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)))) "I care dearly for you" ((((
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HEY HEY HEY, Readers!
So, another chapter up, and still fans coming in. Cool ! =) This means that I'll be proceeding to the THANXXXX area right away :
THANXXXX to LionessLycanthropy for favoriting the story and to AtomicShayx for following it
THANXXXX A LOT to BobbyMelvin01 for favoriting and following the story
THANXXXX AN AWESOME LOT to xXSoulDragonXx for favoriting and favoriting the story plus following me
THANXXXX A TREEEEEMENDOUS LOT to Casador for ticking ALL the four boxes regarding favoriting and following
THANXXXX A SUPER WONDERFUL LOT to Flshgordon003 & IcyKixz236 for reviewing, and a special mention to IcyKixz236 for following it as well !
(And thanxxxx a maxxxx beforehand to AtomicShayx, who confirmed me that she would soon review the story as well !)
I especially owe ya, IcyKixz236 & Flshgordon003, coz ya were the only ones to answer positively to my review request. I wish others had, coz just 3 reviews for 2 chapters… :'(
We'll see if the number of feedbacks goes up wz next chappy… Hopefully ?
Oh btw, any Interpol fans outta here ? Interpol, the rock band, not the judicial organism chasing criminals, eh ! XD Okay, lame one, I admit. But more seriously, NYC rock band Interpol will release their 5th LP, EL PINTOR, soon. And after a certain disillusion wz the previous one, I'm hoping for the best regarding this forthcoming one. The first single, ALL THE RAGE BACK HOME, is energetic as can be, love it ! So yeah, Big Up to all Interpol fans round here !
Okay, enough blah-blah-blah, time to let ya…
… N'JOY !
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She was staring absent-mindedly through the window, at the bleak atmosphere outside.
The sky was overcast that day, dark grey clouds foretelling an impending downpour. Dark grey, yet actually almost black… which, for some people, was slightly worrying.
But the lonely teen was worried by a totally different matter, and did her best to try and figure out why it had happened. Because it was so unexpected, and apparently made no sense. How could it occur ? Why had it, in fact ? It was still a mystery to her…
A light knock on the door.
She gave a slight sigh and walked to the door.
Outside was waiting her closest friend.
"Hey Raven ! Look, as you know, I'm not one to invade your privacy, and rarely ever come knocking, as I know how important is your own space and your meditation moment, but… honestly, I am worried about you. We haven't seen you all day, and you've appeared… pretty distracted since we came back home yesterday. You looked… concerned. And although it's none of my concern, I was wondering if I could maybe-"
His speech ceased right when he saw her risen hand.
She had taken it up, palm facing him, in a unequivocal sign of interruption : she clearly was asking him to stop talking and listen instead.
"You need not apologize or feel embarrassed, Robin. I understand how you feel, and you were right to come here to talk to me. Come in." she said in her usual monotone.
"Thank you" he merely replied.
She walked back to the window and turned towards him.
"You can sit on my bed if you want" she offered.
"No, it's okay. I prefer to remain standing. But thanks for proposing."
There was a short pause, during which she gathered her thoughts while he waited respectfully until she was ready to speak her heart out.
She finally looked him straight in the eye.
"Robin, have you noticed something peculiar about our last missions ?"
He nodded before replying.
"Of course. The battles against the H.I.V.E. Five, which used to be straightforward and as basic as just any fights, have become… hesitant on their side. They aren't acting as homogeneous as before."
She was staring intently at him, the most serious expression on her features.
"Exactly. And could you identify what was the cause of their… hum, disunity ?"
He nodded again.
"Yes. According to me, one of them wasn't acting as natural as usual : Jinx. I mentioned their being hesitant, but in fact, it was her who was hesitant. Not her teammates. When she faced you the first time, she seemed… "blocked", as if paralyzed. And the second time, it took her a little while to attack you. And when she did, she missed you three times in a row."
"You summed up the problem perfectly, Robin. Jinx's behaviour lately is way different from her usual one. As if she wasn't herself. I've never seen her that uncertain. She normally fights with self-confidence, and even displays cockiness. What made her change that way ?"
Robin was listening, his chin held between thumb and forefinger in the typical thoughtful attitude.
"Actually… when I saw her hesitate to attack you the second time, I began to wonder if she wasn't… hum, say, impressed by you or suddenly afraid of you. I mean, dithering about battling the same foe twice in a row… it might mean that there is something about that foe that… blocks you. That makes you dread… I don't know what exactly. But it could be fear, couldn't it ?"
