Black Target : Glad to have you as a reviewer, keep reading!
KaliAnn: I hope you enjoy Robin's new nickname for Star, you think I should keep it?
The Keeper of the World: I'm glad you loved the cultural bridge!
DianaLaura: I'm glad you liked the light kiss!
S.Y.G-14: You are very welcome!
Hazzamo: Okay, this is were the action starts again.
Chapter 39
Delighted in her own joke, Starfire threw back her head and laughed again at Robin's amused-if somewhat embarrassed- face. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, he spread his hand helplessly as they walked back down the dark hallways. "Yeah, with my luck, that's probably what they would call it if I ever got a constellation...hey Chakano?"
"Yes?" she answered, peering at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Why do you call me Imp?"
The Shieldmaiden blinked at him, startled. "Why, for the same reason you've taken to calling me Chakano or Star," she told him bemusedly. "It's s term of affection for a friend."
Robin flushed and reached a hand behind his head, grasping his hair. "Yeah, I get that. But I'm asking what exactly it means."
"Ah," Starfire said, as realization sprung up in her eyes...along with a playful sparkle. "Well friend Robin, an imp- in Tamaranean mythology- is a mischievous little creature that loves to pray pranks on its friends and enemies. Their not evil, but often if one loses it temper... chaos insurances. I think it suits you."
By now his ears were burning. "Um...thanks."
Y+J
"Your welcome," the alien girl said cheerfully. But now, the pair of them were back where Robin had started-in the main hub where the zeta tubes were. At this point, both teens stopped walking, and stood together in awkward silence, unsure of what to do, as Starfire had no desire to return to bed, and Robin didn't have the heart to go back to staring at static and leave her alone.
Just as Robin was about to turn to the girl and asked her what she wanted to do, she beat him to it, her features lighting up with sudden inspiration.
"Robin?" she said, clearly trying to restraint her excitement. "Would you like to spar?"
"What? Spar?" the boy said, a little surprise and wanting to make sure he heard right. "You wanna spar?"
He wasn't entirely sure why he was is taken aback, considering how much butt he had seen the Shieldmaiden kick not twenty-four hours ago. But still, in the last hour, he had seen a total difference side of her, one that was more innocent and vulnerable, to the point where he was almost tempted to name it purity.
But seeing her now with her head held high, and her tears long dried, he was reminded that this girl was a warrior, born and breed.
And raring to go.
"Oh yes," she said eagerly, her head bobbing up and down rapidly. "After all, back in the village I when hand to hand with everyone save you -you were well content to just throw those things at my head."
Robin coughed, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, sorry about that."
The alien girl waved it aside. "It is find. But will you spar with me?"
Well, when she asked like that, there was no way Robin could say no...besides, this was bound to be a challenge, and his blood was already starting to pump faster, beating a tattoo under his uniform. "Alright...your on," he said lightly, fighting a grin when the girl beamed. "What are the rules?"
"The rules are simple," Starfire replied primly. "No powers," to demonstrate, she lit up her hand with starbolt, before vanishing it. "No weapons," here she gestured to his belt. "It will be skill against skill alone, the first to be pinned on his or her back for five seconds loses."
Robin raised an eyebrow. "So basically you don't used your starbolts, I don't use my gadgets and we try and kill each other like civilized people?" he joked brazenly. He couldn't help himself, he really couldn't.
Starfire looked horrified. "Of course not! This is not a death match!"
"i know, I know Star," he rushed to reassure her. "It just a joke."
The Sheildmaiden stared at him blankly. "A joke..." she shook her head, and threw up her hands. "You have a strange sense of humor Boy Wonder...but yes that is the gist of it. Shall we begin on three?"
"Fine by me," Robin quipped as they stepped on to the sparing floor, and it quickly came alive beneath them. "But don't expect me to go easy on you," he warned her.
She smiled at him sweetly. "Likewise."
Y+J
Retreating to stand about three feet apart, both teens dropped into combat ready stances, while moving in a semi-circle around the sparing floor.
"One...Two...THREE!"
Unable to contain herself, Starfire rushed forward to launched the first attack. This was not to say she went without a plan, however. She would be a poor warrior indeed if that were the case-not to mention long dead by now. No, she knew exactly what she was doing when she leapt into a flying kick at Robin's head, and trying not to be distracted by the blinking red signs that began to appear.
As expected, the boy dodged the blow with almost lazy ease, smirking cockily at her. And when she spun around to continue the assault, he avoided the whirl-wind of stomach kicks in a similarly airy manner. Rolling, flipping, ducking...and laughing, always laughing.
Imp.
Without any hesitation, Starfire close the distance between them and changed her attack to punches, with such flawless execution that Robin could no longer avoid her and quickly raised his arms in lightening fast blocks. His laughter die away as his concentration grew, she noted smugly, too smugly. So smugly that she was struck in the chin when Robin thrush his open palm forward while his other one shoved her current punching arm away.
