Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. I hope you're happy.
The writing goes even weller! Wait...that isn't a real word. Oh well, hope you like the new chapter!
By the way, sorry to all who were bothered by the stupid bunched up format of the last chapter. If you were having difficulty reading it here's a short review: just when the Titans think they're dead, a stranger comes and turns the tables. After all the soldier specters were gone, a giant specter, called a colossus, appeared and gave them a really hard fight (okay, so the mystery character made it not so hard). Using teamwork, they defeated the giant. The stranger performed an energy transfusion and saved Raven's life. After guessing the mystery man's name, which he was trying to keep secret, all of them went to the Titan Tower to kick back and talk. This is where this chapter picks up.
TO THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy.
Chapter 4: Relaxin' at the Tower
Xander was amazed when they got to the Tower. He looked in awe at the giant 'T' shaped building that the Titans called home.
"It's...uh..." he stuttered, "...really freakin' big."
"You think that's good", said Cyborg from inside his car, "wait until you see the kitchen, not to mention the huge screen T.V.".
"Don't you mean big screen?" Xander asked.
"No, I mean HUGE", replied a grinning Cyborg.
"Must be great for games and movies", asked Xander.
"You don't know the half of it", Robin said pulling up on his bike.
"Hmm...now I'm really interested", Xander replied. "Where can I park?"
"Hang on a sec. Hey, Cy, open up the freaking' garage door!" said Robin.
"Hold up, man!" Cyborg yelled back, "I need to find the right button!"
"Haven't you memorized them all yet?" Raven asked from the back seat.
"You know, with all the villains, bad guys, and freaks, I just haven't found the time to memorize which freakin' button does what!" Cyborg yelled back.
"Please, spare me the excuse", Raven said, "even Beast Boy could've memorized the buttons by now."
"Is that an insult or a compliment?" asked Beast Boy in an angry tone. He was still being bugged about whether Raven had emotions toward Xander.
"What do you think, Einstein?" Raven replied sarcastically. Beast Boy's anger became visible in his face. Just as Raven and Beast boy were about to fight and argue, Starfire butted in.
"That is enough!" she said, "No more mean talking!" It was just then that Cyborg found the right button to get their garage door open. He pushed it and mechanical whirring sounds were heard beneath them. Xander looked down to see the ground opening up in front of them, revealing and underground passage that led to the Titan's "garage".
"I like your door", said Xander.
"Built and designed it myself", replied Cyborg proudly. They then began driving down the path to park their rides, with Raven and Beast Boy at each other throats in Cyborg's car. Starfire was trying her best to stop their "mean talking", but she was adding more noise than she was actually stopping. In an obvious attempt to take their minds off of the noise, Cyborg spoke.
"So, Xander," he said, "what brings a super powered, sword swingin', winged warrior to our city?"
"...Reasons..." Xander replied.
"Such as...?" continued Cyborg.
"...I really don't want to talk about this..." Xander said sadly.
"Why not?" asked Cyborg.
"We're here", interrupted Robin as they reached the main garage, "just go on and park anywhere, Xan (pronounced 'zan'). I can call you that, right?"
"No problem." Xander replied. He pulled up beside Cyborg's car and got off his bike. As Xander put down the bike stand, Robin then saw something he missed earlier.
"Is that a guitar case?" he asked, pointing to a guitar case attached to the left side of Xander's bike. Xander was on the right side of his bike, checking to make sure that nothing broke or anything like that. He answered Robin without looking up.
"That's what it is" he replied calmly while still examining his bike "you got a screwdriver? Some thing's jammed in here and I can't reach it..."
"Here" Cyborg said tossing him a screwdriver. He had gotten out of his car, whereas Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire were still yelling and arguing inside.
"How long have you been playing?" Robin asked Xander.
"About 4 or 5 years, give or take." he replied while trying to pry the foreign object out of the space in his bike, "Yes! Got it! Here you go Cy. I can call you Cy, right?". Xander handed Cyborg the screwdriver.
"No problem, Xan. What got stuck in there, anyway?" Cyborg replied. Xander got back up and began wiping his hands on a nearby rag.
