nature of this... ah... *giggles* SODA you speak of.:anime: sorry DS, shutting up now:sweat:

[Destiny_Smasher]

:p Nah, that's fine- adds replies to my counter there.

Music? Oy, vay...Well, eh...I like stuff from Overclocked Remix, VGMusic, VGMix...Yea...

My favorite artists are Dr. Fruitcake, McVaffe, and Stanuef...

But they're VG mixers.

I like Billy Joel...And I LOVE Ayumi Hamasakil. J-Pop rox my sox.

Oh, right.

Hmmm...Ya know, just because I'm writing a fic that concentrates on Sonic characters doesn't make him more important, ya know. Mario characters get a LOT of the story in Quest for Destiny!

Matter of fact, their planet is about the most important planet in ALL of my fics, and is at least talked about (and often visited) in all of them. This fic is about the only one that doesn't visit it (directly) or make HUGE reference to it.

Hmmm...

But my favorite fantasy character of all is my man Mario. He's been influencing me for 12 or so years now, baby.

When I was younger, I liked Sonic more, then Yoshi (That's when I started developing ideas for Q4D!- yep, I had my fiction in the works a few years before I started writing it), and then my tastes finally realized how cool Mario was, and he's been my most-fav since, though he's always been around, of course.

Mario
Sonic
Link

That's the order I put those three in on my list, but by close margins.

Hmmm...Sonic and Mario come out with games more often than Link does, but Link's games earn more respect from me in general.

Mario All-Stars, Sonic Mega Collection, and Zelda: Collector's Edition are three titles I would rather give my life for than lose.

Ergo, their homeplanets are the most important in my writing.

Of course, there's plenty of room for me to fill in blanks as far as history and story goes, so I incorporate a lot of my own elements to make the worlds seem more believable than the games do.

Paper Mario 2 is the closest Mario game yet to make advances like this and really make the characters seem like they're really people. Man, that games has so much romantic inuendo it's not funny. You've got perverted chicks kissing you here and there, the word 'floozy' is dropped a few times...:anime: And COME ON, now- catcalling Goombas? :p Priceless.

But I digress.

Um...I just stuck up the 4th Chappy of a Thousand Needles...I'm slowly growing closer to the end of Q4D! 43...And Golden Sunrise 8...And I'm sure I'll finish this Chapter soon, too, and probably start my Sonic fic during the weekend when I have real time to invest, if I do.

[Crowgirl]

SODA! SODA!! SODA!!! SO- Wait a minute, I don't even like soda!

MORE OF STORY! MORE OF STORY! MORE OF STORY!!

OH yeah, please.

[raven54]

SODA! SODA!! SODA!!! SO- Wait a minute, I don't even like soda!

MORE OF STORY! MORE OF STORY! MORE OF STORY!!

OH yeah, please.
well, that explains Crow's dislike of pop then...

good luck with your fics... i'll read anything you write:anime:

[decka]

Hey! I'm kinda new and omg I love your story! It is amazing! Please write more!:anime:

[Pookey]

WELCOME DECKA!!!

Pop, Soda, whatever, it's the same thing! Right?

Mario rules!! He's cool! Then Sonic, of course I don't know much about Link.

Can't wait for an update!!

[Destiny_Smasher]

You're damn right Mario's cool.

Anyway, soooo...

Yea, I got Q4D! 43 done last night...Might post that up today...

Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll finish Golden Sunrise 8 tonight...Who knows?

If you ARE reading my fics...Could you somehow show that you have? I mean, I haven't been getting reviews of ANY KIND from you people here on World's Finest. OK, a couple, but not many. If you have to, critique me HERE, I don't care.

Heheh...Next Chapter in Needles lets me introduce InuYasha. :p Unfortunately (or fortunately) InuYasha as been forced to join forces with a number of odd characters from various cartoons, including some of the Sailor Senshi (Yes, Sailor Moon characters, who he often gets into immature arguments with), Samurai Jack (Who is the one who has to SETTLE all of their arguments), and a few others as time goes on.

Heheh...Comic mischief, indeed.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Why do you think I remodeled him?

Damn, once I played Super Smash Bros. Melee, I KNEW the look and feel I was going for with Mario in Q4D!

Oh, InuYasha (as well as the rest of my fic) will meet other bizarre characters and interact with them, as well.

I mean, COME ON- when you've got Sailor Senshi, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Powerpuff Girls, Kim Possible, Samurai Jack AND InuYasha all arguing over how to approach the problem of saving Kagome and getting back home...The interaction just becomes very comical.

[raven54]

Why do you think I remodeled him?

Damn, once I played Super Smash Bros. Melee, I KNEW the look and feel I was going for with Mario in Q4D!

Oh, InuYasha (as well as the rest of my fic) will meet other bizarre characters and interact with them, as well.

I mean, COME ON- when you've got Sailor Senshi, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Powerpuff Girls, Kim Possible, Samurai Jack AND InuYasha all arguing over how to approach the problem of saving Kagome and getting back home...The interaction just becomes very comical.Inuyasha trying to... compromise? AND cooperate? BWAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!
you will have the rest of the gang (meaning sango, miroku, and shippo) at some point, won't you?:crying: Sango kicks ass! and shippo's cute. and miroku's a hilarious, if touchy-feely, perv.

if you want me to review here, then i will. your reviews over at FF.net suck.

[Destiny_Smasher]

If by that, you mean that people don't actually REVIEW and instead just tell me to update, then YES. Please do review here.

Damn you, Sprox, and your puppy-eyed Beastboy.

Don't worry, I wrote some more last night.

I'm not posting the next Chapter up, though, folks. We're STILL only on 13. Don't mess that up, we've been on the same Chapter for a while, and my OTHER readers have been waiting to read it at ALL, you know. So be grateful.

Sango, Miroku, Shippo, blabla... :shrug: Don't get me wrong, they're cool, too, but they won't be playing any important role by a long shot. Matter fact, I haven't even bothered to think of where they are or what they're doing...I will...Sooner or later...Not that it's important...Now, see, Koga and Sesshy...Well, wherever InuYasha goes, they seem to show up...

Koga? Well, Kagome's been kidnapped. What do you THINK he's going to do?

Sesshy? Oh, he just likes to kick InuYasha's ass around for fun. Too bad that, for once, HE'S going to be the one getting his fluffy handed to him on a silver platter. Not by InuYasha, of course. Besides, Sesshy gets on my nerves a lot. :p

So, uhhh...Yea, be patient, people. I haven't been hearing much from anyone at ANY of the sites I post my stuff up on all week, so my motivation has been diminishing with time.

For the record, pop AND soda AND 'coke' and all that crap are dumb. Actually, I think pop sounds the stupidest out of them all...Pop? I mean, what the hell? Soda sounds more distinct and specific.

But me and my friends just call it 'supa chill' to avoid that problem. :anime:

[Pookey]

supa chill? I say that over and over again, but it still sounds weird. Don't mind me, just being myself.


I reread the last 3 Ch.s, and when you go and reread them, the message seems to seep into you better (That made no sense what-so-ever didn't it?) The way you describe each Titans and his/her relationship to the other is intriging.

The Robin and Starfire relationship (my favorite) is more "flowing". They seem to be moving more slowly than in most fic.s which has made me like your fic. even more.

The BB and Tech. relationship, is special. It seems that you will hook them back up in the future, but I'm not entirely sure. You can tell Beast Boy wants to understand and help her, but he doesn't know how.
In the words of one of my fav. commercials, "Brillant"

The Sonic triangle...WOW!! I can't describe it, I got confused at one piont, but I think I'm good.
Amy and Tikal are head over heels for Sonic, but are not fighing for him, I like that kind of friendship.

The Mario and Luigi scences are halarious! I get a kick out of their brotherly "love".


That's all I got for a review. Hope you like!

[Destiny_Smasher]

Yea. See, 'Supa Chill' is a brand of soda...( :p ) and one time at a friend's house, the guys and I were eating, and we got into some silly discussion over what to call soda/pop/etc.

We decided on 'Super Chill' because it sounded cool, vague, and weird. Not that we've really been using it a lot lately...Got get back into that habit.

Anyway...

Robin and Starfire have been moving slowly. This is because it works with them. The only 'relationship' I've been in was a slow one, (not that it really WAS one, that manipulative ***** :crying: ) and I was the one in Robin's position. So everything he's been feeling, I know first hand. Well...Up until the end of this Chapter, I guess. (Wrote some more last night, by the way. 2 scenes away, I hope to get it up Saturday morning, we'll see.)

Mario and Luigi are just frickin' awesome. Until recently, the games never really showed their brotherly love, but I already knew what it was like- I have 4 brothers, and I'm the oldest. Well, and 4 sisters...who are all younger than me...

Anyway! So, yea, they're awesome. I really try to create comedy between them that isn't ridiculous. I try to make it feel more like the comedy you really feel when you hang out with people like them. (Dinner scene)

Heheh...Oh, I LOVE the Tikal/Sonic/Amy triangle. Triangles are very important in my fiction in general, but...

It's complex, so I don't blame you for not quite getting it. I tried to be brief, but you'll get to see more later.

Basically, Amy and Tikal both want Sonic, but they'd feel guilty because they both really care about the other, as well, and they both think that Sonic might be happier with the other. It's complicated, but you'll see more of it later on. Needless to say, Sonic is frustrated.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

super chill, thats safeway!

[Sproxie]

Damn you, Sprox, and your puppy-eyed Beastboy.:D

Super Chill? that would be hard for me to get used too.....

[Destiny_Smasher]

:yawn: Damnit, I'm SO CLOSE to the end...

But not quite...I only have until noon to be on the net. After that, I'll have to wait until Monday...GRR.

Hmmm...Well, I'll post this up NOW, and then you guys will have to wait until Monday for the conclusion.

Cyborg: This section was too big to fit in one POST, ya'll.

---------

The group had hit the night streets as soon as they could, and got down to figuring out what the problem was. Apparently, there had been a jewel heist downtown, as well as reports of strange insect-like creatures causing havoc in the area.



Riding on his R-Cycle ahead of the team, Robin made a quick check on everyone. Starfire and Raven were soaring right behind him, and the T-Car was behind them. Sonic and Tikal were on its right, while Terra and Link rode on a levitating chunk of stone on the left of the vehicle. Beastboy soared above the car as a pteradactytl calmly. On tope of the T-Car Mario crouched, showing off as he did every other day. In the Cyborg-styled car rode Luigi in the passenger seat, and Tenochtitlan and Amy rode in the back.



"So, uh...Have we met?" Amy asked out of nowhere as the car sped down the street quite smoothly.



Tay, her head leaned up against the window, didn't say a word. She glared out the left side window at Terra and frowned a scornful frown. Her eyes were dark blue at the moment, and she gripped her staff tightly in her lap.



"...Ummm...OK...I'll take that as a 'no'," Amy murmured, turning away and looking back outside to Sonic and Tikal.



"So you built this thing YOURSELF?" Luigi asked in awe.



"Well, yea...I got some help from Ray after she got smashed up, but she runs better than ever," Cyborg answered proudly.



"That's impressive," Luigi noted with a nod. "So, what can this baby do?" he wondered curiously.



"You're about to find out," Cyborg told him with a smirk as their first target came into view.



It was moving fast along the sides of buildings up ahead in the dark, its eight legs scurrying about frantically. It was a giant spider, holding a human body in its mouth. Or was it? No, it was a human body with a giant spider for a head!



"What IS that, man?" Cyborg cried in surprise.



"Whatever it is," Robin's voice came in through the radio, "-we're taking it down."



A fairly simple chase began as the Titans rushed to catch up with the speedy creature, who would spew out gobs of sticky webbing to slow them down. Within a couple of minutes, however, they'd lost sight of the bizarre being, and the Titand had split up to search for him.



Scouring different edges of the city, Cyborg's group ran into something very peculiar. A thick cloud had begun to cover the city. However, it wasn't just a cloud. Upon further inspection, Cyborg realized that it was, in fact, a gigantic swarm of gray, mutant moths. They began to descend upon the city and start chewing at anything available- quite literally. Lightposts, tires, cars, and about everything else. Screaming civilians fled in terror from the attacking bugs as they came down like a fog.



The T-Car came screeching to a halt in the middle of the road, just before the large bridge that ran across the bay. The doors slammed open, and the Titans exited quickly. Mario stood tall and examined the spectacle before him from atop the car. He sniffed, scratched his nose, and bounded off of the car to land next to Cyborg.



"Little guys might make a big mess," he noted.



"No kiddin'," Cyborg murmured, a bit befuddled.



"Don't know about you, but I think this place needs a good cleanin' up," Mario added.



"Yea." Cyborg pulled up his left arm and tapped it with his finger. A screen lit up to show the Titans' 'T' logo, and Cyborg spoke into it.



"Titans, we got trouble down at the bridge. Ya know those bugs people were talkin' about? Well, we just found some of 'em."



"How serious is it?" Robin asked, his voice staticy.



"I don't know," Cyborg murmured. "There's only about a THOUSAND of 'em..."



"We'll be down ASAP," RObin confirmed. "Make sure they don't damage the bridge. Things could get dangerous."



"Affirmative."



Cyborg smashed his fist into his palm. "You heard the man," he cried. "Time to take out the trash!"



Mario tapped Luigi's shoulder roughly and pointed up to a massively thick cable of metal cords that was being gnawed at by the bizarre bugs. The two brothers knelt down and thrusted themselves into the air like rockets. While drifting in midair toward their target, Mario opened up and palms, which were quickly filled by flaming balls. Luigi followed his lead and did the same- his fireballs were green, of course. As their speed slowed from gravity's pull, they launched their flames like baseballs at the clump of moths, which were incinerated on impact. They landed on the support and began to slide down roughly, their heavy boots absorbing the friction as they sped down to the ground, their feet getting quite hot after only a few seconds. They lept off nimbly and rode the air downward. After landing sharply on the pavement with two loud 'smacks', they turned to Cyborg, who had just finished blasting a few with his cannon.



"If we don't do somethin', these little ***** are gonna pull this bridge apart," Mario informed him direly. "We need backup, NOW."



"They're comin', hold on," Cyborg gruffly told them. Mario noticed the trembling girl with pink hair sitting in the back of the T-Car and rolled his eyes. As Luigi pelted nearby insects that had razors for teeth.



Mario flipped open the car door and frowned at her.



"Are ya gonna help, or what?" he asked her critically.



"...Uhhh...But...I-I don't know what-..."



Mario huffed and shook his head. "We need all the hands we can get. You chose to go on a joyride with us, so you'd better pull your weight. What can you do?"



Amy shrugged, her face frought with worry and doubt.



"You'd better figure out real quick, unless you wanna see this whole bridge go underwater," Mario told her firmly.



Amy reluctantly pulled herself out of the car and shoved the fat door closed. She stood, quaking in fear, for a minute or two as Mario ran off to help out Luigi. Amy watched Tenochtitlan fry about twenty of the furry flyers with a sizzling beam of light.



(What did I do again?) she wondered to herself. (...A hammer...? Yea, that's it. I used a big, red hammer, right? But...I don't HAVE a hammer on me...) Amy huffed and stomped her foot in frustration. Then, suddenly, one of moths divebombed her way. In the course of a second or two, she sensed it coming from ahead and swiped her arm through the air, flinching in terror. As she opened her eyes a moment later, she realized that something quite out of the ordinary had happened. The moth lay on the ground at her feet, cut in two. Its maroon body fluids formed a puddle, and Amy shrieked at the sight, jumping back a bit. Then she noticed what was in her right hand- a sword. About two feet in length and a couple of inches in width, the sword had a simple gray hilt and silver blade. Gaping at it in wonder, Amy tried to ponder where it came from. But as a small flock of moths approached the T-Car, it didn't matter, and Amy lunged at them, letting her instincts take over. She slashed the sword through the air with grace and speed, and before she knew it, the whole lot had been cut up into shreds, and she was covered in moth guts.



She coughed violently afterward, feeling like throwing up, but after the next wave, she was certainly used to it. Addicted was a better word. She could feel the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. It had an odd sense of nostalgia to it, somehow. Nonetheless, she quickly grew quite accustomed to dicing up her foes and was pulling off moves she didn't even know she could do. It was as if this fighting had been commonplace in a past life or something.



Cyborg was relieved when he saw Raven and Starfire show up, crushing moths as they approached.



"YO! RAY!" he shouted to her as they drew closer. "Gimme a lift!!"



Ray nodded as she flew through the air in her pink shirt and blue shorts. She shot her palms out and formed a black disc of solidified energy in front of Cyborg. He bounded on roughly and rode it up as Ray took him higher. Upon reaching the spot where Luigi and Mario had recently fried some moths, Cyborg noticed that a new batch had come in.



"Thanks Ray!" he yelled out to her with care as he stuck his arm out and squinted his eyes.



He aimed with care and shot out a beam of plasma that destroyed the lot. He pounced to the spot just as it began to split apart, and the black disc behind him vanished. His hands firmly grasped each end of the cable as he pulled with all his might to bring them back together before it all fell apart. He pointed his left index finger as a small torch popped out and proceeded to carefully weld the two together again. His task completed, Cyborg skidded all the way down, putting his right leg ahead so he didn't lose balance. Sparks went flying like wild as he descended, and a lot screeching sound came from the friction. As he passed by another group of hungry bugs, he shielded himself with his huge arms. THWACK! After hearing the satisfying sound, Cyborg pulled his arms apart and opened up his arm cannon, ready to land. He bounced off to his right and rolled onto the bridge.



Raven and Starfire were fighting back-to-back, sending out energy from their hands to destroy the bugs.



"Their numbers are quite vast!" Starfire worried.



"We can't give up," Ray told her. "We need to figure out a way to get rid of them all at once..."



Sonic and Tikal had arrived on the scene, and Terra and Link shortly thereafter. They began to distribute pain to the lab-created creatures in their own methods as utter chaos was laid upon the bridge.



Robin showed up last, a distraught look on his face. He left his cycle and his helmet beside the T-Car and whipped out his metal bo as he went to help out Cyborg. He took out a rogue moth that had made a dive for the back of Cyborg's head.



"Thanks, man," Cyborg said. "Join the party."



"Can't decline the invitation," Robin replied bitterly.



"Didn't catch him?" Cyborg guessed.



"Lost him in a dark alley," Robin muttered as he karate chopped a moth, slamming it into the ground. "This is more important." After a couple more minutes of smashing and bashing, Starfire and Raven had descended to the level of their leader.



"They will not refrain from attacking," Starfire whimpered. "What plan shall you have us follow?"



"..."



Before Robin could concoct an answer, Cyborg's arm beeped wildly, and he paused to investigate. He nailed a nearby moth with his fist as he scanned the picture displayed on his arm.



"Aw, MAN, I don't BELIEVE this," he groaned.



"What is it?" Robin asked as he rammed a pair of pests into eachother.



"My sensors are sayin' that the security at Titan Tower's been breached," Cyborg growled. "Ain't NOBODY goes hackin' my SECURITY!! When I find out who's been messin' with my systems, I'm gonna rip their-"



"CY! What are talking about?" Robin asked him strictly.



"Somethin's been up with the Tower mainframe lately. I can't figure it out. I think somebody's been screwin' it up, but-..."



"Do you think somebody's trying to break in to the tower?" Robin asked quickly, kicking another moth fiercely and watching it arc in the air and land in the bay.



"Nobody's TRYIN'," Cyborg announced. "If somebody WAS, they're already IN."



Robin huffed through his teeth and called out to Starfire.



"Starfire!" She finished frying a few bugs before whisking her body to his side. "We're heading back to the tower," he told her. She cocked her head to the side, confused.



"Why?"



"'Cuz I think somebody's bustin' in," Cyborg replied. "You two go check it out, we got things here until you get back."



"While we're there, I'll see if I can figure out how to take care of these...things..." Robin added as he hopped onto his cycle and slipped his stylish helmet over his face. Starfire drifted in the air before him, but Robin jerked his head, motioning her to get on with him. Starfire quickly obliged and wrapped her arms tightly around Robin's waist.



"This is...safe...?" she wondered.



"Not entirely," Robin answered honestly. "But it's fast." Starfire let out a shriek as the bike went rocketing forward, jumping clear off of the bridge and down toward the frigid, dark waters below.



----------



"Did you find anything suspicious?" Robin asked her quietly when they regrouped in crime-watch room. Starfire shrugged and shook her head.



"I have found nothing out of place," she whispered. "I believe that everything is in the OK..."



Robin shrugged and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Cyborg said that the system was acting up. We're gonna have to fix that problem before someone like Slade gets in here..."



"At the present time, however, we must concentrate on the...insect-like creatures that are attacking Jump City..."



Robin nodded as he sat down at the computer terminal before him and began tapping away at keys.



"...What are you doing?" Starfire asked slowly. "We should be helping our friends, should we not?"



"You can go ahead if you want," Robin told her, staring at his screen. "I'm going to try and look up any known information on what we're up against."



"Have fun wasting your time," bellowed a sinister and robotic tinted voice from behind them. They both spun around to see that the giant TV screen at the end of the room had been intercepted by a bizarre-looking beast. He looked like a human-moth combination. He stared at them with big, black eyes and spoke with metallic jaws. "By the time you find out anything about my children, your city will be nothing but rubble.



"Who are you??" Robin demanded, jumping out of his chair and storming toward the screen.



"The future ruler of this city," the being answered coldly. "I can fix your pest problem...But at a price."



"What do you want...?" Robin growled.



"My demands are quiet simple. The city will declare me- Killer Moth- as its new ruler. The Teen Titans will surrender...And Robin...-"



Robin swallowed and glared at him, his teeth grit.



"You will take this...wonderful woman, Kitten...to her Junior prom...And make it the night of her life."



The bottom right corner of the screen opened up to reveal the image of a young girl, about Robin's age, with blonde hair. She winked at him devlishly.



"My, my, Robby Poo...You're looking stressed tonight. How about I loosen you up...?"



Robin stared at her blankly, utterly surprised from such a request.



"Ughhh..." he couldn't speak for a few moments, quite puzzled.



"That's OK," she said with quite a coquettish tone. "We've got all evening to get you in a good mood..."



Starfire, her eyes glowing green with anger, grabbed Robin's shoulder and began to pull him away into the hallway.



"Please allow Robin a few minutes to carefully think this decision over," she shouted to them with a fake sweetness.



No sooner had the door closed behind them did Starfire begin to rave and rant like a lunatic.



"Robin, who IS this girl?" she demanded fiercely.



"I-I don't know, Starfire," Robin quickly spat out, hoping to avoid her wrath.



"Who does she think she IS??" Starfire hissed as she began to pace back and forth, her eyes practically steaming with green energy. "Such a request is UNACCEPTABLE!! It is difficult to even FATHOM such a notion! I am appalled that she would even consider asking you such a question! I will not allow you to be taken advantage of by this zargnarf. RRRR!" Starfire groaned in disgust. "Such a despicable act. I can not- I WILL NOT- let this...this...'floozy,' I believe is the term, use you in such a way. Her demands must not be met! Surely she is a monster in disguise, waiting to capture you, and-"



"I think I've figured out how to stop these things," Robin said into his communicator as Starfire grumbled behind him.



"What do we do?" Cyborg grunted. The sound of his cannon could be heard as he blasted away.



"Hang in there for a couple minutes, and I'll fill you in. Robin out."



"-atrocious! I would rather be consumed by those creatures than watch you-"



"I have to," Robin grumbled with regret.



Starfire froze, her green eyes wide, and the glowing died down.



"...Wh-...? What?" she squeaked. "B-b-but-"



"But nothing, Star!" Robin said. He had some reluctance in his voice, but he knew it had to be done. "These things just keep on coming! We need a plan- NOW. It's the only way to save the bridge..."



"...But...-" Star's eyes were getting damp. Did he even remember the past few nights? Didn't he remember the moments they had shared? Did it even matter? How could he just throw it away like that?



"I'm sorry," Robin said apologetically. "If you have a better idea, speak up."



Starfire crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot like a child in a fit. The 'thump' her boot made on the floor was rather loud, and made Robin jump a little. Her brows furrowed, her eyes narrowed, and her bottom lip curled down slightly.



"...Very well," she grumbled. "But I shall accompany you..."



"What?" Robin murmured in surprise. "Are you sure? Maybe you should head down to the bridge..."



Starfire huffed through her nose and let out a "Hmph!"



Robin sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll be fine, Starfire..."



"I refuse to leave you alone with this girl..." Starfire declared boldly. "She does not seem like a very nice person, and I do not wish for you to be forced into...doing things...that you should not have to do."



"...I think I can handle it," Robin assured her. But when he saw the fury in her eyes, he quickly changed his mind. "But...Then again, I-I guess it couldn't hurt."



"Robin," Starfire began stiffly. "Do you consider us...a pair...? A couple?"



Robin winced at the confrontation he was being squeazed into.



"...Well?" Starfire asked curtly, her face solemn. "Do you, or do you not?"



"...I-I...Yes," Robin muttered as his guts shoved out the word. "But that doesn't mean-"



"Then you understand my worry," Starfire assumed, tapping her foot impatiently.



Robin groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Starfire, we don't have any TIME for this. If you're going to come, fine. There's no time for arguing."



With that, Robin quickly flew through the door, and Star followed. In that split-second, Robin tried to convince himself that Starfire could prove to be helpful in this case. Maybe they would try to get him alone and capture him? How did he know? He didn't, but he DID know that two Titans were better than one. It seemed she couldn't be convinced otherwise, but this was an emergency. Robin did understand...But still...This was no time for games. So what if some girl would be trying to make out with him? This was their duty, and some stupid blonde in heat didn't change their job.



"I'll do it," Robin announced to the man before him. "I'll take the girl to her prom..."



"Aren't you going to ask her?" Killer Moth grunted in a way that made Robin out to be a rude fool.



"..." Robin grit his teeth together in frustration. First he had to startd estroying the city, then he had to make his girlfriend angry, and now he was even stealing his dignity right in front of her. (You are LOW...) "...Fine..." He glared at the image of Kitten on the screen.



"...Kitten...Will you...go with me to the prom?" he growled between his clenched teeth.



The blonde girl with the devilish smile plastered on her face narrowed her eyes as she admired her new trophy.



"What? You want to take ME to the prom?? Of COURSE I'll go, Robby Poo!!" she shouted estactically. She blinked at his attire for a moment in disgust and told him, "I KNOW you aren't planning on going in THAT, right? I mean, it IS a prom. Besides, that cape will TOTALLY clash with my dress..."



Robin built up the anger within him and tried to breathe deeply through his flaring nostrils. Starfire, in the background, had her fists clenched, and she let out a supressed growl.



"I'll wear a tuxedo if it'll make you happy..." Robin hissed.



"Oh, Robby Poo...You look upset about something...If you don't want to go-"



"I'll go," he groaned. "...Tell me where we'll meet. I'll get there as soon as I can."



"If you say, so, Robin!" the girl squealed.



----------



"Robin!! Where ARE you, man?!" Cyborg cried at his arm as he was being covered in gray insects. He was gradually becoming suffocated. "There's no END to these things!" he shouted out. Just as Cyborg felt that he was about to drown in moth hair, the bugs began to detach themselves from his body and buzz off, forming the same ominous cloud they had entered with. They soared away from the bridge, which was damaged but still intact, and headed downtown.



"What-??" was all Cyborg could mutter as he watched the lot of them whisk themselves away. As the humming died down, Cyborg, as well as the other Titans, could only stand in a perplexed state of awe with jaws dropped and eyes wide. Robin's voice burst out from Cyborg's arm, and the Titan almost jumped.



"I've bought you guys some time," he announced. "I don't think anyone broke into the Tower, but while I was here I managed to find out who's behind this..." Robin sent in an image ripped from the earlier transmission of the moth-man. "Killer Moth. He's the one controlling the mutant insects."



"A'ight. So what do we do about it? Where is he?" Cyborg asked, still a bit shaken as his fellow teammates crowded around him, each one inspecting their own communicator.



"I'm not entirely sure," Robin murmured. "But I think I have a clue." Another picture taken from the message before was displayed on their screens. It was a picture of Kitten with that devlish look on her face. "Her name's Kitten. She's connected to Killer Moth somehow. If you can find out what that link is, then you should be able to locate him and take him out." Robin reappeared to talk to them some more. They could barely make out Starfire grumbling in the background. "Starfire and I will keep the insects at bay while we can and give you time. The city's counting on us tonight. Don't let 'em down. Titans, move out."



"Great," Beastboy muttered, tossing his arms. "What's Robin doing, anyway? Why isn't he helping us?"



Raven shrugged and hypothesized, "He said that he's keeping the moths under control. However he's doing it, it seems to be working. Let's just trust him and find this psycho so we can get it over with..."



----------



Starfire huffed in dismay as her hair was pulled back fiercely by the windas they rushed over the bay's cold, dark waters. The skies were black and clear as the moon, nearly full, cast its mysterious glow upon them. The loud roaring of the rockets attached to the R-Cycle's side had been blasting into their ears for a minute or so now. The cycle was skimming the surface of the fridged bay with great speed, spraying up water in a trail as it flew. The two Titans looked out of place in the given setting. Robin was wearing a clean, sharp tuxedo of black with a bow tie to match. His shoes were shimmering in the pale moonlight, and his strong, adroit hands were exposed to the humid night air. On his head was his red helmet with the green visor. He had tried to get Starfire to wear it, but she had insisted that he leave it on his head. Her reasoning was that should an accident occur, she could lighten her fall with her powers of flight. Starfire was suited in the same outfit she had worn on their first date- a stunning pink dress with red shoes that shone brilliantly in the moonlight. A rose's head had been pinned to her chest on the left side, and she wore her smooth, soft gloves of magenta that ran up her arm. The dress cut off at her upper chest, and was held up by two thin shoulder straps. They looked as if they were going to a dance together, ironically enough.



After a couple more minutes of tense silence, the cycle arrived at the docks of Jump City where a massive crowd of teenagers was piled before a cruise ship. They were all finely dressed and looked ready for the night of their lives. A large, pink banner with white lettering was hung on two posts at the boarding platform. The words, "Junior High Prom: Your Date With Destiny" could be read and had stars drawn around them. Robin waited for a moment or two as Star slid herself off of the motorcycle hesitantly, and both sets of eyes watched the many eager teens form into a line and head onto the boat. Robin let out a sigh of despair as he jumped off of his bike and popped out of his helmet. As he hung it on a handlebar, he wondered why he he couldn't be here to dance with STARFIRE.



(I hope she gets into a car accident on the way over,) he wished cynically.



To Robin's dismay, a pink limousine cruised onto the scene, a a blond girl in a dress similar to Starfire's emerged, her eyes glowling with excitement. She grinned eagerly as she scanned the scene, waving arrogantly to anyone whose eyes met hers.



"Well..." Robin gave Starfire a petrified glance and sighed. "Better get this over with." He paused and shook his head. "I really think you should be with the other Titans, though...They might need your help..."



"Robin, they are fine," Starfire assured him impatiently. "I refuse to let this...creature...treat you as if you are her property..." she hissed, giving the the distant girl a dagger glare.



"OH, ROBBY POO!!" Both teens grimaced at the sound of her whiny voice calling out through the throng. With a groan, Robin adjusted his tie and reluctantly stepper her way, leaving Starfire to frown bitterly. As she watched Kitten squeeze her boyfriend half to death with lustful eyes, her teeth grinded against each other, and she threw her arms to her sides, flicking her wrists up in a pouty manner. She couldn't hear what was being said, but she didn't need to hear to understand the mood that was being portrayed.



"Now take my arm and lead me in," she snapped at him calmly, keeping up her plastic smile. "Straighten your tie. And what did you do with your hair? Do I smell hair gel? Ugh. You look like you just threw on a tux five minutes ago..."



(...Didn't have much CHOICE...) Robin grumbled in his mind.



Starfire, in the background, huffed through her nose. (If my memory serves me, I believe the English term used to describe such a girl would be 'slut'.)



----------



"Man, I can't BELIEVE this!" Cyborg groaned, tapping at his arm with his fingertip.



"What's wrong?" Raven asked, trying to stoop her head to see the problem.



"I can't contact the other Titans," her cybernetic friend grumbled. "What's the point in splittin' up if we can't get a hold of each other??" He threw his arm down in dismay as he tried top formulate a plan.



Raven whipped out her own communicator from her belt and flicked it open. After pressing a small button on its side, she discovered that all she could pick up was static.



"Scanners are pickin' up a major energy disturbance," Cyborg muttered as he glanced around the environment.



"Yea," Raven added as they continued their trek. She attached her device back to her loose belt. "I can feel it, too."



