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"Titans GO !" ordered Robin, as he started first for the double door leading outside of the common room.
Starfire followed the leader, swiftly floating out of the room.
"Ready to kick butt, Green Bean ?" Cy asked on a conniving tone.
"You bet, Metal Man !" said BB, referring to the famous boss of the same name in the videogame MEGAMAN 2. (A/N : authentic ! I'm a great fan of the MEGAMAN franchise, so here's paying a lil' tribute to one of Nintendo's greatest heroes… MEGAMAN ! *** I'm a huge Nintendo fan ! *** )
The half-robot exited after the Tamaranean.
Meanwhile, Raven had pulled her hood up, as she always did prior to a fight, and was about to lift off.
"And you, Rae, ready to kick butt ?" teased the changeling.
The sorceress turned to him, keeping her composure.
"I wouldn't say it that way, but to answer your question : I'm always ready to fight !" she said in her monotone.
"Ah ah, that's our Rae Rae !" he yelled, smiling.
She frowned at him, although he couldn't tell because of her hood. But her monotone let him know about her upset, as it was somewhat curt this time.
"Rae is okay, Rae Rae is not. So I would appreciate if you avoided duplicating it."
He looked at her, somewhat puzzled.
"Dupli-what ?"
She sighed, her frown vanishing.
"Nevermind. Let's not waste more time. The others are waiting."
This being said, she floated outside the common room.
"That's one hell of a girl…" he muttered to himself. "Which is kinda logical, for a half-demon !"
He burst out laughing at his own pun and ran out of the room, to catch up with his fellow Titans.
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"That was a piece of cake, really !" said See-More as he exited the broken front window of the jewellery.
He looked inside the bag he was carrying and smiled.
"Nice colored glass, eh ?" asked Billy Numerous, using a funny metaphor for the jewellery.
"Oooooh yes, Man !" exclaimed the one-eyed boy.
"Now we must hurry up to avoid the Titans !" screamed Mammoth.
"Not a chance they catch us ! Those damn Titans will not be able to stop us this time !" reacted Gizmo as he turned the corner, the others on his heels.
"Surprise !" yelled a happy voice in front of them.
It was Beast Boy who had spoken. The five Teen Titans were now facing the five members of the criminal organization known as H.I.V.E. Five.
"Speaking of the devil…" said Jinx under her breath, gritting her teeth.
"Jewels or fight ?" asked Robin in a decided tone.
"What do you think ?" replied Gizmo.
"We're on !" yelled Cyborg.
"Titans, GO !" concluded the Boy Wonder.
And then all hell broke loose.
Each of the Titans chose an adversary : Starfire VS Jinx, Raven VS Billy Numerous, Robin VS Gizmo, Beast Boy VS See-More and Cyborg VS Mammoth.
The changeling turned into a rhino and knocked the one-eyed boy down. The enemy tried to get up, but the morpher turned into a heel and sent enough high voltage in his adversary's body to have him pass out.
Mammoth avoided Cyborg's ray and punched him, sweeping the African-American away like he was a mere wisp of straw. But the muscular foe didn't have that much time to enjoy his blow, as he was himself swept away as well… by a gigantic tail, belonging to a green dinosaur ! He crashed pretty hard against a wall and, receiving a second tail blow as he was standing up, ended up losing consciousness.
Robin, on his side, had been trapped in a mechanical device of Gizmo's. He squirmed to free himself, but naturally in vain. He was neutralized, and the brilliant midget mocked him for that.
Raven was outnumbered by Billy Numerous, and despite her efforts to annihilate his replicas, she couldn't totally get rid of them. Therefore, while she was busy with part of the foes, the real Billy got behind her, then suddenly rushed by her side and cast a powerful fist straight in the empath's stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs and provoking her collapse.
Finally, Jinx had managed to get the best of Starfire, unleashing a super pink wave at her and thus wiping her out of sight, the Tamaranean landing further away.
