Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

Healed Wounds

Cold December snow fell from the night sky of an illuminated Jump City. It was Christmas time in the lively city and its population reflected its cheer by their display of holiday spirit. Every house and building was adorned with decorations that reflected the season. Red and green ribbons, plastic Santas, lit up reindeer and mistletoes were all a common sight during the month. Off of the coast, Titan Tower also shared its holiday cheer with the city. Giant tree ornaments hung from the structure, along with a huge light-up mechanical snowman that waved to the city; courtesy of Cyborg. And within the common room was a giant pine tree so marvelously decorated, that people outside could see it with their naked eye. It was truly a sight to see indeed. In the snow-covered streets, carolers stood in front of shops and sung to the customers inside, couples and families walked down the sidewalks with smiles on their faces. The ambience in the city was the laughter of children and random people wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Snowball fights broke out in parks and sleigh races were all the rage. With Christmas only a few days away, the city was truly an embodiment of life.

All seemed perfect this time of year, but there was always one place that stood out during this time: Warren Labs, which remained to be the same as it had last year and the year before that. It was a small laboratory that specialized in various experiments involving medical, chemical, and even the supernatural; far too busy to grasp the concept of the holidays. The buildings lights were on, but there were no decorations to celebrate the holidays here. Here, the walls were plain and dull, and only the windows of the lab were lit; the workers inside oblivious to the world outside of the facility's walls. Within its radiated confines, a scientist who was lacking in sleep continued on with his work for the day in his office. Prof. Kin, a young teenage genius who excelled in the area of science. He sat alone in his office furiously scratching his black haired scalp in frustration; his eyes transfixed on his computer monitor. On the display was the general molecular structure of a substance he had been experimenting with for days, but he had failed several times over to achieve what he wanted.

Every chemical compound he had tried to fuse with it, was either a failure, or non-responsive. There was only one more option that he had available to him, and unfortunately unlike his other attempts, he had hoped that this option would fail. He had hoped that there would still be an alternative, but in the back of his mind, he knew that it would prove to be a positive result. Prof. Kin pushed a few keys on the keyboard and contemplated his thoughts before he pushed the enter key. The world he would get into would be perilous if he pushed the button.

It was enough being the youngest icon in the field of science, but this would place his life directly in front of danger. Then again, if he failed to produce what he had promised, then he would be in danger regardless. No longer in thought, his body willed his fingers to push the button. The computer simulated the fusing of the two structures watched the screen as a newly formed molecule went through a metamorphic state. The simulation finished with a pleasing ding that resounded in his office. He sighed and took off his lab coat. He paced around the room and let the blood flow to his legs again. He moved towards the corner of his office where a ruby dragon statue sat.

It stood as tall as him and reached out towards the sky as it winded upwards. He tapped one of its red jeweled eyes and the wall beside him ascended. A glass case with a jet black suit complete with a mask, around the case were tables laden with bladed weapons of every sort; from swords to daggers and throwing stars to poisoned tipped acupuncture needles. An arsenal equipped for the ultimate stealth assault. He packed his suit and the weapons he would need for his newly acquired mission in a duffle bag. He tapped the dragon's eye once more and the wall descended; it looked as if nothing in the room had been disturbed. Prof. Kin looked at the computer monitor once more; "Xenothium Positive Reaction" displayed on the screen in bold letters. He turned off the monitor and shut off the lights to his now silent office. When the main entrance doors closed behind him, he walked out of Warren Labs and reluctantly joined the people in the city for the night as he headed home.

Within the common room of Titan Tower, the Teen Titans all moved about with their own agenda to help each other celebrate the holidays. Robin rummaged through old Christmas videos. In the kitchen, Cyborg looked through old recipes books to prepare for a grand Christmas dinner. Starfire and Raven helped each other decorate the room, despite Raven's reluctant attitude.

"Why do we have to put up so many decorations? We're just going to take them down again when the month is over." Raven sighed.

"Because it is fun! I have never have seen so much cheer in one time of the year. This 'Christmas' is truly what your people call a miracle." Starfire laughed.

"That's right! C'mon Raven, it's almost crime to not have fun this time of the year. Let yourself go a little will ya?" Cyborg added.

"Ugh. I don't do holidays." She shook her head, and decided that there was no point in arguing; she would be placed in a losing battle. The main hydraulic doors to the common room opened and there stood Beast Boy holding a mountain of boxed presents that covered his body from his waist to well above his head.

