Guess who's back, back again
Sushi's back, tell a friend...

(awkward silence)

yeeeaaaahhh...I think I'll stick to rock...

Note: Yeah that virus thingy? MEH GOT AROUND IT! Thanks to the help of my dear friends StarryRavenFire and Queen-of-Azerath,

This chapter is short, sweet, and adds nothing to the plot whatsoever. The whole point is just for some cute...fluff type thing. I've been wanting to just write a fluffy little chapter for a while and this is exactly what this is. Just letting ya know...It'll be fun. I hope you enjoy it.

SushiChica's Official Goal: To get 1000 reviews.

JUST KIDDING

SushiChica's REAL Official Goal: To finish this fic before I start High School.

Oh for all of those who didn't hear...I GOT INTO FLINTRIDGE PREP!

However much it sickens me to be going to a school with the term "prep" in it, I know it's short for "preparatory" so I guess I'm good. This means all HS apps are over and all that crap and there's a lot less STRESS! OH!

Thank you to everyone who wished me luck. I love you all!

Anyway...fic time!

Dedication: To Grace and Jenny, for being my AWESOME cyber-sistas! I LUV U GUYS! Even though...uggg that pre-April Fools day thing was MEAN...I was almost crying...

WAAAAA!-

Hahaha jk I luv u guyz! Cuz I aint no Hollaback giiiiirl...I walk this empty street...and I almost wish you could've loved me to! HEHEHEHEHE...okay I'm a dork...LET'S KILL PUNCHING BAG!

Disclaimer: I do NOT in any way, shape, or form own the Teen Titans. I do WANT a rabid squirrel (preferably foaming at the mouth). Got any rabid squirrels that I can set on Kang? IM me...snwboardinangel6 on AIM...actually...IM me just for the hell of it...I like talking to fanfiction pplz...

"Welcome to Ice Cream Empire, proud to say that we housing ever ice cream flavor ever made." If the teenaged boy had sounded any less enthusiastic, one would have thought he were attempting to mimic Raven's monotonous vocals.

"Every ice cream flavor?" Beast Boy challenged, staring down the countless tubs of color that lined the whole store.

"Yes, that's right."

"You're sure?"

"Yep."

"Positive?"

"Are you planning on ordering anything, sir?"

"You got Triple Fudge Nut?"

"Number thirty six. That wall." The boy pointed to the right.

"Fruity Patooti, Double Deluxe with chocolate sprinkles put right in the cream?"

"Number eighty two I believe. Over there." The worker pointed to the left. Beast Boy considered this, then leaned in close.

"...What about Toenail?"

"Um...sir, that's not a flavor."

"Ever tried to freeze Starfire's Pudding of Sadness? Hell yeah, Toenail's a flavor."

"DO YOU WANT ICE CREAM OR NOT?"

"Got any-oof!" Cyborg shoved Beast Boy aside, shooting daggers at him.

"He'll have the soy chocolate. Star'll have a one scoop strawberry cone, Robin...hey Rob! Wadda ya want?" The half robot looked over his shoulder to where Robin and Starfire sat, saving the table.

"Chocolate mint!" The Boy Wonder called before turning back to the alien girl, adjusting his stiff tuxedo.

"Right. Robbie will have chocolate mint, annd...I'll have the Triple Banana Uber Arctic Split."

"Dude, not cool! I want one!" Beast Boy was back at the register, glaring at Cyborg ruthlessly.

"Man, you couldn't finish one of those even if we opened you up and enlarged that pathetic thing you call a stomach."

"Shut up, Tin Man!"

"You shut up you little grass stain!"

"Would you guys just ORDER already?" The guy at the register looked annoyed.

"It's as they said." A monotonous voice rose over the arguing pair. "Starfire will have the strawberry cone. Robin will have a chocolate mint cone. Cyborg will have the Triple Banana Uber Arctic Split. Beast Boy will have a soy chocolate cone. And would you mind dimming the lights? This place gives me a headache..."

