Having some difficulties making up my mind right now...
See, I can't decide whether to do the war chapter in ch. 15 or wait until next chapter. Of course, if you're reading this then I've decided to wait but... oh well, I've never made sense before, why start now?
(Looks around at empty room sadly)
My muses are making war plans right now so... (Sniff)
Shame on all of you! Zephyr wasn't planning on even being in this war! He wanted peace! But you guys saying you're gonna join his side or take him as a POW has CORRUPTED HIS LITTLE POETIC DRAGON MIND!
(Sniff) How can I do my author's note without muses...?
(Sniffle and cry) Without my muses...
(Hugs CrazyTomboy and the rest of her loyal troops)
Crazy Tomboy: It'll be okay... They'll come back when we...uh... kick their butts! (Pats N/M Shin on the back)
Steve-Racer: (In sing-song voice)...Awkward...
Vash: Yeah, well, our three-person army'll be real hard to beat, yessiree (Rolls eyes).
N/M Shin: (Let's go of CT) That's right! Some of you didn't state which army you were supporting. If you don't choose a side you automatically get put with Zeph and the renegades. And some of the people who didn't decide a team are, like, my best and most loyal reviewers.
I will not stand for this!
Insanity Brigade: Ninmenju-shinSteve-RacerVashTheStampede7123, CrazyTomboy
Muse Liberation Front: Jax, Shadow12002
Renegades: Zephyr, Daughter of Trigon
Undecided: Zako Lord of Randomnessness, MOOgoestheCHICKEN, Taiba
So, the undecided people need to...um, decide...yeah.
Now, about Hannah's name. How would you guys like to vote for it? Very much? Good!
Beast Girl
Artemis
Anima
Black Cat
Yeah, I'm not very creative and my reviewers tried to help as best they could... If your suggestion isn't here then that means it really wouldn't fit the flow of the fic. Remember, I know how this fic is going to turn out and you do not. Trust me on this.
I saw Avatar: the Last Airbender on Nick the other night. Man, that show rocks!
Jax: (From up in the rafters) Haha! You're so useless, N/M Shin!
N/M Shin: Jax, you traitor! What're you doing here?
Jax: I came to steal your war plans, but when I opened the file cabinet marked 'Super Secret War Plans' all I found was this bag of jellybeans! (Holds up jumbo bag of jellybeans)
N/M Shin: Give those back, you jellybean thief! (Jax disappears through window laughing)
XXXXXXXX-DAMMIT-XXXXXXXX
(Sniff ...jellybeans...)
Hey Han, c'mere, me and Dad are gonna throw the football!
You don't know how to throw a football!
Well, I'm gonna learn!
Can I learn too?
C'mon Dar, even 4 years old isn't too young to learn somethin'! C'mere you two, we'll all learn together.
Can Mom throw a football?
Yes, I can throw a football.
Cool, after me and Han learn we could play a game!
That would be fun.
Here guys, see? You hold it like thi- Uh-oh, you guy's hands aren't big enough!
Awww man!
It's okay, we'll start smaller. How about...
These flashbacks were getting increasingly annoying. It seemed like very moment she slipped out of consciousness another memory played itself out in her mind. Some of them, like the last one, had been wonderful. But, still others were worse than even the crushing pain and stabbing icefire in her veins. Each memory, however, was growing considerably shorter as her healing factor kept her conscious for a longer amount of time.
It wasn't long before she could open her eyes, but all she could see was red.
Raven's healing abilities were possibly even slower than a regular human's when she had her powers temporarily out of use, and she quickly found that she was much too weak to reactivate them. Of course, the first priority of healing was her mind and awareness. Left unattended to, her body still screamed in pain, with no comatose state to put it at bay. She quickly shut her amethyst orbs, as the blood stung them unbearably.
