Fine…I shall just get on to chapter 10, you know you've all been waiting for this. Though I must warn you. You may like it, you may not. Advancing-the-story wise, it's a decent chapter, but writing wise, in MY opinion? It's probably my least favorite, but this is up to you to decide and not me. I at least hope that you enjoy it enough.
BUT before I let you read and decide…THANK YOU's to everyone! And this time I had one request (from DWR ,Beth, and Lintilla), but I am afraid I am unable to grant that request at this time. Look for it in chapter 13 though! I must say that I do so enjoy that one…: Techna, Cherry Jade (of COURSE I forgive you!), me (…cause I could! So who ARE you? hehe), evilsangle, IoEuropa, CuTtErWiThAcAuSe (yep, Star's a trip. That's the gist of it), raven1777 (yay! more new reviewers! –and no problem), Lintilla (glad you at least liked the Beast Girl!) and hermie and MCD!
Stevem: Yes, Starfire and her strength can kick almost anyone's butt, which is one of the reasons why she told Speedy that she would not use her full strength OR her power of flight. I wanted to make it a fair fight and I believe that it was. Also, you are correct. I did not spell somersault correctly. I actually added that part in when I was editing at the last second and did not think about it. I don't know if I've ever needed to actually spell that word before. (Thank you for your kind comments too by the way).
Savvy: missed you babe! Mwahahaha…yes I CAN do that! (hehe) and yes, I also think you can handle some more Rob/Rae! (you must!)
Bethany Elise: I like Speedy myself. You know, I felt his best episode was just his first. He was so intense. They made him too wussy when they brought him back. I'm also overjoyed that you like my fight choreography. No, I did not study martial arts, but I love that type of thing. I try to make it as real as possible and just add in moves that I would want to see. A lot of it is just made up off the top of my head. And no, you shouldn't feel weird about trying the moves. I tried to write it so they would at least seem real. I try to map it out and envision it in my head. It's cool that you can do them though! (by the way, I'm a self professed dork, so don't feel so bad :wink:).
Evilevergreen: I made you laugh until you could laugh no more? YAY! I was so hoping that someone besides myself would find total and utter enjoyment in that line! (And no, it's not wrong to like the "sexy" Star better. I put my love into each and every character I write. If I did not enjoy them, I wouldn't write them so well). And you enjoyed my disclaimers as well? Hehe yay! And I must say, I could never have summed up the last few chapters so well: I don't know, but shouldn't she have thought of Robin? But then again, we all know what Robin is up to. --Post on!
AaronFors: Four times? Oh, you sweetheart! I keep feeling as though I can never get better comments from you and you keep surprising me! (not that you are condemned to read every chapter 4 times now…far from it). They fit together perfectly? And seem to be as flesh and blood humans (or otherwise in Star's case :wink:) That's wonderful! I really just wanted to make it so that everything that I write would seem as though it could actually happen. I'm so glad to hear that I'm able to pull that off. And yes. I CAN read your thoughts. Creepy huh? I know what you're thinking right now too…ooh, bad boy! (hehehe)
…On with the story!
Disclaimer: Okay, so I know I promised a real one this time, but I'm only human…these tend to suck up brain power that could be put to better use elsewhere! (Next time…maybe…if I feel like it).
A Rock and a Hard Place
Branches tore at Raven's face and her clothing. Rocks and debris punched tiny holes into her feet, but she didn't notice or even care. All she could think about was running away. Running away from her problems and running away from Robin. -Robin, the one who caused this problem in the first place. Robin, the one person she wanted to be closer to than anyone. The more she thought about it, the faster she ran. She knew that he would catch up to her eventually, not only because they were on an island and there really was no where to escape to, but also because that was what he did best.
Nearing the point of exhaustion, she ducked inside a small crevice in between two rocks to catch her breath. She crawled deeper into the crevice hoping to muffle her tears. She didn't want Robin to find her, not yet, and especially not like this. As she crept further inside, she realized that it was much bigger than it seemed from the outside and she welcomed its emptiness as she spoke aloud, "Why did he have to do that? Why did you let him? –Well, you know why you let him…and you enjoyed it too! You did! Admit it. There's not one part of you that's sorry about it either. So what if it could hurt Starfire? She's not here is she? You have this gorgeous man -who looked DAMN good with streams of water running down his body. And when he threw his head back to shake the water off and the sun glistened off of the…mmm…and he's alone with you on a deserted island! AND you have no pesky emotional side effects to worry about! You can't blow stuff up just cause you feel something strongly, so take advantage of that Raven!"
