A/N: I realize that my chapters are kinda fast paced and that I haven't really described much. This will change, I assure you. I'm learning. Also, do you guys want Terra revived? I'm kinda leaning towards reviving her, but I'm not certain.

Chapter Four: Starting Up

"I, Rinoa Heartilly, solemnly swear to uphold peace and order in Jump City. I will defend citizens in the name of truth and justice, defending the honor of heroes and humans around the globe. I am willing to dedicate my life to the struggle against injustice as a Teen Titan."

There was a small round of applause as a breeze caressed the six teens standing atop Titans Tower. I was kneeling before the other five, a small smile on my face. Robin stepped forward, tapping his staff on my shoulders. It looked like a knighting performed by the Queen of England.

"Rinoa Heartilly, you are hereby initiated as a Teen Titan, defender of truth, justice, and…"

"Pizza!" Beast Boy interrupted, a stupid but adorable grin on his face. Raven kicked his shin pointedly.

"Jump City." Robin finished, ignoring Beast Boy's comment. "Back to what I was saying, congratulations. Oh, and you can get up now." I stood, and Robin shook my hand warmly. He released me, placing a communicator with the famous "T" on it in my hand.

Starfire and Beast Boy cheered with delight, while the latter was still clutching his leg in pain. Raven nodded, her arms folded. Cyborg walked over and patted my shoulder, grinning. Robin turned away, glancing at the city we had all sworn to protect. I laughed and twisted Cyborg's ridiculous bowtie, then turned to go inside.

"Wait, Rin!" Beast Boy called. "You haven't seen your room yet!" He grabbed my arm and raced inside, leading me down the dorm corridor to a doorway. "Rinoa" was written across it in scratchy letters. "Don't worry, we'll get you a plaque soon."

I glanced across the hall at the other dorms. The doors read "Robin", "Starfire!" "Best Boy" (I chuckled at the misspelling), "Cy" "Raven: Keep Out", and a seventh door read "Terra". There was another Titan I hadn't met?

"Beast Boy, who is that?" I pointed at Terra's door.

B.B.'s expression darkened. "Oh…Terra. She was my best friend, and a Titan. I loved her."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Terra was tricked by Slade, Robin's archnemesis at the time. He turned her to the side of evil, and she was forced to betray us. In the end, she broke Slade's hold on her and saved us from his clutches, but she had to sacrifice herself to save the city. She was turned to stone, and she rests under the tower.

"Turned to stone, huh?" Beast Boy clearly loved and missed Terra. A plan was formulating in my head to free her, but I decided to surprise him later. "I wish you didn't have to suffer like that, Beast Boy."

"It's okay…anyway, here's your room!" I opened the door, and I was instantly greeted with powder blue. The walls, curtains, bed…everything was a different shade of blue. I could easily camouflage myself in here. I grinned.

"Thanks Beast Boy, good night!" I waved, reaching for the door.

"Wait, Rin! You can't sleep yet!"

"Why not?"

"There's a party!" He grabbed my arm and raced toward the living room, where Cyborg and Raven were setting up a sound booth. Starfire was putting the finishing touches on a cake, and Robin was surveying the area. "Ready, Rin?" B.B. asked, offering me a toothy grin.

The other Titans gave me the puppy pout. How could I refuse? I laughed and replied. "I'm ready!"

And so, the Titan inauguration ball began. I watched Cyborg race over to dim the lights, his mechanical parts clinking along as he moved. The room slipped into blackness for a minute, and I could only hear the sound of a dial being turned back and forth. Seconds later, Cyborg complained.

"Beast Boy, what have you done to the lights? I thought you told me that the dimmer was working flawlessly!"

"What have I done? Cy, I didn't do anything to the dimmer! Why do you always point your sausage-sized finger at me anyway? Huh? Do ya have a thing against green people or something? Cyborg, I can't hear you!"

