Robin my Houkounin chapter X: Name it yourself I cant think of anything.
Thankyou all for the reviews and ims, the outpouring of concern over my father is touching. His quadruple bypass was a success and he will be out of the hospital by sat or sun. And im glad most of you arent too upset by the Kali/Raven relationship. Im glad everyone likes this story. And to Da mann, im sorry but the pics you send me from deviant art dont have the kind of grace I imagine Kali having. And things are kinda close between Kali and Starfire, but in a plutonic way. They would have to be close but dont worry. If anyone who reads this is from Cohoes, SAY SO!
Every fiber in Terra's being told her to run before the elevator even opened. When it did open she decided running was the best idea. She always felt like she was in danger around Slade, like he might kill her at any moment. Seeing Slade with a stranger, and a dead girl between them made her heart jump into her throat and she went into survival mode. She crouched just slightly, just enough to be a defensive position and listened to what Slade and the stranger were saying.
"I already did you this one favor, be grateful for it. I dont do requests." Said the strange new man. The front of his shirt was covered in blood.
"Very well. It would cause more trouble for the titans if you did her too." Terra heard 'did her too' and thought Slade meant for this new guy to kill her too, like the girl on the floor.
Terra's sweat glands went into overdrive when the new stranger looked at her. She thought she knew what evil was, having lived and trained under Slade; but this new man was beyond Slade. He sweat evil, it just radiated off of him. She tried to take a step forward but the malevolence pouring off this man made her quake in her boots.
"I'll warn you again Slade, I dont do requests. She'd be of no use to you changed."
'Changed? What the hell are they talking about?' Thought Terra to herself. She nearly lost control of her bodily functions when the new man turned to her and spoke.
"If you have to ask you'll never know child. Go on, get out of here. Slade has no more use for you."
Terra didn't feel the need to be told twice. She rushed out the nearest door to the warehouse in a dead run, and she didnt stop running until she reached the train station some miles away. By the time she got there she was completely soaked. She paid the fare for metropolis and borded the next train out of town. Whatever was happening she wanted no part of it.
"Now Slade, you must get it through your skull that you dont need students, robots, or anything. That girl would have only turned against you if you changed her. She was already thinking of leaving anyway. No loss there."
Somehow Slade knew it was best not to argue. Despite how valuable Terra had been he had grown tired of her lately."I believe your right Marcus. Am I safe in the daylight?"
"What a juvenile question!"Marcus laughed." Throw away your hollywood misconceptions. Do as you wish with the titans. I want as many of them dead as you can handle. Just leave Robin alive." Marcus gripped Slade by the collar of his clothes."If you fuck it all up, I will make you suffer in ways you could never understand." Marcus threw Slade into a corner of the warehouse and dissapeared into the night before he could get up.
Slade got off the floor and brushed himself off. The loss of his student and the minor indignities were more than forgivable in the face of how much power he had been given. Slade flexed his arms; he felt like a human battery. He wasn't going to wait until tomorrow night. He wasn't going to leave his robots behind. This was the power, the edge he needed to get Robin as his apprentice. Until tomorrow, Slade decided to occupy himself with feeding.
It was nine oclock in the morning before all the titans had woken up. The normal Tofu VS. Real food argument had already taken place and everyone had settled down and taken seats around the table. Everyone except Robin, Kali, and Blackfire. Raven sat at her normal seat nursing a cup of tea with Fiend perched on her shoulder. Blackfire was in a remote corner of the tower spending time alone. She didn't feel like part of the group and after her first visit no one was rushing to make her feel extroardinarily welcome.
"Raven? May I ask you something?"
Raven put down her tea and looked at Starfire. The girl looked apprehensive."What is it?"
"Kali said I have to wear a cape, and that we are going to someone who will make it for me. Where is this person?"
"Chances are Star she's going to take you to the one in Albany. Ask her yourself though."
Starfire noticed Ravens eyes look at something behind her. She assumed it must be Kali.
"Yeah ask me yourself."
Yes, yes it was Kali."Where are we going to get a cape? And when?"
"Albany, and soon as your done with the mustard. I'll be on the roof, and dont make me come looking for you."
