Thanks for all the reviews. I really appreciate them.
Things will begin to unravel more in the coming chapters. I want readers to know that things aren't what they seem. At least not yet anyway.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After flying for a few minutes, they arrived at their destination. Blackfire had brought her to the center of the city. They stood on the rooftop of the tallest building in the city. She had to admit it but the view almost matched that of the towers. She looked down upon the smaller buildings that surrounded them and she could see the ocean from where she stood.
Raven watched as her mission reached behind her pocket and retrieved a key. The taller woman inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. She walked inside and the titan followed closely behind her.
They reached the bottom of the stairs and the Tameranian turned on the lights, allowing the titan to see her humble abode. Remaining as uncaring as ever, she looked over the balcony before she headed down the stairs in order to see the first floor of the penthouse. Judging by the black couches, the flat screen television, and all the other appliances that she saw, she deducted that Blackfire had made herself quite at home. It also meant that she had been there for a good week or two, seeing as she already had the place fully furnished and had cable.
"It suits you." she commented as she gazed at the white walls and the black furniture that was around her. The apartment was grand and because of the location, she knew that it probably cost a fortune to be able to stay there. But of course, Blackfire wanted the best. She wanted to remain on top of everyone else and be able to see everything that went on around her.
"I know. It has the best view in the entire city and is located in the most prominent side." she stated smugly. "I'm thankful that my parents left me a large inheritance. It's more than enough to make me to stop committing crimes." she made her way to the kitchen. "Make yourself at home." she raided her fridge and came out a few minutes later to find Raven standing in the living room. "Apparently you don't know how to make your self comfortable." she mumbled as she placed the food and drinks on her coffee table. "Sit down." fully aware of her commanding tone. The titan did not budge. "Well then maybe we can do something to help make you feel more comfortable." she suggested, a flirtatious tone clear in her voice as she walked toward the stoic titan.
Raven responded by taking a seat on her couch. The whole experience confused her. First she had saved her, then practically demanded that she be her watcher, and now she was being hospitable by offering the titan food and drinks? She clearly could not understand the Tameranian before her. She could feel the lilac eyes that were on her. She quickly looked up and saw that the villainess was not observing her actions. She was focused on Raven's body.
"Stop that." she ordered the woman. It was unsettling to have her enemy look at her like that.
"Okay! Calm down you big prude!" she teased as she sat next to the blue haired girl. "Want some?" she gestured at the sustenance she had provided for herself and her guest. "It's not poisoned or anything..." she took a bite out of her pizza. "see?" the titan was not hungry but she was indeed thirsty so she settled for a glass of water. It was progress in Blackfire's eyes none the less. The silence that enveloped them was deafening here. "Sheesh I'm beginning to regret picking you." she commented. "You're so quiet. Would it kill you to start a conversation?"
"I was assigned to watch you not converse with you." she reminded the other girl.
"But come on, if you're going to stay and baby sit me, we might as well make the experience enjoyable for the two of us." she reasoned with her guest.
"Silence is enjoyable." she countered.
"For you, not for me." retorted the Tameranian.
Raven continued to sit there as she drank her water. Her thoughts were wrapped up in the events that led to her heartbreak and Blackfire's angry statements had brought her out of her reverie. She looked at the dark haired girl before her. Perhaps conversing with her could prevent her from thinking about Starfire and Robin. Besides, the girl wanted to talk and it would be rude for her not to appease her hostess. But what could they talk about?
"Why?" she asked. It was the first thing that had come to her mind.
"And so she speaks." the villainess teased. "Why what?" she inquired as she ate, not fully understanding the question.
"Why me?" the titan elaborated. She watched as the taller girl settled herself on the couch and drank her soda, her eyes never leaving Raven.
