(Note: Way Of The Sheikah came up with the idea of putting dashes before and after the title for artistic value; so admire it, God dammit, admire it!)

-This Story Will Make You Blush-

It had been three days since the Titans defeated Brushogun and exposed Commander Uehara Daizo for the dirty cop he was. Since that day, a lot changed. Tokyo officially recognized the Titans as heroes of their city, and even went as far as to allow the entirety of the Titans force jurisdiction within their area. As usual, Robin presented the mayor with the iconic Titan Communicator in case trouble arose. Along with that, the Titans were awarded Medals of Honor, Beast Boy was given his own fan club, a local chef dedicated a new sushi restaurant to the brave Cyborg's ravenous appetite (the menu offers free meals for a year to anyone who could complete Cyborg's "Cram-and-Jam" challenge), Raven was given her own line of bubble gum; and last, but certainly not least, Robin and Starfire finally worked up the courage to confess their feelings.

Everything was perfect. And best of all, ever since the honorary Titans unified under one banner and branched out all over the world, an era of peace found its way into the next chapter of their lives. They knew that the peace would be short lived, but in the meantime, the Titans decided a long, overdue vacation was needed.

And because they weren't scheduled to return home for another week, they decided to explore Japan to see what the Land of the Rising Sun had to offer. To Beast Boy, Japan was "so freakin' cool!" For Raven it was the opposite, since nobody was annoyed by Beast Boy's shenanigans.

That week became one of the most memorable of the Titans' lives. From the excitement and laughter, to the romance and that time when Beast Boy made Raven laugh so hard that milk flew out of her nose (Beast Boy was sworn under oath to never mention it to anybody if he wants to live), it was one that each member would always treasure. But of all of the priceless moments they shared that week, none could measure up to the time when the Titans decided to visit a sentō.

"Uhh...a what?" Beast Boy asked.

"A sentō," Cyborg repeated.

"And what's that?"

"A public bath."

Everybody stopped in their tracks. The soda Beast Boy had been slurping through a straw found itself splattered all over the sidewalk, to Raven's disgust.

"Why in the world would we want to go to one of those?" Beast Boy yelled.

An elderly couple paused to stare at the changeling. He flashed a sheepish grin as the couple shrugged and kept walking.

Cyborg shrugged. "Why not?"

"For starters dude, I don't like the idea of being naked in front of other people."

Raven unconsciously shuddered. "Hate to say it, but I actually agree with him for once."

"Come on guys, it's Japan! They do that kind of stuff all the time, why not try something different while we're here?" Cyborg said.

"Yeah well we're from America! And in America, we bathe by ourselves," Beast Boy declared, unaware of the American flag banner that suddenly appeared behind him, flapping proudly in all its glory.

Starfire raised a finger. "That is true, friend, but there is the exception for those who are involved in romantic courtship. To which it is perfectly acceptable, if not encouraged, to bathe each other passionately to show affection towards one's betrothed."

Even the domino mask he always wore couldn't hide the blush that spread over Robin's cheeks.

"Yeah, well I'm not involved in any type of romantic 'whateveryoucallit,'" Beast Boy said as he flung out his arms, "and besides, wouldn't it be a bit weird to be bathing in front of…well…Raven and Starfire?"

Both girls turned back to stare at him, Starfire with curiosity and Raven with a 'if you so much as think about me that way I'll kill you' glare. Cyborg snickered and patted his friend on the back.

"Relax BB, they separate the guys and the ladies, so you won't have to worry about that. It'll be just like showering with your gym class after practice, only instead of a shower you'll be relaxing in a nice, hot spring."

"Uhh dude, I've never been to gym class, or any type of class on account that I'm green, remember?"

"Oh...right," Cyborg mumbled.

"On top of that," the changling continued, "if it's a public bath, that means there will be other people staring! Also, wouldn't the water be dirty and possibly filled with a type of bacteria that could get inside your head and suck out your brain?"

"What brain?" Raven muttered to herself.

"Actually," Robin cut in, "I've read a thing or two about Japanese public baths. The water generally flows from natural hot springs and tend to contain organic herbs that rejuvenate the body."

"Exactly, so there's nothing to worry about BB," Cyborg smiled. "If you ask me, I could go for some organic body-rejuvenating herbs!"

"Wait a moment Cy," Robin cut in, "wouldn't the water damage your bionic parts? I mean, you are half robot."

The robotic Titan flashed a devious smile. "Actually Rob, for the past month I've been using a special coat of waterproof wax. Not only does it make me shine, but it allows me to take a relaxing dip in the pool!"

"Hmm," the Boy Wonder rubbed his chin, "now that I think about it, a hot bath does sound kind of nice. What about you guys?" He glanced at Starfire and Raven.

