The Titans and the Lost Boy: The End… But not that one… : Part 5
Chapter 21
Dear Readers
If you are reading this, than it means something terrible has happened to me. My only request to you, the people that have enjoyed this story, is that you AVENGE MY DEATH! As much and as frequently as possible, anyone that even looks like they might have been involved, AVENGE me upon them. Your neighbors, your pets, your neighbor's pets, they could all potentially be guilty!
Also, here is the next chapter. I know it's been awhile, but i make no excuses . . . except my untimely demise.
So, as usual, enjoy if you will, tolerate if you won't.
Ranma stared into the empty eyes of his unresponsive friend. Still nothing. He had tried everything he could think of. He had shaken him, shouted insults, he even pleaded with the stubborn fool, but the lost boy remained as still as the dead. If it weren't for the weak pulse that the Saotome heir had found . . .
"C'mon buddy . . . ya gotta wake up. We gotta get the guy that did this to you! Come on, man, I can't do this one without you!" he barked out hoarsely. Despite his words, Ryouga only continued to stare vacantly to the ceiling of the church above them.
The pigtailed boy could feel the desperate talons of helplessness digging into him. There was no feeling that he hated so much as the stark knowledge that he wasn't in control and there was nothing he could do. He was Saotome Ranma for crying out loud! He didn't lose, he could do anything! Everyone always counted on him to beat the bad guy, or to stop the monster, or save Akane . . . he was the hero dammit!
His fist curled up against his own will.
"Wake up, dammit!" His fist slammed into Ryouga's cheek with a meaty smack . . . and instantly Ranma cursed himself. What was he doing? You don't punch people when they're in a coma!
. . . that was always the way things went between them though, wasn't it? Trading insults instead of jokes, exchanging blows instead of words. Offering only a closed fist when what was really needed was a helping hand. Why did it have to be that way between them? He knew he was no saint, his own pride and his father's stupid teachings had made sure of that, but Ryouga was no better, always so quick to anger and always jumping to conclusions . . .
He growled in frustration; why wasn't anything working? Why couldn't he figure this out? He winced as a familiar tingle of fear ran up his spine. Dark memories reared up in the back of his mind, visions of a black void, a void filled only with gleaming eyes and tearing claws . . .
He squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his forehead until it rested on his rivals. He hated feeling helpless, because it always reminded him of . . . that time.
"T-that . . . won't w-work . . ." came a wheezing and pained voice from above him.
Ranma looked up in shock. Standing above him . . . somehow . . . was the dark Titan, her hood pulled up, bathing her face in shadow. He could still see her eyes though; they shone with barely contained tears as she bit down on her own lip to try to distract herself from the pain. He could scarcely believe that she was still even conscious, let alone walking and speaking. Even with her robes drawn around her, he could see the outline of her arm hanging at an unnatural angle, as well as a slowly spreading patch of darkness beneath her cloak.
He could only stare, his jaw slowly raising and lowering in astonishment. How on earth could this seemingly fragile girl contain the agony she must be feeling? The broken arm was only the most obvious injury that he could pick out. His trained eyes easily cataloged an entire list of wounds on the girl's body, the most troubling of all appearing to be at least two, maybe three broken ribs. Not to mention all of the dire ramifications that those broken ribs could represent. This young woman possessed a will more powerful than anyone he had ever seen before . . . and for some reason he felt a great sadness welling up in his heart at that. There was obviously a reason that she had that much self-control . . . and whatever it was, it was something that Ranma himself didn't even want to imagine.
The hooded girl hobbled down into the crater that now housed the two master martial artists, coming to kneel by his side. She looked up at him again with those unique violet orbs, filled with barely repressed pain.
"He's comp . . . completely retreated cough into his own min-" Her explanation was cut off as she hissed in pain and clutched her side. Instinctively, he reached out and carefully grabbed her shoulder, mindful not to jostle her injured side. The now darkened interior of the church nearly swallowed the Gothic girl completely, even as she knelt in the rubble right beside him, but even more than that, he got the feeling that she was one wrong turn away from joining Ryouga in shock. It was just all too much to take in.
"Raven, are you alright? I don't know what's going on with Ryouga's mind right now, but he's not nearly as hurt as you are. We need to get you to a hospital." he stated in concern. He felt bad about neglecting his friend, but he'd feel worse if he ignored a wounded girl. He was pretty sure Ryouga would agree with him on that as well.
The Titan waved off his concerns with her good hand. "I – can – handle it . . ." she bit out through gritted teeth. This only caused him to frown further; there was no way that he was going to let her push herself in her condition. Gently he pulled her in and prepared to pick her up so that he could carry her to safety. It wouldn't take too long, and then he could come back and make the Headmaster pay for what he had done to his friends.
The empathic girl obviously sensed his motives and pushed him away weakly. She then matched his gaze with an intense one of her own. "Ranma, don't worry . . . about me. We need to stop the Headmaster and save my friends - that's the only thing that matters here. You should be more concerned with Ryouga's condition than with mine." she muttered darkly.
He growled to himself internally, why did he seem to attract all of the most stubborn and pigheaded girls in the world? In retrospect, Raven and Ryouga would have made a perfect couple; neither of them seemed to be able to listen to common sense!
"Are you crazy? I'll admit, I'm worried as all heck about the lost boy right now, but he doesn't have three broken ribs and he isn't potentially bleeding internally or in danger of puncturing a lung! I know you might have all kinda crazy powers that I'll probly never understand, but not even you are gonna be able to help anyone if ya drop dead right now!" he shouted back angrily. Why did people never listen to him? It was infuriating; and this was one of the few things that he actually was an expert at.
His outburst seemed to have some effect on the injured girl, as a look of consideration entered her expression. Slowly she raised her good hand, a flickering blue aura beginning to form around it. He stared at it in awe, whatever it was . . . it wasn't ki, not at all.
"You are right; I won't be able to fight in my condition. You are gasp also correct about me having powers that you cannot understand." She lifted her now hazy blue hand before them. "I-I can use my power to . . . remove a person's injury. It can't heal an injury as severe as this completely, but it should at least be able to stabilize it." With that, she pressed her faintly glowing hand against her injured side, wincing harshly at the contact. Slowly, the bluish glow drained from her palm and saturated into the flesh beneath it. He didn't really understand how her powers worked at all, he wasn't even sure what the blue energy was doing, but her breathing began to come in more steady and controlled breaths.
". . . wow." was about all he could think to say at the amazing display of her powers. Now there was a trick that he wished he could learn. "Do you think that would work on ol'porkbutt here? Ya'know, jolt him outta whatever kinda trance that he's in?"
Raven inhaled slowly before answering him. "I'm afraid not, it's not a physical injury that is the problem here." Again she drew in a calming and controlled breath. "For a lack of a better term, I would say that he is . . . lost in his own mind . . ."
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly . . .
He tried to stop himself, he really did. Even in the face of the glare forming in Raven's eyes, he just couldn't keep the smile from forming on his face. The dark girl's glare only deepened as he fought to contain the borderline manic mirth that was bubbling up in him.
"Don't – say – a word..." she decreed.
"Snk – I – I didn't say anything Raven . . ." he replied, with only minor difficulty. It seemed to mollify the girl, as she returned her gaze to the comatose boy before them.
" . . . I'm just relieved that the more things change 'snicker' the more they stay the same," he added with a weak smile. He hadn't wanted to say it, but the whole situation was just too absurd, even for them.