"That's an easy question Raven. You should already know the answer." she replied. "But, seeing as your mind is too wrapped up on other matters, you probably can't see the reason can you?" she asked and took the titan's silence as a yes. "Well, I couldn't choose Starfire because, well that would be too weird seeing as I tried to beat her up one too many times. And as for the bird boy... Robin would probably hound me with questions as to why I'm here and other nonsense like that. Beast Boy, well I'd have to worry about him turning into a fly or something while I showered in the bathroom." she reasoned.
So far she was making sense to her guest. All her points were valid ones. It would be awkward to sleep in the room next to your attacker. Starfire would have to sleep with one eye open and would no doubt provide unwanted company seeing as they just didn't get along. Robin would pester her to no end until she would want to leave. Beast Boy would force her to eat tofu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while trying to get into her pants. One person however was not mentioned.
"What about Cyborg?" she asked, earning a smirk from her hostess.
"Well, he'd be playing video games non stop and would probably dirty my place up building some new weapon or something. I wanted better company than that." she challenged. "Of course, you would probably spend most of your time meditating, reading, and drinking tea. Quiet activities that you have to keep to yourself." she remarked as she recalled all of Raven's habits. "But you probably don't want to spend too much time alone... it can lead you to think things you don't want to be thinking about." she smiled, an all-knowing smile, that seemed to annoy Raven immensely. "Besides, you're the cutest one of them all." she winked once again at the shorter woman who rolled her eyes in return.
"Okay, I accept that... well except for the last one." she replied. The thought of her being cute and adorable made her scowl. She was neither of those things after all. She set her glass down as Blackfire got up from the couch.
"Come on, I'll show you to your room." she said as she headed back up the stairs.
"Room?" Raven asked as she followed.
"Well, I know how you like your privacy." she commented as she opened the door to a bedless room. "Whoops." she looked inside the room. "I guess there's no bed." she smirked. She hadn't forgotten that fact. She merely wanted her to know that she was kind enough to be so hospitable to her. "Guess you'd just have to share with me." she began her shameless flirting once again.
"I'd rather sleep on the couch." she retorted, ignoring the coquettish glance from the taller woman. She couldn't believe that Starfire's sister was flirting so openly with her. She didn't even know Blackfire went that way. Then again, the villainess was probably just trying to get a rise out of her.
"Suit yourself but we both know it'd be better if you had a warm body to cuddle up to." she grinned. The other woman's ocean blue depths seemed to be staring at something. The Tameranian followed her gaze, landing on her bloody shoulder. "Oh that." she commented. "With all the excitement I forgot all about it." she shrugged, the act causing her wound to bleed. Suddenly, she wasn't so distracted anymore as she felt the pain from the minor injury.
"Bathroom?" the smaller girl asked. The alien gestured over to the door in front of her. Raven nodded her head and proceeded into the lavatory. "Come." she beckoned the other girl. Blackfire followed curiously inside.
"In the bathroom Raven? That's kinky. I didn't know you had it in you." she teased. The titan responded by extending a hand over her injury. Her hand and eyes started to glow black as she healed the taller woman's injury. Blackfire could feel the pain lessening until it was completely gone. She looked down and saw that the wound was no longer there. Lilac eyes peered at Raven with shock and awe. "I didn't know you could heal." she said, only to have a towel thrown in her face.
"There are lot's of things people don't know about me." she reminded the other woman, her voice sounding as cool as ever. That statement was indeed true. Noone knew a lot of things about her. They only knew some of the basics but who really knew Raven? As far as they both knew, no one did. No one had ever gotten the chance to and the person that the titan wanted to had rejected her. She walked out of the room, leaving the alien alone to clean the blood off her shoulder.
Raven stood outside of the bathroom, the sound of the water running and Blackfire humming could be heard. She leaned against the wall. She hated acknowledging the fact that she wasn't having the worst time with the newly healed girl. Thought's of the dark haired teen vanished from her mind and were quickly replaced by those of her younger sister.
She couldn't help wondering if the other girl was alright. Even though Starfire had hurt her, she still loved and cared for the other girl. They were teammates and most of all, they were friends. Raven wondered if things could ever be the same with them. If they could some how forget everything and move on. She knew it was impossible to do it. The red head could probably move on and forget but she knew couldn't forget no matter how hard she tried. No matter how hard she wanted to.
