The Terrible Child
By cdc100
Summary: The Teen Titans are having a peaceful Saturday when they run across someone new; someone who is lost, alone, and holds a deep, dark secret. Robin X Starfire, Possible Beast Boy X Raven and OC X Blackfire.
Disclaimer: This is a work of pure, non-profit fanfiction. More comprehensive disclaimer to come.
1
Chapter One
"Saturday Morning"
The boy was running through the forest, carrying a bloody knife in his hands. He had no place to put it, as he was bare save for a pair of black boxer shorts and short black socks. He breathed deep and slowly, but ran as fast as his feet would allow, looking frantically around the forest for anyone or anything. That was a challenge, as it was dark outside and he could feel the beginnings of a downpour on his bare chest and arms. Up ahead, he could see a clearing in the trees.
As he reached the edge of the trees, he looked behind him. He saw no one. He slowly looked back forward and collapsed to his knees, allowing the knife to drop from his hands as he looked over the bay. Ahead, he could see a city, and before that, in the middle of the bay, a gigantic T-shaped building. That was the last sight the boy registered before he passed out.
When there's trouble you know who to call
TEEN TITANS
From their tower they can see it all
TEEN TITANS
When there's evil on the attack
You can rest knowing they've got your back
Because when the world needs heroes on patrol
TEEN TITANS
GO
With their superpowers they unite
TEEN TITANS
Never met a villain that they liked
TEEN TITANS
They've got the bad guys on the run
They never stop till the job gets done
Because when the world is losing all control
TEEN TITANS
GO
ONE TWO THREE FOUR GO
TEEN TITANS!
As the sun came up over Jump City, the Titans slowly got out of bed and started their activities for the day. The Titans' resident alien, Starfire, flew up to the top of Titans Tower and spread her limbs wide so as to soak in the morning sun's rays. She breathed in and let all the air out through her mouth. She looked in the sun's direction and smiled. After a few minutes of floating in place, she landed on top of the tower and walked to the edge. She hung her legs over the edge as she enjoyed the morning sun.
So engrossed in her new home planet's brightest star, that she barely heard the sound of the door to the roof opening and closing nearby. However, the sound that followed got Starfire's attention.
"Starfire," said the all-too-familiar voice of the Titans' leader, Robin. "Morning."
(A/N: Robin – Scott Menville)
Starfire turned her attention to Robin as he approached to join her. She smiled and gave a gentle wave.
"Hello, Robin," she said. "And a very glorious morning to you."
(A/N: Starfire – Hynden Walch)
"For once, I have to agree," said Robin.
Starfire looked over at Robin and quirked one of her tiny red eyebrows.
"You would agree a morning is glorious for once?" she asked. "Is there a special occasion of some sort today?"
Robin chuckled.
"No," he said. "It's a Saturday. That's all."
"Ah, yes," said Starfire, smiling. "It is the Saturday. I have read much about the pastimes associated with the seventh day of Earth's week, such as the cartoons of the morning and the 'Night Live' of Saturday."
Robin chuckled again.
"That's Saturday Night Live, Star," he said.
"I have also done much in the way of precaution against the fever of Saturday night," said Starfire.
Robin scoffed and shook his head.
"You're thinking of the movie Saturday Night Fever," he said. "You can relax. It's not an actual illness."
"Oh," said Starfire, smiling. "I see. However, I fail to understand the context of the title. It is perhaps a movie about someone who falls ill on a Saturday night?"
"No," said Robin. "It's more of a movie about letting loose on a Saturday night."
"I see," said Starfire. "Then perhaps a more apt title would be Saturday Night Fervor."
"Never thought about it before," said Robin. "Maybe so."
"What did your Saturdays consist of before you became a Teen Titan?" asked Starfire.
"Usually training and…more training," said Robin. "My Saturdays have had a lot more slack since I came to the tower."
"You often play the games of video with friends Cyborg and Beast Boy," said Starfire. "Or you watch the television or listen o the music."
"Yeah," said Robin.
"Robin, may I ask you a question?" asked Starfire.
Robin looked over at Starfire.
"You do the fun things with our other friends, but you hardly ever do them with me," said Starfire. "Is there something wrong with me?"
"Wh-NO!" cried robin. "Of course not! There's nothing wrong with you."
"Then, why do you never do the fun things with me?" asked Starfire. "I would much enjoy the fun with you."
Robin knocked on his own forehead.
"I'm sorry, Starfire," said Robin. "If I had known, I would have come up with something. It's just…well, I wasn't sure…what you wanted. That's all. Believe me, if I was, I'd be doing it with you."