The sorceress with the cat's eyes – thus nicknamed because of the vertical pupils she shared with felines – smirked and turned around, just in time to see Cyborg's powerful beam destroy the device holding Robin prisoner.
Therefore, the three male Titans were free and ready to fight, while the female Titans were temporary k.o.
Jinx, turning around to take everything in, noticed all that, and also that Mammoth was slowly moving on the ground, regaining consciousness, and she was heading to check on him when she suddenly caught sight of all the Billy Numerous being thrown back by a dark energy wave.
Turning her face to the left, she saw Raven taking her arms down and watching her "demultiplied" enemy with narrowed eyes. (A/N : ok, that word doesn't exist… but, as a great fan of made-up's, I tell ya that, now, it DOES exist ! ;P)
Rae's hood was down for once, following her fall, and she hadn't taken time to put it back up, rushing instead to attack.
The pink-haired sorceress froze in her tracks and stared at the other female magician.
She had never seen the violet-haired magician without her hood on, and therefore didn't know what she looked like.
And she got surprised by the Azarathian's pulchritude. (A/N : Yeah, I know, that's kind of literary… but I like to use new words ! Sue me ! XD)
She had always thought that Raven, as a half-demon, was ugly, like a real witch. But she now realized that the Dark Titan wasn't ugly… even on the contrary !
Raven hadn't seen Jinx, who was positioned laterally from her, but Gizmo, who had fled away from the other Titans, had noticed that Jinx was close to the empath, and had the opportunity to "get" her.
"KILL HER !" screamed the young mastermind, looking at his fellow criminal.
The female member of the H.I.V.E. Five stared at him, not quite certain whether he was referring to Raven or to Starfire, so she hesitated and stood there, motionless.
The young genius felt his anger level rise significantly in no time. Couldn't that bloody female understand he was hinting to the only female opponent who was near her right now ?
"KILL THE WITCH !" he yelled even louder, avoiding to mention the name Raven, so that the empath wouldn't directly understand that Gizmo was asking Jinx to kill her !
But Rae was far cleverer to be deceived that easily. Besides, "the witch" could refer to only two persons: Jinx and herself, since they were the only two with magical powers. And since Gizmo was addressing Jinx, then "the witch" logically was herself, Raven.
The pink-haired sorceress looked at the violet-haired one, pondering what Gizmo had just ordered her to do. But while she usually never thought things up when it came down do fighting an enemy, this time, curiously, she didn't attack her foe straight away and instead reflected, looking almost concerned.
The cloaked girl had turned to Jinx and positioned herself in a fighting stance, ready for the incoming onslaught.
But her adversary seemed irresolute about what exactly she was to do.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR ?! KILL THAT BLOODY WITCH !" yelled the tiny boy, as loud as he possibly could, wrath governing him entirely now.
Abruptly drawn from her thoughts by that powerful scream, Jinx flinched and, after a quick glance towards the leader of their group, she adopted an attack attitude, but it was really with reluctance, as it was obvious she for once wasn't self-confident in battle.
Raven, as for her, had noticed that there clearly was hesitancy in Jinx's behaviour, and it actually was the first time that such a thing happened. The enemy sorceress usually fought with confidence and had never showed such weakness signs. Hence the Azarathian's slight surprise about this.
Jinx didn't want to attack first and merely stared at Raven who, sensing the other's uneasiness, suddenly and quite unexpectedly found herself hesitant to attack as well.
"Come on ! Let's retreat !" shouted someone.
They all turned their heads towards the speaker.
It was See-More.
"Don't you hear ?" he screamed again.
And sure enough, in the distance, police sirens were howling… and getting closer and closer !
"The cops are coming ! Let's get out of here !" added Mammoth.
"He's right ! We'll be outnumbered, with Titans and police together !" concluded Billy Numerous.
They were all looking at Gizmo, including Jinx, waiting for him to give the official order for a withdrawal from the battlefield.