"Shrapnel and bullet casings, nothing out of the ordinary", Xander replied. Just then Beast Boy came out of the car, hunched over with a look of anger on his face, yelling and screaming at Raven.
"I'm tired of this, Raven!" he yelled, "I'm tired of you making fun of me all the time! Tired of you always calling me stupid and always putting me down!"
"Nobody asked you to take it seriously, dumbass!" Raven replied furiously. This sudden look of anger on her face somewhat shocked the Titans. It was far from her normal monotone self.
"There you go again!" Beast Boy yelled back, "Don't you have any feelings!?"
"Please!" interrupted Starfire, "That is enough! Friends should not fight each other!"
"Last time I checked, my friends didn't call me stupid and retarded all the time!" Beast Boy screamed. Raven began to focus and was preparing to fling some nearby barrels at him, and Beast Boy morphed into ram and began charging at top speed. At the same time, Raven flung 5 barrels at him. Xander immediately picked up his katana and charged in between the two of them, unsheathing his sword while running. He cut the 5 barrels in a single slash, forcing Raven to lose her focus. As the barrel halves began to fall to the ground, Xander quickly sheathed his sword and turned around just in time to grab Beast Boy by the horns, stopping him in his tracks.
"That is enough." Xander said calmly, "Starfire is right. You two are friends, and this little fight is pointless and stupid. If you must vent your anger out, go do it where you won't hurt anyone. If anything, at least get some time alone to calm down. Until you relax, don't go near each other." Xander slowly set Beast Boy back on the ground and let his horns go, allowing him to morph back into his human form. He looked at Raven with angry eyes before turning around and storming off to get away from her. Xander turned around to see Raven putting her hood on and turning around as she began to float away. If Xander wasn't mistaken, he was pretty sure that he saw tears in her eyes. Starfire followed Raven to try to cheer her up, while Cyborg chased after Beast Boy. Robin merely shook his head and sat down on a nearby ledge. He hunched over and held his head in his hands.
"Just another day..." he said with an obvious tone of sadness.
"I'll bet," Xander replied as he began to walk back to his motorcycle. He placed his katana on his belt before he began removing the locks that held the guitar case to his bike. After removing the case, he put the strap attached to the case around his neck and wore the case like a single strap backpack with the case on his back. He walked over to where Robin was hunched over. "I'll just show myself in", he said, "if that's okay with you". Robin awoke from his sorrow position and immediately got up.
"Sorry about that," he said, "it's just that, things have been getting really crazy lately." He walked up to Xander and was surprised how much taller he looked up close. Xander only stood an actual height of 5'10".
"It's cool", Xander replied, "I can relate". They then began walking down the hall that Beast Boy had taken as they continued to talk to each other.
"Lately, their arguments have been getting worse", Robin said, "today would have been the first time they hit each other, if you hadn't topped them. Hang on a second." Robin and Xander stopped in front of an elevator door. On the right of the door was screen with 5 ovals where fingertips were supposed to go. Robin placed his right hand on the screen and a light went from left to right scanning his fingerprints.
'FINGERPRINT ENTRY ACCEPTED. WELCOME, ROBIN.' Said a computerized voice. The elevator doors opened and the two teens walked inside. As the elevator began to go up, Robin attempted to re-start their conversation.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked Xander.
"From a very skilled teacher", Xander answered. "His name was Omen."
"Could he teach me some of those moves?" Robin asked
"That depends", Xander replied, "I haven't seen him in about 6 months."
"Oh..." Robin said disappointedly, "Sorry for all these questions. I know I'm not to good with these kinds of conversations."
"It's cool." Xander replied, "I'm feeling pretty nervous myself, being inside the Titan Tower and all."
"You've got a hell of a way of showing your excitement." Said Robin.
"Sorry, but after being alone for such a long period of time, I've gotten a little cold hearted", Xander replied.
"Now that", said Robin, "is something I can understand". This caused a smile to appear on Xander's face. Suddenly a 'DING!' was heard and the elevator stopped. The doors opened and the two stepped out into the Titan's living room. Cyborg was sitting alone on the couch, hunched over and staring off into nothing.
"What's wrong, Cy?" Robin asked he and Xander walked towards the couch.
"Beast Boy is in the training room, pounding away at the walls and training dummies", he said in a sad tone, "he looked the damn doors and won't let anyone in."
