Dark Titans – Arc 6 – Wed by Dawn

Chapter 9

One down and one to go for this arc.

I know it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I have to say I had a lot of fun writing a lot of the interactions in these chapters, and I'm glad at least a few of you out there feel the same way.

Mostly, I'm just glad someone got that Mt. Monokoa reference. DC Deepcuts fo life! One can only imagine the further, even MORE obscure depths I have yet to trawl! Anyway!

I don't own Ranma or Teen Titans.

Enjoy if you Will, Tolerate if you won't.

The smoke cleared quickly, pulled from the room by the brisk ocean breeze they were now exposed to. The scene that was revealed made extraordinarily little sense to the Argonian teenager. Straight before her, Ryouga sat, his chest smeared with soot, his hair blown backwards, and his face bereft of any expression.

Odder, though, was that he was sitting perpendicular to her, in defiance of gravity.

No, wait, it was her that was in defiance of gravity. Which actually made a lot more sense. Her hand was currently pinned to the bench, Ryouga's hand holding her own with a feather light touch. Kara could only stare, comprehension still taking a moment to catch up to reality.

Looking down, she noted a few things. First was her own shirt, now blackened with soot. Next was the gaping open space where the massive bay windows had stood, the dark night sky sparkling serenely and the salty ocean air filling her nostrils. After that, was the assortment of heroes staring at them, frozen in disbelief. Some were hidden behind a massive wall of translucent golden light. Others simply tanked the explosion, and a few others hid behind the larger people.

And all of them were currently looking directly up her skirt!

She tore her hand from Ryouga's without any resistance and quickly swept her hand under her butt to salvage at least some modesty as she righted herself.

She… she had lost? She turned to stare at her fanged opponent, trying to think of what she could possibly say. Her brain just wasn't processing what had happened. Was he going to mock her mercilessly? Rub her face in her humiliating defeat? She cringed as her imagination started moving at super speed.

For his part, though Ryouga simply nodded to her then rose to his feet in a strange, almost robotic fashion.

"Thank you for the match," he muttered soullessly, "But I'm not really in the mood to celebrate at the moment."

Kara watched, breathlessly, as Ryouga leaned forward to rest his hands on the bench; he took in a long, shuddering breath, his long, wild bangs shadowing his eyes.

"Terra! Jinx!"

Confused for a moment, Kara glanced around, only to see the blonde and pinkette girls creeping stealthily towards the elevator. The second their names were called out, they both froze in place, before turning around sheepishly.

Taking another long breath, Ryouga stood back up, before gracing her with a ghost of a smile. "Let's talk in a moment. I need to speak with my… friends."

She nodded dumbly as the ash slicked martial artist exited stage left.

It took another moment before the room exploded into cheers, hoots and hollers. Immediately, Speedy was at her side, clapping her shoulder, even as people crowded in from all sides, offering powerfully insincere condolences at her defeat.

"Man, Supes," Speedy managed to get out between strangled chuckles, "How on earth did you lose to him?"

The pair of them looked over to where Ryouga was currently chatting with his pretty young tormentors. A few people were trying to go over to congratulate him, but a line of Mousse, Shampoo and Mammoth turned them away with shakes of their heads. She could understand that. Just from her brief 'chat' with him, she doubted that Ryouga was ready to make small talk.

"I-I don't know what happened," she admitted. All she remembered was the world going blurry as tears filled her eyes, and then that blinding flash of unearthly azure light.

"I think that I can offer an explanation."

Turning around, Kara was somehow not surprised to see Nabiki standing next to them, Kasumi, Artemis and Argent flanking her. The brunette lady in the dark green suit cocked out her hip and smiled a killer smile.

"After all, it was my patented five stage plan that led to your defeat."

Stargirl floated forward, looking a touch offended for some reason. "You expect us to believe that you came up with a plan that let a Titan beat a Leaguer?"

Rather than respond, Nabiki simply rolled her eyes before glancing at the bench, now blackened with ash, except for the clean patch that looked suspiciously like Supergirl's forearm and hand.

"By all means," Speedy jumped in, grinning broadly, "Reveal your evil genius for us, Nabiki. I, for one, would love to hear your thought process."

Kara glanced back and forth between the two as Nabiki fired a curious look Speedy's way before shrugging.

"It's hardly rocket science, not for anyone that knows the value of research, anyway," Nabiki began her explanation nonchalantly, "After all, there is more fight footage of Superman than there are thick-browed hench-goons in Gotham."

That comment garnered a few nods as well as some chuckles from the gathered heroes. Kara found herself quite curious as to just what this 'plan' had been, as well.

Nabiki gestured absently at Kara. "First off, like her slightly more famous cousin, Supergirl here seems to be able to tank most things as long as she can brace herself properly"

Once again, people nodded in agreement, and Kara waited for her to explain further.

"However, I know we have all seen footage of Superman getting knocked around by explosions, even ones that are totally incapable of actually hurting him, when he gets caught by surprise."

"Which happens a lot!" Speedy added with a laugh. "The big blue Boy Scout gets knocked around more than any other Leaguer."

Kara glowered slightly at the insinuation, but it wasn't like she could deny it. It wasn't their fault that the big S on their chests just happened to make them the number one target for all the heaviest ordinance in the world.

"Hence my patented five stage plan," Nabiki continued, looking more pleased with herself by the moment. "Step one-"

"Hit Supergirl where it hurts, right in her hormones!" Stargirl called out before bursting out into laughter. "Girl, you were blushing when Ryouga's shirt came off!"

