Blackfire's Return

A Teen Titans Fiction

By: Chibi-Suiko

A/N: Wow... Um, all I can say is that I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to update. I've been working so hard on my currently best-running AAMR (Ash and Misty romance) that I was hoping to put this on temporary hold, or at least post slowly. I'm still working on it though, as you can clearly say. You hope that you all keep reading, appreciating, and reviewing. This is my first TT fic and I could obviously use some improvement. Though I know all amateur author's can. Please accept my apology and show some appreciation.

NOTE TO ROBIN/STARR FANS: I wanted to tell you that, as compensation, I'm currently writing a Rob/Starr one-shot for you all to enjoy. It may not be much but it's enough to get my best friend, Qtloveskittles, excited. Please look into it when I post. It will be titled something along the lines of 'Iris'. You'll see why when you read.

Disclaimer: Chibi does not own the Teen Titans, Blackfire, or Slade. Though she'd do some very interesting things with them if she did...

Summary: Blackfire's come back to her sister, after breaking out of a top-security cell in the Centauri Moons. She's come to her sister in order to revenge herself for being taken away from Earth; only Starfire isn't the target. When Slade is brought into the picture, the titans can't help but join forces with her. However, is her story true?

Chapter Four: Uproar

(Scene: Teen Tower roof, Upper Metropolis)

"Simulation, number identification 0016-11." Robin called through the intercom, "Member 16; excruciation level 11. Titans..." He stood stark still then turned to flip a switch, "GO!"

They flew into action immediately. Beast Boy 'evolved' into a rhinoceros, ramming sown the criminalized robotic components that appeared from underground. Raven focused her dark powers on tearing a certain number apart; next moment, all that was left were pieces of rubble smoldering on the ground.

"Remember, we don't want to destroy them all separately; pull the lot of them in together!" Robin shouted, readying the small weapon Blackfire had handed to him right before they'd started.

"You always knew hot to wield them the best. Or so my dear sister says..." She had told him with a wink. The comment had left him slightly red in the face.

The sisters were currently shooting their designated bolts at the 'enemy', forcing them back into one herd. Beast Boy then morphed into a boa-like snake and wrapped himself around like a reptile jail cell.

Blackfire stood back, nodded, and yelled, "NOW, Robin!"

The Boy Wonder took the initiative and hurtled a small round implement at the members of their assault.

There was a bright white flash and, next moment, an ordinary looking net was bounded atop the robotic felons. They extended fire-arms and saw-like blades and began hacking at the should-be-easily-destroyed material but, strangely enough, they didn't work. Blackfire stood back in calm resolve, looking almost proud at her idea of using such a technical weapon for good. And then she spoke out loud to everyone.

"Well, there you have it. It's just a good thing that I happened to place that small bugger on one of them. That way we don't have to waste another just to save your lives." Silence awaited her, "I just saved you all, that's all. Now, are there any questions..?"

"I have one, Blackfire." Came a voice from behind them. They all turned to see the familiar shaded face of Slade, "How do you find the insolence in you to betray me?" Blackfire stood directly across from him and growled. Starfire's eyes lit bright green. Robin was all ready on the defensive.

"Slade... You've all ready crossed me more than you should have. There's no way that I'm letting you get away with hurting Starfire so badly by pursuing her family and forcing them against her." Robin's voice sounded as though it were shaking from fury, "When I get my hands on you, and so help me, I will, I'll--"

"Robin, no." Blackfire's tone was that of a master speaking to a dog, "You don't understand. It's obviously me that he's after so I don't want to risk you. You'll just have to hold aside all ill feeling you share for him at the moment and get in line because I have first dibs." Her aura erupted and Slade laughed.

"Don't flatter yourself Blackfire. You're importance is of a minimum level. But, if you wish to fight me then come along. I'm not one to turn down a fellow villains beating." He was definitely egging her on and, though she knew this, she took the bait.

"Don't you EVER refer to me as the same as you. I am so much better than that... And I don't need you or anyone else to tell me otherwise!" She lifted off of the ground and shot like a rocket towards the man who had dared to threaten her home and her sister, "You can't take me on alone; Tameranians evolve during battle and I have grown so much stronger than last time!" Her eyes glowed lavender and a hazy glow poured out of them, targeting the steel-masked enemy.