"The same with Raven", said Starfire as she walked in to the living room, "she has locked herself inside her room and will not even answer when I call her". Robin plopped onto the couch next to Cyborg.
"This is getting way too out of hand", Robin said.
"Just let it run its course", Xander said. "Arguments are part of any normal friendship. Without pain, you can't have any happiness either."
"That's true, but it's just getting so irritating", said Cyborg.
'Don't worry, tin man. It's just a small wound that a few hours of crying and punching will quickly heal'. This caused Cyborg to jump up off the couch. The Titans were freaking out. All three of them heard this strange voice, but it didn't seem to enter through their ears. It seemed to just speak directly into their minds.
"What the hell was that?!", asked Cyborg as he activated his sonic cannon. It was then that the three of them noticed the smile that was on Xander's face.
"What is so funny?" asked Starfire.
'Yeah, Xan, what's so funny?' asked the voice again. Now the three of them were really scared.
"Where the hell are you?!" Robin yelled out.
"Relax", Xander said with a big smile on his face, "what you heard was a psychic message".
"From who?" Robin asked.
"My sword", said Xander, "Actually, it's the spirit in the sword, but you get the idea". Now the Titans were just confused.
"You're kidding me right?" said a very jittery Cyborg "This is a joke and that psychic voice was just another one of your freaky ass powers, right?!"
'You live with a green boy who turns into animals, a dark clad girl with telekinesis, and an alien girl who shoots green lasers from her eyes & her hands. And you can't believe that there's a soul in a sword that has psychic powers?'. The Titans slowly walked towards Xander, who had taken his katana off his belt. He held the sheathed sword in front of him and let go. The sword remained floating, even after Xander let go. Each of the Titans took a step back at the sight of this strange phenomenon. Starfire just fainted. Xander took the guitar case of his back and leaned it on the couch before he sat down.
"Well, Robin," Xander said amusingly, "you were interested in my power. Here's one of the sources of my power. This is my sword, Akujin, the 'Sword of Shadows'."
"Wait a minute", said Robin, "isn't Akujin Japanese for 'Evil Being'?"
'Well done, Robin,' said Akujin 'I see you know your Japanese'.
"Woah," said Cyborg as he fell back onto the couch "This is way too much to take in". Xander smiled as his sword flew back to him.
"I'm a little hungry", said Xander as he placed Akujin, "anyone wanna join me for a snack?" The two Titans still conscious snapped out of their trance.
"I'll show you to the kitchen", said Cyborg "I'm a little hungry myself. Besides, some food will calm my overstressed mind".
"I'll stay here and try to wake up Star", said Robin, "but could you guys still get me a sandwich?"
"Consider it done!" said Cyborg as he and Xander walked into the Titan's main kitchen.
The training room was a mess. The weights were scattered all over the place and there were scratches and dents on the walls. Sitting alone on one of the benches was Beast Boy, sweating and panting from his recent rampage.
"What the hell is wrong with her?" he asked, talking to himself. He was mad as a hornet (and if he wanted too, he could look like one, too) at Raven, at how she could be so heartless and cold. But for as much as he was mad at her, he was also mad at himself for what he almost did to her today. If it hadn't been for new guy stopping him, he would've dodged the barrels out of raw instinct and hit Raven hard. How could he even think of doing such a thing to her? Especially after he had admitted to himself how he felt towards her...
Raven sat alone on her bed. She locked the door and was now in a meditating position. It took all her focus to keep her powers from ripping apart everything in her room. She was mad at Beast Boy for taking every single little thing seriously, but at the same time she hated herself for doing what she did to him. The way she always insulted him. She almost couldn't forgive herself. Then, for the fifth time that day, a lone tear silently rolled down her cheek.
"So, Xan, how long will you be staying?" Cyborg asked as he took an armful of ingredients out of the fridge. Xander was at the counter making a 2-foot long sub sandwich.
"I'm not sure how long I'll be here for", he replied while placing another piece of turkey on his sandwich.
"Where you been staying anyway?" asked Cyborg as he began piling up his ingredients for what would be a 5 layered sandwich.
"I've been staying in an abandoned warehouse down at the pier", replied Xander as he started placing the vegetables on his sandwich.
