Hi. I'm in a better mood than usual. Partly because I have recently discovered the awesomeness known as Tawreh. Seriously, the girl is cool beyond all belief. Go read her stories, they kick ass as well. I hope you all enjoyed the little twist I added. After all, who would dare kill off the leader of the Titans? And this early? I know you're wondering what the hell I was thinking. There isn't some special reason behind it. It just goes along with the plot. I'm sure that anyone who is reading this is eager to discover what happens next so I'll go on... Uh-oh! Time to change the focus of characters again!
I do not own Teen Titans.
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Chapter 5: An Unfriendly Visit
Raven's View
She suddenly shot up in bed, breathing heavily. She looked around, trying to remember where exactly she was. There was a thin stream of dim light in the room, and she could see the outline of Taen next to her. For what seemed like the one hundredth time, she had to remind herself that she was in Praysair city and at the Supergroup's headquarters. Laying back down slowly, Raven began to recall the dream that she had just experienced.
It all seemed so clear. Something about the other Titans. An attack at the tower. Cyborg and Beast Boy hurt bad. Starfire and Robin had shown up. Robin had agreed to do something but.... but Slade killed him. That couldn't be true. There was no way the Boy Wonder was gonna go down like that. But why had it seemed so real? Raven got up uneasily, feeling dizzy. Maybe she would call home...
"Going somewhere?" The groggy voice of Taen said. She had made it to the door without him noticing her movement. "I was going to go and call Titans Tower," She said. Raven heard Taen fumbling around for something. "It's late. They're probably asleep," He said. She sighed, knowing that he was most likely right. She trudged back to bed, going under the covers and curling up to stay warm. "These dreams... They're so real.What if somethings happened to them?" Raven asked Taen. She felt his arms wrap around her, and he pulled her closer. "I'm sure that if something happened, someone would call. Now get some sleep!" Taen said playfully. She sighed in defeat, closing her eyes.
But Raven couldn't sleep, not just yet at least. She had to wonder. Why had that dream been so real? They all seemed real, but this one felt as if it had actually happened. If the others had been hurt, and she could have warned them, she would never forgive herself. What if Slade had finally come for them like he said? It wasn't something she wanted to think about. 'Damn you Sinister' She silently cursed the monster that had caused so much pain. Ever since his defeat, she hasn't been the same. Finally, Raven rolled over, and went to sleep.
000
She woke up, yawning loudly as she kicked her legs over the bed's edge. She could smell food, even in the next room. Raven got up, slipping on her boots, and then her cloak. She walked over to the door, letting out a deep breath as she prepared to enter the room. Finally, she walked in, and a rush of of noise greeted her. Rocky and Jim were watching a football game. Hottie was cooking breakfast, with Taen watching. Tsunami and Ice Dude, as usual, were talking at the kitchen table. She strolled over to the stove, where there was some herbal tea already made.
"Thank you," She said to no one at all. Raven floated over to a lone chair and sat down. She went deep into thought, the only signs of life being the occasional sip of tea that she would take. Was it possible that the dream she had was indeed a fake? 'Of course it is' She told herself. 'In fact, that seems more logical' She added. Feeling a little bit better, Raven opened her eyes and decided to enjoy the day a little.
Standing up, she walked over to Taen. Raven set her cup down inside of the sink, and then wrapped her arms around Taen. He turned to look at her an amused look in her eyes. "You sure seem to be in a better mood," He said to her. She smiled at him weakly, still tired from her lack of sleep. "If there was really something wrong, they would've called," She said. Taen nodded. "I'm not sure what these dreams are about. Perhaps just nightmares, maybe more. But if something does go wrong, we'll be ready to fix it," He said. Taen kissed her lightly on the forehead, and she hugged him. "Thanks," She said.