Though greatly embarrassed, she kept her cool, and allowed herself to fall in to a back-spring. As expected, Robin followed her, clearly thinking that she would resume her punches when her feet were on the floor. That was his mistake, for while the Shieldmaiden's boots did make contact with the ground, they weren't there for long. Instead, she immediately flipped forward again, and successfully landed both feet into her opponent's chest, knocking the air clean out of his, if the "ooff!" he release was anything to go by.
She followed him to the ground, her knees moving to press down on his legs, while her hands grasped and pinned his upper arms in a hold she had learned as a child on Tamaran when wrestling with her cousins (needless to say many times she had been in Robin's position).
"I got you," she breathed out between gasps of air. She tiled her head, curious to whether or not he would accept her win. Robin had proven himself to be a kind-hearted young man, but the fact remained that the boy was little arrogant. Not overly so, but still. And to her surprise, he merely grinned at her cheekily, "You think so huh?"
Before her face could even begin to register confusion, Robin brought one hand up and pinched a nerve in her elbow, cause her eyes to widen as the limb collapsed and fold in on itself. The one side of her went down with an small "epp!" and her friend wasted no time in rolling her over so he was pining her to the ground, though he was smart enough to hold her wrists near her head, so she couldn't flip them over again. Oh well. Live and learn.
"Who's got who now Chakano?" he crowed triumphally, before flicking a strand of hair off her forehead.
For a moment she was quiet, to stunned to speak.
Then she smiled. "Fair enough," she said, flexing her fingers as a signal that he could get off now, and he did so. But when he stood up, Starfire was please to see that he had to steady his legs due to exhaustion. Good. At least she had given him a run for his win. Not wanting his to see her in a similar stumble, she merely crossed her legs when she sat up, and motioned for him to sit as well.
He gladly did so.
"You are very good," she complimented him mildly. "Very quick."
In fact, he was one of the quickest fighters she had ever seen in her life, but she didn't plan on telling him that now that he had won. He beamed at her. "Thanks, you're pretty good yourself. How long have you been training?"
"Since I was-"
"What the heck is going on here?!" came a furious cry from behind them.
Leaping to their feet as though they had been electrocuted, Robin and Starfire spun around to come face to face with a livid Superboy, who was standing with his own fists at the ready. Which he was now lowering. Glaring bloody daggers at the two younger teens the Kryptonian growled out, "I thought we were under attack! What were you two doing?!"
Red-faced, they began to speak at same time.
"Well-"
"You see-"
"-we were-"
"-not what it looks like-"
But what it did look like was that Superboy was about to go off in a explosion that would put a supernova to shame. But before he had the change to, his would-be victims were saved by the sudden activation of the zeta tubes.
Y+J
"Recognized Aqualad-B02. Recognized Kid Flash-B03."
Well it looks like the gang's all here. Yippee. Robin thought.
However, any sarcastic thoughts died quick deaths when he saw the intense, almost petrified expressions on their faces. Not even bother to acknowledge their teammates, the two dart forward.
"Computer, D.C news! NOW!" Aqualad barked without his normal calm.
"Whoa hold it," Robin cried. "What's up?"
"Nothing good dude," Wally told him in a grim tone, his green eyes deadly serious. "We know what happened to the League."
Feeling his blood drain from his face, Robin was only slightly aware of Superboy re-tensing of his fists, and Starfire's gasp. "What-"
Aqualad place a hand on the youngest boy's shoulder. "See for yourself my friend," he said grimly.
Without another word, the Atlantean gestured to the screen that no longer showed static...but compared to what was on now, Robin thought he honestly preferred the former.
Polluting the screen was the hideous face of a Lizard-man, who only had one eye.
Starfire let out a strangled little screech, and Wally wrapped a companionable arm around her...because she was trembling.
"Greeting Earthens," the lizard rasped out in a horrible voice. "I am Razor -Warmaster of the Gordanians...and by extent your master as well."
This caused jaws of everybody in the room to lock and eyes to blaze with fury-literally in Starfire's case.
"This is my right to declared, seeing that my men have defeated the champions your world sent to make war on us."
Those words, however, caused the world to shatter around the young justice fighters, as pure and unadulterated terror gripped their souls. Robin couldn't move, couldn't breath. And the one thing he could think of was his mentor.
Batman...Bruce...what have they done with you?
Reviews make me happy, so tell me what you thought and i'll update sooner!
Well, the shit...has hit the fan. But on a positive note, how was the Robin-Starfire fight...and guess on the state the League is in? Also, the gang is back together, so is everyone still in character?
P.S If anyone love WonderBat with Robin as their son, Check out Wonder by MegGyver.