{(Chapter 17- My Wallpaper!!)}
"But… if that was just another double… where's the real Slade?"
Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg all went pale.
"Robin!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "He's going after Robin!"
"We fell for it… It was just a distraction…" Cyborg groaned.
Beast Boy sighed. "What do we do now? Run off and help Robin?"
Raven remained silent. She shook her head, and walked back over to where Sayuri lay on the ground. The young woman was still unconscious.
"Before we do anything else, let's get her some medical attention. She may have gotten a concussion from Slade knocking her down onto the concrete like that. I can't tell."
Cyborg agreed and picked Sayuri up off the ground. As he walked towards the hospital, he spoke over his shoulder. "You guys go ahead. Hurry! I'll be right behind you."
Raven and Beast Boy both nodded. Beast Boy morphed into a hawk and Raven's eyes glowed white, before they took to the skies together.
Just hold on for another minute... Beast Boy thought, blinking against a sudden wind blowing against him. We're coming.
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Back in the apartment complex…
"Do not answer that, Mr. Arai." Starfire whispered.
Seiku paused. "Do you think it might be that fellow you're hiding from?"
Robin glanced at the TV screen. The footage from the hospital was gone. Now, the weather broadcast was being played. The "big battle" was definitely over.
"Yes, I think its Slade."
The pounding on the door didn't cease.
Seiku bit his lip. He stood up, and hurried over to where Robin stood. "There's no time to waste then, is there?" He gave Robin the microchip. "Hurry and use it. You may not get another chance."
Robin gulped and nodded. This was it. This was what he had been waiting for. His fuzzy, incomplete memories were going to solidify again. He'd be back to normal. What am I waiting for?
Robin attached the small device to his head.
He hesitated. "Last time, I think there was a certain word I had to say to turn on the chip. Is it the same word?"
"No, last time the key word was "erase". I thought that'd be out of place. Now you say, "restore". Like the first, it's specially tuned to your voice."
Robin nodded.
He took a deep breath, glancing over at Starfire. She was watching him anxiously, eyes wide and hopeful. He gave her a reassuring smile.
"Restore."
The knocking at the door continued.
Robin squeezed his eyes shut as he felt a current of electricity surge through his head. He felt as though the power was restoring his mind a little… It was reactivating sections of his brain.
After a few seconds, his eyes popped back open. He looked happy.
"I think it worked!"
Seiku nodded. "I was sure it would. But… do you remember anything? You're memories as a Titan have been re-stimulated, but you must access them if you're to remember."
Robin frowned. Could this be more complicated?
The pounding on the door was getting louder. They had to hurry.
"How do I do that?"
"It's a simple matter. You just have to be reminded of things from your past."
Azuka nodded. "Try looking at Starfire. Seeing her should be enough to access your memories of her, at least."
Robin did as he was told. He had time to notice the strange look of emotions on Starfire's face - but that faded out to a blur as memories of his past with her rushed through his thoughts. The time they first met. That day at the carnival. Hanging out together. Working together. Attacking her as Red X. Her saving him from being Slade's apprentice.
By now, Robin had completely forgotten about the man pounding on the Arai's front door. As his memories of Starfire came back to him, so did all the things he used to know about her. Little bits of information... observations he'd made before... the hundreds of dreams he'd had...
Robin was caught off guard when a strong feeling suddenly hit him. It rushed through his body, numbing his every limb. It was such a strong emotion… he was astonished he'd ever been able to forget it.
With his memory of Starfire, came his immense love for her. Robin had never noticed how intense it was before. It held no bounds, he was sure.
"Star, I--..."
The pounding on the door suddenly ceased. After a second, one last bang was heard - then a loud crack as the door's thin wood split open and the pieces fell to the floor.
Through a cloud of sawdust, Robin and Starfire clearly recognized the familiarly bulky figure of Slade.
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"Hi. I need some help for my friend..."
"Hey! You were one of the freaks fighting outside!"
"See... Slade knocked her out..."
"You caused such a ruckus!"
"...and she still hasn't woken up yet..."
"Everyone was afraid to leave the building!"
"...and we were worried she might have some sort of serious problem..."
"Your big commotion gave seven of our patients a heart attack!"
"...so, if you don't mind, maybe you could give her a check-up or something?"
The young receptionist just seemed to noticed that Cyborg was talking. She abruptly stopped her angry rambling, and sucked in a sharp breath. "You must be joking!"