"Well, whatever it is, it's probably not good..."



They walked in silence for a few minutes in the dark streets, and they would be illuminated in yellow circles from streetlights periodically.



"Ok, soooo...What are we looking for, again?" Raven mumbled, having lost track within her own thoughts.



"A few things," Cyborg told her. "We still have to find that freak jewel thief...."



"Spider-Head?"



"Yea. I sent some of the guys off to find him, and I had a few stay at the bridge in case those...things...show up again. BB and Tay headed over to the police station to have the cops stop people from wanderin' around outside...They're gonna meet up with us when they find out where the address of that mystery girl is."



"...Ummm...Wait," Ray muttered, doubt flooding her brain. "You sent Beastboy and Tay...together...? Are you SURE that was a good idea...?"



Cyborg stared at her blankly, then his brows furrowed when he saw her bite her lip.



"What?" he mumbled. "They always work together."



"Until now," Raven murmured with a sigh. "Their relationship has been a little on the crooked side lately..."



"So what?" Cyborg shot back with apathy. "We all got problems, and we all got a city to take care of. I don't care WHAT'S goin' on with them: they're gonna get the job done, am I right?"



"...Hm..." Raven hummed back thoughtfully. He did have a very valid point. She just hoped he was right. "So where are we supposed to meet up with them?"



"Right at the corner of this street..."



----------

[Destiny_Smasher]

Cyborg: Say WHAT?! Words are getting *-ed out?? What's up with THAT??

Starfire: There are many different words that your society classifies as 'vulgar'. It is frustrating to an author when they are edited out and replaced with asterix.

Raven: A word like da** can look like fu** or sh**. That can obviously be a little tedious, especially since the author has a distinct vision of what he or she wants the reader to hear.

Beastboy: Yea, Ray...Swearing just doesn't work with you, dude...

Raven: I'm not a dude.

Beastboy: Jss- Whatever! You know what I mean!!

Robin: Uhhh...Guys? Are we going to get to the rest of the update, or complain about asterix?

Sideris: HEE!! Asterix is a funny word!! :anime:

Cyborg: What the-?! You aren't supposed to-

Sideris: :p :p :p ...

Nosyarg Kcid: WOOHOO!!

Raven: Umm...

Sideris: ...I'm hungry...:crying:

Starfire: :anime: I shall cultivate the fungus!!

----------


Robin shook his communicator in frustration. Why wasn't he picking up any signal?



(They'd better be all right, and they'd better find Killer Moth REAL soon,) he hoped as he slipped the yellow device into his vest pocket when he noticed Kitten coming to the table with their punch.



"Psh. I can't believe the nerve of that girl at the punch table," Kitten grumbled as she plopped herself down across the small table from Robin, passing him his drink. "She asked me how I managed to get you to come with me to the prom..."



Robin lifted a brow, knowing that Starfire had been the one to ask her this question.



"Sooo...What did you say?" he wondered.



"I told her the truth- you asked to take me with you. You couldn't refuse, I could see it in your eyes." Robin shot her a quick frown while she wasn't looking.



(You'll make a good lawyer when you're older,) he thought at her. He leaned back and stared at the star-filled sky, trying to wash his worries away. A set of brightly colored balloons of various shapes drifted above him, tied down to the table's center. Other than that, however, his view of the sky was quite clear. He reflected on the past week and his relationship with Starfire for a minute or two while he had the chance. They certainly weren't diving in like Beastboy and Tay had, but they were a different couple. Sometimes that sort of thing works, and sometimes it doesn't. All the same, Robin was still having his doubts. He'd always had a liking for her, but he never truly could picture himself at her side until recently. Now that picture was becoming a reality, and it still felt more or less like a dream. The look on Starfire's face when he told her that he had no choice but to let this girl disrespect their relationship was still etched in his mind. Her wide, green eyes trembling, her red eyebrows shoved downward, her-



"Helloooo?? Earth to Robin!" a whining voice groaned. Kitten was stretching Robin's left arm out of its socket, trying to drag him to the dance floor. "They're playing a SLOW DANCE," she informed him, expecting him to be a gentleman and follow her. Robin snorted through his nostrils and tossed her arm away viciously, retracting it back to his chest to fold both together.



"I don't dance," Robin snapped bitterly.



Kitten's mouth curved downward into a sour face, and she grabbed his arm again, tightly gripping it in such a way that Robin could almost feel the bloodflow slowing down.



"You do NOW," she hissed. "Unless you want those nasty bugs to turn Jump City into their dinner..." Her eyes narrowed as she rubbed her power over Robin right in his face. He suppressed a growl as he stood up and let her pull him to the dance floor with the other boys and girls.



Starfire, who had been carefully eyeing the two from a nearby table, was fuming in silence. She sat with a slouch, her arms on the table's surface. Her eyes were fiercely glowing green, and her hand was crushing a rose to vent her anger, though she didn't realize it. Its thorns seemed to have no effect on her, and the rose eventually burst ablaze in green fire from starbolt energy.



The two teens before her twirled slowly, their arms wrapped around each other in the customary style. Robin's hands were on Kitten's hips, and her arms rested on his shoulders. As they danced for a minue or so, Robin stared blankly at her, dying to anywhere but where he currently was.



"From now on, Robin, this will be OUR song," Kitten whispered in his ear as she leaned her head against his neck. He felt his insides rot as she did so. His hormones, which SHOULD have been getting at least a LITTLE excited, were completely lacking of life.



As the song began to go into its last verse, Kitten removed her head tenderly and stared into Robin's masked face with lustful eyes.



"Kiss me," she murmured dreamily, shutting her eyelids and puckering her lips. Robin immediately placed an index finger over her mouth to stop her from closing in on him.



"I don't think so," he said to her with some disgust.



Starfire smiled and clapped her hands together in the background behind them. As Robin unhooked Kitten's arms from his shoulders, Starfire squinted her eyes, beaming with pride.



"The song's over," Robin told her as he began to pace off to their table.



"But we-are-NOT," Kitten roared, yanking him around by the arm, her fingernails digging into him like claws.



"You're either giving me a kiss, or I'm giving YOU Daddy's bugs..." Kitten informed him threateningly with a dagger glare. Robin stared at her with eyes narrowed and teeth clenched as he absorbed the words she'd just thrown out.



"...Daddy...? You mean, Killer Moth-...?" He was at a loss for words.



"Yes, Robby Poo," Kitten hissed between grit teeth. "Now you're going to pucker up or ELSE."



Robin's brain whirled as he tried to evaluate the situation. If the Titans hadn't found and taken out Killer Moth, the city was still at risk. Robin decided that he wasn't going to take a chance- he had to give in to the coquette.



"...Fine," he grumbled, burning with loathing- though not as much as Starfire was. Robin dove in to get it done and over with as quick as he could, leaving Kitten breathless. The locking of lips lasted for only a couple of seconds, and when Robin removed his mouth from hers, he quickly wiped it with his sleeve.



"Wow," Kitten whispered in awe, her eyes wandering around in a daze. Her moment of euphoria was shattered when she felt a furious burning in her stomach and was flung backwards. She screamed in pain as she landed on her back. Robin, who had felt the scorching hot object whiz by him, spun around to see Starfire hovering a few inches from the ground, her arm outstretched. He didn't know whether to smile or frown, so he just blinked at her blankly.



Kitten rose from the floor, groaning.



"Leave Robin ALONE," Starfire commanded viciously.



"You little slut," Kitten mumbled as she staggered back to her feet.



"You require a mirror," Starfire countered darkly. Robin took a step away as Kitten advanced toward Starfire. He was a bit too shocked as to how to react, for he feared his own safety. A cat fight began as Kitten pounced upon Starfire's floating body like a jaguar, and it almost seemed as if she let out a roar as she did so.



Robin stared at the two quarrel in a paralyzed state for a few moments. Starfire pinned Kitten against the table, and the blonde girl managed to grab the punch bowl beside her and fling it at Starfire's face. The Tamaranian sputtered as she forced the red liquid out of her throat, and Kitten sought the opportunity to kick her square in the face with her high heel. Starfire shrieked and reeled back slightly. As she recovered, her hands squeezed tightly as they burned with green flames of fury.



"Starfire!! WAIT!!" Robin screamed, lashing his arm out as he lunged for her. It suddenly struck him that if Kitten got angry, she might have her 'Daddy' send the insects out again, and they couldn't take any chances.



He was too late, however, as Starfire blasted Kitten's light body across the long table. She was driven downward as she grined against it, crashing into every dish that had been placed upon it. She ended up with her abdomen stuck in a thick, goopy mess of chocolate cake. She sat up slowly, gripping her head in pain. Her body had become the plate for a feast. Chocolate frosting was all in her dishevled hair, along with some spaghetti noodles. Red sauce from that spaghetti was splattered on the once pristine pink dress she wore. The flower she had been wearing on her chest was crushed, and had vegetable dip on it. Her high heels had guacamole in them, which she could feel squishing around. Her dress was painted with a rainbow of colors in variously shaped splotches.



Robin had slowed to a halt as he gaped at Kitten's ort-ridden outfit. He felt a very strong sense of satisfaction at first, but it immediately was murdered by his fear and his seriousness. How would she react? Robin left Starfire to run to Kitten's side, desperate to make amends and get her to calm down before she did something rash. Starfire gasped as she realized that she had let her anger and jealousy get the best of her. She could feel regret course through her entire body as Robin gave her a worried glance as Kitten crawled from the table and wobbled onto her feet.



"You're going to PAY for that..." Kitten hissed in the same way a cat would. Robinw anted to apologize to try and get her to settle down, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He hated her guts with a passion. Kitten's extortim to get Robin as a date was officially over, from the looks of things. He only hoped that the others had located Killer Moth.



"Kitten, we're not letting you go anywhere," Robin told her, his mind having created a new plan. If they could stop Kitten from contacting her father, things would stay running smoothly.



"Good," Kitten growled, ripping her large, white flower from her chest. "I'll stay right here and watch your city get DESTROYED!!"



As petals rained to the ground at her feet, a cylindrical device with a small button on top became visible. With the second it took for Robin to hazard a guess that it was a control that no doubt sent a signal to Killer Moth, Kitten's thumb had already slammed down. Robin's reaction was too slow, as he slapped the device from her hand too late. As it clattered to the ground before Starfire, the girl shook her head slowly in shame. She'd just made a terrible mistake. She knew for certain that Robin was not pleased.



(What have I done? I am such a varmerwelk,) Starfire scolded herself using a Tamaranian insult.



"What did you do??" Robin demanded, clutching her by the neck with ferocity.



"You ruined my evening, so I'm ruining YOURS!!" she screamed with instability. "Daddy's not in charge tonight!" Robin huffed through his nose like a bull and threw her to wooden planks below him.



"Starfire," he murmured darkly. There was a pregnant pause, the air so thick that it would take a chainsaw to cut through the tension. "We're leaving."



Starfire, her body quivering with fear and self-anger, obeyed his implied command and drifted to his side, slipping her arms nervously under his own so she could carry him across the fridged waters and to the other Titans. Both teens felt awkward, angry, and frustrated with themselves as they ascended and hovered off over the shimmering sea, the moon's eerie light dancing on its waveless surface.



----------



"At least we know where we're goin'," Cyborg muttered with some relief as Raven carried him in the air on a solid disc on shadow.



"I lost sight of Beastboy and Tenochtitlan," Raven noted aloud, scanning the night skies as they soared above the streets of Jump City, weaving inbetween the taller buildings.



"Well, they're close enough where my systems actually have a fix on 'em, so as long as we keep up the pace, we'll be fine."



There was some peaceful silence as the two good friends sailed in the twilight hours. The air had a foul taste to it, and Raven knew that the night was going to be a long one.



"So, um...-" She broke the ice and initiated a conversation. "Crazy night, huh?" A small, insecure laugh slipped out.



"Yea," Cyborg muttered back, checking his arm periodically to make sure they were staying on course.



"Sooo..." Raven bit her lip for a moment as she pondered how to phrase what she wanted to ask properly. "Are you going to be busy tomorrow...?" she wondered.



Cyborg turned to her and shook his head. "Ya mean, if the city's still STANDING, right?" Raven smiled and nodded at him. "Well, I don't know. I guess not. Why?"



"I was wondering if we could just...hang out..." Raven muttered, shrugging. Cyborg ckocked his head, amused by such a thought. Raven, wanting to 'hang out' with someone other than Star? After half a second, his central computer corrected his doubt and restated the fact that Raven wasn't the same person she had been weks before.



"What'd ya have in mind?" he responded with some interest.



Raven bobbed her head and gentley pushed her hair behind her ears so it wasn't draped over her face.



"Well, there's this diner I like...We could go there for lunch, and-...Maybe you could take me for a spin in the T-Car. Does it need any adjusting? I could help with that."



Cyborg grinned and nodded as he turned his head back to the city sprawled out before them.



"All rignt, Ray...Sounds cool. It's a date."



That queasy unsettling of Raven's intestines ocurred again, which she was getting quite used to by now, and she could feel blood rush to her face. She was grateful Cyborg wasn't looking. Of this she was sure. Cyborg tapped her side, causing her to look up. He was pointing straight ahead of them where a black cloud was forming and spreading out over the buildings below.



"Uhhh...I think we found the building," Cyborg murmured with raised brows, wide eyes, and a dropped jaw.



----------


The last two scenes will have to wait until Monday.

[Sproxie]

YAY! i'm happy, I can wait till monday, i'm just glad you posted!
I liked -
~how you always seem to put in an episode with you story and make it fit in with whats going on, i also like how you "adjust" them.
~how you put in little conversations with the characters between the posts :anime:
~the last scene with Raven and Cyborg
~ many more things but suddenly my mind went blank :shrug:

[rrarbecy]

I absolutely love the way you tweak existing episodes to fit your whim. This is just really hard to describe. The word "slut" is used well, and I know how Starfire feels. One thing I don't like: cliffhangers. grrr

[Destiny_Smasher]

Dude, I don't care WHOSE birthday it is, honestly. :yawn:

I finished the Chapter, folks, I've come up with the plot to a Christmas Short in this fic's continuity (which will peak suspense even more for readers here, methinks) so I can participate in the contest this month, and I finished the Prologue to my Sonic fic, which details the story that is written in Raven's book that Tikal's been reading.

Destinia readers will see plenty of questions answered in that fic as I progress.

Now, then...Drumroll, please...

----------



The sound of a bumper getting kicked could be heard from behind the two girls. They both whirled around to see Sonic's right keg pointed up in the air as the bumper spun wildly and flew down to the bay below. It landed with a deep 'plunk!' which could be heard only because there was no sign of movement anywhere on the bridge beside the three teens.



"Damn!" Sonic whined as his foot dropped to the pavement below them. "Why am I stuck here? I'd have found that idiot by now and taken him out! Why'd I get sent here?"



Tikal and Amy exchanged dull expressions. Tikal sighed and shook her head while Amy rolled her eyes and huffed.



"Robin knows that if the bridge is attacked, you'll be fast enough to defend wherever it needs it," Tikal reasoned.



"Yea, quit bein' a baby!" Amy scolded him. "If you're such a big 'superhero,' then shouldn't you do your job and listen to your leader?"



Sonic grumbled to himself and crossed his arms over his chest in a small fit.



"Why are YOU here, anyway??" Sonic demanded, his voice gruff for the moment.



Amy placed her hands on her hips and gave him a "Hmph!" She turned her head to the side and stuck her chin up slightly as she told him, "Cyborg told Robin it would be a good idea to have me back you up, because he saw me in action while you were running around."



"I was killing those dumb MOTHS!" Sonic snapped. "Are you trying to tell me that you actually FOUGHT them??" he asked incredulously.



Amy stared at him with narrow eyes and stretched her arms out.



"Where do you think I got all of this STUFF on me from??" she demanded. Her voice began to quiver halfway through the sentence in disgust as she just now realized how covered she was. About half of her surface area had maroon blood on it, either in stains or still damp. She winced at the sight and looked back up to Sonic. She still couldn't believe what she had done earlier.



Sonic shook his head in skepticism.



"Well, I thought you were just cowering around and got some on you because some ran into you and were crushed by your THICK SKULL!" Sonic teased with a smirk.



"Sonic!" Tikal cried out, appalled.



"At least I wasn't killing them with the fumes from my hair gel!!" Amy countered.



"Amy..." Tikal whimpered from in-between the two.



"Hey! I'm on this team, and you're NOT! Who asked you to come with us in the first place, anyway??"



"You did!!" Amy retorted. "'Prooooove it!' you said!" she sarcastically cried out, flailing her arms.



"STOP!!!" Tikal shouted, breaking them apart from their verbal fight. She knew the REAL reason as to why they were arguing. Sonic was feeling emotionally unstable now that Amy was around- he had feelings for her, too, but wouldn't admit to it, and placed the blame for his feelings on her. Amy, on the inside, was mad because Sonic always tried ignoring her (which he did because he wanted to ignore his emotions), which crushed her. She tried and tried again to get his attention, to show that she was worth something, and he always turned his head. She loved him all the same, because he was just as stubborn as she was, but as a mental defense mechanism, she'd try to act like he got on her nerves. If she couldn't have his affection, than he wasn't going to have hers. That would be a way of phrasing the way her mind subconsciously viewed the situation.



There were a few moments of quiet tension, but it began to transform into worry and doubt as the bright moonlight became shadow. The darkness swept over the bridge like water, swallowing all three. Their heads immediately jumped to the skies as they were overcome by a thunderous, droning hum.



"They're back," Tikal squeaked in horror. "We should contact the others..."



Sonic shook his head at her, as he had tried to establish communication as the shadows had enveloped the bridge.



"We can't," he murmured shakily. "Everything's jammed..."



"...What do we DO?!?" Amy shrieked, holding her hands up to her mouth. There were so MANY of them...They'd barely made due before with all the Titans in tow. How were they going to defend the bridge on their own?



"We give 'em hell," Sonic replied, tightening his fists.



----------



The halls were bleak and desolate, but even drearier than usual. For a corridor with four Titans walking through it, it was far too quiet. It was deathly quiet, as it had been for minutes as they had made a journey to the kitchen to eat a few snacks.



Robin's expression hadn't shifted from that of suppressed anger and frustration since they had finally come back home.



"...We're sure that everything got taken care of?" he asked softly, his brows furrowed as he walked with clenched fists.



"Yea, we took out the jewel thief," Mario answered solemnly. His cap was flopped over his face so you couldn't see his eyes.



"The bridge is still up," Sonic muttered. He appeared to share Robin's calm anger about the situation.



"Killer Moth is in prison," Raven reported dully. She walked with her hands wrapped around her stomach, and it appeared that she was chilled. Her arm had a black spot upon it, about three inches in diameter. It was hard to notice in the dim light.



"And Kitten's in there with him," Robin added with bitter satisfaction. "What about the moths?"



"I don't know what caused it-" Raven stated, "-but somehow, the moths were transformed into larvae...We destroyed just about all of them by throwing them into the ocean."



"Yea, well, we'd better hope none of them show up later," Robin concluded. He pulled out his communicator and eyed it quickly before clipping it back onto his belt. "It's three in the morning..." he announced in a groan.



There were no more words until they entered the dark living room. It was pitch black in the back of the room, and it gradually got brighter as they went further into it. The white, flickering from the large TV at the end of the room cast an eerie glow on the faces of all of the Titans as they arranged their weary bodies before it. Some were on the floor, others on the couch, and others behind it. All were tired, all were bruised, and all had their spirits drained.



The room would have been utterly silent had the TV not been on. Cyborg, who sat on the black, semi-circle sofa, adjusted the volume with the remote so it wasn't too loud or too soft, and everyone in the room could clearly hear. In the bottom corner of the screen were the letters 'JCN'. The word 'Live' was also pictured beside it. A brunette newswoman in a business suit stood in the streets of their city, grasping a microphone and speaking calmly into it.



"-when the mysterious creatures returned to wreak their havoc upon downtown Jump City. Local superheroes, the 'Teen Titans', engaged the creatures and somehow were able to put the epidemic to an end, though not before further damage was done." She turned her head and pointed a finger behind her at a smoldering building.



"One example of the chaos that took place tonight is the case of the rubble behind me. What used to be a popular ice cream parlor here on Balberry Street caught fire when the insects chewed electrical wires. The owner, Mr. Luigi Chelli, had been sleeping upstairs while this occurred. By the time he had awakened, the entire bottom floor was ablaze. Mr. Chelli was able to contact the fire department to rescue him in time. However, after being escorted to Jump City Hospital, Mr. Chelli had a cardiac arrest and died shortly after."



Luigi was in shock from the story. "Mr. Chelli..." he whispered despondently. The man was a kind and caring soul whom Luigi had known well, for he visited the ice cream shop almost every day since he had arrived in Jump City. As another story was spun about a young woman who had crashed into a streetlight when the moths assaulted her car, Amy broke into tears. As the news reporter described the brutal impact, detailing how the girl's seatbelt had snagged and slit her throat from the impact, Amy was breathing erratically.



"I knew her...She was my co-worker at the mall," Amy sniffled quietly to Sonic, who sat on the floor beside her. Sonic rubbed her shoulder a little to try and comfort her, but he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable himself as he did so.



"At this time, sixty-seven are reported to have been seriously wounded from the attack tonight. It has been confirmed that thirteen are dead."



The entire room was blanketed in solemn, drowning silence and darkness as the TV was shut off after those words had been spoken. The image of moonlight reflecting from the ocean's smooth surface outside was all that could be made out. Some of the white beams filtered into the room, though not enough to see clearly.



The sound of a remote gently clapping the coffee table broke the unsettling tranquility as Robin placed it down.



"We should all get some sleep. We need it," he told them. "Amy, Luigi...We appreciate your help tonight," he said shakily. He coughed afterward, trying not to show that he was on the verge of tears himself. "You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you wish. I'm sure someone here knows where you can rest the night."



"Thanks," Luigi mumbled dully as he stood up, staring at the ground.



"Thank you," Amy choked, sitting on the floor before him.



"You can sleep in my room," Tikal whispered to her as she helped the traumatic teen to her feet. Amy wobbled a little before she followed her friend to the hall. The Titans slowly filed out, but hardly a word was spoken from that point besides an, "Excuse me," or a "Sorry," when one bumped into another in the dark.



As Robin trailed behind them, he jumped when he felt a hand latch onto his left shoulder. He knew exactly who it was. He paused as he bubbled up inside, clearly upset about the outcome of the night. He took his right arm and firmly gripped Starfire's wrist with it. He tossed it off of his body roughly in a jerking motion, catching Starfire by surprise. As Robin disappeared into the blackness before her, Starfire stood, gaping at his silhouette, her eyes leaking.



(Thirteen are dead...because of my irrational actions...)



~[<+--\-<*>-/--+>]~



End Transmission



{\+<--/-<*>-\-->+/}


Booshah. 60+ pages in that Chapter, and well over 100,000 characters...MWAHA.

There's more to come. We're riding the roller coaster, folks, and that roller coaster just got to that part that makes you feel like throwing up.

[Sproxie]

Starfire stood, gaping at his silhouette, her eyes leaking.

(Thirteen are dead...because of my irrational actions...)
wow, it must suck to feel that way.... But WOW... I'm so glad you finally finished the chapter! and there is still more to come? *girly squeal* :anime:

[decka]

Wow. I feel so bad for them. I can't wait to here what happens

[Destiny_Smasher]

Nothing useful? ANYTHING a reader says can be useful to some degree.

Afterall, the main issue with a Thousand Needles right now is the introduction of Inuyasha and the others. Some complain that I'm putting too many characters in, while others think that it's awesome.

Did you catch on to who those girls in that scene were? I was surprised that so many of my readers could recognize Sailor Moon characters when I hardly describe anything about them. The only clues I really gave were 'Mercury,' 'Meatball Head,' and a white, gloved hand...

By the way, a lot of those quotes were my own, but a couple were borrowed from other sources.

"All Worlds share the Same Sky, etc." is from Kingdom Hearts, while the quote at the bottom about choices is from the Matrix trilogy.

What else..."It's always darkest before dawn"...I don't know where that one's origin is.

"A hero desires a sword, and a sword desires truth" is from Soul Calibur II.

8j 73|-| \/\/4j |)035 4|\|j 0 j005 |<|\|0\/\/ |-|0\/\/ 70 5p34k !n l33t?

By the way, do any of you know how to speak in 'leet'?

Of course, you change spellings of words and the like, to make it sound more l33t, but...

p|-|34r

fear

See what I mean? Oh, wait...Well, 3=e, and 4=a...

Anyway, I'm still learning. But writing the phrase 'know how' using no letters and only zero's is awesome.

Those 'animals' in Golden Sunrise are supposed to be Sonic the Hedgehig characters. Some are original, some are taken from the games/comics.

Um...So...I GUESS the next Chapter is done...

I might add a section to the end...

Tell ya what- I'll post up part of it now, and the rest of it on Monday. That way I'll have finished the rest, if I decide to add more to the end.

<-{--[ Begin Transmission ]--}->



The Destinia Saga...



Winds of Fate: The X Factor



Chapter 14- Numb



The room was surprisingly bright considering how bleak it was. At least, Raven's bed was bright. Moonlight from the full sphere in the sky poured in through her window as slow piano music came in gentle waves to her ears. She couldn't get to sleep, as tired as she was. Her mind was whirling with too many thoughts, and she kept feeling a bizarre premonition within her insides. She sat on her hip, slowly scanning the pages of the book that Tikal was familiar with. Tikal had been slowly teaching her how to read the words within. Fortunately, the language wrote in letters rather than words, but Raven still didn't understand what most of the words MEANT. She knew a little bit now after hours of being taught over recent days, but most of the concepts still eluded her. Raven was interested in learning the story itself more than how to read it. The pictures helped to tell a story, however. Currently, Raven was gazing at the picture of the strange star creature that Tikal and Tay had reviewed carefully. Something about the picture radiated familiarity, though Raven knew she had never seen such a being in her life.



She had been doing this for the past half hour or so, desperately trying to derail her brain from the tracks they had been set on by the evening's events. She didn't want to worry about failure, or death, or anything of the sort. Ironically, she was only finding more of it in this book, but at least this wasn't her life. But her thoughts couldn't help but wander back to the relentless night that they had experienced. As she began to worry about what the future would hold, she remembered Destiny Smasher's words the other night.



(This must be what he was talking about,) Raven concluded. (He knew these things would happen. He knows what WILL happen...)



Raven's body jolted and she let out a small gasp when she heard her door knock. It wasn't rapped very hard, but Raven's room echoed sounds easily, and noises sounded louder in her room than they did in the hall.



"...Um...Hello?" she croaked. She quickly realized it was Starfire, because she could tell by the fashion in which she had knocked. "Come in," she added.



There was a pause as she could hear Starfire entering in the passcode on the wall beside the door, and the door swung open shortly afterward. Starfire slowly walked in, but Raven couldn't see her in the dark as she came. As she stared at the shadowy figure, she could tell how low on energy the Tamaranian was by the way she walked.



"Good night, Raven," Starfire whispered solemnly. "I am...unable to slumber. Would I be able to borrow a compact disk of sound to help me sleep?"



"Of course," Raven answered, closing her book and levitating out of her bed. She lazily floating to her bookshelf and pointed to a small section of CD's. "They're right here. You can borrow any of them- I'll let you know when I want them back."



Starfire took a deep breath, and an exhausted sigh resulted. "I thank you, dear friend." As she lit up her hand with green light, Raven hovered by her side patiently, sensing that Starfire was just as distraught as she was.



No conversation was carried out as Starfire selected one and bid her friend to sleep well, then left the room as quickly and mysteriously as she had entered.



As she left, she passed through the moonlight for a second or two, and Raven could see her eyes and the bags beneath them. She knew that Starfire felt guilt for what had ocurred that night, but she didn't know why. Raven didn't know about Robin's date with Kitten, nor was she aware to what Starfire had done. All the same, she could tell from Starfire's face that something had happened between her and Robin, and it hadn't been good.



----------



Breakfast was remarkably quiet that morning. Not a single word had passed between the Titans, and they drearily went about their business eating in silence.



As Cyborg poked at his scrambled eggs, he let out a deep sigh and stared around the kitchen. His fellow Titans were chewing on bacon, drinking orange juice, swallowing waffles, slurping coffee, and other various things of the sort. He broke the eery quiet by asking sullenly, "So...Who else didn't any sleep last night...?"



Everyone in the room either raised their hand or nodded in reply, though none really bothered to look up at him.



"Thought so," Cyborg mumbled, shaking his head slowly.



"I got some sleep," Link announced calmly as he entered the room with Terra.



"I didn't," Terra grumbled with a yawn. For another few minutes, nothing was said while food was ingested, accompanied by stretching and groaning.



The whole team wasn't present, though, particularly their leader, and as time passed, they began to wonder what became of him.



"Very quiet this morning," Tikal whispered to Sonic as she poured him a cup of coffee.



"Yea," he softly answered back. "Amy's not around..."



"She's doing laundry. She wasn't very pleased with the purple moth blood on her clothes."



"I dunno, it made her look like she was actually DOING something for a change," Sonic mused. "I still don't know where the hell she got that sword from..."



"I believe I have an idea..." Tikal murmured thoughtfully. Before she could express her hypothesis, Starfire trudged her way into the room.



She shared baggy, bloodshot eyes like everyone else, though she looked a bit more frightening, as she had red lines contrasted on her green eyes where white would be on a human. Her long hair, which was usually combed with care, was dishevled, and strands were sticking out in all directions. She was fumbling around in the fridge, and she emerged with a oddly shaped periwinkle pot covered with wavy, dark purple designs. She carried the small, ceramic object to the counter beside the fridge and slowly lifted the cap off, sniffing the contents within.



She took a small sip from it and coughed a little as she placed the lid back on shakily.



"Starfire," Raven called drowsily. "Do you know where Robin is...?"



Starfire, facing the wall, stood silent, closing her eyes slowly.



"...He left..." she murmured slowly. "I am...not certain where he is located, but I do know that he has left the Tower..."



Raven cocked a brow and turned to Cyborg, who shrugged.



"You think maybe he went shopping?" Beastboy grumbled, half awake, as he munched on a pancake. He was too sleepy to realize that they weren't dairy free, though he may not have cared too much at the time, anyway.



"That doesn't sound like Robin," Raven muttered suspiciously as she eyed Starfire's sloppy demeanor.



"He can take care of himself," Cyborg chuckled. "I think he knows what he's doing..."



"Yea," Raven agreed slowly as she waited for Star to come and sit down. She felt more and more uneasy for every moment she waited. As Starfire finally did sit down, she clutched her pot tenderly and sipped from it slowly.



"What about the Brothers?" Terra mumbled curiously.



"M. n' L.?" Sonic checked. "I think they said they were going to start repairs on the T-Car."



Cyborg's brows lifted. "What?" he quipped. "Wait...They're fixin' my baby?"



"That was their plan," Tikal repsonded, glancing to a nodding Sonic.



Cyborg was speechless for a moment or two and shrugged. "...I'm down with that..." he murmured. There were a few moments of tranquility as the dialogue ended.



"So, um...-" Raven was feeling uncomfortable from the silence, so she fumbled to start it back up again. "What do we do...?" She glanced to Cyborg, who assumed command duties by default when Robin wasn't around.



"...W-...I dunno," he groaned. "I guess we'd usually do training and patrols, but...I think we need some time to recoop."



Raven nodded at his response and let the conversation end when she noticed that no one wished to continue. She turned her gaze to Starfire's dull expression, and her head began to throb slightly.



"Starfire, I've got something to show you," she informed her quietly. As she got up from her stool at the kitchen's island, she grabbed Starfire's tan arm and eased her to follow. The Tamaranian dragged her feet for a moment or two as he placed the lid on her small pottery, then traced her path through the halls of the Tower for a couple of minutes until they reached Raven's bedroom. Raven stepped to the access panel to enter her code, but as she did, the door slid open- it wasn't locked.



"Strange..." she whispered. "I know I locked it this morning..."



"EVerything is strange as of late," Starfire mumbled darkly.



After giving Starfire a worried glance, Raven held out a hand, signaling her friend to proceed. After Starfire stepped inside, Raven entered, closing the door- and locking it- behind her.



"Soooo...What's going on?" Raven asked bluntly, her brows furrowing with concern.



Starfire blinked at her a few times, apparently unaware of what she was talking about. Raven stared at her expectantly and placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward.



"Starfire, I KNOW that something happened. You're going to tell me what it is, aren't you?"