"I was not… the only one," Supergirl finished lamely. Lying would just make it more embarrassing. And at least seeing a few other of the girl's nod, bashfully or shamelessly, made her feel less singled out.

Nabiki nodded again, "That's right. First distract the enemy. Which led to stage two: stall for time!"

Kara started, realization hitting her suddenly.

"I need a minute to warm up, he said," she muttered, "'Warm up' my ass!"

"I'm sure that will come later," The dark-haired schemer giggled ominously. She then shrugged absently. "Of course, giving you a shirtless slab of beefcake to ogle didn't hurt. After all, you would have won instantly if you didn't decide to play along."

Kara grumbled under her breath. Curse her good sportsmanship… and her weakness to a really nice set of abs.

"So, what was all of the stuff with you guys being super jerks?" Hotspot asked, several people nodding along.

"Well, it's not my place to explain Ryouga's metahuman abilities," Nabiki dodged artfully, "But we did need to get him into, let's say… the proper mindset for this plan. Luckily our lovely assistants were able to provide the proper fuel for that fire."

There were some grumbles at the lack of explanation, but Kara didn't begrudge Nabiki. She was fairly sure she understood most of it, and letting it get too well known that his powers were based on emotions could become a potential hazard for Ryouga. Secrecy was the best defense against most opponents, and not just for identities.

"Then we just needed to get Supergirl to stop bracing herself," Nabiki continued, "Luckily, Ryouga's tech- ahem, power, has some interesting side effects when used to that degree."

"Wait just a second!" A new voice interrupted as a familiar redhead floated forward, drifting up out of the floor as she did. To say the look on Megan's usual cheerful face was… less than pleased would be an understatement.

"You mean you planned to make Ryouga feel those terrible, awful things?" the Martian teen asked in outrage. She floated forward and nearly poked a finger to Nabiki's chest before catching herself. "Do you have any idea what you subjected him to there?"

Again, Nabiki simply shrugged. "Nothing worse than he's put himself through before. Trust me, he's used to it. That was nothing compared to some of his big melt downs."

"U-used to feeling that?" Megan asked in disbelief. "Used to worse than that? Oh god, I want to cry just thinking about it."

Supergirl stared at Megan, the redhead's words bouncing around her skull. An instant later, she spun on Nabiki as well.

"Wait, that was why you wanted him depressed instead of angry? You wanted me to feel bad for him?"

"And such a sweet and noble hero you are, too," Nabiki cooed in a saccharine tone, "Getting all teary eyed for our poor little Lost Boy and his hopeless struggle against an impossible opponent. It was even easier than I expected, that bit."

Kara felt her temper begin to flare a bit, but quickly stomped it back down. As convoluted and manipulative as Nabiki's plan was, it was her own arrogance that had let it happen at all.

"And when she lifted her hand, she broke her own bracing," Pantha surmised, rubbing a knuckle across her broad chin and grinning, "Which let the little man take advantage of his leverage, as well as his explosive surprise, to topple the unbeatable."

At that, Nabiki finally frowned, showing some small amount of displeasure. "Yes, well I think he put too much into his little surprise. Unfortunately, my lovely assistants were a bit too helpful, there." The glower was quickly replaced with a self-satisfied grin. "But that brings us full circle. Grossly oversimplified, Supergirl, plus distraction, plus being unbalanced, plus a sufficiently powerful blast, equals one godlike Kryptonian sent for a tumble, even if a short one."

Kara could only shake her head at the sheer audacity of Nabiki's plan. Especially considering how much of it relied on taking advantage of her being a basically decent person. Man, she was just glad that this Nabiki was a hero. She definitely wouldn't want to go up against the young woman. Clark knew that she could potentially give Luthor a run for his money in a few years.

Once again, people laughed and cheered, until Nabiki raised her hands for calm once more.

"Of course, that brings us to the fun part," she stated with open avarice, "As I get to claim my prize. I do believe you said you would do anything for the winner, after all, didn't you?"

Kara felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She quickly spun about and caught a glance of Shampoo, which was enough to spark her memory of an important bit she had heard earlier. Smiling broadly, she turned back.

"Heh, not so fast, Nabiki! I'm not about to make the Second Famous Nerima Blunder!"

"What? How do you know about that?" Nabiki asked, actually looking shocked for the first time. It was deeply gratifying to see, in a petty sort of way. Donna let out a bark of laughter, even as everyone else looked on in confusion, well, except for the Nerima folk, of course.

Was it odd that the more people she met from there, the more she wanted to visit?

This time, it was Kara's turn to shrug helplessly. "I hear things now and then. Anyway, as great as your plan was, it was still Ryouga that beat me, and so it's his choice."

She thanked whoever was upstairs for that small miracle. Not only did Ryouga seem like the shy, decent type, his girlfriend was literally in the same room. The odds of him asking her to do anything she might… or might not… regret were pretty much nil.

Nabiki glowered and stamped her foot to the ground, grinding her heel for good measure, before calling out loudly.

"Ryouga! Get your butt over here!"

"Terra, Jinx!"

Terra winced as her name cracked like a whip. Reluctantly, she stopped her cowardly retreat and shared a look with the pink haired girl at her side. Jinx cringed as well, offering her a nervous grin as the pair of them turned around.

Ryouga stalked towards them with measured steps, his face weirdly blank. As he approached, the martial artist absently ran a hand through his windswept hair, and his shaggy locks somehow fell back into their usual messy style. Despite the situation, and despite herself, Terra had a hard time stopping her eyes from drifting down as he came to a stop right before them.