Starfire was the first to jump. "Splendid! I would love to partake in this most revitalizing event!"

Raven sighed, knowing there was no way out of this one. Sure, she could come up with a million reasons why it would be a bad idea, but she knew she was outnumbered.

"Sure, why not?" she said with a hint of annoyance.

Cyborg pumped his fist in the air. "Boo-ya!"

"Great," Robin smiled. He turned back to Beast Boy. "It's all up to you now, Beast Boy. You wanna tag along or no?"

"Fine," he groaned, "but I'm not getting naked! Got that?"

"Trust me, nobody's forcing you," Raven said with the smallest of smiles.


Despite his vow, Beast Boy was mortified to discover that the dress code for the local sentō was a complete lack of clothing altogether.

"Are you kidding me?" he yelled as Cyborg slowly sank into the steaming hot bath with a contented sigh. "I'd rather bask under the sun as a dog then take off my swim trunks!"

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Calm down BB, for the last time, no one's going to stare at you."

"Dude, I'm not doing it! I don't care if it's the rules, I don't want any creepy old Japanese men staring at my behind when I'm not looking!" Beast Boy cried out.

"Why are you making this such a big deal?"

"You don't have any clothes to remove Cy, you wouldn't understand!"

Robin ignored the bickering of his two friends. Unlike Beast Boy, he had no problem walking around naked. All he had to do was jump into the white froth, and find a corner to fall asleep in. Of course, Robin wasn't exactly completely naked. After all, he still wore his trademark mask.


On the other side of the giant wooden fence, Starfire was exuberantly paddling back and forth across the miniature lake while Raven watched with a half-disturbed, half-curious look etched onto her face. Unlike the naked, happy-go-lucky Tamaranian in front of her, Raven was still wearing her usual cloak and leotard. Despite the rules, she absolutely refused to walk around naked, so long as she was within ten miles of any intelligent life form.

Starfire jumped up and waved. "Come on, Raven, the water is great!"

"I'm good," she replied as she took a hesitant step back.

Starfire tilted her head, confused. "I do not understand. What do you mean you are good?"

"I'm saying I don't want to go in."

"But Raven, this is the perfect opportunity for us to explore each other and to do 'the bonding.'"

Raven's eyes widened as certain thoughts invaded her mind, though she knew Starfire only had the purest of intentions. After all, the young Tamaranian was rather naïve to Earth customs. Or so she thought.

"Riiight...I think we explored each other enough that time we switched bodies."

"But this is different," Starfire said, "we now have time to ourselves, and we can talk to each other about what we think of the boys while making insightful statements about our physical appearances."

"We do that already when we meditate. Plus, we can still do that bonding...thing...without me getting in the water."

"But it would not be the same!"

"Star, I'm sure whatever you want to talk about won't be affected by my refusal to get in the water."

Starfire had a hunch that Raven wasn't being completely honest. In fact, she seemed nervous.

"Raven, are you by any chance reluctant to join me because you are shy?"

Raven stared at her as if she had sprouted another head. "Come again?"

"Are you afraid of being seen naked in front of me?"

Raven stood with her arms crossed over her chest and glared darkly at Starfire from underneath the hood of her cloak. She maintained eye contact with her friend for a few moments before she finally relented and shook her head.

Raven didn't want to admit it, but there was no denying that Starfire was right. Unlike the others, Raven was the introvert. She wanted to keep her life private, save for the important details. Of all the things she dreaded, it was the day where she would be seen naked by another individual. It didn't matter that Starfire was a girl, or that there was a good chance she didn't understand the insecurities that came with being human (even though she wasn't).

"Raven?"

She jumped. Raven didn't realize she zoned out. "What?"

"I asked if you were afraid of me seeing you without clothes on."

Raven sighed, "I'm not afraid...I just don't feel comfortable being naked in a public area. Is that so hard to comprehend?"

"But we are not in public. In fact, we are the only ones who are here."

"Trust me, I'm fine meditating over here."

"But the water feels great! Are you sure you wish not to join me?"

Starfire had a point; the gentle touch of the warm steam that rose from the spring was enticing as it wrapped itself around her pale body. As tempting as it was, Raven still had her doubts.

"I'm pretty sure."

"Very well," Starfire said, disappointed.

She then waded her way to the edge of the pool and jumped out. To Raven's surprise, the Tamaranian picked up her towel and began drying off.

"What are you doing?"

"It is no fun to do the relaxing without a companion."

She smothered her face with the towel, shielding her from the skeptical look on Raven's face.

"Don't let me ruin your fun."

"But I cannot have the fun if I am alone."

After hearing that, Raven felt extremely guilty. It was true she had no desire to be naked in front of anybody, but at the same time, she'd rather stand naked in front of the whole world than continue to see that look of disappointment on Starfire's face.