Starfire shook her head slowly and muttered, "I do not understand...I am tired, yes. I am discouraged, as well, as we all are, but...-"



"But you're upset about something beyond that," Raven declared with suspicion. "It's about Robin again, isn't it? What did he do? I swear, if-"



"Robin did not do anything wrong," Starfire firmly replied, sitting down on Raven's bed as she popped open her jar. "He is...frustrated...And I do not blame him..." She spoke in a sullen voice and drank from her pot in small sips.



Raven carefully scanned her best friend and was disappointed. Starfire was hiding something. It pained Raven to realize that she was getting better and better at doing it.



When Starfire noticed the gaze she was getting from Raven, she felt a pang of guilt to top the already enormous amount she was drowning in.



"I...I thank you for your compact disc of music," she muttered, attempting to cover up the subject. "I enjoy your earthly songs. They are...less chaotic than most Tamaranian works."



"I'll bet they are," Raven answered quietly, taking a seat beside Starfire. Star paused before deciding to share the beverage in her hand with Raven. She held the red, quart-sized jar to Raven with care.



"Would you care to try some Jango berry juice?" she offered, trying her best to sound like herself.



Raven glanced into the dark pot at the translucent purple liquid.



"Um...Sure. Thanks." She grasped the pot in her hands and tilted it up just enough to slide some of the juice into her mouth. As she swallowed, she coughed violently and grabbed her chest in pain as it drizzled down her throat like lava. She passed the container back to Starfire shakily, continuing to cough. Starfire immediately slapped Raven's back to help clear her passageway. When she could breath again, Raven scraped her tongue with her teeth as the awful aftertaste was left over. It tasted like...



"...Alcohol...?" Raven choked, rubbing her head as a small daze swept over her.



Starfire nodded calmly before taking another small sip.



"You should not inhale such large quantities in one gulp," she informed Raven. "Would you like some more?" she wondered cheerfully.



"No," Raven groaned, shaking her head and waving her hand as she grasped her stomach. After she watched Starfire take another shot, she asked, "How much alcohol is in that...?"



Starfire tapped her chin thoughtfully and replied, "Jangoberries contain approximately fifty percent ethy-"



"FIFTY...?" Raven gasped out, her jaw dropping. "Starfire, how much of that...juice...have you been drinking...?"



"I believe I have consumed half a quart thus far," Starfire theorized, peering into the pottery like a curious chimpanzee.



Raven took a moment to ingest that information. Why was Starfire drinking alcohol? Surely she wasn't naive to what such a drug did. Did she even know it was illegal for a girl her age to consume it at all?



"...S-Starfire," Raven sputtered, caught in a state of shock. "...Y-...Wh-...Don't you know that drinking that is bad for you...?"



Starfire nodded slowly, her glazed eyes gazing into the jar thoughtfully.



"I am very aware of the effects of alcohol on the body," she announced calmly. "I am also aware of the laws that state that a person my age should not consume such a substance. However, this law appiles to HUMANS..." Raven felt a tingle run through her spine as she listened to Starfire's sly reasoning. This wasn't like her. The legal details were irrelevant; Raven was concerned about Starfire's well-being.



"...All right, Starfire..." She held out her palm, and the Tamaranian gasped as the pot in her hands flew out of her grasp in a layer of shadows. Starfire didn't object; however, her short, red brows furrowed and she bit her bottom lip for a moment.



"Starfire," Raven calmly said, her tone solemn. "Can you tell me why you think you should be drinking that?"



Starfire stared at the ground in silence for a second or two, and Raven could see frustration in the way her hands were trembling in rhythm. She could see guilt leaking from her friend's eyes.



There was no response, though Raven waited patiently for a minute or so. An answer came at last in the form of a single tear that clung to her eye stubbornly, only to be wiped away.



"...What happened?" Raven whispered sadly. She leaned forward and clasped her hands together between her legs. She quickly flipped her hair behind her right ear so she could see Starfire and sat quietly as she waited for more information. "It's about Robin..." Raven concluded, her eyes narrowing slightly.



"...He is right..." Starfire mumbled, shaking her head slowly.



A thick, black brow on Raven's head creaked up as her curiosity was piqued.



"About what?" she wondered.



Starfire's eyes widened in an instant, and her head spun to Raven's face.



"...It is-..." Starfire's teeth clenched as her eyebrows curved up fretfully. "...I do not wish to talk about it..." she mumbled, shaking her head. "Not right now..."



Raven sighed and nodded in understanding. She leaned into Starfire's side and slid a consoling arm over her shoulder.



"It's all right, Star," she murmured with a weak smile. "Everyone is feeling upset after what happened last night. You're not alone. Just remember, Star- we all tried our best; there was nothing more we could do."



Raven watched as Starfire froze up at the comment, and she felt her heart become paralyzed as she saw the Tamaranian's face contort with sadness and drip water. Starfire jumped to her feet and began to brush away at her face frantically.



"...Star...?" Raven gasped out as she lifted herself up and latched a palm on the girl's arm. "Starfire, you KNOW you can tell me what's wrong...Did Robin say something to you...?" she questioned with a hint of anger. As she stared at a sniffling Starfire, she quickly processed a hypothesis.



(Robin hates failure...) she reasoned. (And we certainly failed last night...Starfire must have caught him at a bad time and he snapped at her. He's probably really angry right now, and that's why he's not here. He took out his aggression on her, and...he must be feeling guilty, so he left to spend some time alone...Mm. That must be what's going on.)



"Starfire, don't worry," Raven reassured her sympathetically. "Robin's just frustrated right now."



"He is mad..." Starfire told her with a sniff. "...Mad at ME..."



That said, Starfire made a hasty retreat. She propelled herself out of the room with her feet and dashed down the hall quietly with Raven gliding behind in pursuit. As they raced down the hall, Raven would catch up, and Starfire would shake her off. They made it to the Tamaranian's room not too far down the hallway, and Raven watched her friend enter in desperation.



"Starfire!!" her slightly raspy voice shouted as the door to Starfire's room shut itself in her face.



Raven stood with her hands plastered to the door for a few moments, observing the handmade mural on Starfire's cold, metal door. She noticed something that disturbed her greatly. A line with a red heart over it had been painted between Starfire's name and Robin's small birdarang picture. At least, that's how it had been the last time Raven had checked. Now, the heart was no longer red; the object had been scribbled over in black.



----------



"She won't talk to me; she won't even LOOK at me!" Beastboy groaned, slumping on the couch. After a moment, Cyborg responded in a hysterical fit.



"MAN! Stupid little...Oh, you wanna piece o' this? BRING IT!!"



Beastboy rolled his eyes and waved his arm in Cyborg's face.



"DUDE! Are you even listening?? You're yelling at the video game!!"



Cyborg blinked at him blankly for a moment and shrugged.



"Yea, man, I'm listenin'." He answered, placing the controller in his lap. "What do ya want ME to do about it- MAKE her talk to you?"



Beastboy dropped his arm back to his side and let a sigh of despair pour out.



"Guess you're right..." he mumbled dully. "But there's gotta be SOMETHING I can do, right?"



Cyborg gave him a clueless shrug and shook his head.



"You'd be better off gettin' one of the girls to help you out on this one, man. Maybe one of THEM knows what her deal is."



Beastboy nodded and furrowed his brows. "I know, I tried that already. Raven talked to her...But she told Raven that she's not mad at me."



Cyborg began to play his video game again, and he continued to listen.



"Maybe she ISN'T mad you. Ever thought of that?"



"If she's not mad at me, what IS it, then??" Beastboy growled, scratching at his hair in frustration.



"Yo, B!" Cyborg clutched his shoulder firmly with his solid left hand. "Just chill, man, a'ight? Whatever it is, she wants to take care of it by herself."



"But she doesn't HAVE TO-"



"She WANTS to," Cyborg corrected him. "And that's what matters, right? Give her time, man, she'll explain things later."



"How do you know that?" the green boy demanded suspiciously.



"I don't," Cyborg replied, turning back to his game. "But she will."



They heard the door slide open in the background, but neither turned their heads to see who it was. A few seconds later, they heard Raven ask them a question from behind.



"Have either of you seen Robin yet?" she wondered.



Beastboy shook his head as he observed her face. Her brows were curved inward and she appeared to be distraught.



"What you do need him for?"



Raven fidgeted with her stray lock of hair as her eyes darted about carefully.



"I need to talk to him. It's important," she informed him. "If you see him, tell him, all right?"



"Gotcha, Ray," Cyborg muttered.



After watching Beastboy turn his head back to the TV, Raven peered over the couch's spine to see Cyborg's sullen face. She could only see his red eye and the metal side of his face.



"So, um...Cyborg," she murmured casually, "Wwwwhen are we going...?"



Cyborg paused his game and glanced at her eager face, confused. After a second, his light-bulb eye flash slightly, so it seemed, as he remembered what he had told her the night before.



"...Oh, yea," he mumbled. Raven's heart sank when she saw his expression turn apologetic. "Listen, Ray...I'm just...I'm really not in the mood, ya know? After what happened last night, n' everything..."



"Oh." Raven tried to keep her face from frowning in disappointment. "I guess you're right," she mumbled, twirling one of the drawstrings to her hood in her finger.



"Sorry," Cyborg said to her with a sigh. "I just don't think I'd have any fun." He realized that Raven would probably take that comment personally, as if he were to say he wouldn't enjoy spending time with her, so he quickly corrected himself. "I mean, I'd just be bringin' you down."



"Mm..." Raven hummed with a slight nod. She had practive hiding her emotions, and she was using that skill readily at the moment.



Cyborg cooked up something to say to give her some condolence when she started to leave. He knew she had been looking forward to it; the two hardly spent any time with each other.



"Listen, if you want to...I could use some help fixin' up the T-Car..."



Her head rotated around to give him a small smile.



"...Shhhure, I can help with that," she told him quietly. "When are you...-?"



"Uhhh...Around five."



"OK," she said, her hope restored.



"Why don't you go hang out with Star, Ray?" Cyborg suggested as he went back to playing his game.



"Yea, she's always happy, n' stuff," Beastboy declared. "I'll bet she could make you feel better."



Raven stood in silence for a moment or two, though neither of her friends noticed. After reflecting on that comment, Raven took her leave, her demeanor as solemn and upset as when she had entered the room.

[Destiny_Smasher]

----------



"What's wrong?"



Tikal avoided Sonic's glaring green eyes as they paced down the hallway.



"If you're still upset about last night...-"



Tikal closed her eyes as she was overwhelmed by thoughts. She held her palm up before Sonic's face and muttered, "Sonic, I am sorry, but I simply do not wish to talk about this right now. There are better things to worry about than your argument with Amy..."



Sonic cocked an eyebrow and opened his mouth, but no speech came out for a moment or two. He stood, dumbfounded, as Tikal briskly walked ahead.



"What are you TALKING about? Who CARES about that??" he growled, tossing his arms. He quickly caught up to her. "I was talking about the MOTH things...ya KNOW..." He flapped his arms a little to immitate the bizarre creatures.



"Oh...Um, right, of course," Tikal mumbled, her cheeks reddening. "That...WOULD be more important, wouldn't it...?"



"Well, not in your mind, apparently," Sonic answered slyly, trying to coax out what was really on Tikal's mind.



"...Nnn...No," Tikal admitted in a whisper. "I-I know I should be, but...I understand how dire the situation is, but I cannot help-..." She glanced up to Sonic when she realized how flustered she was acting and tried to calm down. "When I saw you and Amy last night, it made me feel very uncomfortable-"



"If you're worried that I'm gonna ditch you and hook up with her, you're crazy," Sonic announced boldly with a laugh. When he noticed that she was still gritting her teeth, he saw the doubt in her glazed, sapphire eyes, and he took on a more serious tone. "I never ever THOUGHT of doing that," he told her. "I could care less what Amy does," he spat out, shaking his head. He carefully stretched his hand out to her and clasped her palm in his own. He stared deep into her eyes and assured her quietly, "I'm not gonna let you down, got it?"



Tikal stared at him, her eyes still wet. She flung his hand out of hers and huffed, taking a step away from him.



"You already are," she whispered coldly. That said, Tikal took no time in escaping from her 'unofficial' boyfriend, and Sonic spent no effort attempting to catch up with her. He stood in a stupefied state instead.



(Isn't it supposed to make a girl HAPPY when you tell 'em that?) he wondered, completely in the dark.



----------



Raven had decided to pay Starfire a visit, seeing as how the Tamaranian girl hadn't shown her face for the past few hours; she was obviously upset. The hall was deathly quiet for most of her journey upstairs, which came as no surprise. The day thus far had been composed mostly of silence and tranquility, and Raven was hard-pressed to find anyone in the mood to go for a walk outside. A sense of irony was beginning to sweep over Raven as she noticed how half of the Titans were locked up in their rooms, refusing to come out.



When she had visited Tenochtitlan, the girl had creaked her door open just enough so Raven could see her eye in its black glory. The conversation ended quite quickly, and the door was shut in Raven's face. It was at that very moment that Raven could remember all the times she had done the very same thing to her friends, and guilt was seeping out of her heart. Every single time she had done that to Starfire, in particular, rattled at her brain like a hailstorm. She had a sudden urge to go to her best friend and try to 'make-up' for all those moments; however, irony wasn't done playing games with her.



As she entered the correct hallway, she could hear familiar music echoing across the walls. Curiosity took control and drove her to Starfire's door, where, to her surprise, Beastboy was standing, scratching his head. The muffled song could be heard through Starfire's door. It wasn't ear-drum popping, but it was easily noticed as one passed by. The tune began to emerge from Raven's memory as she approached.



"Isn't that-...?"



Beastboy's eyes popped open for a brief moment when he noticed her.



"Raven!" he cried.



"Shh!" Raven commanded, holding her index finger to her lips and nudging his shoulder. She stood before the door beside her green ally, her thick eyebrows creeping downward in concentration.



"I've passed by her room three times," Beastboy said quietly in her ear. "Every time, she's playing this song. Last time I checked, Star doesn't listen to Linkin Park."



"No," Raven answered as the tune continued to creep out of her memories. "She didn't..."



(But I DID,) she reminded herself. (This must be that CD she borrowed from me...)



"Hey, you know this song, don't you?" Beastboy wondered, his voice raising to a more casual level. Raven nodded as her face metamorphosized into a nervous one. As the song ended, Raven scrambled within her memories to dig up the words. As they surfaced, the song began to play again.



"See? She has it on repeat," Beastboy grumbled. "Dude, what's her deal? Talk about weird..."



Raven ignored him and leaned her back against the door, crossing her arms over her chest as she put her thoughftul face back on.



Beastboy gave her a puzzled glance with wide eyes before shrugging the entire situation off and proceeding down the same hall Raven had come from. Raven closed her eyes and began to sink into the song as it played. As the lyrics washed over her like waves from a lake, she began to try and comprehend why Starfire would be playing the song over and over.



"I'm tired of being what you want me to be

Feeling so faithless lost under the surface

Don't know what you're expecting of me

Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes

(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)

Every step that I take is another mistake to you

(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)



[Chorus]

I've become so numb I can't feel you there

I've become so tired so much more aware

I'm becoming this all I want to do

Is be more like me and be less like you



Can't you see that you're smothering me

Holding too tightly afraid to lose control

Cause everything that you thought I would be

Has fallen apart right in front of you

(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)

Every step that I take is another mistake to you

(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)

And every second I waste is more than I can take



[Chorus]

I've become so numb I can't feel you there

I've become so tired so much more aware

I'm becoming this all I want to do

Is be more like me and be less like you



And I know

I may end up failing too

But I know

You were just like me with someone disappointed in you



[Chorus]

I've become so numb I can't feel you there

I've become so tired so much more aware

I'm becoming this all I want to do

Is be more like me and be less like you



[Chorus]

I've become so numb I can't feel you there

I'm tired of being what you want me to be

I've become so numb I can't feel you there

I'm tired of being what you want me to be..."



As the song quieted, Raven was haunted by its eerily familiar words. As she suddenly came to grips with the fact that the song would start up again, she knocked at the door in desperation called out, "Starfire! It's Raven!" She waited in suspense as she heard the stereo in Starfire's room silence and the footsteps of the Tamaranian as she approached the door.



The door opened slowly, but only just enough where Raven could see half of Starfire's face. Her bloodshot eyes were quite disturbing, as her red blood vessels were laid upon a light green background.



"What is your request?" Starfire asked gloomily.



"...wh-...Well, I was wondering if...maybe...we could talk...You know, about whatever's wrong..."



"I do not wish to discuss the matter," Starfire snapped bitterly. Raven could smell the alcohol from that 'juice' she had been drinking; it seemed she had consumed some more since they has last met. "I only wish to be left alone. It is my punishment," she murmured, her voice shrouded in shadow.



Leaving Raven in a shocked and puzzled paralysis, Starfire shut the door in her face for the second time that day. Raven was much less willing to give up this time, however. She pounded the door with her fists a few times, screaming at her friend.



"What punishment?!? Starfire, what are you talking about?? Why aren't you telling me what's wrong??"



As the stereo blasted back on, Raven tossed her arms down in surrender as she let a small stream of water drip down her face.



(How is this happening??) She demanded in her mind. (What is making Starfire act like this...?)



What disturbed Raven the most was who Starfire was reminding her of- herself.



(Once I get my hands on Robin, he's giving me answers,) Raven concluded in anger as she clenched up her fists. She couldn't stand to see Starfire this way, and she felt sure that Robin was the reason for her acting this way.



----------



"-and you add a little paprika here...Perfect!" Luigi gave the brown-skinned girl a light pat on the back to encourage her. "That's it, Tay," he boldly declared with a grin. "You did it!"



"...Really...? That's it...?" she murmured as she stared at the stew in front of her eyes.



"Yep. Once it cools down a bit, we can try it out and see how well you did."



As Luigi cranked the stove off, Tenochtitlan took a timid step back to get out of his way while he removed a sheet of metal from the stove's bowels. The warm scent of cinnamon was overwhelming as it exploded into the air. After the initial burst of smell, Tenochtitlan was soothed by the aromas. Luigi's cooking lesson had eased her troubled mind and given her something peaceful to think about. They weren't in the actual kitchen, but in the smaller version that was located near the parlor area.



"You know it's good when it smells like THAT," Luigi told her with a chuckle and a deep sniff.



"Mm hm," Tay replied with a smile as she sucked in air through her nostrils.



"Maybe a good lunch will cheer everyone up a bit," Luigi hoped as he removed Robin's oven mitts and stirred the stew slowly. Tenochtitlan didn't answer; she was leaning against the counter behind her with a dreamy set of pink eyes.



Luigi didn't notice, as he was far too busy adding little touches to the meal. The sound of an excited Titan caught the attention of the teacher and his student as a green face appeared over the stove.



"DUDE!! Cinnamon rolls!!"



Luigi chuckled at Beastboy's glowing eyes and the drooling tongue that hung out of his mouth.



"What did I tell ya?" Luigi said with a laugh as he offered one to Beastboy. The changeling's anticipation crumbled the moment he noticed Tenochtitlan leaning against the counter. She hadn't recognized his presence that very moment, but Luigi dissolved away from Beastboy's vision as he observed her actions. She glanced up, snapping awake from her thoughts. Her eyes were that bright shade of pink he loved so much, but once she caught sight of him, her expression went dull, and Beastboy felt his stomach churn as her eyes cross a purple bridge to reach dark blue, which quickly fell to black. Beastboy's eyes narrowed in spite as he ignored Luigi's tribute and back away from the kicthen area.



"Beastboy?" Luigi mumbled, utterly confused. He whirled his head around; Tenochtitlan had bobbed her head, and from his angle, her black bangs disguised her retinas.



"Sorry Luigi," Beastboy said sourly. His comment was obviously aimed at Tay rather than Luigi as he added, "I'm not wanted here." A razzled Luigi glanced from side to side, trying to comprehend the situation.



(Did I miss something?) he wondered, scratching his head. Beastboy's form changed into a wolf before he bounded away with what almost sounded like a growl.



By the time Luigi's gaze went back to the other Titan, Tenochtitlan was also on her way out, her fists balled up at her sides. Because Tay's 'shirt' was only held by a few straps, Luigi could see how tensed up her shoulder blades were when she was leaving.



"...What...?" he murmured to himself with a shake of the head. "These Titans are just full of problems, aren't they...?"



-----------



Back and forth Raven paced, over and over. Her pacing seemed endless, but she continued, nevertheless. She couldn't bring herself to try and talk to Starfire again; she wouldn't be able to take the emotional stress right now. The strings holding her mind together were being undone slowly, but steadily. She was waiting in the main hallway of the Tower, waiting for Robin to appear so that she could confront him the moment he stepped in.



Terra had been watching her for about a minute or so now, trying to build up the courage to carry out the task she had been planning to do for an hour or so. She grit her teeth and squinted an eye as she approached the unnerved Titan.



"...Raven?" she managed to choke out.



"Wah?" Raven's body jolted as she gasped and grabbed her chest, petrified. By looking in her trembling violet eyes, Terra could sense just how wired she was. She sighed with relief when she came to grips with who she was facing, but she immediately felt her stomach knot up afterward.



(Ohhhh...) she moaned in her mind. (I have enough to worry about...)



"Hey," Terra greeted nervously. "Sorry for scarin' ya, n'-...Yea..." Terra shrugged as she clawed at an itch on her arm. "...So, uh...Are you busy?"



Raven, her lips slightly ajar, gazed into Terra's hopeful eyes and felt as if she could fly into the gorgeous skies within. Something told her to listen to this girl whom she could not quite call 'friend.'



"...Wwwwelll..." Raven rubbed her head and slicked back a loose strand of hair. "I guess not...But I'm really not in the mood to play volleyball, or-"



"Yea, I get it," Terra quickly interjected, waving a palm at Raven. "I was actually wondering if we could talk."



While unraveling her tightly wound insides, Raven, still a bit doubtful, gave in and agreed to talk.



"...A-all right..."



"OK...Great," mumbled a relieved Terra, her voice still shaken. Watching the blonde Titan seat herself in a black chair in the main hallway, Raven planted herself to Terra's right, crossing a leg over the other and placing her arms in her lap.



"What do we need to talk about...?" wondered the Raven who was observing Terra's trembling eyes.



"Well, it's about-" The sentence trailed off, leaving Raven hanging. "See...-" Thick blonde hair that had drifted over her eye was pushed behind her ear while she continued. "It's about Link..."



Raven sighed and covered her face as her cheeks grew pink just at the thought of him. Terra quickly added to the phrase she had just spurt out.



"I'm sorry; I didn't know you liked him." Terra paused and watched Raven's eyebrows sink a little as she pondered that statement. "Tikal told me yesterday, so...Now I know why you're so mad at me. I don't blame you."



Already a quivering mess, Raven's heart received another blow of guilt, its stamina decreasing with every one it was given.



"...No," she said sympathetically. "Terra, I-"



"If you want, I'll break up with him so you-"



"No, Terra!" Raven muttered shakily. "Don't do that..." Placing a soft hand on Terra's shoulder, Raven consoled her with a sad set of eyes bursting with guilt.



(Here I am, glad that I've changed, and yet...I still treat Terra with the same coldness I once gave Starfire. Have I really changed?)



With Terra muttering in the background, Raven's mind continued to analyze her own personality.



"But I thought that you liked him..."



(I've changed, but...I need to work harder. I may be a dark creature, but...That doesn't mean I have to have a dark heart.)



"You haven't been talking to me, and I knew you were mad at me. I didn't know what to do, so-"



"It's all right..." Raven muttered, her hand still attached to Terra. Rubbing her thumb gently against Terra's skin, Raven whimpered out, "I'm the one who should be sorry..." Her trembling, violet eyes gazed at Terra apologetically while she retracted her arm. Bobbing her head, Raven doled out her regret.



"I know I've been...well, a jerk...lately...I-I don't know why." Raven spat out after whirling her head back to Terra, "But I didn't really mean it!" Her jaw ajar as she fumbled for words, she noticed Terra's eyes narrow in confusion. "I was frustrated because I had been waiting for SO LONG, and then you came, and...-" Taking a deep breath to calm down, Raven's arms clung to her stomach as if to suppress pain. "...I was jealous..." Raven admitted conclusively.



"You were jealous of me...?" Terra murmured, agast. A nod answered Terra's question.



"Yea...I'm sorry. You didn't do anything to deserve what I did...Besides," Raven added dully, "Link doesn't like me, anyway."



"..."



When Raven looked up at Terra, she saw the nervous doubt in the girl's demeanor, which piqued her curiosity.



"What is it...?" she inquired.



"You're right," Terra mumbled with a shrug. "I don't think he likes you, either..."



Raven frowned sourly and sunk her head back down. "I know."



"But he doesn't know you very well, either," Terra added thoughtfully. "And neither do I."



"Yea..." Raven murmured glumly. "But we can change that, right?"



"I don't see why not," Terra replied with a small smile.



"Maybe later we can-"



Their conversation shattered as the majestic main doors to the tower roared open, revealing the silhouette of Robin. Raven's heart skipped a beat as all of the questions she wanted to ask him flooded her.



"Robin!" she cried, jumping from her chair.



"Hey, Raven," he grimly responded. As he trudged into his abode, Raven stood before him expectantly. "What?" he groaned.



Raven's eyes stayed glued to Robin as she placed a hand on her hip and said to Terra, "Terra, could you excuse us?"



"Sure," Terra answered, puzzled. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was that of Terra's footsteps. While hearing that, Robin stared at Raven's dagger glare.



"What is it, Raven?" Robin grumbled irritably.



"Where were you?" Raven asked him as the door behind her close in the background. "You've been gone half the day now."



"It's none of your business," Robin retorted, tossing an arm. He sighed and, passing by Raven, rubbed his temple. His pacing was cut short as he felt his shoulder get overwhelmed by an icy cold sensation. He realized that Raven was using her powers on him to halt to his movement.



"What are you doing??" he demanded, struggling to break from the black shell that had formed over his torso.



"What are YOU doing?" Raven questioned back with some hostility. "You'd better start answering questions, Robin. The other might not doubt you, but the others haven't been able to talk with Starfire because she's locked herself in her room." She threw her hand down to her side and released Robin from her grip. He stumbled a bit and spun around, his eyes narrow with frustration.



"What are you tal-?"



"What happened last night, Robin?" Raven firmly questioned. Her tone made Robin quickly realize how serious she was.



"Fine," he grumbled. "You want an explanation? I'll give you one."



He took a seat, and it was clear that he was exhausted as he plopped down and moaned.



"Last night...You remember how I bought you guys time to take care of Killer Moth...?"



----------



"What are you saying??" Raven demanded, having heard Robin's account of the evening before. "Are you trying to say that those thirteen deaths were caused by Starfire?"



Robin was sitting sideways in the chair with his legs dangling off the side and his arms folded across his chest.



"I never said that," Robin muttered, refusing to look at her.



Anger boiling up within her, Raven concluded, "But that's what you made Starfire THINK, because it's what YOU think..."



Not a word was a spoken by the caped teenager as he bared a complacent frown.



"Robin, don't you realize how she's feeling right now??" Raven asked him as she tried to catch his attention. "She's listening to depressing music, and she's locked herself in her own bedroom. Besides that, I caught her drinking, Robin." Robin's head creaked to hers, which only a foot or so from his own. Her desperate, violet eyes burned into him for a moment as he came to realize what she had just informed him.



"...Starfire was drinking?" he mumbled, quite unsure. "You mean, DRINKING?" He lifted his head and stared at her with an open jaw after she nodded.



"I tried to talk some sense into her," Raven went on, "But she wouldn't listen. She started crying and telling me how you were mad...'He is right,'" she muttered to herself as she remembered. "That's what she meant. You made her convince herself that this was all her fault! Robin, how could you do that? You know how Starfire is, she-"



"Oh, like I know how YOU are?" Robin quipped, trying to get away from the awful thoughts he was surpressing of a depressed Starfire drinking booze. "Raven, I don't know what makes you think you understand this situation, but this is business between US, not you. If Starfire doesn't want you involved in it, don't you think you should back off?"



The air was tense as the two Titans stared each other down like two hockey players before the drop of the puck.



"Fine," Raven growled through grit teeth. "I'll go ask everyone what THEY think about this..."



"Go ahead," Robin dared her. "It doesn't matter. It's not like we can go back and change it."



----------


There's about 2/3 of it...Maybe 1/2...

[decka]

YAYAYAYAYAY!!! Your new chapter is out finally! HORAY!:D

[Sproxie]

8j 73|-| \/\/4j |)035 4|\|j 0 j005 |<|\|0\/\/ |-|0\/\/ 70 5p34k !n l33t?I can't speak in leet, but I can read it. 'Fear the leet newbie that is me'? Thats what it says in your sig right?

ANYway, thats only half? yay, more!
Starfire, Drinking???? ...And listening to Linkin Park??? I DEFINITELY didn't expect that. But I found it funny. :anime:
Raven's new attitude- it's still sorta hard for me to get used to, but that doesnt mean its bad. Her always being Shy, Guilty, and self-conscience about what others think, its wierd.


What disturbed Raven the most was who Starfire was reminding her of- herself.
I seemed to Love that part, I don't know why, I just did.
And I'm also sorta confused about the tension between Tay and Beast Boy, If Tay said she wasn't mad at BB, Why is she acting like it?

So much to say, and I have no clue how to say it.

[rrarbecy]

"Dan. Dan!? DAN!!!"
"hmmm...wha...?"
"You were asleep. What happened?"
"Oh, I read a chapter in a story and I fainted."
*sits up and glances at the computer monitor. faints again*

That was, basically, my reaction. My Smasher withdrawal is now overcome. You rock, as always. A lot of good developments. FORGIVE HER ALREADY ROBIN!! Oh, wait. That's your choice...

[Pookey]

:eek: *faints*......................What? HEY a new ch, i must read *reads...faints*.......HEY!! A new...wait, i know what will happen, I read this awesome ch, and then i'll faint b/c it's downright amazing, and b/c star was drinking, and everything else thats going on...oh well *reads, faints*

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sweat:

Oh, uh...Thanks, guys...

There's still MORE, you realize...Like, that's only 1/2 of the Chapter or so...

Since Sprox was the only one who really gave me some analysis, I'll respond.

Yes, that's what it says in my sig. Soon enough, that 'newbie' word will be replaced with something else, I'm sure, as I'm quickly becoming not so much a newbie. It's an easy 'language' to pick up on, and everyone writes in their own style.

Now, obviously, a main them is this fic is the contrast between Starfire and Raven- it will continue to be crucial.

I have to go now, so I'll post more up later, I guess...

But...Raven has CHANGED. And yet...has she, really?

The next Chapter will begin to unravel somje mysterys concerning Raven, as well as Tay's actions. You will be be shocked at a scene in this Chapter right now that will only make you MORE confused. But I assure you, all will be explained.

--

OK, back.

Sprox, I've been thinking...

First of all, what do you mean, 'Raven's New Attitude?'

Raven has had ONE attitude throughout the majority of the fic. It'sjust changed, is all, and she's been feeling guilty, self-conscience, etc. throughout the whole story.

Did it ever ocurr to you that, perhaps, Raven's character on the show feels this way all the time but doesn't EXPRESS it?

That why she admires Starfire so much- when Starfire is feleing sad, she expresses it. If she's happy, she expresses it. If she's mad at you, she lets you know.

That's also why Raven was so scared when Starfire acted coldly to her- it reminded her of the way SHE used to act, and, looking back, Raven realizes how happy she is that Starfire brought her out of that cold, dark, pit.

This is ESSENTIAL to the story. Raven and Starfire are easily the most important characters in this story. Robin, although important, is certainly not as much so as the two girls. Over the next 2-3 Chapters or so, the plot will revolve around Raven, Starfire, and Robin. After that, it will most likely focus more on the 'oddball' Titans that don't really belong here as they begin to find out why they're here and how they have to get back home.

Then we reach the ending.

We're roughly 2/3 through the story at this point. I'm estimating about 20 Chapters, depending on how long I make them and how deep I delve into certain aspects.

By the way, Sprox, if you aren't used to seeing Raven feeling shy, etc., why does she look so much so in your avatar?

To be frank, (I know I've said this before) I REEEALLY disliked Raven when I first met her. She was a jerk. She didn't have any personality.

And then I began to write thge X Factor a year and half ago. And I began to develop a connection with her character. After I felt I understood reasons WHY Raven acted that way, I began to relate it with my own life. From there, Raven evolved. Starfire cracked open her shell, and she started acting the way she wanted to instead of the way she felt she had to.

Raven is beginning to realize WHY she didn't feel like she belonged, why everyone thought she was creey...

"Everything is pointless."