"...Raven?" Beast Boy stared at the empath. "What're you...where did...why...HEY I wanted the same as Cyborg!"

"You don't need that much sugar." The half demon eyed Beast Boy warily.

"Uh...Rae? Didn't you say that you were gonna go to that café across the street...?" Cyborg couldn't help but notice how hopelessly out of place Raven looked in such a colorful shop.

"I did. But then I realized that I can't trust you two pinheads in a public area unsupervised with such a complicated task like that of ordering ice cream." Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged glances as the empath stalked out of the ice cream parlor.

"Dude, we just got dissed. Bad."

"As if I hadn't noticed."

"Order 367, one strawberry cone, one chocolate mint cone, one soy chocolate cone, and one Triple Banana Uber Arctic Split, is ready." The bored teen shoved the ice cream over the counter at the two awaiting Titans.

Raven glided through the tinted glass doors of her second favorite café in the district.

"Sup Rave?" A tall teenaged girl with spiky, feathered red hair and several studs adorning her both ears greeted the empath with a half smile.

"Hello Andromeda." Raven took a seat in one of the cushy arm chairs near the dark stage that made up the mid portion of the wall farthest from the door. "Who's up tonight?"

"No one, unfortunately. The guy who was supposed to co me quit on us." Andromeda, a waitress at the café and something of a confidant to Raven, shrugged. "It kinda sucks, too. The guy was a pretty good poet. You want anything to drink?"

"Just the usual." Raven breathed.

"One green tea coming right up." Andromeda nodded and made her way behind the counter to start the drink. The café was not particularly busy, but that's how Raven liked it.

Calm. Quiet.

"Your tea?" The empath gestured weakly toward the small table that stood beside the armchair in which she sat. "Uh...you okay Rave?" Andromeda looked concerned.

"Do you have time to listen?"

"Well since the poet canceled and there's gonna be no reading tonight, we have like, zero customers. Of course I've got time." Andromeda pulled up a chair and watched as Raven carefully sipped her tea, savoring it's slightly bitter flavor. "...Well?"

"Have you ever been in love, Andromeda?"

"So..." Robin's masked eyes swept Starfire's face, searching for some sign of emotion.

"So..." The Tamaranian adverted her own line of vision, choosing to watch as a boy chased his dog outside the ice cream parlor.

"You...you sure you're alright?" Starfire shrugged.

"I suppose so."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"...What is there to talk about? Scorpio has twice now taken advantage of me, and this time has gotten my true friends involved. I am...sorry...for the trouble caused."

"Don't be." Robin flashed a crooked smile at the alien that sat across the table from him. "None of this was your fault."

"Indeed, it was! If I had never come, then perhaps Scorpio would never have come and if Scorpio had never come, there would be no trouble to you, my friends, and the only reason Scorpio came...was for me..." Starfire's voice trailed off sadly, tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey..." Robin's eyes widened, but he managed to wipe away the lone tear that trailed down his best friend's face before it fell to the ground. "You don't have to take all the blame for this. I'm sure it feels like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, but you're not. To me, you're still a great girl, whether or not you bring a Scorpio or two along."

"I..." Starfire bit her lip, unsure of how to interpret the compliment. "Thank...you?" Suddenly, her face darkened. "One Scorpio was appalling enough. Two is not needed to be mentioned. Are you suggesting that Scorpio may have a duplicate running rampant-" Robin couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape.

"It's an expression Star. Don't take it too literally."

"...Oh..."

"Yep..." An awkward silence followed.

"...Robin?"

"Yeah?" The Boy Wonder looked up from his ice cream.

"Did...did you truly mean what you said?" Starfire's eyes seemed clouded with uncertainty.

"...About what?" Robin wracked his brain but couldn't come up with anything.

"When...when you mentioned that I was..." The red haired Tamaranian stumbled over her words helplessly.

"That you were what?" Robin was now thoroughly concerned. Had he said something that might have offended her?