"Breakfast... is served," Hottie said slowly. She had gathered all the food on the table, which had been set by Tsunami. Raven sat down next to Taen, still holding his hand. She let go to gather some eggs and sausage. "This looks nice," She complimented. Hottie smiled at her. "Taen helped me. He's a great cook. You're lucky," She said. Raven smiled at that little comment. "I know," She mumbled before taking a bite of her sausage.
The new team talked loudly. They reminded Raven of how the Titans were when they started. A little bit awkward at first, but once they warmed up, they all had a lot of fun. 'More fun than I'm willing to admit' She reminded herself. Glancing over at Taen, she noticed that he was barely eating. He was tugging on a loose strand of his hair, and looking grim. She debated whether or not she should say something, but decided on a no. He had been a little moody when it came to questions, at least as of late. Instead, Raven continued with her delicious meal.
She finished first, clearing her place and washing the dish off. Raven scrambled around, looking for a cup. She found one, filling it with water as her mind swirled with questions. She had to know, she just had to. Why didn't Taen tell her anything? Had he done something horrible? Was he a brutal killer? What had happened in his past that made him so sensitive about it? It could be nothing but... it could be something. Raven sighed at the endless questions, and then walked towards Taen's room, intending to take a shower.
"Raven! Taen!" She heard the loud voice sound to her left. Turning slowly, dread filling her completely, Raven saw Cyborg on the screen. He looked tired, but somehow still alert. His human eye was darting all over the place. She could see the Tower behind him, glass lying all over the ruins of furniture. Beast Boy was sitting on a table, being tended to by Starfire. But where was Robin? Raven searched the large screen for him, but did not find the Boy Wonder. "No," She whispered.
Taen had jumped up from his seat, meal unfinished. The Supergroup had stopped talking, and were looking at the screen, looking worried. "Cyborg? What is it?" Taen asked sharply. The half human looked down at him, eyes softening up slightly. "It's him. He's back. He took all of the Stek we had and-" Cyborg stopped with a cough from Starfire. "And what?" Raven asked urgently. Cyborg didn't answer. "Look, just get here. Fast!" He said. The screen went blank, leaving Raven and Taen feeling alone.
"Something bad happened, I know it," Raven said. Taen looked at her, then nodded slowly. He was gone in an instant, teleporting to somewhere. Raven looked over at the young faces of the Supergroup. "What happened?" Rocky asked. She wasn't sure if they should know or not, but it might come in handy to have some back up if they needed it later. "Slade. He's back, and he's attacked my team," She said. The Supergroup jumped up, looking almost as if they had been waiting for something like this. "We can help you," Hottie said. The others agreed, but Raven wouldn't allow it. "No. If we need you, we'll call for help," She said. Raven left the room without another word.
She was amazed to find that nearly everything in Taen's room was in a box. How had he organized this quick? Raven saw flashes of him, teleporting new stuff into the room and into boxes. His speed was amazing. Finally he stopped. He looked frantic, almost nervous. Taen stood in front of her, and then kissed her unexpectedly. He broke away quickly. "What was that for?" She asked. Taen blushed slightly. "I don't know... But Raven, this is serious. I haven't told you everything," He said.
She concentrated, and forced herself into his head before he could say anything. "You've been having dreams too," She said. Taen nodded. "We have to go. But not until nightfall. That guy we saw at tryouts, he'll be coming for us," He said. She stared at him. Raven had never seen him look like this. Something was going on, something beyond what she knew. He seemed unnerved by the very mention of this stranger. She watched as Taen gathered the box's in the center of his room, then rushed out without a word to her.
Raven followed, extremely nervous as to what was going on. She sat down next to Taen, who had moved onto the couch. The Supergroup watched them nervously, and they began to talk in hushed voices. She knew that they were worried, but was too busy doing her own worrying about Taen to care too much. He had closed his eyes, floated a few inches off of the floor, and began to meditate. They generally meditated together, but she respected his decision to do it alone. She began to do it herself though.