Perhaps the wound was just too fresh and it was too early and too difficult to patch things up. The brooding titan did not know. Even if they were to fix things, could she really just stand idly as Robin and Starfire relished in their new love? No, a part of her would always be hating this. A part of her would also be happy that the red head had found someone, but somehow she knew that her darker half would get the better of her. After all, she was a half demon.
"Earth to Raven?" Blackfire called out, a look of annoyance in her eyes. She must have been standing there calling out to the titan for a good five minutes. "Jeez, how are you gonna be able to watch me if you can't concentrate?" she asked irritably. "What are you thinking about anyway?" her voice softened as she gazed at Raven curiously. She had never seen the teen so deep in thought. She knew it was connected to the scene after the fight. She just didn't entirely understand how. It had something to do with Robin and Starfire, but knowing Raven, she couldn't just chalk it up to petty jealousy. Or could she?
"We need to go to the tower." the stoic titan replied, monotone in her voice. Had it been anyone else caught day dreaming, they would have been embarrassed but Raven was better than that.
"What? You're turning me in? Why? I didn't do anything." she clamored as she defended herself.
"I'm not." replied the ever so unemotional titan. "I need a change of clothes." she informed her hostess who nodded her head in understanding.
"Oh yeah." the dark haired girl proceeded to lead the way out into the hallway. She was about to head up to the rooftop entrance when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"There's a much quicker way." and not to mention a more discreet way to enter the titan fortress. Her eyes glowed black and Blackfire was engulfed in black before she could ask what Raven meant or protest. Within five seconds, the two were inside the tower. They ended up out in the hallway in front of Raven's room.
"That was interesting." remarked the dark haired Tameranian.
"Stay here." Raven said as she opened the door to her room and stepped inside, only to have Blackfire follow her in. She turned around and glared at the girl for disobeying her request.
"Someone might see me." the taller woman reasoned. She understood that Raven had teleported them there so that no one would see them. Why she didn't want anyone to see confused Blackfire but she didn't want to annoy Raven so she didn't ask. Then again she remembered the incident after the fight and slowly she began to wonder why the girl was going to such great lengths to avoid the bird boy. She wondered why the stoic teen was angry at the couple? She concluded that there could be only one reason, but she was unsure. Was Raven really jealous? The shorter girl's gaze softened as she realized that the intruder was correct. "Woah. Bibliophile much." she remarked as she saw the stacks of books all around Raven's room. "You clearly have too much time on your hands, shorty." she muttered, earning a glare from the owner of the books.
It wasn't like she was lying and they both knew that. She did have too much time on her hands and was short. Though Blackfire noticed that the smaller girl had grown taller since the last time she had seen her. She wanted to make another comment but decided against it. The Tameranian did not want to rouse the titan at the moment, seeing as they were on her territory.
"Don't call me that and don't touch anything." the annoyance in her voice was clear. She didn't know who was worse Beast Boy or Blackfire.
"Okay chill." the titan really was a bit uptight at times.
"Just stay there." she ordered the taller girl, though she knew that it was futile since the supposedly retired villainess did whatever she wanted. Raven headed over to her closet and proceeded to pull out some outfits for her to take to Blackfire's home. She didn't know how long she was going to stay there so she packed as much as she could.
"What's this?" Blackfire asked as she played with a red crystal in her hand.
"A channeling crystal now put it down!" she ordered the girl.
"What does it do?" the curiosity seeped through her voice. The crystal was indeed beautiful as it sparkled in her hand.
"It helps me find focus." Raven responded. It was a shortcut she used if she found that she could not center her thoughts when she meditated. Blackfire said nothing as she placed the trinket down on the table. The thing was useless to the half demon, seeing as it had lost its effect on her ever since she had fallen for Starfire.