"My eyes are up here, ladies," Ryouga muttered dispassionately.

Blushing furiously, Terra forced herself to lock gazes with her master, even as she noted Jinx making no such effort to stop staring. Rolling his eyes, Ryouga turned back to the throng.

"Hey Mousse, can I get a shirt?"

Mousse, Shampoo and Mammoth all walked in their direction, though kept back a respectful distance. Even as Shampoo grinned shamelessly, and Mammoth offered a supremely impressed thumbs up, Mousse tilted his head, then a black shirt popped out of his sleeve, which he tossed through the air.

A blast of pink plasma caught the shirt mid air, and the remnants disintegrated into yet more ash as it plopped into Ryouga's waiting arms. The fanged fighter turned to fire a weak glare at the irascible Jinx, then shot a pleading look Mousse's way.

Shaking his own head, Mousse pulled out a heavier looking shirt, and whipped it to Ryouga faster than Jinx could react. A few moments later and Ryouga was thankfully - maybe a bit disappointingly - dressed again. He shot Mousse a grateful look before turning his attention back to the pair of them.

He looked over both of them several times, before his gaze hardened just slightly and he settled on Jinx. Holding up a finger, he pointed firmly at the pale young woman.

"Oh, I am going to deal with you later, but first." Even as Jinx dug her toe into the floor and squirmed a bit, Ryouga turned his attention to Terra.

The young geokinetic felt her stomach sinking as life started to flicker in the back of Ryouga's dark eyes. Unfortunately, the way his eyes crinkled up at the corners and the tension in his jaw made it look like he was in pain.

"You… didn't mean what you said… did you?"

Of course, he would ask about that. She shook her head furiously, nearly whipping Jinx in the face with her long hair. "No way! Mousse told me I had to think of the most messed up thing I could possibly think of… and all I could think of was some super cryptic stuff like from Beast Boy's anime!"

"Just… made up?" Ryouga replied stiffly, robotically.

"Of course, it was just complete nonsense!" she declared earnestly. Deciding to go one better, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around her waist. "After all, how could I mean it? I mean, you already saved me, right?"

Thankfully, that garnered a weak chuckle and a weaker smile from her mentor, and he wrapped his arms gently around her, returning her hug. Squeezing tighter for a moment, Terra finally let go and pulled back from his arms.

She remembered seeing Ryouga do the Shi Shi Houkodan once, a long time ago, and it had been nothing to write home about. But now that she knew how it worked, and just how powerful it could be, it was so much scarier than she could have imagined. And watching him struggling to readjust back to being a normal human after draining himself like that…

She hoped she never saw him use it again! And if Mousse's brief slideshow had been correct, then his little outburst here hadn't even been close to what he was capable of.

Once again, she was glad she had been standing next to Argent when his attack had gone off!

"You weren't lying, though, were you," Ryouga muttered, this time to Jinx.

Jinx let out a guilty sigh. "Well… it's just… I mean, you hate getting lost, don't you?"

He nodded slowly.

"Well, if you hate something, then I hate it too!" Jinx declared proudly, hands on her hips. "Besides, it's not even that big of a deal anymore, right? I just need a tracker, or a communicator, and then I can keep tabs on you wherever you go."

Ryouga's wan smile grew more genuine at that revelation. "That shouldn't be a problem at all." A moment later, his grin descended into a full-blown frown. "But this Ranma business. When did you even meet him to kiss him?"

Jinx's reply was a loud bark of laughter. "Well... of course that was a lie! Like you said, I never even met the guy! I just knew that would really set you off. Eheh...heh…"

Terra wasn't exactly sure why, but something felt a bit off with her companion's reply, and Ryouga eyed her intently for a moment, before finally shrugging.

"Well, one way or another, you are going to have a lot of explaining to do when I introduce you to my parents."

Terra grinned ear to ear at the statement, it was so cute, offering to introduce Jinx to his parents. She was not, however, prepared for the tears that sprang up in Jinx's eyes.

"You-you mean it?" she asked in a tiny voice.

He scratched his chin. "Well, not right away, obviously. I might have to buy another favor from Mr. Cobblepot to make that miracle happen. ...And who am I kidding, Mom loves Ranma, I doubt she would care if you made out with him a bit."

"Oh gross!" Terra turned to Jinx, fighting to keep her food down. "Why would you ever make out with Ranma?"

"I never made out with Ranma!" Jinx all but yelled. A moment later, though, the slim young woman turned her neon pink eyes on Terra, as if really noticing her for the first time. "Wait, have you not seen how hot Ranma is?"

Jinx turned to Ryouga - who was pinching the bridge of his nose at her last comment-, jerking her thumb Terra's way.

"And exactly who is this strange girl that keeps hugging you and somehow said something that made you feel even worse than what I said?"

Terra wanted to kick herself for not properly introducing herself earlier in the night, now it was going to be even more awkward than she had feared.

Reaching out, Ryouga wrapped an arm around Terra's narrow shoulders and pulled her to his side. "Jinx, let me introduce you to Terra. She's my student… no, my apprentice."

She felt a glowing warmth building up in her chest at the sudden declaration. Jinx for her part, stared at her in confusion for a moment, before it looked like a sudden flash of insight struck her.

"Hold up a second. Is that 'Tara' with a 'T-A', or 'Terra' with a 'T-E'?"

"Um… Terra with a T-E," she muttered, feeling a bit self conscious. Her nervousness only grew as Jinx's eyes widened into dinner plates.

