What is Love?-(Redone)

[Starrysky]

Oh wow. I’ve been gone for an extremely long time, and I apologize. :crying: I read over my old story: What is Love? And pretty much decided that it needed to be redone.:sad: I hope my writing has improved during my absence…but only you people can tell me. I hope all of you like this redone version of What is Love?:anime:


What is Love?
Ch.1

What is love? This question has been pondered by many, from the normal teenager to those of the highest mental capacity. It has puzzled all peoples for eons, a riddle yet to be solved despite the simplicity of the emotion. It simply cannot be described in words, no matter how hard people try. But I will try, regardless of the inadequacy. This is a story, a story of five teenagers. They are heroes, in spite of their age; and even idols to the populace of Jump City. They are the Teen Titans…

“Trouble!” Robin exclaimed to the half-awake titans, not looking frazzled in the least even though he had just been awoken. He stepped out of the hallway’s shadows and into the flashing red light cast by the alert installed on the ceiling. He scanned the information on the computer, bringing up various pictures and reports.

“It’s Cinderblock.” He informed the Titans, turning towards them, “He’s shown up near the power plant at the edge of town.”

“Dude!” Beastboy exclaimed in exasperation, “How many times do we have to beat this guy?”

“As many times as it takes.” Robin answered firmly, starting to walk towards the door, “Titans! GO!”

Cyborg and Starfire raced out the door, leaving Raven to drag a nearly comatose Beastboy out the door.

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“I have always overestimated them.” A figure in the darkness stated, “What a pity. They have never met my expectations.” The figure paused. You could almost feel the sinister smile through the dark, “But here comes another test…perhaps the last.”

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Cyborg and Robin leapt out of the car while the others who flew landed down beside them. All of them looked warily for any sign of Cinderblock through the sparse light that the rising sun gave them. Suddenly, a glint of silver crashed into the T-car, making a horrible noise. The unfortunate piece of metal scrunched down into the thickness of a quarter, slamming into the wire fence. The fence buckled and collapsed against the ground.

“Oh man,” Cyborg whined, “Not again!”

When the blur of silver stopped, they saw a hand. It belonged to the very criminal they had been searching for, Cinderblock.

“Whoa!” Beastboy shouted in surprise, “The blockhead’s got an upgrade!”

Cinderblock turned toward the noise of Beastboy’s exclamation. The metal that encased his body flowed smoothly with him. It seemed to quench the light that the morning sun tried to shed on it, creating the effect of shadows around him.

A loud boom of noise filled everyone’s ears, courtesy of a few of Robin’s exploding projectiles. With a lightning speed it had not possessed before, Cinderblock retaliated, slamming his fist solidly into Robin. A muted crack resounded as the fist made contact with his unprotected chest. Robin back flipped in midair and collided with the glass window of a guardhouse nearby. The glass shattered, littering pieces across his cloak and decorating his exposed flesh with a myriad of cuts and gashes. He landed in a crouch, one arm in front of his face to protect his eyes, and the other on the floor, helping him keep his balance. The sun kept on rising, wrapping Robin in shadows and glinting off of the fragments of glass scattered all around him.

As Robin recovered from his fall, Starfire flew swiftly toward Cinderblock. She put her hands together and a large starbolt appeared in them. Her eyes narrowed, glowing a violent shad of green. He hands thrust forwards and the starbolt flew loose. It gained speed and rammed into Cinderblock, but the instant it touched the metal, it grew dark and disappeared without a trace.

“Wha-?” She started in confusion, but was cut off as the hulking monster wrenched a nearby tree out of the ground and started to use it as a club, swinging with much force and deadly accuracy.

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!” Raven shouted as she flung her hand forwards, just in time to stop the tree trunk from colliding with Starfire.

“Keep him busy!” Beastboy ordered.