A classic line that anyone can picture Raven saying, based on her personality in the show. In the X Factor, Raven now understands WHY she used to believe that- Raven never understood what FRIENDSHIP was. She never understood what LOVE was. Now, thanks to Starfire, she DOES, and she knows why life is worth living. Everything is NOT pointless. Starfire, in essence, gave Raven faith in herself and gave her faith in those around her.

She doesn't pick on Beastboy like a cruel jerk anymore because she can imagine what it would be like to be made fun of like that. She remembers all the times someone called her 'creepy' or picked on her in some way. It hurt.

And when Raven sees Starfire, a character who openly expresses her feelings and genuinely loves her friends to death, get hurt, she can't stand it.

Love leads to hate, and hate leads to love.

That's a lesson Raven is in the process of learning, and it's a lesson I'm trying to express to my readers.

This theme becomes much more prevelant in the next Chapter as we dive more into Raven's mind and begin to understand a few things.

Anyway...Oh, yea. You guys wanted to read more.

Prepared to be even MORE confused.

I guess I should warn you- TECHNICALLY, a scene in here had 'nudity,' but...In all honesty, the only 'nudity' is within your own mind. I don't really describe anything. I leave it up to your imagination, but try to incinuate what you're supposed to picture, and...Ya know what? I'll just shut up.

A controversial scene, I suppose, but a very important one in developing some ideas. Don't let the physical situation fool you- think about it beyond that.

Gah, you'll all be confused, anyway, based on what I've presented thus far...:sad:

It'll all make sense toward the end. We're getting very close to where answers begin to unravel. More questions will be asked, yes, as usual, but they will be answered by the fic's end.

---

"You all right, Ray?" Cyborg murmured as he watched her operate at the hood of the T-car. He was laid upon a sturdy metal cart that enabled him to slide around under the car. Her appearance had been unnerving him for some while. She seemed frustrated, as every little movement seemed to be rougher than it normally would have been. Her brows were furrowed and her shoulders were tense as she seemed to jab away at the car's guts with a wrench.



She paused, and, wiping oil from her greased face, muttered, "I'm fine..."



Cyborg shook his head and rolled out from under the vehicle so he could sit up and examine her carefully.



"What?" she asked with a small bite in her tone.



"C'mon, Ray, what's up?" Cyborg wondered.



Raven glanced around the room suspiciously and wiped sweat from her forehead.



"It's about Starfire and Robin," she grumbled with a sigh.



"I figured," Cyborg replied, using a rag to clean his hands. "Everybody's been weird since last night, ESPECIALLY those two. I haven't seen Star all day- where's she been?"



"In her room," Raven whispered contritely. "She won't come out. She won't even talk to me; I don't know why."



"Really?" Cyborg rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "I'll bet she's down about last night, too, huh?"



"More than you know," Raven sadly informed him. "She thinks it's her fault."



After telling Cyborg what she had heard from Robin, Raven threw the wrench in her hands to the floor. Cyborg offered her the rag, which she accepted drearily.



"I don't think we should blame Rob OR Star," Cyborg reasoned, standing up slowly.



"...What do you mean?" Raven wondered, wiping black grease from her face.



"We coulda taken out Killer Moth in time if our communications hadn't gone down," Cyborg reminded her.



"Oh...Sure. I suppose," Raven mumbled in reply with a melancholy shrug. "That's not my point, Cyborg. I'm angry that Robin has to be...-" She rotated her hands as she fumbled for the right word, which CYborg supplied.



"-himself?" Cyborg finished, trying to show Raven how critical she was being.



With a grunt, Raven let her arms fall and slap her legs, muttering, "Yea...He has to become irrational because he's failed, and he's trying to avoid how much Starfire cares about him, and how much he cares about her. I can't stand watching them hurt each other...ya know...?"



Cyborg smiled while she was inspecting her lavender hoodie to be certain that no oil had been placed upon it.



(You just keep gettin' cooler every day, Ray,) Cyborg projected mentally.



"Yea...I know," he said to her in a calm fashion as he closed the car's hood.



"I don't know what to do," Raven moaned, holding her head in agony.



"Don't worry so much, man," Cyborg murmured as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're not the only one in this tower. We work as a team, remember?"



"It doesn't seem like it right now," Raven told him in despair, shaking her head.



"This is the first time?" Cyborg laughed. "Raven, every team has trouble. What, you think the Justice League never argues?" He froze when he saw Raven's soft hand land on his metal one, and he wished desperately that he could feel it the way he could have years ago.



"Yea," Raven muttered, staring blankly ahead of her. "Does that mean I should sit and watch them tear each other apart?"



"No." Cyborg slipped his hand off of her body and started picking up tools. He was surprised to see the majority of them fly into their appropiate places by themselves. With a grin, he glanced at Raven's smirk and said to her, "Thanks."



"So, uh..." Raven eyed the T-Car as she asked in a murmur, "You want to go for a spin?"



Rubbing the back of his neck, Cyborg sighed, his smile fading.



"Sorry, Ray. I'm just not up for it right now. I have to work on the security systems. They've been malfunctioning. You should probably go check on Star again. I don't think she should stay in her room all day, man; she needs that social interaction."



"That's a good idea," Raven agreed. "You're right- she needs it, just like I do."



"Catch you later, Raven," Cyborg said as he walked off, leaving her with his 'baby.'



Raven took a deep breath, running her hand across the smooth glass of the car's front window, and she gazed into her own dull eyes and curved eyebrows. She paused when she noticed a black spot on the window, but quickly noticeed that, in reality, it was on her arm.



She rolled her eyes and groaned in disgust at the fact that the strange abnormality wouldn't seem to quit.



(Why does the darkness need to haunt me?) Raven wondered. (Why does it need to spread its misery to Starfire?)



----------



Beastboy trotted through the halls, whistling a happy tune to keep his spirits up. He carried a fresh set of clothes in his hands, and was making his way for the nearest bathroom to take a much needed shower. He had his mind focused on the thought of watching his brand new, first edition copy of 'Ganados: Director's Cut.' His anticipation was bubbling within as he approached the bathroom door. The automatic metal door was deactivated, which meant that the room was unoccupied. Cyborg had set up a scanner some while back that could sense when someone entered and left the bathroom. Thus, the door would lock itself when one went in, and unlock when they left. Of course, it could be deactivated in an emergency.



Beastboy casually walked straight at it, and it slid open to allow him to enter. He was overcome by warm moisture and calm music as he carefully entered. From the looks of things, someone had just finished taking a shower. Beastboy glanced at the mirror above the sink, noticing that he couldn't see his face due to the fog that had enveloped it. The door behind him shut by itself and locked automatically, but Beastboy didn't notice due to the music playing. It was a peaceful tune- a panflute and a xylophone working in tandem gave birth to a beautiful song. The music played from a radio embedded in the wall beside the mirror. Placing his fresh clothes on the pink, fluffy cushion on the closed toilet seat, Beastboy sighed at the damp towel spread across the floor before the shower. He heard the faucet dripping, and he came to the conclusion that whoever was last in here, they had slacked off on cleaning up after themselves. He could see a clump of clothes on the floor between the toilet and the sink, and he shook his head at them. He was a pig, sure, but not in the bathroom. Afterall, everyone else in the tower had to share it, too.



Wasting no time in unclipping his belt and removing his shirt, Beastboy took a deep breath to help relax himself. He paused when he caught sight of a small pile of plastic beads sitting on the corner of the sink. He immediately recognized the ring-shaped plastic and felt nauscious; they belonged to Tenochtitlan. She wore her hair in beaded braids a lot, and these were definitely hers.



(Figures that she would leave a mess,) he concluded with a frown. In an immature fit, he knocked them into the sink and ran the water for a few seconds, watching the different colored pieces swirl down the drain with a dark grin.



After that, he wiped a circle through the mist in the mirror and admired his green chest. He flexed his puny arm muscle, a little disappointed, and tried to make his abs visible. After a minute or so of that, he decided it was time to hop in the shower and clean up. After checking to see that a clean towel was on the bar that hung just outside the shower, Beastboy paused and sniffed the air. He could still smell the scent of his 'girlfriend,' if he could call her that at this point. The sweet smell forced him to reminencse for a moment or two while he stood blankly before the black shower curtain. The yellow 'T' logo of the Titans was printed upon the plastic sheet, and Beastboy admired it as he kicked his socks off to the side and removed his pants, leaving only his boxers, which were orange with black tiger stripes, on his body.



After removing the last article and placing it with care on the toilet with his uniform, Beastboy casually slipped through the black curtain and into the shower, blissfully unaware that he was not alone.



Before he could turn the metal dials to get water spraying into the small compartment, he froze in place as his eyes caught sight of something he'd only seen in dreams he'd forgotten. Standing mere inches away from him was Tenochtitlan. Like him, she was wearing no clothes. However, she hadn't seemed to realize he was there. She was standing in some trance-like state, her eyes closed, and her arms at her sides. After Beastboy gaped at the sight, he had mixed feelings about the situation, as many a teenage boy might.



Her eyes shot open when he let out shriek. They were black as they awakened, but immediately shifted to purple, then brown.



"Beastboy...?" she murmured, completely puzzled. After staring at his bare, green body, she came to grips with the situation, and seemed to handle it much better than Beastboy did. "Um..." She whipped her dripping wet crow-colored hair behind her and eyed Beastboy's thin form from top to bottom. "Why are you...-?" she managed to whisper out, her thin, black brows furrowed. She didn't say it with anger, but with innocent confusion.



When her eyes finally reached Beastboy's face, she slapped a hand on her face to mute her laughter. Beastboy, who was petrified in place by both shock and hormones, blinked with wide eyes as he saw her shade change to yellow.



(You IDIOT!!! HELLO!!! WHat are you DOING?!) his mind shouted out as it managed to gain control.



"EEP!" he squeaked out again, stumbling backward. Tenochtitlanreached out an arm to help him, but it was too late. He slipped, toppled backward through the shower curtain, and slammed into the bathroom floor with a sickening 'thud.' His legs were flopped over the tub's side, and Tenochtitlan curiously glanced out at him, her eyes wide with wonder and concern.



"Are you all right??" she gasped out, her teeth clenched with worry.



"Uuuugghhhh," Beastboy moaned, rubbing his head, which was throbbing with pain. As he sat up, he felt very disoriented, as the world around him was blurred. As everything came into focus, the form of a chocolate skinned female also came into focus, causing yet another short scream from Beastboy.



"What's WITH you?" Tenochtitlan wondered, shaking her head slightly. "You jump into the shower when I'm in, and then you start screaming..."



"WH-?! B-!! AH!" Beastboy spurted out, trying to look away. He could feel a certain area of his body getting warmer by the minute as blood was rapidly delivered to it. He stretched an arm out sloppily to snatch a towel as he yelped, "What are you looking at?!"



Tay glared at him, feeling insulted. She had gradually come to the conclusion that this was either not a dream or a really bad one, seeing as he had LEFT the shower.



"Excuse me? YOU'RE the one who jumped in," she pointed out, continuing to stare down at him.



Beatsboy scrambled to cover his man-hood, and as he did so, he shakily muttered, "Well, y-you don't have to STARE at me like that..."



"Oh, and you're NOT?" she countered, placing her damp hands on her hips and bending over slightly.



Beastboy whimpered as he pried his eyes away.



"You could a-at least COVER YOURSELF," he whined, half-pleading.



"I shouldn't have to," she told him, "I was in the shower, until you rudely interupted me."



"why didn't you LOCK THE DOOR?!" Beatsboy demanded hysterically.



"I DID!!" Tay cried back in defense.



"WHAT?! No WAY, DUDE! It was OPEN!"



"That's not MY fault!"



"Well, it's not MINE, either, Tay!" Beastboy peeked back her way, only to flinch back, as she was still completely naked. "Aren't you going to HIDE, or something??"



"Why? This is who I am," she boldly announced, spreading her arms out wide as she stared down at him with red eyes. "Are you offended, or something?"



"Of COURSE not!" Beastboy groaned. "But you could just...-" He trailed off, shaiking his head and sitting up, keeping his towel wrapped around him.



"What's that supposed to mean...?" Tay murmured, her eyes narrow and orange.



"It-...Wh-..."



Tay's eyes glowed pink as she realized what he had meant by that, and her cheeks went red.



"Oh! Wow...I-I don't know what to say..." Clearly flattered by what she had just learned, Tenochtitlan didn't feel so bad about thinking the same of him.



"You COULD put something on," Beastboy muttered, his voice trembling with nervousness.



"Oh, right..." She whispered, sifting her wet bangs. However, she stood quietly for a moment or two and shivered as water evaporated from her smooth skin. "Um...Be-before I do that..." she mumbled, her eyes wandering about the room. "Do you think I could, ya know...-" She rubbed her hands together fretfully as she finished. "-...get another look...?"



"WHAT?!" Beastboy roared, taking a step away from her. "What's your DEAL?!" he cried, creeped out. "It's like you've never seen-..." He noticed her purple eyes, and the curiosity within them.



"I didn't even know what...that...thing...looked like..." Tenoch whispered, almost inaudbily. She felt like the stupidest person in the world asking for such a thing in this situation, but it was too late now- she'd already said it.



"...You...-?" It took Beastboy a few moments to process it all through his brain. If Tenochtitlan was really a monkey, then she didn't know what a human- if he could call himself that- really looked like. She wasn't used to having the same hormones running through her, though he didn't really realize that at the moment. Even IF Tay was familiar with what the reproductive organs of an ape looked like, which he somehow doubted, she was probably naturally curious about those of a human. Beastboy's brain was operating at the max, but subconciously, he thought these things. Since his brain wasn't at full speed, he also didn't really think about the answer to request carefully. She'd already seen it, so what was the shame in letting her see it again? After all, it wasn't like it was a sin, or something...They were both...mature...enough. At least, he supposed so. Nothing was going to happen. Most importantly, though, was the fact that she was acting like HERSELF. She was talking to him; she was showing that she still cared about him. He wasn't going to let such a moment die just yet.



So he showed her.



After a few seconds of examining his green body, which she found to be attractive, Tenochtitlan quietly nodded and looked down, reaching for her own towel to fulfill Beastboy's request.



There was complete silence as they both waited for the awkward air around them to ventilate out. After a few seconds, Tay broke the silence and began to work on overcoming what she considered a lucky event and Beastboy a traumatic one.



"Well!" she giggled out. "That was...different. Ya know, Beastboy, you should give yourself more credit, that-"



"Can we just forget that this happened??" Beastboy choked out, his face beet red.



"How am I supposed to forget THAT?" Tenochtitlan said slyly, her eyes pink, lust driping from them.



"Ehhhhh..." Beastboy stared with wide and deathly afraid eyes while inching away from her.



"Oh, come on," Tay whimpered, her color now brown. "We're not little kids anymore...It's not evil to see each other naked. Besides, it was an accident."



"Sure, until you asked," Beastboy retorted shakily.



"That was just...curiosity," Tay murmured, looking away in shame. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it..." She wasn't clasping her towel nearly as tightly as Beastboy was gripping his own.



"Whatever, I'm just gonna put my clothes back on and get out of here, OK?" Beastboy announced with an expectant look. After a few seconds, he groaned out, "Dude, could ya not stare at me for a minute??"



"Right!" Tay squeaked with squinting eyes and a nervous smile, spinning around and shutting the curtain behind her.



As she waited for Beastboy to dress, she spoke.



"It's really not that big a deal, you know..." Tay tried to convince him.



"Yea, but you're a MONKEY, aren't you?" Beastboy pointed out. "You're USED to not wearing clothes..."



"...Well...Sort of. I mean, we still wore clothes, but...mostly headgear. And then we had helmets and light armor when we were being attacked, so that-"



"Helmets? Armor? What are you talking about?" Beastboy mumbled, perplexed. Neither looked at each other during their conversation.



Tay shrugged. "Well, I mean, we didn't use guns, or anything like that. Guns weren't really around in that area. It was just once in a while when there was trouble. We never really had too much while I was in charge...Except...well..." She trailed off, bobbing her head as she struggled to stop horrific memories of that day from coming back.



"...Yea," Beastboy mumbled, shaking his head. "Anyway...How come you didn't notice me when I came in?"



Tay smoothed out her shiny wet hair and pondered it for a moment.



"I'm not sure..." She recited the process out loud, trying to remember. "I was taking a shower...I turned the water off, and...-" She paused, her face contorted in concentration. "I can't remember..."



"Huh?"



"I don't remember," Tay muttered. "I must've...blacked out, or something..."



Tenochtitlan could faintly remember a voice in her head calling out to her for help. It was a young boy...She could see his face in her mind, and hear him, but everything else was a blur. Now that she thought about it, she had been blacking out all day, for reasons unknown.



"Weird," Beastboy mumbled with an apathetic shrug. "So how come the door wasn't locked?"



"I don't KNOW," Tay reminded him. "I TOLD you, it was locked after I came in."



"That doesn't make any sense!" Beastboy grumbled.



"Some of the doors have been doing it, too," Tay explained. "You haven't noticed?"



"Oh yea...Cy was sayin' something about that..."



"Oh."



"He'd better get it fixed soon," Beastboy mumbled. "'Cuz I'm lucky it was YOU that was in here. Man, if it was RAVEN, do you know how totally DEAD I would be right now?"



They both let a flurry of laughs out as they hjad many a time mere days before.



"So, uh...Do you think we could talk about...stuff...?" Beastboy piped up after the snickers died down.



Tay didn't respond for a few moments, but Beastboy could see her dark blue eyes in his mind. He was positive that her expression was sullen.



"Um...Yea...Tomorrow...I'll...I'll let you know," she told him solemnly.



"You swear?" Beastboy checked, clipping the buckle on his together.



"...I promise," Tenochtitlan answered calmly.



"OK...Thanks, Tay...And I'm sorry for the accident there...I'll make sure that never happens again..."



As Tay heard the doors slide open and slam shut, Tay peered through the curtain and whispered warmly, "I hope you're lying."



Beastboy straightened his suit out in the hall, now feeling guilt for knocking the beads over and flushing them down the sink. He decided that perhaps he should bring that topic up at a later date.



(WOW...) he thought to himself and he meandered down the hall; however, his brain wasn't exactly the organ doing the thinking. (Man, am I such an IDIOT. Nobody was watching...I could've had a little more fun...she was practically begging me to for a minute there...NONONO!! What is UP with you?? But MAN...That was just...I thought she padded them, but...-! Dude...That's a photo in the brain I'm gonna wanna save for a LONG time...AH!! STOPSTOPSTOP!! Your PERV, what is your DEAL?!)



"Yo, B, you a'ight?" Cyborg murmured as he watched his friend wobble onto the couch.



"I didn't touch-!" Beatsboy began to defend himself. "I mean...Yea...Sure."



With a quizzical stare, Cyborg shook his head sadly.



"I told you- that soy stuff's bad for you, man."



----------



o7734.



07734.



07734.



07734.



Raven kept ramming the number into her mind, over and over. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to use it. As she approached Starfire's door, she was quite pleased that no music was playing. Maybe Starfire had vented out all of her depression and was feeling better. Better yet- maybe she wasn't in her room.



Raven stood before Starfire's door for a moment, her heart overcome by a brief tinge of fear. She fiddled with her drawstrings for a few seconds while she mustered the courage to flick her wrist and knock the door. After three distinct taps, she waited. It wasn't long before she heard a voice answer.



"...Yes...?" Starfire meekly responded.



"Starfire," Raven cried back, relief sweeping over her.



"...Raven..." Star's voice murmured.



"...Uh...Can I...come in...?" Raven wondered, feeling awkward.



"No!" Starfire blurted out sheepishly.



Raven felt crushed, but pressed for a reason.



"Wh-why not?"



"...Be-be-because...I-I wish to be alone," Starfire sputtered out. It didn't exactly sound genuine.



Raven, now even more intrigued, told her, "But Starfire, you've been alone all day. I've been worried. Are you sure you're OK? You know that I'm here for y-"



"I am fine!" Starfire snapped, a defensive tint in her tone.



Raven frowned bitterly and sighed.



"Well, I'm coming in, anyway," she mumbled as she punched in four numbers on the security panel beside the door, her words barely audible.



07734.



Swish! The doors swiftly opened, allowing Raven access. As they slowly shut behind her, she stared at Starfire. She was laying in her bed drearily, her back to Raven. She let out a gasp and jumped up, immediately turning her head to see Raven's glaring eyes. Those violet eyes softened the second they saw Starfire's face.



A fleshy, round-tipped horn protruded from the Tamaranian's forehead.



"Whoa..." Raven murmured, astounded. "St-Starfire, wh-what is-...?" Raven was at a loss for words, and Starfire turned her head away and covered herself with her blanket in shame.



"I did not wish for you to see this..." she whispered sullenly.



Raven practically dove for the bed and removed the covers from her best friend, carefully inspecting the atrocity that had emerged from her skull.



"Starfire..." Raven whimpered, horrified. "Wh-what happened?"



"I know not," Starfire whined as she let Raven closer to inspect it. "I fell asleep and...IT...was there..."



"Well...Maybe it's just...a zit..." Raven hypothesized doubtfully.



"A 'zit'...?"



"Nevermind," Raven mumbled, dismissing the idea as she placed a shaky hand on the soft appendage. She wobbled it around slightly, asking, "Does that hurt?"



"No," Starfire replied. Raven removed her hands from Starfire's head and continued to stare. "It is repulsive, isn't it?" Starfire moaned.



"No, Star," Raven tried to assure Starfire. "It's...just different. We'll figure out how to get rid of it."



"I do not wish for the others to see such a hideous sight," Starfire pleaded. "I implore you- do not tell them."



"I-I won't," Raven murmured, wide-eyed. "But...You can't just stay in your room. When was the last time you ate...?"



"...Um...Last night..." Starfire admitted with a shrug.



"Aren't you hungry?" Raven wondered, bewildered.



"I-I am fine...I do not require food at this moment. We must find a way to cure-"



"We must get YOU out and downstairs so you can eat. Besides, you need some social interaction...I won't let you sit here by yourself; it's not good for you. I would know."



"Mmmm..." Starfire appeared to be very reluctant.



Raven's mind whirled about as she tried to come up with a solution. If they could somehow hide the...thing...



(Yes, I've got it!)



"OK, Starfire, I think I have an idea."



"An...idea...?"



"Come with me."



Raven led Starfire from the round bed and told her, "We're going to MY bedroom..."



A horned Starfire had Raven wait a moment as she retrieved the CD she had borrowed the night before so she could return it. Raven had concocted an idea to get them to her room so they weren't seen- they could just go through the walls. After all, Raven's room was just down the hall. She'd just warp them with her powers. This task was a little unrefined and took up some energy, but Raven had done it quite a few times before.



The problem was that she couldn't do it.



"What do you mean?" Starfire murmured after Raven had been struggling for a minute or two.



"I...I don't know what's going on..." Raven growled. "I can't get my powers to work properly."



"You are not saying your magic words," Starfire pointed out. Raven rolled her eyes and sighed at the remark.



"I don't HAVE to," she explained. "I haven't used those words in AGES. I just use them because they help me to focus better."



"Perhaps you need more focus?"



Raven sighed and squeezed Starfire's hand as she closed her eyes and recited the phrase.



"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"



She squeezed all the concentration she could into those words, but nothing happened.



Distraught and confused, Raven grumbled to herself, "I don't understand. There's no interference, I just...can't do it..."



Worried and curious, Raven pointed her hand at an odd sculpture on Starfire's dresser. Her arm trembled, and small drops of sweat dripped from her forehead, but there was no effect otherwise.



"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she hissed in frustration, but to no avail. With a huff, she concluded in disappointment, "My powers aren't working...We're gonna have to just go through the hall."



She approached the door and glanced outside to make sure no one was approaching. She lurched forward and collapsed onto her knees, which puzzled Starfire greatly.



"Raven? Are you well?"



"I'm fine...I think," Raven muttered, stumbling back up. "I tried to fly. Idiot," she insulted herself, shaking her head as she covered her face. "Let's just go."



Starfire grabbed hold of Raven's arm and soared down the hall, dragging her ex-goth friend with her. Within seconds, they had reached Raven's door, and, once again, Raven found that she didn't have to enter her security number for the door to open- it was already unlocked.



Unnerved for a moment, Raven forget the matter temporarily as she made her way to her closet.



"What is your plan, Raven?"



Raven smiled as she opened the old, wooden shutters to her closet.



"You want to hide your face..." Raven declared. "I used to hide mine all the time..."



Starfire stared at the small array of cloaks and old outfits that rested within the closet, and she suddenly caught on.



"Oh, I understand...You are suggesting that I wear your old uniform..." Starfire murmured, feeling strange just thinking about it.



"That's it," Raven confirmed, snatching one and handing it to Starfire. "If you put this on, no one should notice your, uh...-"



"Your idea is commendable, dear friend!" Starfire said, taking the cloak with great care. "I will treat it well until we can determine what is the matter with me."



Raven felt comfort in seeing her friend smile for the first time all day. But she began to develop that nasty knot in her stomach as she watched Starfire put the cloak on. After it was adjusted properly, Starfire beamed, her green eyes showing through the shadow with the hood. Her normal outfit could be seen, because she was currently wearing the cloak like a cape, and the contrast made Raven feel uneasy. The hood draped down over her forehead, and the bump had been pushed up to be hidden. Since the hood covered her face, and it had a pointed tip, no one would notice the 'horn' she had grown. However, there was no question that the Titans would wonder why Starfire was wearing the outfit.



As the tan Titan went to put the CD, Raven was overcome with a terrible queasy feeling and stared out her window in thought. The image of Starfire in her cloak seemed all too familiar, for some reason.



Behind Raven's back, Starfire noticed that her jar of jangoberry juice remained intact on a nearby shelf. Without a second thought, Starfire snuck it off and closed the cloak around her so it couldn't be seen.



Raven turned back around to see Starfire's back as she exited the room, trying to sound calm.



"I will see you later," Starfire called.



"Yea," Raven mumbled, shaking her head. A lot of strange things were going on, that was for sure. Cutting through those thoughts like lightning, Raven realized why Starfire in such an outfit seemed familiar. The image of Starfire barely creaking open her door earlier that day only to close it up again flashed back, and Raven remembered all the times she had done it to Starfire.



(Why does this situation seem...dubious...?) she wondered to herself with worry.

[Destiny_Smasher]

----------



"Hey, Raven. Whoa, you're back in-" Beastboy paused as he saw two emerald eyes staring at him from the shadows of the hood rather than violet ones. "DUDE!" He flashed the girl in the cloak a shocked expression. "STAR??"



"Y-yes..." Starfire replied shakily, her eyes dull and glazed.



"Oh...Sooo...Like, what's up with the get-up?"



"Ssssomethin' diffr'nt," Starfire mumbled weakly.



"Ahhh." Beastboy nodded, having not caught a word. "So, uh...Whatcha been up to today...? You were in your room, n'-"



"Funnnnn."



Starfire's lips moved lazily, and she looked grim in Raven's out outfit. The sight was beginning to creep Beastboy considerably.



"...OK. That's cool," Beastboy snickered nervously. He flashed her a thumbs up and moved past her to get to the fridge. As he yanked out a large chuck of broccoli, Amy trudged into the room, Sonic pursuing her frantically.



"Sonic, I TOLD you- I don't know why she's upset. She just told me she was sorry. Leave me alone!"



"She wasn't mad at me until we started talking about YOU!" Sonic announced, following her every move while she poured herself a glass of root beer.



"That's because of what you said about her."



Both of them froze and turned their heads to see Tikal's disappointed stare. She glowered at them both for a moment before she continued.



"All you two ever do is argue. You love each other, but all you do is quarrel over trivial things instead of listening to your own hearts!" Tikal stormed back out like lightning as quickly as she had appeared, her eyes bursting with tears.



Beastboy continued to chew on his broccoli, glancing over at the two devastated teens.



"What's she talkin' about?" Sonic grumbled, turning away from Amy. "Puh. Us 'loving' each other...Load of crap."



"...Yea..." Amy moaned, sipping her brown soda in an apathetic demeanor.



Beastboy was starting to wonder if he was going insane, or if everyone else was. He went to survey Starfire again, but she had left. He could see her wobbling down the hallway, holding an arm against the wall for support.



(Dude, it's like she's drunk,) Beastboy thought to himself with some humor as he cocked his head to the side, though he denied the possibility.



----------



"Have you two even TALKED about it?" Raven demanded, Cyborg acting as a third party with her.



"No," Robin admitted with a huff.



"I found her," Mario called, easing Starfire into Robin's bedroom.



"Good," Cyborg sighed. "Can you play ref for a while, Brutha M? I gotta go work on the systems, yo."



Mario tipped his hat and replied, "Sure thing, Cy Man."



Starfire, covering everything but the bottom of her face, let a small growl out when she saw Robin.



"...Robba...ssstupid," Starfire murmured in a daze.



"What...? Starfire, are you all right?" Raven demanded, staring at her and examining the way she moved. "Oh no..." she gasped, shaking her head. "You've been drinking again, haven't you?"



"...Jangojango..." chimed a drunk and giddy Starfire in response. She clapped her hands as she swayed back and forth.



"Drinkin'?" wondered Mario with a nose scratch.



"Yea." Raven shot Robin a dagger glare. "She's upset over what happened last night, and she got so upset about some of the things Robin told her that she's been drinking alcohol."



"I didn't make her do it!" Robin defended. "She ruined our plans last night, and people died! She SHOULD be guilty!"



"But it wasn't her fault!" Raven insisted.



"Aren't YOU supposed to be talking with him?" Mario asked, looking down at Starfire, who had plopped her body to the ground.



"Mah fult," Star groaned, shaking her head. "Dud, dud, dud...Allllll dud. Mah fult..."



"You're gonna have such a hangover tomorrow," Mario chuckled.



"Is she OK?" Raven questioned with concern.



"I want whatever SHE'S been drinkin'," Mario said with a snicker. "She's plastered. You better put her in bed before she hurts herself."



"She's that bad, huh?" Raven sighed and placed a hand on Starfire's head. She could feel the deformity, and she removed it a moment later.



"She's wearing your clothes..." Robin noted with a tinge of disgust.



"She's also DRUNK," Raven reminded him. "I hope you're happy," she hissed.



"Would you drop it already?" Robin demanded. "Why don't you just get out of my room, and take her with you." He pointed a finger at Starfire, who was drooling.



With a deep, depressed breath, Raven pulled Starfire to her feet and led the tilting Titan out of the room without another word.



"Juk," Starfire grumbled under her breath as she was brought to her room. "Hett dat juk..."



"I know what you mean," Raven bitterly agreed.



"Iz uhhh...korblack varbernak..."



"Right. Don't worry about him, Starfire. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't his, either, but he should know better than to crush you like that. You don't deserve it..."



Raven almost felt like crying when she gazed at Starfire's blank eyes and dull expression. She tugged the Tamaranian closer and rested Starfire's head on her shoulder.



"We'll figure this mess out..."



----------



Cyborg was feling guilty as he cruised through the streets of Jump City. After all, he'd told Raven that he wasn't in the mood for a drive. Then again, he only said that he wasn't in the mood to drive with HER- he'd 'drag her down.' That's what he'd said.





(Nah, she's all stressed out. I'd just give her another reason to be upset.)



Cyborg felt at peace in this environment. The rain splattered on his windsheild, the wipers rushed back and forth to clear them, and the streets were calm. The flash of each streetlight he passed by washed over him like peaceful waves. Cyborg glanced at his display to see that the time was 11:41. He doubted anyone noticed or cared that he was out driving, but he also doubted that any of them were asleep.



Breaking through his bliss were some dark figures in the middle of the road. Cyborg carefully watched as they seemed to be forming a circle around a young girl. He wasn't going to let some mugging go on on his watch.



Screeching his car to a halt on the pavement mere feet from the conflict, Cyborg bounded out of his vehicle and mutated his right arm into a cannon, aiming it straight ahead.



"Looks like I came at a bad time," he announced boldly, eyeing the gang members down.



"Hey, it's one o' dem 'Titans,'" one grunted, a scar running across his forehead.



What seemed to be the leader of the group rallied his men to a newfound cause by saying, "Let's go show robo-boy what da Stallions is all about, eh, boys?" He pounded a crow bar into his palm to induce fear, but it didn't work on Cyborg at all.



Cyborg couldn't see where the victim had gone, but his scanners picked up the heat signature of what seemed to be a person dashing into a nearby alleyway to his right. To his left was the city park, and straight ahead was a local gang ten strong. This posed little threat to a well-trained bionic teen with an arsenal of surprises.



He easily dispatched the group in a matter of seconds. He dove in headfirst, pounded about half into unconciousness with his fists, and gave the others a blast from his cannon. A small threat was answered witha small skirmish.