"Holy shit! You're that Terra?" Jinx asked, clearly in disbelief. Before Terra could even nod, Jinx spun on Ryouga. "You are training the Terra? The girl that single handedly beat the Titans and then killed Slade?"

Terra felt like her entire world was collapsing in on itself again, until Ryouga responded with a shit-eating grin. "That's right."

Jinx seemed to consider his words for a moment, then tilted her head and considered some more, before she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Terra's free arm.

"I want half!"

Huh!?

"You want what?" Ryouga asked with an incredulous look.

"What?" Jinx replied innocently. "We're an item now, so we share everything, right? And just imagine what I could do with someone this powerful!"

"W-wait," Terra managed to get a hesitant word in edgewise. "You - you want to help train me?"

Jinx nodded frantically, her grin growing worryingly wide. "I know Ryouga is great and all, but I've been training under Ranma's master. I know a few tricks even he doesn't know!"

"No, no, no way, no how, not even a chance!" Ryouga tugged Terra back a bit, but not so hard as to dislodge Jinx. "I'm not letting you pollute Terra with anything from the Anything Goes school, especially not Happosai's stuff!"

Jinx pouted adorably at being shut down so completely but replied with an innocent shrug. "Fine, Ryouga. I promise I won't teach Terra anything… that she doesn't ask about."

The cat eyed girl then fired a cheeky wink Terra's way. "In that case, though, I insist that you call me Senpai!"

Terra could only stare blankly, even as Ryouga burst out in laughter, finally sounding more or less back to normal. What did that even mean? She was totally going to have to learn Japanese if everyone was going to keep being jerks about it!

"Anyway, now we need to discuss both of your punishments for putting me in such a rotten mood," Ryouga suddenly declared. Instantly, Terra and her partner in crime froze up as he pierced them with his glare.

"Wait, why just us?" Terra asked petulantly, "Everyone else was being jerks, too!"

Ryouga shrugged, "I'm used to those knuckleheads saying stuff like that," he glanced over towards the eldest Tendo sister, "Except for Kasumi, anyway. That one stung."

Terra couldn't stop from giggling, though, after spending a week on the road with him, she couldn't exactly argue with Kasumi. Though, to be fair, his cooking was still leagues better than her own. Maybe he could teach her more about that later on, too?

Giving his head another shake, Ryouga pointed to Jinx. "Your job is to get me as drunk as possible. After firing off a shot like that, I'm completely miserable, and my head feels like Mammoth's punching bag."

Jinx laughed happily and shot off a quick salute. "Challenge accepted! I'm pretty sure I saw the keg go flying, but I know Mousse will hook us up."

Ryouga then turned to Terra. "And your job is to make sure I stay out of trouble." He glanced at Jinx, who was grinning ear to ear. "All kinds of trouble."

At that, Jinx pouted, even as Terra clutched onto Ryouga's arm more possessively. She nodded fiercely, getting his meaning.

Now, they just-

"Ryouga! Get your butt over here!"

Jinx turned to see Nabiki glaring heatedly in their general direction. The usually fashionable brunette was standing opposite to an ash covered Supergirl, and it looked like they were having quite the chat. She looked to Ryouga and Terra, both of whom offered up helpless shrugs.

Following Ryouga's lead - always a dangerous proposal - they moved to return to the main gathering. Jinx nodded a grateful look to Mammoth for making sure they hadn't been disturbed while she sorted things out with Ryouga. The large teen returned her grin before turning to Ryouga and slapping a hand to his shoulder and offering his congratulations for beating Supergirl in such a spectacularly underhanded way.

Jinx, on the other hand, dropped a hand on Mousse's shoulder, even as she kept a wary eye on the nearby Shampoo. The vindictive Amazon looked less furious now, so she probably heard her denying she'd actually kissed Ranma. Rather, Shampoo offered her a curt nod and a nasty grin before she moved to join up with Argent and immediately start gossiping.

"So, you managed to diffuse Hibiki. Impressive," said Mousse.

"Well, I'd say I got him down to Defcon Two, anyway," she replied. Giving his shoulder a squeeze, she jammed her free hand up his sleeve and started searching around, ignoring his shocked gasp. "Speaking of which, I need something strong enough to wash down a Perfect Shi Shi Houkodan. Come on, duck boy, I know you got the goods!"

Pulling back his arm, looking scandalized, Mousse took a moment to adjust his glasses. "Excuse you. One does not simply start rooting through a man's sleeves!"

The hidden weapon master tilted his head to the side, his tongue poking out as he concentrated, and then, a moment later, a bottle popped out of his sleeve and into Jinx's waiting hands.

"I think that should suffice. For the herculean task of beating Supergirl, let this be suitable recompense."

Jinx looked at the bottle in her hands, flipping it about. Sake? And it looked expensive, too! Nodding to herself, she leapt up and planted a quick kiss on Mousse's cheek.

"You big softy, you!" She then nodded to Nabiki, "So what's up with her, anyway? Looks like she's got a bug up her britches, something fierce."

Mousse smiled mysteriously. "Oh, she's just upset that Supergirl doesn't agree with her interpretation that, since it was her plan, that she should get the prize. Personally, I think it was more of a team effort."

She couldn't help but giggle. What would Nabiki even do with a favor from a Kryptonian? Steal a bank for her? Murder a competitor?

Actually, a less than tasteful photo shoot seemed far more likely. Hell, Jinx would buy thatcalendar!