"Why you staying in such a dirty place?" Cyborg asked as he began to make Robin's sandwich.
"Well" said Xander "when you've got almost no money, you don't have much of a choice".
"With a bad ass coat like that" said Cyborg, "I'd think you were some super rich snob or something".
"This is an old coat", Xander replied, "I just keep it well cleaned. What is that thing?" Xander pointed to a small, normal sandwich that was microscopic in size compared to the tower of food that was Cyborg's snack.
"It's Robin's sandwich", said Cyborg, and the two shared a short chuckle. They walked back to the living room where Robin was fanning Starfire who had just woken up.
"Cyborg", she said, "I just had the strangest dream. We were talking to Xander when his sword delivered a psychic message to us and..."
'Sorry, Starfire,' Akujin said, 'but that was no dream'. Starfire began to freak out but was calmed down by Robin.
"Relax, Starfire," he said "it's okay. Hey, where's my sandwich?"
"Here, catch!" said Cyborg as he threw Robin's sandwich to him.
"This dinky thing?" Robin asked in confusion.
"If you wanted something bigger", said Cyborg, "you should've said so". Before Robin could say anything more, Cyborg ran out the door to eat his sandwich, leaving Robin with his tiny piece of bread and meat. Xander laughed as he plopped down and began to eat his sub sandwich, when he heard Starfire's stomach growl very loudly.
"Oops", she said with a blush, "my apologies". Xander tore off half of his sandwich and gave it to Starfire. "No I couldn't", she said, "it is your sandwich".
"It's okay", he replied, "I made a big sandwich because I was expecting someone to ask me for some".
"Are you sure?" she asked him.
"Positive", Xander replied, "go ahead and take it".
"Thank you" she said as she slowly took the sandwich. If Xander was looking, he'd have spotted a small hint of anger in Robin's eyes as he was finish his babywich. It quickly disappeared, though.
"So, Xan," Robin said "how long do you plan on staying?"
"As long as you'll have me" he replied. "I feel like playing my guitar", Xander said. He then opened up his guitar case and pulled out a black acoustic guitar with a fire symbol sticker on it. He put the strap over his head and let the guitar hang down. He put his sandwich in his mouth and began walking away while playing the opening tune of "Hands Down" (by Dashboard Confessionals).
"Are you sure it is safe to have him here?" Starfire asked. She was thinking about their other experiences with new teens outside of the team. Their bad experience with Terra leaving without saying good-bye, and even the betrayal of her sister, Blackfire.
"I'm not too sure, Star," Robin replied "we know little to nothing about this guy. Not to mention the fact that he has a sword that's called 'Evil Being'". Just then, his stomach growled louder than Starfire's did earlier. Robin chuckled in embarrassment. Starfire tore off a piece of the sandwich that Xander gave her and gave it to Robin, who was pretty surprised.
"but Star, I..." Starfire put the piece in his hand before he could finish.
"I was not expecting to finish it all, anyway," she said with a smile and walked out the door, leaving Robin alone on the couch with a sandwich piece in his hand. Robin put the sandwich on the table in front of him and walked toward the wall. He began slowly pounding his head on the wall.
'I can't believe I missed ANOTHER opportunity!' he thought as he continued to bang his head on the wall.
Up on the roof, Xander sat alone on the ledge. He was still playing Hands Down and was nearing the end of the song when Akujin spoke to him.
'Great job earning their trust', he said sarcastically. Xander stopped playing and let out a big sigh.
"Sorry, but they're the only friends I've had in a long time" Xander replied. "Besides, I didn't want them knowing about why I came here."
'Why not?' Akujin asked.
"Because, Akujin," Xander said "I doubt that their finding out would make any difference". Xander then began to play "Nothing Else Matters" (by Metallica).
'is that so...' said Akujin. Xander didn't respond this time, but he didn't have to. Akujin already knew the real reason why he wouldn't tell anyone why they were there. He also knew that it was only a matter of time before they did find out.
That is the end of Chapter 4! Read and review, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!?!? Sorry that updates take so long, but I'm a bit of a busy guy.
Next chapter, the Titans and Xander have themselves a little training!
I AM ANGRYDUDE!