"Beast Boy, I can't hear you!" Cyborg had plugged his 'sausage' fingers into his ears. After a year or two of living with B.B., he'd learned that the green one's excuses were never anything meaningful. It was always something like "the dog ate it!" Usually, Beast Boy WAS the offending dog.

"Cyborg!" B.B. lunged at the semi-robotic one, grabbing his mechanical wrists. Within seconds, B.B. realized that his tiny-in-comparison gloved hands could never move his friend's sausages. Sighing in defeat, he wandered over to the dimmer to examine the damage.

I wondered how Beast Boy was able to find Cyborg's hands so quickly in the dark room. Animal senses, perhaps? Yes, that must be it. But we were standing around in the dark, and someone was bound to get hurt.

And so someone did. I heard a small shriek and a thud, and then a green light appeared. Apparently, Starfire had tripped over Cyborg's body. He was curled into a ball, singing "Lalalalalalala" in an attempt to drown out the now silent Beast Boy. Star picked herself up gracefully, gliding over to Robin and Raven. The three of them discovered the reason why the lights had not worked: someone had jammed the circuits with chunks of venison.

All eyes fell on the mischievous green one simultaneously.

"Beast Boy…" Robin began, folding his arms over his chest. By now, Raven had removed the meat from the circuits, and the room was flooded with blue light.

"Uh, hehehe…" The convicted troublemaker scratched the back of his neck, jade eyes fixed on the carpet.

"Why did you insert the venison into the circuitry?" Starfire asked of Beast Boy, looking very much like a mother questioning her disobedient child.

"Um, well I saw Robin sitting down with his dinner, so I asked him what it was. He said it was venison, but it looked like meat to me."

"Um, venison IS meat, Beast Boy." Raven commented, rolling her eyes.

"I know that!" He sent a weak glare at Raven and continued. "So, I went to Cyborg's room and flipped through his dictionary. I found out that venison is deer's meat, and I screamed in terror." He glanced around at the other Titans, gauging their reactions. Robin gazed at the dimmer, Cyborg stared at his friend blankly, Starfire gave him a condescending look, Raven fiddled with her hands, and I gazed at Beast Boy. He was definitely a devoted vegetarian.

"Right, where was I?" Beast Boy thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, so then I grabbed the meat and shoved it in the little wall plug outlet. But I couldn't get it all in, so I ripped the plug out, shoved the meat in the wall, and tried to put the outlet back." As he finished, Robin raised his finger as if to deliver punishment, but I held up a hand to stop him.

"Guys, can't we let this go? The lights are working, the party food is getting cold, and we still have to dance all night! If the problem is fixed, then why worry any longer?" I smiled at them, hoping they would stop this ridiculous thing. B.B. hopped up and down, pointing at me eagerly. Robin shrugged.

"Sure, let's get started." B.B. darted to the snack table, snatching a fistful of various candies. Robin strolled over to the drink table casually, sipping a coffee. Cyborg and Starfire separated themselves from the group, chattering about something. Raven walked behind the sound booth, selecting some discs and switching the speakers on. The music was playing and the party had just begun.

I closed my eyes, and my feet moved from their standing position. I whirled across the floor, arms raised in the air. I stepped forward, then to the left, and all around. My arms folded, then extended again. My eyes opened in the middle of my dance, and I immediately noticed the stares. We had a staring contest for a minute, and then B.B. and Star decided to join me. I grabbed Star's hand and we dropped to the floor for a few seconds, laughing. We sprouted up again, and Beast Boy joined us, forming a little circle. We danced for a few minutes as the others watched, amused.

Once the song was over, we joined Robin, Raven, and Cyborg at a table that had been set up. I sipped at a cream soda delicately, listening to the music. I noticed that Raven was operating the sound booth from her seat, CDs floating around on their own.

"The dance was most enjoyable." Starfire commented, a dazed smile upon her face.

The rest of us laughed with her, tired smiles on our faces. Today had been a long day, but there was a party still to be had. The music changed again, to an energetic waltz that seemed familiar.