Clinging to Mousse with one arm and cradling her spirit-lifting spirits in the other, Jinx made her way to join the rest of their friends.

Ryouga was already standing between Supergirl and Nabiki, not exactly an enviable position currently. The latter greeted him with an annoyed grunt and nod. The Kryptonian, however, looked over to him and graced him with a compassionate smile.

"Hey, how are you feeling, big guy?"

Jinx's perpetual smile withered slightly at the unadulterated niceness, but thankfully, her Lost Boy only responded with a cordial grin.

"I'll be better once I'm too drunk to think for a few hours."

A few people around the room chuckled in sympathy. Most probably figured it was just from being at ground zero for that blast. Which might be part of it now that she thought of it.

"So, what has you two looking so annoyed," Ryouga inquired evenly, "That's usually my job."

Supergirl obviously didn't know him well enough to get it, but the indomitable Nabiki couldn't help but giggle at his jest.

"Super-sore-loser here says that I don't get to claim my winnings! So, you need to tell her to do what I say!"

The blonde Leaguer rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Just because I'm not a sucker doesn't mean I'm a sore loser." She turned her crystal blue eyes Ryouga's way and smiled shyly. "What do you want for your prize?"

Ryouga chuckled, scratching his chin. "Well, I haven't had long to think about it. I was trying to think of a proper punishment for your arrogance."

A few more chuckles from the audience as Supergirl super pouted. "I'm not arrogant…"

"About the worst thing I can think of, off the top of my head, is making you go on a date…"

Jinx wasn't sure if Supergirl was starting to blush, or if her own vision was just going red with rage, as people gasped in shock and amusement across the room.

"With Speedy."

There was a moment of silence as Ryouga smiled shamelessly before the gathered heroes exploded into laughter at the poor archer's expense. Jinx let out an equally explosive sigh of relief, as did Mousse next to her as she released her death grip on his shoulder.

Supergirl sent a faux scandalized glare Ryouga's way, clutching her hand to her chest. "You monster!"

"Hey!" Speedy stomped forward and jabbed a finger to Ryouga's chest. "If you think that I'm the kinda guy that will take a pity date after being humiliated in front of a crowd… well, you're right!"

The crimson archer spun and fired a lascivious wink at the alien heroine. "Just so you know, I have expensive tastes."

"Not so fast!" Nabiki interposed herself betwixt them once more. "I didn't come up with a killer plan like that just to help bow boy get to first base with someone literally in a different League."

There were a few snickers at Speedy's expense, again.

"Mousse right," Shampoo entered the chat, "Was group effort, should be group decision. Like, just as random example, complete win-win situation for everyone… we make Miniskirt girl join Amazon tribe?"

"What?"

"Boo!"

"Miniskirt girl?"

Terra took a shy step forward and held up her hand. "Maybe… we could make her fix all the damage we did to the tower? You know, so Robin doesn't murder us when he gets back?"

Jinx grinned as she watched Supergirl blanche at the idea, probably trying vainly to calculate the costs of the damage they've done so far. Hell, that bay window alone was probably tens of thousands of dollars, if not more!

"We need something that will generate profit, not just recoup your losses," Nabiki rebutted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Like a tasteful lingerie calendar perhaps?"

The rest of the bay windows were nearly blown out by the cheers, catcalls and wolf whistles that followed that suggestion. Several of the guys actually clapped Nabiki on the shoulder.

Speedy shrugged moodily. "Well, if not the date, then that's okay, too."

"I said nothing sexual!" Supergirl cried, her face redder than her cape.

"I said 'nothing sexual'," Mousse stepped in with an evil grin, "You overruled me and said nothing overtly sexual, which a calendar is not."

"Mumu! You traitor!"

Slowly, everyone turned back to Ryouga, who was slowly shaking his head.

"Come on, people," he exclaimed loudly, "It was just a friendly match, between friends. We're not going to change her citizenship, or cripple her with debt or… or whatever Nabiki wants to do."

Supergirl let out a massive sigh of relief, even as everyone else groaned in disappointment. Hibiki then tilted his head one way, then the other, deep in thought. "Still, a little embarrassment is fair game. Need to remind the high and mighty League types not to underestimate us little guys down here."

Jinx tapped her chin. What could you do to embarrass someone that was essentially Superman with breasts? The thought ticked off a distant memory.

'After all, how do you catch a Super man?'

'With a Super panty raid!'

It was a fight to keep in the laughter. She was almost tempted to suggest they get a picture of Supergirl with panties on her head… but that was gonna be how Happi and she became legends. Also, you didn't become a legend by picking on the second stringers, not when the big fish was still out there.

Well, that and the idea probably wouldn't land too well with this crowd. Ryouga was already leery about her training with the old goat as it was, based on his earlier rant. She'd bring him around eventually, but now probably wasn't the time.

"Get her to streak all of Metropolis!" Thanks for that mental image, Kid Flash.

"Cleaning the stables on Themyscira is always a Herculean task!" Ugh, Amazon puns, and Mousse did it better, ironically.

"Make her fight crime exclusively in Gotham for a week!" offered Artemis. "It would drive the Bat totally batty!"

Jinx added her boo to the collective groan of disgust from the gathered heroes (and secret villains). Superhero puns were the worst!

Ryouga was busy scratching his chin, deep in thought as he considered the various options. He seemed to be gauging the amount of dread that crossed over the Kryptonian teen's face as she heard each idea. The only thing more amusing than watching her squirm uncomfortably, was the fact that she was only in this situation because she was dumb enough to actually care about holding up her end of the bargain. Not like anyone could stop Supergirl from welching.