"It's so dark here." remarked the Tameranian. "Though it really doesn't surprise me." she muttered as she approached the titan who was busy packing her stuff. "It suits you though. I can't picture you in a colorful room." she expressed her opinion to the shorter girl.
"Let's go." Raven said as she zipped up her bag quickly, sensing the familiar aura of Robin and Starfire down the hallway. From what her inhuman ears could hear, the pair were engaged in a tender conversation that involved the use of their mouths but not words. Wanting the picture to be erased from her mind, she laid a hand on Blackfire's shoulder and teleported out of there.
They found themselves back at the onyx haired girl's abode and Raven set her bag in the empty guest room. She made her way down the stairs to find Blackfire eating once again. If the sister's had anything in common, it was their insatiable appetites.
"You were in a hurry to get out of there." the Tameranian noted as she swallowed her food. "Why all the secrecy of getting in and out unnoticed?" she asked. The girl had always been straightforward and tactless. Raven didn't dignify her question with a response. Her mind was too unsettled to come back with a worthy retort and she was too exhausted to fight with the alien princess. Blackfire frowned at the lack of retort. It let her know that she had hit a tender spot.
They were surrounded by an eerie silence once again. The brunette found it hard to believe that someone could be so secretive. She advised herself to be more observant of Raven's actions and attitude while the other girl reminded herself to be wary of this Tameranian princess.
Her train of thought was broken yet again when the taller girl stood up and made her way toward the door. Raven got off the couch herself.
"Where are you going?" the titan asked.
"Out. I'm bored." she replied. It really wasn't that. She just knew she needed to break the ice with Raven once more. "I'm not a prisoner." she reminded her guest. "And seeing as you've been assigned to watch me, you're just gonna have to come along with me." she smirked, knowing that the titan had no choice but to accompany her.
Blackfire walked down the streets, the hooded titan followed closely. Raven didn't know where they were going and she didn't care. All she had to do was watch the girl, she didn't have to partake in her activities. At least not until the Tameranian did anything illegal and harmed others. Besides, the titan was content that her mission was making no noise.
Raven's thoughts drifted yet again. She knew she shouldn't be thinking about her but she was. She couldn't help herself. It was torture yet strangely comforting at the same time. Was love really this sadistic? It made her feel like she could not properly function if she didn't think about Starfire. Not that she could stop. She was too wrapped in her thoughts to notice that they had entered a video store.
"Great." she muttered after finally organizing her thoughts and keeping her emotions in check. Blackfire was probably gonna pick some cheesy romance flicks that she would be forced to watch, seeing as they would have to be in the same room with the television blaring loudly. They stood in the new releases section as the Tameranian stood there, her arms crossed in front of her chest, deep in thought. She reached and took a movie off the shelf.
"Have you seen this one?" Blackfire asked. Raven sighed and shook her head no. "Think it's any good?" the shorter woman shrugged. The lilac eyed woman said nothing more as she began to take movies off the shelf. "How about this one?" she inquired her guest. The titan shrugged once more. The dark haired girl smirked. At least they were conversing, well kind of. It wasn't a lot but it was a step forward.
Raven did not want to be trapped into her thoughts so instead, she chose to focus her mind on her mission who was talking to her. She hated to admit it, but the taller girl was being nice to her, in her own way of course seeing as Blackfire wasn't your typical nice girl.
"Hey Raven!" a man in his early twenties called out. "Can I have your autograph?" he asked as he handed the titan a pen and paper. Raven took it and signed her name. She hated this part of being a hero, seeing as it brought too much attention to her. Besides, she hated these people who idolized her simply because she saved lives. Sure what she did was honorable but they knew nothing about her and when they did find out about her, they were quick to judge. A swarm of people came at Raven after the man had caused people to notice her.
"People please, can't a hero just go to the movie store without being mobbed?" a familiar voice stated as he made his way through the crowd. Sure enough, it was Robin with his boyish smile. Starfire stood beside him, holding onto his hand as the rest of the titans followed after them.