He turned into an eagle and flew high above Cinderblock’s head. He then changed into a bull, aiming his horns down at the thing as he fell. A harsh clanging rang out from the impact, when his horns connected with Cinderblock’s head

A grin was plastered across it’s face, because Beastboy had bounced off of it, his horns had failed to pierce the armor. Beastboy lay dazed on the ground, transformed back to his normal shape. One hand clutched his head, which felt like it was about to split open.

Cinderblock now turned his attention to Raven, who was trying to pull the tree from his grasp with her powers. He wrenched the tree from her mental hold and swung it down, aiming to make Raven a part of the ground. Raven made an x with her hands, dark energy forming in them, and she slashed them upwards. It sliced off some of the tree, which fell behind her.

The grin was still on its face. It had an even deadlier weapon now. What now remained of the weapon was now something akin to an oversized spear. He brought the trunk up, aiming it at Raven. A hollow clunk was heard. Cinderblock turned toward Starfire, who had thrown a boulder at him in an attempt to divert his attention. The sad thing was, it worked. Faster than one could blink, it hurled the tree forward and let go. It sailed toward her, aiming strait for her heart.

She froze, she couldn’t move.

She closed her eyes.

Robin happened to glance up just as the monster threw the gigantic spear towards Starfire. His heart felt like it was about to shrivel. It was as if it was in slow motion, taunting him with the prolonged agony. He could see everything, and as much as he would have liked to close his eyes, avert his gaze, anything…he couldn’t move. It was like the heavens were conspiring against him, making him drown in anguish, made by the thing that would hurt him the most. His eyes were riveted on her, drinking in every detail despite his unwillingness.

The rough wood of the tree rushing through the air, and Starfire floating in the air. She was beautiful, her features accented by the light of the sun. Her eyes were closed almost peacefully, if one didn’t notice the scrunching of her face in the anticipation of the harsh impact.

His limbs felt heavier than lead, his face was strained. It already showed the pain. His mind raced, thinking of anything he could do to save her. One thought prevailed in his furiously working mind. One word, one word that held so much meaning to him, especially then.

Starfire


His paralyzed limbs received an unknown strength and his muscle strained, forcing his uncooperative legs to move. As he leapt out of the guardhouse, he took his grappling hook out of his utility belt and shot it towards a metal catwalk above her head. He soared off the ground, his eyes narrowed in concentration. His hand reached for hers.

His fingertips brushed her hand and her eyes sprung open in surprise. She grabbed a hold onto his hand, hoping that he would save her just as he had many times before. She was pulled up with Robin above her.

He was too late.

The spear imbedded itself in her stomach, driving her roughly towards the wall. Her hand was still clasped with Robin’s, and he sailed with her. She could see his pained face, through her vision made unclear by the pain that fogged her senses. The spear dug further into her flesh when she crashed against the wall. She was pinned to the stone of the wall now, and her mind was filled with the clamor the pain induced. She couldn’t think. The only thing she could see was Robin as the blackness pushed against her sight. She drifted into the open arms of welcoming unconsciousness.

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There’s the first half of the brush up. So what do all of you think? I know this probably pales in comparison to the other fics out there, but I would really love feedback. Any criticism is welcome as it helps me improve. Thanks! And once again, I am really sorry for being gone for that long...:crying:

[Matt A]

You know, it's good to see you back. You really have been gone a long time.:eek:

To be honest, I can't remember what the original version of this story was like: I remember it was good, but that's about it. So, I can't really comment on the upgrade, but I can say how much I'm still liking this. Not only have you set up a serious problem - a tree through the stomach can't be anything less - but the actual moment itself was perfectly described. The "running through treacle" feeling is very tricky to capture, but here you've done it with ease. The use of sunrise and its resulting light-tricks was icing on the cake...along with the turbo-charged Cinderblock. You can't forget that.:anime:

One criticism, though: was this fight indoors or outdoors? There were uses of fences, trees and out-houses, yet you also had Robin swinging around on catwalks. It didn't really detract from nthe emotion of it, but it was still kinda confusing.:sad:

Anyway, some great work here. Like I should be surprised.;)

