NU: Red-X Redux Chapter 2: Future Tense PT1, a Naruto + Teen Titans Crossover fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or anything else within. It is all a byproduct of my overactive imagination and too many ideas in my head. This tale is written to, hopefully, amuse the many people who have wanted me to write such a story again. With that in mind, would all lawyers please leave me the f—k alone already!

NU: Red-X Redux…

Chapter 1: Future Tense Pt. 1…

(Jump City, Titans Tower…)

Titans Tower is perched on 'Titan's Island' in Jump City bay. It has become something of a tourist attraction since its construction nearly a year prior. It is also home to the young team of heroes known as The Teen Titans. This ragtag group of kids came together one day and had been together ever since. But this is not where our story begins.

An alarm goes off within the tower. Not the usual crime alert but a simple time clock. It rings loudly and rouses a young girl from her slumber. She smiles and sits up. She stretches her arms out and then grins. "The day has arrived!" she cheered happily. She cut off her time clock and then leaped to a nearby drawer. Within are a plethora of toys and party favors. She scoops them all up with a girlish giggle.

She then peeks out into the hall outside of her room. Cautiously she looks back and forth and then zips out with a bubbly little laugh. Her armload jingles as she zips from wall to wall. A single item falls from the load as she disappears around the nearby bend. However she reaches back to pick it back up. She makes her way to a set of stairs and happily floats over them. She comes to a halt before a sealed pair of doors and smiles.

"HAPPY BLORTHOG!" she declares loudly as the doors open. She then halts and looks around strangely. "Huh?" she questions unsurely. Her friends certainly don't seem to be as enthused for the day as she is. Raven sits on the couch with a book, a pair of nail-clippers hovering nearby. Robin has an obnoxiously loud boom-box in the kitchen. Beast Boy and Cyborg appear to be fighting over the Gamestation… again…

Despite this, Robin's music has drowned out most of the yelling and Starfire can only hear the barest hints of what they are arguing over. Further, Robin's music is so loud she could almost swear it was blowing his spiky hair back. Although she does question why her friends would have a tug of war with the game controller. From what she knew of the devices they were just a bit fragile and that might be too much stress on its cords…

"Come on, Beast Boy, gimme that thing!" Cyborg demanded. The fact she could hear him over Robin's boom-box was impressive. She reasoned he was probably being extra loud for that very reason.

"Dude! I'm in the middle of a game, Cyborg!" Beast Boy retorted.

"Yeah, my game, 'cause it's my turn!" the titanium teen snarled at his friend. Starfire idly glanced over at Raven to see what she thought of this argument. Strangely enough the younger girl simply continued to read, a blank expression on her face.

"Give me the controller!" BB demanded.

"No! Let go!" Cyborg retorted. Starfire choose that moment to walk into the room and beamed at her friends brightly.

"It's my turn!" BB declared once more.

"Friends! We must frolic and leap in glorious celebration, for today is Blorthog—the Tamaranean festival of friendship!" she declared happily. She grinned brightly for a moment, only to stop and look around when she noticed no one had paid her any mind. She felt mildly disgruntled by this, but shook it off as she deposited her load of toys and party favors to the ground. All save for several strings of jingling bells from her wrists.

She approached Cyborg with one first, even though he is still struggling against Beast Boy, another bright smile on her face.

"Joyous greeting, friend!" she declared brightly. Cyborg didn't seem to notice as he's a bit too preoccupied by a tentacle from Beast Boy. "I, Starfire, give you this tinnabula as a symbol of…" she's cut off as the tentacle is wrapped around Cyborg's neck and he's pulled and then tossed away.

"You're gonna pay for that, you little grass stain!" Cyborg declared furiously. BB merely smiled and laughed to himself as he turned into a frog with the controller in his mouth. He leaped up and landed on the back of the couch and then changed back to normal with a laugh as he continued to play the game they were fighting over.

Undeterred by what had just occurred Starfire smiles at Beast Boy and holds out one of her string of bells to him. "Many blessings, friend. May your ears be filled with sugar candies and…" she begins. However she halts once more as Cyborg interrupts her with a great shout of.

"BEAST BOY!" Said green teen frowned and glared at where the downed Cyborg was picking himself back up.

"Look! I'll give you back the controller as soon as Raven gives back my nail clippers!" the green teen stated with a glare at the girl in question. However his glare is halted when Cyborg grabs and yanks him back for another go. As for Raven herself she doesn't even bat a lash, merely turns one of the pages of her book. The clippers still float nearby where she can safeguard them.

"Not gonna happen. How else am I supposed to keep your toenails off the coffee table?" the girl responded. Starfire zipped over to her and cheerfully offered her one of the stings of bells.

"Happiness and delight, friend. On this wondrous day I wish you sunshine and bunny…" the girl declares brightly. However she cut herself off when she saw the look her friend gave her. Despite having become somewhat closer to her than when they started off as a team, she knew Raven was still just a bit… temperamental. So she takes the hint and backs off with a nervous titter.

With Starfire dealt with, Raven looked at Robin with a twitch of her brow.

"Robin, could the music be a little louder? I can still hear myself think," she grumbled irritably. Starfire had decided to attempt to give him a tinnabula as well. However, before she can do so it becomes plainly clear he's had more than enough of the fighting and glares at their shared friends.

"I only turned the music up to DROWN OUT ALL THE YELLING!" he exclaimed. The force behind his yell was surprisingly strong as it actually managed to blow her hair back. 'Does Robin have a super scream power?' Starfire pondered to herself. It would certainly explain a couple of things and she knew that the 'Black Canary' had a similar power and they were both named for birds…

… she would need to think on this more later.

Starfire yelped and ducked to the side as Raven and Robin proceed to glare at Cy and BB while they continued to fight over the Gamestation controller. Cyborg chased BB around until he finally managed to grab the smallest titan in a headlock. He tauntingly held the Gamestation controller in the air as he looked down at his friend victoriously.

"Whose turn is it now, tough guy? Whose turn is it now?" he taunted. Robin twitched and then slammed a hand onto the table.

"Knock it off! I can't work with you two acting like idiots!" the leader of the Titans roared at his friends. Starfire blinked and wondered what work he was doing. He seemed to simply be sitting and listening to the music… was he trying to deafen himself? If so she knew of many better ways to do it. Raven scoffed and then looked at Robin with a flat expression.

"Great, Robin. More yelling will definitely stop all the yelling," she commented sarcastically. This of course led to Robin and Raven engaging into a fierce glaring contest. It was a Glaring Contest because they were certainly too angry for it to be a simple staring contest. Unfortunately, Cy and BB were back up to fighting as their leader and dark friend glared.

BB turned into a bear and proceeded to chase Cyborg around to get the controller. The Titanium Teen ran, mostly due to instinct really, as the green bear chased after him. They ran around the couch a time or two; Starfire tried to stop them however they ignored her entirely. BB ultimately changed back to catch his breath as Cyborg laughed at him uproariously.

"Friends, please!" she tried to say however they still wouldn't listen. "You must not… if we could simply… happy Blor…" she continued. However BB had lunged into a jump at Cyborg.

"Whoa!" the titanium teen exclaimed and ducked out of the way. Thus BB grabbed one of her Tinnabula and pulled it down too hard. The simple strand holding it together broke and the bells fell off around her. Starfire looked down to see them bounce all around for a moment and then tightened her hands into fists. She tried to keep calm, she reminded herself that today was supposed to be a happy day, but…

Robin and Raven continued to glare at one another…

BB was on the ground while Cyborg gloated over him…

Her fists clenched, eyes screwed shut, and she finally lost it.

"STTTOOOPPP!" she exclaimed loudly. Raven looked at her in surprise, unused to her blowing up at all really. Robin actually backed up into the stop button on his boom-box by accident. Cy and BB merely halted and looked at the Tamaranean Teen as she took a calming breath.

"Friends must never behave this way—and especially not on Blorthog! Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?" she demanded. However her friends clearly did not understand the severity of her words.

"Gesundheit?" BB offered in confusion. Cy shot him a look while Starfire sighed and turned from the jade jester.

"On my world, "Rekmas" means 'the Drifting,'" she began. "The point at which close friends begin to drift apart… and their friendship begins to die," she explained. However again, her friends didn't really see things they way she did.

"Aw, come on, Starfire," Cyborg stated.

"We are so not Rek-whatever-ing," BB insisted.

"We're getting on each other's nerves a little. Big deal," Raven offered with a shrug. The leader of the Titans nodded his head in agreement with the dark bird.

"Yeah. This is just typical roommate stuff. We're not going to drift apart, Star. I promise. We'll all be friends forever," he told the girl kindly. However the young alien looked at him worriedly.

"Forever?" she questioned. A familiar jingle cuts off her worry as Robin looks to his communicator. He frowns for a moment before he turns to the rest of the team.

"Titans! Trouble!" the boy wonder declared. All but Starfire quickly rush out of the ops center. The alien teen looks at remains of the things she'd brought to celebrate Blorthog with her friends sadly. She sighed softly and quickly flew after her friends…

(Present Day…)

"Starfire I know what happened at home, I was there," Raven deadpanned. Starfire nodded her head and smiled. The two sat cross-legged in the Ops Center on the floor. A soft glow from the terminal Starfire had tried to use was the only illumination afforded to them. Mostly so they could continue to speak quietly.