"Childs play." He simply stated as he dodged, then chuckled, "Simmer down and listen. You think that I am no match for you but you've got it wrong. You forget that we worked together for a good amount of time. You also forget the first rule of a upper-lower partnership; know your subjects. I can say that I know everything about you, be it from then, or right now. I know that you're hoping to catch me with that contraption from your prison cell, that you're praying that your sister truly forgives you and is not just giving you the benefit of the doubt... I even know that, right now, you're trying to buy time while young Raven attempts to sneak up from behind." With that, he flipped backward, ending up behind a newly revealed Raven, who shot a blast of dark power that hit Blackfire in the chest, sending her flying straight into Cyborg, who caught her instead of being caught off guard.

"Dear sister, are you injured?!" Starfire simpered, hoping not.

"Tameranian skin is strong, but... Raven's attacks aren't of this Earth. I'm fine, nonetheless. Now, let's get this over with while we're all still alive and well, which won't be for long if we continue being careless--WATCH OUT BEAST BOY!" While most of their attention had been on her, Beast Boy had been caught off guard and was now in the middle of a heated beating.

At this, Raven's eyes seemed to blare and a burst of hot darkness erupted from her. Knowing that her aura was getting out of control, she began muttering her incantation in order to trigger her abilities at a certain mask-wearing, supposed human, "Azerath, metrion, synthos... Azertath, metrion, synthos... Azerath, metrion, SYNTHOS!" Beast Boy had transformed into a rhino and was trying to head-but the machine away from him while a black bubble had seemed to form around its hands and lower arms, causing them to blow apart two seconds later. Underneath revealed sparks and wiring, meaning that Slade had never been there and was only communicating through another one of his inventions.

"Heh heh... Thanks, Rae." Beast Boy said, grinning sheepishly and blushing.

Raven said nothing, but floated over to him with a grace, her robes drifting across the ground, and stepped beside him. Noticing that she wasn't in the mood to talk, Beast Boy nodded as though to confirm it and made the same fighting motion, turned into a (Cicada! Cicada! RUN! Just kidding...) leopard, and leapt at him, taking the offensive and the upper hand... Considering that the cybernetic adversary didn't have any, anymore.

Back with Blackfire, she'd gotten to her feet and was now watching the two battle the makeshift Slade-bot (Lol...), looking both amused and slightly mesmerized at their estranged teamwork, "And... They always work this way together?"

Robin and Cyborg looked at each other, quirking their eyebrows, "Well... Actually... No." The Boy Wonder stated, glancing humorously at the two, "It's almost as if they're acting like teammates and... Friends."

"What? Do they dislike each other or something?"

"Uh... No; not exactly. It's more like Raven is antisocial while Beast Boy can't get enough of the world... They're complete opposites!" Cyborg shouted, clutching his head in confusion. It was just too much to see Raven and Beast Boy defending each other and working together and... It was almost like they were really together.

"Teamwork or not, they could always use help!" Robin stated, leaving Cyborg to stare and he leapt forward before being yanked back by Blackfire, Huh--?! Let me get this thing."

"Even if it isn't Slade, it's the next best thing to destroy what he put his mind to build. I'm going to mutilate this robot of his and show him exactly what I've learned while he's been lounging about, biding his time and crafting many ways to tear you all apart. He'll soon learn that he wasn't the only one learning." She stepped toward the trio left in battle before Starfire landed in front of her.

"Dear sister, perhaps it is not a very good idea to challenge it yourself. Would it not be much better to allow us to help? After all, something tells me that assistance is what you came here for, and not just to tell us of the threat in our home." She held out her hand as though to shake with her sibling but it was slapped away.

"You don't understand Starfire. I came back to tell you about the device Slade left you as a gift. I admit that help defeating him would be nice but... I will do it myself. Risking you once was enough. You and your friends can't be endangered by me again. And so... No. I'm not depending on you, not anymore!"

"It looks like you two could use some time alone. Perhaps I can help." The Slade-bot had taken down Raven and Beast Boy (who were trying to shake the dizziness from their heads at that moment) and was now standing at the edge of the building, weapons turned on them now, "I'll just send you to the afterlife now." A red-hot looking wire shot from the tip of the small spectral and targeted the two alien girls. They both shot their bolts at it but it seemed to just cut through. Before they had time to escape, an energized beam shot in between them and the coil, completely obliterating it.