It was the sorceress's turn to nod.
"I had quite the same impression. I could clearly feel uncertainty radiate from her. Well, it was at least uncertainty. Difficult to say if it was fear or not. And since we were in the middle of a battle, I didn't have the presence of mind to use my powers to decipher her emotions. But yes, as you said, her hesitation seemed triggered by me… or at least, related to me in a certain way. What I was trying to understand, since we came home, is what made her adopt such an attitude. Why would she hesitate to assault me ?
Robin pondered the possible reasons.
"Mmmmh… It's difficult to figure out. You haven't changed since the previous fights. You're still the same. You don't appear more impressive, or frightening. You look and attack identically. So if there is no modification in you, why would her behaviour to you change at all ?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"That's precisely what I'm wondering about, Robin. Precisely what I'll try to discover. And somehow, I wish I could have the opportunity to have a little talk with Jinx to find out. I would be curious to know the answer…"
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Jinx was lying on the grass, in a corner of Jump City's central park.
Her pink irises were set on the beautiful spring sky, in which cumulus clouds were lazily drifting by, gently shifted by the soft breath of the wind.
The young sorceress's mind was presently "occupied" by two antipodal feelings : one was relief, the other one worry.
She was relieved to have left the H.I.V.E. Five, but at the same time worried about the consequences.
Relieved, because these past weeks she had been experiencing weariness from the same everyday activities. That and she wasn't getting along that good with Gizmo, with whom she was bickering always more and more regularly.
Billy Numerous, when he intervened, tended to support the mastermind against her, and sometimes mocked her, making her resentful against him.
As for See-More, he wasn't interested in her and ignored her most of the time. He wasn't mean to her, but simply acted as if she wasn't worth talking to or was boring.
In fact, the only friend she had ever had in the team was Mammoth. She at first didn't like him and found him brusque, primal, making use of his fists rather than his brain. But one day, they had had a good explanation, each one sharing what he/she had weighing on him/her. And from that day on, they had started respecting each other, always more and more, and had finally ended up as good friends. And even, invaluable present of friendship, as confidants.
Jinx had never had someone that close from her. She was an orphan, after all, and had had only one friend in her life before Mammoth… but that friend had soon been taken away from her, and she had remained alone in life, forced to support others' evil deeds to her.
Mammoth had been like a sunray in her existence, and she was so thankful to Fate for allowing her to have at least one long-time friend.
So, she was globally relieved to have left the team, but she missed "Mamm' ", as she called him.
There was another motive of relief : she no longer HAD to fight the Teen Titans. Sure, she wasn't a good girl, but she surprisingly didn't feel any longer one of the "baddies". She felt as if she was… "neutral", halfway between Good and Evil. And in such a complex position, she could freely decide whether she still wanted to live on robberies and such, or if she wanted to live a normal life and find a job to earn money honestly. So, she wasn't forced to continue fighting the Titans, and that really eased it all.
In fact, to say it more accurately… Jinx no longer had to fight… her !
And oh God, how she would have hated being obliged to battle against her !
No, she didn't want to hurt her… not anymore. Never again.
She closed her eyes and sighed, seeing the violet orbs inside her mind. Those… magnetizing orbs which seemed to be… calling for her.
That was the "relief" part.
As for worry, there were two mains sources.
One was the absence of Mammoth. She missed him, naturally. He was her only friend. Yet she didn't think she could remain in the group just for his sake : the other three proved too much of a problem to have her agree to do so. She couldn't bear it any longer. So she had had to make up her mind to walk away, and although she hated to leave him, and knew he would be so sad about her departure, she just felt it would be better that way.
The second one was… her impossibility to see her again. Unless she naturally chose to contact her and tell her what she had on her heart.
But could she do that ?
No.
She would be rejected, hated, despised, perhaps even hit if she dared to share what was inside of her mind and heart.
And while such a treatment would be pretty trying from anybody, it would be particularly difficult to bear from someone you care dearly for.
I care dearly for you.
She had let her inner voice whisper those words to the empath, whose image was now on her mental screen.
Eyes closed, she savored the view, taking in all details of the half-demon, and coming back most of the time to those so attractive violet eyes.
And those thin, grey lips.
I care dearly for you.
Yes, she did.
She cared a lot for a girl who used to be her enemy.
She cared a lot for a… girl.
That sounded wrong.
And yet…
…yet…
Jinx let a smile stretch her mouth as she relished the view of the cherished image in her brain, which reflected straight down into her heart.
She felt almost… blissful.