"Um, you know," the invulnerable blonde cut in, batting her eyes at Ryouga, "You don't have to focus on the whole embarrassing me thing, do you? Just a thought, but Ma taught me how to cook up a real good chicken fried steak. Maybe I could make you dinner to make up for not taking you seriously?"

Mousse let out a pained squeal as Jinx's nails dug deeply into his arm. Supergirl did not just proposition Ryouga right in front of her!

Maybe Mu Mu-Chan had some kryptonite piano wire up his sleeve?

Ryouga held up his hands. So many suggestions, and so little ability to think of anything better. His mind still wasn't firing on all cylinders from the Shi Shi Houkodan, and the drinks on top of that weren't helping. He just needed to stall a bit.

"I think-"

Fortuitously, whatever string of nonsense he was going to adlib was cut off, as Supergirl held up one hand to silence him and lifted the other to her ear. Immediately, the playful look on her face gave way to a deadly serious expression.

Wait, had she been wearing an earbud this entire time?

Actually, it wasn't just her. Shampoo, Stargirl and Mousse were all doing the same thing, looks of surprise crossing their faces. A call from the League? What else could it be?

Supergirl nodded sharply. "It's alright, J'onn, we're all together. What's the situation?"

Martian Manhunter was calling them? Sheesh, it really was a League thing. Come to think of it, how long had it been since he'd been taken to see J'onn to get his mind sorted out after the whole Brother Blood insanity? Now he felt bad about not talking to Miss Martian more.

There was a long pause as the four senior heroes in the room listened to whatever was being said in their ears. Damn, why didn't the League use video communicators like the Titans and Hive did? Well, probably specifically so an entire room of looky loos couldn't just listen in. Stupid common sense!

"Got it. Sounds bad." Supergirl then glanced around the room appraisingly. "I do have a room of superheroes available, do you want me to ask for volunteers?"

Another short pause, and the abruptly designated leader nodded before lowering her hand from her ear.

"Alright, people," she started quickly in a brusque and professional tone she'd been lacking just moments earlier. "We have an unexpected volcanic eruption on a tiny resort island a few hundred miles off the coast… the other coast."

The instant that the words 'volcanic eruption' spilt forth from Supergirl's crimson lips, Ryouga felt fingernails dig desperately into his arm. Looking down, the Lost Boy had almost forgotten that Terra had attached herself to his arm, but what he saw didn't fill him with joy. His apprentice's hair had once again fallen to shadow her eye, but what he could see of her face was bone white.

It didn't take a psychic to realize what was troubling his protege.

"I need anyone that can assist with the mass evacuation of an island," Supergirl continued in the same no-nonsense tone, "I'm looking at you, Kid Flash and Donna!"

Before anyone even had the chance to blink, Kid Flash was already at her side, and Donna flew over with the younger Wondergirl in tow. Miss Martian stepped forward, muttering something about talking to her uncle.

Unexpectedly, Shampoo gestured over to Argent. "Come on, Unstable Goth Anarchist. You can help with oversized clown hands!"

Rather than look offended, Argent stepped over, a sassy grin on her face. "Just don't expect me to take orders from a Totalitarian Feminazi Stormtrooper like you!"

Well, those two were getting along like a house on fire… maybe more literally than not. Shampoo must be missing Ukyou more than Ryouga would have thought possible.

Mousse 'volunteered' Herald, which seemed like a good move to the Lost Boy, and Stargirl pulled Hotspot along for the ride as well, though he wasn't sure what a fire guy was gonna do to a volcano.

Finally, Supergirl turned her attention back to her immediate vicinity, notably Nabiki and himself. He wasn't sure what that was about, though, she should be addressing Speedy, since he was the Titan leader at the moment, Ryouga was more just the coach, he felt.

Regardless, she didn't even get the chance to ask the former, as the villainous brunette held up her hand to forestall any such invitation.

"Sorry, going to have to pass. My crew isn't really set up for that kind of work, anyway."

Supergirl nodded, taking her answer at face value. Ryouga figured it was probably true to an extent, lacking the moral component necessary. Not to mention just being at this party was already pushing the middle Tendo's luck to breaking. Passing through a few League ID scanners, especially for Mammoth and Gizmo, would end their game real fast.

"What about you, Ryouga?" she followed up a moment later. "You and Terra could really…"

The Kryptonian's words trailed off, and it wasn't hard to guess why, judging by where Supergirl's gaze was drifting.

Ryouga stroked Terra's hair; he could feel her shaking like a leaf. A quick glance revealed the haunted look in her dark, sapphire eyes. He could only imagine what those eyes were seeing at the moment, but it didn't take much to guess that it involved fire, pain and death.

He shifted his posture, interposing himself between his young ward and the gathered crowd. The instinct to protect Terra in her moment of weakness was overwhelming, and he didn't even try to fight it. Leaning down, he whispered a quick, "I've got you."

Turning back to the League representative, he offered a helpless shrug.

"I'm sorry as well. We're still too early in our training for something on that scale." He then chuckled loudly, before shooting a grin at Mousse. "Besides, us Nerima types aren't too fond of the beach, and especially not of scenic resort islands out in the middle of nowhere. You know what I mean, right Mousse?"

The bespectacled hidden weapon master nodded and offered a small laugh of his own. "Let's just say that we've had some traumatic experiences and leave it at that."

"Lost Boy probably still just mad he stuck rescuing Spatula Girl instead of Akane! Nothing more traumatic than dealing with her!" Shampoo added gleefully.