"In record-breakin' time," he said with a smirk as rain splashed onto his smooth head and trickled down. (That girl make it out all right?) he wondered, moving the beaten group to the sidewalk.



After he contacted the police and gave them the address, he made his way to the alley where he had seen the girl run to.



"YO!" he shouted through the thick rain, activating a flashlight on his shoulder. After a few seconds, he heard a sneeze, and whipped around to see trembling cardboard box sitting between a garbage dumpster and a garbage can. His heat readings could sense that within was the girl, and he felt his human side grow soft as he walked over to pick it up.



"Hey, little lady, it's just your friendly neighborhood Cyborg, here to-"



Cyborg was cut off as shock paralyzed his brain for a moment. Sitting in a quivering mass before him was a pale-skinned teenage girl with pink hair and cat-like eyes. Her hair was flopped over the sides of her head, and drops of water slipped down from the tips of each follicle. Her bangs were stuck to her face, while her eyes glared up at him in both fear and fury. Cyborg's memory banks immediately recognized the figure as familiar, and his systems quickly scanned to check the identity.



"Jinx...!" he muttered, confused. "What are you-...?" At first, he used a hostile tone, but he quickly decided that this wasn't the best way to go in this situation. "Where are ya friends?" he asked, finding her suspicious.



"Back at that stupid school," she hissed her eyes flinching from the rain. "I didn't do anything, so leave me alone!"



Cyborg tossed the damp cardboard into the wall behind him, and it limply flopped to the ground.



"If you ain't doin' anything, then why are you here?" he interrogated.



"It's none of your business!" she growled.



"This is my city, and if you don't MAKE it my business real fast, it's gonna be MY jail you're in!"



"If you really think you're gonna tell me what to-"



"What are you gonna do about it if I DO?" Cyborg demanded, charging his cannon in the direction of her face.



She petrified and stared up at him in innocent fear. The machine part of Cyborg told him that she had been trouble in the past and that she should be dealt with, but his human side convinced him that she wasn't here to fight. There was something honest about her. Someting he hadn't seen every other time they'd crossed paths before.



Before another word was spoken, his arm whirred to a stop, and he dropped it to his side, his face solemn.



"What are you doin' here, Jinx?" he asked sullenly.



She fought with herself over how to handle the question.



(He just dropped his guard...WHY?? Isn't he going to take me in? What is he doing? I can't just go and tell him what's wrong with me...Do I have a CHOICE? He's going to figure it out sooner or later, anyway...Ugh. I guess it wouldn't hurt, maybe he'll go easier on me...But if I tell him...-)



"I was expelled from the HIVE," she growled quietly.



Cyborg continued to stare at her expectantly.



"My powers stopped working right...The new Headmaster wasn't exactly thrilled..."



"So...Where do you live now?"



"...Right here, right now," Jinx grumbled.



(Man...Is she fakin' it?) Cyborg pondered. Though he was made of circuitry, he still had heart strings to be tugged. (Agh...I don't what's wrong with me...)



"...Well, let's change that," he calmly suggested.



"What?" Jinx whispered with a sniffle, her defensive position weakened. She stared up at Cyborg to see a metal hand reaching down toward her. In that moment, that very image was etched into her mind. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever been offered help by anyone other than a strategic battle choice. "Uhh...I..." Without her conciously realizing it, her hand crawled into the air to meet his cold, wet palm. She didn't understand how, but as she was lifted up and taken toward the T-Car, her frozen, wet body felt warm at its core. It was warmth she had not known for years.



~[<+--\-<*>-/--+>]~



End Transmission



{\+<--/-<*>-\-->+/}


And yes, that IS what my sig says in l33t.

l33t is very interesting language.

I've come to the conclusion that the only rule in l33t is that people have to understand it. (Those who know the basic translation, anyway.)

I mean, it does have some 'rules,' like how 3=E, but I mean grammatically. You can write it in many dialects, just like English.

Fear my 'leet' skills.

ph34r m4 l33t 5killz.

p|-|34r m4 1337 5|<!115.

S33 wh4+ 3y3 m34n?

[rrarbecy]

The BB/Tay was, um...interesting. It was good how you didn't describe...stuff...and got around it. BB's reluctance was in character, so was Tay's...um...eagerness...Yeah...:o

:)Anyway, I can understand why Robin is angry at Starfire and himself, but...Jesus God he is being a jackass. I mean, the girl's drunk and obviously moping, and he still yells at her. It seems that hardass Robin has returned.

I rather enjoyed the Cyborg/Raven scene with the car. It tells you a lot about Cyborg's personality and Raven's character development. I also like the way you do Tikal's jealousy. "You love each other, but all you do is quarrel over trivial things instead of listening to your own hearts!" There you have it. More genius from Smasher.

[Crowgirl]

The BB/Tay was, um...interesting. It was good how you didn't describe...stuff...and got around it. BB's reluctance was in character, so was Tay's...um...eagerness...Yeah...:o

:) Anyway, I can understand why Robin is angry at Starfire and himself, but...Jesus God he is being a jackass. I mean, the girl's drunk and obviously moping, and he still yells at her. It seems that hardass Robin has returned.

I rather enjoyed the Cyborg/Raven scene with the car. It tells you a lot about Cyborg's personality and Raven's character development. I also like the way you do Tikal's jealousy. "You love each other, but all you do is quarrel over trivial things instead of listening to your own hearts!" There you have it. More genius from Smasher.
I agree, but I have more.... :evil:

The thing with Jinx is great, I liked how it went. I can also tell there is a resemblance between Raven's inability to use her powers and Jinx's. Don't know exactly what it is yet, but there is something there, I know it.

Speaking of something there, do I sense something between Jinx and Cy? I think I do... I'm glad to see Jinx is finally here. Yippee!!! I also loved the scene with Terra and Raven, nicely done.

Overall brilliant.

Cg/Crowgirl/?????

P.S. But where did Star get the alcohol? :shrug:

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...Well, eh...I wish people would focus more on the IMPORTANT stuff than 'how Starfire got alcohol.'

Apparently, some people weren't paying attention. Starfire was drinking 'Jango Berry juice,' remember? If I didn't state it bluntly, I would figure you'd catch on that it was from Tamaran.

If you're wondering how she got something from Tamaran, then why aren't you questioning where Starfire gets all of her OTHER Tamaranian stuff?

Anyway, it's kind of funny about that alcohol bit...Now that I think of it, I can easily explain that in a scene later on that is important, but because of the alcohol- it's how we discover that Starfire is going through a 'Transformation.' Remember how Starfire found out that it was 'normal' on the show? Well, obviously, I'm not doing that, but I have another way to do it.

Jinx's powers not working are actually not related to Raven's situation at all. They ARE, however, related with the theme of how things 'aren't happening the way they're SUPPOSED to,' which, in turn, links them to the security system going haywire, as well as the communications being shut down.

By the way, Tikal wasn't spazzing out because she was jealous. I know that I make it seem that way, and I want my readers to not entirely understand it, just like Tenochtitlan. But Tikal isn't jealous at all, as hard as that may be to believe. Well, I guess she IS in a way, but not too much. Amy, on the other hand, is jealous, but not in the sense you might think. She's more angry at herself that angry at Sonic or Tikal. Their love triangle is just a muddy mess, as it should be.

Yes, hardass Robin. He has his reasons. Have you guessed as to where he was off to? Any ideas at all? It might smack you in the face, I guess...

And yes, there IS some 'Jinx/Cyborg' stuff goin' on that I will dig deeper into next Chapter.

As for Star in Ray's clothes...Obviously, this is very important/symbolic/foreshadowy. VERY important. I actually do have some trouble picturing it properly, too, but...

She's wearing Starfire clothes, but she's wearing Ray's cloak/hood. So all you really see is her eyes and her mouth, etc.

Not only is this important, but it makes a lot of sense, considering that Starfire starts going through MORE changes- remember? Scaly arms, furry hands, nasty feet, etc.? Starfire is able to hide in Raven's cloak without looking so conspicuous. Another symbolic concept, actually...Though, in all honesty, I don't really see my readers figuring out any of my symbolism...Kind of sad...Then again, they (we're talking more people than you guys, by the way) also don't seem to catch things in the plot I try to make obvious.

*shrug*

Someone's gotta come around, sooner or later...I hope...:shrug:

And dude, what's up? I write a freakish scene with BB+Tay and expect some commentary, and all I get is one sentence? What's up with that?

I made another Chapter, and I would really like some real analysis here. There's a lot there to talk about, folks.

By the way, Elder Leaf, I guess it's better late than never. Perhaps you might've read something I said earlier...? :rolleyes:

By the way...In case you didn't catch what Starfire was saying while she was drunk...

"Jangojango..."

Hopefully, you pieced that with the JANGO berry juice. Ya know? The jar she had at the beginning of the Chapter? The jar Raven took? The jar she STOLE back?

"Dud, dud, dud...Alllll dud. Mah fult."

In case you didn't quite get that, which I won't hold against you:

"Dead, dead, dead...Allll dead. My fault."

"Hett dat juk" would be "Hate that jerk."

And yea, there's been some dialogue between them you haven't heard between the end of the last Chapter and that scene. I figured it would be better to not go through it all and have you figure it out with Raven.

"Iz uhhh...korblack varbernak..."

That's Starfire calling 'Robba' a Klorback Varblernelk, but she's drunk, sooo...It doesn't comne out right.

By the way, Robin isn't just being a hardass. He's in a REEEALLY pissed off mood, and he's basically mad because 13 people died because he dated Starfire.

Essentially, he's mad at HIMSELF. Yea, he'smad at Starfire, for sure, but a lot of it is him taking his aggression out on her, and Raven has figured that out. Raven WANTS to tell Robin that he shouldn't be beating himself up about it, but she refuses to console Robin since he's being mean to Starfire.

Raven WILL NOT tolerate someone being mean to Starfire. Starfire is the world to Raven. Not...in THAT way, you know what I mean. She loves Starfire. Starfire opened her heart and helped her discover what love IS.

The next Chapter crescendoes the tension in the Tower even more, up to a fever pitch, when a critical decision is made. That critical decision sets the fire for the big conflicts that will happen.

I'm planning on having some Slade in the next Chapter...I'd give you a teaser for it, I suppose, but...I don't have much done, aaaaand...telling you any details about it would basically ruin it.

Brother Blood? Well...Depending on what I decide, we'll see more of the HIVE in either the next Chapter or the one AFTER that.

Blackfire will show up in the Chapter AFTER the next one, and the Red X will begin to appear either in that Chapter or the next. I can't wait to start writing with the Red X- I'm quite pleased with my ideas, and I think you will be, too.

I'm telling you this in case some of you are all eager about seeing certain characters.

That is all.

Now read Megatokyo.Your conscience commands you. What do you mean, you don't HAVE a conscience? Well, call up the agency- I'm sure they'll hook you up with SOMEONE. If you're lucky, it won't be a hamster with wings duct-taped to his back.

[Crowgirl]

FINE!

The scene with Tae and BB was hilarious, truly. Tae's reactions were funny, and the way BB acted to her reactions was funny, even though he was being just typical Beast Boy. The uh...eagerness and the sheepishness/reluctance meshed nicely. But throughout that scene, I thought two things: One, they would make up or something odd of the sort. And two, what would have happened if one of the others had walked in, which I at one point expected.

Tell me, are you happy now?
OooooOooo....

CG/Crowgirl/?????

[Pookey]

:eek: What else can i say....everyone already took what i wanted to say.

Robin is.....Robin. I can see him being pissed off at himself and Star, but whoa! Yeah, thats what i said when i read that.

BB/Tay was....intersting...I really liked their reactions. Typicall BB lol

Amy/Sonic/Tikal...yeah that's about as clear as mud. Good job...lol

Cy/Jinx, I have never read a fic with them two together so Im excited. :D weeee!!

The transformation with Starfire is already got me thinking about what could happen. I already have an idea about what you may write about it, but Im probally wrong.:anime: And her and the cloak, I think I have an idea about what will happen in future ch.s with this, but again...Im probally wrong!

[rrarbecy]

Sorry for the nitpick, but 07734 is five digits, not four.

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sweat:
Um...OK...

Notice that BB and Tay didn't actually make up in that scene...

I considered having someone else walk in, but it would ruin the whole purpose of the scene.

By the way, Tenochtitlan (in case I didn't really stress it enough, though I know she mentioned it) didn't know what male reproductive organs even LOOKED like on a 'human' until that 'encounter.' A lot of her attitude was curiosity, not just lust.

If you have guesses as to what symbolizes what, etc., then PM it to me. I probably won't tell you if you're right or wrong if it's a plot prediction, but I still want to know.

The Tikal/Sonic/Amy relationship DOES make sense, just not all at once. From any single perspective, things makes sense. It's just that when you mix all three together, it gets icky.

I need to experiment.

PH34R TH3 L33T 5IG T|-|4T IZ |\/|I|\|3!

I made the banner, but I can't seem to friggin' get it showing in my sig...

[Aquagirl15]

WOW. I love this story so much. Everyday after school I would come home and read a chapter or two of this and be like 'whoa' I can wait to read more. It's taken me two weeks to read all of this but it's been so worth it. I don't know what to say to let you know how much I like this DS. I admire the way you write emotional scenes funny too. The part with Tay and BB was so funny. I can totaly understand how BB would be so oblivious that someone was still in the bathroom. I can't wait until you post more, and I really mean it. :D

[Destiny_Smasher]

And another ones creeps out of the woodwork...

Thanks, anyway.

I know that it's 5 digits, too... :shrug: Hm...That's bizarre, because I specifically sought out the number from the previous Chapter and remember calling it four digits by accident and changing it...Hm. Oh, well, whatever.

By the way, Beastboy wasn't oblivious that someone was in the bathroom.

If you were paying attention, you would know why.

1.) The doors are designed to lock when someone goes inand unlock when they leave. They malfunctioned.

2.) The shower was off. There were signs of someone having just been there, but they were off.

3.) There was NO NOISE being made. No sign that someone was in the room for the entire time Beastboy was undressing. If someone WAS in the room, Beastboy would assume (as would I) that they would notice a presence and scold them to leave. Tay was blacking out, however. Standing up, but totally dazed atthe same time.

The logic is slightly blurred, I suppose, but the main thing is that the doors lock automatically when someone goes in and and unlock when someone goes out. Obviously, one could change that in certain circumstances, but...

I made a better sig- but I still don't know how to get it to show up here.

[Sproxie]

Wow.
Robin is a moron. Psh.... So much for his promise to Raven about not hurting Starfire. :mad: The scene between BB and Tay was hilarius, mostly Beast Boy's Reaction to Tay's Curiousity. But her curiousity was sort of unexpected... :sweat: Imagining the way Starfire looked with Ravens cloak on and walking around all drunk made me laugh, But the fact that she is becoming more and more like Raven is sorta...sad, yet freaky. The part with Jinx and Cyborg was my favorite part, I liked- no, loved that part, everything about it. Jinx/Cyborg huh? So much for Cy/Rae.... :rolleyes:



Sprox, I've been thinking...

First of all, what do you mean, 'Raven's New Attitude?'

Raven has had ONE attitude throughout the majority of the fic. It'sjust changed, is all, and she's been feeling guilty, self-conscience, etc. throughout the whole story. Well if you put it that way.... :shrug:
Technically I'm comparing her attitude now, to in the very beginning, when she was always alone and grouchy. It seems like two completely different attitudes instead of the same one. I dunno, I just find it wierd to adapt to. but it's interesting to read about how she handles her insecurities.

By the way, Sprox, if you aren't used to seeing Raven feeling shy, etc., why does she look so much so in your avatar? heh... :sweat: You've got a point, I dunno, I liked just the picture. :sweat:

[Destiny_Smasher]

Attitude depends on how you define it.

I guess, in the context I was using it, what I meant was Raven's attitude can change. Doesn't YOUR attitude change? Of course it does. Sometimes you're happy, and sometimes you're grouchy.

The point I try to point out with Raven is this- how do you know that she doesn't feel insecure in the show? How do you know that she really wants to be alone? You don't. You can't tell for sure what a character is thinking or feeling unless it is deliberately shown to you.

The episode with the spellbook supports my theory that Raven feels alienated.

As the series has been progressing, I've noticed that Raven has, believe it or not, because nicer and more open. It's not as drastic as in this fic, of course, but it's there.

Raven is still Raven and Starfire is still Starfire...

They're just acting differently.

Are you familiar with the concept of character foiling?

It's basically when two characters start off at opposite sides of the spectrum and, over time, wind up switching positions.

Obviously, this is happening right now, though it's been happening bit by bit throughout the recent stages of the fic.

Hm...

I am wishing to show you guys a particular section of Megatokyo so that you can see why I like it so much...

However, at the current moment, I am too busy to arrange it together, so...I'll probably do it later.

By the way, if you guys want some, like, VG character 101, you should pop by www.wikipedia.com (http://www.wikipedia.com/)

That site rocks. You type in 'Super Mario' and his history comes up, including a list of all 100+ games he's been in. Well, actually, I think they're missing a cameo or two (I'm a freak and know this) but they have all the main ones that star him or other Mario characters.

Wanna learn how to talk in L33T? Well, they've got a chunky section that will teach you the basic rules, its history, etc.

Right now, I would consider myself a L33T m0d3r4t3. Hardcore 'Leetspeak' is even more difficult to read. It was originally used by hackers, etc., so that no one knew what they were talking about.

I think I'll go get a heapin' dose of MT now and catch up to where the comic is currently.

--

Well, a weekend mostly composed of kicking back after midterms...

I'm nearing the end of my journey on Aether in Metroid Prime 2...

Heheh...

This game only helps to illustrate the concept of combining Dark and Light together as one.

There's a difference between being neutral and being BOTH.

Chain of Memories did a good job with Rikku, for sure, and MP2 also does a good with Samus's weapons.

Early in the game, I got the Dark Beam and the Light Beam. Recently, I acquired the 'Annihilator.' Mwaha. This beam, combines the energy of Light and Dark into one powerful weapon that also emits great sound waves. (This is quite handy, but explaining why would take a while.)

Anyway, you can count on seeing this whole Light+Dark=Happiness crawling its way into this fic, too. You can probably guess how.

I missed 'The Quest,' damnit. I'll have to catch it Saturday at noon, and then I KNOW I'm watching 'Birthmark.'

Holy crap. I have a feeling that this episode will RULE.

Not only that, but continuing to monitor Slade's plans will help me formulate his purposes in THIS fic.

After all, I've had it planned for a while now that Slade is no longer after Robin. Of course, he got Terra to be his apprentice in Season 2...

In this fic, an 'apprentice' isn't really a good word for it. He 'creates' something worse than that.

I have a feeling that Slade has done some homework on Raven, and it has to do with her Father, her past, etc. I suppose that's obvious.

The next Chapter has been started...like, a week ago...I'm having trouble writing...

I want to finish my Megas XLR Short Story, just to get it out of the way.

I have five other Destinia fics to work on, along with ideas formulating involving a Megatokyo fic of short length.

*shrug*

At this point, I think I'll just get out of school, download all the other Megatokyo strips, catch up with that...I have to watch the rest of Cowboy Bebop, which I own my comp...And then I really need to try writing something.

--

Since, um...No one's HERE...

I decided that, to keep you busy, I'll post up links to a series of strips in a scene of Megatokyo. This scene is what amde me feel that I love this comic and will continue to read it for quite some time to come.

I guess I could provide you with some background...

Well, this scene has four main characters-

Piro- He's basically the lead. He's the one with the glasses that seems dorky. (He's the one who talks first. in this first strip)

Largo- Largo is a VG freak. Piro is a freak, too, but...In Largo's version of reality, everything is a little...warped...Anyway, he's the one with the cool hair. He's the one with the remarks on the 'beer garden' at the end of this first strip. He also speaks in L33T, but not too hardcore.

Kimiko (Her last name is Nanasawa)- She's...Well, basically, she's the love interest of Piro...At least, the one he actually likes BACK. (She's the one with her hair down.)

Erika (Last name- Hayasaka)- She's...Well, she's Kimiko's roomate, and she also works at the same place as Piro. I don't think I really need to describe her, since she's just...cool...

Anyway, here's the basic jist.

Piro and Largo are stuck in Japan. They don't have the money to get back.

Piro has met Kimiko on several occassions, but he never recognizes her until a little before this point.

Anyway, I could go and describe everything else thus far, but...That would take a while.

(A 'rail card' is a card used sort of like a debit card only it's used for train fares)

(The 'cool thingy' is a perplexing object that Largo bought very early on in the comic. He has no idea what it does when he buys it.)

(Lastly, the characters in this comic speak both Japanese and English. To distinguish this...)

This is dialogue in English.

<This is dialogue in Japanese.>

Largo can only speak English, Kimiko only Japanese, and Piro+Erika can speak both.

Oh, yea...aaaand...Kimiko and Piro aren't exactly getting along right now. Kimiko thinks Piro's a bit of an insensitive perv (explanation? I think it explains itself well enough)

WHEW! Wow.

Yea, I guess this comic has a bit more story to it than it seems at first.

Anyway, here ya go. I hope at least SOMEONE enjoys it.

This scene portrays the clashing realities of Largo and Piro very well. Ironically, Largo's reality is just as real within the realms of this comic as Piro's is.

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=276

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=278

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=280

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=282

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=283

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=285

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=286

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=288

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=289

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=293

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=294

http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=295

Um...

Yea, there's some artwork ones inbetween them, so I just posted up links of the ones from that scene.

Anyway, soooo...Sorry if all that was just a big waste of time, but...

Now you have a taste of what's been possessing me for the past week and where some of my recent inspiration may come from. Fortunately for you, I'm almost caught up to all the strips Fred has done so far.

Oh, yea. And new episodes of Teen Titans are airing now.

So, like I said, maybe someone who take a bite and see why I like the storytelling style of this comic and how cool Fred can put a scene together.

[Pookey]

I have never heard of megatokyo, sounds cool. ill have to check it out!
im still speechless on the last ch! just tell me this...will eveyone be okay in the end, R/S will be back together, and eveything will turn out okay?? please tell me!!

learning l33t...i have enough 'fun; with english, and im stuck learning french...i love the language and all, i just want to stick with english right now lol

[Sproxie]

Since, um...No one's HERE...*sigh* You know, you make it sound like we don't like your story.
No one will usually be here if there isn't anything to read (at the moment anyway). :shrug:
But that doesnt mean that they don't like your story or anything...

MegaTokyo- I actually like it! :anime: I like Largo the best, he reminds me of myself at times... :sweat:

[Destiny_Smasher]

Megatokyo does a good job of blending Largo's reality with Piro's, and I love it.

I just started an MT fic that takes place RIGHT AFTER the X Factor's last Chapter to give me something else to work on.

After all, the X Factor is drawing to a close, and I kinda don't want to finish it so soon.

That aside, I still need to find out what's up with Slade.

Yay, new episode tonight. (Along with a 'new' one at noon for me, because I missed last week's.)

[Destiny_Smasher]

Are you KIDDING?

Birthmark RULES!

The Quest was OK...A little cheesy for a TT eppy, but they were cheesy on purpose and for a good reason.

Now Birthmark was just plain creepy and awesome.

Heheh...I have come to the conclusion that Slade's intentions in the show have no relation to what he's planning in my fic. After all, Slade isn't, like...well, whatever. It has no relation, I've concluded.

The end of this fic is coming, but it's still a ways off. We're probably about 2/3 through the story at this point. After all, Metal Mario hasn't showed up yet, or the Red X, or...well, the other people.

By the way, I hope Sprox saw Birthmark. There's some Rob/Ray stuff goin' on. After all, Robin does know Raven better than any of the otehr Titans on the show.

Obviously, this fic isn't quite like that, as the tension between Robin and Raven will only grow more.

[Aquagirl15]

You know in a way I kinda feel bad for Robin... both girls in the team are so close to him, must make him feel weird.:shrug: Oh and I think that Sprox did see the episode. And I am all for that Rae/Rob stuff too! :D I thought The Quest was funny.

Wait the end? I don't want to go to the end! :sad: Ah well all great stories have to end somewhere I guess.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Hours...?

Yea, I guess some of my readers will start reading, like, Quest for Destiny!, and they won't stop for hours on end.

I think the alledged record right now is 9 hours straight of someone reading the thread for Q4D! back on Smashboards...I think that's the older version.

Oh, yea. I forgot to update that yesterday. I should do that.

And yes, I was referring to the tension between Robin and Raven...

There's going to be a lot of WHAM type stuff going on soon.

WHAM, as in,

WHAM! Did ya see THAT one comin'?

Hm...

Obviously, we'll be focusing on Star, Ray, and Rob.

Slade will come into the mix, and I might talk about Brother Blood concerning Jinx''s story, but I doubt he'll be showing up until later.

Two Chapters from now, I'll be having about three main conflicts going on, I'm thinking.

Blackfire will probably appear in the next Chapter, assuming I end this one the way I want to.

The Red X will probably show up shortly thereafter.

I'll also be throwing in (at least I plan on it at this point) a cameo from a certain DC character from Gotham, as the plot involving the Red X will take us there.

WHEW!

Lots of plans...So much to write, so...unable to do it fast enough.

But I DID finish that music video I was working on...

And I DO get the WHOLE NEXT WEEK OFF, so I hope to work more on TTX then.

As for the next scene, I'll try to remember it this afternoon.

Sprox--

By the way, does anyone have any clue who's in my avatar?

I doubt it. :sweat: Give ya a hint: King of Fighters.

Her favorite food is strawberry cakes, she loves lacrosse, astrology is one of her big hobbies, aaaaand...she hates grasshoppers...And I guess she's supposedly the incarnation of a Greek Goddess.

Oh, and she's in my Megatokyo fic, which begins MINUTES after the X Factor ends...

<-{--[ Begin Transmission ]--}->



The Destinia Saga...



Winds of Fate: The X Factor



Chapter 15- Somewhere I Belong



The air was clean and warm, and the sky was dark with white sparkles scattered across its space. Fireflies flickered their lights on and off as they drifted along in a dreamy state. Raven rested her body against the solid tree behind her, pressing her head into the thin layer of moss on the trunk's surface.



Ever since she had found this place within her, Raven had concluded that she knew what her 'happy place' was. But lately, she had reconsidered that concept. This couldn't be her happy place- her friends weren't here. Just...herself. And herself, and herself, and herself...



"It's hopeless," whimpered the Gray Raven. She sat against the tree but on the opposite side as the concious Raven did.



"How come you're so down?" the Pink one wondered, oblivious to Raven's stress level.



"My best friend is drunk AND despressed," Raven ranted. "All of my other friends are acting...'angsty'...Robin's being an irrational, obsessive jerk..."



"You can't get any alone time with Cyborg," Pink pointed out, realizing one reason.



"Uhhh..." Raven shrugged and looked down at the soft grass beneath her. "Well, y-yea, that...But I can't even use my powers..."



"Of course you can't..." another Raven bellowed grimly. Raven looked up to see a black-caped, faceless form of herself 'staring' down at her from about five feet away. "How can you use dark magic when you reject the darkness...?"



"...Wh...-?"



"You don't even understand how you WORK...You're such a newbie..."



"Newbie?" the White Raven, the target of the Black's words, murmured.



"Yes. You've only been in charge for a little while, but you think everything's going to be perfect."



"Darkness..." Raven, the White one, muttered to herself, noting her pure-colored cloak. "Are you saying that I'm losing my powers because...I'm losing my DARKNESS...?"



"Exactly..." the black one murmured. "I used to be in charge...Then, out of nowhere, you came along and threw me out. I don't know how you did it, but...I want my old job back. Everything was running just fine until YOU came along."



"Fine?? FINE??" Raven floated to her feet and glared at the faceless Raven, stung by the insult. "I was an insensitive JERK. I didn't even understand what FRIENDSHIP was! How is that FINE?"



"Feh..." Black crossed her arms and shook her head. "We were getting stronger...Now we're weak. We tremble at the smallest thing. And what about all of this 'romance' you desire? You know that we'll never have it! This body that we live within...It is a creature of DARKNESS. All shall return to DARKNESS..."



"I'm not going to let you do that!!" White growled back. She flung a hand forth to grab her foe, but they passed right through the dark Raven as she disappeared into the night sky, dissolving away.



"I can feel the anger burning within you both," roared the deep voice of the Red Raven. When the White Raven spun around to face another facet of herself, she saw no one. No Pink, no Gray, no Red...She was alone.



----------



"Hungry?" Robin murmured in amusement as he watched Cyborg pull a giant turkey sub out of the fridge with one hand and scoop up a fresh pizza box with the other.



"You know it!" Cyborg replied with a drooling grin as he toted his load out of the room. He flew to the elevator at the end of the hall. When he got there, he balanced the sub and pizza box in one hand and pressed a button on the panel to call the elevator. After he had snuck around and reached his bedroom, he lightly rapped on the door as he glanced to his sides.



"Yo! It's me!"



He paused and waited for the door to open, revealing a droopy-eyed Jinx. He watched her eyes light up with joy at the sight of the food in his hands. He quickly hopped in and placed the food on a desk adjacent to the door. Jinx stared at it in a trance for a couple of seconds as Cyborg opened the pizza box and took a huge sniff of the warm air that rose from the doughy creation.



Cyborg chuckled and stepped away from the food carefully, fearful that he might accidentally get bitten.



"Go to it, girl," he told her. She obeyed his command loyally, lunging at the rations. As she devoured the sub, Cyborg decided to grab a slice of pizza while he had the chance.



"You ARE hungry," he noted after swallowing a chunk of cheesy goodness. "Did you get any sleep last night?"



She shook her head as she chewed viciously.



"Sorry," Cyborg muttered, glancing at his bed. He'd taken some blankets and pillows from elsewhere to turn his platform into a bed for someone who wasn't made of metal. He knew that it was probably the worst bed in the Tower for her to sleep in, but it was the best he could do at the moment. There was no way he was going to tell Robin that he had taken in a criminal. Robin had enough problems to worry about. He'd have to wait until the time was right, or until she decided to leave and find somewhere else to crash.



"What are you sorry about?" Jinx asked him critically. "Did you make this sub?"



Cyborg shrugged and shook his head. "If I wasn't made of titanium, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep on that thing, either."



"Don't be such a baby about it," she scolded him. "Geez...It wasn't the BED, anyway. I just couldn't sleep. Imagine trying to fall asleep at the HIVE Academy when you're not supposed to be there..."



Cyborg nodded slowly, seeing her point. "Gotcha."



"Anyway, do you have any ideas about where I should be headed tonight?" Jinx asked apathetically.



"I was thinkin' you could just hang here until you find another place- or my friends let you stay."



(...He wants me to STAY...? What's wrong with this guy? Doesn't he remember that I'm a VILLAIN?...)



"Ha. Me? A Teen Titan? Have you completely forgotten that I'm a CRIMINAL?"



"So you LIKE eating from garbage cans?" Cyborg slyly countered.



"...Of course not," Jinx replied, avoiding his eyes. After a pause, she finally asked him the question that had been grating her mind since she'd arrived. "Why did you let me come here, anyway?"



Cyborg cocked a brow at her, a bit confused as to what she was thinking.



"'Cuz you were in a bind," he answered, as if it were a given.



"If you're trying to tell me that it was the 'damsel in distress' routine, I hate to break it to you, but I'm no princess. I'm a villain."



"But you're still a person," Cyborg reminded her. "And I'm supposed to be some 'hero.' Last time I checked, helpin' people out is what 'heroes' do."



"Oh, please," Jinx grumbled. "There's SOME reason you're keeping me here. You want information, or you're-"



"I TOLD you- you needed help. Don't you GET THAT?"



Cyborg huffed and scratched his head, baffled by the girl.



"You can stop your little 'hero' charade," Jinx growled, dropping the rest of the sub onto the table and crossing her arms over her chest.



"It's NOT a charade!" Cyborg insisted. "I pull you off the streets and you don't trust me?"



"Why should I?" Jinx demanded. "You don't trust me."



Cyborg replied, "Because I saved your butt! Wait, what? Who said I didn't trust you?"



Jinx stumbled for words for a moment, then spat out, "You don't have to say it! Why would a Teen Titan trust a criminal?"



"Man! You are so thick headed!" Cyborg grunted. "What do they TEACH at that school?"



"They teach us how to use our strengths to better our lives. What do you learn here?"



"I learn how to get along with people. I learn that working together is one thing, but being a team is another. I learn how to trust. You haven't learned any of that yet."



"Whatever," Jinx cast his comment aside, though it continued to roll around in her mind. "So, are you telling me that you're not afraid of me jumping out and attacking you?"



Cyborg smirked and answered with a definitive, "Nope."