The smile died a quick death though, when he saw the haunted look on Raven's face. It cast a pall over the young woman's features as she regarded the fanged boy's expressionless face. Tentatively, he again reached out and grasped her shoulder. He cringed a bit as she flinched, ever so slightly, at his touch. "Are you sure that you're okay Raven? You seem pretty shaken up . . ."
She turned to face him, the fear slowly draining from her eyes as she looked away from the bandanna clad boy. She couldn't quite seem to match his gaze though, looking down and away even as she began to speak. "I . . . I never knew that he could be like . . . that. I know it seems strange, Cologne told me how he was when he fought. But . . . the entire time that I knew him . . . he was so incredibly kind and sweet . . ." A solitary tear trailed down the girls cheek, marking an erratic path as the Titan shivered in an nonexistent chill.
Ranma didn't know what to say. He felt pity for his poor, foolish friend. Once again, the lost boy's unthinking rage had cost him something extremely precious. He wished . . . he wished that he could lie to Raven, tell her that it wasn't really Ryouga that did it, that it was all the brainwashing . . . but he just couldn't do it. He knew the lost boy too well, and that had been Ryouga that he had been fighting out in the street, of that he had no doub-
His train of thought was derailed when he felt Raven's good hand wrap around his arm. He had to lean in to hear Raven's next words as she continued…
"When I saw him flying through the air at me . . . the expression on his face, he – he made me think of my . . . of my father," she whispered quietly. "I . . . don't like to think about my father." She then turned away from him completely, biting her lip once more with ever so delicate fangs.
He was about to ask her just what she meant, when the sound of running feet filled the moonlit interior of the massive stone church. Where both of their initial reactions had been to leap to their feet to investigate the noise, what actually resulted was more of a stumbling lurch, which eventually raised them to a standing position.
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief when Akane came skidding to a stop at the edge of the depression that Ryouga had created. The girl's dark hair was slightly mussed and her clothing was in only a minor state of disarray, a look halfway between excitement and panic was spread across her face. He chuckled to himself, it looked like he was right, his Akane could handle these so-called super villains easily.
"Ranma! What happened in here? One minute we were fighting an army of Billys and the next they all vanish without a trace; and then we see the entire church lit up like a Christmas tree. I could have sworn it looked like Ryouga was going to do one of his perfect Shi Shi Houkodans," she blurted out quickly. He could only stare at her joyously; somehow, the mere sight of her lightened his heart even after all of the tragedy that he had just witnessed. His fiancée sure could be cute sometimes. It was times like this that made him wonder how he could ever call her uncute.
A finger snapped loudly an inch in front of his face.
"Hello! Earth to Ranma! What's going on here? Did you knock Ryouga out again? Honestly, you can be such a jerk sometimes," grumbled the annoyed looking girl standing above him.
Oh, right, now he remembered.
"Sheesh, Akane, you're soo uncute! I didn't knock him out, he . . . kinda knocked himself out . . . I think," he replied.
She looked back, a skeptical look in her eyes. "Well, then what happened, all three of you look like heck."
Ranma took a moment to consider everything that happened, then took a deep breath. " -
"We don't have time for this; we have to find the others now." Only too be cut off by Raven's monotone drone. The girl then suited word to action, slowly moving towards the elevator and away from the martial artists.
With only a slight annoyance at the girl's stubbornness, he placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her out of the crater towards Akane. "Akane, help Raven, she's not really in any condition to be walking around on her own." He then knelt down and dragged Ryouga to his feet, looping the boy's arm around his shoulder so that they were standing side by side . . . sort of.
He struggled for a moment, trying to drag the massive dead weight of his friend, until suddenly his burden lightened considerably. He looked over in confusion, until he noticed Konatsu wrapping the lost boys other arm around his delicate looking shoulders. The legendary ninja looked over to him and smiled happily. "You don't seem to be in much better shape yourself Mr. Ranma, why don't you let me help you?" he asked politely.
The Saotome heir smiled as well, starting to feel a second wind finally start to arrive. Then his gaze traveled across the destroyed interior of the once magnificent building they were in. Next, he took in the troubled and pained expression that had come to rest on Raven's bruised face as she stared at Ryouga's still form. Finally, he looked once more into the unblinking eyes of his friend, which seemed to see nothing at all. Slowly his smile collapsed into a very grim expression indeed.
"Let's go find that bastard."
Nabiki was somewhat impressed as she watched Robin and Starfire battle her two fellow classmates. Not so much for their combat abilities, she'd lived with the likes of Ranma Saotome after all, she'd seen much, much better than the masked crime fighter before her now. Nor was she impressed by the duo's ability to battle the combined forces of Instigator and XL Terrestrial, those two were, by no means, the most powerful of her classmates.
Instigator, who consisted bizarrely of a massive fleshy face jammed into the center of an oversized robots torso, though strong, was woefully slow, both in mind and body. That and he was creepy as all hell to look at, she shuddered slightly at the thought of the freakish machine/man. XL Terrestrial, one of the thankfully silent members of her class, seemed to have no other talents asides from growing to immense heights. While many might consider that to be a great power, to Nabiki it was an inexcusable liability. What the alien boy gained in size and power, he more than lost in speed, coordination and subtlety. No, Nabiki had no illusions whatsoever that those two would do anything aside from delay the two super heroes for a few more vital minutes.
What really impressed the mercenary queen was the teamwork that the two heroes demonstrated. She watched as Starfire and Robin nimbly danced and floated around their enemies, only to instantly switch opponents at some unseen signal. Suddenly the massive alien that had been slapping ineptly towards the ceiling trying to flatten the flying girl, found both his feet encased in miniature glaciers and a violent little boy thrashing away at his knees. At the same time, the metallic body of Instigator was crushed mercilessly into the floor, as Starfire dropped down onto the cyborg with the force of a green tailed comet. The shock wave from the impact nearly mussed up Nabiki's brunette locks, even from across the room.
It was so strange to watch and yet compelling at the same time; to watch two people so in tune with each other, that complimented each other so perfectly. It was like each hero knew what the other was thinking, even when their attention was focused in completely different directions. Whenever one was in danger, the other would be there to get them out of it, whenever one of them set up their opponent, the other would be there to land the attack.
Beside her, Mammoth cringed and looked away as a particularly spectacular explosion rocked the chamber. "Ouch, that one had to hurt," muttered the massive youth. He then turned to her. "Nabiki, um, not that I'm a big fan of those guys, but . . . shouldn't we . . . ya'know, help them out or somethin?"
Nabiki returned the boy's gaze and simply raised an eyebrow in question. It seemed to have the desired effect, as Mammoth looked to the floor in defeat. "Yeah, yeah, I know. 'The PLAN' and all that stuff. I dunno, just feels wrong watchin our buddies getting thrashed and not doin nuthin," stated the boy quietly.
The middle Tendo sister let out a low sigh. She supposed she couldn't hold it against the large student, he did seem to be pretty loyal to the people he actually considered friends. "Mammoth, I know it's hard to let those goody vigilantes over there do whatever they want, but you know why this needs to happen." She then lifted her right wrist and pointed to the bulky watch like device which adorned it.
It was Mammoth's turn to sigh as he looked down at the matching device that adorned his wrist as well. He then looked to the wrists of the other students that were clustered away from the battle that raged. Gizmo, Kyd Wykkyd, a Billy Numerous and even Kasumi, who had just joined them after traversing the room, each of them also wore a matching device on their wrists. The very same devices that were noticeably absent from both XL and Instigator . . . not to mention all of the other students in the Academy.