"I was attempting to 'set the mood'," she admitted. Raven rolled her eyes in response and shot the girl a flat look. To be honest she didn't need nor want the recap on what they had done that day.

"Just get on with it already," she grumbled. The tamaranean powerhouse pouted but nodded her head. She took a breath and tapped her chin. She tried to think of where she could continue from and inhaled…

Her head spun, as images became disjointed, errant memories swirled about in her head.

"The Teen Titans. This is a treat. I read all about you in the historical archives. And now you're all history!" the voice was from an enemy. They had fought him somewhere… they?

"Titans! GO!" ah yes, they were a team. The Teen Titans… Robin, he was the leader. Then there was the color green for only a moment. It reminded her of Beast Boy, her shape-shifting friend, and then she continued to slip into darkness.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" another voice sounded in the depths of her memories. This one belonged to Raven, yes, a good friend she'd shared much with.

"Draining my power cell!" yet another voice. That one belonged to Cyborg, another friend with great strength.

"You cannot defeat Warp. I am from the future. And you relics are one hundred years out of date," their enemy yet again. Something about him had made her angry… but what?

"Starfire!" her name, called out by their leader… why? What had happened… wait… she'd chased him. Lunged at Warp… right? There was a vortex, a portal but… Her head still hurt so much but she desperately tried to grasp what had happened.

"You have endangered my friends and ruined Blorthog!" her voice? Yes, that was definitely her voice. She remembered grappling with Warp, attacking him as he tried to escape to the future.

"Stop! If you damage the suit before we reach my future…" he didn't get to finish. Something had happened; she guessed she damaged his suit. But her head still hurt and she swam in a sea of darkness. She could breathe so that was good. But she felt so heavy as she fell…

She fell through a cold chilling wind. 'Winter?' she questioned as she saw snow. But winter was months away. Why would it be…? Her thought was cut off when she crashed hard into a snowdrift. She blinked, hard for a human, but she was Tamaranean. She could take far more of a beating. She slowly stood up and brushed herself of the snow. Despite her clothes, she was fine with the cold, the cold vacuum of space was far worse than this.

"Huh? What has happened… why is it cold? And where are my…" she paused and then gasped. Across from her was a snow covered building. Titans Tower, but the windows were dark, the main window shattered, and she could even see more obvious traces of disrepair. She silently looked at the state of what had become her home…

"… Friends," she finished quietly. She then shook her head and flew across the icy bay. She didn't look back, instead focusing forward on the tower. She arrived at Titan Island and looked around. She could see greater signs of disrepair and it left her worried. Were her friends all right? Had something happened to them? She wasn't sure, but she was going to find out!

She flew once more, concentrated on the joy of flight. It was difficult though, seeing what had become of her home was far from pleasant. But she could endure so long as her friends were all undamaged. She just needed to see them and everything would be okay. But as she entered the tower and looked around, she felt things were far worse than she had assumed.

The room she entered was very dark and cold. Filled with scattered bits of machinery and wires hanging from the walls. It gave it a sense of rot and decay to Starfire. Like the place was dead and now slowly falling apart. The thought sent a shiver up her spine and she rubbed her arms to try and warm herself.

She then noticed the device she had torn from Warp's armor. She'd been so concerned with finding her friends she'd actually forgotten about it. She clipped it onto her belt at her hip and then looked to a darkened staircase. 'I have to find my friends,' she decided and mounted the stairs.

"Hello? Friends?" she questioned. She was scared if they would answer or not. The obvious disrepairs made her doubtful. But she could at least hold onto hope. "Hello? Friends!" she cried. The deathly silence worried her greatly. She could hardly imagine Beast Boy or Cyborg being so quiet. Raven or Robin, yes, but they were like that.

She found a pair of closed doors blocking her path. However she wouldn't allow those to impede her. She reached out and with a bit of a strain managed to pry them open. When she did she walked into the OPS room. The place was run down worse than she'd ever imagined. She wandered through the kitchen, a glance here or there…

She honestly couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Snow had drifted into the tower OPS Room, or living room, or whatever it was called. She had never really checked to be honest. It was the room she often entered in the morning to cook and that was all she really cared. Not that she didn't care, just that rooms hardly matter. It was the people in the rooms that were supposed to matter.

'It all looks so old, so decrepit,' she noted to herself. She nearly stepped on an old Gamestation controller, and so took a step to the side. However her boot nudged something and she gasped and backed up at a sharp ring. She glanced down to see a very old rusted bell.

'But, I only dropped these this morning,' she realized as she knelt down and picked it up. 'How could it look like this so soon?' she wondered to herself. She then gasped as the bell suddenly turned to dust in her palm. 'How… how have things become so bad, it has not been so long since I was here last,' she rationalized.

There was a strange almost mechanical sound nearby. One she knew from only one being. She then noticed a red light and breathed a sigh of relief. "Cyborg," she stated, however the red light didn't budge from its spot. She formed a Starbolt into her hand and then raised it to hopefully illuminate her friend.

"Oh, Cyborg thank goodness you are…" however she stops and gasps at what she sees. Instead of her cybernetic friend she finds a strange mechanical approximation. The light had come from something that seemed to be an electronic brain with a glowing red eye. She let out a cry and quickly hurled a starbolt at the amalgam of circuitry.

She blasted away some of the parts yet the 'brain' climbed forward. It had long spindly legs like an eerie mechanical spider. It crawled towards her quickly and she backed away hurriedly and hurled another Starbolt at the approaching swarm. Soon, the swarm began to converge and she hopped into the air. The robots attempted to lunge at her and she threw more starbolts to deal with them.

"Stop," a calm voice suddenly ordered. Starfire blinked as the lights on the machines turned blue. They then backed off and began to scurry away. The Tamaranean looked around and soon saw a shadowed figure in the doorway. "I apologize, the drones are not used to visitors,' he stated.

His voice was utterly and completely neutral. Calm and quiet, it also sounded familiar.

"Wait… you are, the Fixit, yes?" she questioned. Slowly a familiar figure walked from the shadows. It was indeed the mostly mechanical being Cyborg once met. However he seemed different as well. More advanced perhaps, yet his cold blue eyes remained.

"Hello, you are Starfire of the Titans, correct?" Fixit questioned. Starfire slowly nodded her head. Idly she wondered what other 'Starfire' he had met that required such specifics. "I am surprised, you disappeared quite some time ago," he noted casually as he walked over to collect pieces of his fallen machines.

"Disappeared?" Starfire questioned. "But… I did not go anywhere," she muttered.

"Indeed, it has been sum twenty odd years yet you have not aged a day. Judging by your appearance you did not go anywhere, rather, I would have to assume you were propelled through time instead," the mechanical man replied calmly. He had collected a batch of parts and was now carrying them out of the room. Starfire cautiously followed behind the mechanical man as he went on his way.

"But how?" she questioned. Fixit spared a glance at her waist and his eyes seemed to click and whir for a moment. He then hummed and turned back to walking.

"The technology utilized by Warp, I believe it was meant for time travel. I would hazard a guess that during the battle with him you damaged his suit, thus caused a wormhole that jettisoned you into the future," he noted calmly. Starfire blinked and looked around once more. That would certainly explain the advanced age of everything…

"The future," she murmured quietly and then flew ahead of Fixit. The mechanical man didn't stop his trek even as she did. "But please, if that is true then where are my friends?" she questioned. Fixit stopped for only a moment and then continued his march forward.

"Robin eventually left the titans some time after you disappeared," Fixit admitted. "He stationed himself as a hero in Bludhaven by the name 'Nightwing'. He occasionally started up new Titan groups or 'Outsiders' to deal with larger threats without the Justice League needing to be involved. Currently, I believe he has taken the mantle of Batman," the mechanical man explained. Starfire looked surprised, however he was not finished.

"Beast Boy remained longer than Robin, but he ultimately left as well. He wandered for some time, briefly took up the role of an actor. He later returned to the Doom Patrol and died alongside the rest of them. I believe it occurred during an altercation with a being referred to as 'The Brain'," the mechanical man continued. Starfire merely looked at him with wide eyes and her hands raised to her mouth.

"Raven left next. I believe the negative emotions brought on by the situation had an equally negative effect on her. She briefly worked on her own but ultimately vanished. I attempted to locate her, however it appears she too died. All I could gather was that she wished to prevent the 'end of the world'," he continued to explain to the tameranian. He was silent after that, before Starfire took a breath and looked at him worriedly.

"W-What of Cyborg?" Starfire questioned softly. Fixit was silent for a moment and then looked at her. She could almost swear she saw a look of pity in his eyes.

"Allow me to show you," he replied. Starfire blinked then turned as a doorway opened. She then gasped in horror and backed up a pace. There in the remains of the tower's infirmary was what was left of Cyborg. What was there was mostly machine, the only organics she could see being bits of his brain visible through glass. She then turned to Fixit who approached him and began to open and close random sections of his armor.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded. The mechanical man arched a brow as he regarded the Tamaranean and then looked to Cyborg. He then turned back to the girl with a slim frown across his lips.