The young technology nerd, who was clearly seething, quickly looked in the direction the menacing sound was coming from, then back at his troops and at the Titans.
"And fuck it !" he whispered to himself. "ALRIGHT, YOU WIN THIS TIME, CREEPS, BUT BE SURE NEXT TIME WE'LL GIVE YOU A GOOD THRASHING !"
And with that, he started for the nearest back alley, Billy Numerous soon on his heels, then See-More, Mammoth bringing up the rear.
But Jinx wasn't with them.
She saw them run away, then rapidly jerked her head back to Raven and fixed her gaze on her.
The Goth, after seeing how the evil mob fled, turned her violet orbs to the front and saw the sorceress with the cat's eyes staring at her.
She raised a brow.
"JINX !"
The addressee swiftly cast her head to the right again.
Mammoth was standing, alone, at the entrance of the back alley and was motioning for her to come back, with him.
The other three were already gone, perhaps thinking she was following and at least not checking on her.
Jinx looked back towards Raven, remained motionless a few seconds, watching the empath, who watched back, and finally rushed to Mammoth, soon disappearing with him into the back alley… but not without a last look at the cloaked Titan !
"Glory ! We are the winners once again ! How great !" shrilled Starfire, who had come back from her previous landing place, to which Jinx had cast her.
"Booyaaaaa !" exclaimed Cy, pumping his fist into the air.
"Dude, we're too strong !" concluded BB.
Robin was already collecting the stolen jewellery bags. Then he walked back to his gathered teammates, smiling.
"As always, fine team work ! Well done, everybody !"
He gave a thumb up to his friends.
All smiled back at him.
Then Raven directed her gaze to the back alley in which Jinx had disappeared.
And she slightly frowned.
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The return home had been a perfect example of uneasiness : neither Jinx nor Gizmo or Mammoth had breathed a single word, the only one apparently willing to say something being Billy Numerous. But no one had condescended to reply to him.
After a while, new attempt, and this time, after long seconds of silence, See More had awkwardly answered something vague.
There had still been another attempt of communication, involving the same two, but the remaining three members didn't make even the slightest effort to open their mouths.
Gizmo because he was inwardly fuming, and waited to be home to "explode".
Jinx because part of her was pondering something precise and part of her was dreading Gizmo's future outburst.
And Mammoth because he sensed the tension between the two and it made him nervous, disappointed and sad all at the same time, therefore pretty reluctant to communicate.
Silence ruled the five evil teammates as they reached their headquarters.
Billy Numerous and See More headed to the sofa, where they crashed with loud sighs, Mammoth took a chair in a corner and merely sat there with arms crossed, waiting the unavoidable, but Gizmo as for him couldn't sit. He was far too livid for that, and began pacing the "lounge" restlessly, frowning at the ground.
Jinx, as for her, tried to discreetly leave for her room… but the small boy spotted her right when she was about to exit the place !
"Where are you going ?" he dryly asked.
She gulped.
"To my room. I have nausea."
His face remained a mask of anger.
No pity for her.
Not on that day.
"I don't care. You'll go once you have explained yourself. Not before."
The sorceress faked puzzlement.
"Explained myself ?"
The midget glared hard at the grey-skinned female.
"Yeah, exactly : explained yourself !" he repeated, putting great emphasis on the words, as he enunciated them with exaggerate slowness and clarity.
There was a pause.
He looked at her with evident harshness, obviously determined to get to the bottom of it.
"I'm sorry… I wasn't in top shape today…" she muttered.
But he didn't buy it.
"In years of criminal collaboration, you've never failed once. So why today ? You claimed you were not in top shape. But why weren't you ? What made you feel so bad that you didn't attack your enemy ? Mmmmh ?"
She swallowed.
What will I reply ?
Seconds went by.
"JINX !" he screamed, more irascible than ever.
It's not that he was losing patience : it was that the impatience level was dangerously raising, and, should it "overflow", then…
"I was afraid… afraid that if I attacked Raven… she would kill me !"