With a final sigh, she removed her cloak and walked over to a nearby chair to fold it.

Starfire raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, friend Raven?"

"You win," she growled. Despite the ravenous glare she gave her orange-haired friend, she couldn't help but feel the slightest tinge of what could be called happiness at the gleeful expression Starfire wore.

"I win? What do I win?"

"I mean I'm going in."

"Really?"

"Yes…Really. Now turn around, and no peeking," She commanded as she went to unzip her leotard.

Starfire yipped with delight. She threw the towel across the room, ran across the stone floor and jumped into the hot spring. The force of the impact caused the water to splash all over Raven. Upon being stung by the near boiling water, Raven jumped and shot a malevolent glare at Starfire.

"Watch it!"

The Tamaranian scratched the back of her head with a gleeful smile. "Sorry!"


The only way to convince Beast Boy to go anywhere near the pool was to allow him to swim around as a hound dog. Sure, it was great to finally see him enjoy himself, but Cyborg still feared getting kicked out by the staff if they found a large green dog paddling in their hot spring. After a few more minutes, Beast Boy decided to change into a dolphin instead so he would be able to dive around without being weighed down by wet fur.

"Yo BB, I don't think it matters if you're a giant fish or a dog. If they see you, we're all getting kicked out!"

The dolphin dove underwater, swam to the other side of the pool and shot up into the air like an arrow and reverted back into Beast Boy. He landed gracefully on both feet and turned to Cyborg with a smile. "Relax man, we're Titans. Nobody's gonna bother us as long as we're heroes!"

"I don't think abusing your fame is a good idea, BB," Cyborg warned. "They may like you now, but the moment you start stinkin' up their club, it's over. Don't matter if you're a hero or not, the Japanese value honor and respect above all else. If you start runnin' around with no regard for the rules, they won't care how many giant, oversized ink blobs you crushed."

"What do you mean, Cy? I'm following the rules!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! The rules specifically state clothes are not allowed in the water, and I'm not wearing any clothes, am I?"

"The rules also say no pets allowed."

"But I'm not your pet!"

"Explain that to the manager."

Beast Boy swiftly turned around to see if anybody was there, but sure enough, they were alone.

"Dude, hasn't anyone notice we're alone here?"

"That's because the owners gave us our own private pools. That way Star and Rae won't have to worry about any Peeping Toms, and Robin can finally relax for once in his life without being stopped to sign autographs or take pictures."

Beast Boy glanced over at the sleeping Robin. He was leaning against the edge of the pool with his arms stretched out, his head completely rolled back and his mouth hanging open. He was snoring, badly. "Man, he's really beat, huh?"

"Can you blame him? Probably the first time the guy ever took a vacation. I don't think I've ever seen him so relaxed."

"Me either."

The two continued staring at the sleeping Robin; the sight of their fearless leader sleeping at the edge of a hot spring was rather eerie, yet funny at the same time. They couldn't help but smile upon noticing the droll dripping from the corner of his mouth. It felt like they were watching a newborn baby sleep peacefully in its crib.

Of course, Beast Boy had to ruin the moment with one of his world-famous epiphanies.

"Yo, Cyborg!"

"What?"

"Wanna pull a prank on him?"

The bionic man thought about it for a moment before a small grin formed on his face. "Depends, whatcha got in mind?"

Beast Boy averted his gaze to Robin's suit, which hung lazily over a small, folded out chair.

"Oh you'll see," Beast Boy smirked, mischief alight in his eyes.


For the past ten minutes, Raven and Starfire had sat in the spring in silence. Starfire was ecstatic that she had finally managed to guilt Raven into the water, but the only thing the purple-haired Goth did was sit in the corner in the fetal position and frown. A low-energy barrier surrounded her body. Every time Starfire swam near her, she'd scowl even more and the barrier would strengthen.

After a few more minutes of depressing silence, Starfire tried again to talk to her.

"Umm...the water of spring feels pleasant, does it not?"

"Yyyep, feels great," Raven quickly replied.

Starfire waded closer to her, but stopped again when she felt her joy evaporate into sadness. It was no use; the barrier Raven had surrounded herself with was too powerful. She sighed and shook her head. Why couldn't Raven open up for once?

She tried thinking of something else to say until her eyes wandered to the small hole near Raven's stomach. It astounded her; why didn't she have one of those?

"Umm, Friend Raven?" Starfire asked.

"What?" she growled.

"What is that giant hole you have right there?"

At first, Raven thought Starfire was reaching over to grab her, so she quickly shifted away and splashed her, the barrier dissipating from lack of concentration. She curiously looked down at her stomach. "What are you talking about?"

"That hole, right here on your stomach?"

Starfire peeked her head closer to Raven, stopping only inches away from her navel. Raven blushed as her curiosity turned into astonishment.