"You assume I did this?" Fixit questioned. Starfire blinked, but nodded her head. The mechanical man was silent for a moment and then nodded his head. "Understandable, I did attempt something relatively similar. If our roles were reversed that would be the most logical conclusion," he admitted. That merely annoyed Starfire as she slammed a hand into the wall next to her, eyes glowing bright and furious.

"What happened to my friend!?" she grit out furiously. Fixit merely continued what appeared to be maintenance for a moment then sighed.

"Though the rest of the Titans left Jump City, Cyborg remained," he began. He then stopped and placed a hand onto the titanium teen's head. "In his attempts to defend the city he was injured innumerous times. He was a lone hero and the villains continuously used this to their advantage," he explained. He then sighed as he walked to the side and began to pick up pieces of metal and circuitry.

"Eventually the strain became too much, he began to perform rudimentary upgrades to increase his efficiency. He hoped that if he could do things faster then he could defeat the villains faster. He continued this line of thinking for quite some time… however it put an unneeded strain on his remaining organic tissue," the mechanical man admitted. He then started to replace random circuit boards and wires.

"As his organic tissue began to deteriorate he attempted to self-upgrade to reinforce himself. However his attempts were suboptimal and ultimately resulted in his body suffering for it. Cyborg ultimately called upon me for aide. I attempted to dissuade his continued attempts, but he was… stubborn," the mechanical man explained. He finished with his repairs and looked to Starfire.

"Sadly, the march of time left him behind. Newer more advanced technology became incompatible with Cyborg's systems. He fell into disrepair and ultimately I was forced to hook him into what amounted to life support. To conserve power and prolong his life I was even forced to shut down all but his necessary systems," Fixit explained. He then watched as Starfire pensively looked down at her boots as she scuffed the floor.

"I-I see," she whispered softly. "I am… I am sorry that I attempted to blame you," she replied demurely. "You did not deserve it, I am merely frustrated," she admitted. Fixit arched a brow and then returned to work on the metal teen.

"Apologies are unneeded, I said it was a logical conclusion and I meant it," he replied. Starifre shifted for a moment and then looked down at her fallen friend.

"Can he hear us?" she questioned. Fixit glanced at Cyborg and then nodded.

"He can, however he is unable to speak for himself," he admitted. Starfire balled up her fists and let out a breath through her nose.

"No! This is wrong! This is all wrong!" she stated and hopped into the air, her hands on her head. "This badness should not have happened! My friends should still be friends!" she stated. Fixit merely tilted his head to one side and then looked to Cyborg.

"If things had been different, my friend might not have gone down this path," he admitted. His eyes flashed for a moment as he made a link to Cyborg's systems and heard him speak to him. "Starfire, if you wish I may be able to assist you," Fixit admitted as his eyes returned to their normal level. Starfire blinked and turned to the mechanical man with an unsure expression. She knew very little about him after all.

"I would appreciate any you are willing to give," she replied.

"My assistance would be minor," Fixit admitted. He walked over to a table and began to make something from the spare parts there. "I am not a fighter, and I am needed here to ensure Cyborg remains comfortable," the mechanical man admitted. Starfire looked aside with a nod of her head. She then blinked and reached to the device on her belt. She unclipped it and held it out to Fixit.

"Perhaps you could repair this," she suggested. Fixit frowned and took the device, then turned it around in his hands. His eyes gave a fierce glow and then he frowned deeply.

"I am afraid the technology of this device is well beyond my understanding. Warp was from one hundred years in the future in your time, somewhere close to eighty years for me. It stands to reason that only one being can truly repair this device," he stated. He then handed the device back to Starfire and she frowned in thought. Then her eyes began to glow as she became angry.

"Warp," she stated darkly. Fixit arched a brow and then hummed.

"Indeed, that would be a reasonable assumption," he replied. "Though locating him may be a bit of a problem," the mechanical man admitted. "When last seen, Warp was still in Jump City, however that was quite some time ago," he finished. Starfire nodded and then looked to Cyborg for a moment and let out a breath.

"I… do you know where I might find Robin?" she questioned. Fixit frowned deeply in response and turned from the girl.

"Unfortunately the former leader of your team would not be able to assist you. Last I heard 'Robin' became the new 'Batman' as I said before and as such he is likely stationed in Gotham City. Although I admit there may be errors to this as I rarely speak to anyone. Aside from that he is quite… different now," the mechanical man replied. Starfire winced and rubbed her arms; she really didn't want to do this alone.

"I… so I must search for the Warp alone?" she questioned softly. Fixit was silent for only a moment and then his eyes began to glow again. He linked with Cyborg to debate his options with the titanium titan. Ultimately there was but one who would be of assistance to Starfire in the field. Though it would be a shock for her he was certain.

Cyborg found it strangely amusing.

"There is someone I can call to assist you," he stated. Starfire blinked and smiled, hopeful for assistance in this endeavor…

Jump City had been run into a hole. He knew that, he tried to deal, but it hurt. Jump City was his home. Not like Konoha had been. No. Jump City was a real home. He had people in this city that he cared about. Even if most of them had skipped town, a few remained.

Gizmo, his tiny genius friend was still in town. He ran a legitimate business nowadays. He even let him hang around and act as security when he needed it. He called it Tartarus Technologies, and it was growing more and more every day. Soon Giz would be set. Then he wouldn't need him to constantly protect his shipments of tech around the city.

Tartarus, the once notorious mercenary group anyways, had been out of business for a while, but their leader was still on the prowl. Most would give up, most would stop, but he was stubborn as a mule. He stopped his thoughts when he noticed a call coming in. He arched a brow and reached up to tap the side of his helmet. "Talk to me," he stated in a synthesized voice.

(Greetings, I require your assistance with an urgent matter,) the mechanical voice of 'Fixit' stated over the line. He blinked and looked around, then climbed the side of a building and looked in the direction of Titans Tower.

"Yeah, so what do I get out of it?" the blond questioned bluntly.

(You have been interested in some of my tech, correct?) Fixit questioned. Technically it was Gizmo who wanted his tech. In fact he'd been trying to track Fixit down and recruit him for years. Unfortunately the mechanical man was too preoccupied with 'Stone Head' to be of any use to them. It was an unfortunate circumstance, but he could respect his dedication to his friend.

"I think Giz has a list of things he wants from you," he replied casually. He also narrowed his eyes and looked out over the snow-covered city. His suit kept him perfectly comfortable despite the cold. It was designed as a 'pressurized environment suit' from what Gizmo had explained to him, thus could easily deal with most climates or terrain.

(I would be willing to send Gizmo the designs for some of my devices in exchange for this favor,) the mechanical man admitted. The thief arched a brow and rubbed his chin in thought. That could be a real boon to Giz and his business. Fixit's tech was impressive considering what he usually had to work with.

"Let me make a quick call and I'll get back to you," the blond replied. Fixit went silent so he assumed he agreed. He idly flicked through his contacts and found Gizmo's, thus sent a signal to the tiny terror. Soon enough he heard back from him and grimaced as he came yelling at him.

(What do you want shit for brains!?) Gizmo demanded. Despite being twenty years older, Gizmo was only a little bit bigger. Nor was his voice that different. It was sad in X's opinion that his friend remained small. It also gave his friend a bit of a napoleon complex if he were honest…

"Fixit wants to make a deal, I help him, we get some of his tech," he replied crisply. Gizmo preferred to be direct and not beat around the bush. It also made working with him a lot easier.

(Okay, you've got my attention, any other details?) Gizmo questioned.

"No, I think he's being tight lipped, so we could maybe weasel some nice tech out of him," the blond replied. He also checked his suit to ensure it was running at peak performance. Luckily Giz had preformed his usual maintenance on it recently so it was good to go. 'That's good, won't have to stop off at the base,' he noted to himself.

(Oi, you know I hate it when guys are vague,) Gizmo grumbled. X idly nodded his head in understanding. To be honest he hated that too, but it was they best they could get from the mechanical man.

"Yeah, but it's Fixit we're talking about," he replied. Gizmo growled low in his throat before he replied.

(Goddamn it… you know that fucking annoys the shit out of me!)

"What, me being right?" X quipped.

(Piss off!) he growled in retort. Gizmo had also gotten better at swearing.

"Yeah yeah, so do you think I should take the gig or what?" the thief questioned.

(Urgh! For Fixit's tech, yeah… sure. I don't have anything that needs a protection detail tonight so it should be fine. But keep in contact, there's no telling what can happen later,) Gizmo replied with a grunt. X also heard the sound of a lighter and frowned.

"Those death sticks 'll kill you," the blond stated. He knew Asuma used to smoke, but Giz had started a bit too young in his opinion… then again he wasn't really sure how old Gizmo was back then. So maybe he hadn't.

(Fuck off; if I die then I'll die doing what I like! Sides, it's not like I smoke when you're around,) the tiny terror reminded. X rolled his eyes in response.

"Right," he replied then switched back over to Fixit's line. "Well bolt brain, looks like Giz is real interested in what you've got for 'im," the blond stated.