"Hey Raven." greeted Beast Boy and Cyborg. Raven nodded her head, acknowledging their presence before turning around to divert her eyes from the couple before her. No one but Blackfire noticed her actions and the strangeness of it all. Suddenly things made sense to her.
"I trust you aren't having any trouble." Robin said as he came up behind the hooded titan.
"No." she replied. She wished she could get out of there but she couldn't seeing as her mission was not yet done. Her wish was granted when the dark haired girl came up beside her, carrying a bag that contained movies inside. Blackfire walked passed the four titans, her head held high as they glared at her.
"See ya later Raven!" Beast Boy and Cyborg bid their friend good bye.
"Maybe next time you should change into civilian clothes." the lilac eyed Tameranian advised as they took flight. Raven silently agreed with the taller woman as they headed for her penthouse.
She watched the movie in silence. It wasn't that she was captivated by it. No it wasn't that. She simply did not want to disturb her guest. Not after her attempts for a conversation had been shot down quickly by the quiet teen. Not to mention it had earned a glare from a pair of glowing red eyes that down right sent chills through her spine. No she would respect her guest's privacy.
At least that was what she decided until the creepy air of silence took hold once again. She remembered that the whole reason she had rented the videos was in order to initiate some type of activity with the shorter girl. She sighed in annoyance. Things were not going the way she had hoped them to. She had thought that things would be better between them. Not that she expected for them to be on friendly terms. No she simply wanted a little bit of conversation and perhaps a chance to get some entertainment from the other girl.
It was no secret to herself that she was more than interested in the blue haired girl. No, she wanted her in a way that she bet would make a hooker blush. Especially the shorter girl before her. That was actually the real reason why she had wanted the other girl to be the one to watch her. She wanted to entice the girl. She knew it would a hard feat but she didn't know it would be this hard or scary for that matter as a vision of glowing red eyes invaded her mind once again, causing her to shudder.
Red, blood red eyes that scared her though she would never admit it. She could tell that it was still Raven yet it wasn't whenever her eyes glowed. There was something darker in those red eyes. A blood lust, Blackfire decided to call it that because it what it was. Suddenly, for the first time in a long time, the cocky Tameranian found herself afraid.
Then again, it seemed that Raven had control of whatever it was. Granted she slipped but an occasional slip could be forgiven. Then she started to piece the puzzle together. The titan seemed to react normally around her when they had just entered the video store but her mood changed right when Robin and her little sister came. She remembered how the shorter girl would not meet their stares. Aside from that, she was being a lot more quiet than Blackfire remembered. She grew more and more confident that her suspicions were indeed correct. But how could she talk to the girl about these things, seeing as how every time she tried to talk, a pair of furious red eyes would glare at her.
"I'm sorry." the usually silent titan whispered. For hours they had surrounded themselves in silence, the only sounds that filled the room came from the television. Raven was exhausted. She had been trying to settle her emotions, trying her very best to not think about a certain red head.
"For what?" the casual voice asked, though deep inside she was glad that the other girl had started a conversation.
"For blowing up at you." replied the ever so impassive titan. The overwhelming fear that came from the other girl brought her out of her self induced trance. She calmed the storm inside her, granted it took more time than she thought it would and she still couldn't help but think about a certain red head.
"It's cool." she stated as she sat up from the couch. "Why'd you blow up at me in the first place?" she asked casually.
"Doesn't matter." responded the blue haired girl. "But I am sorry for scaring you." she whispered, almost inaudibly. Blackfire could hear the shame in her voice.