Starfire groaned and Beast Boy spoke up. "Whats the problem? Compared to everything else whats the big deal about a cape?"
"Everythings changing so fast, I do not want anything more to change."
"So dont wear the darn cape." Piped Cyborg.
Starfires eyes lit up."Yes, that is right. She did say that I didn't have to wear it if I didn't like it."
"You still have to give it a try Starfire. At least wear it if your going to be meeting more vampires." Raven returned her attention to her tea. Her spoon was encased in black energy and stirring it.
Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other. Up until a week or so ago they were considered the more unusual element in the team, and now they felt outnumbered by the bizzare element. As if they were the more normal side of things.
"I do not want a cape though!" Whined Starfire. She thought Raven was going to say something but instead her jar of mustard shook a little and exploded upwards and splattered on the ceiling.
"I am going now!"
After she was gone Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other, and then at the mustard on the ceiling. Each called out 'not it'; effectively leaving Raven as the one who had to clean it.
"Thats real mature."
"Come on Rae, we didnt declare war on condoments." Cyborg and Beast Boy laughed together. They laughed until their tofu eggs and regular eggs exploded in their faces.
"Oh come on now, thats uncool!"
Raven just smiled."Not it."
Starfire joined Kali on the roof. The alien princess who could fly was dragging her feet. She had never given thought to wearing a cape, and now that she had to the thought repulsed her."I am ready to go."
"Good, we're teleporting. No sense wasting an hour flying there."
"How long will it take? I do not wish to be gone long."
"Relax, this isnt the end of the world. You don't even have to wear it if you dont want to, its just for formal occasions. When you meet other vampires and such, and this should only take an hour or so." Kali put a hand on Starfire's shoulder and they were gone.
Kali and Starfire appeared in Cohoes, a town next to Albany.(Cohoes is my birthplace, thought I'd put it in the fic for fun). The town was small, it was run down.
"This is Albany?"
"No." Said Kali as she looked around herself."This is Cohoes. I have gold burried around here somewhere, its just been a while. Lotsa things have changed." Kali struck out walking in one direction down Columbia street. Her cape didn't seem too affected by the heavy wind.
"What is that place?" Asked Starfire. She was pointing at a large building.
"Thats the middle school. Crappy place. I need to think a minute."
"How long ago did you burry your gold?"
"A hundred and fifty years. It'll still be there."
Kali and Starfire walked further down the busy street. They got no end of honks and cat calls. The local paper tomorrow would feature a picture of Starfire. They turned near the crappy school and found themselves in a park.
"What is this place?"
"Ugh, this is Lansings park. Thats lansins pool. That in the distance is another crappy school, and thats where I burried my gold."Kali pointed at a large dead tree in the park that the city never seemed to have the funds to cut down and cart out."Knock that tree down will you? It was so nice when I planted it..."
"Kali, I do not think I can do such a thing."
"Just give it all you got. Knock it over for me."
Starfire approached the tree. She put her hands against the trunk and began to push. Her feet sank into the ground and she grunted under the strain. She heared the wood creaking and the dead roots began to give way. She almost fell over as the tree went down. It landed on a utility shed called 'the den'; a local teenage hangout. Where the trunk of the tree had been she could see a classic treasure chest. Kali opened it and removed a handfull of gold coins. She replaced the chest in a stream nearby.
"Ill come back for that later. Now, to Albany." She put her hand on Starfires shoulder and they were gone before anyone noticed the den had been crushed.
Robin was scanning through the police reports of the night before. There had been four murders; Jump cities monthly murder rate had gone up 25 over night. There were also three missing peoples reports. The most alarming thing was the autopsy reports, all four victims were found to have bled to death, but no injuries could be found. Robin only wished it could be something else, but he knew this must be work of Marcus. The thought of ending up like one of those bodies chilled him to the bone. He decided to share this info with Kali and Raven; there wasn't any reason to worry the rest of the team. Breaking news revealed one of the missing people had been found, dead.
"Just gets better and better." He said to himself. Robin rubbed his neck gingerly. He had started doing it out of habbit whenever the thought of Marcus scared him. He found himself missing the days when Slade was his biggest worry.
"Hey 'whatcha doin?"