(Excellent, my request is that you assist a… friend, in locating the man known as Warp,) Fixit explained. X blinked and then frowned deeply. Warp wasn't high profile, so it wasn't dangerous to go after him, but why would Fixit be interested in him at all? No one had seen that loon for years. Well he had a few contacts who could maybe point him in the right direction but…

"Right, so where do I meet this friend?" the masked theif questioned.

(She will await you at 'Piano Pizza' I trust you know the location,) Fixit replied. X did know where that was. It was a known hangout for the first group of Titans back in the day. Back when they were actually around that is. Robin had been fun to mess with back then, well, till he decided to leave at least. He hated quitters and just up and leaving like that was quitting in his book.

"Yeah, so about those plans," he began. However Fixit decided to interrupt him.

(I have already sent an E-Mail to Gizmo. Before you ask I can assure you that you will most assuredly recognize my friend quite easily. She stands out quite a bit from the norm, even in a crowd,) Fixit replied crisply. With that the line went dead and X switched back to Gizmo.

"Giz, check your mail," he stated. He heard a few taps and then grimaced.

(Sweet mother of balls! Ha ha ha ha! We hit pay dirt!) he exclaimed. X wished he could rub his ear. Instead he shut off the link and sighed. He also looked around to get his bearings and reached for his belt. He tapped an X shaped symbol on the buckle and vanished in a static flash…

Time to go to work…

Starfire did not like the future. The city was cold and unfriendly now. She missed the days of warmth and joviality. Even Piano Pizza, where she and her friends oft went to eat, seemed unfriendly to her now. It did not stop her from ordering a bit to eat; she was a bit hungry after all. But she did notice how the service had declined. It made her long for the past, back when things were simple and her friends were near.

'I must locate the Warp,' she thought to herself with determination. 'When I do, he will fix his machine and I will be able to go home,' she thought with a nod. She then sighed as she recalled why she was waiting here. 'Of course I must first meet my 'assistance' and then find the Warp,' she admitted to herself.

She then noticed a presence behind her and tensed.

"Well, Fixit certainly wasn't exaggerating," she heard a strange synthetic voice muse. "You definitely stand out in a crowd, cutie," he quipped. She blinked; something about the voice was oddly familiar. It was almost as if she'd heard it before, in another life perhaps. She turned around to find the speaker and audibly gasped.

Standing behind, well now in front of her, was a man in an eerily familiar suit. Though it was actually the simple jawless skull shaped mask that she recognized, though the thick crimson X that went through both eyes and then crossed his forehead was different. The beaten and battered old black trench coat he wore wasn't familiar, nor was the padded / armored suit he wore under it though it at least resembled the one she was familiar with…

(Present)

"Did X's suit really change so little from now to then?" Raven questioned in surprise. That seemed to indicate that X's suit was beyond advanced, probably being somewhere on the literal bleeding edge of technology. Though she had a hard time imagining that to be honest. He was a thief after all, or at least he seemed to be some kind of thief thus far, although was obviously a mercenary in the future.

"No, it had a few minor differences," Starfire admitted, "his forearms had 'bracelets' of the white armor rather than the bracers he wears now, there were odd glowing circuits in the red bits of his costume," she tried to explain then paused. She frowned as she tried to think of the other minuet differences between the future and present version of X. "I also believe that the material of the suit itself was different," she finished. Raven hummed.

"But it was still similar enough for you to literally recognize him on sight alone," she remarked. Starfire blushed and nodded her head slowly. That was true, she could actually imagine she could pick X out of a crowd and not just because that suit was so distinct. While she hadn't really seen under his mask she had certainly gotten a decent idea of what his body structure was like.

"I also can't help but notice he called you 'Cutie'," Raven noted, "which he did when he met you the other day," she pressed. Starfire just nodded her head with a bemused smile.

"I am of the opinion that the Red-X refers to people by whatever first pops into his head when he first sees them," she admitted. Raven blinked and looked at Starfire strangely. "What?" the bubbly alien questioned and her dark friend hummed.

"Just…" she began then paused, "no, its nothing," she finished.

"I see," Starfire said unsurely. She then glanced at the time and mentally sighed, "but please, allow me to continue," the older girl pleaded. Raven mutely nodded with a sigh and allowed her friend to continue with her tale…

(20 years in the future…)

"R-Red-X!?" Starfire whispered. She recalled Red-X, it was a persona used by Robin. It was also a name that carried bad memories for her. She watched silently as 'Red-X' walked over and sat down. He placed his feet on the table and looked to her with a smirk beneath his mask. "But… Robin was the Red-X," Starfire whispered. She was still trying to comprehend this Red-X's unusual appearance.

It looked to her like the original had been vastly upgraded.

"Yeah he was," 'Red-X' assured with a nod of his head. He then looked at the red head with a grin, "and I'm the new guy," he stated. "And personally," he began while leaning close to the orange skinned girl, "I think the suit looks a whole lot cooler on me," he declared. Starfire tilted her head and then frowned.

The thief just chuckled and briefly appreciated the view of the young red head. She was a lot better looking than he'd imagined. He knew that this was without a doubt Starfire; he'd worked with Blackfire a lot over the years after all. And really, if this girl dyed her hair black and got some contacts she'd be the spitting image of her older sister. 'That's kind of creepy actually,' he admitted to himself.

"But… how?" she tried to question.

"Robin didn't destroy the suit," he paused then added, "The original one I mean." He then watched Starfire take on an angry pout and huff indignantly. He could admit to himself that it was almost unbearably cute. He only wished he could have seen an adorable look like that on Blackfire's face, instead of her scowls, sneers, smirks and so on. Mostly cause at least she was his age.

"Why wouldn't he," she questioned, "it was that suit which nearly broke our team apart," she muttered to herself. X was sure there was a story about that, but he was a bit more interested in finishing this job. The red head was cute, sure, but she was also jailbait. Unless she aged really gracefully, doubtful but not impossible, then she'd skipped through time.

Which would explain what happened to her twenty years ago. He hadn't known her back then. Of the original Jump City Titans, he was more personally acquainted with Raven. Though to be honest Raven had been quite a bit more than just a friend to him at the time. He shook such thoughts away and focused on the redhead instead.

"The suit used to use 'Xenothium' as a power source," he replied to Starfire's question. Mostly so that he didn't start to think about the past. He really didn't want to go into introspective mode right now. He watched as Starfire went wide-eyed at that information and grimaced. How was it she knew what the rocks were? He hadn't even known what was with them when he went looking for them!

"Xenothium! What was he thinking! Xenothium is one of the most dangerous elements on this or any other planet!" the tameranian cutie declared. The fire in her eyes reminded Naruto of someone else, but he couldn't quite recall whom. He almost found it funny that he wasn't even forty yet and already he was having problems with his memory.

"Meh, don't know, far as I care the kid was just being an idiot," he responded with a lazy shrug. Starfire shot him a look in response and he leaned back uncomfortably. He really wished he knew who she was reminding him of. It kind of bugged him to be honest. "Anyways, I use a different power source… for personal reasons," he assured her. Starfire merely let out a breath and sat down.

"I see, then at least you have some sense," she decided. The masked man snickered to himself. "Then you are here to assist me in locating the Warp?" she questioned. She would have to have a conversation with Robin when she returned. Xenothium Power Cores were insanely dangerous. Instability aside they had other qualities that needed to be taken into consideration. Until such things were resolved she would worry…

"Yeah, Fixit hired me to help," he replied. Starfire blinked and arched a brow in question. Naruto could already tell why she was confused. "I'm kind of a mercenary," he admitted. Starfire frowned in thought for a moment and then snapped her fingers.

"Like the Lobo?" she questioned. Naruto recoiled with a look at her.

"Hell no!" he exclaimed. He had met the space bounty hunter, and it had not been fun. "Lobo is a fucking Bounty Hunter cutie, he and I have completely different job sets. Most bounty hunters are all about 'killing people' or catching people and then getting paid. I get paid to do all kinds of different jobs, like steal stuff, protect stuff, protect people, catch people, train people and such," he replied. He then calmed himself down.

As he calmed down the tamaranean powerhouse looked at him pensively. "May I ask how it is we will locate the Warp then?" she questioned. The thief nodded his head and then leaned back in his seat.

"First we'll check out some of his hideouts," he replied. He and his team had followed Warp for a long time. Mostly cause Gizmo loved to jack his shit whenever he made something interesting. As such he knew most of the places he tended to go whenever he was in town.

"Why?" Starfire questioned.

"Cause if Warp isn't at one of 'em he'll be at his place," the thief replied.

"If you know where the Warp lives, then would it not be more prudent to go there?" Starfire questioned. X grunted and turned to place his feet back on the ground and shot a look at the girl.

"Cutie I don't know where he lives, just a couple places he uses as labs for his tech or to hideout from the cops," he stated flatly. Starfire made an oh with her mouth while he pushed himself up and brushed off his arms. "Anyways, he could be at any of them, so we should check a couple of places to see where he actually is," he stated. The girl nodded and stood up as well, she then glanced down to her pizza.