That got a few chuckles from the Nerima alumni, even Kasumi hovering in the background now. For her part, Supergirl glanced back and forth between Ryouga and Terra, realization clear on her face, then nodded.

"I understand. And don't worry about it, you're doing the right thing."

The pair shared a mutual, respectful nod, as Supergirl turned to regard her contingent of teammates and volunteers before nodding to herself. It was a bulk of the heavy hitters at the party, and they would be working with full League members, so Ryouga had no doubt that they would be able to handle any situation they came up against.

She then tapped the bud in her ear. "Alright, J'onn, we've got eleven total. Give us a moment to tag our volunteers, then bring us back upstairs."

There was a short pause, and she lowered her hand again. Turning, she made an obscure gesture to her teammates, and Stargirl, Mousse and Shampoo immediately started handing out small devices, maybe trackers, to the volunteers. As they did, Supergirl stole the moment to abruptly hop forward and wrap her arms around Ryouga's neck.

"Sorry for ditching the party, you'll have to take a rain check. ...Also, thanks for being a gracious winner, and not being a total jerk about the stupid bet thing."

"Don't thank me yet. You're just giving me more time to come up with something," he replied as casually as he could muster.

Ha! Not this time, 'Surprise Gorgeous Blonde Hug'! Thankfully, all of his arduous training had paid off. That, and he was pretty sure that if got a nosebleed at this very moment, then Jinx would murder him. A quick look to the side revealed the slim pinkette glaring sparking pink daggers at Supergirl's back. Thinking quickly, he gently rested his hands on the Kryptonian's surprisingly soft and warm shoulders and pushed her back to arm's distance.

"Now get out there and save the day."

He was rewarded with a good-natured laugh. "Yeah, yeah. Up, up and away and all that."

She spun and nodded to Mousse. "Everyone ready for transport?"

"Yes, ma'am. Good call, too. Knowing Hibiki, he'd end up making the volcano explode more somehow."

"Shut up, Duck boy."

"Make me, Child Support."

Ah, the posturing, how he missed it. That was a good one, too, nearly a Ranma level taunt. Before things could get fun, though, Supergirl held up her hands.

"Alright, alright, you're both pretty." She then spun and bowed quickly to Speedy and Kasumi. "Thanks again for inviting us, and sorry for stealing half of your guests. We have to do this again next year!"

"You know it, girl! I'm not giving up on that date!" Speedy, obviously.

Kasumi returned her bow and raised her a sunny smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you all. And I certainly hope it won't be a full year before we can talk again."

Supergirl looked like she was about to say something else, only for flashes of light to engulf the chosen heroes, and an instant later they were gone.

There was a moment of silence, perhaps the remaining heroes saying a quick prayer for their companions going into danger. It was shattered soon after, though, as Ryouga sighed loudly and slouched as his strong front crumbled at last.

"Alright, I don't know about the rest of you, but that is my cue to get drunk!"

Judging by the cheers that followed, there was a bit of life left in this party, yet.

After a seeming eternity, the last vestiges of the towering vortex of glowing winds finally broke apart and dissipated away in the morning light.

Cyborg could only shake his head in disbelief and thank the Lord Almighty that they hadn't been up in the tower when that had gone off. He was pretty sure even the insane Ranma/Goku tornado from a few months back had been smaller than this monstrosity.

"Whoa…" muttered a shell-shocked Spice standing a few yards away, still staring at the shattered peak of the palace. "I mean, I knew that she knew the technique… but to actually see her use it? It somehow makes it even less believable!"

The Titanium Titan grinned broadly. "Well, I'd say we can definitely call that a win for Star."

"What exactly was that? I have never seen the like."

Cyborg turned to his side, where Captain Phyarelle was standing, also staring at the palace in wonder. Several of his crew were with them, mostly dressed in oddly sexy looking commando wear. Reminded him a bit of the whole Nudist Beach thing from that one anime he didn't let Beast Boy watch.

"Just a reminder to never get on the bad side of an Amazon," Cyborg explained, pointedly ignoring the cheeky grins on Lotion's and Spice's faces, "Also, thanks for the last-minute cavalry, Cap'n. Things were getting a bit touch and go, there."

The frustratingly handsome captain chuckled and nodded. "Yes, well, your young friend made quite a spectacle in the skies. Also, you looked like you could use a hand, yourself."

Cyborg let out a loud, annoyed huff of air as he looked down to… to where his right arm should have been. Right now, his shoulder was more of a blackened, molten mess. Those Schlurchians - or whatever the heck they were - did not skimp on the weapons.

"Haha," he laughed mirthlessly, "Very funny, Captain Banderas. And don't think I plan on making a habit of getting my limbs blown off by alien super weapons."

"Captain Banderas?" the Captain parroted, before suddenly perking up, "I understand this reference! Such an honor!"

A pained, disgusted grunt drew their attention to the last member of their small gathering. Sitting on the ground, his arms and legs heavily bound and pinned to the ground by his own spear, was Dizzenind'r. His reinforced outfit was torn and scorched in several places. Not only had Cyborg and Spice been forced to play rough with the guy, but he had overestimated just how well he had reprogrammed those automated defenses, and it had been less a battle and more of a free-for-all game of laser death tag.

Hence the whole being disarmed thing.

"You - you had no right to interfere with our world!"

Lotion was the first to respond, the conflict on her face clear to see. Moving forward, she leaned before the immobilized Tamaranean.