Nabiki smiled warmly and patted the simple teen on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Big Guy, those are the good guys out there, they won't hurt our classmates anymore than necessary. And as soon as everyone else gets here, then we can get this show underway," she assured all of her companions as best as she could. The weak smiles and nervous nods she got in return were about all that she could expect at this point, even she herself, the ice queen of Furninkan high, was feeling butterflies in her stomach.
She tried to calm her nerves by returning her attention to the battle before them. Her classmates were actually putting up a pretty good fight; Ryouga's little lessons had paid off somewhat at least. Still, the outcome was inevitable. She allowed a small smile to grace her crimson lips, the better that Robin and Starfire fought . . . the better her chances of success, really.
Idly, she wondered just how formidable Ranma and all of his little friends could have been if they had ever actually learned to fight together. As it was, the only times the Nerimian martial artists would even join forces was if there was a massive threat present and even then they usually fought with each other as much as they did with whatever prince or monster they happened to be fighting.
In fact, watching the two superheroes in such perfect coordination was starting to give her a few ideas of her own.
Another explosion rocked the cavernous room, this one coloring the entire room a neon green color for a fraction of a second. It was followed quickly by a loud crash which signaled Instigator's exit from the battle. Now it was just XL against the two teen heroes, and that would only last for a matter of moments likely.
She looked again to the device that hugged her delicate wrist, nervousness gnawing away at her sense of calm.
She just hoped that her monolithic classmate would last long enough.
Bumblebee discreetly gazed at her companion from the corner of her eye. Every now and then her eyes would nervously travel to the shiny metal implement that the pretty brunette held in a veritable death grip. Though the winged girl was fairly certain that she had managed to smooth things over with the irritable chef after their little row, she was still a little nervous about her companion's temper.
She also noticed Ukyou returning her untrusting gaze. The girl was giving her the benefit of the doubt, but apparently didn't trust her any further than she could throw her. She let out a resigned sigh as they exited the cafeteria and made their way back to the intersection where they had split off from Angel and Ukyou's scantily clad companion. After they went and saved the young gymnast from her fellow classmate, then she could lead the two strange Japanese girls to the detention center.
The young undercover hero let out another long sigh. It was going to be difficult actually battling Angel and her fellow students after all of this time. Angel in particular had grown to be a good friend, even as they playfully competed over that handsome but simpleminded swordsman. She shook her head sadly. Maybe she had been here too long? Sure she had only infiltrated this whole place just to bring down the Headmaster and break up his little school of villainy . . . but still, she'd be lying to herself if she said she hadn't had fun for the past few months.
The time since Ryouga had first arrived had been especially memorable, ever since the boy and his unusual companions from Nerima arrived on the scene; well it was like the entire feeling of the Hive Academy changed. Almost overnight the academy had changed from feeling like a fancy school, to almost feeling like a home, complete with family.
The Tendo sisters worked their way into everyone's hearts. Kasumi, the sweet, caring mother figure that pretty much everyone in the entire Academy was missing. Nabiki, the witty and ingenious older sister that everyone looked up to and whom had really pulled them together as a team for the first time that anyone could remember.
Then, of course, there were the boys. A dreamy look entered her eyes as they marched on absently. Kunou, Ryouga and Mousse, they were all dreamboats in their own way. Kunou with his sharp and aristocratic features. Ryouga with his roguish and rugged demeanor, not to mention that goofy grin of his. And finally Mousse, now that boy had some nice hair and the most beautiful eyes that she had ever seen.
Unfortunately Mousse hadn't actually joined them until much later, so she had never actually gotten a chance to get to know the boy. They had all gotten to know Ryouga however, and not only had he fit in at the school well, he had managed to do the impossible. Ryouga had actually made Jinx happy, really happy, perhaps for the first time since Bumblebee had known the girl.
And she couldn't forget Kunou, that achingly handsome samurai that had captured her fancy so thoroughly lately. Sure he was about as bright as he was progressive in his social views . . . but every once in a while he managed to say just the right thing to keep her interest. She certainly hoped that after all of the deception and brainwashing was out of the way, that she'd have at least one more chance to speak to the tall, sword toting boy.
As for the rest of her classmates? Well . . . she knew she would miss them all in her own small way, she wasn't even quite sure if she was up to actually fighting these people that had, up until about ten minutes ago, been her friends and colleagues.
She let out another beleaguered sigh as they passed through the intersection and began heading to the gym.
"Sheesh! Would you quite doing that? You've sighed like, ten times in the two minutes that we've been walking! Is my company really that boring?" blurted out the young chef.
Bumblebee looked over at the girl beside her, noticing the ghost of a smile that graced her face as she asked that last question. She returned a weak smile of her own. "It's not that. I'm just feeling a bit bad, a few of these people are kinda my friends in a weird way," she admitted.
Ukyou nodded a bit in response. "I guess I can see that, you have been cooped up here for quite a while trying to take down whoever is running this place, guess you got some kind of Stockholm syndrome, eh sugar?" the chef chuckled good naturedly at her own small joke.
The young bee striped girl laughed a bit herself. "I suppose that's one way to look at it. Still, we better help out your friend. The sooner we can get the Titans free, the sooner we can take down the Headmaster and get everyone out from under his control. After that we can figure out what to do about everyone."
Ukyou raised an eyebrow at that. "First off, Kodachi is not my friend. And secondly, what makes you think that she's the one that's gonna need saving? In case you've forgotten in the five minutes since it happened, I was the one that was kicking your fanny all over the place," stated the overly proud chef.
Bumblebee glared a bit at that and dropped her fist on her hips. "Oh, I'm sorry; I must have been watching a different fight. The one that I was in was the one where you were flat on your back, sister! Ah-hem, in case you've forgotten in the five minutes since it happened, wasn't I the one that saved your pastry-slingin life?" she shot back.
Ukyou growled slightly and leaned forward, pointing an accusing finger. "Excuse me? If it hadn't been for your crazy eyed boyfriend back there double teaming me, you wouldn't have lasted two minutes, sugar!"
Two minutes? Two minutes! Why that stuck up little - "Well maybe you're looking for rematch then, sister!"
"Maybe I am, sugar!"
"Oh, well you're gonna get one then."
"Hopefully this next one will actually be interesting then!" growled the irate chef.
Bumblebee growled herself, at the chef's endless ego. "All of you martial arts types think you're just so much damn better than the rest of us, don't you?" she demanded angrily. Even Ryouga and the boys, whom she actually liked, they all strutted around as if their fancy moves made them better than everyone else in the academy.
The annoyed chef leaned forward, matching her heated look. "Well why shouldn't we?" she asked hotly. "Me, Ranchan, Ryouga, we actually earned our skills. We all train everyday, pushing ourselves to the limit and beyond to perfect our arts. You super types, you just luck into your powers! What the heck did you ever do to earn your strength, what sacrifice did you make for the gifts that you have?" she nearly shouted back.
Bumblebee faltered slightly at that, not completely sure how to answer. "Hey! I work as hard as any of you! I push myself beyond the human limit too."
Ukyou leaned back at that, a spitefully superior smirk on her face. "Yeah, must be a real challenge, considering you were never even human to begin with," she uttered cuttingly.
She gasped loudly at that. Her hand raised to her chest, trying to crush the stabbing pain that entered her heart, even as she felt tears trying to form in her eyes. The chef's words had stung worse than any sting she had ever inflicted on anyone.