The writing goes even weller! Wait...that isn't a real word. Oh well, hope you like the new chapter!
By the way, sorry to all who were bothered by the stupid bunched up format of the last chapter. If you were having difficulty reading it here's a short review: just when the Titans think they're dead, a stranger comes and turns the tables. After all the soldier specters were gone, a giant specter, called a colossus, appeared and gave them a really hard fight (okay, so the mystery character made it not so hard). Using teamwork, they defeated the giant. The stranger performed an energy transfusion and saved Raven's life. After guessing the mystery man's name, which he was trying to keep secret, all of them went to the Titan Tower to kick back and talk. This is where this chapter picks up.
TO THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy.
Chapter 4: Relaxin' at the Tower
Xander was amazed when they got to the Tower. He looked in awe at the giant 'T' shaped building that the Titans called home.
"It's...uh..." he stuttered, "...really freakin' big."
"You think that's good", said Cyborg from inside his car, "wait until you see the kitchen, not to mention the huge screen T.V.".
"Don't you mean big screen?" Xander asked.
"No, I mean HUGE", replied a grinning Cyborg.
"Must be great for games and movies", asked Xander.
"You don't know the half of it", Robin said pulling up on his bike.
"Hmm...now I'm really interested", Xander replied. "Where can I park?"
"Hang on a sec. Hey, Cy, open up the freaking' garage door!" said Robin.
"Hold up, man!" Cyborg yelled back, "I need to find the right button!"
"Haven't you memorized them all yet?" Raven asked from the back seat.
"You know, with all the villains, bad guys, and freaks, I just haven't found the time to memorize which freakin' button does what!" Cyborg yelled back.
"Please, spare me the excuse", Raven said, "even Beast Boy could've memorized the buttons by now."
"Is that an insult or a compliment?" asked Beast Boy in an angry tone. He was still being bugged about whether Raven had emotions toward Xander.
"What do you think, Einstein?" Raven replied sarcastically. Beast Boy's anger became visible in his face. Just as Raven and Beast boy were about to fight and argue, Starfire butted in.
"That is enough!" she said, "No more mean talking!" It was just then that Cyborg found the right button to get their garage door open. He pushed it and mechanical whirring sounds were heard beneath them. Xander looked down to see the ground opening up in front of them, revealing and underground passage that led to the Titan's "garage".
"I like your door", said Xander.
"Built and designed it myself", replied Cyborg proudly. They then began driving down the path to park their rides, with Raven and Beast Boy at each other throats in Cyborg's car. Starfire was trying her best to stop their "mean talking", but she was adding more noise than she was actually stopping. In an obvious attempt to take their minds off of the noise, Cyborg spoke.
"So, Xander," he said, "what brings a super powered, sword swingin', winged warrior to our city?"
"...Reasons..." Xander replied.
"Such as...?" continued Cyborg.
"...I really don't want to talk about this..." Xander said sadly.
"Why not?" asked Cyborg.
"We're here", interrupted Robin as they reached the main garage, "just go on and park anywhere, Xan (pronounced 'zan'). I can call you that, right?"
"No problem." Xander replied. He pulled up beside Cyborg's car and got off his bike. As Xander put down the bike stand, Robin then saw something he missed earlier.
"Is that a guitar case?" he asked, pointing to a guitar case attached to the left side of Xander's bike. Xander was on the right side of his bike, checking to make sure that nothing broke or anything like that. He answered Robin without looking up.
"That's what it is" he replied calmly while still examining his bike "you got a screwdriver? Some thing's jammed in here and I can't reach it..."
"Here" Cyborg said tossing him a screwdriver. He had gotten out of his car, whereas Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire were still yelling and arguing inside.
"How long have you been playing?" Robin asked Xander.
"About 4 or 5 years, give or take." he replied while trying to pry the foreign object out of the space in his bike, "Yes! Got it! Here you go Cy. I can call you Cy, right?". Xander handed Cyborg the screwdriver.
"No problem, Xan. What got stuck in there, anyway?" Cyborg replied. Xander got back up and began wiping his hands on a nearby rag.
"Shrapnel and bullet casings, nothing out of the ordinary", Xander replied. Just then Beast Boy came out of the car, hunched over with a look of anger on his face, yelling and screaming at Raven.