Jinx stared at his human eye for a moment as he said that and came to an epiphany.



(...He really trusts me.)



"Must be some malfunction," she guessed in a cold tone.



"I think it's that I'm still a person, just like you."



"Ha! We're not people- we're freaks. If I was a 'person,' I would never have wound up going to that stupid school."



"Maybe they don't treat you like a person at the HIVE," Cyborg hypothesized. "But I will."



Jinx was beginning to feel warm inside again after he said those words. He smiled at her, and she almost wanted to ignore it, but she couldn't. She found herself gaping at him with wide eyes, and quickly caught herself, shaking it off. Cyborg noticed this, and he was glad that his message had reached the receiver with positive feedback.



The silence was interrupted by a knocking at the door.



Cyborg and Jinx both froze, their eyes gripped by the door for a second or two.



"Go hide in the back," Cyborg whispered through the side of his mouth. Jinx stealthily snuck to the back of the room and crouched behind some crates of various equipment.



Cyborg answered the door, and Raven's face met him. She looked a little exhausted, though it was only morning, and signs of stress were abundant in her appearance- her eyeslids drooped slightly, her hair wasn't as neatly combed as usual, and her movements were slightly sluggish.



"Good morning," she said, a smile crawling acorss her otherwise dreary face.



"Mornin', Ray," Cyborg muttered, rubbing his head. "What's up?"



"Robin's calling us all to a meeting," Raven grumbled, rolling her eyes. "He told me to come and get you."



"A-all right, yea...Tell him I'll be down in a minute."



"All right," said Raven with a slow nod. "...Um...So, are you going to be busy today?"



Cyborg glanced off to the side as he pondered how to respond.



"I'm not sure, yet- depends on what's goin' on. Why?"



Raven shrugged, turning her head to the end of the hall to Cyborg's left.



"Well, I was just wondering if you were still up for taking a drive and...ya know...just talking, like always."



In a quid pro quo scenario, Cyborg returned Raven's shrug with one of his own, muttering, "I guess. I don't know; I still need to work on the security systems and figure out what's jammin' 'em up."



"Ok. Well, we should probably get going- Robin's being really impatient."



"I'll bet he is," Cyborg agreed, raising his brows. "I'll be there in a sec."



Raven nodded quickly as she went off down the hall and the door closed. Cyborg turned back to Jinx and watched her head poke up from behind the boxes carefully.



"Wasn't that little Miss Goth?" Jinx wondered, perplexed.



"Raven?" Cyborg chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.



"I don't remember her being so happy..." Jinx mumbled, lifting a brow.



"She's been changin', man," Cyborg told her with a shrug. "Anyway, I gotta go down n' find out what's up. Just stay here, a'ight?"



Jinx huffed, her hands gripping her hips. "Whatever."



----------

[Destiny_Smasher]

You do realize I wasn't attacking your fic, correct? At least, not directly.

I was attacking fanfiction as a whole. I'm sick of seeing Super Smash Brothers stories called "SSB: The fanfic." There's more than you'd think, which is really sad.

I'm also sick of stories that mock gameshows. There's way too many of those for my taste, either. Like I said, that stuff is what Saturday Night Live and Mad TV are about. I don't see Mad TV winning awards, do you?

Anyway, I didn't say I loathed your X-mas story.

I thought it was stupid. *shrug* I expected more from you.

If I wrote something that placed in a contest, people might expect something from it. That is, afterall, one of the points behind an award, correct? It gets recognized because thought and effort were put into it.

If we started giving Nobel Peace Prizes to NFL stars because they're popular, I would be appalled. Obviously, that comparison is stretching it, but do you see my point?

I see yours quite clearly. I already KNOW your point. Like I said myself, I need to start writing for the fun of it. There's nothing wrong with fun and silliness...I just don't think it deserves an award for being a touching Christmas Short Story. Of course, that award wasn't ABOUT it being touching or powerful, etc. It was about popularity, right? If the judges liked it a lot, then it won.

Well, I love Gunbound a lot, but I don't think Gunbound is an exceptional game by any means. It's fun, yes, but only for some people, and only for so long.

Anyway, you shouldn't be apologizing for winning, that's for sure.

I'm not saying I deserved to win anything, either, I can assure of that. My fic was confusing, muddy, and bizarre. That was the goal. I didn't write it for fun, though. I wrote it for something more than that.

If people only concentrated on what was fun, nothing would get done, and humans wouldn't be where we are today.

Of course, you balance your fics, too.

I've read parts of your fics, and you do have variety. This is great, but it turns me off at the same time.

I'm not in the mood to read about the Titans lost in a musical. It's too silly for me unless I'm in the right mood. Fics like that don't usually gain much respect unless they're popular.

Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's wonderful. Sadly, this is the truth. I don't know about all of your fics, but from what I know of your talent, you deserve the popularity you have.

A rapper can be mad popular and have little talent. This doesn't always happen, but it sometimes does.

The people with talent are the ones whose works get remembered after they die and are aired on radios just as often as modern hits.

"but the judges obviosuly felt that my piece was worthy of the recognition, or perhaps they felt that there was something deeper behind what i wrote."

Or, ya know...Maybe they just liked it?

I like Megatokyo. I like it a lot. I think it's worthy of recognition, and I could prove to you why I think that.

I also love Gunbound, as stated above, but I don't think it's obvious that it deserves recognition. Tons of people play it, though. Does that make it a quality game? Nope. Not necessarily. Plenty of quality games never get the limelight.

Ever hear of Legend of Mana? What about Disgea: Hour of Darkness?

Excellent RPGs that are PACKED with so much work, effort, and love that it's not laughable. You can literally spend hundreds of hours and still not discover everything games like those have to offer. But hardly anyone plays them.

If I had to make one point, I guess it's this...

To me, art (EVERY kind) is a product of thought and emotion working together. Your X-mas fic, to me, had emotion, but no thought. Vanishing Act, at least if I remember correctly, had a mix of both.

People don't become famous authors by accident. That's just not how it works, I don't think. Aristotle isn't respected by accident, and neither is Shakespeare. He didn't write Hamlet in a spur of silliness.

Of course, as you said, you weren't taking it seriously, now, were you?

Suffice it to say that I dislike spending days on end to write a Chapter for a fic when my friend, who puts just as much thought and effort into work as I do, can get THOUSANDS more reviews for LESS writing (I am dead serious) simply because the InuYasha section of FF.net is far busier than the Super Smash Brothers section.

I'm lucky nowadays when I get any constructive comments whatsoever.

I just finished a Q4D! Chapter that took me hours to finish because I've been in a block lately.

If I'm lucky, it'll get 2 reviews.

If a miracle ocurrs, someone will actually pick up 1/4 of the meaning I put into the damned thing and give me an ACTUAL review that critiques my writing rather than

this iz great, update PLEAZE!

Bah. I debate too much. I'm not here to debate. Happy thoughts...

By the way, Welshi, could you, like, split your essays into paragraphs next time? :sweat: No biggie--it just is tiring on the eyes. I form new paragraphs too MUCH, I'd say, but it's easier on the eyes. I'm on the net, anyway.

Hm...Now why was I here again...?

Oh, right...Update...Yea...Why do I feel even LESS motivated to post anything up now...?

Is it because it seems that all of the hours I spend writing are for naught because no one, it seems, can grasp what I put into it...? Maybe this is why my writing sucks lately...:shrug:

I've come to terms with the fact that no one seems to wrap their brain around all the effort I put into something, so I've unconciously stopped putting so much work into it...? Maybe that's the case.

You could be a better basketball player than Micheal Jordan, but if no one ever watches you play, no one would know, right?

But who ever said life made sense and was fair? No one did, and I sure as hell won't.

So, I guess here's some wussy bit of this Chapter that's probably devoid of meaning and effort, since it doesn't seem to MATTER whether I try or not...It's hard to improve when no one recognizes your work.

And, no, I don't think my writing is exceptionally well. The thing that erks me is that even IF it ever IS, would it MATTER?

I don't think life needs purpose to exist, but there is a reason why we're alive.

If I stopped writing--cold turkey--would it really matter? It wouldn't, would it?

If Tolkein stopped the LoTR saga 2/3 through it, would that affect people? Of course it would.

So it all comes down to why I even write at all. That's the mystery that I have to solve for myself, isn't it?

Oh, right. Yea. Sorry about the rant; you can tell my brain's been fried lately.

----------



"Where's Starfire?" Raven questioned after glancing at the group before her that was arranged in a circle at the large table in the kitchen.



"She's still in her room," Beastboy mumbled. "Said she'd be down soon."



"It doesn't matter," Robin concluded, his tone serious. "Fill her in later." Raven gave him a quick dagger glare, but he was ignoring her.



"So what's the 411?" Sonic wondered. He was cocked back in his chair, his feet propped up on the table. Sitting at his right, Amy gave Sonic a sharp smack to the head, and he groaned in reply, dropping his body to a more respectable position.



"It's Slade," Robin grimly announced. "It turns out that while we were trying to take care of Killer Moth, he took advantage of the situation and broke into a research institute." Robin drummed his fingers on the table, an aura of anxiety and frustration pulsating from his demeanor. Continuing to frown at the table, Robin added, "He stole part of a prototype armor system that responds to neural activity. He didn't manage to get all of it, and the company wants us to do guard duty tonight."



A few groans erupted from the group, but Robin wasn't backing down.



"I know he'll be there tonight," he explained. "And we need the money, especially since there are so many of us now..."



"What are you talkin' about?" Beatsboy demanded, perplexed. "The city pays us to protect it, right?"



Robin nodded slowly, his eyes narrow.



"They do," Mario agreed. "But we didn't exactly protect it the other night, did we?"



Silenced by the stern words of the one in the red cap, Beastboy's lips moved, but little sound came out.



"I've already agreed to take the job," Robin stated. "If anyone doesn't like it, they can stop eating for a few days or get a different job."



Robin's threat was met by a table of silent Titan with wide eyes. To conclude, Robin annolunced, "At four o'clock, I want everyone outside at the training grounds so we can prepare for tonight. That's it."



After Robin had grumbled out the end of his speech, the room was slowly drained of life as each Titan left to try and ease their minds.



----------



"So, what was that all about?" Jinx mumbled casually, eyeing a photo on Cyborg's desk. It was one of him and Robin, taken in the garage of the Tower. They were both grinning toothy, foolish grins. A large, robotic hand grasped it firmly and removed it from the girl's skinny fingers.



Cyborg sighed, muttering, "Just a meeting," as he placed the picture back on the shelve where it had been. "We've got some work to take care of tonight."



"What kind of work?"



"Same old," Cyborg answered dully, giving her a suspicious glance. "And you better not even think o' messin' around while we're gone, or you're gonna be canned faster than dogfood."



Jinx scoffed at his threat and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm not gonna go sneaking around," she assured him. "I might leave while I can."



Cyborg shrugged and shook his head.



"Go ahead." He headed toward the door, ready to go play some Gamestation with his friends.



"Hey!" Jinx growled, dashing to his back. "Where are you going?" she demanded, a twinge of panic squeaking through her throat.



"I'm going to hang out with my friends," he informed her, his back still to her. "I guess you wouldn't know what that's like, since you don't have any," he added. Though his tone aimed to puncture her, he smirked, hoping that he could get her to crack. It didn't work this time.



"Wh...Fine!" she spat out as the door to Cyborg's room swished shut. "Who cares?" she grumbled to herself bitterly. "I wouldn't get along with those goodies, anyway..."



As her brain faced a conflict, she folded her arms over her chest and slammed her thin frame into the chair at the desk near the door. She wouldn't admit it, but had enjoyed her time that morning talking with the cyber-teen, and had wanted it to last longer.



----------


Yea, I just don't see Slade doing a practical joke. Maybe that's it. I felt as if everything was thrown out of character. Yea. I think that describes it well.

When I read about Mario as a lazy drunkard, it can be funny, but it doesn't feel right. It's silly. And I can only read silly stories when I'm feeling silly, and that's not at Christmas time.

During Christmas, I'm reminded of all the people in my life I wish I could reach out to make feel better, but I know that I shouldn't, even if it seems like they need help. In essence, I felt like Christmas itself got thrown 'out of character.' It felt more like Halloween.

Teen Titans itself is silly. It's silly a LOT. And ya know what? That's funny.

But that's not why I watch it. Sure, they're all in good fun, but...Those silly episodes never get very good reviews, or haven't ya noticed? Everywhere I go, it's episodes like Betrayal, The Beast Within, etc...Those are the ones that get higher ratings. I don't find that as a surprise.

Blech. There I go again. I'm just gonna stop now.

EDIT- adding to this WAY TOO LONG post, I notice Avatar there...the, uh...avatar...correct...?

Like, the last Airbender Avatar. Yea. Can't say I've watched much of it, 'cuz...I haven't. It seems OK. I might like it, but that depends.

[Rae]

That was a sweet little teaser in there Smasher, very intriguing!

Can't wait for more!

Rae

P.S. Can you please stop arguing? It just makes everyone on edge and upset!

[Sproxie]

That was a sweet little teaser in there Smasher, very intriguing!

Can't wait for more!

Rae

P.S. Can you please stop arguing? It just makes everyone on edge and upset!I agree, with both things she said; The arguing, or debates sorta makes everyone (or some people) uncomfortable and/or 'edgy.'
And I liked that teaser, I love scenes with Jinx and Cy. And I'm starting to hate Robin. (only in this Fic.) He is such a jerk! :mad:



Anyway, I didn't say I loathed your X-mas story.

I thought it was stupid. *shrug* I expected more from you.
Wow, straight to the point. you never hesitate to say whats on your mind huh?
Seems like me. If I don't like somone, they know. Alot of people hate me for it too. :p 'cept i don't care. (ONLY in person! Never online.)

[Funkatron]

NOO!!!!

Gah. I've spent a good 2 days reading this fic from the start(skipped the replies, so sorry to the respective writters if I don't referense you).

I love the idea(though didn't like it at first) Ilove the execution. You character developement is what drives the story and it is pretty much flawless. You got good writing chops, my man. You definately seem to love to write. Hope you get to get paid for it as a job.

Now that thats done with

*Smacks DS on the head*

Stop messin with poor BB and get hin and tay back together already!!!

*smacks him again for good measure* :p:p:p

Please continue writing and I'll keep on reading. Your writing actually has me wanting to put on paper an idea I have for a TT/DBZ crossover fic. Though I don't think I can write, I got ideas running through my head that I hope I can make people enjoy as much as you do.

*smack DS yet again*

Poor BB

[Destiny_Smasher]

OK...

First of all, welcome to...Funkatron...(Such an awesome name...)

Nextly...

Who said we were arguing? Who's 'everyone' that's 'on edge?'

I wasn't arguing. And if you're going to tell me that debating is the same thing as arguing, THEN I will start arguing.

Arguing is when people mean to hurt each other and have no regard for the opposition's opinion.

Debating is when two sides talk to each other about a topic and see both sides of it.

At least, that's how I think of it.

If I was arguing with someone, believe me, you'd know.

I don't believe I said anything offensive to Welshi, and if I did, I apologize for it, but the whole point of a forum is for people to express themselves, and I did.

If you don't want me to express myself, I'll stop writing, 'cuz it's the same thing, but with a lot more layers to it.

If anyone's 'on edge' or 'upset,' it would probably be me, seein' as I 'started it.' That's my own problem, now, isn't it? It's a problem that has been preventing me from writing, so I certainly don't think it's spam, either.

I'm sure Welshi understood that I meant no offense to him, I was speaking out against society as a whole and saying what I thought.

I'm also sure I get offended easier than he does.

Besides, I DID explain WHY I thought that the whole paint-thing was dumb, right? It's not like I just said, "You're a poop head BECAUSE."

Anyway, like I said before, I think I'm done with that or now, so I'll move on.

"I'm starting to hate Robin."

I hope this sentiment is shared by the entire group.

I am deliberately doing this for a VERY good reason, which you will discover fairly soon.

Notice how I haven't shown ROBIN'S side of this story...Robin has his reasons for being 'a jerk,' just as Starfire has for locking herself in her room.

I made the decision to not make everything clear and have the reader slowly figure the situation out, just like Raven is.

I've come to realize just how quickly people judge others, both in reality AND in fiction. People were judging Terra when she hadn't DONE anything. People were judging Tay, and BB, etc., etc.

People are angry that BB and Tay are 'split up,' and they're angry that Robin's being 'a jerk,' but the truth of the matter is that no one but me actually knows WHY they're acting like that.

When I watch TV, I try not to judge the characters too quickly. When I focus on character development so much, I have to know WHY a character acts the way he/she does. When I watch shows or read books, I instinctively ask these questions and theorize.

Why did Robin go neurotic when it came to Slade?

Why is Starfire losing it right now?

Why is Raven so defensive when it comes to Starfire?

Why did Tay break off her relationship with Beastboy?

Why will Jinx do what she does later on this Chapter? Why is she hiding from the Titans right now? Why is she acting ungrateful?

When you start asking yourself questions like these, you'll stop looking at characters the same way from one angle.

Where was Robin when he went missing the day before? Why is he deliberately trying to push Starfire away, and why is she pushing HIM away?

OK, OK, enough questions. Some of these could be figured out by now, while others require more clues first.

The question I ask myself more and more lately is this: Should I make it clear why a character is doing this, or should I leave it to them to figure it out?

If I don't write with feeling and thought, it makes it look like I don't care. If I don't care about my story, why should anyone ELSE?

If Welshi didn't care about his X-mas story, why did he write it? If he didn't care, why should I? Perhaps this is why I think a story should have meaning behind it. I seem to keep stumbling upon more pieces to a puzzle I haven't put together yet.

Whatever that puzzle looks like, it seems as if I've forgotten but used to know, looking back 'Heartless,' a Chapter in Q4D! that takes place a while from now but one I wrote a year and a half ago...

Anyway, thanks for the comments, Funkatron.

"You definately seem to love to write."

That's what I've been contemplating...

I used to love to write...But do I still...? Why?

[Funkatron]

I understand Robin a bit. Robin is acting like...himself. And Batman He blames himself for the tragedy. I mean, he was afraid of entering the relationship in the first place fearing it would jeopardize the team. In his eyes, thats what happened and he is beating himself and unfortunately, Starfire for it.

My Guess on where he's been: If its in Jump City, his parent's grave. A very Batman-esque gesture. I feel sorry for Star for the whole thing. Robin does need to get over his guilt and comfort the girl. I understand what he must be going through, but he's gonna screw everything up even further.

Raven and her powers: Nice plot twist. Though, I'm beginning to feel her whole rediscovery of herself is for naught. Its ironic her search to find herself is ending up with her...loosing..herself..ok, I'm confussled *head explodes*

Playing the Jinx/Cybog thing, I see. Sortof. Kind of.

And once again, if you may..... TENOCH + BB 4EVER!!!!!!!!

Get them back together...PLEASE!!!!!???
*smacks DS again for breaking them up*

I do have 1 question for you: How do you go about writing? Do you have any excersises/routines??

[Destiny_Smasher]

OK, then...Interesting. Questions. I love questions.

About Robin beating himself up- you're DEAD ON.

About his parents' grave- you're wrong.

I think you guys may actually smack yourselves in the head when you find out where he went.

--
Raven and her powers: Nice plot twist. Though, I'm beginning to feel her whole rediscovery of herself is for naught. Its ironic her search to find herself is ending up with her...loosing..herself..ok, I'm confussled *head explodes*
--

Well, see, that's the whole point. People change. I have changed dramatically in the past couple years. Maybe not the way I ACT, but the way I FEEL and THINK is FAR different.

Maybe you didn't connect this, but...Raven hasn't lost herself. She's always been herself, just...different facets. Everyone's like that.

The White Raven is the one 'in charge' right now. It's the one that has been dying to take charge for a while. The 'Black Raven' is the one that you seem to think she's 'losing.'

As you'll soon discover, that Black Raven does NOT get 'lost.'

I am playing the Cyborg/Jinx thing. Obviously, there's going to be some slight conflict between Raven and Jinx, but you can probably assume that Raven has practically given up already.

Tenoch and BB 4ever...?

What are you talking about? :sweat: You don't even KNOW Tay, really. But I won't complain, that's for sure.

If you're going to start smacking me for breaking them up when they haven't REALLY broken up, I fear for my safety, considering that this fic does not end in lolipops and rainbows...:shrug:

"That's all I have to say about that," as Forrest Gump would say.

By the way, Batman WILL have an appearance in this fic, sooner or later. Pretty close to the first climax, I'd say. I haven't decided exactly who he will interact with, when, or why, but he WILL show up in here. I'm gonna be aiming for the Justice League/late '90's verison, I guess. The one with the perfectly square chin...?

Anyway, that does mean that we will be taking a trip to Gotham. I don't know a LOT about Gotham, but enough to pull off what I'll need to.

My...routines...?

Well, see, that's the thing...My routines have shifted drastically...Maybe that's part of it, too. I have my own computer in my own room with all types of distractions, whereas I didn't used to...

This is how I go through my routine when I'm writing at my best, at least in recent times.

Um...Well, I usually have a scene planned out weeks, maybe months before I write it, depending on how important a scene it is.

I fill in the details with random stuff when I actually start writing. That way, when something new comes along, like Jinx dancing with Cyborg, etc., I have room to change or add.

I was originally not going to Amy or Luigi in here at ALL. For some reason, I changed my mind and had it fit the story. Remember the girl that gets saved in the Prologue? Because I was inspecific, I had leeway to explain it later and say that it was Amy.

I was actually going to have Amy try and date Cyborg for the sole purpose of pissing Sonic off and making him jealous. (Like I said, the Sonic/Amy/Tikal bit is quite a mess, indeed) I changed my mind because that would interfere with Jinx.

Jinx is going to basically fill the position that Raven used to have. Ya know, sarcastic, mean, spiteful, always wanting to be alone, etc.

But don't worry about Raven. Raven has indeed changed, beyond the point of no return. *Phantom of the Opera music starts playing* She will never truly be the same 'Raven' she was at the start. That's because life is like that.

As much as I wish I could be as oblivious to the true evils of human beings like I was up until a few years ago, maybe I'd go for it. But I can't, and never will be able to.

However, Raven isn't done changing, I can tell you that.

If you've played Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (Rebirth, Rikku's story) you have some major clues, as a lot of the inspiration comes from that. It just happens in a different way.

Oh, right...Um...

I always bear in mind why a character is acting a certain way when I write a scene, and I always ask myself why they're saying what they're saying. Well, I guess not always conciously, but most of the time.

I have a huge collection of music so I can always find the right tune for the mood. As you've noticed, I've used some lyrics here and there. Most of my music doesn't actually have lyrics to distract me, though.

And, ya know what?

I've been wasting way too much time babbling on here lately, so I'm gonna go now and try to write some more if Resident Evil 4 doesn't distract me further.

[Destiny_Smasher]

:shrug:

Bah. I feel a little insulted--you guys let this drop to the 3rd page.

Obviously, there's a lack of interest lately. Pity.

Since I actually bothered to write more, I guess I'll put more up before someone forgets this thread exists (It happens on forums a lot, you know).

----------



"Mm hm, that sounds good. Tell the girls I'll see them in a half hour."



"What about Starfire?" Terra wondered curiously. "Is she OK?"



Raven sighed, and Terra could see what little color the girl had in her face disappear.



"No, she's not," Raven mumbled. "I'm going to check up on her right now. I'll see if I can get her to come with me, but...--" She shrugged sullenly.



"Well, I'll tell 'em that you'll be around in a while," mumbled Terra when they stopped at Starfire's door. "Um...Make sure she knows that everybody's here for her," she muttered weakly, not able to express the thought coherently.



Raven smiled back at her as weakly as Terra had spoken. After giving the blonde girl a quick nod, Raven watched her friend disappear down the hall to join up with the other females. Sucking in a deep breath, Raven rapped at the door lightly. No sound met her ears afterward, so she tried again with more intensity in her fist.



"...I do not wish to be bothered," whimpered the Tamaranian from the other side. Raven could feel her heart being torn by the emotion in Starfire's words.



"Starfire, let me in," Raven pleaded gently, her voice like a warm breeze in autumn. "I just want to make sure you're doing OK."



Starfire hesitated, then declared, "You have no reason to worry about me."



Raven huffed and went to the panel at the door's side to punch in the five digits she had memorized. A few seconds passed, and the door opened--at least, Raven saw it opening in her mind. It didn't budge an inch, however. Jamming in the numbers again to make sure she hadn't made a mistake, Raven was in dismay as she realized that the door had been locked from the inside somehow. Puzzled but determined, Raven held her palms up against the door and plunged her brain into a deep concentration.



Her heart aching to comfort her best friend, Raven felt her body pass through the door as she could before; however, she did not step through the door in shadows, but in a bright flash of pure, white light.



The mysterious girl's heart raced from the invigorating event she had just experienced. She suddenly felt so full of life, as if she had just walked for the first time all over again. As she gasped for breath, exhilerated beyond reason, two wide, fearful, emeralds glared at her from the shadow of a hood. Raven's eyes adjusted from the entrance slowly, as the room was quite dark. The lights were all off, and the curtains were drawn to stop natural light from pouring in. Slivers of yellow rays filtered in periodically where the curtains didn't quite cover the glass.



Raven's violet eyes squinted as she desperately searched the bleak room. She noticed a quivering, huddled mass of black on the ovular, pink bed in the middle of the desolate chamber. Raven's heart skipped a beat as she drew in a sharp gasp. The sound of air rushing through her lips seemed to echo across the lifeless room, bouncing from one cold wall to the next. The tainted green jewels in the darkness--Starfire's eyes--silently screamed out in desperation, like an angel trapped in hell.



Immobilized by Starfire's seemingly unstable state, Raven could only stare in horror until the trembling Tamaranian managed to mutter, "Please...Leave me be..."



The quivering voice of the girl shrouded in shadows willed Raven from her comatose state of shock, forcing her to respond.



"Starfire," she whispered, heartbroken. "What...--?" A pale, shaking hand reached into the blackness for Starfire as Raven's feet inched her body to the defensive alien.



"No, please," Starfire whimpered out. "I am...unbearable."



"Starfire," Raven called desperately, climbing onto the cold, plush bed.



"Please leave," insisted the semi-psychotic Titan in the cloak.



Raven, ignoring Starfire's pleas, crawled closer and closer, unrelenting. As soon as she was within reach, her slender arms snapped out to capture Starfire within them. Much to Raven's surprise, Starfire shrieked and leaped up to fly out of her friend's grip. Starfire's flight ended within a second of escape, and she plummeted to the ground in a chaotic crash, slamming her head into the floor with a sickening 'thud.'



Raven, already confused, her heart petrified as it was, cried out from the girl's reaction and the result. Though her emotions were running rampant, she was so focused on helping her friend that she was able to subconsiously levitate her body and rush it over the side of the bed to the crumpled Starfire on the floor.



"Wh--? S-Starfire, are you all right?" Raven demanded shakily, slipping a soft hand into the red hair beneath the moaning head and tilting it up. A whimper spilled into the air, pricking at Raven like a needle. The girl with the lavender hoodie sent her sympathies through her hands and concentrated on relaxing the Tamaranian through her powers to heal. However, like her other abilities, these engulfed her hands in white light. When the light seeped from her fingertips, however, Starfire's face became visible, causing Raven to freeze yet again, horrified. Starfire's face itself didn't horrify her, but realizing that her friend was in such a deformed state, both emotionally and physically, gave her grief beyond words.



Starfire's deep, loving eyes remained in tact, squinted shut. The eyelids quivered and she sniffled. Her once round ears were now long and jutted upward with stiff, pointy ends. Two very thin spines poked out of her neck at either side, like those of a porcupine. This, added to the bulbous mass of her head, made Starfire look quite different, indeed.



"What...--?" was all Raven could mutter, left in awe.



"I'm becoming a monster," Starfire coldly whispered, removing her head from Raven's palms and letting it roll to the floor. Paralyzed from the situation presented before her, Raven couldn't say a word for a few moments, and Starfire slowly sat up on her hip, supporting her upper body with her arm. Sitting like a feeble, wounded victim, Starfire let a tear fall from her eyes, which began to glow faintly. The light from the painefd girl's face was enough to illuminate the area around her, if only slightly.



Raven was confused further as she caught sight of Starfire's hand, which was now visible. Traces of the same thick, soft hair that grew from her head were emerging from the back of her hand, and even from her feet. Raven knew that this was unnatural, even for Starfire, as she didn't grow an inch of foothair within a couple of days. Somehow, for some reason, Starfire was...transforming.



"Starfire, wh-what's wrong? Why...--?" Finding it far too difficult to express her concern in words, Raven leaned forth to squeeze the emotionally unstable Titan once again, her grip firmer than last time.



Starfire finally gave in to her best friend's persistence, and hugged back, careful as to not scratch Raven's back with her slightly elongated fingernails.



The deformed Tamaranian had no control over the intensity of the light pouring from her eyes as it increased. Staring at Raven's pale face, Starfire's eyes bathed the girl in a sea of green. Without even a flinch, Raven's eyes widened and gazed deeply into the shadowy figure.



The emerald jewels sparkled in an unworldly fashion, radiating dispondent light. Thin streams of glowing, green liquid gracefully trickled down tan cheeks, and the lonely, desperate voice of a fallen angel whispered, her body trembling with unbridled confusion. Fear pulsated through the air from her eyes like waves of darkness itself.



"What is happening to me...?"



----------

[Sproxie]

Starfire's eyes--silently screamed out in desperation, like an angel trapped in hell.


I absolutely LOVED that line. I don't know why, I just did. I feel very sorry for Starfire right now, She's becoming more and more like Raven everyday. I wonder if the Titans will blame this on Rae...

One thing I didn't get was the first line, what did that mean, and who said it? :sweat:


"Mm hm, that sounds good. Tell the girls I'll see them in a half hour."


Bah. I feel a little insulted--you guys let this drop to the 3rd page.
Sorry. :sad: There are just so many stories. :shrug:

[rrarbecy]

I STILL BLAME ROBIN!!!!! This all started with him.

I'm wondering. Is Star's transformation the same as in "Transformation," or different in a way?

Great job Smash.

[Rae]

This is definatly a chapter to bring back the readers! It was great, I feel sorry for Star! She seems to be struggling with this more than in the show!

Rae

[Destiny_Smasher]

Urrrgg...

COuld you PLEASE stop calling these Chapters? That was an UPDATE, not a Chapter. We've been on the same Chapter for some while now...

Anyway, regarding the first line: you aren't supposed to know exactly what Raven was talking about, that's the whole point. It'll make sense a little later.

And yes, please do blame everything on Robin, despite that you're dead wrong--he didn't start all of this, but he does think he did. Kinda weird...

You guys keep yelling at Robin...You'll feel sorry for him soon enough, when you understand why he's acting like this. You've been seeing things from Raven's point of view, and you'll be seeing them more from Star's point of view shortly, and then, later, you'll finally get to see what Robin's been thinking/feeling this whole time.

Oh, but you guys keep yelling at him. :sweat: That's exactly what I want.

Regarding Starfire's transformation...Yes, this is the same thing, basically.

She's changing roughly the same way, though quicker than she did on the show, I believe. It's only been a day or so since it started, and I think it took more like a week on the show. There's a reason for that, at any rate.

And yes, she's struggling a lot more than in the show. This is because Starfire feels (as she did in the show) that she's turning into a monster. However, unlike on the show, Starfire's heart wasn't shattered in a million pieces and she's wasn't incredibly pissed off at Robin or herself.

Notice how much Raven has turned into Starfire, and how Starfire has turned into Raven. That's big; it's character foiling.

I'll post up the next scene after some more responses.

[Pookey]

woho..Star is like Raven so much now...i love character foiling, its so cool, but i can never do it right:sweat:

this was a really good update, ive been wanting to see Robins POV for awhile now, and soon enhough it will come, but until then seeing the events that are hapening now are amazing!

I have a hypothosis of what may happen, im probally wrong but im gonna give it a shot...You know how Star has that cocoon thing she goes into..well i think when that happends Robin may come in a freak and start caring. Probally wrong, but i want to how wrong....:sweat: im not the best when it comes to foreshadowing

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, I can tell you that you're wrong, Pookey. That's not going to happen.

Matter of fact...--

Well, I guess I'll give you guys another scene, or something...

Foreshadowing? Well, I don't really think I've done a whole lot concerning Starfire's transformation...

This next scene, though...

----------



"Left hand blue!" Luigi announced, staring at the colorful spinner in his lap.



