Earning My Stars (Part Two)
By TheLostMaximoff
Disclaimer: Don't own these characters. I actually wasn't planning on taking this any further but I developed a plot for it and had a lot of free time so why the heck not, eh? R/R and see what you think.
The alarm clock rings at precisely 8:30 in the morning just like always. Robin's been a little stricter on us since losing Raven so we pretty much have a training session every morning now. Sometimes he runs this place like a military camp. Makes me wonder what kind of childhood he had.
"Five more minutes," I grumble as I roll over and stare at the clock. Nope, five more minutes isn't enough. I sigh and push some hair out of my face. I might as well get up, can't be late for training. Oh yes, wouldn't want to miss that. I sigh as I get out of bed and head for the shower. I walk down the hall and am greeted by the wonderful sight of a closed bathroom door.
"Almost done?" I inquire with a small knock.
"Almost," replies Starfire, "Be with you in two shakes of a glorthanog."
"Right," I tell her as I stand out in the hall in my bathrobe. It's not exactly the best place to be stranded when you live with three teenage boys who all happen to share a bathroom with you. Why we didn't put a second bathroom in this place when we repaired it is beyond me.
"Good morning, Tara," greets Starfire cheerfully as she opens the bathroom door.
"Morning, Star," I reply a little more glumly than I meant to.
"Something wrong?" asks Starfire in a concerned tone. I sigh. Starfire kills me sometimes. I mean she was the most enthusiastic one about me being a Titan, minus Beast Boy of course, and she still treats me like a real friend even after what I did. It's like she forgot about it all.
"Wrong side of the bed," I reply simply, "Nothing serious."
"I reside down the hall if you need an exchange of bodily organs," she tells me. It takes my mind even longer than usual to decipher Starfire's sentence into one that's actually coherent. Man, I really shouldn't be up this early.
"No heart-to-heart needed," I tell her, "but thanks for the offer." She nods and smiles as she leaves the bathroom and I enter. I stare into the mirror. Sometimes I look into that glass and don't recognize myself. Then there are other times when I look into it, see who I am, and don't like myself. Either way, mornings aren't exactly my best time of the day.
"So, who's up for morning training?" asks Robin at the breakfast table. There's a chorus of groans from the rest of the team. I have to admit that jumping around on a full stomach of Cyborg's waffles isn't high on my to-do list but a girl's gotta earn her keep.
"I pretty much figured that was coming," replies Robin, "but we've got to keep our skills sharp."
"Robin, I don't wanna knock the wonders of physical fitness," begins Beast Boy, "but even you have to admit we haven't had much action."
"BB's got a point," agrees Cyborg, "Think maybe we could just take a day off?" Robin stares at Cyborg as if he's speaking in some foreign tongue. Day off? What's a day off?
"Point taken," notes Robin, "but just because there's a calm in the storm doesn't mean we should let our guard down."
"I agree," states Starfire emphatically, "I for one do not wish for it to rain on such a lovely day."
"Alright," sighs Cyborg, "but you know I'm gonna beat you." The last of the sentence is directed straight at Robin and is accompanied by a smug grin.
"Yeah, right," replies Robin, "We'll see about that." I sigh again as I feel the testosterone level in the room begin to rise. Boys.
"Seriously," says Beast Boy as we enter the new underground training room we had built, "I could take you both on."
"Sure, that'll be the day," replies Robin confidently, "but since you're so eager to show us your stuff, you can go first."
"Bring it on," declares Beast Boy as he eyes the room warily for any surprises, "What're we doin' today anyways?"
"Sparring," replies Robin, "Terra, you're up too." Oh great. Fighting, practice or not, against a guy I have a crush on isn't the best way to start a day by any means.
"Uh," stammers Beast Boy nervously, "are you sure about this?"
"C'mon, B," I tell him coyly, "Afraid you'll get beat by a girl?" I can see his face redden a little bit at the thought of such a thing occurring.
"Fine then," he tells me, "but I won't go easy on you."