"I'm tired of this, Raven!" he yelled, "I'm tired of you making fun of me all the time! Tired of you always calling me stupid and always putting me down!"
"Nobody asked you to take it seriously, dumbass!" Raven replied furiously. This sudden look of anger on her face somewhat shocked the Titans. It was far from her normal monotone self.
"There you go again!" Beast Boy yelled back, "Don't you have any feelings!?"
"Please!" interrupted Starfire, "That is enough! Friends should not fight each other!"
"Last time I checked, my friends didn't call me stupid and retarded all the time!" Beast Boy screamed. Raven began to focus and was preparing to fling some nearby barrels at him, and Beast Boy morphed into ram and began charging at top speed. At the same time, Raven flung 5 barrels at him. Xander immediately picked up his katana and charged in between the two of them, unsheathing his sword while running. He cut the 5 barrels in a single slash, forcing Raven to lose her focus. As the barrel halves began to fall to the ground, Xander quickly sheathed his sword and turned around just in time to grab Beast Boy by the horns, stopping him in his tracks.
"That is enough." Xander said calmly, "Starfire is right. You two are friends, and this little fight is pointless and stupid. If you must vent your anger out, go do it where you won't hurt anyone. If anything, at least get some time alone to calm down. Until you relax, don't go near each other." Xander slowly set Beast Boy back on the ground and let his horns go, allowing him to morph back into his human form. He looked at Raven with angry eyes before turning around and storming off to get away from her. Xander turned around to see Raven putting her hood on and turning around as she began to float away. If Xander wasn't mistaken, he was pretty sure that he saw tears in her eyes. Starfire followed Raven to try to cheer her up, while Cyborg chased after Beast Boy. Robin merely shook his head and sat down on a nearby ledge. He hunched over and held his head in his hands.
"Just another day..." he said with an obvious tone of sadness.
"I'll bet," Xander replied as he began to walk back to his motorcycle. He placed his katana on his belt before he began removing the locks that held the guitar case to his bike. After removing the case, he put the strap attached to the case around his neck and wore the case like a single strap backpack with the case on his back. He walked over to where Robin was hunched over. "I'll just show myself in", he said, "if that's okay with you". Robin awoke from his sorrow position and immediately got up.
"Sorry about that," he said, "it's just that, things have been getting really crazy lately." He walked up to Xander and was surprised how much taller he looked up close. Xander only stood an actual height of 5'10".
"It's cool", Xander replied, "I can relate". They then began walking down the hall that Beast Boy had taken as they continued to talk to each other.
"Lately, their arguments have been getting worse", Robin said, "today would have been the first time they hit each other, if you hadn't topped them. Hang on a second." Robin and Xander stopped in front of an elevator door. On the right of the door was screen with 5 ovals where fingertips were supposed to go. Robin placed his right hand on the screen and a light went from left to right scanning his fingerprints.
'FINGERPRINT ENTRY ACCEPTED. WELCOME, ROBIN.' Said a computerized voice. The elevator doors opened and the two teens walked inside. As the elevator began to go up, Robin attempted to re-start their conversation.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" he asked Xander.
"From a very skilled teacher", Xander answered. "His name was Omen."
"Could he teach me some of those moves?" Robin asked
"That depends", Xander replied, "I haven't seen him in about 6 months."
"Oh..." Robin said disappointedly, "Sorry for all these questions. I know I'm not to good with these kinds of conversations."
"It's cool." Xander replied, "I'm feeling pretty nervous myself, being inside the Titan Tower and all."
"You've got a hell of a way of showing your excitement." Said Robin.
"Sorry, but after being alone for such a long period of time, I've gotten a little cold hearted", Xander replied.
"Now that", said Robin, "is something I can understand". This caused a smile to appear on Xander's face. Suddenly a 'DING!' was heard and the elevator stopped. The doors opened and the two stepped out into the Titan's living room. Cyborg was sitting alone on the couch, hunched over and staring off into nothing.
"What's wrong, Cy?" Robin asked he and Xander walked towards the couch.
"Beast Boy is in the training room, pounding away at the walls and training dummies", he said in a sad tone, "he looked the damn doors and won't let anyone in."