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Raven had tried to read, but had given up after a page. She couldn't focus properly and had found herself reading sentences twice or three times to grasp their full meaning, as if her mind had temporarily ceased processing meaning from the white surface to her brain via her eyes.
She couldn't help wondering.
Why has she been acting this strange ? This unexpected ? This unlike her ?
Would she ever find out ?
The only way to do that would be to ask directly the other sorceress, but she couldn't make up her mind to such an action.
The Titan alarm interrupted her train of thoughts.
The Azarathian sank into the floor and emerged immediately in the common room.
Robin was there, waiting.
He looked at her.
"I'll wait for the others to arrive before explaining it all. But tell me, how are you, Raven ?"
She could tell there was concern in his voice, and had she seen her own eyes in a mirror, she knew that they would have given that concern away.
"I'm not bad, but I'm still trying to figure out Jinx's attitude lately. I wish I could ask her. But she probably wouldn't tell me. Yet I'm so troubled by her behaviour that I'm somewhat restless about all this."
"I understand. And I hope you will find an answer somehow."
She nodded, unable to find the will to smile. She was too preoccupied by that strange matter.
Cyborg and Beast Boy came running in, Starfire floating above them.
"We have received an incoming communication !" Robin briefly said before pressing the display button.
On the screen appeared two police officers, standing side by side : superintendent Stewart Moser and lieutenant Victor Heathfield, two major figures from Jump City Police Department. (A/N : These guys relate to my first sTTory, "8"… see details in the afterword to this chappy !)
"Greeting, Teen Titans !" exclaimed Moser. "We hope you all are well. Look, we have received a message for you, with a note asking us to show it to you. Here is the message."
He brought his right hand up, in which was a white piece of paper bearing words in upper case. It read :
TITANS,
BE IN JUMP CITY'S CENTRAL PARK, BY THE FOUNTAIN, AT 1 P.M.
H.I.V.E. FOUR
"We ignore what they want from you, but just know we'll be ready to intervene if need be. Just alert us if necessary." explained Heathfield.
"Alright. Thanks for letting us know, and for being ready to help. Goodbye." concluded Robin.
The policemen said goodbye as well, and the Boy Wonder pressed the end button.
"What do they want ?" asked Star.
"And why do they give us an appointment ?" wondered BB.
"You don't ever give an appointment to the good guys if you plan to make a robbery or steal anything, right ?" pertinently pointed out Cy.
Robin was caressing his chin.
"Yes, it's pretty strange. But what is also strange is the name of their team. It was H.I.V.E. Five, now it's apparently H.I.V.E. Four. That means that one of their members has left, and that they are now four. I wonder what happened that caused a split in their group…"
Raven said nothing, but she had her idea about the identity of the leaving member… And this only strengthened her preoccupation about Jinx.
"Alright. It's now 12:30. Let's set out and see what they want. TITANS, GO !"
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The lips of the pink-haired sorceress lightly moved and her eyeballs slightly moved under the eyelids.
Seconds later, she slowly opened her eyes and her pink irises met the blue of the cloudless spring sky.
Gosh, I felt asleep ? And didn't notice anything ?
No, she hadn't noticed anything indeed. She was busy thinking about… her, and the next minute, Sleep had seized control after sneaking inside the lying body.
And there she was, a tad confused at her falling asleep.
She gradually stretched her arms and covered her mouth as she yawned wide. Apparently, she was more tired than she had thought at first. And her body had decided for herself, in her place : it had suddenly "disconnected" from the real world and sunk into the sweet underworld of dreams…
Jinx forced herself to get up and took a look around.
There were several couples in the park, in this beautiful day. Some were walking hand in hand, some cuddling, some looking lovingly at each other…
The sorceress felt a pain down her throat and almost thought she would cry.
She had nobody else now, no more friends… and she could never tell her beloved that she was infatuated with her. It was a forbidden love. And yet… yet… how she would have liked to be able to freely walk with the one haunting her heart, holding hands with her.
A single tear slowly traced its way down her cheek.
She whipped it, sniffled and started walking.
Forget it, Jinx. Weeping won't help it. It will only make things worse, more difficult. So what's the use ?
Still, as she walked, another tear escaped the side of her eye and trickled down.
She whipped it immediately and did her best to dry her eyes. She had to be strong, no matter the sadness, the suffering… the hardships.
The ex-H.I.V.E member slowly walked towards the path she had taken previously, in the reverse direction, keeping her eyes away from all those happy couples that made her sad.
But suddenly, a movement caught her attention near the entrance of the park.
NO !