000
Raven's eyes snapped opened. It was hours later. Had she really meditated that long? It would seem so. The darkness had consumed the area outside of the tower. Slowly, the voices kicked in. She could hear Taen behind her, explaining what to do if he called. She ran over to him, and he have her the quickest glance before continuing what he was already saying. "Jim, take my room, and send the stuff to Titans Tower. Just remember, any message that isn't directly sent to you by myself or Raven, you call either the X-Men or the Justice league for help. Something is going on, and it's big," Taen finished. Raven looked at the young teens, who all looked scared out of their wits. She tried to give them a weak smile, but find herself too depressed. Robin could actually be gone.
Taen turned to her. "It's time to go. We'll take the car, he won't be able to sense me if I'm not flying," He said. Raven nodded weakly, swallowing nervously. They rushed to the door, both of them turning back to the team they had picked out themselves. She managed to wave with Taen, and the Supergroup returned the favor. The they were gone, rushing down the stairs and into the garage. Taen opened the big door, and then lifted up the bridge. Raven strapped herself into the T-Car as Taen started it up. He floored it out of there as fast as he could.
Raven stared at him in shock. Taen's knuckles were white from gripping the wheel so hard. It was time for her to get some answers. This was getting too serious. "I know that you don't want to, but you owe me answers," She said. Taen looked over at her, his crazed look fading as he stared at her. "I love you more than anything. I hope that you know that," He said. She felt an amazing sense of love overcome her. "I know... and I love you more than anything as well," She said. Taen took a deep breath, then turned towards her. "I was born on a place called-" BAM!
A thundering crash went off. Raven shot forward, the belt restricting her and hurting her chest. She looked up, thing seeming to go in slow motion. Someone was on the hood, the car being crushed beneath their landing. Taen has slammed on the brakes, but now picked up his speed. Raven saw the person's fist slam through the windshield. It grabbed onto Taen and yanked him through. She saw her boyfriend go flying, but had no time to stare. She suddenly realized that she was heading for a wall. She teleported out quickly, now safely on the ground. The T-Car smashed into the cement wall, violently imploding on itself. She saw a number of things come out, but only caught a glimpse of Taen's sword before she fell over.
Looking up, Raven saw that she was inside of something. It was bright orange. Some sort of energy ball? She looked around for Taen. He wouldn't have done this to her, but who else knew how to do that but him? She got her answer a moment later. Standing on the wall above her was a boy in his late teens. He stood out in the moonlight. Raven saw that he was well built, perhaps more so than Taen himself. She looked up at a handsome face, which was marked by a scar on his cheek. He smiled down at her, and she noticed his hair. It was dark blue...
"Raven, so nice to meet you," He said. His voice was cruel sounding, and extremely sarcastic. Looking up at him, she could see two metal sais attached to a belt he was wearing on his black leather covered body. 'That person from tryouts...' Raven finally put two and two together. Raising his hand, he held it in Raven's direction. She barely had time to realize that he was about to blast her when someone shot out of the darkness, slamming the boy. They rolled across the ground, Taen getting up out of the two of them first. She felt a mix of worry and relief. He was ok...
"Taen! I bet you thought that you'd never see me again!" The boy said. "Sai... I've been waiting for you since the last time we fought," Taen said coldly. They stared at each other, and Raven could see hate in their eyes. Who the hell was this guy? "I've been reading about you. Seems that you've joined the Titans. Slade didn't like your arrival one bit," Sai said. Raven could hear the shock in Taen's voice. "You? You're Slade's apprentice?" Taen said. Sai nodded. "Only the best get trained by him," He said proudly. Taen let out something between a grunt and a growl, and then charged.
Taen went for the first hit, punching high. Sai dipped back, easily dodging it. Raven couldn't believe what she was seeing. No one had ever dodged Taen so easily! And it continued after that first hit. Every punch that Taen threw, Sai easily dodged them, not bothering to throw any attacks of his own. Finally, Taen kicked, and Sai teleported. "Look out!" Raven yelled. Sai had appeared behind Taen, and nailed him in the back. He quickly recovered, turning around and facing Sai.
