Hunt

:x:

Robin: Who are you?

Red X: If I wanted you to know that, would I be wearing a mask?

X

:x:

"SHE WHAT?" yelled Robin, slamming his palms down onto the table.

The three other Titans shrunk away from him.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME RED X HAS RAVEN? WHO KNOWS WHAT HE MAY HAVE DONE TO HER BY NOW? WHAT IF HE'S FORCED OUT ALL THE SECURITY CODES TO THE TOWER? WHAT IF HE'S TORTURING HER FOR HIS OWN SICK PLEASURE? WHAT IF... WHAT IF HE'S... YOU KNOW!" he continued, gesticulating wildly.

"Robin, I keep telling you, Raven isn't some kid who needs to be saved. She can take care of herself," said Cyborg, pretending to be more confident than he felt.

"It's Red X we're dealing with here, don't you understand? He's a criminal!"

"He's a thief," reasoned Cyborg. "He cares about nobody but himself. If he hurts her, he'll have all of the Titans to deal with, and he's not that stupid."

"Cyborg is correct, Robin. I am sure that Raven is not harmed." Starfire looked around, urging the other two into nodding with her.

"But you told me her communicator and her tracking signal has been disabled. How can I possibly be sure that she's safe? We have to go look for her. I can't believe you kept this from me!" Robin threw up his hands, storming away.

Starfire stood from the table. "We must search for Raven, whether she is safe or not. I do not want to think of her near that... man."

Cyborg watched Robin exit the room. "Beast Boy, you know Raven's scent. We'll go to Central Park and go off from there. Robin's too angry to think right now."

Beast Boy morphed into a greyhound and whined.

"I'm sure she's fine, BB," said Cyborg. His eyes told a different story.

:x:

Raven flexed her fingers. Her joints ached and her head throbbed, but she could move now, which was an improvement. She could hear movement in the next room—the scrape of a chair, the rustle of paper—and she wondered about Red X's wounds. Pushing herself into a sitting position, Raven managed to move herself to the edge of the bed. The moment she rose, however, she knew that her legs weren't strong enough to support her. Her knees gave way and she fell, nearly smashing her nose against the dusty floor.

Instead of walking, Raven levitated herself upwards and phased through the door, intent on finding Red X. The other room was slightly bigger than the bedroom, filled with suspicious-looking boxes. Red X rested on a stool, busy applying salve to a wound on his wrist. Raven landed behind him into a sitting position and the resulting creak caused him to whip his head around. "What do you want?" he asked suspiciously.

Raven took his wrist, her other hand glowing blue, and healed the red welt.

Red X pulled away, staring at the unmarred skin.

"Hold out your palms," Raven instructed.

His eyes narrowed, but he obeyed, seeing what she did to his wrist.

Raven placed her palms on his and closed her eyes, focusing her power. It gathered from the scatterings throughout her body and flowed towards her hands, transferring to Red X. A bluish glow enveloped both of them as her power ran through his body, healing his bruises and cuts. At the same time, she self-healed, closing the wound on her shoulder. When she was finished, she opened her eyes to find Red X watching her intently.

For some unfathomable reason, she blushed.

"Why did you help me?" he asked, his voice emotionless.

"Because you helped me. I'm a superhero. I have to return favors."

"Don't you get tired of it?" he asked. "You're always bound to the person who helped you, you always have duties... you can't ever live the way you want to."

"This is the way I want to live," Raven replied, turning her face away. "My powers can be used for good and evil.. I prefer them used for good."

"What is good?" asked Red X, his eyes not leaving her face. "Who's to say what is good and what is bad? I live my life as a thief, and I still see the same sunsets and shooting stars. Maybe my life is sweeter than yours will ever be. Every day I live, I steal and I take pride in my craft. Every day I see the sun sink, I know that I haven't been caught, that I'm the best there is."

"Aren't you the model of humility?" Raven asked dryly, her eyebrow quirking. Inwardly, her emotions were quarrelling. Who was to say what was good and what was bad? She could live her life without obligations to the public and still be satisfied. But she was never going to admit to Red X that she found his reasoning very attractive.

He seemed to know what she was thinking anyway, because he started to chuckle. "It seems you aren't as much of a superhero as you think," he said.

She found that she liked the sound of his laughter—his real, genuine laughter. "I'm more of a superhero than you are. I should be capturing you right now, you know. Capturing you and taking you to the rest of the Titans." She smirked, watching his smooth, ivory mask.