Cyborg did a double take. "WHAT?! She's hurt! This is a hospital! You can't just turn away a hurt person!"
"I can and I will! You people are bad news. This hospital has had enough commotion for one day."
Cyborg glared at the young women. As his attention was now completely fixed on her... he seemed to just then noticed how pretty the girl was. She wore a pale pink nurse's outfit, and had black curls bouncing around her freckled face. His gaze traveled to her eyes... ice blue and glaring right at him.
Cyborg mentally slapped himself. I'm getting distracted! Robin! Starfire! Slade! I've got to GO!
He decided to try for another approach. He set Sayuri down, then knelt on the ground in front of the receptionist's desk. He clasped his hands together in plea, and put on his best sad puppy look. Beast Boy's not the only one who can do this...
"Please, miss. My friend's in trouble, and I can't go and help him until I know that this friend"-he tilted his head towards Sayuri-"is safe and being well cared for. Please. I need your help." Cyborg took his sad puppy look to the extreme. "Will you give it to me?"
The receptionist froze. She opened her mouth to answer, when a grey-haired lady came jogging up to the desk, from the back of the building. She was wearing the same pale pink nurse uniform as the young women in front of Cyborg. He couldn't help but notice how much more flattering the outfit looked on the latter.
"Natalie! I'm back from my coffee break." The old women said, now standing beside the other receptionist - Natalie.
"Already, Miss Faith?" Natalie sighed. "You've only been gone a few minutes. You have to sit at the receptionist desk soooo long everyday, Miss Faith! I'm worried."
Faith shook her head. "Well, that's just what I get for taking on so many shifts. I get paid much more for it. Don't worry about me a bit. I'm-..."
Faith paused, noticing Cyborg knelt in front of the large receptionist desk. "And who are you?"
Cyborg was frustrated. Would they never let him leave?! He stood up. "I'm Cyborg from the Teen Titans, and I'm fed up with this! MAN!!!!! I've been waiting here for too long! My friend's in trouble, and I gotta get that girl on the floor some help before I can go!!"
Faith blinked. "Well, why didn't you just say so? There's plenty of room."
Cyborg opened his mouth to begin ranting about the rude reception he'd gotten, but was cut off from saying anything by Natalie. Her cheeks were a little pink from the awkward situation. "I had refused him service, Miss Faith."
Faith didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "And why on earth would you do that?"
Natalie took a deep breath and responded, as calmly as she could. "He was one of the trouble makers brawling outside. And so was the one who got hurt. They made everyone in the hospital uptight, worrying, crying... and some of the patients' conditions worsened from the shock. And now they're asking us to help them?"
Faith gave Cyborg an apologetic look. "We're sorry for the unconvince, sir." Natalie gasped, then shot them both a smoldering look. Faith continued. "This young one is just a intern, and is a little inexpirenced about controlling her emotions when it comes to things like this." She turned back to Natalie. "It's not a bad thing to feel so protective of the hospital. You just have to know when's the right time."
Natalie's fumed. She stood up and stormed into the back of the hospital.
Faith shook her head. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her later. Now, who did you say needs help?"
Cyborg bent back down and picked up Sayuri's uncoinscous form. "Her. Slade must have knocked her pretty hard... she hit the ground and hasn't moved since."
The elderly receptionist gasped. "I think I recognize her! Is that Sayuri Iotanke?"
Cyborg blinked. "Uh, I'm not sure about the last name, but her first name is definitely Sayuri."
"Oh, my!" She sat down, and pressed a button behind her desk. Almost immediately, a team of medics came out with a gurney.
"Where?" One of the medics shouted.
Faith pointed at Sayuri, in Cyborg's arms. "Her! Sayuri Iotanke. Clonked on the head or something. Unconscious. Find the problem and fix it! Stat!"
"Right," was the automatic reply. They hurriedly rolled over, loaded Sayuri onto the gurney, and rolled her back into the emergency room.
"Now, aren't you going to go help your other friend?"
"Yes! Thanks, ma'am!" Cyborg said. He hurried out the door, breaking into a sprint as soon as he got outside. It was getting dark out. He'd have to hurry.
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"Well, well, well. It seems I've finally found you." Slade said, almost tauntingly. "There'll be no more hiding from me, Robin."
Robin was temporarily disabled - his head being filled with many, many bad memories involving Slade. He didn't respond.
"It seems you agree."
"Azuka, run now." Seiku whispered to his wife.
Azuka nodded, and started towards the direction of the stairs. She froze when Slade spoke.