"A little help guys?" Beast Boy asked, as he walked deeper in room.

"Beast Boy! Watch out!" Robin rushed to his aid, but to no avail when Beast Boy tripped and dropped the presents. The gifts toppled on the both and buried them in a heap of wrapped boxes. "Sorry, I guess I should have made two trips." Beast Boy laughed as he sat up. The team helped each other pick up the presents and set them under their rightful spots under tree. When they were done, they all hung up their stockings; Beast Boy's being ridiculously larger than the others. Raven didn't have a stocking, but Starfire had taken the liberty to make her one week ago. Raven gawked at it and was disturbed by the ludicrous design: Her name with the stitches falling off, and instead of the fabric being red like everyone else, it was a shade of periwinkle dotted with rhinestones that showed no pattern whatsoever. Nevertheless, Raven submitted and accepted.

When they were satisfied with their work, Robin, Raven, and Starfire retired to their rooms early while, Beast Boy stayed in the common room for late-night cartoons and Cyborg cleaned up the kitchen counters, which were stacked high with recipe books. When he was finished, he reached into the fridge for a snack, but instead when he opened the door, he pulled back with a confused look on his face.

"Hey! What's a bouquet of flowers doing in my fridge?" Cyborg asked.

"Sorry Cy, that's mine! I'm going to see Terra tomorrow." Beast Boy leapt up from his seat on the coach and turned to Cyborg with a smile. "I thought she should at least have some flowers for the holidays."

"Yeah. Cool man." Cyborg shut the fridge door and smiled. Terra was always a touchy subject with him so he decided that it was best to leave it at that. After and hour or two, the both of them decided to call it a night and turn in. Beast Boy had made sure to set his clock to wake him up early in the morning.

The sun had not risen over Jump City yet, but around this time in the morning life always slowly began show in the streets. Somewhere in the middle of it all Beast Boy walked down the streets alone with a bouquet of several of flowers in his arms and his thoughts. The snow crushed under his feet and it was cold enough for him to see his breath. The snow had stopped falling earlier in the morning, but there were still no signs of plowing in the streets for last night. He continued to trudge through the snow to shorten the distance between himself and his destination: Terra's statue. He couldn't consider it a grave, not while there was still a chance to revive her from her state. After all, she wasn't dead. She was just resting until it was time for her to wake up.

Though he wasn't there yet, he had often thought what he'd see when he got there. The scenery had changed a lot since the last time he or the Titans were last there. The city was more than happy enough to fix up the area around the memorial to give it a proper and respectable view. Cyborg himself helped build the security system around the statue for its preservation. Five concealed cameras and four hidden sonic beam cannons were positioned around the perimeter to protect it from defilers. A canopy was also built above it that was large enough to protect it from the snow and rain. He thought about looking up at her as she seemed to gaze into the horizon. "TERRA – A TEEN TITAN – A TRUE FRIEND" would still be inscribed at the statue's base. Every time he had visited, he would hope that he could see her walking about waiting for him to come, but despite the several times that he had, she was still a statue. Instead, every time he visited his mind would fill with memories of her. Like, when they became friends, then how she ran away and returned as an enemy. In the end of it all he also remembered that he had forgiven her. He could never hate her; He could never hate Terra. She would return when the time was right and Beast Boy would be sure to hold her tight and never let her go again. He would be sure this time… and maybe today she'd be there waiting for him.

Normally, he would think longer about her at this moment, but his session was interrupted by a blip from his communicator. He turned it on to find Robin on the mini screen. "Beast Boy we've got trouble! Red X is back in town."

In his mind he cursed his bad luck, but he had a duty to fulfill. "Gotcha, I'm on my way." He flipped his communicator closed and turned to look at down the street that led to Terra. She was only a few more blocks away, but she'd have to wait a little bit longer before Beast Boy could visit. He then turned back around and set his bouquet down on the ground, knowing that'd he have to get another one when he returned. He silently promised to get her a bigger bouquet when he came back before transforming into a hawk and flying off to catch up with the others.

Red X and the Teen Titans, minus Beast Boy, stood atop of a snow covered corporate building. The red and black suited villain stood firm in front of his opponents with a fresh full canister of Xenothium in hand.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced, but I was running low and I just came in for a refill. If you don't mind, I'll be on my way."

Robin moved directly in front of Red X with the Titans backing him, "You're not going anywhere with that."

Red X chuckled in response and shook his head "You know what bird boy? You take this job way too seriously. You need a girlfriend."