She really wanted to listen to that voice, but alas there was another –annoyingly negative, but right- immediately following, "You can't count on things staying the way they are! What happens when you get back home? Are you just going to be able to suppress your powers then? And what about Starfire? She doesn't deserve this! She's your friend. And Robin? He's your leader! This is definitely going to screw everything up!"
Once her tears had quieted (and she had rung out her hair and clothes), she decided to explore the cave that she'd unwittingly stumbled upon. The space inside was large enough for the two of them to sleep in comfortably; if she could remember where this was once they found their stuff again, she decided she would tell Robin. She noticed that there was also another tunnel leading outside, on the wall opposite her entrance point. 'That would be a quick way to lose Robin for a while,' she thought. She could faintly see light, but would have to maneuver her way through it, as it was only just a crack.
Normally she would've just stayed in the cave, dismissing the idea because outside meant "light" and inside meant "darkness" (her old friend), but she was prodded by a rumbling in her stomach, which told her she hadn't eaten in quite some time. "Okay, okay!" she begrudged aloud, "Outside to find food it is."
She wriggled her way through the opening and once she was inside, she found that the light that she had thought she'd seen had been deceiving. She slid sideways, with her back against one wall and her hands feeling their way across the other in a near pitch-black environment. Eventually the crack widened a bit, allowing her room to breathe and she was starting to get the hang of it, when her lead foot slipped -no not slipped…missed. There was no ground beneath her now and she began tumbling downward. She grasped desperately at the rock, hoping that something would provide enough hold, but the wall just crumbled in her hand. She fell laterally, turning slightly and shoving her arms hard into the sides of the cave. She finally slowed her decent, but she was perched precariously –one foot on the floor of the tunnel and both arms pushing at the walls, desperately trying to hold her body up. She kept slipping slowly downward, losing balance as her arms began to tire. As she pushed at the rock to keep from sliding, she wished to all that was good, that she would have chosen to work out in the gym more often at home instead of focusing all of her energies on honing her mental skills. 'If I ever get out of this…bump that up a few priority rungs,' she thought sarcastically. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up, but she had to. She had to keep her arms steady or she was going to die.
She did not know what was below her. Only darkness showed itself. 'And I'm not supposed to be afraid of the dark,' she chided, almost laughing in the face of her tragic circumstance. She was now parallel to the hole, her toe the only thing still gripping the actual floor. Her arms were shaking from the stress she was placing on them. 'I'm not going to be able to hold this much longer! What the hell am I going to do! Without my powers I'm useless! Damn it Raven! You could've just stayed and talked things out, but no! You had to run from your problems and now look! Look at what it's brought you! More problems. And now there's only one other person here that can save you. You need him Raven. Admit it before it's too late. You have to do it. You have to!'
As her arms became numb, no longer able endure the strain, she called out for him. It was the last thing she remembered before falling into the darkness.
Robin watched Raven tear through the trees, droplets of water flying off of her as she sprinted. She was running away…running away from him. And he was just left to wonder what he'd done wrong as he chased after her. 'Everything was perfect. Everything was right. It felt right. Maybe I shouldn't have moved so fast, but I couldn't help it!'
He swam quickly to shore and dragged himself out of the lagoon and as he stood he shook off the excess water. He then flung his head back and ran his hands through his hair, allowing it to stay in place and out of his eyes. He knew that he had to get after Raven quickly, but he realized that he needed to get all of the liquid out of his utility belt first so that in case of an emergency, he would be well prepared. 'Besides,' he thought as he whipped out and shook off his grappling hook, 'it will be easier to track her movements from above.' He shot it out into the cliff that they had decided to dive off of earlier and climbed up over the ledge. He quickly grabbed their pack and moved back to the edge to watch where Raven was headed.
