Here we are again, my loyal fans! Thanks for following this story for so long! Today is another chapter of Beast Boy of the Sharingan Eye! I hope your ready for more delicious BBRae stuff. If not… then SHOO! Go 'way! Tee heh hee! Anyhoo, I don't own Teen Titans, and this chapter is dedicated to Gladdcease and Nevermore the Raven, two of my favorite reviewers! Yay for ya'll! Ahem… on with the show!
P.S. For all the Naruto fans out there, I'm not gonna care for your negative comments on what happens to Beast Boy in this chapter. I've twisted the Sharingan Eye already, so I can mess with other things if I want. I know the Naruto storyline pretty well, and I honestly don't care for fanboy/girl flames telling me what to do. With that, I shall put on my happiest smile and I go on with the story!
Beast Boy of the Sharingan Eye
Part 11 – Chakra Go
A week or so had passed after the battle with the Hive trio, and all was right with the world as far as Beast Boy knew. He got to kiss Raven once a day to keep his chocolate under control, he hadn't done anything to make everyone mad at him (all at the same time) lately, he was on a winning streak on Super Racer 5000… life was good. He smiled at the entire world that day, sitting on the couch and propping one leg over the other. Heaving a deep breath, he looked out over the city from where he sat. Feeling like a lion looking out over his jungle, he gave a loud yawn and leaned over to find a nap on the couch. Leisurely letting his arm hang down to the floor he mumbled incoherently, letting it sway back and forth.
Peeling off his gloves to let the skin breath, he dropped them to the carpet and used his hands as a pillow. He was just about to settle down when he saw something wrong. He gasped aloud, sitting up and looking at his right hand. "What the…?" There was a pattern of black flames on his hand. "What is this…?" He pulled his sleeve up, finding it had gone no further than his hand. They looked almost like a tattoo… but they gave off an odd little sheen in the light. He touched them, but they didn't feel any different from the rest of his skin… "Weird…?"
"Beast Boy." Raven said his name from across the common room. The green teen gave a soft yelp, wrenching the glove back on and quickly turning around. "Something wrong?" she asked. He hid his hands being his back and sweat-dropped smiling nervously. "Whatever." She mumbled. "I've got something that might help you a little more than…" Her cheeks twinged pink when she paused. "Than what we've been doing lately." She saw him deflate, and quickly added. "This might be safer, to be more precise." He didn't look impressed with the box she was holding, and frowned at the concept of not getting anymore kisses. Raven felt his aura shift to a rather light teal… a mix of anxiousness and depression.
"What is it?" He asked carefully, eyeing the box as she set it on the dining table. He came over and she motioned that he sit across from her. He did so, question marks hovering around his head as she opened the box. She pulled out a large, flat piece of wood. Oak, maybe. It looked like some kind of game board, a nineteen by nineteen grid. After that she produced two round, wooden jars that clinked like they had coins inside. She pushed one across the table to him, and he pulled the lid off. It was full of black stones. He arched an eyebrow, picking one up and surveying it closely. It was smooth and shiny like its brothers in the jar, about the size of a nickel, and flat like a skipping stone. "Uh…" he didn't know what to make of it all.
Raven opened her jar, revealing a large number of white stones. "This is Go." She said simply.
"Go where?" Beast Boy wanted to know, putting the stone down on the board. The overhead light made it glitter, and it hopped off the board all by itself! He stared in amazement as it landed on the table, coming to a halt. He arched an eyebrow in silent questions to her.
"It's an old game, older than chess." Raven explained, pulling her hood back. "I put a spell on this board so that the stones don't stay down unless you infuse them with a drop of chakra."
"I've never heard of this… is it like tic-tac-toe?" he asked, his ears perking up. "I'm good a that!" He placed another stone on the board. Before it even touched the board the stone leapt and smacked into his forehead. He let out a surprised yelp, rubbing the sore spot. "Guess not…"
"No." Raven shook her head. "Go is about territory." She pointed to the board. "See the grid? You put the stones at the intersections of the lines on the board one at a time, taking turns, and try to surround the most territory." She paused and placed four stones on the table in a diamond shape, with only a little space between them all. Taking one of his black stones and placing it in the middle of them, she spoke again. "If one or more of your stones get completely surrounded by mine, they become prisoners and leave the board." She tried to put it as simply as she could. "Like this…" Raven picked up several of her white stones and clenched her hand. With a slight face of effort, she let just a bit of magic flow into them. "My chakra gives the stones weight on the board, so they won't move when I put them down." She placed them on some intersecting lines near one of the corners. "See that? That's four points that I've surrounded on the board. So, that's four points of territory for me. Understand?" She looked up at him.
"I… think so…" he mumbled, placing a stone down. It hopped away and he gave a frustrated huff. "They won't stay down!" He made to grabbed a handful of stones and made ready to fling them at the board. Surely one would stay down! Raven jumped and grabbed his wrists to keep him from doing so until he was calm again.