"Um, I am afraid I have none of the moneys to pay for this," she admitted sheepishly. The thief blinked and looked at her strangely, then palmed his face with a groan…

(Later…)

Jump City had changed in the years since the Titans disbanded. Starfire could see that all too clearly. The buildings now towered over her more than ever. The limits of the city stretched out into the distance. It was as if the city had been stretched and skewed in all directions. And yet at the center, some places remained. Though sadly even those places had aged. Few of them had aged well.

Starfire flew while X jumped or teleported from roof to roof. She had offered to carry him but he'd been against it. She hadn't argued but it seemed like they were moving too slowly. Yet it gave her time to see buildings and places she could recall. Piano Pizza had remained, ironically enough it had been the thing that was the least changed of the city.

Raven's old bookshop was gone, as was her favorite depressing café. In their place were much larger buildings, ones that she didn't know the purpose of. The park the Titans had visited often had also vanished. In its place there was yet another building, some form of clothing shop. The 'mall of shopping' was still there, however it had been expanded to the point of being intimidating.

Starfire honestly didn't like it. Not one bit. The city felt much colder and unfriendly than it had before. She looked to X as he landed on a nearby building and halted. She flew next to him and looked down curiously. There were mostly empty streets down below, with the only thing visible being a few people in strange clothes.

"Have we arrived?" she questioned. X held up a finger and placed a finger to his helmet. He then grunted and shook his head.

"Nah, I just got a bit of info," he replied. He then crossed his arms with a frown. "Warp hasn't been popping up in the usual circles of late, not even the Brotherhood of Evil have seen him," the masked thief admitted. Starfire could hear the frown in his tone and rubbed her arms nervously. "Cold?" he questioned. The tamaranean beauty blinked and then quickly shook her head.

"O-oh no! I am fine, Tamaraneans are," she began, only for X to shrug off his coat and slip it around her. "But, what about," she began yet he held up a finger.

"I technically wear an enviro-suit, I could walk into the frozen tundra and be fine," he noted with a tap of his chest. "So to be honest I'm more than fine without the coat," he stated. He then pointed at the girl, particularly her exposed midriff. "You on the other hand, you barely have any clothes on, and especially none for this kind of weather," he noted dryly. Starfire rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I am Tamaranean, I am not so effected by the cold as a human would be," she responded plainly. X merely shrugged and looked back to the ground below.

"Better safe than sorry cutie," he stated. He then turned and leaped off of the building. Starfire blinked, then slipped her arms through the sleeves of the coat. She then followed behind the thief. She followed behind as he started down the street. She glanced at him with obvious curiosity. She wondered why they had moved to the ground, and where they were going exactly.

She wasn't able to ask however as they approached an old building. Unlike the others around it, it was rather tiny by comparison. X approached the building and then placed his fingers on the door. He was silent for a moment and then reached to the side and tapped on an odd keypad. The door fell inwards, X blinked and turned to Starfire. "He hasn't been here in a long while," he stated and then walked inside.

Starfire followed behind him and looked around. It seemed… strange. It wasn't what she had expected to be honest. It was a genuine lab, sure, but most of it looked normal. None of the strange devices or odd machines she would honestly expect a villain from the future would have in his lab. She could even tell what some of it was supposed to do. She could honestly imagine a legitimate scientist working in such a place…

"Notes on his vortex manipulator," X murmured from the side. Starfire glanced his way to see him sifting through a variety of papers on a clipboard. He then sat that to the side and picked up a tiny device attached to an odd glove. "A palm top? Why would he leave this behind?" he whispered and slipped the device behind his back. He also picked the clipboard back up and rubbed his chin.

"Red-X," Starfire called. She paused briefly to reflect on how odd it was to say the name outside of battle. The thief glanced at her with a raised brow.

"Yeah cutie?" he replied.

"May I be of assistance?" the girl queried. The thief glanced at her and then turned back to the clipboard.

"Check around the high places to see if he stashed something out of the way," he replied. Starfire pouted slightly but didn't argue. Instead she flew up and started to look around the support beams of the building. She didn't see anything at first, however soon paused when she noticed a small bit of plastic. She quickly grabbed it up and then shot back down to X with the device in hand.

"Perhaps this is being useful, yes?" she offered. X glanced at the plastic device and picked it out of her hand. He weighed it in his hand for a moment then flipped it up and caught it with a hum. He placed down the clipboard and then felt around it, before an old connector was ejected from one side.

"A Flash Drive?" he questioned with a raised brow. Those hadn't been used in quite a long time. To be honest they had gone the way of other obsolete tech like PDA's and such. He shook his head of such thoughts and nodded to the alien powerhouse. "Nice work, lets move to the next place," he stated. He briskly walked out of the building, still looking at the clipboard, and Starfire followed close behind him…

(Jump City, Tech Sector…)

Starfire had followed Red-X through the city. Apparently, one of Warp's 'old' hideouts was located in the bad part of Jump City. The part few, if any, would stray too. It was only called the 'bad part' of the city because a bunch of gangs had made it their territory. However they had an understanding with Red-X, they stayed out of his way and he didn't beat the ever loving shit out of them on principle.

The gang this applied to the most were known as 'Jokerz'.

He hated the Joker with a passion few could match. It initially stemmed from his psuedo friendship with Harley Quinn and how Joker treated her. The fact that stupid kids had modeled themselves after him pissed him off. He only left them alone because they were barely worth his time. In all honesty he could kick their asses from here to Gotham and back if he wanted. But doing so wasn't worth the amount of effort it'd take.

The Jokerz knew that, and they stayed far out of his way as a result.

"Stay close cutie, this is the worst part of Jump City these days," the thief ordered his companion. Despite their understanding, he wouldn't put it passed a Joker to try and hit on Starfire. If they tried, he'd be the first to knock their lights out. He knew Starfire could do it herself, but it would make him feel better if he did. It always made him feel better when he got to punch a clown.

"This place seems almost familiar," Starfire admitted. They were over the city, Red-X moved from building to building in a static flash while she flew. She knew this place; it had changed less than the rest of the city, it had once been the 'Tech Sector' of Jump City. Now it was cold and dark. There were few signs of technology here. She also noticed eerie paint on the buildings in the image of a twisted grin and mocking laughter.

"Yeah, well trust me cutie, this is not a place you want to get lost," X stated. He landed on a building and walked to the side. He stilled and Starfire landed behind him as he looked around. He raised his hand to project a holographic map and clicked his tongue. Starfire stared at the map in surprise; she also wondered where it came from even as the thief moved it with his fingers.

He quickly scouted out the quickest route to Warp's old hideout and paused. 'Oh great,' he thought as he noticed a few emblems on the way to the building. Thankfully it was out of the way of the Jokerz. But the Mutants were more prominent in that area.

"Fuck, it's the Mutants territory," he muttered. The 'Mutants' were a lot tougher than the Jokerz, or at the very least they were more annoying. Unlike the Jokerz who were mostly normal, the Mutants were spliced up freaks. Having gone out of their way to alter their appearance and physical abilities to beyond that of average humans.

Their above average abilities also seemed to make them stupid. Unlike the Jokerz they never made an arrangement with him. Naruto had liberally said as much to the Jokerz, which they found hilarious. Of course they found everything hilarious. The only gang Naruto could stand were the Reds, a gang loosely based off of him, Red-Arrow, and Red-Hood. The gang was a lot more controlled than the others and a whole lot less irritating.

"Mutants?" Starfire questioned. X blinked and shook himself of such thoughts. He had a job to do and a girl to keep safe after all.

"A gang who've altered their DNA to get powers. Though by the time they're done you can't really recognize 'em as human anymore," he explained. Well he tried to explain it really. The Mutants were the last street gang that Starfire needed to meet. The Jokerz would be a joke, the Reds basically worshipped him, but the Mutants could be dangerous depending on what Spliced up freak they were dealing with.

"I see…" Starfire murmured with a frown. In the old days such a thing wouldn't happen. When the world changed she couldn't be sure. She wondered if her return home would stop it from happening or not. "I had no idea humans would take to such things so liberally," she admitted lowly. She'd seen or at least knew of other similar species, but they typically had a very different mindset than humans.

"The gang gets the treatment from somewhere in the city, as well as in other cities. The League mostly try to stop it, but the clinics are pretty well hidden. Aside from that, things change," the theif replied ominously. He wasn't even joking, that was the honest truth. Starfire shifted uncomfortably as she looked at the changed landscape of Jump City and felt sad to see it all in such a state.

"I would prefer if a few things would also stay the same," Starfire replied.

He silently agreed with her as he dispelled the holographic map.

Now wasn't the time for such thoughts. Instead, he led his red haired companion across the city rooftops. He stuck to the shadows to avoid the Mutants. But it seemed he shouldn't have bothered. The Jokerz and Mutants were in the middle of what looked like a small turf war. He could also see a couple Reds on the scene. It was good for him and Starfire; they could slip by in the chaos… if the girl didn't try to help…

Which of course she tried to do…

"Cutie no!" he growled as he caught her by the arm. He held firm even as she tried to pull herself from his grasp.

"But we must stop this, someone could be in danger," Starfire stated. X rolled his eyes and checked the area. His helmet made this doubly simple and once sure no one was around, save for the idiots in the gangs, he turned to the alien cutie.