She was nearly out of sight already, and he knew that he had to be moving. So, like Tarzan swinging from vine to vine, Robin would take off running, shoot out one grappling hook and swing from a tree or a cliff or whatever was handy. As soon as he would almost reach his destination, he would shoot his auxiliary grappling hook and release the first. After a few hundred feet of this he was finally in a great position to see Raven. He wrapped himself around a tree trunk and observed her. 'Well, her movements are erratic, but that is to be expected. She's distraught, though I don't know why…she enjoyed that as much as I did –Stop it Robin! You can't worry about that right now; just think about following Raven and getting to her before anything bad happens. You haven't even had a chance to explore this island…you don't know what's out there.'
She finally slowed and he watched as she disappeared into what appeared to be just a large rock. He didn't like not being able to keep an eye on her so he took a path down to where he had seen her last. As he approached the rock, the first thing he heard were her sobs echoing off of the walls. He felt a pang of guilt in his stomach as he listened to her cry. He knew that she needed to be alone, but right then, he would've given anything to make her stop. Through the tears he caught the occasional word as she mumbled to herself, "Admit it!" "Admit what?" he murmured…"no emotional side effects"…"take advantage of that"…at this point he could tell that she was wrestling with herself over what to do, though he couldn't tell which side was winning. She paused for a moment, but what he heard next, made even him start to wrestle within himself, "what about Starfire?" The realization that that sentence brought, finally hit him… 'What about Starfire? I love her, or at least I think I do…but if I really did, then why would what I did with Raven feel so right? Starfire is beautiful and funny and so sweet and we've shared some moments, but…I don't think any of them have felt as…intense as what I shared with Raven. And we are stuck on a deserted island, with no hope at this point of ever getting home. If I don't act on my instincts right now, I would be betraying myself, and everything I stand for.'
His thoughts stopped abruptly, as he realized that he could no longer hear Raven. Neither her voice nor her cry emitted from the small opening in the rock. He leaned closer, just to make sure his ears weren't playing tricks on him. When he again heard no sound he decided that it would be okay for him to go inside and talk to her, or at least check on her. 'She has to be in pain from running through the terrain like she did. I need to mend her wounds.' He snaked his way through the crack that was the opening, and found himself inside of a small cave. He looked around the "room" with what little light was available and came to the quick realization that she wasn't there anymore.
Even though he didn't know it, he had the same fleeting thought as Raven, 'When I find her, I'll suggest that this would be a good place to sleep tonight. Now, where could she have gone?' He looked more closely and found a dark spot in the dirt where her tears had dried. He scanned the ground next to it, and found a set of small footprints. He followed them to another crack, opposite the wall he had entered through. This one delved even deeper into the cave it seemed. He couldn't really see into it, but he believed that Raven must have gone in, in search of a way out… 'Probably to get away from me,' he reasoned with a hint of disgust at himself and a large sigh. 'Well, I shall have to go in blindly feeling my way, but I guess, where she leads, I will follow…just this once.'
Without realizing, he once again mimicked Raven by placing his back against one side of the wall and shuffling his hands and feet, guiding himself through the darkness. He was moving faster than she had however because he was much more adept at those skills. After about 800 feet, he was wondering whether or not he would ever find her and whether this tunnel really did lead to the outside. Just then, he heard a small yelp echo back at him off the walls. 'Raven!' He quickened his pace, not paying any attention to where his hands and feet were going. The only thing on his mind at that moment was finding her. He knew she was in trouble. He could feel it. And his thoughts were racing through every possible thing that could happen to her. 'Why did she do this? She should know better. Why did I do this? --SHUT UP! Just hurry up and get to her!"
"ROBIN!" The pain, fear, and pure need that he heard in her voice as she gave up her hold, mere feet away, was enough to make his heart drop into his stomach. In desperation, he dove forward, not realizing there was no longer ground beneath him.
So, what did you think? Decent? Totally sucked? What?
I promise that three chapters from now you will all get what you want (and I should know right?)
REVIEW please!
Must I get out my talisman and hypnotize you all?
Okay fine:swings shiny gold watch: You are all chickens!
Though I do not profess to be great, I do not profess to suck either! -me