"Oh, I don't think so. No one but Robin and I will be leaving here alive. No one else will live to come back after him. I cannot take that risk again."
Robin snapped out of his sudden recollections. He remembered Slade fully now. The sudden fury he felt had his face flushed red. "No one is going to be dying here, Slade. No one, except maybe you."
Starfire smiled. Her friend and leader was back. She quickly formed a starbolt. Slade didn't have a chance.
"As you wish." Slade charged towards Robin.
Robin ran to meet Slade's challenge.
Slade dodged Robin's Kong-fu-like kick. Robin didn't have the same luck. A forceful punch hit him square in the jaw, and knocked him backwards.
Slade was open. Starfire took the chance to fire several starbolts at him. He dodged them all. Starfire's mouth dropped open in shock.
Surprisingly, so did Azuka's. She watched in horror as the missed starbolts burnt holes into her walls. "My wallpaper!" she groaned.
Neither Starfire nor Robin took notice of the woman's fretting.
Robin charged towards Slade once again. Right hook. Kick. Left hook. Right jab. Kick.
Slade dodged them all.
Then he knocked Robin back once again with a hard punch. This one to the chest.
Robin was too winded to talk. He could hardly breathe. He's gotten better.
Robin considered his utility belt. His extendable pipe was no good. Nor a lot of his other combat weapons. If Slade was too much for him in hand-to-hand combat, he wouldn't be any better off with a pipe, ect. Maybe, though...
He reached back and threw several nets, birdarangs, flash bombs and small grenades at Slade.
Slade saw them all coming a mile away. He reached for a small, gun-like thing strapped at his waist. He aimed it at the flying gadgets, and fired. A soft, grey foam came from the gun-thing, covering the gadgets. They all fell to the ground, useless.
Robin gasped. No way! He can't be prepared for everything! There has to be some way to beat him!
Robin's hands flew back to his utility belt. He felt around it, searching for something that might work. No... no... tried that... no... that won't work... Eventually, his hand came to rest over his spare pocket. Ah... now there was something he'd overlooked. This just might work.
His brain scrambled into gear, trying to form a plan.
"...when it's expanded, it turns into a trap - sucking in everything around it..."
It sucks in... everything... and traps it there...
"I've got it." He looked over at Starfire. She was still shooting starbolts at Slade. She'd probably decided not to risk going in and using her alien strength, seeing how badly Robin had lost in that area.
Perfect.
"Starfire... just don't stop firing..."
He opened his spare pocket, and took out the small orange sphere Sayuri had given to him. Hope this works...
Suddenly, he had a thought. "Starfire?"
"Robin? Help me! This is not working."
"Starfire, when I tell you, I need you to stop shooting at Slade."
Confusion clouded Starfire's eyes, but she nodded all the same. "I trust you, Robin." And she resumed her onslaught of starbolts.
"I'm glad." Robin whispered. He gently squeezed the marble-like device in his hand, and looked up at Starfire. He watched her throw another two starbolts, timed himself, and then chucked the small orange trap at Slade.
"Okay, stop."
Slade was rooted to his spot, dodging Starfire's attack. What else could he do? She was firing too fast for him to move. He'd have to wait until the girl ran out of energy.
Two more bolts. When would she give this up? He could already see she was weakening.
He was about to duck under both shots, when a large orange blob swallowed them both. Where'd that come from?! Before Slade could react, the blob had sucked him in as well.
Now it was no longer a blob. More like an big orange circle. And he was trapped inside.
Slade noticed the two green starbolts bouncing around inside the energy trap... right before they hit him.
Starfire stared at Slade in disbelief. Not only was he trapped. He was out cold. Maybe dead. She turned to look at Robin.
"We are the victors?"
Robin smiled. "Yeah. We won."
Starfire smiled, her eyes lighting up. She glanced at Robin, wondering what the earth custom was of greeting someone who rescued you, lost his memory because of it, and then recovered from that.
There had to be one, right?
She thought back to a soap opera she'd once watched on television. A guy had come back from the dead, and his girlfriend had sprinted towards him, and locked him in a tight hug. Then the guy had kissed her.
Certainly that is what I am meant to do now. It is nearly the same thing. And that custom does not sound awful in the least.
So, Starfire did the only thing she could think of to do. She ran towards Robin, who was just getting up from the ground, and tackled him in a fierce embrace.