'...Okay, this is awkward...' she thought. Before she realized it, Starfire lifted her finger and prepared herself to poke it. Raven quickly slapped her finger away and stepped back. "Starfire!"

"Huh?" The Tamaranian flinched.

"That is my belly button. How can you not know what that is when you – ohhh…" Her voice trailed off when she noticed Starfire didn't have one.

She sighed. "Right."

"A belly button? Is that some kind of scar? Also, why do you call it a belly button if there is no button to push?"

Raven slapped her forehead and groaned. She really didn't want to explain this.

"When people are born, there is an umbilical cord attached to the abdomen. After it's removed, a belly button forms."

Starfire chuckled.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"I apologize, but that sounds very strange."

"Umm...if you say so."

Another awkward pause filled the room as Starfire returned to her side of the spring. Raven tried to meditate, but found she couldn't. She looked over at Starfire, who looked relaxed but a bit sad that Raven refused to talk to her.

She couldn't take it anymore; the silence was becoming far too uncomfortable. To her surprise, Raven was the one to break it this time.

"Sooo…anything interesting happen, lately?"

Starfire's eyes lit up in excitement. "As a matter of fact, yes! Just the other day, I was listening to this device called a 'radio' that plays music, and I found it to be quite suggestive."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was listening to this one song, and it sung about how we are young, and it invited us to set the world on fire so we could radiate light better than the sun. It was awful! I do not want to set the world on fire, no matter how much brighter than the sun it would be!"

Raven was dumbfounded. Unable to fathom the words to question Starfire's sense of reasoning, only one thing came to mind."...Okay, why do I hang out with you again?"

It wasn't long before Raven concluded that Starfire was oblivious to rhetorical questions.

"Never mind, don't answer that," she quickly added.

Another awkward pause. Against her better judgment, Raven decided to try again.

"Sooo…" Raven started, twiddling her thumbs, "Um...how are things with you and Robin?"

Once again, bright stars twinkled in the Tamaranian's luminous green eyes.

"Glorious!" she squealed. "In fact, just the other day, we decided to try 'the date,' and it was magnificent! When he showed up to my room, I partook in the receiving of bountiful floral arrangements. We then journeyed to the 'movies' where we saw this style of cinema called 'anime.' It was very flashy, and the characters closely resembled us. In fact, some of the people who sat next to us kept staring at me and calling me weird names such as 'Hoshi-hi.' Then he took me to partake in the consumption of Japanese cuisine. Did you know that the people here eat raw fish?"

Raven forced herself not to roll her eyes. She couldn't imagine how long it took Robin to show Starfire how to properly use chop sticks. "Sounds like quite a day…"

"Oh, but the best part has yet to come," Starfire said as her eyes solidified into crystals. "After we ate, we traveled back to the site of construction where we almost exchanged our first kiss. And we talked about how much we changed ever since we first came here to Tokyo, and then Robin took my hand, and said that I was the best thing that has ever happened to him!"

She sighed with delight. "We then proceeded to gaze at the Moon, and then we looked into each other's eyes as we kissed, and then he started to rub-"

"-I need a shower," Raven butted in. She got out of the spring, grabbed her towel and left as fast as she could.

"...Oh."

Starfire spent the next couple of minutes trying to figure out why Raven had chosen to leave her clothes on the chair.


Robin felt warm, even relaxed. The tranquility gently washed over him like a calm ocean breeze. Everything was perfect.

"Is this a dream?' With a groan, he turned. 'I feel like I slept on a rock.'

He tilted his head, drifting between the worlds of fantasy and reality.

'Where am I?'

It was clear that Robin was still completely out of it. The burning sensation that wrapped around his body gave no clues about his current situation. Nevertheless, it still felt weird to lie drifting in a pool of warm water.

He opened his eyes, only to be blinded by the fluorescent lights that shone from the ceiling. He blinked a few times and lifted his head up to look around. It finally hit him.

'I must have dozed off.'

It wasn't his intention to fall asleep in the spring, but the water felt so relaxing. At least it was a good nap, except for the weird dream.

He dreamt that he and Starfire got married, and they adopted twelve kittens. He never really liked kittens, but it was no surprise that his girlfriend would want one. Or twelve. Regardless, it was a rash decision that he had no choice but to agree to, Otherwise, who knows what could have happened?

Whether he admitted it or not, Robin had a tendency to let his imagination get the best of him, causing him to overreact. He figured one day it would work against him, but until that day arrived he would continue to act on his instincts. After all, they rarely failed him.

"I wonder how long I was out?" he pondered aloud.

He looked around again, this time searching for his friends. Empty.

'Hmm, must have left already.'

With a yawn and a smile, he stretched his arms out and stood up, only to realize he was completely naked.