This astounded everyone in the room, even Gizmo.
Jinx, the fearless Jinx, afraid of being killed ? That was absolutely not like her !
For a long moment, nobody could think of anything to say, so confused they were.
They had never seen the "pink witch", as they nicknamed her, hesitate or fear anybody or anything.
The sorceress glanced at each of her teammates in turn, anxiously scrutinizing their faces to try to know what they felt. What they thought about her. If they would believe it.
And, perhaps most importantly, if they would forgive her…
After a long moment, Gizmo sighed, a clearly upset sigh.
"I don't know what made you think that she could kill you, but you must forget it. You're stronger than her, and next time you face her… you'll have to destroy her ! Okay ?"
His tone was firm.
She nodded, gulping again.
The young mastermind then left the room, giving her a knowing look as he walked past her.
Jinx let out a long sigh, feeling oppression leave her chest.
Mammoth got up, walked to her and laid his hand on her shoulder.
"Will you be okay, Jinki ?"
That was his little nickname for her. Mammoth indeed has a strong friendship bond with her, he was her confident and always was the most supportive, doing his best to comfort her each time she was upset or sad, which actually rarely happen.
She looked up at him and gave a shadow of a smile.
"Yeah… I guess I will…"
Billy Numerous had switched on TV and was flicking through the channels.
"In case you want to speak to me, you know I'm here for you…" the muscular beast reminded her.
Billy Numerous suddenly stopped flicking and frowned at the channel he had "arrived" on.
"Yes, I know, Mammoth. Thanks for being such a wonderful friend to me !" the black-clad teen replied somewhat sadly.
"Damn, we get busted by those Titans, and guess who we find on the TV once home ? Them again !" exclaimed the "multiplier", as they called Numerous.
Both Mammoth and Jinx turned their attention to the screen and saw a presenter speaking in a mike. By him was Jump City's mayor, and in the background were… the Teen Titans !
The presenter then handed over the mike to the mayor.
"We owe a lot to the Teen Titans…"
But the speech was cut short as Billy changed channel, saying : "Enough of them !"
The horn-haired witch ran to him.
"Please put it back on !"
The red-clad boy raised a brow.
"What ? You wanna watch those losers ? Those who beat us all the time ?"
Stay calm, Jinx, stay calm ! Don't yell at him ! Things got bad enough with Gizmo before ! Now's not the time for another clash with another teammate…
"I want to hear why they're on TV. We never see them on. I just wonder why now. Please put the channel back on, Billy ! Please !"
The "multiplier" was surprised to hear the usually self-confident girl suddenly beg. It was totally unlike her.
But he did what she wanted and, sighing, pressed a button on the remote, putting the talking mayor back on.
"…beautiful city wants to pay homage to our dear heros as due. Therefore, Teens Titans, please accept the Golden Cross for putting in jail your millionth criminal. We are proud and honored to have you among our citizens and ensure you of our heartfelt thanks and endless gratitude !"
Jinx barely listened to the mayor's speech. Her vertical pupils were drawn, almost as if magnetically, by one of the persons in the back, and her eyes didn't move from that person.
The mayor turned to the heroes and Robin, as the group's natural representative, stepped forward and stretched out his arms to receive the award.
Behind him, Raven (who had her hood down, for good manners' sake), Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy were smiling.
Still staring, Jinx licked her lips, suddenly realizing they were all dry, as was her mouth. Also, she hadn't noticed it, but her heartbeats' speed had increased.
"Thank you so very much for all the good you bring to Jump City !" warmly spoke the city's official as he energetically shook the Boy Wonder's hand.
"No, Sir, it's me who have to thank you for this reward, but mostly for welcoming us in your city. We are proud to defend our fellow citizens and my teammates join with me to express our common gratitude."
He turned to his friends, who all made a slight bow.
