Hey guy's it's Mai, back to you with my very first story, revived! Ok, I should warn you right now this story is not like my other two. It will be very long and very much like a setting of a book. I will have a ton of details, sometimes maybe too much (let me know if I do!) So try your best not to veer away, I promise it picks up with tons of adventure and...duh duh duhhh romance of course!
Besides that, I know this is one of my least liked pieces, probably because of how long and tedious each chapter can be. So I decided to clean up my first chapter again in hopes to restore some of its magic (or whatever XD) Whooo. Ahem, anyway I hope you enjoy it as much as I do writing it! Oh and for those who have already read up to my later chapters, don't worry; I haven't changed anything with the plot! (I just added a bit of a preview ;) in the italics)
As always I don't own Teen Titans nor do I own Mario (bummer I know)
Lost in the Moonlight
I remember looking over her shoulder as she read her newest novel from the downtown library. Her concentration on each page took each word as if it was her last. Her legs crossed and hood down, this was the prime time of her afternoon, if you would call reading prime time that is... Of course I sat nearby playing the newest, coolest game of the year: Mario Party. Nearby sat my trusted friends and teammates, each smashing buttons until one of the little characters died or practically gave up. My character, Yoshi was the first to lose the round and I couldn't help but alleviate my boredom from my dark teammate nearby.
"Whatcha reading Rae?"
Her eyes switched over to mine for a second before returning to her novel. It always amazed me how much patience she had dealing with all our noise with the game, yet when it comes to a few bad jokes or curious questions, she turned into a raging, judgmental know it all. She smirked turning to the next page, "Lost again huh?"
Beast Boy huffed at her statement, obviously avoiding the question, "Of course not- I uh, I meant to lose."
He heard a few snickers from his male companions beside him and heard Robin boast, "Yeah- just like you meant to lose every round from the all-time champ."
Cyborg who sat between the two smirked himself, "Don't go giving yourself too much credit boy wonder, cause I believe I just- BOOYA!"
Beast Boy glanced at the screen to see Luigi dancing in victory while Mario, Peach and Yoshi sat in the dark farther away. Robin folded his arms then stood up defeated, "anyone up for snacks?"
Cyborg laughed, "Changing the subject so fast after that glorious defeat?"
Robin narrowed his eyes and was about to retort when Starfire who sat next to Robin spoke up, "OH I would like the pickles covered in chocolate please!"
Both the boy's, including Beast Boy and Raven all paused to glance at Starfire for a moment before she cleared her throat, "I uh… I mean just the chocolate…" she laughed and rubbed the back of her neck, still confused over the earthly taste buds.
"Sure Starfire, I can get you both if you like…" Starfire's eyes lit up and Robin leaped over the couch and walked toward the kitchen.
Cyborg chuckled and leaned toward Beast Boy who glanced back at Raven's new novel, still vaguely curious.
"I bet he would go to the moon and back if she asked for it." Beast Boy laughed in return and looked toward his best friend, "Yeah man, he would even eat her famous homemade recipes by choice."
The two boys fell into a fit of laughter when Cyborg continued, "Sad part is, I don't think he even knows." Beast Boy had his full attention on his best friend; he glanced over at Starfire who was busy looking at her magazine she had recently bought, giggling. Shrugging his shoulders he didn't really have an answer for his best friend since relationships didn't seem to fit his criteria. Taking in a breath and he glanced away back to the screen seeing the Mario characters waiting for the return of the game. An image of a particular blonde female entered in his mind, clouding his earlier thoughts and jokes.
"I dunno dude, I'm not exactly an expert."
"Well that's an understatement," The two boy's heard Raven deadpan, flipping another page in her book.
"Oh yeah and you are an expert?" Beast Boy comebacked, slightly irritated from her interruption.
"I never said that."
Cyborg shook his head and turned to one of his devices on his arm, messing with a few components to pass the time and ignore his friend's daily spat.
"Doesn't matter, you probably thought it." He growled, not in the mood for her attitude.
Raven raised an eyebrow and looked at her teammate who was still staring at the tv screen, not bothering to turn her way. He had a serious expression on his face. Beast Boy watched her lower her book with his side vision, placing it on her lap, "Something wrong?"
Beast Boy sighed and felt like he crossed a line and quickly pushed away his thoughts. Smiling he turned back to his dark teammate. "I'm cool, why, is Raven worried about me?" He flashed her an toothy grin and she sighed, bringing the book back up to her face with annoyance.
"Come on BB, leave her alone." Cyborg stated with a laugh when suddenly there was a crash in the kitchen and a yell, "Cyborg! The sink- help!"
Beast Boy glanced over along with the trio to where the kitchen was and saw their leader wrestling with a knob that managed to fly off, water sprayed from the missing piece, soaking his clothes.