"The same with Raven", said Starfire as she walked in to the living room, "she has locked herself inside her room and will not even answer when I call her". Robin plopped onto the couch next to Cyborg.
"This is getting way too out of hand", Robin said.
"Just let it run its course", Xander said. "Arguments are part of any normal friendship. Without pain, you can't have any happiness either."
"That's true, but it's just getting so irritating", said Cyborg.
'Don't worry, tin man. It's just a small wound that a few hours of crying and punching will quickly heal'. This caused Cyborg to jump up off the couch. The Titans were freaking out. All three of them heard this strange voice, but it didn't seem to enter through their ears. It seemed to just speak directly into their minds.
"What the hell was that?!", asked Cyborg as he activated his sonic cannon. It was then that the three of them noticed the smile that was on Xander's face.
"What is so funny?" asked Starfire.
'Yeah, Xan, what's so funny?' asked the voice again. Now the three of them were really scared.
"Where the hell are you?!" Robin yelled out.
"Relax", Xander said with a big smile on his face, "what you heard was a psychic message".
"From who?" Robin asked.
"My sword", said Xander, "Actually, it's the spirit in the sword, but you get the idea". Now the Titans were just confused.
"You're kidding me right?" said a very jittery Cyborg "This is a joke and that psychic voice was just another one of your freaky ass powers, right?!"
'You live with a green boy who turns into animals, a dark clad girl with telekinesis, and an alien girl who shoots green lasers from her eyes & her hands. And you can't believe that there's a soul in a sword that has psychic powers?'. The Titans slowly walked towards Xander, who had taken his katana off his belt. He held the sheathed sword in front of him and let go. The sword remained floating, even after Xander let go. Each of the Titans took a step back at the sight of this strange phenomenon. Starfire just fainted. Xander took the guitar case of his back and leaned it on the couch before he sat down.
"Well, Robin," Xander said amusingly, "you were interested in my power. Here's one of the sources of my power. This is my sword, Akujin, the 'Sword of Shadows'."
"Wait a minute", said Robin, "isn't Akujin Japanese for 'Evil Being'?"
'Well done, Robin,' said Akujin 'I see you know your Japanese'.
"Woah," said Cyborg as he fell back onto the couch "This is way too much to take in". Xander smiled as his sword flew back to him.
"I'm a little hungry", said Xander as he placed Akujin, "anyone wanna join me for a snack?" The two Titans still conscious snapped out of their trance.
"I'll show you to the kitchen", said Cyborg "I'm a little hungry myself. Besides, some food will calm my overstressed mind".
"I'll stay here and try to wake up Star", said Robin, "but could you guys still get me a sandwich?"
"Consider it done!" said Cyborg as he and Xander walked into the Titan's main kitchen.
The training room was a mess. The weights were scattered all over the place and there were scratches and dents on the walls. Sitting alone on one of the benches was Beast Boy, sweating and panting from his recent rampage.
"What the hell is wrong with her?" he asked, talking to himself. He was mad as a hornet (and if he wanted too, he could look like one, too) at Raven, at how she could be so heartless and cold. But for as much as he was mad at her, he was also mad at himself for what he almost did to her today. If it hadn't been for new guy stopping him, he would've dodged the barrels out of raw instinct and hit Raven hard. How could he even think of doing such a thing to her? Especially after he had admitted to himself how he felt towards her...
Raven sat alone on her bed. She locked the door and was now in a meditating position. It took all her focus to keep her powers from ripping apart everything in her room. She was mad at Beast Boy for taking every single little thing seriously, but at the same time she hated herself for doing what she did to him. The way she always insulted him. She almost couldn't forgive herself. Then, for the fifth time that day, a lone tear silently rolled down her cheek.
"So, Xan, how long will you be staying?" Cyborg asked as he took an armful of ingredients out of the fridge. Xander was at the counter making a 2-foot long sub sandwich.
"I'm not sure how long I'll be here for", he replied while placing another piece of turkey on his sandwich.
"Where you been staying anyway?" asked Cyborg as he began piling up his ingredients for what would be a 5 layered sandwich.
"I've been staying in an abandoned warehouse down at the pier", replied Xander as he started placing the vegetables on his sandwich.