Robin jumped in his seat slightly. He hadn't heard Raven come in."Five deaths, four bled to death without any injuries found. Fifth one still pending an autopsy and still two people missing, maybe more."
"Robin, you sound more troubled than usual. There something you wanna talk about?" Raven came between Robin and the computer and shut it off."Spill it."
"Are you saying I'm always troubled?"
"Well, the whole running around in the mask thing might suggest an identity crisis, but thats not what I mean. Come on, talk to me."
"Come on, I like the mask. And I know who I am."
"You freaking sleep with it if I don't take it off. Now stop avoiding the subject Tim."
"Robin... Call me Robin."
"Ok, we'll settle the identity thing later, but whats bugging you?" Raven pulled Robin up out of the chair and into a warm embrace. She slipped her arms around him under his cape and started rubbing his back."Come on, talk to me." She felt Robin go rigid for a moment but then he relaxed.
"Im scared. Slades always been a definable enemy you know? He's human, I can predict his moves, he wants me as an apprentice. I knew everything about him, I knew my opponent. I was in control. I was almost his equal, I dont know how to say it but I always felt balanced fighting him. I used to be scared of him yeah, but that faded and I grew. I adapted to him."
"Your having trouble articulating how you feel, you never have that. Your way too stressed."
"And you interupt too much." Robin cleared his throat."With Marcus, its so differant. I cant solve this problem by swining my bo staff at it. I know nothing about him. Just the thought of Marcus scares the living shit out of me Raven. He's magik, I cant compete with that. I cant fight him like Slade. I'm just so scared."
Raven squeezed Robin."Last night you were optomistic. What happened?"
"Five people are dead, more probly. I'm afraid that one of the team is gonna end up like that, or that I will. Look at what he's done to Starfire already."
"She's gonna be alright."
"I just feel powerless. Its never bothered me, not once that I was the only true human on the team. Raven, when we're not alone I'm supposed to be your leader. How can I lead when the thought of meeting Marcus face to face makes me so scared I cant even think?"
"You find a way. You always do."Raven gave him a wry smile."Now, tell me about your mother." She let Robin go and he laughed.
"No thanks, Freud; youll have to try harder than that to get me on your couch." Robin was surprised when Raven spun on him and seemed to dissapear. Next thing he knew he was pinned to the ceiling and Raven had a most evil look on her face.
"I dont have to try hard to get you on anything little birdie, be it bed, couch, or ceiling do I?"
He noticed they were sliding along the ceiling towards the bed."No, you dont." Somehow being refered to as her 'little birdie' didnt bother him in the least. He liked it. Robin was shocked, and a little dissapointed when Raven dissapeared and reapeared standing next to the bed. He fell several feet onto the bed face down and ate pillow.
"HEY! Careful with me, I'm like the last of the dodos here!"
Raven looked at him quizickly."You ARE a dodo shut up." Raven climbed on top of him and stradled his hips."Your just MY dodo." She pinned his hands above his head with one of her hands. She leaned down to kiss him, but pulled his mask off with her teeth instead. He didnt seem to mind. She tossed the mask off into the room somewhere and kissed him. The shivers that went up his spine were strong enough that even she felt them. He began grinding his hips against her and she moaned into his mouth. She trailed soft kisses down to his neck and he tilted his head up for her.
Starfire watched as the weird old man handed Kali her cape. Kali had taken her to a taylors. The cape maker just worked there. She had to admit, it was a nice cape. The cape had been made with a two inch blue border around the inside. The outside had been made with a new kind of black fabric, imbued with magical properties. In the shadow its darkness seemed to blend in to whatever the light level was. There were buttons and button loops that pulled out of the lining to turn it into a sleeveless cloak. Kali paid for the cape in gold; it seemed vampires didnt yet trust paper money. The man who had made the cape put the gold coins in a pouch around his neck instead of the cash register. Kali turned to leave and Starfire followed.
"Here, you hold this." Kali handed her the brown paper the cape was wrapped in."Ready to go home?"
"When will I learn to teleport?" Darkness surrounded them, and the next thing Starfire knew she was standing in her room with Kali.
"Not yet. I really cant start teaching you any of the 'fun stuff' until after the first month, when most of you has changed."