"Nope, it's all clear," he stated flatly.

"Then we must stop them, they are destroying," she tried to say but Naruto placed a hand over her mouth.

"A run down derelict part of the city no one cares about," he stated flatly, "they also outnumber you six to one and I really don't think even your powers would make for good odds," he growled. Starfire twitched; the warrior in her knew he was correct. Some of these 'mutants' seemed to have enhanced abilities, which would undoubtedly make it a very difficult fight.

However the titan in her was certain that she could win… with a little help of course.

So she yanked his hand from her mouth. "Then help me, it is why the Fixit did the hiring of you, yes?" Starfire replied. She really wanted to stop this; these gangs were causing so much damage. She was a hero and it was her duty to stop them. More than that, it would be a bit of normalcy in an otherwise unfamiliar world.

"Then they'd just gang up on us," he growled. Much as he considered them jokes he didn't want to have to beat them all to a bloody pulp. He had had a few problems with holding back in recent years since Raven had…

"But we cannot just allow them to continue this unneeded violence," Starfire interrupted his thoughts and caused the man to groan.

"I thought you wanted to find Warp," he remarked. Starfire bit her lip pensively as she looked to the gangs. She could see large members with unnatural strength lifting vehicles over their heads and tossing them at the others. She saw a few with feral animalistic appearances literally try to maul others. She also noticed a few who looked to be made of ink or ooze of some kind…

"No," she stated firmly and turned to X with a frown, "I am a Titan!" she declared. X arched a brow, though smirked faintly beneath his mask. "It is my duty to protect Jump City, even if the city has changed, it is still my duty," she declared firmly. X allowed an amused chuckle to pass his lips. 'Nice to see someone isn't a quitter,' he noted to himself.

"Alright," he stated, "Let's go talk to the Reds," he stated with a nudge to the ground. He grabbed Starfire's hand and jumped down to the street below. They blurred into a static flash halfway down and reappeared behind an overturned vehicle. Several of the 'Red's' were stationed behind the vehicle with guns or other weapons and fired at one of the larger mutants.

X briefly took stock of the reds and noticed a familiar one. This particular Red he knew was one of the higher-ranking members in Jump City. He knew cause he kept tabs on these bozos. They wore his colors, they better be willing to listen to him. That in mind he walked over to the man, while Starfire followed on shaky legs. Once he reached the Red he tapped on his shoulder and he turned sharply.

"What the fuck do you…" the man began only to halt and snap to attention. "R-Red-X Sir!" he declared. His briefly eyed Starfire, but X forcibly brought his vision back to him. It was a silent declaration of 'hands off' which the Red would obey without question. One did not simply disobey one of the most dangerous people in Jump City. Especially when you wore his colors, and knew what he'd do to you if you didn't…

"What's the situation?" Naruto grumbled. The Red he was talking too was vaguely dressed like Red-Hood. In that he was dressed like a biker with a red helmet / mask on. A glance around showed a few skull masks and domino masks around the area as well, all in red of course. They weren't the only masks that the Reds would wear, just the most common. People in mock 'Red-Robin', 'Red-Raven', or 'Red Star' costumes were rare even among the Reds.

"The Jokerz are trying to muscle in on the Mutants turf," the Red began. He idly saw one of his men staring at Starfire and slowly shook his head. He then nudged in Red-X's direction and the other Red turned away fast enough that it looked painful. When he had turned the first Red turned back to X. "It eventually spilled over into our territory," the Red explained. X frowned and looked out over the 'battlefield' as it were.

"How many we got out here?" he questioned.

"Twenty five Jokerz, fifteen Mutants, and fifteen Reds," the Red responded.

"Powers?" X questioned.

"The Jokerz have a couple Hyena-splicers and a few unorthodox weapons. But the Mutants have Tanks and even a few Gels," he responded. X grimaced in response. A Tank was a broad term, which referred to a Splicer that was physically imposing, strong, and able to take a beating. They were also nearly brainless. To be honest he could easily take down a couple Tanks.

A Gel was another broad term for a Splicer in the vein of Clayface. They had insubstantial bodies that made fighting them annoying even on a good day. X knew this from experience.

"Right," he mumbled to himself. He then pulled Starfire and the Red close. "Cutie you and the Reds focus on the Jokerz," he ordered. Starfire slowly raised a hand and X sighed. "The guys and girls that look like clowns," he deadpanned. Starfire grinned sheepishly while the Red looked at her like she was an idiot.

"What about you?" she questioned.

"I'll take care of the Mutants," he responded. He then stood up and walked into the fray with a scowl under his mask. Starfire looked to the Reds only to see them rush the Jokerz. She was unsure for only a moment before she lunged at a girl that greatly resembled a hyena and punched her through a wall. She blinked when the Hyena Splicer didn't get back up. Were all these 'Jokerz' so weak?

"Did she just?" one of the Reds asked his fellow behind the girl. He had wide eyes as he stared at the hole in the wall.

"Must be a relative of Blackfire," another Red decided. That sentiment spread quickly and the Reds wisely stayed out of Starfre's way as she grabbed another Hyena Splicer. She then proceeded to throw him bodily into one of his fellows. The Reds took to tying them up after her. It was a lot easier and more efficient if they were honest. Sides, why do all the work when she was willing to?

Meanwhile, X cracked his neck as one of the Tanks ran his way. 'Too easy,' the masked thief thought as he zipped out of the way of the Tank.

The oversized behemoth paused to look around in confusion while the thief reappeared behind it. The masked man leaped into the air and kicked the Tank in the back of his head with enough force to slam him into the ground. The Tank landed with a heavy boom and thus alerted the others. As a result the other tanks lunged at the masked thief from behind, only for him to drop several explosive Xs to the ground and vanish once more.

The Xs exploded as soon as the Tank's arrived and knocked them all back, allowing the masked blond to swiftly knock them all unconscious. 'It's times like this I wish Mammoth was still around, he'd make these guys look even dumber,' the thief noted to himself. His heavyset friend was large and strong and physically imposing like the Tanks, but he was at least smarter than them.

However he then swore as one of the Gel's came at him from above.

'These guys… err… girls on the other hand,' the masked man noted to himself as he stared at the female Mutant. He then swore as several more started to lunge at him, each with different body types ranging from 'mud' to something more akin to 'slime' in appearance. There was no real 'standard' to Gels, they had a lot of variance that he had made note of over the years.

Currently he also noted that all of the ones he was dealing with were annoying. They could stretch and skew their bodies in all directions and shapes. It made fighting them exceedingly annoying. 'Well if you don't have the right equipment anyways,' he admitted to himself. He was fortunate that his current suit had the ability to create the equipment he needed to deal with the most annoying type of the mutant gang.

He weaved and dodged around the Gels tendrils as they formed blades and all manner of other weapons. He took note of flails and drills and many other kinds of blunt or bladed implements. He could admit that, if nothing else, at least the Gels were more inventive than the Tanks. Sure it made them more annoying but at least they were never boring. Then again, sometimes he appreciated boring.

'Now isn't one of those times,' he decided as he flipped out of the way of a net of tendrils from the gels and formed several X's into his hands. 'One for you,' he thought as he tossed the first X at a Gel. 'And one for you,' he continued as he tossed the next one. He then vanished in a static flash as another Gel lunged at him like a wave, he reappeared behind the Gel and tossed his next X at it's back.

'Here's yours,' he thought mockingly as he landed. He then glanced up as a Gel formed his hands into a pair of sledgehammers. The Gel slammed its fists down only for the thief to vanish in thin air and reappear above him. 'And of course one for you,' the masked blond mockingly thought as he hurled his next X at the last of the Gels. As he landed on the ground he reached to his belt buckle and hit a switch.

Instantly all the gels started to ice over and the masked thief yawned.

"Too easy," he declared. He then noticed that several Reds had stopped fighting in order to stare at him in something akin to awe. Meanwhile Starfire was still fighting a few of the remaining stragglers on her own. 'Oh for fucks sake,' he thought with a mental frown. He then vanished in a static flash and reappeared by Starfire, where he then unlocked a Thermal Blaster and opened fire on the remaining Jokerz and Mutants.

The gangs halted as the crimson beam of heat trailed along the ground in front of them. They looked up to X, who glared at them with the barrel of his blaster smoking lightly. "Alright, any fuck heads that don't want to end up unconscious or on ice clear the fuck out," he ordered. The Jokerz didn't need to be told twice as they scurried away, the few still conscious Mutants did likewise though collected their fallen comrades as well.

'Glad that's over,' X thought to himself. With a sniff he reached to one of his bracelets and collapsed the thermal blaster within it. He then turned to regard Starfire with a frown. "Happy now?" he questioned. The girl blinked then slowly nodded her head. "Good, then its time to go," he stated.

Starfire nodded her head and walked to the thief's side as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He paused for a moment to give the Reds a mock salute. "Later reds!" he declared. The two then vanished and reappeared on another nearby rooftop, where the masked thief walked with his hands in his coat pockets. As he did Starfire swayed briefly and grimaced. She really didn't like teleporting. With a shake of her head she quickly adjusted and shot after the masked thief.