At first he grew nervous, but after a split second he remembered exactly where he was and calmed down.

He climbed out of the spring and stretched his limbs. After a few minutes he walked over to the chair he had left his clothes on; at least, where they had been.

Perhaps he dropped them on another chair? He searched around the room, only to realize that the room was, in fact, empty.

"Oookay, this is weird," he mumbled. Usually he would be frightened at the idea of waking up naked at a local hot springs resort, but the fact that his best friends were Cyborg and Beast Boy reassured him that if anything were wrong, they would surely be the cause. Clearly this was some sort of prank.

Luckily for Robin, there were towels in the shower room. Speaking of which, he could use one right now.

To his horror, the towels had also disappeared. Was Raven in on this? The thought frightened him. But then his inner rational filter blotted out the image of Raven willingly walking around the men's shower room. The only conclusion: Cyborg. No way Beast Boy would ever think about swiping the towels. With a chuckle, he walked into the nearest shower stall and turned the knob.

After finishing his shower, he allowed his arms to wander the stall in search of a towel, only to remember they were gone. Suddenly, he let out a gasp. It was one thing to let the wind dry him off, but the fact nobody had yet to walk into the room was a clear indication he would have to find his own way to cover up.

With a nervous gulp, he looked over at the heavy wooden door.

"You've got to be kidding me…" he muttered. Somehow the white screen that covered his eyes drooped along with his face.

He had no other choice.

He gripped the doorknob with a shaky hand and cracked it open. After checking both directions, he was relieved to discover the area completely empty as well.

'Jeez, how long was I out?'

He needed some cover; no way would he be caught naked by any local bystanders. Luckily, there was a giant plant right in the hallway. Perfect!

In a split second, he found himself back pressed against the cold, cemented pot that held the plant. Now which way to go next?

'If I were Beast Boy, where would I hide my clothes?'

He ducked the moment he heard footsteps. Judging by the high-pitched clicks resonating from the south side of the room, he could tell it was a small girl. That's when it hit him. The girl's shower room! It was the perfect plan. And incidentally enough, the girl's shower happened to be around the corner.

It would be risky, but it was the only way he would get his clothes back; unless he ran into a random girl and politely ask her to take a look. Unfortunately, two things ruled out that option, the first being his Japanese skills – or lack thereof. He wasn't multilingual like Batman, after all. The second would be his inability to explain to the authorities why a naked man was trying to get a girl to search the women's shower without looking like a perverted nutcase.

The coast was clear; it was now or never.

With a deep breath, he dashed to the corner. As he peered around the corner, he found himself startled at the sight of a blonde haired, slender man about his height, staring directly into his eyes. They both flinched and instantly recoiled back to their original spots.

After a moment, Robin realized two things about the man he just saw. First of all, he could have sworn he saw a flashing, red explanation mark pop over his head. Second of all, either it was just his imagination, or he too was naked. Only one way to find out.

Conveniently enough, the man around the corner had the same exact thought, because the moment Robin turned his head, his eyes were greeted by the man's jaded blue eyes.

After a few minutes of staring, they both looked down to confirm their suspicions. To their horror, they both came to realize they weren't imagining things and both covered their respective manhoods with their hands.

Robin took this time to notice what the man in front of him looked like. He was about his height, his build, and even had an equally sculpted figure. The difference in appearance lied in the fact that his face was slightly more slanted than his, and his smooth, blonde hair parted midway across his scalp – unlike Robin's messy black hair that went in whatever direction it chose. Of course, this man's hair reached the corners of his jawbones, while Robin's didn't even go past his ears. However, they both possessed the same gloomy frown, along with a cold, piercing stare.

It took a while for Robin to realize this was Japan, and this sort of behavior from fans is nothing short of typical. Chances are this man wasn't even acting like himself, as if to question his own existence. Suddenly Robin felt a mixture of pity and surprise that left him slightly disturbed. It always amazed him how far people would go to play the part. And the weirdest thing about this sudden meeting with another naked man was the fact that he, too, looked as if he were thinking the same exact thing.

They both sighed simultaneously; their thoughts equally intertwined.

"Cosplayers…" they both said.

And with that, they walked past each other without a second glance. Robin could have sworn he heard the man humming to himself, as if he were in some sort of spy movie. But what kind of spy walks around naked? Furthermore, how in the world did he do that cartwheel thing without using his hands?

The questions left him the moment he reached his destination. He found himself in front of a wooden door with a small, blue female stick figure carved right in the middle. 'This should be the right place.'

His thoughts were confirmed when the door opened and a young girl walked out. She glanced at him for a moment before walking past him, her cheeks turning a rosy scarlet.

'Okay…Weird.'

He shrugged and grabbed the doorknob, pushing it open.

