KONNICHIWA MINNA-SAN! Sorry this took so long to get out! But here it is, I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 2: Jealousy
(January 28, 2004)
Robin choked on his breath as his eyes went wide in disbelief. "She… she's a shape-shifter?"
Beast Boy nodded and stood up. He cracked his back and sighed. These beatings from Raven were going to force him to a chiropractor sooner or later.
"Mm-hm… We met in the park today… and things just kind-of… went." He shrugged calmly.
Robin, however, did not take the statement lightly, and he jumped back in surprise. "Things went where!?" He shouted.
Cyborg laughed as Beast Boy's face turned a bright red as the thought finally sunk in.
"Hey!" Beast Boy cried defensively. "Give me some moral credit!".
"Beast Boy, that must mean you've found another you!" Starfire cried happily.
"Huh?" The green-haired boy stared at his friend in complete confusion. "What are you talking about, Star?"
"On my planet when we find love, we say we have found another part of ourselves, and therefore have found another of ones self. You have found another you!" Starfire basked in this information, and seemed far too excited for normal human standards. Robin and Cyborg sniggered behind their hands.
"Hey!" Beast Boy cried holding up his hands in defense. "Back it up, Star. Kijin and I aren't in love or anything. I just happened to meet another shape-shifter. That's all." He stated the last two words very firmly and looked at the other Titans resolutely.
Robin shook his head and sighed. "So, you want us all to have dinner with the two of you?"
Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah! Kijin is really nice, I'm sure you'll like her."
"Do you need help preparing the meal?" Starfire asked. Beast Boy looked from her, to her lambrequin, to the Martha Stewart Living magazines, then back at her.
"Eh no, Marth- I mean Star. I think I'm good…" Beast Boy slowly backed away.
Robin laughed. "Hey, BB, let me help you clean up the kitchen. I was the one who trashed it this morning…"
Beast Boy looked strangely at Robin. He knew for a fact that the kitchen wasn't trashed, seeing as that was the first room he came into when he entered Titan Tower. "Um… sure, Robin…"
The two young men walked into the spotless kitchen in an awkward silence. Beast Boy went to the fridge before he spoke to his friend. "Okay, Robin… what do you want to talk about?"
Robin leaned against the counter and looked at his green friend. "Beast Boy…"
Beast Boy looked up suddenly, eyes narrowing on the masked teen. Robin only called him by his full name when he either a) wanted something; or b) had something very serious to talk about.
"What is it?"
Robin shifted for a moment, before he decided upon his opening statement. "Raven was worried about you today."
Beast Boy's cheeks flushed instantly, and he turned fully to look at his companion. After a moment he shrugged the information off, then went back to searching the fridge. "Oh? What about?"
"She said she had a sense of foreboding…" Robin suspected that Raven felt something else, but wouldn't admit it. There had to be something going on, whether they wanted to admit it or not. There were feelings that were left unsaid between Raven and Beast Boy, and Robin was determined to find out exactly what these feelings were. And maybe give little push?
"She didn't know where you were… and she even asked about you."
Beast Boy suddenly dropped the jar he was holding, it crashed onto the floor and he swore profusely in response. Grabbing a rag, he bent down to pick up the fragments of glass and bits of liquid that was in the jar.
"Raven asked about me?" Beast Boy tried to sound casual, but his voice cracked suddenly. "Ahem… that's not like her."
Robin sighed and watched Beast Boy for a while longer. "How can you say that? You know Raven is your friend, she cares about you."
There was a quick intake of breath, but no words were uttered.
"BB…" Robin asked seriously, "Do you like Raven?"
There was a long silence. "I need to clean this up!" He tried to set about cleaning up the scattered glass, but it seemed in vain. Robin's question hit too close to home and Beast Boy couldn't forget what the masked boy had asked him.
"Well, if that's the way you feel…"
"I didn't give you an answer!" Beast Boy snapped suddenly. Robin took a step away from his companion, who was looking quite frightening right about now.
"Okay! Forget this conversation ever happened…" Robin said slowly backing away from Beast Boy. "I'll go clean up the living room for you're your friend…"
"Kijin," Beast Boy sighed in a tired manner. "Her name is Kijin…"
"Right, Kijin." With that, Robin turned and left.