"Why you staying in such a dirty place?" Cyborg asked as he began to make Robin's sandwich.
"Well" said Xander "when you've got almost no money, you don't have much of a choice".
"With a bad ass coat like that" said Cyborg, "I'd think you were some super rich snob or something".
"This is an old coat", Xander replied, "I just keep it well cleaned. What is that thing?" Xander pointed to a small, normal sandwich that was microscopic in size compared to the tower of food that was Cyborg's snack.
"It's Robin's sandwich", said Cyborg, and the two shared a short chuckle. They walked back to the living room where Robin was fanning Starfire who had just woken up.
"Cyborg", she said, "I just had the strangest dream. We were talking to Xander when his sword delivered a psychic message to us and..."
'Sorry, Starfire,' Akujin said, 'but that was no dream'. Starfire began to freak out but was calmed down by Robin.
"Relax, Starfire," he said "it's okay. Hey, where's my sandwich?"
"Here, catch!" said Cyborg as he threw Robin's sandwich to him.
"This dinky thing?" Robin asked in confusion.
"If you wanted something bigger", said Cyborg, "you should've said so". Before Robin could say anything more, Cyborg ran out the door to eat his sandwich, leaving Robin with his tiny piece of bread and meat. Xander laughed as he plopped down and began to eat his sub sandwich, when he heard Starfire's stomach growl very loudly.
"Oops", she said with a blush, "my apologies". Xander tore off half of his sandwich and gave it to Starfire. "No I couldn't", she said, "it is your sandwich".
"It's okay", he replied, "I made a big sandwich because I was expecting someone to ask me for some".
"Are you sure?" she asked him.
"Positive", Xander replied, "go ahead and take it".
"Thank you" she said as she slowly took the sandwich. If Xander was looking, he'd have spotted a small hint of anger in Robin's eyes as he was finish his babywich. It quickly disappeared, though.
"So, Xan," Robin said "how long do you plan on staying?"
"As long as you'll have me" he replied. "I feel like playing my guitar", Xander said. He then opened up his guitar case and pulled out a black acoustic guitar with a fire symbol sticker on it. He put the strap over his head and let the guitar hang down. He put his sandwich in his mouth and began walking away while playing the opening tune of "Hands Down" (by Dashboard Confessionals).
"Are you sure it is safe to have him here?" Starfire asked. She was thinking about their other experiences with new teens outside of the team. Their bad experience with Terra leaving without saying good-bye, and even the betrayal of her sister, Blackfire.
"I'm not too sure, Star," Robin replied "we know little to nothing about this guy. Not to mention the fact that he has a sword that's called 'Evil Being'". Just then, his stomach growled louder than Starfire's did earlier. Robin chuckled in embarrassment. Starfire tore off a piece of the sandwich that Xander gave her and gave it to Robin, who was pretty surprised.
"but Star, I..." Starfire put the piece in his hand before he could finish.
"I was not expecting to finish it all, anyway," she said with a smile and walked out the door, leaving Robin alone on the couch with a sandwich piece in his hand. Robin put the sandwich on the table in front of him and walked toward the wall. He began slowly pounding his head on the wall.
'I can't believe I missed ANOTHER opportunity!' he thought as he continued to bang his head on the wall.
Up on the roof, Xander sat alone on the ledge. He was still playing Hands Down and was nearing the end of the song when Akujin spoke to him.
'Great job earning their trust', he said sarcastically. Xander stopped playing and let out a big sigh.
"Sorry, but they're the only friends I've had in a long time" Xander replied. "Besides, I didn't want them knowing about why I came here."
'Why not?' Akujin asked.
"Because, Akujin," Xander said "I doubt that their finding out would make any difference". Xander then began to play "Nothing Else Matters" (by Metallica).
'is that so...' said Akujin. Xander didn't respond this time, but he didn't have to. Akujin already knew the real reason why he wouldn't tell anyone why they were there. He also knew that it was only a matter of time before they did find out.
That is the end of Chapter 4! Read and review, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!?!? Sorry that updates take so long, but I'm a bit of a busy guy.
Next chapter, the Titans and Xander have themselves a little training!
I AM ANGRYDUDE!