"Beautiful!" Starfire finally blurted, now more shaken than ever. "Did you speak truth when you said that I was beautiful?" That stopped Robin cold.

"Uh...I...uh...um..."

"So you did not." Starfire sniffed, hiding her disappointment by taking a lick from her ice cream.

"NO!" Robin shouted suddenly, startling the alien girl (as well as several others in the area). "...No...I...I meant it. I really did."

Starfire seemed lost in thought as she stared out the large glass window beside her. Without turning her head, she spoke.

"There are...two classifications of beauty, as I have come to discover." Her eyes seemed empty, and Robin was unsure how to read her. "One is outer beauty, when one is drawn to another because they are pleasing to observe." The corners of Starfire's lips tugged upward slightly. "That is all I was to Scorpio, an object to admire and flaunt to his friends." There was a serene calm in the Tamaranian's voice, and finally she turned to look at Robin. "But there is the other beauty, the one that I hold more dear than the first. Perhaps I have even gone so far as to despise the first, as a result of the value society has placed upon it." Starfire paused, then with a final, decisive sigh, plowed on with her speech. "The second beauty is that of heart, and that of soul. It is something that few seem to possess in this time, yet those who do are easy to identify." The Tamaranian put a delicate, tanned hand on Robin's own, gloved one, and looked the Boy Wonder directly in the eyes. "Tell me, Robin, to which beauty were you referring to when labeling me as 'beautiful'?"

"I..."

"Rob! Star! We're leavin'! Come on!" Cyborg called from across the room, waving towards the exit. Beast Boy was nowhere in sight, presumably already out the door.

"We...should probably go..." Robin stood up, ice cream in one hand and his other remaining on the table under Starfire's own.

"Indeed, we should. It would not be pleasing to Cyborg if we did not acknowledge his summons." Starfire nodded and rose from her chair as well, lifting her hand from the Boy Wonder's.

Her question, however, remained unanswered.

Andromeda let out a low whistle as Raven concluded her explanation about the correlation between her emotions and her powers.

"...Wow..." The café waitress put down her now empty cup of tea. "That's deep. And harsh."

"No frikin way." Raven bit her lip as she realized that her tone had been all too harsh. "Sorry..."

"Ahh...It's okay. I've gotten worse from angry customers who can't tell the difference between the salt and sugar packets." Andromeda smiled. "All I have to say is...well...maybe things aren't what they seem."

"What?"

"Well...the mind is a powerful thing, Rave. Maybe...maybe your mind is the one keeping him out, not your emotions."

"...You're psyching me aren't you?"

"Yep. I've been taking psychology at the community collage for the past few semesters now."

"Haven't you been failing psychology at the community collage for the past few semesters now?" Andromeda looked at Raven blankly.

"...So what's your point?" The empath rolled her eyes.

"Never mind. It's just that...well...I mean...being the daughter of hell isn't exactly easy. I can barely let happiness slip by me without something blowing up, let alone my...my affection, I suppose, for...for Beast Boy-"

"Talkin' about me?" Raven sprung out of her chair and nearly let a yelp escape her, startled by the voice, and even more so, what she had been saying in what could have been the presence of that voice.

"Perhaps." The empath let her breath catch up with her before speaking again. "How long have you been here?"

"Uh...long enough to hear my name?" Beast Boy looked at his friend oddly.

Good.

"You must be Beast Boy." Andromeda stood, smiling slightly, and extended a hand. "Good to meet you."

"You too." The Changeling took her hand, and gestured to her apron attire with a nod. "You work here...?"

"Andromeda. And yeah, I'm a night waitress. It pays the bills, ya know?"

"Sure dude." Beast Boy didn't know at all, as the government funded all of the Titans' activities. He released Andromeda's hand and turned to Raven, who was still startled by his sudden appearance.

"Ready to go? Cy said something about that girl from the charity ball, Crystal Summers or whatever, calling him and telling him to meet her at a club downtown in an hour, so we hafta get going so he can drop us off before then."