Beast Boy suddenly felt exhausted, and far to tired to cook. Robin really didn't need to bring his feelings for Raven into the conversation. He liked her, yes; maybe even loved her, but Raven was… well, she was Raven. There was no mistaking that, and she wasn't meant to be open and frivolous with her feelings. She kept them discrete and in check. So, trying to have a relationship with Raven would be like… having a relationship with a wall. Flat. Boring. Bland.
Besides… Raven was so confident in herself that Beast Boy didn't stand a chance at winning her heart. And who could ever learn to love a little green beast anyway?
Beast Boy looked at the phone and shrugged. "I guess there isn't any other option…" He picked it up and hit speed-dial. "Hello? I'd like to order a quart of vegetable lo mein, a quart of chicken chop suey…"
Raven brooded in her dark and ominous bedroom. So many things ran through her head at that moment; all sorts of questions and musings. Her mind was a black whirlpool of a million thoughts, and they all dealt with the happenings of only several minutes before then. Why had she reacted so irrationally when she heard that Beast Boy had met a girl? It wasn't her place to care anyway if he met some shape-shifter, he had a right to do so. So, why had she reacted like that?
Raven sighed and picked up her mirror. In it she saw a reflection of herself, only the cloak around her was black. That was odd… since when did one of her emotions wear a black cloak?
"Who are you?"
The girl looked at her and almost smirked, as if that figment of emotion knew something that Raven, her self, did not.
"I'm your new emotion…" The reflection stated haughtily, pulling back the hood of her cloak to reveal a face identical to Raven's. But… there was something in her eyes that shimmered with defiance, as if the emotion its self was going to burst from the figment of Raven.
"But…" Raven whispered, a look of utter confusion sweeping over her face. "I thought…"
"Thought what? That you had all your emotions?" The girl laughed at Raven, her laugh was cruel and mocking. It was as if Raven was mocking herself in that mirror, and no one but herself could save her. "No no no… you don't have all your emotions quite yet… after me, you're only missing one."
"You didn't answer my question: who are you?" Raven asked, getting a little peeved at the way this emotion was treating her. Raven could easily block this emotion out and subdue her.
"I'm jealousy!" The emotion laughed. "And don't think you can subdue me as easily as your other emotions! I didn't show up nearly last for nothing."
"Oh, so I can't subdue you?" Raven hissed, smirking at the new emotion. It obviously didn't know Raven's powers very well.
"Oh, I never said that… I just said that subduing me wouldn't be easy."
"You're mocking me," Raven snapped suddenly at the mirror.
"That I am! Besides… when your last emotion arrives, she can't be subdued."
"And who is that?"
The reflection smirked again. "Do you really want to know?"
"If it's Rage, you're talking about, I've already taken care of her," Raven hissed at her reflection. Jealousy shook her head and laughed.
"Nope. You haven't had this emotion before, and she is a nasty one." Jealousy laughed again, then smiled. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to leave… you have to go meet Beast Boy's new girlfriend."
Raven hissed at her reflection. "She's not his girlfrie-" She cut herself short. Uh-oh… perhaps this emotion was being truthful, already Raven was having trouble suppressing it.
"Right, right… you just belive that." With a small puff of gray smoke, jealousy vanished from the mirror and Raven was looking at her own reflection again.
'I will not be outsmarted by an emotion! I can take care of this my own way! Stupid jealousy…' Raven thought as she stood up. 'However… what can this last emotion be… and… how will it effect me?'
Raven had been told, ever since she was a little girl, that she would receive her emotions one by one; and they would change and grow with her. But, when she received all of her emotions… something would happen. She hadn't stayed on Azarath long enough to find out exactly what that was, unfortunately.
However, if Jealousy was telling the truth, then Raven's last emotion shouldn't be that far behind, right? So… that would mean that something would happen to her soon. But what was that something…? For the first time in her life, Raven was afraid of the unknown.
The doorbell rang, startling Raven from her thoughts. She looked toward her door and swallowed hard.
"…You have to go meet Beast Boy's new girlfriend."
Raven sighed and stood up, scowling. "She's not Beast Boy's new girlfriend. He's too stupid to actually get a girlfriend."
With that being said, she stalked out of the room.
Was it just her, or was Jealousy already taking too strong of a hold in her mind?
{Insert Standard Disclaimer}