A/N: Hi everyone! I'm afraid this is going to take some time. I require several items of source material to write this, and I have a separate story that's going really well. Even so, I'm going to write this as I am able to. Enjoy!

Special thanks go to Demigod for letting me borrow her portrayal and back stories for Jinx and Gizmo from her story Honeycomb Love.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Yu-Yu Hakusho

Chapter 1: Opening Moves of the Great Game
"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

Raven was meditating on the roof of Titans Tower. It was early, and the sun was just rising over the horizon. Its light was wan and gave no warmth as it rose in the cloudy sky. The unseasonably warm weather of the past few days had vanished, leaving a bitter chill in the dry air. Winter reminds us that this is still her time, Raven thought. She shivered, absently shrugging her cape back in place.

The past few days had been exhausting, and Raven's dislike of associating with other people had been whetted to a fine edge, as had her temper. She'd had to put her feelings aside and do things she'd never dreamed of having to do, all because of a pathetic little girl and the boy who loved her.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

She knew that her anger was excessive and irrational, but it bothered her that no one took her feelings and needs into consideration. It wasn't her preference to be the way she was. She would have given anything simply to have a choice about that.

"Why is Terra more important than I am?" She whispered to herself.

As the sun rose higher, Raven felt herself become more calm. I'm simply expressing the emotions I couldn't feel this week, that's all. Her calm increased as she accepted that as the truth. This week wasn't all bad, anyway.

Because of Starfire and Beastboy, Raven had come to a private understanding of herself in the last few days. She no longer felt isolated and alone because of her powers and heritage. It was her choice to associate with the others or whether to pursue her own interests. She was a worthwhile person…not the monster she was afraid she might be.

"Azerath…Metrion…Zin…" As Raven was whispering her mantra with a faint smile on her lips, she was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass, and moments later, an object crashing against the rocks below the tower. What was that?

She opened her eyes and walked to the edge of the roof, staring down in morbid curiousity. Glittering shards of glass littered the ground below her, and the wreckage of a wooden chair punctuated the strange scene. Raven's eyes drifted to the now broken window the chair had been unceremoniously expelled from.

The main living area.

Raven sank through the layers of building, using her mastery over shadows to move toward the source of the ruckus. Already, she could hear indistinct shouting. She eased her way though the ceiling, and drifted to the floor, looking like a living fragment of darkness. As she stepped out of her shadow form, she saw a furious Robin pacing the room, and Cyborg looking grim.

"I can't believe this!" Robin was shouting, waving a piece of paper. "What does she think this is! She could jeopardize everything!"

"Robin! Chill!" Cyborg said, his face deadly serious. "They aren't that far ahead. We can catch them."

Raven felt a shiver go down her spine. "Go after who?" She asked flatly.

Robin turned to her, and she was startled to see a raging fury in his eyes. "STARFIRE AND BEASTBOY WENT AFTER TERRA!" He shouted. "They snuck out last night. They have almost a twelve hour lead on us."

Raven felt the blood drain from her face, and an icy horror gripped at her heart. "No…" She heard herself say faintly. "She can't…no…I…she doesn't know…"

Robin visibly pulled himself together, although Raven saw him shudder when he looked at her. "What is it, Raven?"

Raven slumped, dragging herself to the table. "Bring me some tea."

Robin opened his mouth, but Cyborg elbowed him into silence. The huge teen walked into the kitchen and poured some hot water into her cup with the tea mix in it. Raven didn't notice his actions as she stared at the table, seeing in her mind the mysterious monster that was in the desert, waiting for them.

Raven almost jumped out of her skin when Cyborg placed the cup before her. She forced herself to pick up the cup and drink it. So much for my good mood, She thought grimly. She took a few shuddery breaths, trying to pull herself out of her shock. Starfire, what have you gotten yourself into…?

"Robin, let me see the note."

Robin didn't look happy, but he nodded and handed her the sheet. Raven read the short note, trying to fathom Starfire's motive.

"The future -our future- may depend on us saving her…" Raven read absently, aloud. Raven re-read the note two more times, just to be sure. Only then did she glare at Robin.

"This is your fault."

Robin had been having a relatively good morning until he found Starfire's note. He'd gone to sleep drunk on his love for the fiery-haired alien girl. Now, though, everything that could go wrong was going wrong.

Even with all that, nothing could have stunned him more than Raven's four word declaration.

"What are you talking about…?"

Raven's gaze was merciless, her eyes looking like twin mirrors reflecting the cold of the night. "You didn't have a plan, so Starfire made one herself." Raven paused, looking as if she was pondering what to say next. "What she and Beastboy are doing would be fine if they weren't walking into a trap."

Robin choked. "What kind of a trap? Is it Slade?"

Raven sighed. "You wish. Slade is nothing compared to whoever is out there right now." She sipped some of her tea. "This is bad that they left without knowing that. We all should have gone."

"We still can. Titans, prepare to move!"

Raven gave him a disgusted look. "Robin, have you ever heard of Murphy's law?"