"I thank you," she stated. X glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and frowned.

"For what?" he asked.

"For stopping the 'gangs' from fighting," the girl replied. X rolled his eyes.

"Not sure why you need to thank me for that," he admitted. Starfire smiled weakly.

"It was a bit of the normalcy that I greatly needed," she admitted. X glanced at her strangely and then patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"Glad I could help," he murmured. Starfire smiled lightly, and then frowned to herself.

"Would you have really ignored them if I hadn't wanted to stop them?" she questioned. X blinked briefly and then nodded his head. "Why?" she questioned. He arched a brow and tilted his head. "You have the skills to fight them, why ignore them?" she reiterated. The masked thief hummed and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Cause they aren't worth my time, and the mayor doesn't pay me enough to deal with every random gang on the streets," he replied. Starfire looked at him strangely.

"Pay?" she questioned. X blinked and then recalled that the girl was a true hero, she didn't even accept payment for stopping crimes. 'Which I think is bull, even as a Shinobi I got paid for that kind of shit,' he noted to himself.

"You remember 'T.U.R.F.'?" he questioned. Starfire blinked and then nodded her head. It was an acronym, which stood for 'Titans Urban Reconstruction Fund'. In the past it was a fund set up by the city to help with repairs to damage caused by the Titans and their many enemies. She could even recall a number of times that Robin set up fund raisers to increase the amount of money in T.U.R.F.

"Yes," she replied. X nodded his head and then sighed.

"Well instead of using TURF to pay for damages, they use it to pay me so nothing gets damaged," the thief began, "Essentially I stop super-criminals, and the less damage they cause, the more I make," he explained. He then shook his head with a glance back. "Those punks back there are in the bad part of the city, most of it is already scheduled for demolition so I don't make anything for stopping 'em," he finished.

Starfire frowned in response.

"Why would you need to be paid to help people?" she questioned. X snorted in response.

"I'm not a hero cutie," he stated seriously, "Never really was," he remarked, "besides I need to eat don't I," he quipped playfully. With that they were off, X leaped or teleported from roof to roof while Starfire flew nearby. Soon the thief noticed their stop and leaped down to the ground below. Starfire angled herself downward to follow and paused as X knelt down next to a strange metal doorway in an old wall.

"What is that?" she questioned. X glanced back at her and waved her forward as he pushed the door to the side. He revealed a tiny dark room, which he then slipped inside of, and was swiftly followed by the alien teen. She paused so her eyes could adjust to the dark for a moment, and then raised a hand with a starbolt to create some needed light. X on the other hand raised his own hand, a hologram forming which generated light as well.

"Huh… he hasn't been here in a while," X remarked as he wandered through the space around them. Starfire followed only to yelp as she bumped her head against a support beam. "Watch it cutie," X advised. Starfire shot the thief a look and then raised a hand so she could note where the ceiling, and any more support beams, was.

"Why is this place being so small?" the tamaranean powerhouse questioned. X hummed in response as he paused to pick up and look through a notebook. He noted a few designs and such as well as what appeared like journal entries, so slipped it under his arm.

"Warp had a lot of hiding places, this was just one of his later ones," he responded. Though to be fair, most of said hiding places had only been minted because he and Tartarus had kept finding them and jacking Warp's shit. The masked thief chuckled to himself as he recalled the numerous times they had done so. Starfire approached him from behind and looked at him curiously.

"Is something funny?" she questioned. X glanced at her and smirked.

"You wouldn't get it," he responded. She looked at him with a pout as he then started to press on the boards above their heads. "Now I know for a fact he had a…" he paused and then muttered an 'aha' as he pushed a board out of the way and reached inside. He pulled out another notebook and frowned as he flipped through it. Most of the pages had been eaten away by water damage, but hopefully Giz could still make something of it…

"Alright time to go cutie," he stated as he put the other notebook with the first. Starfire idly nodded and then rubbed at her eyes as they made their way out of the small hidey-hole Warp had constructed. Once outside X took the time to put the door back the way it was and they were off yet again.

"To where are we going now?" Starfire questioned.

"Another place Warp occasionally used," X idly replied. Starfire tilted her head.

"How is it you know of these places?" she questioned.

"Me and my team used to rob him blind," the thief responded. Starfire frowned deeply and narrowed her eyes on the man. He glanced at her and rolled his eyes. "C'mon cutie it's not like you didn't guess I was a thief as well as a mercenary," he noted plainly. Starfire merely huffed. "Sides, Warp's a thief, I'm a thief, is it really stealing if it was already stolen?" he questioned. Starfire blinked and then frowned in confusion.

"I am not sure," she admitted. X allowed the girl to ponder that thought as he continued to look over the notes on the clipboard. He occasionally looked up to see where they were and how close they were to the 'hidey-hole' warp had on occasion used. To be honest it was just an out of the way storage unit. Why Warp had taken the time, not to mention the effort, to purchase the thing had been beyond him at the time.

'Here's hoping it's still there,' he thought to himself. He didn't know what kind of payments Warp made on the storage unit. He hadn't bothered to keep tabs on the man either. It wasn't like he messed with his city on a daily basis after all. Johnny Rancid and his Motor-Head gang, now they messed with his city. Same with the Jokerz, and The Mutants, and The Steel Clan, and the…

Ugh, he hated how many gangs he had to keep tabs on. Mostly because they often attacked Gizmo's place and he had to defend his tech shipments. It was a tedious and mostly thankless job. The punks were barely even worth his time, but Giz did perform maintenance on his suit and gave him a place to stay.

"Red-X, are we perhaps getting close?" Starfire questioned. The thief blinked and looked up. The snow-covered streets had actually started to blend together. However he knew his way around Jump better than most. He quickly regained his bearings and turned down a street. Starfire followed, and idly pulled the coat closed around herself. She wouldn't admit it, but it did help, if only a slight bit.

"I wish it was warmer," she admitted aloud. X glanced back and hummed.

"It's been cold for a very long time. We had a bit of a problem with the climate a while back so it snows most of the year now," the thief admitted. Starfire looked at him with a curious expression. However the thief didn't bother to elaborate on what he meant. Instead he sighed and turned to her. "Tamaran is tropical right?" he questioned. Starfire blinked and genuinely smiled.

"Indeed, my home is a garden planet with a very warm climate," she replied cheerfully. She then blinked and looked at him strangely. "How is it that you knew that?" she questioned. X chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I worked with Blackfire a long time ago," he admitted. Starfire blinked in surprise then frowned deeply.

"I see," she stated softly. "How is she?" she questioned, genuinely curious. X was silent for a moment before he replied.

"Last I saw her she'd taken over Tamaran," he replied bluntly. Starfire arched a brow then hummed.

"I suppose that makes sense," she admitted. X nodded his head and omitted how she'd tried to find her to sell her off to a space blob thing. 'She's got more than enough on her plate right now,' he thought to himself. He then frowned as he saw Starfire yawn.

"You getting tired?" he questioned. However the red head shook her head and exhaled a breath.

"No, we should continue," she urged. X frowned but didn't argue with the redhead. She was his client, even if Fixit was footing the bill. You didn't get far if you always argued with your clients. If they were being stupid that was a different story. Though in this case he might have to put his foot down. Still that was for later, for now he turned back to the streets. He followed his mental map until they came to an old set of storage units.

He halted and turned quickly and caught Starfire as she suddenly fell to the ground. The girl groaned and then brought a hand to her head. She blinked her eyes, which seemed… dimmer than normal. 'She's exhausted,' he thought to himself. "Cutie we should really stop if your tired," he insisted. However the stubborn red head shook her head.

"I assure you I am…" she paused to cover her mouth as she yawned. She then smacked her lips and looked up at him with unfocused eyes. "I am perfectly fine," she stated with a resolute nod. The masked thief merely looked at her with an incredulous expression. 'There's normal stubbornness and then there's Uzumaki level stubbornness,' the masked thief thought then palmed his masked face. 'She's firmly in the Uzumaki level right now.'

Despite his misgivings the thief stepped away from Starfire. She stumbled for only a moment before she pulled his jacket closed. She shivered and walked passed him, though stopped when she realized she didn't know where they were going. With a roll of his eyes the masked thief walked passed the girl and lead he onwards to the storage units. They passed under a gate and the masked man noticed a dark haired man sleeping nearby.

The man sat in a chair at the front of the place. He'd once been a goth who X had often noticed around the city. Black hair and all black clothing, he'd been the poster child for a goth. X had never really known what to think about the man. He still didn't if he was perfectly honest. After all, the guy still seemed to show up in the strangest places. He ignored the man however and walked towards the back of the storage units.

He came to one that had been locked and looked over the lock for a moment. 'Numeric digital lock,' he noted to himself. He mentally rolled his eyes and placed his hand onto the device. With a sudden spark his hand was covered in electricity. The lock sparked violently and then fizzled out. With that done X hefted the door of the storage unit open and looked inside. Starfire looked alongside him and hummed.