"Alright." Starfire couldn't hide her dissapointment.
"You look pale, do you need blood?"
"No. Should I try this on?" Starfire gestured to the package in her hands.
"Yes, so go ahead." Kali watched as her stupent effortlessly ripped through the twine and brown paper. She held the garment out in front of her and it unfolded with no signs of a wrinkle. Kali couldnt help but notice the blue borders. They signified royalty."Put it on already. Your just stalling."
Starfire didnt answer. She turned it around and flipped it over her back. The part where it attatched to her buttoned across her upper chest and lower neck. The fabric flowed over her shoulders to hover just an inch above the ground. The sides of it came over her shoulders and met in front of her; making it look like a cloak. She felt through the seam on one side, buttons had been expertly hidden within it. The cloak had seven buttons in all. There were 3 where it fastened to her, the making similar to Kalis, and four where it would close.
"Stand in the shaddow."
Starfire did as she was told and was surprised when the black outside of the cape blended into the shadow. The color lightened to match the tint of the shade."How did it do this?"
"Its a very nice cape. The fabrics just magical." Kali was going to go further and explain the intricacies of the magic on the cape but she would have been ignored. Starfire was having too much fun sleuthing about the room watching herself seemingly blend in to the shadowed backround. Unless you took a good look at her she just looked like a head floating in mid air.
Starfire stopped jolting around the room. She watched her floating head in the mirror on the opposite wall for a few seconds and giggled. "Why does your cape not do this?"
Kali only smiled."At my age."She paused and seemed to dissapear from the room."I have other ways to dissapear." She enjoyed watching Starfires jaw drop.
Starfire had to squint, but when she did she could make out the bare outline of Kali moving around the room."How old do I have to be to do that?"
Kali re-appeared."It goes in stages. In your first hundred years youll be able to make people think they dont see you. In the next few hundred years you get better and better at it. At about five-hundred you learn to wrap shaddows around yourself, much like the cape does, but this isnt too special. Anywhere from six to eight hundred youll be able to do what I just did, I became transparent, not invisible. You didnt notice but I still cast a shadow just now. True invisibility means I wont even do that. That comes around nine hundred years or so."
"What happens after that?" Starfire was truly captivated by this subject. Fascinated by the prospects of being near-invisible.
"At about a thousand years old we can abandon our physical forms. We can become a gas, maybe water. We become shadows even. Raven's already learned to do that, a gift of her fathers blood. Beyond this theres only rumors, but they say at ten thousand perhaps we can become light even."
"And there are other powers right? Not all of our powers are focused on stealth right?"
"Of course not. There are many many differant things. Not all of us get the same ones. I myself can see about two minutes into the future around me if I try; its just not worth the concentration it takes. Normally these abilities are something trivial, nothing too important but fun to play with."
"Whats trivial?" Starfire tilted her head to the side a slight bit. It was a habbit she had picked up from Beast Boy, and she did it when confused or perplexed.
"You mean an example? Well, ah, Raven. Raven can make shapes out of shadows."
"Like a shadow puppet?"
"Close enough."
"So I might be good at shadow puppets and fortune telling?" Starfire looked too hopeful to say no to.
"If thats what you gleamed out of our conversation just now, sure. Why not?" Kali watched as the young girl exited the room. She could hear her shouting down the hall about shadows and her cape, and fortune telling."How she lasted this long being that naive I'll never know. How I'm supposed to prepare her to last eternity I dont want to know." She said to herself.
Starfire had already explained the wonders of her cape, among other things to Beast Boy and Cyborg. She flew back past her room and saw Kali was laying down. She krept inside to see if she was still awake.
"Kali?"
"What?"
"Have you seen Robin and Raven anywhere?"
Kali focused for a second and found them in the tower."There in Robins room bu-"
"Thankyou, I must show them my cape now." Starfire was out of the room before Kali fould further warn her.
Kali closed her eyes again."She's just going to have to learn the hard way. Wonder if she'll get a good show."
On her way to Robins room she met her sister."Blackfire, look at the cape Kali has gotten me."
Blackfire looked the cape over."Yes, very nice. Where have you been all day? I wanted to talk to you."
"I have been out to Albany with Kali. She bought me this."