The superior smirk on Ukyou's face slowly faded away to nothing as she noticed the effects that her words had. The girl then tentatively reached out a hand. "I'm sorry Bee, I didn't mean it like that. I-I don't even know why I said it in the first place. Heck, you're just as normal as any of my friends."
Bumblebee chuckled slightly at that. "Oh thanks, now I feel even worse."
Ukyou returned her small laugh and smiled encouragingly. "To be honest . . . I'm actually a little jealous of you. I mean, I can train forever, but nothing I ever do will ever let me fly like you do. It must be pretty incredible I bet."
She nodded at that. "Heh, you better believe it, sister... Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that, you and I aren't so different. We're both sexy, butt-whooping babes; and we both got good heads on our shoulders too, how can you beat a combination like that?" she joked.
Suddenly the entire corridor rocked as an explosion rang through the complex. A garrish green glow flowed down the hallway and through the intersection they had just passed through. Ukyou could only look in shock while Bumblebee put the situation together in her head.
"Heh, looks like Starfire got herself out already. Let's hurry and get your friend, it looks like the party has already started," she explained optimistically.
They were shocked again when the massive gym doors behind them slammed open with a metallic clang. They both spun quickly to see the panicked and scurrying figure of a winged girl barrel through the entrance. Not too far behind the girl, walking rather sedately, was the chefs unusual companion.
Ukyou looked over to her in that brief moment, a look that just screamed "I told you so" plastered smugly on her face. It was all she could do to stop herself from popping the girl one in the nose. "So Bee, what are you gonna do about your friend?" she asked slyly.
Bumblebee sighed loudly at that.
"I'll try to let her down gently . . ."
Cyborg sped down the corridors as quickly as his actuators would carry him. He had no idea which way Kasumi had taken his friends, so he had decided to default and retrace his steps to the facility's entrance. The cybernetic teen figured that at least he had a chance of joining up with whoever it was that was coming to rescue them that way. Whoever it was that Raven had managed to bring together, not to mention whoever was actually crazy enough to stage a head on assault on the main headquarters of a super villain training ground, he was eager to meet them.
That unearthly howl that he had heard coming from the other direction . . . that had hardly factored into his decision at all. Really!
Of course, he wasn't sure just how much help he would be even if he did meet up with his would-be rescuers. He glared in annoyance to his right arm. After overloading it completely to defeat See-more, it was now a dead grey color, still smoking slightly. Even worse, the defunct limb was stuck in its sonic cannon configuration, like that would be useful! Well, at least he still had motor functions in the arm itself, he might not be blasting anyone, anytime soon, but at least he could still move the dang thing.
Still, it had been worth it, just to see the look on See-more's face when he had activated the forcefield around the boy. He was still laughing silently to himself about that. He loved irony . . . well, at least on those very rare occasions where it wasn't turning its ugly head his way. That was the last time he got left behind to deal with the lackeys though; he was probably missing out of all of the real fu-
The shout of shock and pain, coupled with the slight sensation of some unfortunate soul bouncing off of his titanium chest, shook him from his reverie. He slammed on the brakes as quickly as he could, just to avoid trampling the athletic frame of the person that had just collided with him.
Almost without thinking, he reached out his good hand to help the girl up, until -
"Augh! Dammit! Why don't you watch where the hell you're going?" growled the almost pink haired, girl as she rubbed a hand vigorously across her forehead.
"Crap! Jinx!" he shouted in shock. He then jumped back several steps and trained his, not quite, functioning sonic cannon on her slight form. He hadn't even recognized the girl until she had spoken, her hair completely fallen out of its usually bizarre style, now flowing over her shoulders and nearly obscuring her face in a wave of red-stained, pink follicles. He swallowed nervously, as terrible as it sounded, considering she was the enemy and she looked really hurt . . . it made her look really . . . pretty.
The girl looked up at his sudden outburst, a look of stark antipathy marring her own features. He was startled to see tears running freely down her face, as if she wasn't even aware of them anymore. Slowly the girl rose to her feet. She then rubbed a torn sleeve roughly across her cheeks, dashing her tears. "Oh, it's only you. I thought it might have been someone that was worth a damn," she muttered out hatefully.
He growled a bit at her insult. "Don't even move, girl!" he demanded, slightly nervously. Man, he hoped she didn't notice the shape his cannon was in.
If anything, the girl's features became even more despondent. Ignoring his weapon completely, the girl took a purposeful step forward. Her emotionless gaze bore into his eyes as she stared at him . . . expectantly? "Well, Titan . . . what are you waiting for? Blast me already, get it over with . . . it's what I deserve . . ." The last part was muttered so quietly, that a normal humans hearing likely would have missed it.
W-what was she doing? What game was she playing? Apparently she was buying his bluff, but wasn't backing down.
"Stop right there!" he barked again. "Don't make me shoot you Jinx!"
Jinx let out a shallow bark of mirthless laughter at that. "Heh, figures I'd get stuck with the only Titan that didn't have the stones to actually put me down," she spat out spitefully. Pink sparks began to dance worryingly from the girls delicate fingertips as she took another belligerent step forward.
"Well, today's your lucky day Titan. I'm gonna make this reeaal easy for you." He gulped nervously and took another step backwards as the dangerous girl's eyes began to burn with molten pink ire. "In ten seconds, I'm going to kill you. No special tricks, no empty threats." Slowly she lifted her arms above her head, the sparks blooming into swirling pink flames that danced all the way to her elbows. "This is it Titan, you have seven seconds left to finish me. If you don't, then . . . you die," she finished as plainly as if she were speaking of the weather.
Cyborg grimaced frightfully at the terrifyingly emotionless tone in the girl's voice. He watched as the fate bending energies flowed and swelled around her hands, just waiting to unleash their wrath upon him. What the hell was Jinx doing? What the hell was he going to do? Damn his overly successful bluff!
Jinx glared at him as she counted down silently to herself . . . until - "Time's up, Titan! I hope the rest of you is up there in Heaven waiting for you!" Her hands hung in the air for one more, ponderously long moment. Jinx gazed at him expectantly for one last tick of the clock, waiting for something . . . anything . . .
And then the moment passed.
"HAAAAAAAAAA!" Jinx cried out as she swept her arms forward, unleashing the maelstrom of chaotic energies that she had gathered. The mass of cotton candy doom rolled his way, all he could do was look away and cover his face as he screamed in panic. His cry only doubled at the sound of the deafening shriek of twisting steel and the howl of burning air, as the entire corridor collapsed in . . . all . . . around . . .
. . . Huh?
Tentatively, Cyborg lowered his arms and looked over his shoulder. He looked upon the ruin of the hallway some ten feet behind him. The entire corridor was shut off, twisted steel, shattered glass and sparking wires filled every inch of the space now. He swallowed dryly; there was no way that he would have survived an attack like that . . .
He looked back to the girl before him, still bent forward and breathing in ragged gasps from her exertion. Jinx looked at him, an expression of complete confusion and outrage burned on her features. How the heck had she missed him? He was less than ten feet away from the girl . . . there was just no way!
"What the hell are you doing Titan? I could have killed you! What's your damage, you moron!" screamed the girl in disbelief.
S-she had been bluffing him? Damn, that was ironic! He chuckled helplessly before pointing to his malfunctioning limb. "Um . . . this is. Sonic cannon is totally fried, I couldn't have shot you even if I wanted to," he admitted.