"I always was stronger," Sai said, smiling wickedly. He began to walk forward slowly, but Taen raised his hand and fired a blue energy blast. Sai flicked his hand and knocked it aside, then fired his own. Taen threw up his arms and blocked, but Sai quickly flew forward and dropped down. Raven watched as he spun his leg around, tripping Taen, and then went around again and kicked his legs up, sending Taen sky ward. He stopped himself quickly. Raven could sense that he was weakening. She had to get out of this damn bubble.
Taen flew back down slowly, panting heavily. Sai hadn't even broken a sweat. "And they called you the best soldier? Please," He said. Sai did a quick round house that Taen dodged. Sai came back with another, and Taen caught his leg. Raven caught a brief look of bewilderment before Taen used both of his hands to toss Sai into the wall near her. He smashed into it, dust and rubble shooting up. Sai climbed out of the small wall crater slowly, blood trickling from a gash above his eyebrow. "You are going to regret that," He said. 'Oh no' Raven could sense Sai's anger growing, and it showed as he spun out his sai weapons. Then he took a menacing step forward.
Taen backed up, trying to create space between them, but Sai picked up his pace. He jumped forward, slicing the air at Taen's head. Taen ducked, and then spun out of the way as Sai stabbed at the air. Taen backed up slowly, managing to dodge each attack until he hit the wall. Sai kicked him in the chest, and then sliced for the head. Taen teleported away quickly. Raven saw him stop in front of her, looking shocked. "Did I get ya a little?" Sai said in a mean tone. A thin strip of Taen's hair slid off in reply. "Barely," He said. Taen kicked his sword on the ground into the air and caught it. Then he went back for more.
Sai took up a defensive stance as Taen threw his sword down. He blocked the first shot, sparks flying off of the metal. Taen jabbed low, and Sai jumped into the air, kicking him in the chin and sending Taen back. Sai twirled his weapons in the air, and Taen did the same with his sword. "Lightest metal known to man," Sai said. "I know," Taen said. He ran forward, then teleported suddenly. A whoosh of air went by, and Sai looked confused. Taen appeared behind him, his sword coming down quickly. But Sai crossed his weapons, stopping the sword inches above his head. The two began a struggle for control.
Raven watched in shock at the battle. She had to get out now. Taen was going to lose if she didn't. "Azarath Metrion Zynthos!" She yelled, blasting the bubble with all she had. It blew apart in a mass of energy. Raven looked over to see Taen on the ground, Sai in the air and jumping towards Taen for the kill. She chanted again, encasing Sai in black energy. He looked over at her. "Let me go you bitch!" He yelled. "If you say so," Raven said. Sai looked momentarily shocked, but then turned to face Taen as she dropped her energy. His palm was against Sai's chest, hand glowing red. The blast that followed went off with a boom, and they heard Sai's cry of fury as he was blown away. Raven saw him go flying, and before she knew it she was whisked away.
"What the?" She managed. Taen had grabbed her and teleported them into the air. "He'll be back, and soon," He told her. His sword was in arm, and she was held tightly in the other. Raven could tell that he was hurt, and in more than one way. She stayed in silence for a moment, but then she had to ask. "Who was he?" She said slowly. Taen stopped, then landed on a building. He stared her in the eye, and then spoke. "That was Sai. A Soldier and one of the two remaining members of a race of aliens called the Zari... I am the other one."
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That took forever and a half to write, I know that the battle scene wasn't very good but I hoped that you liked it. So... Taen's an alien. Don't know how many of you guessed that from all the stuff I talked about on his origins. I do hope that you can live with that little fact about him. I don't even know how I thought it up. As you can see, a bit of a rivalry between Taen and Sai. You'll find out more next chapter. Read and Review please... read and review.
Next Chapter: Raven and Taen return to Titans Tower to hear the shocking news. And Taen has some stuff of his own to tell the others. What lies in Taen's past?
Thanks for reading... thanks in advance for reviewing.
-SinFire