Terra slapped a gloved hand onto a blue circle immediately, choosing a spot to her advantage. Tay grunted as she stretched an arm to one in the corner of the playing mat, her legs criss-crossed. Amy groaned, reaching for a place to put her hand. She blew some puffy pink hair from her face that had flopped down from staring at the ground and made her move, only to tumble backward and land on her side.



Terra and Tanochtitlan chuckled at Amy's attempt.



"Sorry, Amy," Luigi snickered. "You're out."



"I KNOW, dumbass," Amy growled irritably, removing herself from the game and sitting next to Luigi on the curved couch. They were in Terra's bedroom, playing a game of 'Twister.' Four sections of tan sofa, that formed a circlewhen put together, were spread out around the room's center.



"Oh, it's just a silly game," Luigi teased her.



"Why don't you play it, then?" Amy snapped competetively.



"I can't play it with you guys," Luigi muttered, lifting a brow. "How would that make me look, playing 'Twister' with three girls...?"



The pink-haired bombshell rolled her eyes and shook her head, oozing apathy.



"So what? Wuss."



"Hey, Luigi," Terra grunted out, struggling to maintain her awkward position. "Could ya hurry up?"



"Oh! Right. Sorry," he spat out, flicking the spinner with his index finger.



"Tay is SO going to beat you," Amy warned Terra. "She's really flexible."



"Thanks," Tenochtitlan giggled. "It comes naturally." She glanced across the room to Tikal, who was sitting by herself, engulfed by Raven's book yet again.



"Right foot green!"



As Tay casually arced her leg to her side, stretching it in such a way that it looked painful, she called out to the gentle girl with the book.



"Hey, Tikal, come play with us next round!"



Tikal, being thrown from her world into theirs, sucked in a quick breath of air and blinked quickly, in a daze.



"Hm?"



Tay sighed in good humor and repeated herself, only to draw a doubtful expression from Tikal.



"Um..."



"Yea, Tikal, just you and me," Amy offered, trying to make her feel more comfortable with the idea.



"...All right," she murmured, giving in.



"Right foot green."



"Agh, man," Terra grumbled between grit teeth, wondering how she would pull off such a task. She would have to slip her leg between one of Tay's legs and one of her arms. She tried to pull off the task, but failed, crashing onto the ground while Tay, though slightly shaken, remained rooted at her spot.



"That's the third time in a row," Terra admitted, throwing her mess of blonde hair over her head.



"Maybe we should play something else," Tay suggested, loosening her body into a comfortable position off the mat and undoing the ponytail she had put her soft braids into. The beads she normally wore were missing, though she didn't seem to remember what had happened to them.



Amy had managed to remove Tikal from the book she was almost finished with and was nudging her toward the playing area.



"Take off your sandals," she advised, tapping Tikal's bare feet with her socked toes.



"OK." As she carefully removed the footwear, Amy pointed a hand out to Tay, who was still grasping the red scrunchie that had been holding her hair together. Tay tossed it to Amy, who proceeded to bunch the thick, orange mass on Tikal's into it so she'd be able to see better while playing.



"You know how to play, right?" Amy checked, kneeling down on one side of the plastic mat.



Tikal nodded as a hint of pink formed under her eyes.



"Yes, Sonic showed me how not too long ago," she told Amy quietly, receiving no reply.

----------

[rrarbecy]

So THAT'S how girls Spend their time. THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED!!!!!!!!!;)

Anyway, that was a great way to express how normal happenings are. I think...That last line "Sonic showed me how," ooooooooh. hehehehe. Oh the things my dirty mind are coming up with.

[Crowgirl]

DJ, I doubt you have a clue about what we do in our spare time. :p

The twister thing was cool beans, a nice touch and theme of the whole update. Nothing less of what I would have expected of you. Bravo!

And I agree with DJ (I wonder how low I am sinking... :p :p :p :p ) on this, the last line was brilliant indeed.

CG

[rrarbecy]

I don't think I WANT to know, either.

[Funkatron]

One thing that I miss do to your changes: Silkie!! Bring him into the mix and I'll be happy :p

Alright, just kidding. Probably be a bad idea, due to how you reworked the Killer Moth Scenario...but still...Silkie is Silkie, He rocks.

Forget my mumblings. Good writing as usual. Good to see Tay out of her funk somewhat. Poor Starfire. Hope her transformation brings her some happyness

[Sproxie]

Lovely way to add some humor in a somewhat depressing story (well, to me it's depressing because Starfire lost her "bubbliness!") Twister. Hmmm, Would Raven ever play? :p
Great update.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Wow. Well, I guess people still ARE interested.

Yea, that scene was fun to write. Um...I didn't say that's what girls did in their free time, it's...just what these girls happen to be doing today. I mean, I COULD have them braiding each other's hair, or something...But this seemed more like something they'd do.

Notice how Luigi is with them.

This scene is loaded with symbolic foreshadowing, though I doubt you guys picked up on any of it.

Raven and Starfire do, in fact, play Twister in the next scene, give or take.

Twister is symbolic foreshadowing, that's for sure.

[Rae]

okay, here is my messed up load of predictions/analysis

-the twister game sybolises how everything is messed up, twisted
-Tay's beads went missing because BB washed them away
-Lugi is with them because he's going to try and help them sort out Robin (that's probably the most random but you never know)

Short list i know but the thing with this fic is that i don't want to figure it out, i want to be surprised by what you pull out of your hat next!

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, yea, Twister is the game used because everything is...twisted...But that's not really what it represents, though that is a point I wanted to make.

Below is some spoiling of symbolic foreshadowing, and I wonder if the spoiler tags will work.

Give or take, Twister symbolizes romantic relationships. Notice how Amy loses right away, while Tenochtitlan wins. Sonic 'taught' Tikal how 'to play,' because Tikal never really understood what a real boyfriend was like (or what she wanted in one) until she started to date him...though that was, ya know, 2000 years ago, give or take...

Luigi doesn't play because, honestly, Luigi doesn't want to. He's not all too interested in romance, at least not at this time and place.

You can imagine how Raven's game of Twister with Starfire will go.

There's a peak into the symbolism I've been trying to incorporate into my stories lately.

Dude, spoiler tags DO work on this forum. N!c3. But I doubt anyone will actually ignore them...

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sweat: Uh...Heheh...

Yea...Looks like it took WAY longer to write this than it should have...buuuuut...

It IS done.

And I HAVE started work on the next scene, which introduces a new character to the mix that you guys better be familiar with.

Well, here ya go. This IS where we are, right...?
Um...If the letters below show up as black, just highlight them...I've got NO IDEA why it's doing that...-_-'

----------

"Starfire, if I don't open the shades, how are you going to see what you're doing?" Raven asked, slowly drawing a layer of red cloth away to let the afternoon sunlight in.

Starfire replied only with a grunt, squinting her eyes and shielding them. Raven continued to open the remaining curtains, opening the floodgates to let light pour in.

Starfire had made her way to the window, still wearing Raven's cloak over her like a shield to stop the light from melting her skin. Her emerald eyes, packed with fear, quickly gazed around the windows as if they were looking for something on the side of the tower. Raven was perplexed when she noticed Starfire's actions, and led the poor girl away from the window and to the white, plastic mat spread out on the floor. As she untied her blue-laced sneakers, her eyes remained glued to her weary friend.

Starfire looked pretty hungry, based on her bloodshot eyes, drowsy demeanor, and the way her stomach would gurgle on occasion. Raven had prepared a sandwich of wheat bread jammed with deli meats, lettuce, tomatoes, and plenty of mustard. But even mustard, it seemed, wouldn't make Starfire happy. She had refused to consume the food, insisting that she didn't need it. Raven had made Star promise that she'd eat the sandwich before 4:00, when they had to get ready for their job that night. The food sat on a small plate on Starfire's dresser, begging to be swallowed. It was comforted by an abstract sculpture Starfire had made shortly after becoming a Teen Titan. As Raven checked to see if the sandwich was safe, she realized just how warm and cozy Starfire's room was. It was a pink and red burst of bubbly joy from the laced cloth on her nightstand to the velvet pillows on her bed. It was astonishing how gloomy the room looked when it was dark.

Raven noticed that Starfire's feet were bare, and she could tell that her toenails had lengthened like her fingernails, if only by a couple centimeters or so. Raven was sure that Starfire's nails had to have grown quite a bit over the past day. It was like she was devolving into some sort of cave-woman. Her appearance, her attitude, and even her speech seemed to be deteriorating. Though the appearance was a mystery, Raven knew that the mind and soul were damaged due to her broken heart.

Raven had placed the spinner to the game on the floor beside the mat as she knelt slowly, her attention glued to Starfire like a rodeo rider on a bull.

"Starfire," Raven asked gently, "could you take the cloak off? It'll make it...difficult to play..."

With a small hiss of frustration, Starfire froze in place on her knees. Her body trembled reluctantly as a slender arm inched its way to her shoulder, fingers tightly squeezing at the palm. She slapped the shaking hand onto her shoulder quickly, but held it in place. She applied great pressure for a few moments, as if she was trying to squeeze pain out. A quick flick of the wrist flung the dark cloak, her outer shell, from her tainted body and into the dim air. It drifted on a slow, haphazard trip to the edge of the ovular bed behind her. She sunk to her knees very suddenly, as if her legs had buckled on her.

"I am ready," she quietly announced, her eyes half-open in a dreary expression of repulsion.

Raven, shaken from the actions of her friend, tried to maintain her calm, concentrating on the spinner on the carpeted floor. Using a gentle force of light energy, she sent the plastic arrow twirling. As she waited for it to slow down, she examined Starfire's pale face--the darkness beneath her eyes, the thin, red lines in her green eyes, and the way her body sagged from fatigue. Raven was relieved when the arrow finally stopped, as the sight of Star was unnerving.

"Left hand red," she blurted out. She waited for Starfire to make her move first, which was the action of a slender arm slapping onto the plastic mat drowsily. Raven placed her own palm onto the colored circle right next to Star's, then sent the spinner around again.

Roughly ten turns later, the game seemed to be drawing to a close. Starfire's body was sprawled across the entire board, struggling to stay upright, while Raven was scrunched up in a tighter area, her body twisted enough without her friend's help.

As the black arrow seemed to hesitate as it selected the next move like a reluctant judge, Starfire's right leg was jolted by a cramp, causing it to wobble a bit before collapsing. This initiated a chain reaction in which Starfire's body collided with the floor, throwing Raven off her center. Within a second, the two were in a tangled mess on the ground, letting out cries of surprise as they had plummeted. After a moment of moaning, they untied their bodies with effort and sat upright, dazed.

"...I apologize," Starfire murmured dully, staring through the carpeting into some other realm.



Raven sighed and shook her head dismally. "It's all right. It was an accident."

"I am sorry for my attitude," Starfire specified coldly. "You are here to comfort me, and I am behaving like a wallargog..."

Ever impressed by the Tamaranian language, Raven was at a loss to reply.

"I do not deserve companionship at this time," Starfire explained. "...I do not wish to burden you with my anger and sadness."

Raven smiled weakly and told her, "Starfire, there was a time when I felt the same way, and you still gave me company. If anything, I'm returning the favor."

Starfire shook her head slightly, insisting that she was undeserving.

"You did not cause the death of--"

"Stop it!" Raven shouted out with a shocking bitterness. Starfire flinched, blinking at her best friend with wide eyes. "I'm sick of hearing about that nonsense," Raven's raspy voice growled with frustration. "Starfire, it was not your fault that this happened. How can you possibly blame yourself?" she demanded fiercely.

"If it was not for my rash decision, then nothing bad--"

"Starfire, if that Killer Moth jerk had never sent out his stupid insects, you wouldn't have been able to make any rash decisions!" Having trapped Starfire in a net of silence, Raven continued to drill her point into the Tamaranian's skull. "You are not a criminal. You tried to help prevent the situation. It's not your fault, or Robin's fault, or any of us. Yes, we made mistakes, and the situation could have been prevented if we had made better choices, but it was never our choice to kill anyone or try to destroy Jump City."


Starfire rubbed her aching forehead around the oddity that protruded from it and nodded contritely, her eyes closed.

"You are correct...But those thirteen people...they had no choice at all..."

The two girls simmered the issue in the stew of their minds for a few tranquil moments.

"Did you really have a choice, either?" Raven asked rhetorically, rising to her feet warily. "It wasn't your fault. If any Titan is to blame, it's all of us. We're a team, Starfire. That means that we're all responsible for each other."

Raven made her way to the door, step by step, as she spoke those words. Having reached the exit and opened the door, she muttered, "You want to be alone now--I can see it in your eyes. Make sure you eat, and remember that we have a meeting outside in a half hour."

Raven's somber expression was the last thing that the self-loathing Tamaranian saw before the metal door slid to a close and silence fell over the room like a thick fog. The image of Starfire's exhausted face--those bloodshot, hateful eyes of emerald--was engraved into her mind as she wandered through the halls aimlessly, wishing the day would end so that the hope of a new day would come faster.

----------

[Rae]

Yey! More!!!!

Taking into account what you said about relationships and twister, this means that Raven and Starfire's relationships are at the same level, possibly both collapsing?...

Anyway that was good, you described everything really well and the relationship between the two was great!

Can't wait for more from you!

By the way, who's the new character?

Rae

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, at least we've got SOME sign of life, eh? :sweat:

Yea, you've sort of got a grasp on the Twister concept. Both of them got tied up in their romantic endeavors, and once Starfire's fell apart, it took Raven's hopes down with it. (In other words, Raven figures that if two people like Starfire and Robin can't work things out, she has no hope.)

If you were supposed to know who the 'new' person is right now, you would've been told, don't ya think? :p You'll find out soon enough.

[Pookey]

wow...Raven and Star relationship is on of the the most intresting and changing....

amazing, this was a very good scene!!!! bravo!!

a new character huh?? so the suspense is raised a bar...we shall wait as patient as possible -squirms in chai- and i dont think you have much time from me:anime: :p

[Sproxie]

That was pretty good, but i'm a little sad that you had to post so many updates... thats just taking away from the actual chapter. :shrug: I still can't imagine Raven acting so Starfire-ish... :sad: its to much for my imagination! :sweat: ...and playing twister? thats just weird. But you make it happen, and in style too. :anime: But i'd like to hear more about Link and mario and them... Its been so much about Star and Raven lately...

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sweat:
Um...'K.

First off, I'm posting this Chapter in updates because OTHERWISE, you wouldn't have read any of my fic in about two months now. Also, I'd get practically NO replies for all of the work I'd put into the whole Chapter.

Nextly, Raven is not acting like Starfire. She's THINKING a lot like Starfire, and expressing concern in the way Starfire would, but she's not acting just like Starfire, and Star isn't acting just like Raven used to.

You guys probably read too many fics where all the characters stay the same through the thing, or something. In case you haven't noticed, ALL of the characters have changed to some degree, based on what they've been through.

OK...

You're COMPLAINING because I'm focusing on the two most important characters in the story? :shrug: Yea, that doesn't sound right. This whole section of the story is DEEPLY rooted in Starfire/Raven/Robin. I've told you guys that a million times now.

If you want to hear a lot more from the 'guest' characters, be patient. Their time will come, as they'll 'hog' the last section of the story, since it's all about them getting back 'home.'

The next few Chapters will introduce a bunch of characters (pretty much all villains), and we still have lots of stuff to develop. I've just been busy...or rather, distracted.

Matter of fact, I'm gonna try to finish the next update tonight...I hope...

Blackfire makes her appearence--to us, at least. She's actually showed up already, but we didn't SEE her. Actually, she was in the last scene, wasn't she? :p Yep. Just out of sight, is all.

[Rae]

I look forward to more, and don't worry about being busy out of TZ as i'm sure you have a life out there that could be counted as slightly more important!

I'm not complaining about how you write this fic as everything you do you do for a reason so there fore i won't complain!

Blackfire was in that last scene? Cool! Can't wait until we see her properly!

Rae

[Destiny_Smasher]

'see her properly?'

:sweat: Heheh...Well, you mean, see her at ALL? She was...present...outside the tower...

Go back and read the past few scenes, and you'll see what I mean. I definitely make it clear that a 'presence' is around.

Anyway, the scene is done...I just need to post it.

----------

Sitting in the now brightly lit room, Starfire's mind had been eased by the comfort of her friend. The effect didn't last as long as she could have hoped, as doubt, guilt, and anger slowly seeped from the cracks in her mind. Her aching mind, once a strong structure fortified by her heart, had sustained heavy damage from recent attacks, and signs of war were obviously apparent.

Losing herself in the thick, dark clouds that gradually spewed from her infected soul, Starfire's sense of self-worth was diminishing quite quickly.

The rapping of a hand on the windows behind her brought Starfire's heart close to failure, the sound ripping through her ear drums like an explosion. She stumbled around, gasping for air, and her trembling eyes once again met the sight of the person she had already known was in waiting.

The being levitated mere feet away, a barrier of glass being the only thing separating her from the inside. She had the same shade of tanned skin as Starfire did, and eyes equally as noticeable, though slightly more slanted. Hers were a shade of violet, though, and conveyed a sinister slyness to them. Her hairstyle was identical, as well, though her strands of shining, black hair were not disheveled. She wore a tight, black shirt and mini skirt (quite similar to Starfire's outfit) but her arms and midrift were concealed by a lightweight metallic plating of some sort. Spreading up her legs to the thighs was a pair of black boots identical in design to Star's, aside from the small spiks that poked from the heels.

"...Tsk, tsk, sis," a sneaky, seductive voice scolded from the other side of the glass. The girl held her hips with her hands and shook her head with plastic concern. "I told you, didn't I? You're so frightening that even your 'best friend' is scared of you. You saw that look in her eyes. She's disgusted by you."

Starfire's eyes ushered tears at the theory that her sister, Blackfire, carefully wove before her. She was weaving a net to ensnare her prey, like a black widow.

"It's like I told you, dear sister--you're not wanted here. You're only going to bring them all down, like you have already. I'll ask you again: Won't you come with me to my teacher?"

Starfire stared at her sister with repulsion and regret rolled into thought. Was she right? Starfire had immediately rejected the past two offers her sister had made that day, but she seemed to be considering it much more deeply this time.

"...Why should I come with you, Sister?" Starfire whispered, confusion plaguing her mind. "Why should I trust you? You are a liar, and a criminal."

Blackfire chuckled darkly.

"I should be in jail right now, shouldn't I...?" she mused with a grin. "My teacher has an offer for you that I doubt you can refuse."

"What is this...offer...?" Starfire wondered, reluctantly listening to her cruel sister's words.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure myself," she admitted with a shrug. "But he wants to ask you a question. I know this isn't like me, but I'm in a real jam here. I'll tell you what," she said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "He wanted me to make sure you understand that he won't pull anything funny on you. He said that if you don't like his request, you'll come right back here, no questions asked."

Starfire's bloodshot eyes, like those of a being posessed by demons, glared Blackfire down suspiciously. She didn't trust her sister, that was certain, and Blackfire decided that an extreme situation required extreme measures. This was the third time today that she had tried to coax the emotionally unbalanced girl from her room, and she didn't have all day to keep trying. She had been waiting patiently for the past while as Raven had attemtped to cheer Starfire up, and part of her felt envious. Suppressing this jealousy with the pity she had toward her deformed sibling, Blackfire knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere until she got serious.

"Listen, Sis. If anything happens, then...I'll help you out." Blackfire grumbled the words through the glass, clearly reluctant, as she was avoding eye contact. "I promise that I won't let anything happen to you, all right? I swear it...on our mother's grave..."

Blackfire's last sentence--a clump of words that were forced out in the the same manner one would a chunk of vomit--caught Starfire's attention, and somehow seemed genuine, though hesitant. Memories of Starfire's trip to Earth with Blackfire echoed loudly back, as Blackfire knew they would, and Starfire recognized the strength of the oath.

"...Y-you promise...?" Starfire asked back quietly, only to receive a puzzled glance.

"What?" Blackfire growled. "I can't hear you! Speak up!"

Starfire blinked quickly for a moment, feeling foolish, and repeated her sentence with a higher level of intensity.

"Do you promise?"

Blackfire rolled her eyes and nodded slowly, holding her forehead in her hand grudgingly.

"I swear it on our mother's grave, Sister."

Starfire's dreary spirits were being lifted dramatically at the mere thought of her sister showing she still had a heart within her.

"Very well," Starfire answered, floating toward the edge of the window. The joy of good memories with her sister fueled her brief flight, carrying her to the window's end, where she reached out her hands to grasp a small handle that enabled her to slide the window open. A blast of cool, early autumn air rushed into the dank room, livening everything it touched as the light had minutes before.

"Some fresh air might put some sense into your head," Blackfire suggested with a smirk, holding her hand out to invite the red-haired sister into the afternoon sunlight.

Starfire gazed deeply into her sister's serious, solemn eyes, and decided that she had nothing to lose in taking a small trip to see this 'teacher.'

(It is not as if I will be missed here,) she concluded, disregarding Raven's efforts. She knew that Raven cared for her, but she couldn't stand the thought of placing burden on her any further. Sitting through their conversations had been torture for Starfire, as she desperately wanted Raven to leave, if only so that Raven wasn't concentrating all of her effort on worrying about her.

Starfire inched to the opening, exilerated by the familiar feeling of a breeze flowing through her hair. She stretched her slender arm slowly, trembling with anxiety. Blackfire's hand lurched forth to snatch Starfire's slightly furry hand, but missed as its target flinched.

"I-I lack the ability to fly," Starfire's quivering voice announced in shame.

"Huh?" Blackfire lifted a brow sharply. She didn't quite understand why Starfire had...transformed, though she had a guess, but being unable to fly didn't seem to match her theory. Blackfire hypothesized that since Starfire was in such an emotional state of disrepair, she was unable to conjur enough joy to take flight. Blackfire found thisa to be a cinch, of course--she could imagine the success of a jewel heist, or even the memories she had of spending time with Starfire and their mother. However, these memories were too few and far inbetween, as many were plagued by the thought of their father.

From what Raven had discovered, Starfire's blood-father, the king of a wealthy country of Tamaran, was almost as horrible as her own father. The man was wicked enough to sell his own daughters into slavery in order to preserve his reign as emperor, at least.

"Don't worry," Blackfire grumbled, gripping Starfire's arm tightly. "Leave it to me. I WAS always the better flyer," she gloated with a sigh, causing Starfire to elicit a groan.

----------

[Rae]

'I always WAS the better flyer'

I liked that line - that's the blackfire we all love to hate! or hate to love...

I really liked that update! You captured Starfire's gloomyness(if that's even a word) well!

upon looking back i realise that there was a presence, i just never noticed :sweat:

Anyway, i look forward to more!

Rae

[Destiny_Smasher]

Yea, gloominess can count as a word.

I'm really trying to stick to the characters here. It may sound absurd, with Starfire and Raven acting opposite of what they were months ago, but they're both definitely acting in character right now--that character has just developed over time.

What I'm planning to do with Jinx is similar to what I'm planning with Blackfire, in a sense; these two girls are cold-hearted *****es, but they both have reasons for it.

Jinx's reasons are more general than Blackfire's, though. The main question with Jinx is what she'll do--will she go back to the HIVE, or will she stay with the Titans? I guess a lot of you already know the answer, but you don't know HOW or WHY just yet.

Even so, Jinx is still not the nicest person around. She's still going to be a prick, and she's still going to be sarcastic and make fun of everyone--essentially filling Raven's old role.

Blackfire, I can assure you, will no become a Titan. I don't even know if she'll be a 'good guy,' so to speak. She's definitely a jerk. But, like I said, she has her reasons. That's big. People don't become jerks overnight. It takes time, and it often takes bad things.

I'll bet my computer that Slade acts the way he does because of his past and not simply because being evil is 'fun.'

I know that Kamek, the main villain of ALL of my fics (even this one, on a grander level) has very good reasons for turning 'evil.' All the same, Kamek still has a good side to him, and it shows when he's with his grandchildren. (Speaking of which, i LOVE writing with the Koopa Kids!)

So now we have to introduce Blackfire's 'teacher,' who is, of course, someone you all know.

Hm...Then we have 'the job' tonight...Yea...That'll probably be in thge next Chapter. It'll either be the beginning of the next Chapter, or a Chapter all it's own. Maybe part of the Chapter...? I dunno. But I don't think it'll be in this one.

Then we introduce the Cometz.

Then we introduce the HIVE people at about the same time.

Then there's Red X, which will be VERY interesting, I assure you. Someone I believe you may know well--not the same one on the show.

And, probably lastly, Metal Mario. Ah, Metal Mario. Such a fun rival/enemy. Why? Because he's my favorite fantasy character--only 3vil.

[Rae]

In reply to everything you just said,

That sounds totally awesome!!!!!!!!!!

I really look forward to reading it, oh and i don't think that Star and Rae are acting out of character because, like you said, they've changed!

Rae

[Sproxie]

You're COMPLAINING because I'm focusing on the two most important characters in the story?

-_-' I wouldn't exactly call it COMPLAINING.



But that last (update or chapter??? Update right??) was pretty good. Great way to Introduce Blackfire into the story. Starfire has got MAJOR issues.

And from everything else you just said, Is the Teacher Red X? :sweat: Just a guess.....

[Destiny_Smasher]

:p

Right, then.

Well, I did get some done last night...Not enough for an update, though. Wednesdays are my busy days. I always go hang out with friends Wednesday afternoon/night, since they're friends I don't get to see otherwise.

I used to be able to use some computers a lot on Wednesday, but I can't now. :yawn:

Well, I'll make sure to stick up some new stuff when it gets DONE. I wish I wasn't so distracted lately. It seems as if I'm not really getting anything done ANYWHERE, and I don't understand how that is.

[Pookey]

im very suspisious of Blackfire...but since this is in your hands im going with it...great update i might add, capturing Starfire's gloom and Blackfire's 'self'...anyway distraction are eveyone worst enemy -points to self- a great example....lol again im babbling so ill shut up....Fantastic update!

[Destiny_Smasher]

Thanks. Still angry that I haven't been writing much lately...

But I DID finish the lates Chapter of T3H G4T3, my new Megatokyo fic, and I hope to get that online today.

[rrarbecy]

Oh Jesus Christ. Does Starfire EVER learn. Blackfire is NOT to be trusted. At least I don't think... Anyway, those were definately Smasher calliber(sp?) sections. Great. Especially the Twister chapter. Very well written.

[Pookey]

rrarbecy
Oh Jesus Christ. Does Starfire EVER learn. Blackfire is NOT to be trusted. At least I don't think... Anyway, those were definately Smasher calliber(sp?) sections. Great. Especially the Twister chapter. Very well written.
umm no, of course she doesnt learn.....She loves her sis too much...or at least i see that, dont know if you guys do or not

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sweat: Oh...Someone REPLIED...

Heheh...Yeaaaa...It's only been a couple weeks since anyone really did that. But that's OK. I'm fine. :crying:

I'm partly to blame anyway, what with the lack of writing and what-not. :eek: Oh, wait. Ah, *****, n3v3rmind. I HAD a little update I wrote a few days ago...Nothing special. But I don't have it on me. Ah, well. Like it matters right now.

Anyway, I have the Senior Trip starting Thursday, but I'm hoping to finish the Chapter up by a week from now.

Regarding Star/Black...

Um...YEA. Helloooo, people, Starfire loves her sister.

---
Blackfire's last sentence--a clump of words that were forced out in the the same manner one would a chunk of vomit--caught Starfire's attention, and somehow seemed genuine, though hesitant. Memories of Starfire's trip to Earth with Blackfire echoed loudly back, as Blackfire knew they would, and Starfire recognized the strength of the oath.
---

Blackfire and Starfire love each other as siblings...They just have a LOT of issues that get in the way. (This isn't like the comic book, after all.)

Starfire's relationship with her sister is kind of important, I suppose. But Starfire's relationship with HERSELF is probably moreso.

I'm planning to continue spilling details concerning Starfire's past (at least the one I created) little by little as the story goes on.

The next Chapter should be inticing, no doubt.

And damn, do I want to name a Chapter, "The Italian Job." Just 'cuz. I think it can happenw ith my plans for my Megatokyo fic, though. Which reminds me--I've been putting a LOT of work into what little I have of that one, and NOTHING to show for it but a couple measly reviews and a guy who told me weeks ago he'd read it. -_- Not cool.

[Rae]

'Oh glorious, you are not dead!'

:o sorry couldn't help myself!

I look forward to your updates and i hope the next one is soon, if not then never mind, i shall be vigilant!

Rae

[Destiny_Smasher]

:shrug:

Well, wrote some MORE last night, as I am slowly creeping back into the habit. Too bad I'm at school, don't have it on me, and have a tennis match tonight...meaning that it will have to wait until Wednesday.

Hopefully, I'll write some MORE tonight, and post some on Wednesday, right before I leave for my trip.

I get a laptop soon, too. :anime: That means I can write with the convenience of my desktop wherever I want...almost.

[Destiny_Smasher]

W0W. It's becoming a battle just to keep this on the first page. Well, in case there's still actually some enthusiasm for this story, here's an interesting little update.

----------



"We've been workin' on it, man," Cyborg insisted.



"Yea, we've got it down," assured Mario, tossing an arm casually.



Robin's skeptic eyes examined them thoroughly for a couple of seconds until he muttered, "Show me."



Cyborg and Mario exchanged confident glances and shrugged--almost in unison--before assuming their positions in front of the assembled Titans.



"What're we hittin'?" Cyborg wondered, gazing about the environment.



"There," Robin muttered, pointing a nonchalant index finger to a small dummy that rested thirty yards further out, oblivious to its impending doom.



"Right, then," mumbled Mario, rubbing his palms together in anticipation as he casually strolled forth, alligning himself before Cyborg. "Let's do it," he declared calmly, his neck slightly rolling around on its shoulders. He stretched his arms out wide, sucking in a deep breath as he did so. "Stand back, folks," he chuckled as his classic smirk spread over his face. He swung his powerful arms with devastating speed, and the palms smacked together to create a booming clap. Cyborg held his arm cannon out, aiming it at their target as it charged, oozing blue light. As he prepared his blast, Mario slammed his palms into the dirt at his feet, causing a bright flash of white light to engulf him. A thundering, whirring sound ripped through the air to accompany the light, leaving the audience in a state of befuddled awe.



The sound died down after a few seconds, and the light settled with it. The result of the operation was what appeared to be a dull metal sheild of gray--nothing fancy--that was half as tall as Mario was. He stood in a small crater that had formed during the reaction. Met by a set of wowed eyes, Mario shrugged.



"You have no idea how much practice that took," he told them. "Obviously, we'd need a distraction to pull this one off."



"So...Is that all?" Beastboy wondered, perplexed.



"Hell no," Mario laughed. He nodded to Cyborg and was answered in equal kind. The red-capped pack of surprises bent down, gripping the thick handle on the inside of the shield, which was now a tad taller than he was. He heaved his whole body and exerted the force needed to raise himself and the shield about five feet into the air, keeping his grip on the shield tight. Just before he reached the peak of his jump, Cyborg let his shot fly straight ahead. A concentrated bar of shimmering blue light exploded from his arm with a thundering 'boom,' zipping toward Mario with blinding speed. Miliseconds after it had left his arm, the energy collided with the metal shield, and an ear-shattering 'smack' rippled through the air.



Hugging his transmutated shield, Mario rode the plasma beam like a wave, using its ample force to rush him to the Slade-masked dummy ahead as he charged his free fist with flames. Within a couple of seconds, he arrived at his destination. Rushing by its shoulders, he incinerated the head with a deadly accurate punch, letting the electrifying plasma fry the body. As the blue cannon's energy faded, Mario's hand slid to the shield's edge as he used the momentum he had gained to twirl his body in rapid circles. After roughly a second of spinning, he let the shield, now a seathing hot disc of metal, slice the air like a frisbee of death. As he skidded to a stop on the ground, his thick-soled boots scraped the rocky edges of the island, kicking up dirt into a cloud. Before he had stopped, the heavy metal disc had diced the dummy in half. Cyborg's immense hands of titanium caught the shield, and he posed to present his readiness in using it yet again.



Their brief presentation complete, the two smirking Titans relished the moment of amazed silence and awe.



"We still have a couple bugs to work out," Cyborg chuckled.



"Yea," Mario added in a shout, calmly making his way across the shore. "Definitely gonna need the enemy distracted," he repeated. "That, and wherever we're fighting, there's gonna have to be metal."



Link stared at his mustachoid companion with doubt.



"If you're gonna use a shield, why not just make a permanent one?" he wondered.



"What? And spoil the surprise?" Mario laughed, twenty feet away. "No, no, no. It's all spectacle to throw them off guard."



"Where does the shield come from?" Tikal pondered, scratching her head.



"From the ground," Cyborg answered, reverting his arm to its default form.