"...mhmh heheh . . ." it started out as a tiny giggle.
He smiled wider as the absurdity of the situation made itself apparent to the teenage witch.
"heh heh heh ha hah!" she continued to laugh at the situation.
Well, what were the odds of two people bluffing each other like that? On the bright side, he seemed to have snapped her out of whatever weird mood she had been in-
"hahaHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
His good mood died a horrible death, as suddenly her quiet giggle exploded into full blown, manic laughter. Not the good kind of 'football to the groin' manic laughter either. No, this was the unhinged 'about three seconds from a complete nervous breakdown' kind of manic laughter.
And it scared the hell out of him.
"Jinx?" he uttered uncertainly. Oh man . . . what on earth was he supposed to do now? He looked around nervously. He sure hoped no one walked in on this, he couldn't even imagine what kind of conclusions would be drawn. What could possibly be worse than dealing with a manically laughing girl on the edge?
Wait! Wait a sec! He hadn't meant to ask tha-
He was totally unprepared when Jinx's uncontrolled laughter broke down into uncontrolled sobbing. He was even less prepared for when the girl ran forward and buried her tear stained face into his massive chest and began crying in that gut wrenching, heart breaking, body wracking way that instantly makes any male present feel instantly guilty/useless/clueless.
This time he looked around helplessly. "Man, what did I do to deserve this?" he whispered to himself. Hadn't he just been righteously kicking villain butt like, five minutes ago? How on earth had he gone from combating the enemy, to comforting the enemy?
Still . . . With a heavy sigh, Cyborg tentatively raised him arms and encircled the crying girl in a comforting embrace. Gently, he ran a functioning hand through her blood slicked hair as he whispered reassuring sounds into her ear. His eyes narrowed at the blood that stained the pretty girls hair, Jinx looked like she was in bad shape, emotionally and physically. Who had done this, and why had it been necessary to hurt the girl so?
After a few minutes that felt like eternities, her cries settled into sniffles, then into silence once more. The blissful silence lasted for a few moments before Jinx finally broke it.
"Gods Cyborg, why couldn't you have just put me out of my misery?" she muttered darkly. "He hates me now, he hates me and I just want to lie down and die," she added cryptically.
He looked down at her, feeling a strange sense of sympathy rising up within him. "Who hates you? And who could possibly be worth you ending yourself over?"
She looked up, matching his gaze with her pink, tear filled eyes. "Ryouga hates me! I-I love him, I love him so much . . . and now, because of what I've done, he hates me…" she let out another pained cry with her admission.
Huh? What the heck? Jinx actually liked Ryouga? He thought that had all been a ruse just to throw them off balance. Had something real actually come of that? It seemed unlikely . . . but seeing this self-proclaimed super villainess in such a state before him . . . Maybe, just maybe it was possible.
"Now, Jinx, sure things look bad, but some guy hating you is not worth killing yourself over. This isn't some romance novel here, life is too precious to waste like that," he stated for the distraught girl. Hopefully she wasn't too upset over thi-
"SHUT UP! Shut the hell up! I don't need your holier than thou crap! Get it through your rust coated brain Titan, I've – lost – him! And none of your after school special bullcrap is gonna make that any better!" she yelled out furiously. Then she angrily tore herself from his arms and stepped back away from him, glaring hatefully at him. Damn! He was losing her.
"Jinx! Everything is gonna be alright! You just need to calm down," he ordered. He moved forward slowly, gently raising and lowering his hands in a calming manner.
"Calm down? Calm down! Don't you understand, you piece of Titan trash? I'm a worthless failure, I've done nothing but hurt everyone around me; everywhere I go, I've lost the only man that I've ever loved and – I – want – to – DIE!" the girl's voice tore painfully as she screamed her pain to the world.
His scream joined hers, when suddenly she dove forward and slammed her head into his metal chest with horrifying force. A sickening crunch echoed through the hall as her delicate skull collided with the indestructible armor of his torso. His terrified scream only increased as the insensate girl bounced off of his hide, a flash of crimson spraying into the air from the jagged new cut that adorned her face.
Something snapped in his head, even as the girl began to collapse backwards to the ground, he snarled in outrage. Unable to even control himself, his hand flew out and slapped the girl across the cheek, rocking her head to the side. Almost instantly after that, he grabbed her arm harshly and pulled the shocked girl within an inch of his steely face.
"Are you insane!" he howled into the girls blood soaked face. Almost immediately, her eyes ceased their aimless rolling and focused sharply on his human eye. "You think you're the only one that's been hurt in this? You think no one else feels like you do right now?" he demanded furiously. He then pushed her away, a look of disgust on his face. "Get the hell over yourself!"
A matching mask of rage burned onto Jinx's features. "You're damn right that I'm the only one that's feeling torn up like this! You have no idea what I'm feeling right now, you pompous prick! What the hell do you know about suffering anyway?" she demanded hatefully.
Rage blossomed in his chest, like nothing he'd felt in years. He grabbed the fateful girl harshly and pulled her within an inch of his face for the second time in as many minutes.
"Look – at – me!" He pointed angrily to his own robotic skull, ironically with his malfunctioning cybernetic arm. "What the hell do you know about suffering? Can you imagine the pain of having your body torn asunder by some unholy beast from another dimension? Can you even fathom the exquisite agony of watching your own - damn – Mother being liquefied before your one remaining eye?"
He stared meaningfully into her catlike eyes with his single glistening orb, ignoring her gasp of shock. "You make a few stupid mistakes and you lose a boyfriend? That's your big tragedy? That's worth ending it all over? What the hell happened to you Jinx? I never liked you, but damn if I didn't respect you. You're tough girl, tougher than this. Hell, you can stand up to me in a fight, I cannot accept that you're this sniveling little girl in front of me," he finished, slowly losing the red hot anger that had brought him this far.
Jinx could only stare at him, her delicate lips trembling and eyes glistening with unshed tears. As gently as he could, he released her shaking arm and stepped away. Her shocked look faded quickly though, he could almost see her internal struggle to rebuild the front that had protected her for so long.
"Hmph, yeah . . . well it's not like I asked you for your life story or anything, Titan . . ." she muttered grudgingly. Bitterly, she crossed her arms and looked away.
His eyes narrowed a bit at that. "Um, ya kinda did right there. Ya know, I'm just trying to put things in perspective for ya, no need to cop a 'tude on me girl." he grumbled in annoyance himself.
Jinx's eyes rolled at that. "Yeah, yeah . . . whatever, I'm sorry." she apologized, not quite as half heartedly as she would have liked to. "It's just – just that it hurts so much . . . ," A narrowly aborted sob nearly shook her shoulders as she admitted that last bit. The cybernetic teen let out a small sigh, he hadn't wanted to make her feel worse there.
"Jinx, I didn't say that what you just went through wasn't bad. You've been through a lot of really bad crap lately. I don't blame you for feeling overwhelmed. You think I never thought of doin' the same thing?" he asked the shaken girl.
She looked up at him, a slight look of disbelief betraying her brave front. He let a small, sincere smile form on his lips. "Thing is, I know that you and me, we got a lot in common. We're both fighters, we're both forces to be reckoned with, for whoever gets in our way. And we're both definitely the best looking members of our respective teams!" he let out boastfully.
He smiled further as the tiny girl giggled helplessly at his equally small joke.
