Chapter 2 is now up. It's actually the shortest chapter I've written to date, though it took me the longest (sort of). Any way, I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, but I do watch the show. Also, any references to people, places, or companies are strictly for fictional purposes and have not bearing in real life situations.
Chapter 2: Explanations and Excuses
Zaith began dusting himself off, scattering the dust he had collected from rolling across the floor earlier. Then, he slowly walked across the room until he was in front of the television that the Titans used so much. He turned around when he felt confident enough to talk, finding that the Titans were all sitting on the sofa, waiting for his explanation. Zaith cleared his throat, and then began to speak.
"Let's see now. Where should I begin?" Zaith said.
"Why not at the beginning." Night Wing said almost immediately.
"I suppose your right." Zaith said, looking Night Wing in the eye (if that's possible, considering the mask). "Well, at first I simply left to have some time to myself. It was too much for me to think that Vlade was being possessed or something like that."
"But you said a week or two." Raven said just as he finished his last sentence.
"I know what I said, Raven. I decided to stop at Ocean Point City, on the eastern coast of Florida. There, I spent two weeks thinking about what had happened. As my mind became clearer and my thoughts more rational, I began to see what was going on around the city."
"And what was that?" Beast Boy said, interrupting Zaith.
"I saw all the crime and violence that wasn't shown on the T.V. It was horrible, civilians being killed for pocket change and cops being killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Little by little, I began to help the people, starting with a small bar called Simple Pleasures. A bar fight broke out, and the police were un able to get in, due to the amount of people the hell out of each other. I just happened to be inside the bar at the time, so I took the liberty of knocking everyone out, stopping the fight. Two years later, the crime rate decreased dramatically, and I was the number one crime fighter in the city."
"Wait, two years? What about the other four years, man?" Cyborg said, somewhat confused.
"Yes, well there is more. Throughout the two years I was in Ocean Point, I had only fought small minded crooks and burglars, not like the super villains you guys fight almost daily. The police began to get the training and equipment needed to hold down the crimes, so my assistance was little needed. That suited me fine, as by that time, I had learned of a weapons master in Japan who was said to know how to appropriately wield every melee weapon known to man. I sought this weapons master out, and eventually came upon a small training ground, deep within the mountains of Japan."
"So you trained with the master, huh." Night Wing said.
"Yes, the journey up the mountain was arduous, but I managed the bear, the snake, and the monkey, as well as climb the mountain before nightfall. Once I made it up the mountain, the master said that she would like to challenge me before she would train me. I said I would not fight a lady, let alone an old lady, as I have a kind heart. The master did not find a reason to not fight me, and thus took my kindness and used it to her advantage. With her staff in hand, she attacked me while my guard was down, knocking me off my feet. Needless to say, after that, the gloves were off. Old lady or no, I was fighting."
"Wait, if you were fighting an old lady, then why would you need to train with her?" Star Fire asked.
"The master was no ordinary old lady. It would seem after years of training and teaching others, she has overcome the physical limits of age, thus retaining most of her strength. The fight with the master left me fairly damaged, and when I next woke, I found myself in the home of the master three days later. I still had wounds and bruises from the fight, but I was able to walk. For two years after that, I trained with the master rigorously, learning many different styles of fighting in most types of weapons."
"And what of the last two years that you have been away for?" Shadow asked.
"Well, after all the training, I left Japan and went back to Ocean Point to see what it was like since I left. Unfortunately, after I left many criminals came out of the wood work, including many that would be equivalent to those of the one here. I to deal with many villains who could change size, blend into shaded areas, use playing cards as destructive weapons, and other villains. This is definitely not something easy to do by yourself, but I managed."
"So that's what's been happening for the last six years." Cyborg said.
"Yes, and after each criminal had been arrested, I even created cells for each criminal to make sure that they wouldn't be able to use their abilities. After doing that, I got on my motorcycle and came all the way back here."
"So throughout the last six years, you couldn't give us a call?" Raven said, somewhat annoyed at his story.
"Sorry about that. I tried to, but by the time I did, the communicator died. I tried sending it to you guys, but if it never came then I guess UPS lost it."
"Uhh, when was the last time we checked our mail?" Beast Boy asked, looking over to Cyborg.
"I don't think we've ever checked it." Cyborg said in a dismal tone
The two continued to look at each other, motionless. Then suddenly the two said at once "I'LL GET IT!" The two then rushed out of the tower in search of the nearest post office (considering the fact that they live on a small island, they don't have a mailbox).
"Is that all you have to say?" Raven said as she stood up, fists clenched and tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry Raven. I never meant to be gone for so long, but it just happened."
"You just expect me to believe what you're saying and think that every thing is ok? I've waited for six years for you to come back. Six years! Do you know what that's like!" Raven yelled as she began to hover her way up the stairs towards her bedroom, sobbing into her hands as she went.
"Raven, wait." Zaith said as he rushed towards the stairs, only to be cut off by Shadow.
"Give her some time." He said.
"She's had too much time. She probably thinks I don't love her anymore." Zaith said.
"What are you talking about?" Shadow said in a confused tone.
Just then, the door crashed open yet again, as both Cyborg and Beast Boy entered the room. They held two very large stacks of mail in their arms, which they laid down onto the table in front of the sofa. The table's legs began to wobble from the massive weight, and soon the legs snapped, and the surface fell to the ground.
"Whoa, this is our mail?" Vlade said, baffled at the sight. The others, to confused, simply allowed their jaws to fall to the ground.
"Yep, all six thousand, two hundred, and eighty seven pieces of it." Cyborg said.
"I wonder how much of this mail I have gotten." Star Fire said as she practically dove into the heap.
"Slow down Star Fire, you'll find out soon enough." Terra said as she clutched Star Fire foot and stopped her from diving in.
"Listen… Shadow, was it? I have to go and talk to Raven, so move." Zaith said to Shadow as he tried to move around him, only to be blocked again.
"She needs her space right now."
Then the annoyed Zaith grabbed both of Shadow's shoulders and moved him to the side. Zaith hurried up the stairs, as he began to remember where Raven's room was. He made it to the right floor, rushed past his old room, turned the corner, and found the door labeled 'Raven'. Zaith knocked gently on the door, only making enough noise for Raven to hear him.
"Raven, are you in there?"
"Go away." Raven mumbled through her sobs.
"Raven, please lets talk."
"Talk about what? How you left me, how you betrayed your word and left for six years doing some else."
"I'm sorry Raven, but there wasn't anything I could do about that. It's not like I could just watch everything go by when there was something I could do about it."
"Is helping other so much more important then the person you love that you would just blow her off completely?"
"I…" Zaith found himself stuck for words at that comment. He leaned forward and placed his head onto the door, feeling guilty for what he had done. "I'm sorry Raven; sometimes I wished I did come back earlier so that I could see you again. But the more I helped those people, the more I saw how terrible and fearful their lives had been before I came. The guilt would have been too great if I simply ignored them."
"So are you saying, you had the right to just ignore me!"
"No, I don't. But… No there is no buts in the real world, it's either you did or you didn't. I understand if you hate me. All I ask for is your forgiveness. That's all I could ever ask for."
"I… I can't do that, Zaith. Not yet."
"Alright." Zaith said as he began to walk away from Raven's door. "I'm sorry."
Poor Zaith, he doesn't know everything yet. I guess he'll just have to find out the hard way. Remember, please review me. I even take annonymous reviews.