Sure he'd folded his hands in his lap and the stones were back in the jar, she went on. "Give some of your chakra to the stone, and it won't move." Raven said a little more insistently. "Think of it as a trade. Here… I'll show you, and you can copy me." She picked up a stone out of the little wooden jar of white stones. "Pick up a stone." She said. He did so, and tensed the muscles around his eyes. Raven watched him ease into the Sharingan Eye, and nodded. His eyes were on her hand. She showed him the small, white stone in her palm. "Watch carefully, and you should be able to do it from now on." Raven reached into herself and pushed a tiny drop of magic into the stone. It glittered lightly, and she placed it on the board. It quivered for a moment as the spell Raven had cast on the board washed over it. But then it stopped and the stone stayed in place. It had chakra in it, so it had weight on the board and didn't move. The twin swirls in Beast Boy's eyes twisted about his pupils, and he reached to copy her. Reaching inside himself, he directed a part of his being towards his hand. It was like a drop of water running off a long strand of grass. Then, the drop of chakra stopped in his palm and was sucked into the stone. He lowered his hand, placing it at a random place on the board. It quivered for a moment, assessed by Raven's spell, then stayed still. "Good." Raven nodded once, and he let the Sharingan Eye deactivate.
"So… you want me to play this game so I'll give my chakra away to these stones?" Beast Boy said carefully.
"It'll teach you better control." Raven said, nodding again. "Too much chakra and the stones will rebound. Too little, and they fly away like there's none at all. You have to strike a balance and use only the needed amount to place a stone and keep it there." She swept her hand across the board to clear all of the stones away. They gathered those of their respected colors. "Alright. Remember, you want to surround the most territory." She reminded him. "Start out easy, and go from there." she motioned that black went first.
Licking his lips in concentration, Beast Boy picked up a black and shiny stone from his wooden jar. Letting a tiny amount of chakra dribble into it, he placed it gently on this board. It wriggled for a moment, then lay still. "Hey, this isn't so bad!" He grinned at her. "Your turn, right?" Raven gave a small smile, nodding. She took a white stone out of her wooden jar and held it between her index and pointer finger. Clak! Beast Boy jumped a little when Raven snapped it to the board. He looked at her, and he swore he saw a bit of cocky competition in her eyes. A wry grin found his face very suddenly. This was like Cyborg was when he challenged someone to Ultra Robot Fighter 4 on the Game Station. It was only with her eyes, but it was there. That same boundless confidence that just dared you to go on. In her own silent way, she was daring him to challenge her. Raven was good at this game, and he knew it on the first move. "Lemme try that!" He eagerly picked up another black stone, dropped a bit of his energy into it, and placed it between his middle and pointer finger. He squeezed the smooth stone too hard, though. Pwing! It slipped between his fingers and zipped across the room! "Or not…" he sweat-dropped at the look she gave him. Quickly picking up another stone he let his chakra flow and gently placed it on the board.
"Mmm…" Raven decided not to egg him on too much. She copied his way of placing stones. Quietly. Gently. The game progressed rather smoothly, aside from Beast Boy occasionally losing a stone across the room, under the table… and one poor stone had been rammed up his nose. Raven hadn't known he could squeal like a girl before that. Though, it was rather amusing to see him topple out of his chair while doing so. Once he'd gotten it out, he'd dutifully thrown the stone away. But, as said earlier, the game went on. Raven prodded at him on the board, here and there challenging the borders he was making. She would capture one of his stones now and then to see what he would do. Most of the time, to her disappointment, he would fill that area with black stones until there were no blank spaces to be used as territory anymore. "You can't count spots that have stones on them as territory." She reminded him for the fifth time when he made a hasty attack on one side of the board.
"I know." He placed a stone down amongst a crowd of white ones, and Raven shook her head.
"You can't put a black stone in the middle of four white ones. That's called a suicide. You can't place a stone if it would be completely surrounded as soon as it hits the board." She made a circle with her finger, showing his error.
"But… I just captured five of your stones, though… diagonally, see there?" He pointed. "What happens now?" The green teen looked at her, and saw that both of her eyebrows had shot up.
"Uhm… that overrules the suicide. You get those five stones as prisoners. That's five points for you." Raven sounded just a little bit surprised as she said it. His attacks were clumsy, yes, but they were still there. "Hmm…" she mumbled, pausing to think before placing another stone. A familiar ache was spreading in her body from using her chakra for so long, but she wanted to help him… and she wanted to beat him at Go. She'd hadn't played in a long time, but surely that was no excuse to let Beast Boy, of all people, beat her.
The game continued silently for a long time, fewer and fewer stones escaping Beast Boy. "Ah ha!" He placed a stone, capturing three of Raven's and securing a large part of the game board. "How about that?" Raven said nothing, but placed one stone down and took no less than twelve of his stones from the board. "Ahh! I didn't see that!" he gaped at her. The same flash went through her eyes. The same cocky, 'come-and-get-me' look. He suddenly smiled at her. "So how does the game end?" he asked.