Cyborg stepped forward and shut off his beam, smirking and nodding at Robin, who leapt at the cybernetic tech-piece and removed a shot-cord from his belt, aimed it at a ventilation shaft protruding from the roof, and kicked the bot, sending them both over the side.

"What does he think that he's doing?!" Blackfire shouted furiously, sparks erupting from her eyes as she struggled to contain her anger. but Starfire was more worried about Robin himself, and swooped after him in order to check if he was still alive.

"Robin! Are you all right now, Robin?!" She asked, as he grabbed the adversary's face and threw it aside, producing a small vid-screen and watching as Slade's face and voice fazed in and out. Starfire held out an emblazed finger and short-circuited the picture, making the whole machine lose its power and dismantle. Robin kicked the corpse pieces down the cliff below him and turned to Starfire.

"Perhaps I am wrong but... It did not seem like the perfect time for you two to be facing each other again." She gazed imploringly at him and waited for his reply to her insinuation.

"You're right, Starr. After all, we have more important things to attend to."

"Would you like a hand getting back up?" She asked, and held hers out.

"Yeah... I'd like that." And he let her pull him up with ease to the roof, where the others were waiting for him, "Sorry, we won't be getting anything from that one."

Blackfire made her way to the front of the gaping boys and non-emotional girl, "What the Heck do you think you're doing? No offense but I think I called that one my prey. Or did you not happen to hear me?! I'm sorry but you, as a leader and hero, have got to learn that, sometimes, a back seat must be taken. I didn't want it to happen like this when he came after me."

"Then... You knew that he would target you here?" Beast Boy asked her.

"You mean that you didn't?"

"Well, I-I suppose that... Of course I knew! I mean, I am part of the Teen Titans! I have to have some sort of brain!"

"Riiiiiiight..." Cyborg said, nudging the green boy with his elbow.

"But, as for you, Robin, you don't seem to get the fact that you can't be the only one to eliminate Slade. You're not the only person with something to gain because he's toyed with so many of us. You could have at least given me so much as eligibility on that last ones fate."

"I'm sorry but as Starr said, if you came to us for help, then you'll have to accept that we won't leave you to fight alone."

"--But I don't want you all to risk yourself! I said that but... You all just don't understand." She turned to face her sister, a grave expression on her face, "Not even you, Starfire. I'm out of here for now. You all can depend on each other to find out clues as to where he is on your own. As for me, I'm breaking away for a bit."

"...But... You came to us... And now you're leaving?" Cyborg asked her incredulously.

"I told you that you were in danger. I gave you a weapon that I thought would help. But, obviously Slade knows about that now. You all accepted my means of assisting you in a way of preventing him from continuing his evil ways. In some subtle way, it was you guys who came to me." And she flew off, leaving them all standing back on the ground.

"Sister, wait--" Starfire said before letting off. Her sister must have needed some time alone if she had left them by means of temporary escape.

"But... If Slade knows about that contraption your sister gave us... Is there any way that we could still use it against him?" Raven asked, and the whole group exchanged looks.

There was no other way to say it besides that the entire situation seemed... Well... Helpless.

"So... Blackfire has taken refuge with Robin and the Titans, has she? And they have forgiven her for her past misdeeds?" Slade asked with a knowing smirk. He nodded as though answering a rhetorical question, "Yes, well, she may think that it is that simple to extort from me and live, however... I feel that a little payback of my own is in order. I say a few mind games will help their team to realize exactly where they stand with one another."

He clicked his fingers and his surveillance turned to capture a layer of singles, one for every member, including Blackfire.

"I am about to present to them much suffering." He turned his back on the screen before leaving the dark room, "Very much indeed."

A/N: I'm so sorry that, 1.) It's been so long since I've updated and, 2.) This chapter is so short. I've tried three times to make this one work but I just couldn't aim the spouts of inspiration to one place and I lost them by either deleting before saving on my computer or... Just a LOT of mistakes. But I think that it worked out in my favor in the end because I came out with this and it took me forever as shown, let alone without imagining how long it might have been had I NOT stuck with to the computer like glue today and forced myself to work on this...

Eh... So, see ya! AND NO RANTING ABOUT HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE I UPDATED, PLEASE!

--Chibi is ending transmission.

PS: Yeah, I did kinda add a bit of Raven/Beast Boy in there for you believers... (..)