Starfire smiled at Robin.
"You do not have to fluster over this, Robin," she said. "I am not angry. I am merely making the suggestion."
Robin nodded.
"Right," said Robin. "I understand. Do you have something you'd like to do?"
"Would you perhaps desire to join me when I take Silkie on a walk through the park?" asked Starfire.
Robin smiled.
"Sure," he said. "That sounds like fun. When do you want to go?"
"Silkie and I love the mid-day," said Starfire. "When the sun is overhead, we feel like the world is without borders. We feel like we can go anywhere and do anything."
Robin nodded.
"I like the sound of that," he said. "Alright then."
Starfire chuckled.
"It sounds like it is 'the date,' then," she said.
Robin's cheeks flushed in response to Starfire's statement.
"Um…yeah," he said.
"Come, Robin," said Starfire, walking to the door leading off the roof. "We must pay morning greetings to our friends."
Robin smiled and followed after Starfire, who led the way to the main room of the tower, where Raven was sitting down and reading a book, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing one of their racing games.
"Oh, you're gonna pay for that, you little grass stain!" yelled Cyborg. "You do not know how long it took to get that upgrade!"
(A/N: Cyborg – Khary Payton)
"Probably about as long as it's going to take you to get it again!" exclaimed Beast Boy, laughing.
(A/N: Beast Boy – Greg Cipes)
"Oh, you're in for it now!" Cyborg said. "I better not lose another upgrade, I know that."
Starfire went into the kitchen and started moving utensils and ingredients around. The noise brought Raven out of her book.
"Starfire, wait," she said. "Let me worry about cooking today."
(A/N: Raven – Tara Strong)
Raven sat her book down and put away a few of the utensils Starfire got out before retrieving a few other ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator.
"So, what's on the menu today, Raven?" asked Robin.
"I thought since my last attempt at pancakes horribly backfired, I would try them again," said Raven.
"Sounds good to me," said Robin. "How about silver dollar pancakes?"
"What difference does that make?" Raven asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Pancakes are pancakes are pancakes."
Robin shrugged.
"Just an idea," he said. "That's all."
Raven hummed in acknowledgment.
"Guess I can give them a try," she said. "They might cook faster, and if I fail, I'll waste less batter."
"I'm sure you'll do great, Raven" said Robin. "Thanks in advance."
"Non-dairy pancakes for me, Rae," said Beast Boy. "Thanks."
"Right," said Raven. "I was actually about to try some of this gluten-free stuff."
"Great idea!" said Beast Boy.
"Man, you didn't even know what gluten was until last week," said Cyborg.
"Dude!" cried Beast Boy. "It's veggie meat! How do you expect me to eat that?"
Cyborg sighed and went back to their game.
"Since it's a weekend, let's just keep an eye out for Titan alerts," said Robin. "Other than those, let's just take the day and relax."
"Seconded," said Raven.
Robin looked at his watch to determine the time. It was 8:45. He still had over three hours before he and Starfire took Silkie on their walk.
"I get the winner," he said, strolling over to the couch next to Beast Boy and Cyborg.
As Robin sat down, Raven finished cooking a few of the pancakes, which turned out well compared to her last batch, with only a few small burns on one side. She took a spatula and started dishing out the pancakes when suddenly her back went completely rigid. She dropped the pancake she was holding, which just barely landed on the plate in front of her.
Robin looked over into the kitchen and saw Raven's state. He got up and approached her before gently tapping her on the shoulder.
"Raven," said Robin. "You okay?"
"I'm…not sure," said Raven. "I felt something. Something…really weird."
Beast Boy Shrugged.
"Meh," he said. "Probably just some gas."
Raven scowled over in Beast Boy's direction, as did the other Titans. Cyborg even paused the game to glower at Beast Boy.
"What?" asked Beast Boy, unpausing the game. "Everybody gets it."
"Hey!" yelled Cyborg. "I wasn't ready!"
Cyborg hastily pressed buttons on his controller. Meanwhile, Robin looked back over at Raven.
"What did it feel like?" he asked.
"It felt…like something just…slithered up my spine," said Raven. "Weaving around and through the vertebrae to the base of my skull."
"We'll have Cyborg look you over after breakfast," said Robin. "Look, go back to your book. You did a great job on the pancakes. I'll handle the rest."
Raven nodded and retrieved her book before finding a seat at the table.
"Let me know if you feel any other disturbances," said Robin.
"Will do," said Raven, opening her book.