This 'lab' looked more like what she expected from a villain. The devices were ramshackle and made out of bits and pieces of this and that. Some of the strange devices within didn't even make sense as far as she was concerned. Then again, Starfire wasn't exactly an expert on technology to begin with. She knew more than most of course, but she didn't have the practical portion down…

She paused and yawned once more. X glanced at her with concern.

"You sure you're not tired?" he questioned. Starfire blinked her eyes and nodded her head. X muttered to himself and walked inside of the storage unit. Starfire followed and started to look around. The thief himself idly picked up a few scattered papers with a frown. They had been left in heaps all over the storage unit. Half drawn plans for this or that as well as notes and a few smatterings of journal entries.

'Warp was trying to repair his suit,' X noted to himself. Though that had apparently been more than a task in and of itself. Current age tech just didn't cut it with a suit that had been built a hundred years in the future. 'Technically it'd be eighty now,' X mentally corrected then glanced back to see Starfire was sitting on a box, eyes half closed. 'Oh you have got to be kidding me,' he thought to himself.

It was one thing to be stubborn as an Uzumaki, but this bordered on just being stupid!

"Cutie, you're beat," he stated bluntly. Starfire quickly sat up and shook her head.

"N-no I am," she paused to yawn, then smacked her lips, "I am fine," she finished lamely. X palmed his face and shook his head. He then walked over to the girl and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, you're clearly tired," he stated sternly. Starfire merely blinked her eyes open and exhaled a breath. She then pushed herself back onto her feet only to stumble forward. X caught her and looked at her with a practically visible raised brow. "I'm taking you to get some sleep," he stated flatly. Starfire stubbornly shook her head.

"No!" she insisted. "I am not too tired to continue the search, we must be finding the Warp!" she stated firmly. The masked thief palmed his face and sighed.

"Why is this even such a big deal?" he questioned. "I mean c'mon cutie, just let me take you somewhere so you can get some rest. I'll go to Warp's other hideouts and give the stuff we found to a friend to analyze," he offered. Starfire shook her head in response.

"I am not needing the rest, I am a Tama," she began only to fall short and yawn once more. "Tamaranean warrior," she finished after a moment. "I do not get tired so easily as a human," she assured. X groaned and palmed his face. 'Okay so she's absurdly stubborn on top of being naïve…' he thought then blinked. 'Who the fuck is she reminding me of?' he wondered to himself.

"Cutie seriously, there's being stubborn and then there's just being stupid," the thief stated firmly. The Tamaranean merely narrowed her eyes on him. Though to be honest they looked a little unfocussed to him.

"I fail to see how this is important," the alien powerhouse slurred tiredly. She swayed on the spot until X suddenly leaned down and picked her up. "Put me down," she stated and lightly smacked the side of his helmet. The tamaranean beauty blinked and stared at her hand in confusion. She honestly wondered why she felt so… weak all of the sudden. However X merely looked at her with a flat expression.

"You're exhausted," the thief stated firmly. Starfire glared at him, only to blink when she realized how unfocussed her vision actually was. She was honestly seeing three of the older man. "I don't need you passing out on me Cutie, you are going to get some rest. Then I'm heading to the rest of Warp's hidey holes," he stated firmly. Starfire pouted and crossed her arms in a huff.

"I am not liking this at all," she murmured softly. X merely rolled his eyes as she yawned once more and leaned her head into his shoulder. "I am hoping the sun will be out soon. We must find the Warp… I need to get home…" she mumbled quietly. A second later she quietly breathed and fell into a deep dreamless slumber. As she did she felt X shift her in his arms and carry her out of the storage unit…

As he left, the thief had to wonder one thing. Why did he have the sudden feeling it was going to be one of those jobs where everything went to hell in a hand basket?

(Present day…)

"Why are you stopping?" Raven questioned. Starfire looked over to the clock in response and the dark titan followed her gaze. "Oh, I guess it is a bit late," she admitted. Starfire nodded her head and yawned.

"I feel it would be better if we waited to be continuing the story," she admitted. "If for no other reason then so we are not too tired by the end of it," she added. Raven merely nodded her head. Although she really wanted to know what had happened next. If she judged it on time, then Starfire's original story was far shorter. It honestly should have put up red flags that her story of being in the future was so short.

"Right well then we'll talk tomorrow," Raven offered. Starfire nodded her head and idly tapped her chin.

"Perhaps we could speak at the Mall of Shopping, so that the boys do not listen in," the alien powerhouse suggested. Her dark friend was momentarily surprised by the idea before she nodded her head. It was a good plan after all. And she really doubted that BB wanted to learn he died… truth be told she could have done without that tidbit herself.

"Right, see you in the morning Starfire," Raven offered tiredly.

"Please have the sweet dreams my friend," Starfire replied. With that Raven vanished into a black mass. Starfire stood up and turned off the terminal, then flew back into the depths of the tower to return to her room. Outside of the Ops Center, a certain figure in black removed his fingers from the window. He then leaped off of the tower and vanished in a static flash…

TBC…

AN: The 'future' Starfire is in is based on a multitude of alternate futures shown in the games, animated movies, comics, and TV series based on DC thus far. It is also based on the actual future episodes of the series, IE: Terra's betrayal, Cyborg's upgrade obsession in Overdrive, Trigon's Return, The Brotherhood of Evil, etc etc. The colder climate in the 'future' is based on 'The Dark Knight Returns' mostly because that felt the most appropriate given how in the episode itself it was snowing fairly hard.

Now before anyone assumes I'll be updating every day, which is not going to happen, ever. To be honest I just really wanted this chapter out because for one thing, I was so amazed when everyone commented / liked / followed my story right off the bat. For another I wanted to answer a couple of questions you guys had. That said, I will not be updating again until at least a week from now.

TO EVERYONE WHO ASKED ABOUT THE PAIRING! Answer: I don't plan on this being Naru / Raven, period, for a few reasons actually, one of which is simply that I've already done it in the previous version and I want to try something different this time. I also have to admit that after the original story, I saw a literal flood of Naruto-Raven pairings and I feel that it's kind of over done now. When I write my stories, I really like to try new things, it's why this version isn't going to be a simple copy-paste of the original with better grammar / storytelling. Despite that as you can clearly see, the 'future' version of Naruto and Raven did have a thing, but it's ended for reasons that will become more obvious later on.

Lord of Daemons: One question, how much of the stuff that was added to the canon Naruto-verse (like the true ten tails origin or Kaguya and her backstory the filler just added) are you going to use? Answer: this Naruto is post fourth Shinobi world war, as I felt it was more interesting. So not only will Naruto be stronger, his reason for leaving will be altered as well.

DarkLord98: I just took a look at DH X, and I can definitely see why you think that they based Red X off this guy. Heck, at first, I though that the DH X was some sort of copy. Answer: I know right! Although the creators of TT say they based 'Red-X' on Red-Robin, I swear that they got the design from Dark Horse's X. I also think the only reason we've never seen X pop up in the comics is because Dark Horse would sue the F out of DC for it since their X was around before Red-X. It's part of why I make Red-X look so different in this story.

MajorDarkblade: The biggest question for me here, is how close will this resemble the original? Answer: This version of the story will differ greatly from the original yet mirror it all the same. Some things will be the same; some things will be only a little different, while others will be vastly different. So short answer, just waist and see!

Drust: hopefully you still do all those filler arcs where he goes to Gotham and shit. Answer: I do plan on a lot of the filler arcs returning, though not all will be exactly the same. One tidbit for you: The Arkham Games are 'cannon' in this version.

raw666: If your going a retailing, I would suggest starting from the beginning even if its mostly copy and paste. Answer: It is a retelling, but nothing will be 'copy pasted' from the original if I can help it. Also please remember that the episode 'How Long is Forever' which this arc is partly based on happened before Naruto even arrived on this world, hence why it's 'first' this time though running parallel to Naruto's first official meeting with the Titans. He does have a back-story and I will go into it, just wait a bit.

DragonPony022: I wonder will some of the events of the events from New 52 or Rebirth show up in this story seeing how she went into the future? Answer: Funny story but while I was 'away' from fanfiction I started to read all the Teen Titans comics, from the eighties to the two thousands and yes that includes New 52 and Rebirth. Not only does this mean that they will appear, but other events from earlier comics will as well. I won't try to spoil anything… but well 'Titans Tomorrow' might ring a bell…

Shinku Ryuuga: Should I know why "Pride" is an emotion that can take over Raven, and why it is a darker color than even Shyness? Answer: Pride technically appeared in the comics, and is Raven's true name from her father, that is all.

DarkbladerX666: How about using Sasuke instead of Naruto? Answer: To be perfectly honest… I just really hate Sasuke, though he won't be bashed nearly as hard this time around. I've tempered my hatred quite a bit.

Noctus Of The Thousand Blades: does this mean some of your other fics will be given new life as well? Answer: I do eventually plan to revamp at least a few of my stories. Mostly because, as is clearly evident with this story, my writing style has gotten a lot better and would look jarring if I tried to continue the originals as they are.

I sincerely hope that this answers everyone's questions, hopefully without any spoilers… anyways! Feel free to ask more questions, though I probably won't get a chance to answer them all again, especially if they would contain heavy spoilers. Regardless, till next time everyone, Allons-y!