The first thing he noticed was the room was also empty, save for the fine display of white towels that hung from a line of racks. His skin was greeted by the warm perspiration that loomed from the last shower stall to the left. His ears picked up on the sound of running water. He wasn't alone.

Before he could think more into it, a glint of red out of his peripheral vision caught his attention. He looked over and saw his clothes piled into a small corner.

'There they are!'

He leaped toward the corner, landing a few inches in front of his pants. His day had suddenly gotten better. Now all he had to do was quickly get dressed and get the hell out of there.

He quickly scanned the pile of clothes in hopes of finding his boxers, but no dice. Perhaps they were buried? It would make sense where Beast Boy was concerned.

He bent down, determination in his eyes as he began digging. It didn't take long for him to locate them, but in a matter of moments, he would quickly realize his buried boxers would be the least of his problems.

"Ahem!"

Dread crept into him; his day had just taken a turn for the worst. He turned his head to find out whom he would soon be seeing in court, only to find all hope of rectifying the situation spiraling down into a long, forgotten abyss. He glanced back at the pile of clothes. His face contorted into a mixture of fear and anxiety.

The mid-length violet hair was the only hint Robin needed to figure out who was standing behind him. And to make matters worse, he was still hunched over.

He quickly stood up and turned to see a wide-eyed Raven nervously staring at him with her mouth hanging open. She stood dumbfounded, paralyzed. Her hands clung to a small, white towel that wrapped around her body like a blanket. The look of complete, utter mortification on her face said it all.

Before she had time to react, the small towel Raven held up escaped her grip and fell to the floor.

An overwhelming sense of urgency swept over the room, and Robin soon found himself panicking. What was he to do? What if he gets caught? What if she screams? Will she attack? Will she stand there? What if people are coming?

Before he knew it, his head had exploded with riveting questions. Questions of incertitude drove his mind to seclude itself into the inner sanctums of pure instinct.

Now acting on said instinct, he jumped in front of her, thrusting his hand over her mouth and gripping her cheeks.

"Don't scream!" he pleaded.

An unfortunate realization hit him; he was naked in the women's shower room, covering the mouth of a naked, terrified Raven, and he just told her not to scream. To make matters worse, Robin could no longer control himself. His body was latched to instinct, which pushed him to tighten his grip the moment Raven reached for his arm.

Despite the rational voice in his head screaming at Robin for him to let go, his body remained motionless, as if he were a puppet being controlled by a wicked ventriloquist.

Raven made a small groaning sound through her nose, as she gripped the wrist of her assailant. Robin instinctively grabbed her hand with his free one. "Shh!"

She lowered her eyebrows until they were completely furrow, as if to matter-of-factly shout "Really?" She then closed her eyes to unleash her powers. To her horror, nothing happened. She couldn't concentrate enough.

Robin continued to watch with unbelievable humiliation as Raven's attempt to break his grip resulted in him slamming her back against a wall. He didn't even want to imagine what this looked like, or what was going through her head. Perhaps after all of this was over, he could make it up to her with flowers and tea. Lots and lots of tea.

She swung with her right fist. Once again succumbing to the entrancing stupidity of his reflexes, Robin ducked, pulled her close while maintaining a strong grip on her mouth and bent his elbow, forcing her back to be pressed against his chest. He now found himself standing right behind Raven, his left arm wrapped around her body while his right hand covered her mouth; his head leaning towards her left ear.

She was now completely immobilized. Robin didn't even want to think about the inexplicable trauma Raven would face in the future.

But not all was lost. Despite the circumstances, Robin still fostered the hope that it would be all over soon, and afterwards he'd be able to rectify the situation. Besides, despite her beauty, Raven was an understanding girl. Heck, she'll probably get a good laugh out of it. That's right; it'll all be over soon.

Just calm down, and "it'll all be over soon."

He flinched. 'Did I just say that out loud?'

Raven nodded. He gasped. 'Wait…Did I say THAT out loud as well?'

She nodded again. For some reason or another, everything Robin had been thinking had somehow found itself posed allowed for anyone within hearing distance to catch.

"Uhh, what did I say?"

He uncovered her mouth. She looked at him with a cold glare. "You said relax, calm down, and it'll be over soon. Then you said I was beautiful and would understand. Heck, I'd probably get a good laugh out of it afterwards."

"Right!"

With a blush, he swiftly placed his hand over her mouth once more. To his dismay, she didn't even bother to struggle. He figured she gave up, because seriously, what's the bloody point? He knew the moment he let go in a frivolous attempt to justify his actions, he'd suffer a punishment far worse than death. So what now?

But on the bright side, it couldn't get any worse.

*Poke.*

…Did that just happen?