"Instead, you healed my wounds and started to argue about heroism and ethics with me."

Raven sighed, the smile falling away. He was right—she didn't feel much like a superhero... at least, not anymore. "I told you, I healed you because I had to."

"No, you didn't. If you were Bird-Boy, you would have just healed yourself and gone after me anyway." His voice had an edge of mirth. "I'm just a no-good criminal to him."

"...I'm not Robin," she said simply. She felt like adding, "and you are a no-good criminal," but thought better of it.

"No, you're not," he replied softly. She met his eyes and her heart started to beat rapidly. Then she remembered the last time she fell for anyone and ducked her head, not wanting him to see the uncertainty in her eyes. Where was Stoic Raven when she needed her?

Red X regarded her for a moment. "I think you should go," he said coolly, rising to his feet.

Raven nodded, not daring to look at him. Without saying goodbye, she phased phased through the wall of the apartment, landing in the hall. For a moment, she looked at the front door, with its flaking paint and fading number. 7B. Then, almost resignedly, she started for the staircase and her routine life of heroism.

:x:

"Dude, we've searched all the underground tunnels, abandoned warehouses, and criminal bases we know about. Red X didn't go to any of them last night," said Cyborg into the telecommunicator built into his arm.

"I checked Central Park. Her scent is everywhere, but when I get out, I lose it two blocks away. It's as if they just disappeared into thin air or something," said Beast Boy, standing where he had lost the scent. "I found her communicator. It's been smashed up."

"I have gone to check Raven's favorite 'hanging out' places and she is not there," said Starfire, flying above the city, her hair streaming behind her.

"Dammit," they heard Robin swear over their communicators. "Where is she?"

:x:

Standing behind him at the dock, Raven wondered how much she should tell him. Robin hadn't noticed her yet, of course, being lost in his own thoughts. Raven remembered how Red X was... selfish, conceited, yet at the same time, strangely charming. She knew that if she told Robin about him now, they would get to the apartment fast enough to capture him. Somehow, that idea didn't appeal to her.

"Hello, Robin," said Raven, sitting down next to him.

"Raven!" he exclaimed, his mask stretched wide. "We've been looking all over for you! Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Raven replied, watching the waves wash up against the pillars supporting the dock.

"Where's Red X?" demanded Robin. "Why did you go off without telling me?"

"We knew you had been searching for Slade," she replied, opting not to answer the first question. "Telling you Red X was in Jump City would just overstress you."

"But he was my responsibility! It's my problem. I created Red X and I have to deal with it!" Robin's face was contorted in shame. "Even if he helped me once, it is my duty to bring him to justice." Raven noticed how he used 'me' and 'my' with irritation building inside of her.

"Robin, he isn't just your concern," she said, frowning. "He helped us out, not just you. He's our duty, not just yours. Try not to be so self-centered—you may think it's the right thing to do, taking all that responsibility on your capable shoulders, but you are not the Teen Titans. We are. If you think doing all the work by yourself is helping us, then you're assuming we're helpless infants who aren't the kind of seasoned warrior you are."

Robin was silent for a long time.

"How did you get back?"

Raven didn't answer.

"You know where he is, don't you?"

She turned away.

"Take me!"

She closed her eyes.

"As your leader, I must say that it is in everyone's best interest that you take me to where he is."

Not in his best interest, Raven thought, but she got up and brushed herself off. "Let's find the others first."

:x:

Robin had waited reluctantly for everyone to gather before they set off for the crumbling apartment building that Nathan Ywatt's base was located. They entered to find it abandoned and depleted of valuable pieces of foreign art.

Robin had begun his investigation immediately, checking cabinets and opening drawers, while Beast Boy looked about the building for clues and Cyborg analyzed a footprint they had found. Starfire seemed to be the only one perceptive of Raven's unusually unenthusiastic state.

"What is wrong, Raven?" she asked quietly, looking down at the other girl.

Raven's eyes fastened to the place she and Red X had sat together only half an hour before. "Nothing," she replied. "Nothing at all."

"There he is!" yelled Beast Boy, pointing to a fleeing figure in black and gray.

Raven's heart sank as Robin shouted the customary, "Titans, go!", and they took off after the figure. She kept praying that he would teleport off, but Red X seemed determined to lead them on a chase. They never could get within striking distance, though—they could only see the swish of a cape around a corner or the blur of movement in front of them.