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Yay! I am so happy someone reviewed. :D I was getting a little worried…:shrug:

Thanks so much for the praise! Anyways, to answer your question: The battle is outside the whole time. There are catwalks all around the buildings and connecting them…I do see how that would be confusing…sorry about that. :shrug:




Ch. 2


Robin’s hand slid off of Starefire’s, and he let it. He was too much in shock to do anything else. His other hand didn’t seem to have the strength to hold on to the grappling hook anymore, so he let go of that too. As he fell, his eyes still lingered on her face, his look uncomprehending. In the corner of his eyes, he could see her arm fall limply to her side.

He landed awkwardly on the ground. He was barely paying attention to anything else but her. After awhile, he was able to wrench his gaze from her angelic face to the block of metal covered concrete that was Cinderblock. Cinderblock was still in the position of throwing, leaning his massive weight forward with its burly arm extended. The grin was still etched on its face, and when he noticed Robin’s gaze on him, it widened.

Whatever self-restraint Robin had that moment left him. He snapped. His sight was focused unwaveringly upon his tormentor and his whole face was contorted into a scowl. His form quivered with rage, and it soaked into every fiber of his being, giving him new strength. Another thought entered into his head like a promise.

Cinderblock will die.

He sprinted towards Cinderblock, his legs pumping furiously, but Cinderblock had anticipated his move long before. As Robin leapt high into the air, it dodged his blow with uncommon ease and ran to where Starfire hung pinned against the wall. It grabbed the tree trunk in an iron grip and yanked it harshly out of her body. Her body fell and hit the floor with a thud, her head turned to the side. Blood flowed in droves from the hole through her, having no more obstacle to keep it in the body in which it was usually housed. A pool of deep red blood formed under and around her, dying her hair a darker shade of red.

Robin’s eyes widened and turned into an angry glare. He charged Cinderblock once more, his sanity slipping even more with each step he took.



A safe distance away from the battle, Raven faced Cyborg, trying to get her point across.

“We have to get over to Starfire, quickly. She’s losing too much blood. We have to stem the flow or she might die.” She paused and said a little more softly, “If she isn’t dead already.”

Cyborg nodded, bending down to help Beastboy up off of the ground.

“Hurry.” She urged.

They carefully hurried over to Starfire, trying their hardest to avoid drawing attention towards themselves. Raven immediately dropped to her knees to cradle Starfire’s head in her lap, heedless of the blood seeping into her cloak and staining her legs. Cyborg and Beastboy kept a lookout to make sure that the battle didn’t come their way. Raven tore more than half of the dry part of her cloak and set it to the side outside of the crimson puddle. She then laid her hands above the gaping wound and focused her power. Her hand glowed with an ethereal white light and the bleeding abruptly halted. That done, she cautiously lifted Starfire into the air and wrapped the piece of dark blue fabric tightly around Starfire’s middle in case of the wound reopening.

Cyborg, turning around, said in a low voice, “He’s losing it.”

All of them at once turned back to see the battle scene unfolding, their eyes wide as they struggled to comprehend their leader’s change. A soft spoken “Dude” seemed to be the only word Beastboy was able to form after a few seconds of effort. The others didn’t even try to attempt to speak.



Just a small distance away from the other teammates’ stares, the battle was being fought. The hunk of cement and metal easily evaded Robin’s blows, and its stupid grin still rested unmoving upon its face. This infuriated Robin. He was breathing hard. Not from weariness, no, he was just getting started, but from pure unsullied anger. Every shuddering breath racked through his body, giving his already maniacal appearance a more crazed look. His eyes were still fixed on that mocking grin stuck upon the face of the enemy that never left its face. The smile that mocked his pain. Robin’s face was still contorted into that unnatural scowl of rage. The rage that pumped through the blood in his veins and clouded his distressed mind.

Rage.

He was completely focused on the one thing he had left to live for, the one task that in his mind, must be done. His mind was trained on one thought and one thought alone.