"What did you do, you spiky haired- ugh, my poor baby!" Cyborg cried out.
"Poor baby? I thought your car was your baby?" Raven asked as he got up, he turned to her, "this whole tower is my baby, I pretty much built it!" With that he raced over toward Robin to help relieve the water quickly forming on the kitchen floor.
"Oh and apparently we had nothing to do with it…." Raven sighed, "I'm sure the tower would have been great without my powers."
Beast Boy glanced at her with humored eyes, "Hey, you made a joke, nice one!"
Raven rolled her eyes and returned to the novel, he glanced over toward the catastrophe, to which Starfire had rose to help the two boys get control over the main pipeline. He watched them for a minute, wondering if he should get up and help but decided against the idea, he wasn't in the mood for a shower. Looking back to the remaining teammate on the couch he tilted his head upside down and read the title: Romeo and Juliet.
His eyebrows rose, what was she doing reading a book like that? Wasn't she into the dark, scary horror novels? Leaning back into the seat he glanced over with his side vision to the page she was on and read aloud: "Things will always get better. After all, when you've hit rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up."
That got me thinking about everything that has happened. Nothing is the same and nor will it ever be. The world has changed and I have changed. Things will get better… Maybe that was some cruel joke a passionate optimist threw toward anyone willing to listen. The world will not get better; nothing was ever going to get 'better'. Hitting rock bottom was an understatement, hitting rock bottom then continuing until you could feel no more… that was bottom.
"Beast Boy! Please listen to me."
"Yes…please listen don't shut us out again."
Beast Boy felt his eyes swim with darkness, never again wishing to open. Why was he here, what was his purpose? There was a nudge and he felt Raven's body heat nearby, how long has she been here? It didn't matter, nothing mattered anyway. Not since that dreadful day when HE came to Jump City.
Red lights blared in the common room and both Beast Boy and Raven jumped on the couch from surprise before Raven had a chance to reply. The tv flashed a bright red and both simultaneously turning around on the couch see their teammates finally calm the sink catastrophe. Robin soaking wet rung out his cape then looked at his communicator. Starfire squeezed water out of her orange locks while Cyborg wiped down his arms with a rag. There was a click as Robin shut the communicator and he looked around at each of his teammates, "Trouble."
A loud ringing of alarm sounded through the streets as a dark figure emerged from a nearby bank, a loud explosion followed, debris flew through the air and dust circled the stranger.
"Stop right there." The hooded figure looked up, his face concealed from outsiders.
The teen titans, the trio still soaking wet stood on the sidewalk beyond, Robin bearing the front of the group with Starfire and Raven flying overhead. The stranger they stood before wore a large gray cloak, concealing his body and allowing only his dark gray flat boots to be revealed. His clothes resembled a certain purple companion, though the cloak he wore was much larger and completely covered his face, letting it droop over his eyes.
"So you decide to destroy the bank, but not to steal the money? What kind of crook are you?" The green changeling called from beside Cyborg.
"Your human ways amuse me." The figure replied in a hushed voice.
"I have no desire for your green paper."
Cyborg took a step forward starting up his sonic cannon. "Then tell us why you are here."
The figure merely looked at them with little interest and turned away, his cape flowing around his ankles with the wind.
"Don't you turn away when we're talking to you, Titans go!" Robin yelled sprinting forward toward the cloaked figure.
The stranger smirked and twisted, jumping out of the way and landed away from the leader with an amused chuckle. Robin frowned and took out a few smoke bombs and leaped toward him again, letting them off with a yell. The figure jumped back and mildly flicked his wrist, the bombs reflecting off him and racing back to the leader whose eyes grew with surprise. The smoke bombs exploded and sent their leader flying back on the ground, coughing away the debris that flowed in the air. He sat there for a second before the strangers hands griped Robin's collar, and lifted him from the ground.
"Worthless human, you are only a distraction," He snarled, globs of spit flying in Robin's face.
Starfire quickly took action as she began to fire warning star bolts towards the stranger, the figure dropped Robin on the ground and turned away to leave and confronted the famous form of the T-Rex. Beast boy opened his jaws and released a terrifying sound that shook the ground and the stranger's cloak. Beast Boy's fangs glittered in the sunlight and while the figure merely stared at him he seemed to take slight interest in the form.
"Interesting…" He pondered as Beast Boy stood staring at him with large green eyes. He sweat dropped when the stranger didn't move. Was he supposed to run him over? It was difficult to do such a task without a running start…Especially when the prey wasn't moving.
"Azerath Metrion Zenthos!" Dark energy formed around the figure as Raven flew nearby, eyes fixated. But the stranger only laughed as Raven's energy was stripped away with a wave of his hand. He glanced over at the empath whose eyes became wide with surprise.