"And, without any doubt, I know that you are strong enough to get past this. You're a super villain for goodness' sake, when have you ever let anything stop you?" he asked seriously.
Again she nodded, not smiling, not even close, but the deadness had left her eyes at least. "I know this might sound crazy . . . but . . . do you think that Ryouga could ever – ever forgive me?" she asked, a not completely resigned note sounding in her voice.
He honestly wished that he knew the answer to that question. Hell, even if he did, would he tell her? Did he really want to encourage her to reconcile with Ryouga? He knew that Raven really liked the boy as well . . . shouldn't he be helping one of his closest friends, rather than counseling her main rival?
Silence reigned as he stared into the vast expanses of her eyes. Usually the girl's eyes twinkled with mischief when he saw her, but now . . . now they were like open windows, it was almost like he could see all of her feelings as clearly as if she had beamed the info in infrared. He let out a resigned sigh, sure Raven liked the guy, but – but this girl, this crazy, messed-up girl, she absolutely and without a doubt, loved the Lost boy.
How could he interfere with that and still hold onto any shred of his conscience?
"Honestly, Jinx, I don't really know him that well myself. But let me ask you this and I want you to answer just as honestly," he started.
She looked back at him expectantly, waiting on his every word.
"Do you honestly – honestly think that Ryouga loved you back? Were any of his feelings for you real, or just a trick of the mind? Can you tell me, here and now and without a shadow of a doubt, that Ryouga Hibiki loved you?" he queried as matter-of-factly as he could.
The pink haired girl looked away, an expression of intense concentration blooming on her face as she considered his question. For a moment, uncertainty tainted the young sorceress' gaze as she racked her memories of her time with the boy. It didn't last long though, finally she looked back, locking his gaze with a gaze of utter seriousness.
"Yes, I know he does. It was right after I had released him from the Headmaster's control, it only lasted for a moment, but I know I saw it. Hibiki Ryouga, he – he loves . . . m-m-me . . ." Her heartfelt declaration dissolved into a heart wrenching cry of anguish, as she revisited just what it was that she had lost.
He smiled a bittersweet smile at that; he knew she was telling the truth. How could anyone possibly lie in such a way? As gently as he could, he dipped a finger beneath her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his.
"I believe you Jinx, I believe that Ryouga loves you, just like you love him. So now, answer this one last question. I promise, if you get this right, there won't be anymore," he whispered, chuckling silently. "Imagine yours and Ryouga's places were reversed. Imagine all of the terrible things that you believe you have done to him for as long as you have known him. Imagine every single way in which you have wronged that boy." he started out slowly. He winced as Jinx's face fell further into despair at each sentence.
"Now, Jinx, imagine that, instead of you doing all of that to him, that he had done all of that terrible stuff to you. That he had violated your mind, betrayed your trust, stole your freedom." he continued. "Now Jinx . . . were your roles reversed . . . "
He paused a moment, to let the seriousness of his question sink in . . .
"Would you forgive him?"
Cologne followed Happosai down yet another of the complex's seemingly endless corridors. If it weren't for her exceptionally keen mind, she'd probably be totally turned around, considering the winding route that the aged pervert seemed to be taking. One had to wonder how the Hibiki boy made it around at the best of times. Still, Happi had claimed to know where the children were gathering and that he knew a good place to go and watch the show.
She chuckled mirthlessly to herself. Things seemed to be getting out of hand much quicker than was usual when her son-in-law was involved. Already she had sensed not one, but two massive surges of ki from the surface above them. Indeed, she had nearly prepared to make peace with her ancestors when the second swell of ki had burst forth, considering the terrible power she had felt, that and the fact that they were practically right underneath it.
The aged warrior hadn't sensed any other surges of spiritual energy since that though, so it seemed likely that Ranma had somehow contained the situation. Of course, knowing that one situation was resolved just reminded her of another more imminent problem. The bestial howl that had echoed through the halls several minutes ago had been just slightly too familiar. Happosai had no idea what it had meant, but she knew quite keenly what the wail heralded.
She let out a sigh. So now, instead of two fool boys on the surface, she now had a fool boy in this very complex to worry about. She certainly hoped that no one of any significance to her actually ran into the temperamental lad in his current state. It was something that she might just have to deal with personally.
Hmm, that was the second time that she had considered intervening in this situation . . . As a general rule, she always tried to avoid actually getting involved with her son-in-laws affairs. How else would the boy and all of his friends increase their power if she fought all of their battles for them, honestly? But her recent run-in with that Headmaster fellow had seriously tempted her to forsake that rule for a moment.
She shivered slightly as they ran down the hall. The Headmaster possessed a vile and powerful will, she had been awed at the sheer might of his psyche. Truthfully, the man's only mistake in their encounter had been when he thought she had dropped her guard. Feh, as if a master such as herself would drop her guard before an unknown threat for even a second. It was only through pure force of will and her centuries of discipline that she had actually been able to repel the attack. Had the man actually caught her unawares as he had first imagined . . . things might have gone quite differently indeed.
It was exactly that instant of fear that she had felt, her, the greatest warrior of her tribe, that had nearly made her end the man's life. Luckily Happosai had been there to stop her; it was unseemly for an Elder of her status to lose her calm in such a way.
Of course, that now left her son-in-law and his companions, new and old, with a very serious threat on the loose.
"Here we are Cologne! What a view eh?" laughed the old man in amusement.
She let out a low whistle at the spectacle that was unfurling some forty feet below them. The old man had led them to a vast balcony overlooking an even more vast chamber. Which made the sight all that more interesting, considering one of the combatants involved actually stood a good ten feet higher than their position on said balcony.
Cologne looked down to the base of the foray once more. A number of familiar faces made themselves known quite quickly. The two missing Tendo sisters were visible, standing off to one side and flanked by a number of unusually clad children. Two of her part time students, Robin and Starfire were also present, battling the unusual looking green giant.
"Hmm, there aren't nearly as many people here as I thought there would be," muttered the ancient pervert in disappointment. Apparently he was hoping for a more exciting battle to watch. "I was at least hoping to see some of our more interesting students fight it out some. Unfortunately I think the Headmaster sent my two favorites up to the surface."
She nodded. "Indeed, where Ranma and Raven were awaiting them. So it seems that we've missed the most exciting fights." she agreed. A pity that, but better that Ranma defeated Ryouga up on the surface, rather than letting them all be buried under the destructive force of a perfect Shi Shi Houkodan.
She noticed the old man perk up slightly, his stare moving to the southern entrance. Ah, two of her infiltrators had finally joined the scene. The chef and the gymnast were being accompanied by some fool girl dressed in a Bee costume of all things. Hmm, that was interesting as well, who was that girl and why was she traveling with them as if they were comrades? Cologne had never held the Kunou girl's intelligence to any reasonable standard, but she had considered the Kounji girl to be rather clever and resourceful. It seemed unlikely that she would be so easily tricked by an enemy. Perhaps a conversion then? Interesting indeed.
"Hmm, I always knew that Bumblebee had just a little too much moral fibre to fit in here. She never once allowed me to steal her panties or grope her properly!" stated the old man, attempting to sound sagely. She could only shake her head in disgust.
"Happi, according to that criteria, there isn't a female on the planet that would possess the lack of moral fiber required to be here," she muttered sarcastically.