Cinderblock will die.




“Shouldn’t we stop him?” Beastboy asked, worry coating his voice.

“We might not be able to,” Cyborg pointed out, “Besides, if Cinderblock gets away because of us, not only would he not be…happy…but he’d also track it down for days without sleep and he’d wear himself down that way.”

“Well shouldn’t we at least help him?” Beastboy questioned, indignant. “I mean, we all fought together before without even giving him a scratch, but Robin now has to take Cinderblock down alone?!” his voice became slightly disbelieving.


“We’d only get in the way,” Raven said bluntly, “It’s his fight now. We all know what was between him and Starfire, he has to do this.” As she finished, the oddest look was in her eyes.

“Alright, I’ll just stand here,” Beastboy said moodily, crossing his arms, “But I won’t like it.”

“I know how you feel man, I know how you feel.” Cyborg agreed quietly, his voice weighed down by the tangible feeling they could all feel from the crisis.

“There is one thing you can do.” Raven offered.

Beastboy looked curiously at her.

“Take Starfire to the tower and hook her up the equipment. This is a matter of life and death.”

Being serious for once, Beastboy nodded gravely and transformed into a giant bird of some sort, picking Starfire up as gently as possible in his claws. He did not want to screw this up.




Just past where they could see, Slade watched the show.

“His plan has been much more successful than I would have thought. The foundations are crumbling before my very eyes.” An almost palpable displeasure radiated from him, “Though I cannot wait to see the Titans fall, he might become a bigger threat than I might have realized.”

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Whew…this pretty much wraps up the redone part. I’ll start adding new stuff now after this. I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!:D

[Aquagirl15]

I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more if I wasn't suffering from a cold. I apologize in advanced if I don't seem as compltary as I wished. :sad:

To tell the truth, I've seen you around but never read any of your stories. (maybe you were a member before I was...) Thus, I cannot tell you if this is an impovement or not. :sweat:

In any case I really enjoyed it. You seem to have a very nice grasp on Robin's character, and everyone else is in character so far. You have a way of writing that is very powerful. I'm wondering how this mess is going to be cleaned up as well as if Starfire will survive and what Slade is doing behind the scenes. Write more! :anime:

May your swords stay sharp.

[Matt A]

That was some good stuff. The sheer depths of Robin's murderous rage was perfectly shown, even without describing any of the actual fight. I get the feeling Cinderblock really is going to get smacked down for good.;)

I liked the other Titans' understanding of the situation. It seems right that they should so implicity get the deeper aspect of it: then again, after spending so much time in Robin's company, you probably would. And speaking of which...what's Slade planning, and why's it going wrong already? Ah, I'm sure you'll tell us soon. Right?;)

Like I said, good work. Keep it up.:anime:

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

More reviews! Yay! Anyways, thanks so much! :anime:

Hope you like this next chapter! When I said the redone parts were over, I lied. :sweat: I completely forgot about this little section here, so after this, everything is new.



Ch. 3


Robin threw punches and kicks in every direction known to man, trying to even land a single hit on the elusive Cinderblock, who dodged every punch he threw. The enraged Boy Wonder couldn’t even get hit it, let alone cause damage against the seemingly impenetrable armor. With every missed shot, the already furious Robin was dragged ever closer to the brink of another explosion, much worse than the last. Closer and closer he came to falling over that brink. His rage kept on growing, consuming him every other emotion out of his mind except pain and confusion.

All of the sudden, he stopped. It was abrupt and without warning. He just ceased to move, discounting the quivering of his form. His head hung toward the rough ground and his arms hung slack as if the muscles in them had been cut. His hands slowly clenched into fists, clamping so hard that they turned white. With another abrupt movement, his head shot up to the sky, which was turning dark with the murderous looking clouds above that threatened a rainstorm to come. An almost inhuman roar burst from within his lungs. That one thought, that one thing left for him to do…

It will be done. Cinderblock will die. Whatever it takes. He will pay.