Even her vocal chords refused to operate, and the only thing she could get out of them was a throbbing ache and 'augh...', and that wouldn't do her a lick of good. She desperately wanted to cough; dust clogged her mouth and throat and slowly choked her. She tried to swallow it, but the chalky substance remained where it lay, just like everything else around her. She was helpless, at the mercy of stone and stabbing metal.
And, no matter how hard she tried, her body wouldn't let her escape from it.
XXXXXXXX-Ewww...but she's still alive...-XXXXXXXX
Unlike her comrades, though she didn't know this, Starfire was not buried under piles of rubble; though she was one of the few who could have gotten out of it by herself. How ironic, no?
However, this did not mean she wasn't in extreme pain. When Starfire came to, the first thing she noticed was that a stifling wind blew all around her. The second thing she noticed was that sharp pain peppered her entire body. The third thing she noticed was that something was pinning her to the uncomfortable hard mass underneath her back. She was face up, and opened her eyes to a foggy, ominous sky.
Star knew that sitting up would not be a good idea, but what was she supposed to do, sit there? She slowly contracted the aching muscles in her abdomen, regretting it instantly when the pain along her stomach stabbed into the ribs. She let out a frustrated sob, but didn't sit back down. Closing her eyes, she sat fully up, straightening her back so that the pain detached itself from her upper body.
She opened her eyes slowly, scanning her entire being.
Jagged shards of glass littered the surface of her body, jutting out at odd angles and seeping blood onto the mound she rested on. Their translucent surfaces were uneven, instead of their usual smoothness. The heat of the explosion had slightly melted the glass, not enough for it to lose its overall shape, but just enough to be painful when she pulled them out.
Unlike her friends and family, who were moderately protected from the glass by their concrete tombs, Starfire had caught every piece that flew by.
"How... unfortunate." Starfire managed to choke out. Her long unused voice was scratchy and it burned her throat to speak. Her mouth felt like cotton, as if she didn't have a trace of saliva. She blinked, "But, what has become of my friends?"
She tried to get up without disturbing the protruding glass, but found yet another obstacle.
A stop sing pierced her right calf, and was lodged in the rubble underneath her. (Yes, I know, I am horribly gruesome)
Now, Starfire may not have been a doctor, but she knew not to pull the wreckage out. She had no intention of bleeding to death any time soon. But, she also knew that she needed to get off of her rocky perch and find her friends. She gripped the margin of steel between the bottom of her leg and the rock, the blood making it a bit slippery, and twisted it sharply, moving her leg with it to avoid causing herself pain, in an attempt to loosen it.
"AUGH! HOLY ONES OF AZERATH!" Starfire almost had a heart attack.
"Raven?"
"Starfire! Geez, what was that! It felt like a hellfire sword!" Raven's voice, which had returned to her in order to scream, was muffled underneath the rubble Starfire was sprawled unceremoniously on.
"I am not...Oh...," She gasped in horror, "oh no, this is not good."
"What? Are you hurt? Because, we're gonna be pretty useless together unless you can move."
"Raven, do you feel...um...that something is lodged into your leg?"
"Yeah, that was why I screamed! Damn, that hurt like fuckin hell!" Starfire cringed, not at the curse, but the possibility.
"..."
"Starfire? Where are-"
"I fear that I lay on top of the pile of earth that consumes you."
"Well get off! I'm being crushed!"
"..."
"Star?"
XXXXXXX-Hehe...do you know what happened-XXXXXXX
Cyborg's circuits flickered to life as he rebooted. It didn't take him long to realize what had happened; what else generates a burning wind and explosions when a nuke resides in the city? His vision slowly returned, becoming clearer with each passing second. The whirring of motors caught the attention of someone beyond the pile of wasted robots on top of him. Those useless robots, he thought, could've been me if they hadn't been there. He quickly thanked God.
He wasn't thankful for very long.
As soon as they noticed he was operational, the person outside of the troops of robo-carcasses shifted the ones on top of him so that he had a clear view of their face. A flash of purple and black made his heart race.