"That's why there has to be metal," Mario added, clapping his hands to dust them off. "Can't alchemize a metal shield with no metal."



"Wait--alchemize?" Robin mumbled, throwing more doubt into the matter.



"Yea," Mario replied, as if it were common sense. "Ya know--alchemy."



"...But I thought--..." Robin trailed off, quite puzzled by this. Alchemy wasn't possible...right? Otherwise, the world would be filled with gold. Then again, this guy could spew flames from his hand. Robin quickly realized how foolish he was being; his friends were all 'impossibilities.'



"I take traces of metal from the dirt and stone here and put it together to make the shield. That leaves a small crater, 'cuz I basically ripped dirt from the ground."



Raven was a little giddy about this. Alchemy was always something that fascinated her. According to the rules of alchemy, the everything in the universe--all matter--was connected and shared. An alchemist simply took matter and formed it into something else, a process called transmutating. One could theoretically take a tree and transmute it into a wooden table, or a block of paper. This, of course, brought questions concerning whether or not one could transmute a PERSON. That is the mother load of alchemy--the holy grail--to transmutate a person. Losing herself in the wild science, Raven didn't realize that Starfire had yet to show up to this meeting. Robin, on the other hand, had noticed right away, intentionally ignoring it. The less time he had to see her face, the better.



"OK, OK, whatever," Sonic grumbled, breezing by Mario. "You got to show off. Now it's our turn, right, BB?"



"Oh, yeah."



----------

[Pookey]

sweet!!! Mario and Cy are the coolest pair!

Robin...i know hes mand but man! that guy has issues

[raven54]

Damn, Smasher, that move's ingenious! Did it take you long to dream up or did the idea just randomly pop into your head? Or didja get inspired by something?

*gasp* FullMetal Alchemist influences! I LOVE YOU! That's currently my favorite anime...

Well-written, as usual. The only thing I noticed were a few passive sentences, like this part: "...immense hands of titanium...". It'd probably sound better as "...immense titanium hands...". Those are minor gripes, though.

I think that you're getting pushed off the main page because there's lots of newer people that weren't around when you started posting this, and now it's long enough so most don't have the attention span anymore. Maybe. That's my theory, anyways.

*****
In other news, I got locked in a gym locker today. NEVER steal your friend's shoes and hide in a locker to see if you'll fit in it. She just might playfully shut the door on you... then give you a look of supreme "Oh Crap"-ness when you tell her that no, you DON'T know the combo for our team's stick locker.

[Rae]

That was a great update! Like Drae said, where did you come with that move? And i can't wait to see what bb and sonic came up with

Robin noticed Star was missing but ignored it? that's harsh!

Rae

[Destiny_Smasher]

:anime:

The concept for the attack just popped into my head. Whenever I have Mario on the brain, it happens with ease.

Yes, that was, in fact, influenced by FMA. Good GOD is that an awesome show. I finished watching it about a month or so ago. Man, I was so hooked, I watched the whole series in a few days. :ack: I had watched the first 1/3 of it in English, and then I watched all of it in Japanese on my computer. Happiness...

Still figuring a way to tie in FMA with the Destinia Saga...

Mario can use alchemy because Mario is in tune with a special force known as the N-Force. You guys probably won't hear much about it here, but the N-Force is everything, and since it's so similar to alchemy (except BETTER), I decided that if Mario can use the N-Force, he could alchemy.

Besides, I needed a cool way for him to ride on plasma without getting fried. He's cool, but he's not invincible.

You'll get to see BB+Sonic's move next Chapter. I'm actually...done with this Chapter now. Sooo...I'll probably post the rest when someone replies.

[rrarbecy]

Robin, on the other hand, had noticed right away, intentionally ignoring it. The less time he had to see her face, the better.

Glare. Man can Robin hold a grudge. Sheesh. Somebody should slap him, hopefully knocking some sense into that thick head of his.

Cy and Mario's move ruled, by the way. Thank you Oh Masterful One.

[Destiny_Smasher]

:evil: You're all playing right into my trap...Just another Chapter or two and you'll be sorry...It'll make sense, then, and you'll feel guilty. Mwaha.

You shall all taste oblivion, which tastes like school grilled cheese...which is DISGUSTING.

I will eat out their hearts and crap out their SOULS!!! :evil:

Oh, sorry. My bad. Well...'Til Monday. If you ae good little posters, you may see the rest of the Chapter Monday.

[Pookey]

Monday! Yey! *does little dance but then realises everyone is watching. Stops coughs and goes back to typing* i can't wait!

Rae
wooooooow jk!

i have a bad feeling about you writing Robin b/c we are probally gonna go WTF!? and fall over arent we?? ya proabllay...well cant wait till Monday!!

[Destiny_Smasher]

:evil:

'Tis Monday, my friends, and I have returned to my trip.

I've come to the conclusion, however, that I seem to only have TWO readers here. WTF? Didn't I used to have a few MORE than that? Where are you people? If you're just reading and not replying, you should be very ashamed of yourselves, because that's BS, folks. I know there are peope out there who do it. It's crap.

Therefore, as I can't post the end of this Chapter right now ANYWAY, you shall have to wait until someone else replies. Someone else not being Pookey or Rae, by the way.

'Originally Posted by Oh Masterful One'

:o Didn't catch that earlier. Amusing. :sweat:

'Til then, folks, you shall wait to see the end of Chapter 15- Somewhere I Belong.

I've finished it and plan to post it up on a few places today, or whatever.

I also outlined the next Chapter with some detail so I'm not at a loss as to what to write next.

Chapter 16- Breaking the Habit, will prove to make things all the more interesting as we introduce Slade, the Cometz, possibly Brother Blood...

And Sideris. Oh, joy. :anime: Sideris r0x0rz. Introducing Sideris, of course, means I get to throw in Larry, or Nosyarg Kcid, as he is called.

By the end of the next Chapter, the little stories I've been building up with begin to grow. We should have at least 3 subplots going on at the same time.

Has anyone noticed the trend in the names of the past few Chapters yet? Oh, fine, I'll give you the name of Chapter 17, too: Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Maybe that last one will make it more obvious.

[Crowgirl]

#1"s? Rock?

I have been reading this, just so you know. It's very good and I like it lots. You portray the characters in a great way, and it's perfect. But you post so irregularly that, well, you know....

Ciao,
CG

[Funkatron]

I'm still keeping there, Smasher. Sorry if I haven't posted anything. Still love your work and I'm eagerly awaiting more!!!!

[Funkatron]

So very sorry!

*bows in apology*
In actuality, I haven't properly read your recent additions. Give a day and I'll give a proper reply. Don't feel neglected, Smasher.


You!! Yeah, you lurkers!!! Post something already!!

[Destiny_Smasher]

-

He stretched his thin arms out into the air, his body aching from the ordeal it had been through. His already bored mind knew fully well that an entire night spent with Robin in the mood he was in would prove to be rather vexxing. He was hoping that he could brighten his own mood so that the swiftly approaching night would be a little more bearable.

A cheery bubbliness had been missing from their training session, and Beastboy was disappointed and curious. No matter how down he got, he could always depend on Starfire to help keep the group lively; Starfire, however, was nowhere to be seen that afternoon, and Robin deliberately ignored the fact. It was then that Beastboy knew that something had happened between the two of them. He didn't know what it was, but he knew it was serious, and it made him worry about Tenochtitlan even more.

("So, uh...Do you think we could talk about...stuff...?")

("Um...Yea...Tomorrow...I'll...I'll let you know.")

("You swear?")

("...I promise.")

He could still feel the warmth that had oozed from her smile as she had whispered the words with a tenderness that had caressed his soul. His heart skipped a beat as he recalled that awkward, humid moment. He had yearned to experience that again, but he held back during the training, still unsure as to whether or not Tay wanted to talk. She was certainly being coy, but was she serious, or just playing around? Whatever it was, it had done the trick, as Beastboy was readying himself to talk to her.

Morphing into a monkey, he arced his body back to soften his stiff spine. He transformed into an owl and slowly wound his head around, helping his neck relax. A couple minutes later, he felt fully stretched and calm, prepared to take on the perplexing task laid before him. He lurched his hand forth like it was the final rock at the tip of a treacherous mountain, and he pounded the door with a thundering boom like that of a middle-school student dropping his lunchbox. Twice more he rattled the desolate halls with his whimpering knock.

"Coming!" shouted a familiar blonde who occupied the bedroom before him. Beastboy could feel his innards quiver as he heard Terra's thumping feet gradually make their way toward him. Like lightning, the door flashed open, revealing a grinning Terra. "Oh, hey, Beastboy," she greeted, still brimming with energy. Beastboy wished he could be as jubilant, but his nerves were tattered.

"H-hey," he squeaked, barely able to lift his arm and make a feeble attempt at waving. "Ih...I-Is Tay in there? I-uh-eh...I-I need to...to talk with her...n'...ya know..."

"Oh," Terra's head spun around to catch a glance of Tenochtitlan, who was sprawled over one of the curved couches in the middle of the room. "Tenochtitlan!" Terra called back.

"Hm?" The black braids of hair practically slapped the girl's face as she whirled her head to the side, catching a glance of Beastboy. Paralyzed for a moment and unsure as to what to do, she sputtered out, "Oh! B-Beastboy! Um...J-just...Gimme a minute, OK? I-I'll be out there in a sec!"

Terra nodded and shrugged to Beastboy.

"You heard the girl," she said, still smiling. She leaned in slightly and whispered, "Don't worry. We'll make sure she gets out here and sees you."

"Uhhh..." Before Beastboy could reply, the door shut itself in his face, leaving him to stew in his own suspense like potatoes in a stew.

-

"I can't believe I forgot! I can't believe it!" she growled at herself, pacing back and forth in a nervous fit.

"What are you talking about?" Raven asked Tay, glancing at Terra, who shrugged.

Tay came to a screeching halt when Amy clamped her hands on the girl's bare, brown shoulders.

"You need to chill out," she firmly advised. "Just go and talk to him. He's not gonna bite you," she assured warmly.

"I'm more afraid that I'll bite HIM," Tay grumbled gloomily.

"If you're not mad at him, then go and TELL him," Raven declared, trying to keep her voice down. "You owe him an explanation..." She sighed and rubbed her throbbing forehead, taking a seat at the couch that Tenochtitlan had sprung from. "Don't do what Robin did to Starfire. It's bad enough that those two are having so much trouble. You need to go and explain to him what's going on."

"...B-but...I can't--" Tay's hands rotated wildly as she searched in desperation for the right words. "If I explain things to him...Then I have to tell him--..." Tay's eyes, which had been flashing from one color to the next, darted to Amy, who was right beside her. Amy's emerald eyes tried their best to absorb the dark blue fear that came from Tay. She knew what Tay was talking about, as did Tikal, who wasn't present.

"Then you tell him," Amy solemnly announced.

Amy stretched her arms around the chocolate girl and squeezed, pouring warmth and confidence into Tay. After wiping her eyes, which had miraculously remained dry, Tay inspected herself to make sure she didn't look like a trainwreck.

The trio of teenage girls around Tenoch urged her to the door, stopping steps away from it. Tay paused before the door, her purple eyes glancing back to her friends, who all blasted out their silent encouragement. In a swift, painless motion, Tay pressed the button on her left to open the door. Bracing herself for a green teen, Tay was confused when she saw only the gray wall of the hallway. Taking a step outside and letting the door close behind her, Tay examined the dim passageway to her left to find dull gray, but on her right, she could make out a dark green shadow.

"Beastboy?" she mumbled, confused. "Wait! Wh--?" Tay burst into a sprint, flying through the hall in a matter of seconds.

He turned his head just a second before she reached him, nearly tackling him to the ground. She bumped into him in her effort to slow down, but her body didn't separate from his when they connected, as her arms continued to cling to his shoulder.

After watching her eyes shift from purple to pink, Beastboy felt the heat of her hands melt away as she realized what she was doing and retreated like a deer from headlights.

"Beastboy," Tay spat out hastily, "I'm REALLY sorry. I told you that I'd come tell you first, but I just forgot. I've had so much on my mind lately, and--"

"Whoa, whoa," Beatsboy mumbled, holding up his hands. "'S OK. Take a breath, Tay. You seem kinda hyper, or something," he noted sympathetically.

"There's a lot going on in my head," the dark-skinned girl sighed to him drearily. "I'm glad you found me so that we can talk, because...--" The sentence lingered in the air, unfinished, until Beatsboy finally asked her a question.

"Soo...Are you gonna tell me why...you're acting so weird?" He asked it very slowly, making sure that his tone expressed both his concern and anger. The frustration in his slow words bit at Tay's mind, forcing it to recognize the fact that Beastboy was angry at her for her actions but more than willing to understand their purpose and help fix the problem.

"Mm hm," she hummed quickly, nodding her head. "I'm REALLY sorry about the way I've been acting. I shouldn't have just ditched you like that, right?" She gave Beatsboy an apologetic glance with damp, purple eyes that cast a glow of regret. Before Beastboy could reply, however, she went on, speaking quickly and nervously. "I'm just really confused right now." Tenochtitlan stopped her fretful pacing and slammed herself into the wall of the bleak, dim passageway.

"Tay," the young green man solemnly swore, "You can tell me what's going on. I want to help you. Maybe I can't, but...I want to."

Tenochtitlan's eyes matched her skin color for a moment as she gazed into his serious face, and she concluded that it was time he knew what was going on.

-

"Hurry UP. For Groblar's sake, sister, how long does it take to drop off a note?"

Starfire sighed as she carefully scooped the wrinkled cloak from the edge of her bed. It was just as she had left it, as was everything else in the room. Starfire ignored her sister's impatient grumbling as she folded the cloak with the utmost care, treating it as if it were a priceless antique. She laid it upon the rosy, ovular bed, patting it gently. She trudged to her dresser like a zombie to slide open a drawer near the top. Sifting through red socks, Starfire pulled out a small, thin case of plastic containing a disc. The label "Robin" was scribbled on its front in Starfire's cursive handwriting. Starfire took a moment to gaze at an old picture of when she had first joined the Titans. Everyone's faces were beaming and full of life--except Raven, of course. Starfire adored the happines she radiated in that picture. She moved her glance up to the small mirror above her dresser. Her blood-shot eyes, the horn growing from her head, the pointy ears, and every other little deformity disgusted her.

(I AM becoming a monster. I do not deserve to stay here; I am only a burden. This way, I will no longer hinder the Titans. Perhaps he is right, and I belong with him. I need to find somewhere...--)

Starfire huffed contritely as she dropped the CD case onto the cloak. She lifted the folded wad of paper in her hand that she had brought with her and let it slide through the air with grace to land softly with the other two objects.

Tears forming within her angelic eyes of emerald, the Tamaranian teen walked to the open window where Blackfire waited with crossed arms and bitter expressions.

"About TIME," she groaned. "So you're sure about all this, then? Partners?" Blackfire stuck out a slender, elegant arm to her sister, who reluctantly stared at it for a moment before shaking it with her large, furry excuse for a hand.

"Is this place we are going to...what I am looking for?" Starfire whispered with gloomy wonder.

Blackfire raised a brow and shook her head slightly, confused. "What are you looking for?"

Starfire sniffled as she fought back tears like a gladiator. Rubbing her eyes, she choked out, "Somewhere I belong."

~[<+--\-<*>-/--+>]~

End Transmission

{\+<--/-<*>-\-->+/}

[rrarbecy]

I am HAPPY :D and ANGRY :mad: right now. HAPPY because of how masterful that chapter was(thank you, Master of Emotion and all things emotional) but ANGRY about how SOMEONE is driving SOMEONE ELSE out of the tower with his misplaced, selfish anger. You know who I'm talking about.

[Funkatron]

I echo the sentiments of the previous posters. Finally, some moving forword with the Tay/BB angle. woot woot!! Poor Starfire being manipulated by her sister has me riled up. Hope her going chrysilys will get her out of her funk :(

You, good sir, are a gentleman and a scholar :)

[Pookey]

ohh Robin is maeking me so mad....but its in your hands so....ya

the BB/T thing was a good touch, woot! Emotions, u rock at!

Starfire -gasp- no dont trust her...hmm ok im getting this weird feeling....ok, i think somethigns gonna happen...

[Destiny_Smasher]

:anime:

Haha. Good to see some people actually READ that and enjoyed it.

I have you all in the palm of my hand, it seems... :evil: I can't wait to see your reactions to a few surprises coming up soon.

I have the next Chappy outlined, and I wrote the first scene last night. I might stick it up by the weekend. It's very mysterious, and, unless you've been reading all of the Winds of Fate, you won't fully understand everything. ^_^

[Funkatron]

:anime:

Haha. Good to see some people actually READ that and enjoyed it.

I have you all in the palm of my hand, it seems... :evil: I can't wait to see your reactions to a few surprises coming up soon.

I have the next Chappy outlined, and I wrote the first scene last night. I might stick it up by the weekend. It's very mysterious, and, unless you've been reading all of the Winds of Fate, you won't fully understand everything. ^_^
We are your meat puppets. We read and obey!!

[Destiny_Smasher]

:sweat: Vegetarian? Me?

I don't think so. :cool:

I just like the thought of fruit puppets more than meat puppets. Meat puppets sounds...more disturbing, for some reason.

Anyway, here's what I have so far of 16. This intro was very fun to write...:evil:

This scene will make a lot more sense to those reading all of the Winds of Fate, since, as you should all know by now, they are all connected. We we get closer to the end, there will be even more signs of this connection.

<-{--[ Begin Transmission ]--}->



The Destinia Saga...



Winds of Fate: The X Factor



Chapter 16- Breaking the Habit



"Do they know?"



The evening air whipped up a strong gust that whisked around him. Unphased by the blast of wind, the sturdy figure gazed down at the streets of Jump City with a bird's view. The city was beginning to attempt to purge itself of darkness as lights were being switched on, slowly but surely, all trying to escape the inevitable night.



"I don't think so," he replied solemnly, his eyes slowly analyzing the streets below. He straightened his shimmering cap of silver, his skin as slick and smooth as a bowling ball. "I think that he...eh, Mario...might have figured it out by now. As a matter of fact, I'll bet he has."



"I see," a raspy tone murmured in response. The voice emanated from a small orb of stone that was tucked in the chest pocket on the shadowy man's overalls. The voice was unnerving and calm at the same time, and it echoed from the center of the sphere. "Even if they know what's going on, they have no idea how to resolve their situation," the voice concluded.



"Right," answered the figure on the roof. He looked to be about eighteen years of age, but had mustache surprisingly developed for one so young. His body was of a medium build, but his legs were strong and solid, a pair of powerhouses. His arms were a bit thick, but this was also due to the muscles concealed beneath his gray skin. His feet rested within thick-soled work boots, and a pair of denim overalls set off a unique panache. A T-shirt garbed his chest beneath the baggy overalls. Upon his head of messy hair was a cap with a little flop to its form. Just above the brim, on the front of the hat, a semi-circle with an 'M' printed on it finished the outfit. This being was the spitting image of the very Mario that the Titans had grown to respect over the past few weeks. There was one quality about this bizarre person that made him instantly recognizable, however: his body, his clothes, and everything about him was composed of silvry, shining metal.



Simply put, he could be called 'Metal Mario.'



"My Lord," he gruffly announced, his voice possessing a griminess like that of the capped-crusader dunked in a vat of oil. "I've formed agreements with the designated colleagues. By sunrise tomorrow, our plans will be set into motion."



"Very good," complimented the business-touched tongue of the 'Lord.' "Be watchful--there's no doubt that Star Haven has sent a special agent here to recover the targeted X-Spirits. Whoever they are, it's likely they've already arrived and are tracking down our targets as we speak."



"I'll give my utmost attention to the matter, My Lord," complied the man of metal. "What of my business partners here?" he questioned curiously.



"Make sure they are kept satisfied and continue distracting these 'Titans.' As long as those fools are preoccupied with each other, the X-Spirits will be easier to obtain."



"Understood, Sir. And the Titans...?"



"They are worthless to our future plans. If they must be sacrificed in order to ensure the security of our possession of the X-Spirits, so be it. If the opportunity arises, this planet can be acquired in due time. Meanwhile, you are to stay on task and see to it that the X-Spirits are captured, or at least hindered from reaching Gaia."



"In either case, My Lord, what are your orders concerning the conclusion of this operation?"



"You are to follow Enemy Number One and prevent him from reaching Gaia at any cost. When the operation has reached its conclusion, you will summon the energy left within this stone as a transport back to the Metal Masher, where the Miko is currently being held. If you have collected any X-Spirits successfully, you shall bring them to me at once under Level 5 security measures. If you fail to capture any, Operation: Miko Storm will continue as planned immediately. Is this understood?"



"I understand your orders, My Lord, and will carry them out to the best of my ability." The metallic man slammed his fist into his chest in a salute of honor toward his leader, who was present only in the realm of sound. A clap dashed through the sky as the silver arm, shimmering in the moonlight, collided with the metal chest. Two icy, tenacious eyes of steel glared at the busy streets, and a robotic car of blue and gray was spotted by his hawk-like vision.



"Very good, General. We shall henceforth discontinue all communication to conserve the remaining Force in this Materia; every ounce will be needed to send you back home. That is all, General. All hail Malocution."



The glowing, white marble in the chest pocket of this living statue dimmed, and a cold hand reached up to tip down the brim the 'M' cap.



"All hail the Malocution Empire," he murmured with bloodthirsty anticipation.



----------

Hm...

http://www.maj.com/gallery/ChimChem/StD/799.png

Right, then...I'm gonna take a guess that...that's too big for a sig...heheh...

---
edit:

Dude, what's the deal? You use the excuse that I'm not writing and updating as the reason why I don't hear from you, and when I post an update, I still don't hear from anyone for days afterward.

[Pookey]

-poke- hehe

omg Metal Mario ive only seen him like once...wow cool!! u just keep changing my ideas over and over dont cha?? yep seems like it hehe YA!

so now that uve made my idea fall down the drain again...that seems to happen alot....ive got to think up another idea...and i thikn i got one but i know its wrong and yetr i keep thinking them why???? -shrugs- oh well hehe

so like MM has been here this whole time but we didnt know?


omg and the pic is Cute!!!

[rrarbecy]

I'm sure that you are happy to hear that I have no idea what will happen. None. That was a nice chapter though. You introduced Metal Mario and basically told us how badass he is. Hell yeah.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Again, that wasn't the Chapter. That was...a short prologue to the Chapter, if anything.

Metal Mario is very fun to write with, as is his Master, who you may or may not meet by the end of this story. After all, this planet is pretty worthless to his plans, so I doubt he'll show up at all. All that's important here are the X-Spirits, as noted above.

Of course, the whole purpose of that scene was to spark both curiosity and suspense at the same time--curiosity that makes you ask, "Whoa, wait, how long as MM been there and what has he done?" and suspense that makes you wonder, "What are these X-Spirits? Who is this Master, and why does he want them? What is Metal Mario going to do? What the hell is going on?¿"

Ah, yes...You know nothing of how 'bad-ass' Metal Mario is. And why is that? Because you have no idea how badd-ass Mario is, either.

Ahhh...But you will, quite shortly...Once I start writing...tonight, I hope...and I get through a few scenes, you will have a small taste of how badd-ass they are... :evil: :evil: :evil:

[Sproxie]

Muahahaha! I'm baaaaack!

Ok, I must say this before i forget, You are like, the king of description. Everything you write has so much detail i can picture it perfectly. You rock. And as for the last three updates, Cyborg and Mario make great partners, that move was awesome! Robin still seems like such a freaking jerk. and Metal Mario is freaking kickass. I can't wait to see more of him! (sorry i can't say more, but my mind is blank now for some odd reason.... )


I've come to the conclusion, however, that I seem to only have TWO readers here. WTF? Didn't I used to have a few MORE than that? Where are you people? If you're just reading and not replying, you should be very ashamed of yourselves, because that's BS, folks. I know there are peope out there who do it. It's crap. Well, I haven't been around for a while, so thats my excuse.


Has anyone noticed the trend in the names of the past few Chapters yet? Oh, fine, I'll give you the name of Chapter 17, too: Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Maybe that last one will make it more obvious. I noticed.

Can't wait for more!

[Destiny_Smasher]

:evil:

I see that people already seem to have caught on to the bad-ass-ness that is Metal Mario...At least I succeeded in that.

:sweat: Too bad I've been busy lately. This weeks will prove to be quite a frenzy: essays, E3, my new laptop, and GOD OF WAR!!! :evil:

However, when I DO get my laptop, my access to both writing AND the internet will be improved, which means that I will definitely be able to write more...It's all a matter of me making myself do so...

Right now, though, I'm going through and re-reading everything I've written for the Destinia Saga (at least what I have on FF.net) and I'm proofreading and editing mistakes (like Sierra's intro)...

This should help give me the boost I'll need to continue writing when I get my laptop...

I have a Windows system.

However, it LOOKS like it's alienware, and ya know that cool Mac thingy (ObjectDock) that has the programs on your screen, etc.?

Yea, I have one of those on the right side of my screen, too.

I spent Saturday pimping my desktop out, so I'll get to do the same when I my laptop.

My desktop is Raven...Which means my laptop will have to be Starfire...

[Rae]

That update was awesome! Sorry about not replying sooner but there is an ever increasing pile of homework towering over me and i'm finding it hard to get on line at the moment!

Metal Mario sounds intriging, which is the point, and i can't wait to find out more about his role

Rae

[Destiny_Smasher]

Obviously, none of you have been readingh any of my OTHER fics, or you might sort of know how important Metal Mario is...Wait...OK...Well, maybe not, even if you HAVE.

He's only really made a prominent appearence in A Thousand Needles so far, as he's the one who kidnaps Kagome, a Japanese teenager (who happens to be in love with a half-man, half-dog Youkai named InuYasha) and Miko. A Miko is basically a priestess, but Kagome (as far as The Destinia Saga is concerned) is much more important than any simple priestess.

She's very important to the story of A Thousand Needles as well as Golden Sunrise (though that's not revealed until later) and Metal Mario is the one charged with finding her, taking her, and using her to carry out Operation: Miko Storm, a plan concocted by Kamek, the leader of the Malocution army.

This is all part of why these new Titans have arrived, why they have to go back home, and why the fate of the Titans has been altered.

Of course, even after explaining all that, you still don't know what Metal Mario has done in Jump City, nor do you know what he WILL do.

And you also don't realize just how bad-ass he (and Mario, of course) really are. Matter of fact, you won't see their true potential in this fic, that I assure...But there still should be some pretty nice action scenes...:evil:

[Faethie]

Okay, this took me 4EVER to read. It was worth every minute. This is full of twists and turns, and its constantly making me to fall off my chair. I love it. Love it, I mean really love it. This is awesome, so awesome that I cant put it n words. I think it ranks with work of LW, WM, Crow, Becy..the greats. You're awesome DS. Completely awesome. I take my hat off to you.:D

Faith

[Destiny_Smasher]

:o Um...Thanks, but...Even if you think I'm as good as them, does it matter when my stories aren't as popular? *sigh*

Sorry for the hiatus, by the way. I realize we're at a REALLY bad spot for one, with the cliffhanger and what-not. I will make sure that when I do come back, which should be very soon, it'll be worth it.

Metal Mario?

Well...He's Mario...only metal...and evil...

Mario could turn into metal in Mario 64, but Super Smash Bros. (N64) made Metal Mario a separate charactefr and a mid-boss. SSB:M (Gamecube) added Metal Luigi to the mix.

Anyway, there's not official story to Metal Mario, so I created my own.
Obviously, he's closely linked to Mario himself. That connection will reveal itself in time as the Destinia Saga proresses.

He's one of the leading generals in the Malocution forces. I'll get some pics of him later, but bear in mind that he doesn't look exactly like he does in the games in this fic. The physical appearance of Mario, etc. are different in this fic than they are in other cases. The reason for this will also become clear by the stories end, as it is a part of what 'the X-Factor' IS.

[Faethie]

Yo, just cause it's not as popular doesn't mean its as good as theirs. Trust me on that. ;) Popularity doesn't count for anything (except for HoF, which is what I'm guessing you're thinking of) and really HoF isn't fair unless everyone has read everyone else's story...so as far as I'm concerned its luck. Some people just don't have the time to read as much as this (it was a lot:sweat: ) and some just don't know a good story when they read one. Don't feel bad just cause not so many people aren't readin this. Almost no1 reads mine but thats ok for me as long as I know I'm doin the best I can. This fic deserves to be in HoF IV! Ok, even if it doesn't end up in one, it belongs there. Know that! I can't stand it when a writer thinks they're not good enough or somethin or any of that crap, ok? Have a little faith DS! :p
There's my speech. Haha, anyhow, can't wait for the next chapter...
Faith
:D

[Rae]

What Faith said! You are a totally awesome writer! I can't think of anyone else who has written something with such depth and thought put into it! Yours is a story with so many layers behind it that most are nothing in comparison

Hall of fame is, just as faith put it, a popularity contest (no offense to those that have won it) and is not really fair unless everyone has read every fic

Don't worry, you still have several faithful readers!

Rae

[Destiny_Smasher]

Um...Well, you tell that to Welshi, because he seems to think that since his fic is so popular, it must obviously be the best around here. Maybe he's not THAT arrogant about it, but that's the idea he expressed to me.

He said that since his X-Mas fic won a spot in the contest, it MUST have been well-written, but if you ask me, it was bland and lack-luster.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is way popular, but that doesn't mean it's well-written or is packed with quality.

I don't know how good my stuff is or whatever, but I know it's not as popular as it COULD be, and that frustrates me to no end because I want to have more people read my stuff so I know how good I'm getting.

I'm considering writing an InuYasha fic if only because the InuYasha section of FF.net has mad traffic. After all, I'd be writing the story anyway, just not as detailed and focused.

I also started a Megas XLR short story, but I don't expect that to get very popular. I don't even have any of it on the net 'cuz it'll only be a Chapter long.

I have my Megatokyo fic that I started, and I've been working very hard on what little I have, but it hasn't gotten ANY feedback at all.

That's one reason why I haven't been writing as much lately--I feel like all thye hard work I'm putting into things isn't getting any attention. After all, I've gotten ONE review for the entire last Chapter of this fic I stuck up on FF.net. Considering it took me WEEKS to write, I'm very annoyed. Because my fics don't fit into any niche of fiction, as they combine lots of things together in a way I have yet to see, my fics don't quite fit into many places.

[Destiny_Smasher]

Well, I don't know if I shoukd post this up, what-not with the lack of attention, but here's something I managed to whip up last night...

----------



"I was confused...I didn't know what to do." Tenochtitlan sighed, her expression dripping with regret. "I didn't want us to get closer because I found out that I have to leave..."



Beastboy was having trouble taking in everything the chocolate-skinned girl was trying to convey to him.



“I thought that if we kept dating, we’d get closer, and it would only break your heart more when I had to go away…”



As they watched the light of the lonely moon dance across the quivering bay below through the window of Tay’s room, Beastboy slowly shook his head.



“I don’t get it…Why do you have leave?” he quietly demanded, confused and frustrated. He wasn’t ready to accept such a notion.



“Well…I don’t belong here, Beastboy,” Tenoch mumbled sadly, rubbing his shoulder as her contrite retinas of dark blue stared at his solemn profile. “I have responsibilities back home, just like you have responsibilities here…”



“But we need you here, Tay. You have a job here, too…”



“Beastboy, I’m only here because of an accident...I was never supposed to meet you,” the emotionally scrambled girl whispered.



“So you only started dating me by accident?” Beastboy grumbled. “Oh, right, I wasn’t SUPPOSED to like you so much…”



“Beastboy,” Tenochtitlan whimpered, “stop it. Does it matter how I got here? No, it doesn’t. You’ve helped me so much, Beastboy…We’ve spent time together, and I’ll never forget what we’ve been through, and what we still have to go through. But this is something I have to do. If you really care about me, you have to let me go and do what I have to do.” Her hand was still stuck to his shoulder, and it tightened firmly as she continued. “I don’t want to let go, either...You know how much I love the Titans, especially you…”



Beastboy could feel her breath on his neck and her soft check on his shoulder, her gentle braids trickling down his back. His mellow hand massaged her back in return as their eyes remained fixated on the dark waves outside.



“We love you, too,” he meekly managed to mutter. “But…if you DO have to leave…Can’t we enjoy the time we have left...together?” he wondered hopefully.



“I think I’d like that a lot.”



As if on cue, Robin’s serious voice burst through the radio next to the door, announcing, “Beastboy, Tenochtitlan, it’s time to leave.”

----------

Hm...Yea, gonna have to fit in some Jinx really soon.