"When both of us pass our turn." Raven said.
"Is that now?"
"It's whenever both of us think that we can't capture anymore stones, or get anymore territory." Raven said softly, looking at the board. "You have to be careful when you do this. Your opponent can still go if he or she wants to after you pass. The game ends when both of you want it to."
"Oh…" Beast Boy mumbled. He looked at the board as carefully as he could. Raven watched him think. His black stone were all bunched together in the left-far corner. Raven had headed him off in every attack except that one lucky shot, and had taken control of most of the board. "I don't think I can do anything to stop you now." He sweat-dropped at how complete her victory was at the game. "I pass."
"I pass." Raven echoed, agreeing with him. She spent a few minutes showing him how to moves stones to establish borders and count points. It was obvious Raven was the winner, but she insisted on showing him… "The score is…" she poked at the board, counting spots until... "Seventy-three and a half to thirteen."
"Ouch…" Beast Boy winced, his ears wilting.
"Not bad for a first try." Raven shrugged. "You didn't use a handicap either, so… not bad." She allowed herself a small smile, and he grinned at her. They gathered the stones off the board, and Beast Boy started noticing how achy hid entire body felt. "Tired?"
"Yeah…" Beast Boy said, sounding a little surprised.
"You played with your life energy. You should be tired." She looked at him, and he saw her eyes were a little bloodshot now.
"You okay?" he asked, looking a little closer.
"Yes." The flat tone had returned to her voice, and he knew the game was really over when she pulled her hood back up. It shadowed the top half of her face, and he knew he would get no more out of her as she put the game back in its box and shut it. "One game per day." Raven said with such a tone that he didn't argue. Did this mean… no more kisses? He drooped at the thought, and saw her set the box down and shove it under the love seat where it would be safe. She suddenly staggered and quickly righted herself, shaking her head. He quickly looked away when she shot a look at him. The chakra requirement must've been a bit much for her.
Suddenly Raven looked ill and fell to one side. "Raven!" He rushed over and pulled her into the reclining position. "You okay?"
"Fine…" her eyes were wandering aimlessly, though. Was she in some kind of shock? Had playing that game drained her that much? Only a drop of chakra for every stone… but how many stones had they placed on the board, captured, and played new stones with? A hundred apiece? More? Raven must've exhausted herself, while he was only down to where a normal person was supposed to be.
Raven closed her eyes to keep the world from spinning and to keep herself form being sick. She saw a swirl of green in her line of vision, and felt his arms supporting her back. "Hold on, Rae…" he pushed his other arm under the back of her knees, then put his other arm behind her neck. The classic 'hold-the-maiden' technique seen in many movies. "Hang on…" he tried to think of something, his eyes darting around the room. Should he call for the others? What could they do? "Ah… oh!" he knew what he had to do. Raven had made herself ill playing a dumb old game, but he was down to normal status… why not break even and both of them be a little tired instead?
"Uuungh…" Escaped Raven. She tried to reach up and hold her forehead to surpress the dizziness, but the hand never made it there. It just sort of flopped upward, then fell again. He looked at her pale features, crimson forehead gem, and royal hair. She was so beautiful… even when she looked a little sick. Trying not to feel like he was taking advantage of her, Beast Boy leaned down. The dark sorceress felt his lips brush hers, and she understood immiediatly. His hand shifted to keep her head up, and the flow of chakra started. The words 'vampire kiss' reverberated in Raven's mind, but she couldn't help it. Bits of the green teen's life energy flowed into her, helping her recover from her dizzy spell. She pulled away as soon as she could, a little rougher than she'd meant to. He looked a little hurt at this, but she reached and touched his chest with her hand in a silent sign of affection. This made him brighten, and he helped her to her feet. Finally letting go, he nodded and said nothing as he made his way to the kitchen. He didn't need to say anything, Raven knew. Maybe… just maybe… she was his… well, y'know…
As soon as Raven left for her room Beast Boy grinned helplessly. He didn't believe she'd made that game to keep herself from kissing him… maybe she'd made it so he could be the one to kiss her instead! Hah! While he watched his tofu dog in the microwave, though, he frowned. Making sure no one else was around, he pulled his glove off again. The black flames were still there, all over his right hand… and they'd grown down to his wrist and lower arm. "Mmm…" he said softly. It wasn't hurting him, but it was kinda strange. It had something to do with his chocolate, and he'd need to keep an eye on it from now on.
How about that? Not really action packed, but lots of kissing lately! Go is a real game, in case you're wondering. If you wanna know more about it go to usgo dot com, and they'll tell you lots. I suck at the game myself, but I thought the concept for this chapter was kinda nice… but what about the black flames on Beast Boy's hand? What's with that, and why didn't he tell Raven about them? Share your thoughts in your review! Buh-bye!