Robin lost his footing for a second, but quickly recovered. He wrapped his arms around Starfire, shuddering at how good the hug alone made him feel. Wow, she's warm... And she smells so good! Perfume? Wait - is she... crying?
The Tamaranian was indeed crying. The girl in the show had cried when she hugged her back-from-the-dead boyfriend, so she thought it was only fit she should, too. It wasn't exactly hard. She was feeling emotional.
"I thought... I thought I'd never have you back." Star was half a quoting the show; half speaking her heart. She broke into sobs. She no longer had to fake a thing.
But... he is required to kiss me now... that is what happened before...
"Starfire..." Robin's voice was barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to cause you so much grief... I love you."
Starfire froze. Suddenly that TV soap opera was the farthest thing from her mind. "You... you what?"
"I think... I love you. I remember now... how I used to feel... how I still do feel... I have a great love for you, Star. And it just can't stay hidden anymore. It's unbelievable. It's boundless."
Starfire stepped back a little, to look at Robin. Her bright green eyes danced with joy. "I love you as well, Robin."
Robin smiled. He leaned in closer to Starfire, until their noses met. The skin contact sent shivers down both of them.
For a few moments, their breaths mingled. Eventually, neither could keep stalling.
And Robin kissed Starfire.
Raven and Beast Boy had been forced to land, due to the fierce winds blowing them back. So eventually, Cyborg met up with them on the ground. The three didn't stop running until they were outside the Arai's apartment.
They didn't have to open the door. It was knocked down already.
So, the three just stood in the doorway, eyes wide and mouths open. They couldn't believe what they saw. Slade was trapped in a huge orange bubble in the middle of the room. Azuka Arai had fainted, and was lying on the floor. Seiku Arai was bent down next to her, trying to wake her up. And, most shocking of all, Robin and Starfire were kissing, just a few feet away.
Beast Boy couldn't even manage a blink. "What... what's wrong here?"
Cyborg shook his head. "For once..."
Raven sighed and finished for him. "Absolutely nothing."
(A/N- YEAHHH!!!!! Now, that wasn't way too bad, was it? An epilouge is coming. Whoot!!! ^_^ After that, I'll be done. Yippee!! I'm terribly sorry for the slow update... *sigh* Stupid family trips always keeping me busy. ^_~ But, as an apology, I made this chapter extra long. ^^; At least I think it's long. I had to write it on WordPad. No word count, you know.
Well, anyway, I'm sure hope you guys can forgive me. You're just all so totally cool. Hey, did I mention that we hit 300 reviews? ^^ That's awesome, man. Thank you all so much. *throws various cookies and confetti at you*
Well, anyway, I need to write out some review responses. ^^ Um...
dragonmaster1: 0_0 It shames me to have such great readers like you, and still not update constantly. *bows, and accidentally falls over* I'm sorry!!!
Michelle: *nods* I've thought over that whole dealio too. Though, not nearly as much as you. You give me new insight. *is impressed*
Time's Mortal Enemy: First off, please let me express what my first impression was of your review. You use "big words" everywhere. You accuse me of things that other people might be offended by. I'm not offended. Just a little... er... upset, maybe. My first impression of this review was that you really do not like me. Hopefully I was wrong. To answer your question - my grandfather is a bible scholar, and for a long while I was kind of training to become one as well. The first book in the bible I ever read all the way through was Revelations. I thought it was totally fascinating... just because no one really knew what it actually meant. I read it through several times, until I started to get a mental image about some of the things. It was then that someone recommended the Left Behind series to me. And... I don't know... everything there just fit. I think that Jerry B Jenkins and Tim LaHaye had some major inspiration and blessings from God - because I personally believe that Left Behind is exactly (or almost exactly) how the end times were intended to be interpreted. No one knows for sure, though, so please don't think I'm trying to preach of give a lecture. You asked, so I told you. Also, I'd very much appreciate it if you didn't respond by telling me I don't know what I'm talking about (I did tell you this is only what myself and others believe).
That's about all. I should let you guys know... When I got back home from my vacation, my computer just... crashed. Too much RAM or something, because it won't start up at all. *many tears* Hope you believe me, but no big deal if you don't. It does sound a little... far fetched, huh? That I'd leave on a week long vacation (and not update), and then come home to find my computer out of order - so I had to type out the chapter all over again (and continue not updating)... But, that's just my life for you.
^^ Well, I'll continue updating from my brother's laptop! Epilogue coming soon, I hope. Until then!
God bless you all.)