"How…" But she didn't have time as a wave of black energy slammed into her, sending her soaring across the road and into a nearby building. Dust and debris rose from the collision as bricks scattered across the sidewalk around her still form. Beast Boy had taken advantage of the situation and quickly shifted into a Siberian tiger, launching himself onto the stranger with a sudden strong grip. Sharp claws ripped into the cloak, tearing it on the side, and in doing so, revealing an arm covered in a mass of black fur. The figure flung its shoulder to the side to throw the changeling off but it was too late, the massive cat had torn through his clothing, clearly angering the stranger.
Something suddenly snapped as the figure finally flung Beast Boy off his back into the street. The changeling skidded in the road and rolled over as he transformed back to his human self. As the stranger turned back towards his remaining opponents he was caught off guard by a large cannon pointed directly at him, two large starbolts above him and a staff inches away from his face.
"Who are you?" Robin asked his eyes staring directly at the hooded figure. The boy wonder's stance proved worthy of a battle, his hands grasping the bo staff with delicacy but with enough force to keep a steady grip.
"If it is so interesting to you petty human, I will oblige your wish." He gazed at Starfire and Cyborg with mock humor. "But I must advise your friends to not attack or the outcome will not be what you desire," he whispered, his shadow casted towards the sun, unlike the other heroes. "My name in your native tongue would be Zaros."
A sudden bright red light flashed beyond the trio of heroes surrounding the stranger. It flashed once, twice, three times creating an air of curiosity among them. The heroes gaze momentarily flicked over towards where Beast Boy, who was bending down to help Raven find her footing, knocking away loose rubble during the process. The green teen had paused, suddenly overcome with a sense of uncertainty.
Raven, who finally managed to stand up, ripped the end of her cape out from under a pile of bricks and gazed curiously towards something Beast Boy held in his gloved hand. They exchanged quick words, but none of the three titans near Zaros could quite pick up what they shared.
"What was that light?" Cyborg quarried. Starfire shrugged as Robin continued stared at the duo, preparing to call them over until another bright flash of red light engulfed the area, limiting their vision for a few short seconds.
"You fool!" Zaros shouted, grasping his sudden naked neck, startling Robin from his stupor.
The cloaked figure stared venomously at Beat Boy in the distance who held a small, red trinket in the palm of his hand. Beast Boy was grasping a large palm sized red jewel, a leather string to it for the purpose of wearing it around one's neck. A rather large crack was visible between the middle of the stone. The green teen eyed it wearily, holding it out a little ways from his body. Raven herself looked at it as well with much interest.
"What is this thing…?" Beast Boy murmured… suddenly, as if alive, the stone pulsed in his hand sending goose bumps traveling from his palm up to his shoulder. That freaked the changeling out enough that he quickly let it slip between his fingers, allowing it to fall to the ground, shattering the jewel in half.
Suddenly Beast Boy felt the shove of Zaros as he raced over and picked up the broken pieces of his beloved object. Starfire, Robin and Cyborg quick on his heels with Starfire firing off starbolts, striking the figure square in the chest.
"Nice hit Star!" Cyborg called, racing beside Robin towards the scene.
But while her starbolts managed to trip up the unknown stranger, he lost the grip of part of the jewel, allowing one of the halves to fall, shattering in front of Raven.
The epath was quick to respond as she watched Zaros quickly charge off the other direction, gaining terrific speed in the small amount of time, his worrisome features proved enough reason to call out her magic and create a force field. But it was not enough for an explosion of red covered her vision and with the accompaniment of screams from her friends she knew they were experiencing the same ordeal. Raven closed her eyes from the lack of visibility, spots dancing under her eyelids. She felt a pulling sensation, like the wind suddenly being knocked out of her. She tried to catch her breath but it felt like her life was being sucked out of her. Panic seeped into her bones and she felt her energy begin to overflow. Raven knew if she didn't get control fast, all there would be left of jump city would be a crater and five gravestones.
Everything soon began to slow down, her head stopped spinning and she caught her breath, taking in large gulps of air. She swore she heard the yell of Beast Boy nearby but when she opened her eyes, all she saw was darkness.
First and foremost I should put in here that the "quote" from Romeo and Juliet is not true, I just used it because the source of the quote is unknown to me. Second I apologize that my writing is a little bouncy when it comes to each of the characters and who's thinking what and which person I'm in (first person, second person-so on). I didn't want to change too much in the story so I kept it mostly the same. Sorry about that though- later chapters will not be like that- it will stick to one titan and how they feel.
Like always I love, love, love reviews so if you have anything to say regards to the story please post!