"Alright. Starfire, mind if I stay in your room? I really dont like the couch."
"That will be acceptable. I have to go show Robin and Raven my new cape though. I will talk to you later."
Blackfire watched her sister go. She couldnt understand how she was always so happy like that. She envied her for it.
Starfire flew through the hallways at blinding speed. Robins room was in sight and she was reaching her hand out to knock on the door when an alarm went off. Typically, when an alarm went off everyone gathered in the main room and waited for Robin. Just out of habit Starfire turned and headed back towards the common room. She passed her room again on the way back and saw Kali still on the bed. She poked her head in the door.
"Will you be coming with us?"
Kali looked at her as if she was joking."No thanks. Thats teen titan stuff, I'll stick to the vampire stuff. Have fun though."
Starfire turned, slightly dissapointed that her teacher wouldnt be coming with her. She arrived in the main room just as Beast Boy and Cyborg did. They stood by the tv and waited for Robin and Raven to come in. It was almost a minute later when they did. They heard them long before they saw them.
"No thats my cape, come on we need to switch." It was Ravens voice.
"Shit, our belts. Here, gimme mine. NO dont push that button!" Everyone heard a small 'poof' and smoke billowed out of the hallway.
Robin and Raven emerged from the smoke looking a good bit dishevled and coughing. Robin was just finishing clicking his belt on and Raven was putting her hood up over her face. Cyborg and Beast Boy just shook their heads. Starfire couldnt understand why.
"Ok Robin what do we got?"
Robin clicked on the tv and it displayed some mission perameters. He scanned the screen quickly and turned it back off. "We have a truck carrying uranium through downtown hijacked and robbed. The troika took the storage container it was in and headed into the sewers towards the underground caves at the edge of town. Smells like Slade, and a trap."
"Why would Slade steel uranium? Cant he just buy it easier? Or steal it somewhere else?" Asked Beast Boy. If left to his own devices he would have figured it out in a few hours but the titans didnt have time.
"Thats why it smells like a trap grass stain!"
"Yeah, I knew that. I was just testing you." Beast Boy waited for Cyborg to turn around and then stuck his tongue out at him.
"Raven, you fly us to the cave entrance. Starfire, fly Cyborg to where the Sewers meet the caves, Beast Boy your with them. Work your way towards the middle of the caves and try to corner them." Robin turned and was about to give the command to go when he noticed Beast Boy making kissy faces. He pinched the bridge of his nose when Beast Boy stopped and began talking.
"You just wanna be alone with Raven so you can make out." Beast Boy returned to making kissy faces with lips too large to belong to anyone who couldnt change shape.
Raven twitched an eyebrow and the gigantic tv screen shattered."Shut up."
Beast boy and Cyborg looked crestfallen at the destroyed tv. In unison they screamed 'Nooo'.
"Settle down guys. Theres three more in the basement. Are we finished?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah, there just a pain in the ass to haul up here." BeastBoy grumbled.
Robin pinched his nose harder."Titans..."
"I have something to contribute."
Robin groaned."What is it?"
"I forget. Sorry. You can say it now."
"Titans-" Robin was interupted when Beast Boy coughed.
"Sorry, go ahead."
"Titans-"
"I remember now!"
"SAVE IT STAR! Just let me say it already." Robin waited a second. He looked both ways at his team mates as if he was crossing the road, not giving the go command."Ti-"
"I did not mean to upset you Robin. I am sorry."
Robin pinched his nose harder and it began to bleed."Its...alright...Star... Titans-"
"Robin, your nose, it is blee-"
"CAN IT STAR! TITAN-"
"DUDE, Robin, she's doing it on purpose.She's just playing innocent!" Yelled Beast Boy.
Robin sighed in defeat."Lets just take the car. Titans...To the car."
In the car Cyborg drove and Robin sat shotgun. Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire sat in the back. Beast Boy sat in the middle. This seating arangment always led to trouble.
"Ok Cyborg just drop Raven and I at the entrance to the cave."
"Got it."
"Robin Beast Boy has put his leg on my side." It was Starfire complaining.
"Beast Boy stop it." Robin hated the car rides.
"Robin, Beast Boy has put his hoof on my side."