"Jinx, you're okay! I thought you might have-"
"Save it, Tin-Man."
His eyes widened. "W-what? Jinx, what're you-"
She brought her hand up to his face, pink energy laced and crackled around her slender fingers like snakes. "You'd better watch it. I would hate for you malfunction or something." She gave a menacing tone on the word 'malfunction' and the energy leaped out of her hand, sparking millimeters from his dark face.
"Where's Robi-"
"You're scrub-muffin friend is right here."
No, no anyone but him. The voice was deeper, and sounded scratchy and mature, but only one person talked like that.
"Yeah, but you would both be scrap if I was in charge."
That voice was still the same. The same deep, throaty, primal voice.
"Jinx, what're you doing back with these losers!"
They all laughed. "Back?" Mammoth growled a response. "She never left. The HIVE has been very much alive all these years, stupid."
"Once you graduate from the academy," Even betraying him, her seducing voice sent chills down his spine, "You just live normally. Villains hire you, mob bosses hire you, and even political candidates hire you, for a price. We kill people, follow people, steal things, then payday comes."
"And what a wonderful day it is." Mammoth chuckled, and Gizmo faked a dreamy look.
"You wouldn't believe what we get paid, thousands, billions..."
"So me... and you...that was all a lie?"
Gizmo hmph'ed in the corner of the room; his tall, slim frame leaned against the wall. Jinx glared at him. "No, not at all. But, work comes before friends, ya know?" She had not a hint of sympathy in her voice.
"Guess who hired us this time."
"You wouldn't...Slade!"
"Yeah," Gizmo chuckled, "And guess what he hired us to do, snot-fer-brains!"
He gulped. "...Oh fuck."
XXXXXXX-God, I hate Gizmo...-XXXXXXX
"You sure you guys can't smell anything!" Connie groaned.
Two wolves and a demon had their noses to the ground and had been sniffing around for half-an-hour, but couldn't find one person?
Hannah returned to her normal state. "The bomb fried all the odors in the air. Not to mention that burning asphalt is a pretty hard smell to ignore."
Gar de-transformed too. "Auggh, this is sooo frustrating!"
"I can't believe that four super-humans don't have a single ability between them to find a single person! I mean superman always somehow finds-"
Hellion shushed her. His ears pricked up to attention, and Wildfire caught herself before she could reach out to pet them like a dog.
Soon everyone could hear it.
"Left, right, left, right- No, your right!"
"That was my right!"
"No, that was my right!"
"Exactly, my right!"
"No, that was your left!"
"But you said right!"
"Yeah, your right!"
"But you just said I was wrong!"
"Augh! Just, shut up and step with your left!"
"Okay!"
"Ouch! That was your right!"
"Why can't you just come to a decision whether I am right or wrong?"
"Not THAT right!"
"Oh, then please, which foot is wrong?"
"You don't know left and right?"
"Why would a foot be left? Do you not need both?"
"...Damn this stop sign and all affiliated with it..."
"Yes, the fact that we face different directions is almost as cumbersome as the pain brought about by the metal octagon of halting."
"...It's called a stop sign, Star..."
"...Well...it hurts."
"Indeed it does."
Connie, ever the happy, jubilant youth, rocketed off into the fog to find them.
They heard a shriek. "Uh...guys...get over here NOW!"
"Who's with you?" Raven's voice inquired as the three Logans strode towards them.
"Everyone but Robin and...what was his name? Roborg? ...God, doesn't that hurt?"
"No, it's just peachy, OF COURSE IT HURTS!"
Beast Boy was the first to reach them. "Raven, Star, are you- OH MY GOD!"
The rest reacted similarly when they reached them.
The stop sign, which she had not opted to remove, jutted out of Star's calf. The other end, which stuck out behind Star, was lodged into Raven's thigh. Because they couldn't remove it without gushing blood, they had been forced to walk with it binding them together, back to back.