The hulking monster was tiring of the battle. There was no chance of the puny human winning. He couldn’t even touch him. He was invincible now, how could he lose? It was time for this meaningless battle to be over. His masters were waiting.

As Robin stalked menacingly forward, Cinderblock hefted the trunk he had been holding. With a quick thrust, the blood covered wood sped onwards. Before it even got a foot away from him, Robin jumped into the air, landing on top of the gigantic speeding spear. He immediately leapt forwards off of it. As his feet touched the ground, his arm swung behind him and grabbed hold of the end of the trunk. His other arm latched on as he used the tree’s momentum to change its direction. The piece of wood slammed sideways into the unsuspecting Cinderblock, who stumbled backwards from the stunning force of the impact. Just as it was falling, a flash of lightning blinded them and a rumbling roll of thunder followed behind. When the light faded, Cinderblock was gone. The rain clouds completely blotted out the sun.

Robin howled and punched the ground, creating a sizable hole. He panted heavily and fell solidly onto his knees. The rain started to pour, falling towards him.
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I really wanted to type more, (cause this is really short) but my time on the computer was short…:sad: so I’ll type the rest later and hopefully it will be up by tomorrow. Thanks for reading! :D

[Matt A]

Short, but very sweet. Even when slowly become a complete nutcase, Robin can really pull off the moves: that tree-twist thing would really make for a grandstanding moment on-screen.:anime:

Though it must be said, why's Cinderblock suddenly become so hard-core? I know he's now got metal skin and everything, but there seems to be a lot more to it than that. Which, once again, begs the obvious question: what's Slade up to, besides a spot of Titans destruction? I'm sure you'll tell us before long.;)

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Ack! It’s been an insanely long time since I’ve posted, and I’m really sorry. :crying: My life’s just been a bit crazy…but I’m finally on Easter break, so I have the time to write this now. :anime:

Thanks so much for reviewing!:D

Anyways, I hope all of you like Ch.4!
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Ch.4

The rain pelted down in harsh drops, stinging Robin’s skin, yet he paid it no heed. The dirt thickened into swirls of mud, seeping into his clothes and making them turn dark. He paid that no heed. The rain plastered his usually perfect hair to his head and made the tendrils fall about his face and over his eyes. To that he paid no heed.

No, all of himself was focused inward. The confusing rush and swirl of emotions that had been previously blocked had then flooded out from behind their gates, leaving him in a temporary paralysis from which he couldn’t seem to escape. He could have been crying; but if he was, the salty drops were indistinguishable from the water falling from the troubled sky. He just knelt there, his hands in front of him and sinking into the gobs of mud. His eyes were wide and unblinking, while drops of water slid from his hair, to his face, and down to the ground.

Raven cautiously approached her leader, her own form becoming soaked with rain. Her cloak became a deeper shade of blue with the water and it hung limply around her. Cyborg followed behind, his mind full of worry for the unmoving one on the ground. Water slickly traveled down the metal of his cybernetic body.

Raven reached her hand out slowly, hesitating before gently laying it upon Robin’s shoulder. He tensed, his breath coming out in a hiss with the unexpected contact. He roughly jerked his shoulder away from her. The two worried friends widened their eyes at the feral expression on his face when he swung his head wildly to glare at them.

“Robin…” Raven trailed off, unsure how to continue.

“Hey, man…Starfire, she might be okay.” Cyborg said haltingly. Luckily, it was the right thing to say, for it definitely grabbed his attention.

There was a look of slight disbelief on his face. But eventually, a glint of something began to shine through it the despair and disbelief became outnumbered by the sheer amount of hope that shined through his eyes, through the other emotions pushed roughly to the side. There were only two things to live for now.

Killing Cinderblock and saving Starfire.

Two hands came into his field of vision. One was Raven’s, and one was Cyborg’s. With an almost smile, Robin gripped the hands and pulled himself up. Perhaps he had forgotten something.