"Wouldn't expect it," I reply as the rest of the team clears the floor and retreats to the balcony overhead. Go easy on me? Yeah, right. When is he going to learn I don't need any special treatment? At least not that kind of "special treatment" anyways.
"One point for a takedown," explains Robin, "Three points wins. No excessive force or you're disqualified." The words, "excessive force", are said directly to me.
"Got it," I reply. Beast Boy nods his head. I can see that mischievous little glint in his eyes. This is a practice drill but to him it's game as well. He's already celebrating a victory, I can tell. Maybe I'll wipe a little of that cute smirk off his face.
"Titans, go!" orders Robin.
"You heard the man," adds Beast Boy, "Ladies first."
"Sure," I reply. I feel the power flowing through my hands. It never fails to give me such a rush. It's like I have an extra pair of hands and I can talk in a language no one even knows exists. The earth beneath my feet ripples as it hears me ask it what I want it to do.
"I'm waiting," says Beast Boy in an annoying tone. A swirl of small rock chunks float up beside me and suddenly surge towards Beast Boy in a straight line one after the other. Beast Boy morphs into a kangaroo and jumps to avoid what he probably thinks is a pretty straightforward attack. If I were the old Terra it would be but I'm not her anymore and I've learned a lot of new tricks besides smashing stuff.
"Is that the best you . . .hey!" yelps Beast Boy as he changes back to normal. With a simple mental command, the line of rocks turns to clay and coalesces into a long, tight chain before resuming its normal thickness. I flick my wrist and the chain changes course from a straight horizontal line towards Beast Boy to an upward curve. The chain wraps itself around him in mid-air, pinning his arms to his sides, and drags him back down to the ground.
"You okay?" I ask him.
"Yeah," he replies as he tries to escape.
"That's one for Terra," informs Robin, "She's beating you, Beast Boy."
"We'll see about that," replies Beast Boy as he changes into a snake and slips out of my trap. He resumes his kangaroo form and bounces towards me. I warm up a few rock missiles but keep them at bay. Sometimes I like fighting with my real hands almost as much as my special ones. Beast Boy swings his foot towards the side of my head. I duck the kick and move left then right to avoid some punches. I block another kick and step back to avoid the follow-up kick with the other foot. It's then that I remember kangaroos have tails and very long ones at that.
"One," I hear Robin decree as Beast Boy knocks my legs out from under me. By this time, I'm seriously starting to rethink my costume design. A little more padding would make things easier on my tailbone right now.
"Good?" he asks me as he resumes normal form.
"Fine," I reply from my position on my back. I sweep his legs out from under him but he turns into a hawk and flies upwards.
"Cheap," I call out playfully. A chunk of rock rises up from the ground as I hop onto it. I'm not big on aerial tactics these days. I kinda like keeping my feet on the ground, so to speak. I guess it gives me more confidence in my control if I'm closer to the ground.
"Alright," I mumble as he flies a few circles around me, "you wanna play hard to get? Fine with me." I throw a couple of rocks at him just to get him addled. Sometimes going with what you're good at is the best idea. Beast Boy can see that attack coming miles away though and he dodges the rocks easily.
"Terra," warns Robin. I know, I know. Excessive force. He knows I've been doing real well with mentally shifting molecular compositions. Those rocks only looked hard. I would've softened them if I wanted one to hit him. I turn my attention back to Beast Boy, who is now right up in my face. As an added annoyance, he turns himself into a fly. I move to swat him but he darts through my legs and gets behind me, turning into a gorilla and grabbing me from behind in a bear hug.
"I kinda like this," I tell him slyly as I float back down to the ground with his arms still around me. A little flirtation between friends never hurts.
"Maybe I could too," he replies as he turns back into his normal form, "Thanks for the company last night too."
"No problem," I reply as I suddenly grab him by the wrist. Robin taught me a couple of self-defense moves. I force his hand away from me and flip him over Judo-style.
"Two," I tell him sweetly as I look down at him. God, he has such a cute smile. He tries the leg sweep I tried on him earlier but I use my momentum and flip myself backwards, pulling off a back flip that lands me on my feet.