"Beast Boy I'm gonna come back there."
"Robin Beast Boy has put his fins on my side."
"Beast Boy, LAST WARNING!"
"Robin, Beast Boy has put four of something on my side and I do not know what in the world they are!" Starfire sounded quite alarmed.
"What do they look like Star?" Robin groaned and almost grabbed the bridge of his nose again.
"Like this." Starfire heaved four giant squid tentacles into the front seat on Robins lap. They spilled off of him and onto Cyborgs lap. The car swerved madly on the road.
Robin shoveled the tentacles back into the back seat."YOU!" He pointed at Beast Boy in his giant squid form."Keep your everything in the middle." You" He pointed at Starfire."Stop being a tattle tale." And YOU!" He pointed at Raven."I can see you in the mirror, your provoking him!"
Robin settled back down in the seat hoping the rest of the ride would be silent. He would have no such luck.
"Robin?" It was Starfire again. Robin jumped out of his seat and clocked Beast Boy with his staff.
"What did he have on your side this time Star?" Asked Robin.
"Actually, I wished to know what 'provoke' meant."
Blackfire watched the titans go through the large window in the main room. She growled. She felt like a prisoner here. She turned to raid the fridge and almost bumped into Kali.
"Bored huh?"
"Dont read my mind."Blackfire stepped around Kali and headed for the fridge.
"I wasnt. Its just that obvious." Kali sat down at the table. Blackfire sat down across from her and started peeling an orange.
"So how old are you?" Asked Blackfire. She decided it couldnt hurt to be nice and make conversation.
"Seven hundred last month."
"Congratulations. You dont look a day older than six hundred ninety-nine."
Kali laughed."Yeah I get that alot. Still so freaked out about your sister?"
"I'm not so much freaked out about her as I am you." She paused."To be honnest I mean."
"Understandable. Do you know anything about vampires outside of blood drinking?"
"Not really, on my planet we were taught they were bloodthirsty fiends to be exterminated. You dont fit that profile though."
"Thanks."
"So whats there to be taught? I dont understand anything."
"In the first year of a vampires new life they are changing rapidly. Normally their creator does this. We teach our offspring what they need to know to get by in life. We help them learn control so they dont kill anyone. We even sleep with them so they dont wake up in the night hungry and become dangerous to people nearby."
"So...Its strictly non-killing right?" Blackfire popped a slice of the orange into her mouth. The fruits on this planet were wonderful.
"Right. For most anyway. Theres some of us who kill, they are rejected by society. It was one of these who did this to your sister."
"I knew that much, why's this guy after Robin? And why cant he just take him if he's so strong?"
"He wants Robin to want to come to him before he takes him. The guys nuts, his plans too complicated for his own good."
"So why's he after Robin again?"
"Robins a houkounin. Houkounin used to be paired with every vampire. The vampire didnt have to hunt people if they had a houkounin; plus there were other benefits."
"So what? Theres no houkounin left?"
"Not really. Robins the only male one born in the last hundred years."
"And this guy still wants him? Gross."
Kali would have begged to differ but kept it to herself."Raven was my student too."
"Were you her creator?" Blackfire popped another orange slice into her mouth and went for another. She was out so she got another orange.
"Get me one. And no. Raven changed due to who her father was. Dont ask. I just came back when I realized Raven needed help, so here I am."
"Its all weird to me. I just dont like being cooped up in here. Im supposed to be in prison. Will Starfire live forever?"
"Not that I know of. None of us have lived forever yet. Forevers too broad a concept. It encompases all time."
"But she'll last almost forever then?"
"Should. Its my job to get her ready for it. Has she always been this naive?"
"Since the day she was born. She was born innocent and naive, I was born angry and cynical. Go figure."
"If your that bored in here we can go for a fly later. After the others get back. I have to be here in case Starfire needs blood."
"How's that work?"
"Feeding? Well for vampires under a year old pure blood from a person could drive them mad, they could lose control and kill someone. I take blood from people, it joins my bloodstream and gets diluted. Its basically watered down enough so your sister doesnt lose herself and go crazy." She swallowed a piece of orange."Its a safety thing. Just so she doesnt end up hurting anyone."