Just as she posed the question, alarms rang all over the tower. "Emergency, emergency…" The polite voice of the central computer rang out.

"How did you know?" Robin asked Raven as they flew toward the prison that held the criminals of the city with unusual powers.

Raven's mind was in turmoil over Starfire and Beastboy's fate, but she savagely got herself under control. They made this choice, but I hope it doesn't cost them their lives. We won't be able to follow. "When you add all of this up, it was inevitable. Slade knows that we're down two members. He's going to keep the pressure on us until the others return." If they return… She added to herself bitterly.

Cyborg was piloting the T-Sub to the peninsula where the grim gray walls of the prison rose. The three remaining Titans blanched when they beheld the utter destruction that was occurring.

I hate my employer, Hiei thought darkly. It was a cold day out, and he was spending it breaking two obnoxious children out of prison. I'm charging him double for this.

He visually surveyed the prison, bringing to mind the mental map that the Guardian had shown him the previous night. The dark-haired Imiko mentally reviewed the meeting from the night before, committing the details to mind.

"Hiei, I want you to recover two children tomorrow."

"Why don't you do it?" He'd asked insolently "I thought you preferred that anyway."

The Guardian had frowned. "I'm busy with something more pressing, but at the same time, this is too important for anyone else to handle."

"Fine. Don't even think of sending me on another operation like this again, though."

"Good. The kids' names are Jinx and Gizmo. I want you to pick them up tomorrow morning. They're in a maximum security prison."

"Really…how old are they?"

"I'm not sure. Probably around fourteen." The Guardian had raised an eyebrow. "You were a terror from the time you could walk, so I don't know why that surprises you."

"Point taken…but I'm a demon. What do these humans do?"

"They're part of an elite group of child criminals called the HIVE. Jinx is a sorceress, Gizmo is a technologist."

"So I break them out, and bring them here. Simple enough."

The Guardian had shaken a finger at him. "I know what you're thinking, and you can forget it. Absolutely no casualties, especially the people who are going to try and stop you."

"And who would they be?"

"I'll give you descriptions. They're the heroes of the city."

"What does this have to do with what's going on in the Makai?"

"One of the heroes is Trigon's daughter."

"Fist of the Mortal Flame!" Hiei shouted as he channeled his inner fire into his hands, melting the cell door. His progress into the prison had been rapid, as he could move far faster than a human. Most of the guards hadn't even seen him, and the others dismissed his rapid passing as a shadow or their minds playing tricks on them.

When the door gave way enough to see inside, Hiei noticed a bedraggled girl with pink hair inside. That would be Jinx.

Jinx's eyes were wide with panic, but Hiei noted that she was making a massive effort to keep herself under control. Hiei's demon powers were unaffected by the damping field that negated Jinx's spells, but he was aware that her powers were unavailable to her in the prison.

"Are you coming?" Hiei asked sarcastically.

"Are you with the HIVE?" She asked doubtfully.

Hiei sighed. No wonder she didn't totally freak out. She thought I was part of her organization. "No. My employer would like a word with you."

Jinx took a moment to process this. "Anyplace is better than here. I'm coming."

Hiei chuckled darkly. "I wouldn't be so certain of that, if I were you. There are far worse places than this."

Jinx wasn't sure about the black haired youth that was leading her through the prison. She watched him suspiciously as he walked through the complex as casually as a normal person would stroll through the park. Until I get out of here and I can use my powers, he's in charge. After that…

"Where are we going?" Jinx asked with forced nonchalance.

"To pick up your little friend."

"Gizmo?" Jinx asked incredulously.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure that's what you call him." The boy said with a kind of offhand condescension.

Jinx frowned at the implied insult. "What do you want with him?"

The youth frowned, suddenly looking greatly annoyed. "I don't want him for anything. My employer asked for you two. That's what he's getting. You can ask him what he wants with you when you meet him." He stopped at an unmarked door. "Why don't you get this one?"

Jinx frowned at him. "You know I can't use my powers here."

The strange boy gave her a 'don't be stupid' look. "Only your cell was shielded. They never let you out, right?"

Jinx gave him an angry look. I should have tried as soon as I was out of my cell. I must be losing my edge here. "Fine."

Jinx swept both her arms out in a crossed arc, directing two slashes of pink energy at the door. The lock went haywire, and the door fell outward, revealing an annoyed Gizmo.

"What took you clutchheads so long!" He demand of Jinx, and then turned dead white as he saw her companion. He pointed a trembling finger at the dark haired boy. "Is that who I think it is…?"

Jinx frowned at Gizmo. I've never seen him freak out like this before. What does he know that I don't?

"Children, if you're done staring at me, I think we should be going," the young boy said in obvious irritation.

Jinx fumed at the strange boy as they were making their way out. The alarms had started after her cell door had been melted into slag, but until now, the guards had been searching the building in a more or less random fashion. She could almost feel the net tightening around them. Gizmo won't be of any help until we can get him his backpack. I can use my spells, and that weird boy has some sort of power as well.