Outside the tower, the boy had stirred and was awake. He looked down at the ground and could see bits of the morning dew in the grass and slowly got up from his spot. He looked down at his right hand to see that he was still holding the bloody knife from the night before. He carefully carried the knife with him as he stood up. In the distance, he could once again see the T-shaped tower. He did not stop to give it a closer look, as he suddenly felt his stomach start to rumble. He looked ahead, into the water, and suddenly climbed down from his spot on the grass until he was at the water's edge. He waded into the water and dipped the knife in it before wiping it on the legs of his boxers. He then crouched low into the water and looked around for food.
As he looked, a strange thing happened. Instead of seeing the city he had reached, he could swear he saw vast expanses of jungle beyond the water, and multiple different kinds of fish swimming around.
He shook his head and waded further in before stopping short. He stayed perfectly still, the knife still in his hand and ready. He gently dipped the knife below the surface and waited.
As he waited, he stayed as still as he possibly could.
Eventually, as he stood in the water, he saw a large fish start to swim by him. As it came close, he swiftly jabbed the knife through the fish, which he then pulled up out of the water. It started to flop around on the knife, and the boy jabbed the knife into it several more times, until it finally stopped moving.
The boy then held the fish up and bit right into it, spitting out the scales he had just taken into his mouth before going in for another bite. He chewed the bite and swallowed. He moaned in satisfaction before taking a few more bites. As he ate, he looked up and could see the city once again. He nodded and continued eating. After a few minutes, he threw what remained of the fish onto shore and got ready to catch more.
Back in the tower, Robin was taking his turn at the game, playing against Cyborg, who won his game against Beast Boy.
"So, what are your plans for the day?" asked Robin.
"Tune up the T-Car and run diagnostics on the Tower's mainframe," said Cyborg. "After that, I think I'm gonna go to the movies. No hard parties tonight. What about you?"
"Beat you at this game and take Starfire and Silkie to the park," said Robin.
"Might want to reschedule beating me," said Cyborg.
"Sure about that, Tin Man?" asked Robin. "Because it looks like I'm beating you just fine right now."
As Robin finished his sentence, he passed Cyborg's car and used his nitro jets to rocket him forward a great distance.
"Not for long!" cried Cyborg, using his own nitro jets.
Raven looked up from her book.
"You know, I'm still kind of hungry," she said. "I think I'll throw a few more pancakes on. Anyone else want some?"
"Sure," said Cyborg. "You know me. I'll eat a whole horse for lunch. Thanks, Rae."
"Yeah, I can probably eat a couple more," said Robin.
"I'm stuffed, Said Beast Boy.
"I am satisfied with the number of dollar of silver cakes of the pan I have eaten," said Starfire.
Raven reheated the stove and started mixing more pancake batter. As she started to pour a little more batter onto the griddle, she stopped short once again.
Robin happened to hear a sharp intake of breath from Raven, so he looked in her direction and paused the game.
"Again?" he asked.
Raven nodded, setting the bowl of batter back down.
"Is…it painful?" asked Robin.
"No," said Raven. "It doesn't hurt. I'm just…confused. Something strange is happening. Not bad or good. Just strange. Like…the natural world has been defied."
"You can feel that?" asked Beast Boy.
"I feel everything," said Raven.
"Could have fooled me," mumbled Beast Boy, causing Cyborg to reach over the back of the couch and whack him on the back of the head.
"What do you think it could be, Raven?" asked Robin.
"I…I'm not sure," said Raven. "After I dish up your food, I should probably head back to my room and do some research."
Suddenly, the group was interrupted by a loud buzzing over the intercom, accompanied by flashing red light.
Everyone instantly stopped what they were doing.
"Titans!" yelled Robin and Cyborg. "Move!"
The team ran/flew out the door and into the city, where they eventually found what had triggered the alert: a local comic book store had several customers running away from it, and much of the store's merchandise was scattered around outside the door.
As the Titans approached, they could see one of their enemies, the overweight fanboy Control Freak, wreaking havoc. He stood proudly atop a group of mobbing shelves, all of which were turned on by his remote control. The shelves carried countless volumes of comics and memorabilia. Control Freak held onto his belly as he cackled.
"This is awesome!" yelled Control Freak. "With all these first editions, I'll make major bank!"
(A/N: Control Freak – Alexander Polinsky)
"Control Freak!" Robin yelled, getting the villain's attention. "Return those books!"
"Yo, Titans!" yelled Control Freak. "Come to see my big show?"
"Return those books!" Robin repeated.
"Sorry," said Control Freak. "Afraid I can't do that…or won't. Pick one."
Control Freak jumped off the shelf he was standing on and pointed his remote at a nearby television screen before pressing the button. The titans heard a loud chirp, and a bunch of monsters started jumping out of the screens and attacking.