Jinx quickly hurried to hide behind a cluster of bushes growing by the side and glanced worriedly at the group of people now entering the park.
Robin was walking first, followed by Cyborg, then came Beast Boy, on whose heels was Starfire, and last was…
Jinx's eyes immediately stopped on Raven and didn't leave the blue-clad teen. Not for a second.
She saw Raven and her friends walk towards the large fountain set in the middle of the park and stop by it… then look all around them.
The girl with the cat-like eyes stared with curiosity.
What are they looking for ? There is no crime in the park. I was nearby, and if anything had been happening, I would have hea-
Her train of thoughts got interrupted as she spotted another group of people walking towards the Teen Titans.
The H.I.V.E. Five.
Or rather, now… the H.I.V.E. Four, since she had after all quit.
Her ex-teammates came to a halt opposite the heroes of the city.
Then both groups talked so loud that she could make out what they were saying.
"Why this meeting in the park ?" asked Robin.
"You see, Titans, we have enough of your foiling our robbery plans !" started Gizmo. "You always arrive when we're in good way to escape with the loot. That had lasted too long. So we decided to confront you in a neutral situation, not in a robbery one, where you would interrupt us once again. Moreover, this time, it's us summoning you and not you intervening in our business. We are the ones making the decisions here. And we decided to get rid of you, once and for all !"
"Too much to handle for losers like you, midget !" mocked Beast Boy.
"We'll see who will be the losers later on !" Billy Numerous said threateningly.
"Where is Jinx ?"
The dull voice drew everybody's attention to the empath, who was frowning at the mastermind.
"You care about her, witch ?" asked the bald guy on a despising tone.
The Azarathian clenched her teeth and her frown intensified.
"That's none of your business. I was only asking a question. Answer it." she coldly let out.
The small being smirked and snorted.
"I guess I can condescend to satisfy your curiosity : that will be kind of your last wish before dying. So Jinx no longer is part of the H.I.V.E. Five, which has therefore become the H.I.V.E. Four."
"And why did she leave ?" continued Raven.
He merely shrugged, smirking on.
"She simply realized that she no longer measured up. She failed to kill you twice in a row. But that will be fixed soon. I'll take care of it myself."
Jinx felt a pang of guilt as her ex-leader mentioned her failure to measure up. He was right, all things considered : she was a criminal, or at least had been, as long as she was part of the H.I.V.E., and was thus supposed to fight the good guys. ALL of them. And she had indeed failed to do so on two successive occasions. That was reprehensible, definitely.
"Anyway, we're gonna once more defeat you. Nothing will change. We have won several times, and will keep on doing so !" screamed Cyborg, fist clenched in direction of the baddies.
"Most undoubtedly !" confirmed Starfire.
"That's what we will… see !" concluded See-More.
And the fight began.
Jinx watched intently how things went, focusing almost all of her attention on her fellow sorceress, watching how she fought, hoping she wouldn't get hurt. But Raven did just fine and clearly was in the best of shapes, fight-wise.
The Titans gradually gained advantage, the wrongdoers being taken down one by one.
Soon only Gizmo remained fighting.
But Jinx suddenly goggled when she saw what he was about to do : having gotten rid of Robin, he gathered a large energy ball and, thanks to a new electronic device, teleported…
…right behind Raven !
He was ready to launch his power orb to her, and she hadn't noticed !
The horn-haired girl had only a split second to decide.
But she didn't needed more time to make her decision !
She quickly walked out from the bushes, raised her hands and sent pink waves at her ancient teammate, who had his back to her.
The attack's noise made Gizmo turn around just as he was about to cast his energy ball at Raven.
His eyes widened, both because he saw the incoming onslaught…
…AND because he recognized that characteristic attack, and therefore knew who had cast it !
The pink waves hit him with full force and, as he screamed, the energy ball was cast in the wrong direction.
All turned around to see the evil mastermind fall to the ground, and Raven understood that, as he had been behind her, he had planned to get her from the rear… before he had been himself "shot in the back" !
He struggled to get up and meanwhile looked in the direction the attack had come from. But he didn't see his former partner, as Jinx had chosen to retreat behind the bushes, worried that her ex-teammates would see her and understand that she was… attacking one of them, and no less than her previous leader !
But she hadn't anticipated the possibility of the attack's noise making Gizmo turn around, see her pink waves and thus identify her as the assailant. And therefore, she hadn't foreseen that she could be unmasked via her onslaught, which wasn't silent enough to strike the mastermind without warning.
"JINX ! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU ? AND WHY THE HELL DID YOU ATTACK ME ?" the runt yelled.