There were also his friends.
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A bit short, but oh well. :( I thought that Robin should realize that he has friends to help him…but beware; you might be seeing more of psycho Robin soon. :evil: Oh, and yes, you will find out a bit of the actuall plot later...I just need to get through a bit of emotion breakdown first...

I’m really sorry this is so short after you waited so long…but I’ll try my hardest to get another one up soon.

[Aquagirl15]

It's been a couple chapter since I posted, but here I am again. :) I don't mind the lengths of the chapters at all, and I don't think anyone else does, so stop beating yourself up over how short they are. As great of writing as you put into small chapters, no one could complain. ;) Keep going, I really want to see what happens to Starfire and if Robin gets his revenge.

[Matt A]

To be honest, I couldn't give a toss about the length either. Chapters that are too long are just off-putting, and anyway, you get the point well enough with what's here.:anime:

As you said, it's important that Robin should recieve a little emotional support at this stage. I imagine it'll serve no help whatsoever in subsequenr chapters, but we still needed to see it now. After all, where would the Titans be without friendship?;)

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Alright, I’m back and ready to post another chapter! :anime:

Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this! :D

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Ch.5

Have you ever had a friend start to die?

Do you know how hard it is to watch your friend cling to life by a slender thread, ready to drop into the deep abyss of death at any moment?

One of my friends is dieing, and I can’t do anything about it. She’s just laying there, her skin alarmingly pale from lack of blood. I’ve put a real bandage around her wound, and hooked to up to the many machines we have stashed here in the medical room. Now I’m glad that Cyborg shoved those medical lessons down my throat. I just never thought any of us would get hurt that badly.

We never have before.

I hooked up some blood transfusions to her. It’s really lucky for us that Tameranians’ bodies accept O type blood. With her being an alien and all, I would have thought she’d need some type of special alien blood.

The sad thing is, I don’t know if she’s getting it fast enough. I really hope Raven gets here soon, and that she has enough energy left to keep her stable.

I start to fidget a little. There’s nothing I can do. I’m just looking back and forth between Starfire and the window…

MY FRIEND IS DIEING AND THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO!

I collapse into an uncomfortable chair and listen morosely to the slowing of the heart monitor.

It was bad enough that we saw her get speared, and we thought she had died then. It’s even worse to see her still alive…just slipping farther and farther away…and there’s nothing I can do.

If I’m taking it this badly, I just wonder how Robin will take it.

I’m getting restless again, and I jump up and start to pace. Once again I look to the window, hoping to see a few dots against the horizon.

I don’t.

The beeping of the heart monitor is holding my mind at a panic…it’s getting slower…

My friend is dieing and there’s nothing I can do.

I’ve always been the most useless one in the team.


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Eh, more like a chapterette, but whatever…:shrug:

I thought I’d do a little shift of perspective, was it alright?

[Matt A]

That, I must say, was very cool. The use of first-person was unexpected, but it fits very well with the subject matter of this story, not to mention providing a more immediate view on what's going on. And it was cool how you played with the POV: based on the emotion and context, I started off thinking the narrator was Robin, so I was very surprised when it turned out to be Beast Boy. This, I think, makes his point a little more real: if this is BB's reaction, how is Robin taking it? Probably worse than we think.;) :eek:

Great work once again. Just step up the pace a little, and I'll be happy.:p

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

Yeah, I know it’s been a really long time since the last update, but well…that’s what exams do to you. Now that it’s the beginning of summer for me, I have much more time on my hands. Sadly enough, I might not be able to post that often over the summer after tomorrow…I’m going to be traveling all over the place, including off the continent.

Hopefully I’ll be able to post again soon.

Thank you Matt A! I had some fun playing with the perspective.

Death_lash, here’s the chapter you’ve been waiting for!


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Ch. 6


Cyborg had to break the touching moment, as there was a slight problem.

“Uh, guys? How are we going to get back?”