Robin got close to Red X several times to make out the white of his mask. But just as he was about to attack, Red X would distract him by toppling a billboard or sending blades to land right in front of his feet. The others were only able to follow half a pace behind—it was a dance between Robin and X, a furious tango that had no conclusion.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the chase ended. Red X just disappeared around as he turned a corner, leaving Robin to brood over his whereabouts.

Raven didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed. He was gone—but the main objective of the chase was to vex Robin, with nothing to do with her. Did he even care at all?

:x:

There came soft knocking on her door. "Raven?" asked Starfire. "Raven, I would like to converse with you."

With a soft whoosh, the door slid open a crack and Raven's eye peeped out. "Go away, Starfire. I'm busy."

As she was about to close the door, Starfire slid her foot into the crack, effectively gaining Raven's attention once more. "Friend Raven, what I would like to speak to you about is very important and I suggest you let me in, or I will bring it up during the meal."

Starfire was using blackmail.

Raven felt her eyebrows rise in surprise. She relented, letting Starfire enter her room.

Dozens of old books with yellowing pages and musty smells were spread out on the floor. There were Shakespearean sonnets, Irish legends, Greek myths, Indian tales... all of them spoke of love and confusion. Fearing Starfire would see, Raven closed all of the books, but Starfire picked one up before she could stop her.

"He drew a circle that shut me out—

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But Love and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle that took him in...."

Starfire looked up. "This is the reason, is it not?" she questioned. "'Love and I'... 'shut me out'... Raven, do you 'love' him? Is it possible that in so short a time, you can begin to love an enemy?"

"I... I... I don't know," Raven admitted, suddenly feeling weak and defenseless. "I really... I don't think I think of him as an enemy anymore, Starfire," she said. "I try to, but it doesn't feel that way. I don't know what to feel or think or do. I just know that I am worried about him and I don't want Robin to catch him."

"Tell me what happened, Raven. From the beginning, if you would."

"...Since Malchior betrayed me, I've been having dreams where the magic he taught me wound about my arms like snakes and forced me to open the book and release him. Then the magic would swallow me whole until I was an incarnation of dark magic. That day, when we fought Red X... I lost control of the dark magic inside me and I went on a rampage. Red X finally defeated me and nursed my wounds because he didn't want me to die. I... I don't think he's evil. Just immoral and arrogant."

Starfire watched her closely.

"Don't tell them," Raven asked. "Please don't tell them."

Starfire smiled reassuringly. "I will not betray your confidence," she replied. "From what you have told me, I think I understand better of Red X now. But be careful, Raven. He is, as you have pointed out, immoral. He might not comprehend love such as yours."

"I don't think so, either..." Raven said.

:x:

A shadow stood over Raven, watching her sleep. It wanted to touch her face, but it remembered its duty and pressed a blindfold to her eyes. Slinging her over its shoulder, it climbed out the window and snuck away in the night.

:x:

Raven groaned. Her wrists, already tender, were being chaffed. She opened her eyes, expecting to see the familiar swirling shadows that flowed on her ceiling, only to find complete darkness—someone had blindfolded her. Her hands strained against the metal bindings, but they wouldn't come loose. Nor did the clamps on her ankles. She heightened her sense of hearing, finding that whoever had taken her was pacing only a few meters away.

Raven frowned as the person turned, his clothing rustling.

"So you're awake," he said.

Shock resonated through her mind. It was Red X standing there—she recognized the timbre of his voice. Animosity thickened the atmosphere of the room.

Raven tried to pry off the blindfold, but it wouldn't come off. "Don't bother," said Red X, coming to stand next to where she sat. "The adhesive on the blindfold is the same kind used for taping up your mouth. You'll have to rip it off, and with your hands in the state they're in, there's no way you can see where I stay."

"Why?" Raven asked, lifting her face to where his voice came from.

"Why?" he asked, dry humor seeping into his intonation. "Why do you think, Raven? I gave you the location of Ywatt's apartment and from what happened between us, I expected you to bring them later on. Before I had time to gather anything, your car pulled up and all of the Titans came. You wanted to capture me all along—you knew you couldn't defeat me so as soon as you saw your friends , you took them to the apartment."

"I thought you'd be gone by then."

"You're just like every other righteous brat. You can't see what it feels like to be me."

"Well you can't see what it feels like to be me!" she retorted. "I didn't want to take them back, but Robin is the leader—and my friend—and I can't just lie to him! I'm not that kind of a person!"