Beast Boy turned to Cyborg and nodded. Cyborg kicked the cap off a nearby fire hydrant. Beast Boy opened his mouth and allowed a bunch of the water to go down his throat. He then transformed into an elephant and tried to shoot the water he had just swallowed at Control Freak. However, ontrol Freak, despite his girth, gracefully dodged out of the way and cliked his remote again, causing a window to pop out of its sil and jump right in front of him. The window lunged at Beast Boy and shattered when he dodged, leaving the pavement as its objective. Control Freak made the comic shelves run away, then animated a street light, which wound itself around Cyborg.
"Ex-squeeze me!" yelled Cyborg, trying to get out of the light's grasp.
Starfire flew over to Cyborg and pulled the street light apart.
"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" yelled Raven.
Raven levitated a nearby trash bin, which she then thrust at Control Freak.
"Control Freak dodged again, chuckling.
"You missed me!" he taunted. "Now you gotta kiss me!"
"In your dreams," said Raven, swinging the trash bin at Control Freak.
The collision cause dthe villain to drop his remote. Obin then picked the remote up and threw it to Starfire, who crushed it in her hand.
"What?!" exclaimed Control Freak. "NO! Do you have any idea how long those things take me to make?"
"Well, you'll have plenty of time behind bars to get a start," said Robin, lifting Control Freak up by his lapel. "Cyborg, Star."
Cyborg and Starfire came up to Control Freak and each grabbed one of his arms.
Robin made a call to the Jump City police, who came and picked Control Freak up.
As the police loaded Control Freak into the car, Starfire turned to her friends.
"Now that the Control Freak has been apprehended, what shall we do?" she asked.
Cyborg looked around.
"Well, it's a nice day out," he said. "Maybe we could all hit up the park. It's not often we get to actually go out and enjoy a nice day like this."
Robin scowled.
"Does that sound agreeable to you, Robin?" asked Starfire.
Robin sighed.
"Yeah," he said. "Sure. Let's go. Go ahead and grab Silkie if you want."
In almost no time, Starfire smiled, rushed back to Titans Tower and grabbed her pet before stringing a leash to its collar and set the mutant larva on the ground.
"Come, Silkie," said Starfire. "Let us have some fun. Today is a most sunny and glorious day!"
Starfire gently coaxed Silkie with the leash. The other Titans shrugged and walked after her.
Robin closed his eyes and sniffed the air. He let the breath out through his mouth.
"It is a pretty good day," said Robin. "Control Freak went down in no time at all, and the weather's just perfect."
"Yeah," said Beast Boy. "I think I might take advantage of the sitch."
Beast Boy turned into a green Rottweiler and walked next to eht rest of the group, panting as he padded along.
"I am not cleaning up after you," said Raven, crossing her arms.
Beast Boy stopped panting and gave Raven a short growl. He then huffed and continued walking with the others.
However, everyone stopped short when they noticed Beast Boy stop panting again and freeze in place.
Everyone stopped to look back at the changeling.
"What's up, BB?" asked Cyborg.
Beast Boy then turned into a bloodhound and began sniffing the air. After a few good sniffs, he turned back to normal.
"Something's burning," he said. "I can smell smoke."
Robin scratched his chin.
"It could just be a barbecue grill," he said. "But we'd better check it out. Lead the way."
Beast Boy nodded and turned back into a bloodhound. He then took off running in the direction of the smoke.
The Titans followed Beast Boy, looking left and right as they went.
"I don't see any smoke so far," said Robin.
"Perhaps Beast Boy's nose is 'on the fritz,' yes?" asked Starfire.
"Let's just see where he leads us first," said Robin. "Better to respond to nothing than ignore a threat."
Beast Boy stopped and turned back to normal in front of a bunch of bushes.
"Guys," he said. "Through here."
He pointed through the bushes and started to creep through, gesturing for the other sto follow.
As they crept through the bushes, their objective became clear. A young boy was sitting in a clearing near the water, and in front of him was a small stream of smoke wafting up.
When the others got a closer look, they saw that the boy was wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and had long, dark brown hair that went almost down to his back. He had piercing blue eyes, which were intently focused on his task. He was rolling a stick hastily between his hands, in a drilling motion on top of another stick. Smoke was starting to issue from one of the sticks, and the boy gently blew on it. The stick ignited, and the boy heaved a sigh. However, he snapped to attention when he heard a small crack.
The boy then turned toward the Titans. He picked up the knife he had nearby with his left hand and kept his right hand forward, assuming a defensive stance.
To be continued…