"Shut up! Titans go!" The team charged as Red X dropped the canister for maneuverability. Robin was the first to throw a strike, only to be countered and thrown off to the side. Raven was next up in the assault and began to focus her power "Azarath Metrion Zin--" but was cut short, when she was caught by a flying kick to the sternum. She gasped for air as she slid back and slammed into the ground. Cyborg and Starfire worked together: shooting a hail of star bolts and sonic beams at their fierce enemy, but he proved to be far too agile; easily dodging their volleys of attack. Red X found some space and ran close to the Cybernetic Titan. He then flipped behind him. Then, while he was still aloft, he kicked hard off of Cyborg's back to elevate himself to Starfire and deliver an uppercut to her chin.

She was sent crashing down to the ground with a shriek of pain as a result. In only a matter of seconds, it seemed that the all of the Titan's had been bested. His victory though, was short lived, for when he landed, the recovered Robin dealt him a kick to the back of the head sending him into a hard topple to the floor. He caught himself as he skidded on the floor and turned to face the caped hero. Red X brushed the dust off of his shoulder and squared off with the Titan.

"I let you get away once X, there's no way I'm going to let you go this time. I created you and now it's time for me to put you down."

Red X remained silent in response to Robin's scare tactics. Robin charged forward and the two engaged in one on one combat. The two elegantly fought each other, both with amazing martial artist skill. Each blow from the both of them was either met with a block, dodge, or counter. The two continued on while the rest of the team took this moment to breathe and recover. Robin would duck, or sidestep then strike like a cobra with his legs and arms only to be foiled by his opponent. Red X, however, did not fair any better; Robin was just as difficult an opponent as he was.

At this point it was a matter of who could hit the hardest and the fastest; it was only a matter of time until one of them provided an opening. Robin ducked low and dodged another punch, then he saw it; his chance for an open strike. He rushed at the opening with a closed fist aimed for the chest, but in the end, it was all a clever ruse to draw him in. Red X easily dodged Robin's blow and connected his knee with the heroes face. At the spur of the moment, Robin put more of an arc in his back and used the momentum to prevent him from flying backwards.

Instead, it placed his body in a high speed back-flip which he used to kick X right below his chin with a force that sent him in a perfect arc in the air. Before, he actually reached the floor, Cyborg rushed in and managed to punt him hard back into the air. While he was once again placed in flight Raven focused her power with her chant "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" and her magic caught him in mid-air. She then slammed him hard back down into the cement roof. Starfire, who had recovered during Robin's duel, then showered the downed villain with raining star bolts. There Red X lay still in a crater of destruction; a weak groan of pain escaping his mouth. The Titans surrounded him and inspected his body.

The Xenothium powered suit that Robin had made showed no signs of damage, but there was no doubt that whoever was wearing it now was in a world of pain. Red X's body remained motionless. Cyborg spoke first to break the silence "Yeah baby! That's how we get things done!"

"It was his fate." Raven added.

Robin interrupted the celebration "We still have one thing left to do before we haul him off to jail." He knelt down and reached for Red X's mask; it was time to reveal who he really was. It was a moment they had all waited for. Just as Robin's hand touched his mask, a fist collided hard with his face and sent him backwards. Red X leapt back to life, and caught the Titans off guard. From one of his palms shot out an elastic-X aimed at Starfire. She had no time dodge it and was easily pinned to wall of a nearby building. Cyborg aimed his Sonic Beam Cannon at a point blank range at the villain, but failed to fire fast enough for a hit. Instead, at the moment of discharge, Red X had grabbed his arm and changed the beams trajectory to hit Raven and sent her through the wall of another neighboring skyscraper. While he was still close, he retrieved an X-star from his utility belt and jammed it deep in Cyborg's back. An unstable electrical current coursed through his body which made Cyborg scream in pain before falling to the snow-covered floor unconscious.

Red X casually walked over to Robin's downed body, and then kicked his stomach for good measure. Robin groaned and curled up in pain. "That makes us even. It was a nice try, but you're gonna have to try harder to beat me." Red X walked to the canister of Xenothium and hefted it over his shoulder. "Thanks for the exercise Teen Twerps, Merry Christmas." he said as he walked to one of the edges of the roof. Before he decided to jump, Red X felt a strange sensation run through his skin. He looked over his shoulder only to see the fallen Titans and nothing more. Without a chance for second thought, he leapt from the roof and made his exit.