The Anything Goes master just waved off her comment. The three newcomers seemed to be at a loss over what to do. Certainly there was a battle in the center of the room, however there was also a large gathering of villains situated right across the room from them as well, not currently engaging in said battle. The inaction of that small group was confusing her somewhat as well. Nabiki's lone classmate was obviously outclassed by the two, so-called, Titans and yet she did not send anyone to assist him.
Her curiosity would have to wait however, as yet another unusual sight drew her attention. Another pair of figures burst onto the scene via eastern entrance. It appeared to be the large Titan, Cyborg and he was being accompanied by-
"Jinx! What is she doing down here? And what on earth happened to the poor girl?" cried Happosai to her side. The unusual pair skidded to a stop a few feet into the room and took a second to survey the scene. Then, after sharing a brief glance, the two split up and ran in different directions. Jinx ran quickly to join Nabiki and her colleagues, while Cyborg entered the fray at the center of the room.
Happosai turned to face her, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Your students seem to be playing a little rough Cologne. I don't like seeing my student's abused like that." he stated ominously.
A hundred sarcastic and hypocritical comments passed through her mind in the flash of an eye, but she pushed them all off to the side. "Things are indeed getting serious Happi. We should be prepared to intervene. So many children with such amazing powers and such nonexistent training, it is likely that someone could get seriously injured if things continue like this."
Her companion only nodded in stony silence before returning his attention to the battle below.
"..."
She quirked her ear slightly . . . had she heard something?
"...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa . . ."
Ah, there it was, it sounded like a voice and it seemed to be getting closer.
" . . .aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAA . . ."
There! It was coming from the northern exit and it was so loud that it had gathered the attention of everyone in the room. Even the combatants ceased their quarrel and turned their gazes north.
" . . . AAAAAHHHHHHH!"
" . . . AAAAAHHHHHHH!"
" . . . AAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The shout resolved itself into three distinct voices for just a moment before the yelling stopped. An instant later, three familiar forms flew through the aperture at speeds that surprised even her! The three Titan's at the center of the room scrambled madly to get out of the way of the three human missiles, scattering to all directions.
A moment later and the three martial artists also split ways. Kunou arrowed himself over in the direction of Nabiki, Shampoo altered her course to bring her in line with her erstwhile companions and their bee clad friend.
Rather predictably, Mousse careened forward without a care, crashing headfirst into the massive ankle of the green skinned giant with the force of a runaway train.
How odd! While her great granddaughter was not a fool by any means, unlike her companions, she doubted that anyone could call any of that trio cowards in any sense of the word. So what on this great green planet could possibly send three such foolhardy warriors fleeing as if their very lives depen-
"AAAHHHHHWWWWWWWOOOOOO!"
Oh . . . nevermind then . . .
Starfire landed somewhat unsteadily from her rather panicked flight. She had been understandably surprised by the rapid appearance of the three stampeding humans. Considering the dissonance created by the human male when he collided with the Hive student's leg, it seemed like a most judicious evasion. It did seem strange though, considering the massive size of the boy's ocular implants . . .
The alien girl then took a moment to survey her situation. Nervously, she glanced to the group of females whose midst she had landed in. Unfortunately, she had no idea whether any of the people whom now surrounded her were friend or foe. Worse yet, she had been separated from her team mates when they had all scattered in different directions.
She did not recognize any of the four females, though they were all quite distinctive. The lavender haired female, and what beautiful hair it was, was far too intent upon the aperture through which she had just traversed to be considered a threat. The remaining three females she was uncertain about. The first girl, apparently of the Bombus genus of the Apidae family, was quite likely a member of this very academy. The other two females, of obvious Asian descent, seemed likely to be connected to Hibiki Ryouga, but were they his cohorts . . . or his rescuers?
The Tamaranian hero was about to chew the ballistics cartridge and ask the hymenopterous female and her comrades to whom their allegiance was aligned, when-
"AAAHHHHHWWWWWWWOOOOOO!"
She gasped in shock: that had been as loud as a full grown Portkin! Now the attention of every being in the room was centered squarely upon the egress on the northern end of the room. The unearthly howl was soon followed by the sound of steel spikes raining down upon the metallic floor as whatever occupied that hallway approached their position at an incredible pace.
Almost against her good sense, she floated closer to the center of the chamber. The hallway through which the three humans had just entered was still brightly lit. She was very curious to see what Earth creature could make such a sound! On the periphery of her vision, she noticed her four female companions matching her movements, looks of apprehension on their features.
There! It-it was huge, it nearly filled the entire corridor that it tore down with a terrifying speed. So fast! Only a second after she spotted the beast, it covered the entire length of the corridor and exploded into the room, unleashing another ear shattering, primal howl!
Half of the people in the room screamed in fright as the monstrous creature reared up to its full height, towering over everyone except her fellow extra-terrestrial. Its guttural roar exposed a cavernous maw filled with razor sharp teeth, its massive arms ending in spear-like claws. The huge green beast looked like nothing she had ever before seen on this planet . . .
Wait! Green beast?
"Friend Beast Boy?" she whispered to herself in disbelief.
Suddenly, as if it had heard her speak, the creature leapt up with startling speed, crashing to the ground only a few yards in front of herself and the girls that surrounded her. They all screamed in terror when it bared its fangs and a deep, rumbling growl emanated from its throat.
Starfire felt a hand on her arm, trying to pull her to the side. She looked to her side in abstract confusion, to see the lavender haired girl, whom reminded her very much of a Chinese Amazon, trying to pull her away.
"Stupid Not-Human-Girl move now!" shouted the girl in some strange dialect.
It was too late though, as the beast, attracted by their movement, surged forward -
"I'll protect you Shampoo!"
"You shall not harm my noble classmate Hell Spawn!"
The twin shouts and a flash of movement drew their attention back before them. Almost out of nowhere, the pair of males that had just entered the room materialized before them, brandishing flashing steel swords and holding the creature at bay.
"Who . . ." she whispered to herself. Who were these selfless people that were protecting them?
The beast was only deterred for a scant moment. Again it charged forward, its deadly claws slashing the air as it lashed out at the two boys. The long haired male leapt impressively high, flying over the monsters attack while the other boy rolled daringly under the attack. Then both boys' drew back their weapons to counter attack-
The distinct sound of wood colliding with skull in rapid succession triggered a distant memory for Starfire.
"Garfield Logan! I do believe that you have terrified my Great Granddaughter quite enough!" cackled a dearly familiar voice, a voice which Starfire had not heard for quite some time.
Still not sure what she was seeing was real, Starfire rubbed her eyes and looked again. There, standing before her, the collapsed forms of the two boys flanking her, was Elder Cologne! And she was staring unflinchingly into the very face of the emerald beast itself! The enormous monster and the ancient Elder stared at each other for a seeming eternity, until . . .
. . .until the beast suddenly shifted back into her cherished friend, Beast Boy!
"Geez granny! Why ya gotta use my real name in front of all of these people?" he whined loudly.
The Tamaranian was about to ask what in the solar system was occurring, but suddenly found herself incapacitated!
"Shampoo! Are you alright?" asked an achingly concerned voice.
She gasped loudly in shock, the long haired boy was embracing her in a very inappropriate manner for someone whom she had never met before! She was about to explain, quite painfully, that even she did actually possess personal boundaries. At least she was, until she looked up to face the boy . . .
. . . and found herself staring into the most beautiful green eyes that she had ever seen since she had left Tamaran.
She absently noticed the purple haired girl glare at them in disgust.
"Stupid Mousse! Shampoo is over . . . Oh forget it."