Just as she spotted a guard, she gestured toward the ceiling, intending to bring it down. The boy slapped her hand stingingly with a rapid movement. "Claws in, you little wildcat," He said darkly. "If you use your power, they'll know right where we are. I'll take care of this."

Jinx covertly gave him an evil look while nursing her sore hand. How did her move that fast…? Jinx wondered privately. She wasn't a specialist in fighting, but she was better than most. The dark-haired boy had caught her completely by surprise both with the speed and the precision of his hit. He's in a league all his own…and he has that strange magic...

"He's a demon." Gizmo abruptly said, still looking spooked.

"What?" Jinx asked, bewildered by his unsolicited statement.

Gizmo's teeth were almost chattering "You want to know what he is. Look at his forehead."

Jinx focused further down the corridor where the dark-haired boy was confidently striding toward the hapless guard. Well, that guard is dogmeat.

Just when she was sure the boy was going to fry the guard, he took off a headband and a third eye opened in the newly revealed space. Jinx strained to hear what he was saying.

"…Weapons locker…" She made out and then the guard answered, saying something about a central guardroom.

"Jinx, we're in WAY over our heads here!" Gizmo said anxiously, absently feeling around for the weapons pack he usually carried. "We have to get away from him!"

"He's springing us," Jinx replied caustically. "You want to stay in here?"

"You two are holding me up. Let's go," the boy said softly from right behind Jinx.

Jinx flinched. She hadn't felt him return. "What were you talking to the guard about?"

Expressionless dark eyes regarded her. "I convinced him to tell me where the kid's toys are," He said as he tilted his head toward Gizmo. Jinx noted that the guard was out cold, sprawled on the ground. "He'll sleep for a few hours, and then tell them that he doesn't remember what happened. Let's finish up here. I have work to do today."

Just a few minutes later, they had recovered Gizmo's pack, and strange boy was leading them out of the cell block toward the outer wall. He pointed toward the forbidding barrier. "One of you make a hole for us. I'll watch for pursuit."

Jinx ground her teeth at him. He was so careful during our escape that they never figured out where we were, and now he's worried about pursuit? He just wants us to do it so that he can keep an eye on us. Gizmo was right about this guy.

Even so, Jinx's frustration with being caged in the prison boiled up and out in the form of a wicked hex that crackled from her fingers with blue fire. She saw a weakened section of the wall and released her powers in almost a blind rage.

The wall twisted and shattered as if a giant was wringing it like a wet rag. The boy nodded approvingly, but Gizmo frowned at her. "Cool it, Jinx! You know what happens when you go overboard!"

Gizmo, the voice of restraint…? Jinx thought wonderingly, then she noticed him glancing at the strange demon boy. He's right. If this is a trap, I'm going to need everything I've got to stop him. "You're right, Gizmo. I'll be more…delicate…from now on."

Gizmo wasn't listening, though. He was looking intently at one of his viewscreens. "Stupid, snotheaded, goody two-shoes losers!" He was swearing non-stop. "We gotta burn! The Titans are coming!"

Hiei directed a bored look toward Gizmo. "How far away are they?"

"They'll be here any minute!" Gizmo was grimly loading several programs into his combat pack.

Hiei nodded slightly said as he gracefully jumped over the remains of the ruined wall. He noticed Jinx and Gizmo standing where he left them, sharing a look of suspicion and fear. "You're welcome to wait here for them to put you back in your cells…"

He heard Jinx sigh and Gizmo mutter to himself, followed by the sounds of Jinx scrambling through the rubble and Gizmo's jetpack igniting. This wasn't too hard. Only a short way back to where I gated here, and we can leave.

"I don't know who you are, but we're here to stop you!" A masked boy with a cape shouted.

Hiei shook his head at the absurdity of what he was seeing. Three people jumped out of some sort of flying vehicle. A boy with a cape, a cyborg and a half-demoness… His thought trailed off as he beheld Raven. So, she is the daughter of Trigon.

"What are you?" Raven asked coldly, interrupting his musing. The hood of her cape was covering her face, giving her a menacing air that was not conveyed by the other two.

"So, you're the Titans. No wonder my employer is so concerned," Hiei said spitefully. He glanced around. We're close enough to the gate point. Time to go. "Unfortunately, we'll probably see each other again."

Hiei tapped into the energies in the area and opened a gateway to his kingdom. As he glanced over his shoulder, he noticed Jinx and Gizmo were nervously eying the portal. Hiei frowned and created a dome of fire.

A moment after the dome was formed, blue energy blasts and blades of darkness struck the dome. "Titans! Don't let them get away!" He could hear the other boy giving orders to take down his protective dome.

Hiei started walking toward the portal. "Where does that go?" Jinx asked softly.

"Heaven or Hell. It depends on your perspective."

"Is that…the Makai?" Gizmo asked nervously.

"I don't have time for this," Hiei said flatly. "Come with me right now or face the Titans by yourself."