He looked down, afraid of what he might see. To his relief, it was only her leg. Now both of their faces were red. And unless Robin had somehow offended the god of humility, he couldn't fathom the idea of how the situation could possibly worsen. Unfortunately for the Boy Wonder, Murphy's Law decided to rear its ugly head, packed with 500 kilograms of salt.

"Robin!"

His eyes lit up. Images of his childhood flashed through his mind, followed by scenes of every close encounter he had ever had. Every time he had such a close encounter, he would watch clips of his life, but they were generally blurry. Usually the images would flash like commercial clips that got canceled at the last minute, or perhaps the movie reel at the theatres got scratched. But this time, the internal theatre in Robin's mind upgraded to the digital High-Def standard – making every single event that ever occurred in his life overwhelmingly realistic.

And then he prayed. He prayed to whatever benevolent god he didn't piss off in Skyrim that the person who had just walked into the room wasn't who he thought it was. He pleaded with whichever munificent administrator was listening for serendipities. He even went as far as to cash in all the favors he was promised, all the brownie points he received, and any other miscellaneous IOU's accrued as a hero.

But as fate would have it, the facilitators of malice held the cards in their hands. Thus, reality would be sentenced to take its course.

He turned his head to see a completely baffled Starfire leering at him.

Robin knew that the next words that were to escape his mouth would have to count, and he knew how crucial it was for him to get it right. This was the one opportunity he had to salvage the situation – as well as his life. It was now or never. Summoning the courage to speak, Robin made his bold statement with the hope that he would finally do something right.

"Uhh…It's not what it looks like!"

Of all the ways to dig the hole deeper; of all the plausible ways to shoot himself in the foot, Robin actually allowed the words "it's not what it looks like" to spew from his mouth. He might as well have followed it up with—

"I can explain!"

Yep, he's a dead man.

His face grew increasingly redder as Starfire continued to stare silently at him, her eyes heavy as if being poured on by a cold rain. He didn't want to know what was going through Starfire's mind. But whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

She grabbed her chin and tilted her head slightly to the left, as if she were pondering some complex piece of art. It almost appeared like she was rummaging through her mind in search of a mental image that could possibly explain what stood before her.

If Robin didn't know better, it actually looked as if Starfire were more confused than Raven, and given the circumstance – the bar was set fairly high.

Starfire glanced at the corner where Robin's clothes were stashed.

"Hmm…"

She then looked at Robin, who for some unknown reason, continued to awkwardly cling to Raven with a perplexed look in his eyes. She nodded before averting her attention to Raven, whose face was completely flushed by this point. They both silently returned Starfire's gaze, waiting for what was to come next.

Suddenly out of nowhere, her eyes lit up as she snapped her fingers.

"I got it!" she cried out, taking the face of a child who just solved a riddle.

"After Robin fell asleep at the hot spring, Beast Boy and Cyborg took the opportunity to pull a prank on him and steal his clothes. They then took his clothes to the women's shower room. After waking up, Robin realized his clothes were missing. Instantly recognizing this as one of Beast Boy's pranks, he ventured through the building, and into the women's shower room where he found his clothes. But just as he was about to put them on, Raven walks in, completely shocked at what she sees. So shocked, she instantly drops her towel! Now panicking, Robin instinctively tries to hold Raven down and calmly explain why he was in the women's shower room completely naked, only to realize he irrevocably made the situation worse. And because everything happened so fast, Raven's powers were literally scared away. Even though it occurred to him that he was only escalating the situation, Raven's impulsive struggles caused him to instinctively hold her down even further, making it look to Raven as if Robin were forcing himself on her. But because Robin's instincts completely possess his body when undergoing an overwhelming amount of stress, he is unable to control himself – both mentally and physically."

Upon saying that, Starfire's cheeks turned slightly red. She continued. "So now that Robin has Raven completely pinned, he is able to calm down, even though it is most likely too late to explain to her what happened. And that is when I walked in!"

And then she smiled. Like a boss.

Silence fell over the room. Quite pleased with herself, Starfire gave them an innocent look.

To say Robin and Raven were in complete disbelief would be an understatement – the sheer force of what had just happened rattled both of their to the point of promiscuity. The only thing Robin could do that would closely resemble a reaction was choke out a disheveled "Whoa!"

He released his grip on Raven's mouth, allowing her to finally speak. But upon witnessing such a confounding display of events, her entire vocabulary was reduced to a smoldering pile of goo, and only one word could escape her pale lips. "...Whoa."

Even though Robin still held Raven in a tight embrace, neither one of them was aware. They continued to stare at Starfire like two deer caught in headlights. As more time passed, Starfire grew increasingly uncomfortable with the awkward silence. She coughed. "Well? Was I right?"

Robin was still lost in a daze. Raven finally became aware that her naked friend had his arms wrapped around her, and nudged him with her elbow. He jumped and shook himself out of his trance. "Uhh...yeah!"