The Headmaster strode purposefully into the main security suite of his academy. It had only taken him a few moments to regain his composure after his encounter with the two master martial artists. Luckily he had excellent self-control. His brief flight had also given him the short respite he needed to reevaluate the situation and consider his options.
That, of course, was part of the reason that he was here now. It had been several minutes since he had been updated on the battle, he needed to know everything that was happening so that he could formulate a suitable defense. He admitted that he had been sloppy in his defense planning. He had underestimated just how reckless his enemies could be. He had never anticipated that they would actually bring the fight to him.
That was over now though. Once he had reevaluated the situation, he would crush those foolish children and the Titans in their cells!
He moved to the main control panel and flicked the switch to activate the monitors . . .
He flicked the switch again . . .
He toggled the switch back and forth several times.
Why weren't the monitors coming on? Starting to get annoyed once more, the Headmaster flipped several other switches, turned some dials, pressed several buttons . . . But nothing happened! Not even so much as an LED lighting upon the control panel.
Now somewhat more confused than angry, he hit the release switch to the side of the desk and lifted the entire control panel. The entire monitoring system . . . it was empty! It looked as if someone had come in and gutted the entire machine! All of the computer systems, the hard drives, the entire system was gone except for the shell that had housed it.
What on earth had happened here?
A tiny piece of paper idly floated down from where it had been pinned to the underside of the control panel. He snapped the small note from the air and read it quickly. His eyes widened in disbelief at the message he read. His eyes then narrowed dangerously in anger, glowing a crimson red. Without a thought, he crushed the tiny note in his metal gauntlet and dropped it to the floor.
"It appears that my newest protégé and I have several . . . issues to discuss," he uttered darkly. The aged villain then spun on his heel and stalked from the room in search of his wayward students.
On the ground behind him, the note slowly unfurled, revealing its cryptic message.
'Dear Headmaster,
I.O.U. 1 Surveillance System.
Luv Nabiki.'
Akane looked uncertainly to the hooded girl that hung on her shoulder. There had been a question that had been nagging at the back of her mind since they had first begun their slow descent into the complex and to try to find their respective friends. Considering how badly that Raven was hurt, not to mention all of the terrible stuff that had just happened, she wasn't sure it was even appropriate . . . but she just needed to know.
"Raven . . ." she started off uncertainly, not sure how the Gothic girl would react.
Slowly the dark Titan turned to face her. The youngest Tendo could see the pain shining in her eyes, even partially hidden by the shadows of her hood.
"Yes, Akane?"
"Raven . . . you're psychic right?" she asked pointedly.
They had spent several days in the tower with the girl. Considering that Raven had been cooped up in said tower with Ranma and all of his fiancée's, it had been pretty impressive that she had lasted an entire thirty minutes before she had exploded and literally ordered all of them to break it up and control their emotions before they drove her insane. After that, Raven had reluctantly agreed to explain a small amount of how her powers worked to all of them.
Raven gave her a rather bland look. "What of it Akane?" The Titan didn't seem to be in a very talkative mood at all.
Akane swallowed nervously before she asked her next question. "Raven, you told us how you can enter your own mind to meditate… I was just wondering . . . do you . . . do you think you could do that with Ryouga? Go into his mind I mean, go in there and . . . I don't know, wake him up?" she asked hesitantly.
Ranma perked up noticeably at that. "Hey, yeah! That's a great idea Akane! Raven, you can just pop into Ryouga's head here and kick him back into drive. That way he can actually help us fight these Hive guys . . . that and I won't have to carry his heavy butt anymore," cheered the martial artist happily.
Raven . . . almost glared at the both of them. "I can't do that." she uttered with unnerving calm.
Ranma staggered over, dragging the two boys with him. "Why not? I know your hurt, but this is Ryouga's mind we're talking about. How much could there possibly be to fix?"
Akane rolled her eyes; he could be such a jerk sometime. Still, his initial question was valid. "Yeah, Raven. Why can't you do it?" she asked curiously.
Raven let out a long, liquid sigh. "It-it's not that I can't do it . . . it's that I . . .I can't do it." she muttered. Did - did she sound ashamed of herself?
Ranma only grunted, obviously not understanding her answer at all. "Huh? What the heck does that mean? If you can't, can't do it . . . that means you can do it . . . doesn't it?" he questioned the dark girl, apparently confusing himself.
Akane felt a little anger filling her at that. "No Ranma, she's not saying that she can't do it, she's saying she won't do it." She turned on the girl, fire in her eyes. "Why on earth won't you help him, he's your friend too, isn't he?" she demanded.
She totally missed the sudden look of understanding that bloomed on her fiancé's face.
Raven met her gaze. "You don't understand Akane. I want to help him, I really do. I just – just can't face him like that. There's so much rage in him, so much hate . . . I don't know what would happen if I entered his mind," explained the violet eyed girl as best she could.
The Tendo girl didn't understand what Raven was going on about! She wanted to help him, but she didn't want to help him? Sure Ryouga was a bit angry, but what was the big deal? All Raven had to do was jump in and wake him up, right?
She was about to make her opinion known, when Ranma placed a hand on her shoulder. "Akane, I think I understand. You weren't there, so you didn't see what happened. Just – just trust me when I say that Raven has her reasons not to go into Ryouga's mind."
She stared at him helplessly for a moment, but his stare was like an arctic glacier, cold and unyielding. Eventually, she dropped her gaze and looked away. Ranma never could lie worth a damn, and she could see it as plain as day that he wasn't now.
Raven turned to face the Anything Goes heir. "Thank you," she whispered so quietly that Akane could hardly hear the words herself.
Ranma smirked widely, looking ahead. "Heh, don't worry bout it, we don't got time to deal with P-Chan here anymore, anyway." The pigtailed boy then pointed ahead of him, to the end of the corridor. Beyond the end of the hallway, they could see a massive room filled with a number of people, both familiar and not.
"Looks like the excitement is already starting, let's go join it!"
Nabiki surveyed the chamber again, noting all of the recent arrivals. She chuckled to herself, there had been a few surprises here and there, but it looked like everyone was finally here. With the arrival of Raven and Ranma, all of the Titans were accounted for, as well as all of the Nerima crew.
She shook her head sadly - it looked like things had gone much more seriously on the surface than down here in the academy itself. She had been shocked when Jinx had stumbled in, cut, bruised and nearly covered in blood. Nabiki had thought initially that the people up top had ganged upon the girl or something, but now after seeing the new arrivals . . . Ranma was bruised and bleeding nearly as much as Jinx, Raven looked even worse off, leaning heavily on her sister for support. Ryouga, Ryouga was out of it completely, staring blankly into nothing.
Hmm, she certainly hoped that they would still be able to finish what she had started here. She idly looked to her watch one last time. They were only missing one more piece to make the set complete, the king, if you would.
A flash of crimson light lit up the entire chamber. A towering inferno of wavering psychic flames rose up from the center of the chamber with a roar. The flames grew until they licked the ceiling and engulfed the center of the chamber. Everyone scrambled in a mad panic to avoid the massive display of mental power.
Slowly, slowly the inferno began to shrink in upon itself once more. When it finally subsided, the flames died away to reveal the stony visage of the Headmaster. He glared hatefully at everyone that populated the chamber, his eyes glowing with a dancing crimson energy. Even his most faithful student's took several steps back at the display of their master's outrage.
Nabiki could only smile. She looked knowingly to the students on either side of her.
"Places everyone. It's time for the big finale!"