She held her breath, still hidden behind the bushes, feeling that she should NOT come out. She couldn't agree to let them all see her and thus confirm that she was mugging… a once partner in crime !
No one would understand. Neither the H.I.V.E., nor the Titans.
"JINX ! LITTLE BITCH ! I KNOW IT'S YOU ! IT WAS YOUR ATTACK ! SHOW YOUR UGLY FACE !" the small criminal went on in an insulting way.
Don't show yourself… don't show yourself…, she kept repeating to herself.
A ring of dark matter closed around the arms of the last wrongdoer.
"HEY ! FREE ME, YOU LITTLE -"
"Silence !" Rae shouted on a threatening tone, her eyes glowing white. "Stop insulting people, or I swear I'll put a magical gag over your mouth !"
He glared at her but finally decided to remain silent, dreading said gag.
The empath's eyes scanned the area, in search of the other sorceress, but there was much vegetation in the park, and Jinx could be hiding just anywhere.
She was about to focus her magical senses when she heard Robin speak.
"Alright, Team ! Bravo for the excellent work ! We finally caught the H.I.V.E. Time to bring them behind bars ! Let's go !"
The four criminals were put together, Titans gathered around them. The baddies got wrapped in black energy, which lifted them off the ground and would later force them to follow the heroes, against their own will.
Cyborg lead the way, followed by Beast Boy, then Starfire.
As for Robin, he turned to look at Raven, who was staring intently at the exact group of bushes where Jinx was.
The pink-haired sorceress had found a hole, on the other side of the bushes, and was peering through it. Nobody could see her… but the magical senses of the violet-haired sorceress could locate, far better than her eyes, a hidden one, and it currently let her know that the cat-eyed girl was right behind those bushes.
"Raven ?"
The addressee turned around, her calm look settling on the Boy Wonder.
"A problem ?"
She shook her head.
"You're wondering, like me, why Jinx helped us, don't you ?"
This time, she nodded.
And turned her head back to the bushes one more time, watching exactly where Jinx was.
The latter swallowed her saliva.
She can see me ? But how…?
Finally, the half-demon turned back to Robin and followed him.
But before leaving the area, she turned her head one more time, while floating away, and her violet orbs once again stopped right on the bush behind which Jinx was…
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And thus, Jinx once again avoids Raven to get hurt. For the third time in a row.
But Raven has understood that Jinx has saved her, after refusing twice to attack her, thus sparing her three times in a row.
And Raven will be pondering this a lot…
What will happen next ?
What will Raven do ?
And what will Jinx do ?
When and how will the truth come out ?
That's for you to read and find out later on ! =D
Hope ya liked this chappy. IF you did, please DO let me know via a review. I L-O-V-E it when people take the time to give feedback. And besides, does it take that long to write a few words to express what ya like about the story ya read ? No, right ? So PLEASE… REVIEW ! ** puppy dog eyes **
I hesitated about the way Jinx should behave after attacking Gizmo and hearing him demand her to show herself : should she actually decide to come out and confront him, or should she rather stay hidden, for fear of what may happen if she stepped out ? I went for the second option, because I felt Jinx as pretty confused and worried, despite her daring to assault Gizmo, and her choice to remain hidden would reflect that confusion / worry, and show her fragility. Yeah, I know that, to some of ya, Jinx is not a fragile character, but I'm known for making my characters act OOC, because I deem it interesting to explore new "roads" and not strictly stick to well-known behaviours, canon behaviours if ya want. Deal wz it. ;)
Also, OC's Stewart Moser and Victor Heathfield, the two policemen, are characters returning from my previous TT story, "8". Just as Dr. Valentin Fauchelieu, in "8", was a character already present in a MBC story of mine, RED PRISON. See, I like the idea of "comeback elements" between fictions, those lil' winks to previous stories. Additionally to the fun side of it, it also helps weave the web of unity and homogeneity throughout one's work.
One last thing : my kind thoughts to Robin Williams's family. That man used to be my fav' actor, when I was a teenager, and I honestly was delighted by his films. I saw pretty much all of them at some point, or at least almost all of them, and loved them ! We will miss you all, Robin ! May your soul bathe in eternal bliss !
Alright, time to sign out… for now !
Hope there'll be more people reviewing, this time… Please, guys, give me some feedbacks ! **puppy dog eyes again**
Right, let's wrap this up !
Till soon, FFriends !
Peace, Love, Ecstasy !
))))))))))))))))))))) The Giant Hogweed (((((((((((((((((((((