Jinx seemed hypnotized. Her eyes were fixed and her body motionless, and she held her breath as she intensely focused her look on the left part of the screen, where stood…
"Okay ! They got an award for kicking bad guys' asses, like ours, for instance ! Big deal ! Can we change the channel now, since we know why they were on TV after all ?" complained Billy.
The presenter said a few more words, then handed back to the studio for the rest of the news.
Jinx let out a long inner sigh.
"Jinx ! I can change channel now, can't I ?"
The young sorceress started and turned to Billy Numerous, who watched her, somewhat grumpily.
"Yes, you can …" she said, this time with an outer sigh.
She briefly eyed the screen, to make sure the Titans were gone, then turned around and, almost shuffling her feet, walked in direction of the hallway.
"I'll be in my room" she succinctly said to Mammoth in a low voice, convinced the others wouldn't pay attention as they were now busy watching TV.
The large half-animal gazed at her, a sorry expression on his features.
"Alright. I'm here for you if need be. Don't hesitate."
She forced herself to smile, agreeing to make this effort just for him.
"Thanks a lot, Mamm !" she replied, using her nickname for him. "I don't deserve such an awesome friend as you…"
His mouth arched up.
"You do, trust me."
To her own surprise, she managed to widen her smile while she really wasn't in a smiling mood.
She resumed walking and, once in her bedroom, let herself collapse heavily on her bed, and grabbed the pillow, which she clung to her chest.
The mind of the pink-haired female was swarming with thoughts and images.
There was warmth in her body, especially in her heart.
But a violent shiver suddenly spread throughout her whole organism.
The last sentence Gizmo had uttered before leaving kept replaying in her memory.
That horrible last sentence…
She dreaded that "next time" in anticipation.
Dreaded to have to face her again.
Dreaded to have that unbearable pressure on her shoulders again, with the others watching, all ready (except for Mammoth, most certainly) to disapprove of her and severely blame her. So that time, it wouldn't be just Gizmo, but See More and Billy Numerous as well.
But what could she do ?
She didn't want to do what Gizmo had ordered her to do "next time", in the very last part of that ultimate sentence he had pronounced prior to leaving.
She just couldn't !
Even if both sorceresses were enemies, one being a superheroin, the other a criminal.
No, she couldn't. Not now. Not anymore.
Because she had felt a change initiate itself inside of her.
And this change made all the difference.
Her thoughts kept coming back to the same person.
And to the threat hanging over her head, and that was linked to that person.
"…next time you face her…"
Jinx shut her eyes tight as she remembered how that sentence ended.
Seconds later, a first tear rolled down her check and landed on the pillow she was holding tightly against her chest…
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Alright, that's it for chappy one !
I know that it's more Jinx than Raven despite the story description "Raven, Jinx", but it will be more equal / well-balanced later. Next chapter will still include both, but perhaps be more focused on Jinx. We'll see how I'll craft it, if I follow my idea until the end or not.
I also know that Jinx is OOC, but figure out I'm known for regularly making the canon characters act differently than they do in the actual show. It's interesting to explore new possibilities, even if it implies leaving the "safety" of the well-known road and venturing in unknown landscapes… but aren't imagination, creativity, originality, difference really interesting, which make life so much more fascinating ? Personally, I DO worship these notions, and model my life on them !
So that's it for now. Thanxxxx beforehand to any of the readers and reviewers of this new story of mine. Your opinion matters a lot ! CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is more than welcome to, as are any suggestions ! Thank you very much, Folks !
Oh, and one last thing : it's my fifth year on FanFiction, which I joined on August 11th 2009, and to celebrate this, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Xiang Li, the creator of this amazing website which stimulates in the best way people's imaginations and enable them to spend their time in a far more productive manner than all these social networks and other fashionable gimmick-like sites. Thanxxxx to all FF staff as well, and naturally to all FF contributors, i.e. writers, notably… YOU, reading this right now ! LONG LIVE FANFICTION !
Signing off for now !
Take care !
Peace, Love, Ecstasy !
))))))))))))))))))) The Last Starfighter ((((((((((((((((((((