'Why do I remember this…wait, is that what I think it is?' I thought, closing my eyes. I drifted into my memories of a fateful March evening that seemed an eternity away.

A brunette young man with a scar across his forehead (no, not Harry Potter!) leaned against a pillar inside a cafeteria transformed into a magnificent ballroom. He folded his arms across his chest, gazing at the windowed ceiling, when a bright light streaked across the sky. He shifted his stare downward to a dark haired woman wearing an ivory dress. She smiled, pointing her pinkie in the direction of the shooting star. She walked across the ballroom to the lone man, confidence in her stride.

"You're the best guy here. Dance with me?"

He grunted in response, glancing away from the woman.

"Let me guess…You'll only dance with someone you like."

The young man grunted once again, clearly not interested in a dance. The girl raised her fingers and rocked her hand back and forth, as if she were trying to hypnotize him.

"Ok then…Look into my eyes…You're-going-to-like-me…You're-going-to-like-me…Did it work?"

"…I can't dance."

"You'll be fine. Come on. I'm looking for someone. I can't be on the dance floor alone."

Leaving no room for argument, she grabbed the man's arm and dragged him onto the dance floor. She positioned his hands and attempted to waltz him back and forth, but he stumbled. Eventually, though, he managed to get the hang of waltzing. They moved across the floor elegantly, pulling each other close as the song ended. She winked at the man and wandered off.

I sighed, clasping my hands together. 'Squall…You were always so bitter and stiff. Why did you allow yourself to suffer alone?'

I returned to reality once Beast Boy started poking my shoulder. "C'mon Rin, wake up!"

"I'm fine Beast Boy, just taking a stroll down memory lane."

"This is no time for a stroll, let's dance!" He reached over and grabbed Raven. In her shock, she forgot to shove him off and started waltzing across the carpet with him. I smiled fondly, my memories still in place.

Starfire watched B.B. and Raven dance for a few moments, and then turned to Robin. "Friend Robin, do you wish to partake in the ritual of waltzing with me?"

"No problem, Star." He smiled warmly at her, grabbing her hand. In moments, they were whirling in time to the music along with B.B. and Rae. I turned to Cyborg, who was staring at the table determinedly.

"What's the matter Cy, don't dance?" I teased, nudging his arm. He brushed me off, grumbling something about women.

"Okay then, talk to ya later." I turned away, having learned from Squall that it's best not to agitate a person who wants to be alone.

The dancing Titans returned to the table just then, laughing. Raven switched off the speakers, and we yawned from exhaustion.

"See yas tomorrow!" B.B. rushed to his room, not tired for some reason.

"Night." Raven retired to her room without another word.

"I wish you well in your sleep, friends!" Starfire floated off to her room, head drooping.

Cyborg stomped off to his room without another word, and Robin glanced at me. "Going to sleep tonight, Rin?"

I jumped up from the table, startled. "Of course I am, I was just thinking."

"Okay then…well c'mon!" He made a gesture toward the dorms, and we walked to my door.

"Ready to fight some criminals?" Robin asked, referring to my new responsibility as a Titan.

"Yeah, I'll handle 'em alright, I reckon." I giggled at my silly choice of words.

He smiled and retired to his room with a quick "Night Rin." I smiled and slipped inside my doorway, collapsing onto my new mattress. Before I could drift into unconsciousness, a few thoughts lingered on my mind. Were my friends on Gaia alright? Why had Cyborg been so grumpy when the others were dancing? When could I get home? Eventually, I gave up on these questions and waited for sleep. What a night it had been…and what a morning was waiting for me.

A/N: Whew, my longest chapter to date! I'd like to thank my readers (and reviewers!) for taking the time to read. It warms my heart to know that my work is appreciated. Next chapter will be about the lives of Squall and co. as they return to the present and realize that Rinoa is gone. Happy reading!