"Those first two were free," says Beast Boy, "but you have to earn this last one." He smiles knowingly. It vaguely occurs to me that perhaps this is more than a simple sparring match. I immediately shove those thoughts away. A few more chunks of rock float into the air. He resumes his gorilla form and charges towards me. I fling the rocks at him. He leaps over one and catches the other in mid-air. As he hits the ground, he hurls the rock back at me. It happens so fast I don't have time to react properly. I hold up my hand and the rock explodes into a burst of sand before colliding with me. The sand showers my face and I cough a little as I try to wipe it from my goggles and clear my vision. Thank God for protective eyewear. I feel something tackle me while I'm off guard and suddenly I'm on the floor with Beast Boy on top of me.
"Tag," he says cheerfully, "Speaking of positions and who could get used to them . . .." Oh now that was just a tacky one. Well, turnabout deserves a little fair play.
"Hey, B," I tell him, "Look up, it's the guy that made tofu mass-marketable!"
"Where?" asks Beast Boy excitedly as he looks up. I feel a little dirty for this but oh well. A glop of mud hits him in the face and in seconds I tackle him back.
"Changed my mind," I tell him as I lean in closer to his face, "I like this much better than before." He wipes the mud away from his eyes. He has these wonderfully green eyes, greener than grass on a spring day. Without realizing it, I unconsciously lean into what would be a kiss.
"Not ready," he tells me faintly, "You haven't earned it yet." I suddenly snap back into reality and pull away.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" I ask him as I get back to my feet and pull him up.
"Only my pride," he replies with a sheepish grin, "I shouldn't have fallen for that last one. Wanna rematch?"
"After I have a shower," I tell him as I shake some sand from my hair.
"Don't celebrate just yet," orders Robin, "There's something going on in town."
"National We Love Our Local Heroes Day?" asks Beast Boy hopefully. I can't help but giggle a little bit.
"I meant something bad," replies Robin. I've learned that tone of voice and that look means trouble. Big trouble.
"It's those clowns from the H.I.V.E.," informs Robin as we all stare at the monitor. I don't see anything too threatening. There's a midget, a girl, and someone that looks like a caveman. Real frightening, I'm sure.
"Only three of them?" I ask.
"They've kicked our butts before," Cyborg tells me, "even kicked us outta the tower."
"And they had the nerve to alphabetize my CDs while they were here," adds Beast Boy indignantly. I roll my eyes a little.
"Yeah, that too," puts in Robin before Beast Boy can elaborate on the woes of an organized CD collection.
"So we take 'em to school then," I tell Robin, "Besides, last time you guys didn't have me." In my book, a little cockiness is never a bad thing. Hopefully, I have the talent to back it up.
"Let's move, everyone," orders Robin.
Downtown looks pretty much like a disaster area by the time we make it there. Robin gave me a little briefing while we were in the T-car. Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo don't look like much but if they can turn a city block into a war zone then it's reason enough for us to take them down. As if to punctuate our arrival, a lamppost explodes in a shower of glass. Jinx giggles as a pink glow engulfs her hands.
"Sorry, kids," says Robin, "Recess is over."
"Looks like it's time for detention," adds Cyborg as he readies his blaster. I put on my game face and try looking tough. It never fails to give me this nervous feeling in my stomach whenever we got into battle. Must be butterflies or maybe it's just Cyborg's waffles backing up on me.
"We'll see who aces this exam, snot bucket," snarls Gizmo as he charges towards us on his mechanical spider legs. Jinx and Mammoth aren't too far behind.
"Titans, go!" shouts Robin. I immediately go airborne just before Gizmo reaches us and tries to stab us with his spider legs. From what Robin told me, Gizmo has this mechanical backpack that's his main weapon. I lift a decent-sized chunk of pavement and lob it at his back. The chunk spontaneously combusts well before reaching him.
"How unlucky for you," states Jinx with a grin. Before I can move to attack, the rock under my feet crumbles into dust after one of her hexes. I let out a little yelp as I fall.