There was complete silence to this, and all heads turned towards crunched piece of metal on top of the fence that used to be called the T-car. Sadly, it didn’t even abstractly resemble Cyborg’s creation.

Before either of the boys opened their mouths, Raven beat them to the punch, “I can’t carry both of you. I need to conserve energy.”

More silence.

Robin took out a small device out of his belt and pushed a button. In less than thirty seconds, a red blur skidded abruptly to a halt at Robin’s side. With a practiced leap, he mounted and he speed off into the distance.

Without another word, Raven picked Cyborg up and followed in the skies.

No more than thirty seconds later, another problem arose.

In front of Robin’s speeding R-cycle, a part of the road started to sink in upon itself, and with a furious roar a column of earth shot up towards the sky. The dirt turned into mud from the rain and slid off of the colossal figure, revealing flesh that almost looked acidic. It was at least as tall as several of the skyscrapers it had toppled over upon its emersion, and many times wider. It seemed to have no eyes, or any facial features for that matter, and it was covered in grossly bulging vein-type structures all over its body. It was vaguely shaped like some reptilian creature standing on its hind legs.

The creature stomped heavily onto the street, making an earthquake worthy fissure along the middle which forced Robin to active the jets on his cycle. The R-cycle shot into the air, aiming for a narrow gap between the alien reptile and another skyscraper. As the creature’s claw endowed hand hurtled through the air toward him, he jumped off, flipping gracefully in the air despite his recent injury to land back upon his vehicle.

Robin couldn’t react quite as fast to the other hand, however. He managed to twist his body away enough for the hand to miss, but a trailing claw grazed his shoulder with astonishing force. He was knocked harshly off his cycle from the impact and he plummeted to the ground.

High in the air, Raven and Cyborg paused in mute shock at the scene.

“Raven! Drop me off!” Cyborg commanded.

“What?” Raven asked in disbelief.

“Me and Robin’ll take care of this thing, you need to get to Starfire!”

Raven was hesitant. It looked like they would need her help…but Cyborg was right, Starfire need her help more. With reluctance, she dropped him over the head of the beast and hoped she wasn’t going to regret this later. Without looking back, she flew as fast as she could towards the tower, and hopefully she wouldn’t be too late.


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Robin straightened himself as he fell, landing on the cycle that had come after him. He griped the handles with one hand, seeing as his left hung uselessly at his side. Robin’s face was strained, and his body was tense. It was no doubt due to the fizzing, purple substance that hissed on the injury.

Readying his sonic canon, Cyborg fell, aiming it right at the top of the featureless head. He fired, keeping himself positioned directly above the creature. Unfortunately, there was another self-defense mechanism again attack that this thing possessed. One of the vein-like structures burst, showering Cyborg’s right side in the same purple substance that gave Robin so much pain.

Evidently, it was acid. With a yelp, Cyborg’s attack ceased and he watched with horror as the metal of his right arm started to corrode from the barrage. Robin flew in and pulled the cybernetic man onto his cycle and out of the way of the dangerous fluid.

They needed help.


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She flew, she flew faster and faster. She didn’t think it was enough. The wind was going against her, and it was slowing her down. It looked like the storm was going to get worse. She tried going faster, but the wind just blew harder. Raven didn’t think she was going fast enough.

Sadly, she was right.

The beeping of the Titan communicator could barely be heard over the rain and the sound of the racing wind roaring through her ears. Irate, she tried to maintain her speed while getting it out and opening it up. The wind almost ripped it out of her hands, but she held it in an iron grip.

Beastboy appeared on the screen babbling words so fast that they completely lost their meaning. However, the last few words Beastboy spoke tore through Raven like they were knives.

"Raven, she's dieing!'

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Well, there's that. I hope you all liked it!

[Death_lash]

Oh man, I can't believe this! Star's near dead, and now Cyborg can't use his sonic cannon...you're an evil writer, aren't you:evil:

Raven, come on, come on, gogogogo...:crying: I'd hate it if Star dies, I'm more afraid of what'll happen to Robin if she does.