Beast Boy was late in his arrival and the damage had already been done. In his hawk-form up above, he could see the roof where the Titans had battled. He had made it to the scene just as Red X was making his escape. He first thought of staying behind and making sure they were all okay, but he saw Cyborg already stirring back to life and decided that they would be fine. It was now his mission to continue the pursuit. He made sure to stay high enough in the air to not be noticed by the fleeing villain, but also close enough to not lose sight. He watched as Red X leapt from building to building with the Xenothium canister still hoisted over his shoulder; the people below them were none the wiser as to what was happening.

After a few minutes of pursuit, Red X stopped his movement on top of a warehouse close to Jump City's shipping docks. From where Beast Boy was watching, it looked as if the structure had been abandoned for years, yet there was usually so much activity at the docks, no one would suspect it to be chosen for a hideout. Beast Boy contemplated reporting back to the Team, but his curiosity forced him to move onward. Red X slipped in through an open window and Beast Boy flew in closer. When he reached the window himself, he transformed into a rat and followed. It was almost pitch black inside. Beast Boy had keen eyes in the dark, but even he had trouble navigating himself in his surroundings. Throughout the entire floor, wooden crates were dispersed sporadically with no order of any kind. They provided him cover while he moved from crate to crate in his chase. Up to this point, Red X had not noticed his presence and continued to walk deeper into the building. The sound of his foot steps repetitively tapped in the air with an echo until he made a sudden halt and filled the area with a maddening silence.

"I know you're following me! Show yourself!" Red X shouted in the darkness; echoes bounced hard off the walls, but he remained firm in his posture. Beast Boy froze in shock. He had no idea what to do. He was hoping he could report back to the Titans with his whereabouts and take on the villain as a team. He wasn't capable of taking Red X on by himself. His thoughts began to crowd his mind with fear and prevented his body from either fighting or fleeing. That was until another voice, which was neither his nor Red X's, pierced through the darkness.

"You are very skilled if you can sense my presence…" The voice projected with a whisper that sounded as cold as ice and was loud enough for the both of them to hear. When the voice decided that X had acknowledged what it had said, it spoke again "You have something that I want and before I take it from you, I would like to thank you for going through the trouble of retrieving it for me." Red X strengthened his grip onto the Xenothium canister before reaching in his utility belt for an X-star. "You're a fool if you think you can beat me in the shadows..." the voice sighed. From where ever it was, it could clearly see that Red X remained undaunted with his eyes searching for the source of the hidden culprit.

"Very well…" and with those final words being said it was silent for only but a second. In the next second, Red X screamed in pain. Beast Boy looked on to see him drop the Xenothium canister and grip onto his right thigh where a long and thick metal needle had now protruded. An instant later, two more needles that flew from the darkness pierced through his other leg and made him fall to his knees followed by another cry of pain. Out of nowhere, a black silhouette of a boy melded from the shadows and stood in front of Red X who was now looking up at his attacker. He donned jet black cloth on his entire body from head to toe except for the eyes in which there was a small slit for vision. On his back a sword hung sheathed at least two forearms in length. The black clothed assailant looked down at Red X studiously for a moment before punching him hard in the face sending him tumbling on the floor crashing into wooden crates in the same path. Red X tried to get back up, but he failed in doing so. A force seemed to be numbing his mind and making him dizzy. "Don't worry; the poison that is now in your body isn't fatal. It'll wear off eventually."

"Who are you?" Red asked with what was left of his strength in a weak and raspy voice. The assassin waited for a moment before answering and turned to his fallen opponent.

"You may call me Black Shinobi." He replied in his cold voice as he nonchalantly walked to the Xenothium canister and picked it up. Red X slumped back to the floor and slipped into unconsciousness. Black Shinobi stopped in his tracks and drew a small knife from a hidden pocket in his clothes "Hmm...It seems like you and I were not the only ones watching each other." Black Shinobi turned to Beast Boy's direction and threw the miniature blade. It barely missed as it whizzed above his head and splintered a crate behind him. He screeched out of fear and with that notion, he transformed into a hawk and flew back out where he had entered, just barely avoiding another flying blade upon his exit.

"Damn…this will be more trouble than I previously expected." He whispered to himself as he walked back into the shadows and melded back into his pitch black surroundings; Xenothium in hand. He seemed to fade out of existence as he walked deeper into the darkness, only leaving behind Red X in a mess of broken wooden boxes

Whoa…My first Teen Titan Fanfic. What'd you guys think? Did ya like it? Review please!