"What choice did we have? Your Empress, she deceived your entire race, deceived you. She cast aside the honor of your people, and spat on the honor of my own, all for some petty grudge!"

It was sad, he could just see it on the young scholar's face, the need to convince him that they were not in the wrong. Judging by his reaction, though, her words were falling on deaf ears.

"You cast aside your own honor for self interest," he bit back, spitting on the ground before her. "You toppled a rightful and just ruler just to install someone beholden to you! You care nothing for my people, that we were happy!"

"Speak for yourself, Rutha-kri," Captain Phyarelle spat back. The moment the word passed his lips, Dizzy, as well as a number of his own crew stared at him in open shock. The long-haired officer's shoulders slumped. "I apologize, I should have not said that…"

Dizzenind'r stared back at the Captain, his expression dark as pitch. "The true nature of the elite never changes."

That was enough of that. Cyborg took a step forward, his size sixteen boot slamming to the ground. He swiped his remaining arm through the air.

"You know what, fudge all that!" He pointed directly at their prisoner. "I don't give a crap about your government, or your problems. Blackfire could have ruled Tamaran all the live-long-damn-day for all I cared. But she didn't."

He leaned forward, drilling into Dizzy with his glare. "I want you to remember this. She came after us. She had all the power on this entire planet, and she used it to go after her sister."

Standing back up, he let out a dismissive snort. "You talk politics and all that other crap as much as you want, but someone comes after my family? You know they are goin' down!"

He looked away, not able to look at the pitiable guy any longer.

"I dunno who this wonderful, perfect leader you're spouting off about is, but it sure as hell isn't Blackfire."

Beast Boy, Spice and Lotion all nodded in agreement, maybe even looking a touch impressed.

"Well said," offered Phyarelle.

Dizzenind'r, though, could only stare at his own feet, lost in his own thoughts.

Maybe there was some hope for the guy, yet.

"Mesnef!"

Then again, maybe not.

It sat, unassumingly, in the shade of the alleyway, hidden away from the morning sun lighting the brilliant amethyst sky. It almost blended in with the rest of the rubble that had tumbled from the heavens mere hours prior, however the large, blood-red jewel sparkled in a way that the rest of the debris did not.

The tip of an ancient wooden staff dipped beneath the remains of the golden chain mounted to the stone and flipped it carelessly up into the air. A moment later, an equally ancient hand snapped out and caught the gem, cradling it gently within her grasp.

"You took me on quite the treasure hunt, now didn't you?" Cologne asked rhetorically.

Idly, she rolled the jewel around her palm, seeing many fascinating reflections in its finely cut facets. It was a good thing that it was still overflowing with Blackfire's unique pedigree of spiritual weight, or she might never have found it.

"Why am I not surprised?"

The voice came from behind her but did not startle the ancient Amazon in the slightest. She did not even turn to respond, still studying the latest addition to her collection.

"Considering that you have been following me for the past few hours, I would have to lower my estimation of your intelligence if you had been surprised, young Raven."

The indignant huff told her all she needed to know about her young companion's mind at the moment. Taking a moment to wipe some of the palace dust from the gem on her robe, Cologne finally turned to speak with the young woman standing crossly at the mouth of the alley.

"So, what do you plan on doing with that?" Raven asked tersely.

The venerable martial artist studied the stone a bit longer, and briefly flashed her aura to see if there was any resonance. There was no such reaction, but then, it was still occupied as it were, so who could say what could be done with it? Finally, she just shrugged.

"I don't know," she admitted honestly, earning a near pratfall from the stoic girl, "I've no clue how it works, or if a human can even use it?"

She chuckled to herself. "Maybe I'll hold on to it as a wedding gift for a certain Grand Ruler. You'd be surprised how useful a shiny bauble can be for international relations… from time to time."

That earned a wry bark of laughter from Raven. Pulling back her hood, she rested her hands on her ideal birthing hips. Starfire was all but an Amazon in the eyes of their laws, but this one would be quite a catch as well, especially if she could be used to bring her paramour, the Lost Boy into the tribe as well. Ah, but she was distracting herself with hypotheticals again.

"Oh, so now you're planning on sucking up to Starfire, just hours after you planned to betray her?"

Hmm, a bit blunt for diplomacy, this one, but it wasn't like she was scouting her for her diplomatic acumen. "And yet I did not interfere in the battle, though I easily could have. Does not that account for anything?"

Raven's eyes narrowed as she looked to be studying her. "I'd like to think that I was keeping you too busy to intervene…"

Cologne chuckled in amusement, arching an eyebrow at her former opponent and current ally. "You really have been fraternizing with my Son-In-Law too much. I think your ego is beginning to outstrip your ability, young one." Her smile grew wide, the better to show her teeth. "Do you think I revealed even a fraction of my techniques in our short sparring match?"

The dark Titan grimaced in annoyance. "Even with my power, trying to catch you was like trying to catch the wind…" Giving her head a shake, Raven fired a questioning look her way. "As you say, with your speed and power, you could have escaped me easily at several points… so why throw the match to me?"

Cologne appreciated the honesty. Perhaps this young woman had a bit of humility left in her despite consorting with Ranma. She offered a shrug of her shoulders.

"There is one skill that, as both a practicing martial artist, and a career politician, one must master if you hope to survive for long," she began, donning her most cryptic smile.

Being considerate, Raven played along, rolling her eyes only the smallest amount. "And what skill is that, Honored Elder?"

The Matriarch could not help but chuckle.

"Knowing which way the wind is blowing."