"Hang on," says Beast Boy as he turns into a pterodactyl and grabs me in mid-air.
"Thanks," I reply as he sets me on the ground and returns to normal, "Now move!" Beast Boy and I separate as laser blasts zoom past us and collide with the wall of a building.
"I've got him," I tell Beast Boy. I roll sideways to avoid more laser blasts from Gizmo and throw up a wall of rock around me to block one of his spider legs as it screams towards me.
"Don't remember you from before," Gizmo tells me, "but all you losers look alike anyways."
"Big talk, Mr. Vertically Challenged," I retort as the ground under Gizmo's mechanical legs turns to quicksand.
"Shop class is over, Gizmo," quips Robin as he suddenly jumps on Gizmo's back and jams one of his birdarangs into the midget's tech pack.
"Hey, I just had that upgraded, crud wad," whines Gizmo. His mechanical legs spark and give out. Robin rides him to the ground and punches him in the face for good measure.
"Get Mammoth," he orders as he flips to help Starfire with Jinx. I turn to see Cyborg keeping Mammoth at a safe distance with his sonic cannon.
"Got it, boss," I reply as I send a few hunks of asphalt towards Mammoth.
"Thanks, T," says Cyborg as Mammoth turns his attention towards me. I nod then pull my hands back as if I'm yanking on something. The ground pulls out from under Mammoth's feet and sends him flat on his back. Before he can get up, I turn the ground under him into mud and immobilize him.
"Rock 'n' roll, Terra," crows Cyborg, "Nice work."
"Just doin' my job," I tell him with a smile. My gaze strays to a rooftop above and the blood suddenly freezes in my veins. No, it can't be him. He's dead.
"Check the others," I tell Cyborg as I go airborne again, "I need to take a look at something." I don't bother waiting to see if he does it. I speed towards the rooftop and land quickly. The figure has his back to me but I can already tell who it is. The problem is that it can't be him. He's gone now.
"Hello, Terra," greets Slade as he turns to face me. His voice sends chills up and down my spine. His face is straight from my own nightmares. He's still alive somehow. Raven died for nothing. He's still alive but it only means one thing to me. It means I get to kill him, it means revenge.
"You're dead," I tell him.
"Now, now, little one," he chides, "You should know that, even if you are my apprentice, the master still has a few tricks up his sleeve."
"Never call me that again," I snarl in disgust, "I'm a Titan now. I'm not your slave anymore." I hate this man, hate everything about him. I can remember endless nights while I was in his service imagining what I'd do if I got the chance to wrap my hands around his throat. I have murdered this man a thousand times in my dreams and now it seems my dream will become a reality.
"Funny," he replies serenely, "That's what you said the first time I met you. You said you were with the Titans. Look how far you've fallen since then, Terra. Do you honestly think you can redeem yourself?"
"Shut up," I order as I fling some rock chunks at him. He nimbly dodges my attack. He looks like Slade, talks like Slade, and even moves like Slade. But how is he still alive?
"I see you have forgotten some of my lessons," he tells me, "No matter, once you're under my tutelage again I'm sure it will all come back to you."
"I will never serve you again!" I state coldly. I can feel the anger bubbling inside of me like molten magma. The earth below begins to quake with my fury. "I'm not like you!"
"No," replies Slade with an evil grin under his mask, "No, you're not like me, my dear. You're something far worse now."
"No, I'm not!" I shout. Below us the earth begins to crack and rumble angrily. Somewhere a large chunk of a rooftop starts to give way.
"Terra!" I hear someone cry.
"Your friends need you, little Titan," jeers Slade maliciously. Suddenly, he disappears before my eyes like a ghost. I turn to look and watch the broken chunk of a rooftop begin its descent. The only thing I can think is that it happened again. I screwed up again. I let someone else get hurt again. The chunk falls and I try to catch it with my powers but I'm too stressed and addled to concentrate properly.
"Beast Boy!" I shout. My effort is in vain. The damage is already done.
(Author's Note): Free time abounds, part three is coming up soon.