Slade was deep below the city in the cave complex. He still couldn't get over his new power. He had brought with him many many dozens of his finest robots. The troika had set the trap perfectly. Next to him was the uranium they had brought him, but he had little interest in it. Jinx and her team were standing a few feet in front of him. He smiled under his mask, within the hour he would have his apprentice.
Jinx walked up to him. She couldnt help but notice something was changed about Slade. He was leaning casually against the wall of the cave. He looked relaxed, at ease. She had never seen him look relaxed before."Where do you want us to go to fight the titans?"
Slade just laughed."Send your team home, I'll only be needing you Jinx."
Jinx hesitated. She had never heard Slade laugh. She turned around and signaled her team that it was okay to leave and they took off running. It was obvious that they had noticed the change in Slade too.
Slade waited until the Troika was long gone, out of the caves until he spoke again."Come here Jinx."
Jinx only took one step foward, but it was still too close for her liking. Slade removed his mask and she gasped in shock. She had always thought he was disfigured, but he looked just fine. He laughed and the noice made her shake slightly."What do you need me here for?"
"Well Jinx, your the only one I need here. Theres two things I need you here for actually." Slade took a step towards the girl. He could smell the fear pouring off of her.
"And what might those reasones be?" She couldnt help but crouch and take a small step back. Something was wrong with this situation and she wanted to turn and run. The only thing stopping her now was that fear had her rooted to the rock floor of the cave.
"I just like your company Jinx. What are you so afraid of?" Slade just watched her get more scared. The answer was too innocent to have come from him. She took another step back and he took two foward. Her face was beginning to betray her and show fear. He could smell her sweating.
"A-and whats the other reason Slade?" Jinx couldnt step any further back, she stayed rooted where she was. She was so scared she felt that if she moved at all it might provoke an attack; and she had the feeling he was interested in something other than beating the tar out of her.
"I need a little snack Jinx." Slade let the answer sink in and watched the girls facial expression go to one of pure horror. She began shaking in her spot but turned to run. She began running but Slade stayed still."You shouldnt run away like that. Its rude Jinx."
Jinx thought she might be able to make it out. She thought this until Slade was running alongside her. She tripped in her fear and Slade grabbed her by the neck and spun her in mid air. He slammed her into the rocky wall of the cave. Jinx couldnt help but cry out. She could feel the jagged wall tearing into her flesh in a few small places. When she opened her eyes she saw spots swimming in her vision. Beyond the spots her sight was nothing but swirling colors."W-what are you d-doing?"
"You shouldnt have run. You just made it harder on yourself." Slade bit into her neck and she cried out again. She screamed against the pain. She tried to fight him off but her blows were nothing to him.
Jinx thought he had slit her throat. She couldnt think anymore. She lost her strength quickly and her arms went to her sides. It didnt register in her that Slade was drinking her blood. Her mind kicked into gear again and began racing. It demanded she do something or else she was going to die. She tried to move her body but she couldnt. Tears fell from her eys. She didnt want to die. 'Whats happening to me?' she thought.'Where are the titans? Who's going to save me?' The swirling colors in front of her began to fade to black. Her thoughts drifted to her teammates.'Those bastards, they knew something was up. They knew. They knew and they ran and left me here. They abandoned me.' She only cried harder thinking of the way they betrayed her.'They left me to die. Where are the titans? Damnit I dont want to die here, I dont want to die. I dont want to die. Where are the titans?' The world became completely black and Jinx lost conciousness.
Ok, before I tell you to review and threaten you if you dont I have to tell you something. Terra had a small part in this for a reason. You know how DBZ has sagas? Sayin, freeza, android, cell, buu, kid buu, beibi? Well so does my story. This is just the Marcus Saga and Terra will be back later. This is gonna be a LONG fic. This is just the Marcus Saga. Some Saga's will be longer than others. Well, what should I do with Jinx? Kill her or let her live? Personally I want to let her live to bring her back in the later sagas, but i just want to know what you think. Does Starfire keep her cape or not? I tried to make it as cool as I could. Well...(this is the part where I threaen you to review.) leave a review to lemme know what you all think, or I'm gonna make you pull my finger... or kill a main charecter (jk)