"I don't know what kind of person you are, if not a superhero."

"I am not just a superhero. I am a person, with feelings and emotions and attachments. I can't betray my friends."

"And yet you betrayed me."

The silence between them grew, becoming almost tangible.

"You... you thought of me as a friend?" she whispered, something stirring in her chest.

"Not anymore." His stony tone made her heart sink.

"You thought I betrayed your trust," Raven said, mostly to calm her thoughts. "You trusted me."

"And I was a fool for it, too."

The hurt, masked by a sneering indifference... how often she had employed the same method to hide herself. "You think I can trust you, Red X?" she asked quietly. "You think I can trust you when you won't even show me your face?" She realized she was trembling.

"I won't show you my face. You'll just take the information back to your friends and betray me again."

"Why did you take me here? Why go to the trouble of abducting me and tying me up?"

"They'll find your room empty and start to worry again," he said, this time a nasty edge to his voice. "I'm doing this to torment them."

"...I told Starfire about you," she said.

He was uncomfortable, she realized. He stirred from his position and turned away. "So what did the she say?"

"She understood. She won't tell."

"She understood? She understood what?" A sudden stirring of the air brushed her face, meaning Red X had spun around and was now facing her. "That you pretended to understand me and befriend me and then turned against me like I was nothing?"

"She understood that, despite all that I stand for, I cared about you," Raven shot back, lacing her words with venom. "She understood that I was hurt when you wouldn't even look at me, that I liked you."

"Liar," he replied.

"How do you know? You don't know me!"

Somehow, Raven got the feeling that the real reason he took her was to prove to himself he didn't feel for her. At least, that's what she hoped his motives were. "Despite what happened, we don't know each other very well. We're two enemies unable to determine if the other means well or not, unable to trust," she said, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He seemed mildly surprised.

"For hurting you."

"You didn't hurt me," he said defensively.

"And I'm sorry that we can't... we can't seem to give our trust to each other."

Again, the long silence. Then, Raven heard some movements and something hit the floor. His fingers gripped hers and pulled her hands upwards. Her fingers met his skin, she realized that he didn't have his mask on. His other hand began to lift away the blindfold.

"No," said Raven, pulling her face away.

"Why?" he asked angrily. "I trust you."

"But I don't. I told you before, I have to be a hero. If I see your face, I'll have to tell my friends and then we'll identify you and pretty soon, you'll be locked away. I don't want that." Raven knew she was pleading, but somehow, she didn't really care. "Don't make me look at you."

"Do you really think I'm that ugly?" he asked incredulously, but his voice began to brighten considerably.

"Yes," she replied sarcastically. "That's the reason you wear a mask."

She could feel his smile, and grinned in reply.

He pressed a kiss to her lips. She was unaccustomed to the strange feeling of another's lips on hers, and in surprise, something behind them blew up, the shards clinking against the wall. He pulled away, looked over her shoulder, and groaned. "That's ten thousand dollars down the drain," he said, but there was mirth underneath the words.

She chuckled.

"Trust," he murmured as he leaned down again. "Trust."

:x:

When the blindfold finally came off, she found herself blinking in the afternoon sun, on a side street near the park . Red X watched her, sitting a couple of feet away on a black motorbike, painted with red Xs. "You're free to go back to your friends," he said, his tone once again unreadable.

Raven at a loss for words. There were no partings that could communicate the twisted mess that her emotions were caught in. He seemed to understand, as he shrugged. She nodded, unable to say goodbye, and started off, her back to him.

The engine of the motorcycle roared to life. The smell of exhaust stifled her for a moment. When the smoke cleared, she looked over her shoulder to find him gone.

She gave the tiniest smile.

"Raven!" yelled Beast Boy, running towards her. "Where have you been?"

She looked surprisingly sage when she turned her violet gaze on Beast Boy.

"With a friend."

:x:

The poem: Not mine. By Edwin Markham, called 'Outwitted.'

Disclaimer: Teen Titans belong to not me.

What was to be a study of enemy love—Romeo and Juliet, Draco and Hermione—turned into a study of trust and friendship. How did that happen???

Ugh. Red X is very out of character... but then again, we don't know much about him, so we can pretend that is his character. XD. Raven is also pretty out of character. Let's just say that love does things to people.

laughter.

Note: There came soft knocking on the door is a spoof of 'there came soft rains.'