I enjoyed it very much:D I hope you post sooner this time...:evil:

[Matt A]

Just when the Titans really needed an extra problem, suddenly up pops a psychotic acid-blooded lizard-thing to cause some carnage. Not for the first time, I'm feeling a little stuck as to how you'll resolve this one, though I imagine it'll be in a way as ingenious and grandstanding as the monster's arrival (bursting up through the street is just such a cool image!).;)

However, as the monster's timing seems more than a little deliberate, this begs an interesting question: why is it here? Definitely to do more than just spring up and trash stuff, but what exactly? More to the point, who's behind this? All interesting questions, and all could do with answering.;)

-Matt A-

[Starrysky]

:anime: I'm back! And looky what I got! Anyways, I grabbed a hold of a computer long enough to give a little snippet of writing. Hopefully it will tide you over till the next time I can get enough time...


Ch. 7
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She’s dieing.

Those terrible words echoed ominously in her head. She snapped the communicator shut and slipped it back were it was. She was dazed. To know that her friend was in trouble, mortal trouble…well, she had already known that. But to hear it confirmed in words, to actually hear the voice and register that it in fact was happening…Before, it was almost as if it was a game or a ruse. No matter what happened, everything would turn out okay. That was how it had always been. She assumed it would always be that way.

Hearing those words, that somber tone in the green changeling’s normally annoyingly cheerful voice…It brought home that this wasn’t a game, a ruse, and maybe…she might really die.

She’s dieing.

As Raven flew, the harsh winds and fierce rains beating against her, slowing her down…in the midst of the storm, Raven was forced to face the truth.

Starfire was dieing.

The almost always happy alien who had a crush on their leader, the cook of nauseating food, the girl who dragged her around the mall, the glue that held their team together…what would they do without her?

No. It wouldn’t happen. She wouldn’t let it.

No.

Raven’s eyes glowed with the intensity of a supernova as black energy burst from her form. She counteracted nature’s fury with her own. Her flight accelerated to impossible speeds, her form becoming a black comet edged in white. As the form of the tower loomed ever closer, her flight became even more hurried. The large window of the hospital room came closer and closer.

With a roar, she burst into the room, not even bothering to phase through the window. The shards of glass reflected the blazing of the lightning crackling its anger behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shocked form of Beastboy, whose fear and worry for Starfire was etched clearly on his face. The heart monitor beeped, agonizingly slow…and then…

Nothing.

NO!

Without pausing, she descended upon her form. Energy crackled and radiated, white light shone in the intensity of a miniature sun. The light faded, and there stood Raven, her eyes fixed upon the heart monitor.

Nothing…then…

Beep………………….beep……………………….beep……….

Relief washed over her, and with a small smile, she crumpled to the floor, leaving Beastboy shell-shocked with broken pieces of glass littered across his small frame.


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No, you don't get to know what happens to Cyborg and Robin yet...:evil: Which also means you'll have to wait to see why it was there at exactly the right moment...I just love to give them problems. :anime:

[Death_lash]

STAR'S NOT DEAD-!!!!!!!!!!!*goes around dancing wildly*

EVERYBODY CELEBRATE-!!!!!!!!!





...please tell me she's not gonna die in the next chapter...:crying:

[Matt A]

Based on how this story's been going so far, I get the feeling we shouldn't be throwing a party just yet. Naturally, it's good to have something going right for once, but it happened a little too early for the problem to be truly solved. That, or something else is going to foul up: there has to be a reason for you making a point of not cutting back to Robin and Cyborg just yet.;)

On a more author-related note, I liked how you described Raven's state of mind. The horror at the growning realisation that you won't always get away with it was very well described: the fear that we can fail after all is perhaps one of the deepest in the human psyche, and playing with it like this always gets engaging results. As I said in the previous paragraph, will the Titans mess it up after all?

-Matt A-

[paranoidguy103]

This is a good story. Are you considering finishing it?:D
Paranoidguy103