"So, you've been extra quiet. It's weird even for you." noted the brunette, though her voice let her guest no she was not teasing her. She was only being observant. "Want to talk about it?" she asked, taking the opening. Ocean blue eyes stared at her in disbelief and shock. No doubt Raven thought she was insane to offer a helping hand. She didn't trust the other girl and saw her for the manipulative teen that she was. She couldn't be hurt, not when it was true. Yet strangely enough, she found herself to be concerned for the other girl's well-being. "Come on, it's not like I'm gonna blab you secrets or whatever. Even if I did, who would believe me? I'm a criminal remember?" she reminded her guest. Raven did not respond. "Wouldn't have anything to with Robin and Starfire now would it?" she asked, earning a surprised and slightly afraid look in the smaller girl's eyes. She smirked. So she was right. Raven knew her emotions had betrayed her once again. There was no way to back out of this one unless she left the room. But leaving would cost her pride, the only thing of value to her at the moment. She had already lost it to Starfire. She would be damned if she lost that to the girl's older sister. Besides, the titan was rather amazed that Blackfire knew after spending so little time with her. She basically confessed her feelings to Starfire while the elder Tameranian saw it when no one else could. "Just because Starfire is my sister does not mean that we share the same level of intuition." she reminded the heroine. "Though I have to admit, I never imagined that you would fall for the bird boy." she confessed.
"What?" she asked incredulously.
"I said I never thought you'd fall for Robin." she repeated.
"Who said I fell for Robin?" she inquired.
"Well if not him then..." she paused, realizing who the titan had harbored feelings for. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, the truth hitting her like a pile of bricks.
"Yeah." she looked at the taller girl who surprisingly did not look at her teasingly. To say she looked shock was an understatement but there was something else that Raven saw. "What is it?"
"Nothing... I just never expected that you floated my way." she remarked. Her gay-dar must have been rusty if she couldn't pick up Raven's feelings for her sister. Or perhaps she did but rejected the idea, seeing as she never thought in a million years that the stoic titan could feel that way about anyone, let alone a member of the same sex.
"Your way?" she clarified.
"Yes... come on Raven, I thought it would be clear by now." she stated. "I'm gay." she confessed. Raven sat still, absorbing the information that was just given to her. She couldn't say she was surprised, seeing as how the other girl had flirted with her every chance she got. She just didn't notice or care for that matter since she was too wrapped up in her dilemma that was Starfire.
"Too bad it doesn't run in your family." grumbled the titan. Yes, it really was a damn shame to Raven.
Blackfire sat quietly. To say that the new knowledge that the titan was a fellow lover of the females and that she was in love with her younger sister shocked her would have been an understatement. She hadn't quite expected things to turn out like that. She didn't expect any of it.
As the new information settled within her mind, she found herself grinning inside. Raven was gay and was nursing a broken heart. How easy would it be for her to get what she wanted from the other girl now? Very, seeing as she knew the girl's weakness and could exploit it. Then again, she reminded herself that she was dealing with a very secretive and seemingly unemotional girl and it wouldn't be easy to seduce her. She scoffed. She was Blackfire, a princess from Tameran for crying out loud. If anyone could do it, she could. She convinced herself of this fact. Yes, things were proving to agree with her and her desires.
She couldn't believe it. Now, her enemy knew her reason for sulking more so than usual. She knew what she truly felt for Starfire, her jealousy, and her pain. Also, the supposedly retired villainess knew she was attracted to girls. Suddenly, it occurred to Raven that Blackfire was the first person she had confessed any of this to. She looked to the woman beside her, expecting some sort of ridiculing or teasing comment but found none. Instead, the supposedly retired villainess had a small smile on her face. It was unsettling for the titan to see the girl smile like that. Ocean blue eyes met with lilac ones and the smile faded from her lips.
"It's late." remarked the Tameranian. "We should go to bed." she suggested to the other girl. Earning her a raised eyebrow from the heroine. "I mean separately... unless of course you wanna..."
"I'll sleep down here." the titan cut her off, an annoyed look on her face.
"Suit yourself. But just in case you get cold, I'll leave my door open for you." she winked and floated up the stairs. It wasn't quite time for them to be doing the horizontal tango. No there would be plenty of time for that later on. She smirked maliciously as she closed the door to her room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The more reviews, the more inspired I'll be to write, so please, keep them coming.