"Yeah what?"

"Yeah, completely right!" There was a small tremble in his voice.

"Then that means there will be no reason for you to have to explain then, correct?"

"Right!"

"Great!"

She flashed him a bright smile. "Well then! I shall take my leave and let you both change, friends!"

"Alrighty then," was all Robin could say.

She hovered over to the exit, but stopped to ask Robin one last thing. "By the way, are we still on for 'the sight-seeing?'"

"Of course!"

What he really meant to say was that he'd take her wherever she wanted, eat whatever she craved, see all the sights in Japan ten times, carve an ice sculpture in her image, and devote every fiber of his being to her existence for decades and decades and decades to come. But somehow, he knew Starfire got the message.

After she left, the two Titans stood silently in the room – neither moving an inch, still stunned. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, Raven finally realized Robin was still holding on to her.

"Uhh, Robin? You can let go now."

He jumped. "Oh, sorry!"

He withdrew his embrace and jumped back. Raven dragged her hands through her violet hair and wiped the small beads of sweat from her forehead. She took a deep breath and silently walked toward a nearby shower stall. She didn't walk far before Robin called out to her. "Hey, wait!"

She paused.

"I am sooo – "

"I know."

"And I didn't mean to – "

"Right."

She continued to walk away. "I'm going to take another shower and completely forget what just happened."

"Okay…Thank you."

"You're welcome." She opened the door of a nearby shower stall and paused, the faintest traces of demonic energy swirling around her.

"Oh and by the way, one word of this – "

"Gotcha!" He smiled before giving her a thumbs up. The energy disappeared as she closed the door.

For some odd reason, Robin felt rejuvenated. Whether it was the adrenaline or the intense feeling of relief, he found himself humming the Teen Titan's theme song as he got dressed.

Not a single word of what happened that day left the room. Upon finding Beast Boy and Cyborg, Robin merely smiled and congratulated them on a well thought out prank. And no matter how dismissive he was of it, Beast Boy and Cyborg knew something about him had changed.

Incidentally enough, Robin soon came to appreciate the humiliating events that occurred that day. For starters, his relationship with Starfire shot through the roof. Though she could never figure out what caused Robin to worship her the way he did, she continued to revel in it nonetheless without worrying about it. As for Robin, there was no doubt in his mind he had found the perfect woman.

Of all the memorable events that ever occurred within the life of the Teen Titans, Robin knew for sure he would never forget the time the Titans decided to visit a sentō.

~The end.

-Author Production Credits-

Both authors worked extensively on this fic, passing it back and forth to assure all parts were revised to the best of their abilities. However, despite our equal contribution, we feel it is a necessity to give proper credit where it's due. Therefore, we have provided a pseudo "who-did-what" list to further clarify the building blocks of this story.

Title: The Stupendous Jimbo

Summary: Way Of The Sheikah

First Draft: The Stupendous Jimbo

Second Draft: Way Of The Sheikah

Main Editor: Way of The Sheikah

Concept Artist/Storyboard/Plot Designer: The Stupendous Jimbo

Main Construction Supervisor: Way Of The Sheikah (Reason the story looks professional)

Introduction: The Stupendous Jimbo

First Scene: Way Of The Sheikah

Bath Scene (With Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin): The Stupendous Jimbo

Starfire/Raven scenes: Way of The Sheikah (He's good with the ladies)

Complete Second Half (Starting where Robin wakes up alone): The Stupendous Jimbo

Asshole Responsible For The "Poke": The Stupendous Jimbo (He's aware that joke facilitated a massive outbreak of facepalms.)

Good Samaritan Who Tried To Warn Him Against It: Way Of The Sheikah

Ratings Councilor: Way Of The Sheikah

Reason This Fic Dodged An "M" Rating: Way Of The Sheikah

Ending (Robin/Raven Conversation to the final paragraph): Way Of The Sheikah

Every God Damned Offensive Gesture That Most Likely Pissed You Off: The Stupendous Jimbo

The Saving Grace That Kept You From Flaming: Way Of The Sheikah

Third Draft: The Stupendous Jimbo

Final Draft: Way Of The Sheikah

Did All The Work: Way Of The Sheikah

Stole All The Credit: The Stupendous Jimbo

4 Inch Penis: Way Of The Sheikah

Closeted Brony: The Stupendous Jimbo

Missing Left Nut: Way Of The Sheikah

Occasional Bed Wetter: The Stupendous Jimbo

Blabber Mouth Who Promised Not To Tell: Way Of The Sheikah

Started It: The Stupendous Jimbo

Did Your Mom Last Night: Way Of The Sheikah

Realized Error In Insult: The Stupendous Jimbo


...Thank you for reading! ^^

-Stupendous Way of the Sheikah