"This would be so cool if wasn't happening to you guys..."
Raven slapped her son on the head. "What! Just tryin to lighten the mood!"
"Pull it out and heal it! Now!"
"Oh, right... Han, this is more your department."
Soon, after ripping the sign out of both of the women and healing it at what seemed like light speed, everyone in the blast was finally accounted for. Connie and Starfire gave each other death hugs and, despite the way she had handled the information during her conversation with Starfire, Raven cried all over her only daughter, as if she was making sure that Hannah was actually there. Would imply
And, despite what the ominous tone of this story would imply, no one was in the shadows watching them, there were no more bombs, and none of them were slowly dying. I gotta give them a break, ya know?
"Okay Darren, say it! Say 'duuude'."
"Dad!"
"No, duuude."
"For God's sake Gar, he's not even one yet."
"Hey, my son's gonna learn early on to be as cool as me."
"But Gar, you are as cool as a drooling baby."
"Haha, that's very funny Dick."
"Funny Dick!" The dark haired baby laughed from his place on the floor.
"Raven and Star left us with him, alone; we'll never get this opportunity again!"
"Fine, whatever, corrupt him, I don't care."
"Whever!" Darren grinned at his baby version of 'whatever'.
"Haha, he's like a little sponge!" Gar picked his son up and put him on the couch, bending down so that they were at eye level.
"C'mon Dar, just say 'Duuude'." (A/N- The nickname for Darren, 'Dar' is pronounced 'Dare'. Y'know, like truth or Dare)
"Dad!"
"No, not Dad! Duuude!"
Dick bent down next to his friend. "Sure makes me jealous."
"Hehe, what, you want one too?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Hell yeah!" Darren clapped to himself.
They both looked horrified.
"Hell yeah! Hell yeah! Hell yeah!" He repeated over and over.
"Awww dude! Look what you did!"
"Me? He's your little sponge baby!"
"Duuude, if Raven hears him say that, I'm as good as dead!"
"Hell yeah!" Darren laughed. His dad acted funny when he said that.
"He won't stop saying it! Dude, I am so screwed!"
"So screwed!" the baby laughed again.
"He's like a parrot! Make him stop!"
"Hell yeah!"
"Darren, dude, stop it, please? If you don't, Daddy might have to go join the circus!"
"Duuude." He clapped his small hands together again.
"...Yess! Awesome little dude, gimme a five!" Gar held out his hand.
"Awesome duuude!" Darren clapped his little hand up and down on his father's repeatedly.
"When did you teach him how to give high fives?"
"Like, forever ago."
The door opened and Raven walked in, followed by Star. "Hey guys, have you killed the baby yet?"
"No, not yet! And you shoulda heard him! He said 'Awesome duuude' then gave me a five! Tell mommy your new word, Dar!"
"Hell yeah, so screwed!"
"Garfield Logan!"
"Dick, what were you two doing with him!"
"Well Star, we..."
"Daddy so screwed." Darren crawled over to Raven and she picked him up.
"Yes, he is indeed."
Gar Logan sighed. "Well, he'll be cool now. His father's in the circus, after all."
XXXXXXX-HAHAHAHAHA-XXXXXX
That last scene was just a random flashback I wanted to put in. Good for a few laughs, neh?
Sorry this chapter was put off for so long, but, I already told you about my two big projects. I really should be doing that right now instead of writing the chapter, but guilt consumes me.
Don't expect the next update until after March 8th. That's when my projects will be finished. Stupid gifted classes...
CrazyTomboy: You're in the Gifted Program?
N/M Shin: (Sighs) Yeah, but you wouldn't know it by talking to me.
Steve: Why don't you go do your project? We'll wrap it up here.
N/M Shin: Thanks guys. (Walks off)
Vash: So, vote for a name and choose a side if you haven't done so.
CrazyTomboy: And, as always...
All together: Read, Review, Repeat! (Seriously, do it)