"And...we can't just fly back to Titans Tower...why?" Raven raised an inquiring eyebrow. "I'm sure Starfire wouldn't exactly mind carrying Robin home...

"...Be...cause...Cy wants to show off his car to whoever he can?" Beast Boy shrugged. "I don't know. Just come on, he'll maul us if we make him late."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Raven reached into the purse which hung on her shoulder and pulled out a five dollar bill, placing it in front of Andromeda. "I'll see you around."

"Same. And hey..." The waitress handed back the five. "It's on me." The empath eyed the girl suspiciously.

"What's in it for you?"

"I want a full report on anything...new next time you come here and I'm on duty." Andromeda smiled.

"...Sure." Raven smirked darkly. "I'll be sure to come by in the mornings."

"Funny." The night waitress waved goodbye to the pair.

"Man, where are they? I'm gonna be late!" Cyborg checked his mechanical arm, on which the time prominently glowed. Fifteen minutes had passed since he had sent the little grass stain to go get Raven, and they still weren't back.

"And Starfire's getting tired..." Robin blinked as he suddenly realized that the alien girl's head was perched on his shoulder. Her eyes were mere slits and her voice muffled.

"Indeed...I am..."

"Now ain't that sweet..." Cyborg grinned and Robin growled.

"Shut up, Tin Man."

"Okay." Beast Boy and Raven stood on the sidewalk across from the ice cream parlor. The Changeling's eyes squinted as he examined his crossing options. "If we make a beeline across the street, we'll make it there in like...ten seconds."

"Which is jaywalking, if I may remind you." Raven pointed down the sidewalk. "Why don't we just go down the street and cross where we're supposed to, at the crosswalk?"

"Which will take us a whole ten seconds MORE to get there, plus another ten seconds to walk back up to the parlor. That's just wasting time."

"We're wasting time NOW, arguing over how to get across the street."

"Fine, fine, fine! We'll go my way!"

"...You just don't get it do you?" Raven shook her head.

"Get what?"

"Forget it Brainless Boy."

"Okay. Let's go then!" The Changeling suddenly surged forward, straight into the oncoming traffic of the latest green light."

"Beast Boy!" Raven flew into the street, tackling the green elf and pinning him onto his back on the opposing sidewalk, just as a large eighteen wheeler plowed past. The pair got up and dusted themselves off, still breathing heavily.

"I...I..."

"You what?" Raven spat, examining the tiny fray at the end of her cape when it had dragged across the asphalt.

"I think I almost killed us!" Beast Boy exclaimed. Raven gave him a death stare.

"...You think." The Changeling grinned.

"Okay, okay, I know. And I also know that you just saved me." Without a second thought, he threw his arms around the empath in a grateful hug. "Thanks Rae."

Raven's heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't let this happen!

"The mind is a powerful thing, Rae. Maybe it's your mind keeping me out, not your emotions." Raven jumped backwards, for the second time that night, and right back into the street. She would have been hit by yet another oncoming car had Beast Boy not pulled her back.

"You heard the whole conversation?" A look of horror captivated the empath's face.

"Nope. Just parts."

"Which parts?"

"That's for me to know." Beast Boy grinned impishly.

"Ugh! Beast Boy!"

"What!"

"...Never mind." Raven sighed. There was no point in arguing. If he'd heard, he'd heard, no matter what she said against it. "Tell me, do you intend to make a hobby out of listening in to my conversations with other people?"

"Naw...but...your friend Andromeda's probably right though. Think about what she said." With that, Beast Boy strolled away, heading for the parking lot.

The mind is a powerful thing, Rave. Maybe it's your mind keeping him out, not your emotions.

Now that was something to ponder.

Scorpio lay on the bed he had slept in for the past week, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. He had one last chance, one final shot at making Starfire his. Carefully reaching a hand under the mattress, the blond Tamaranian drew out a knife; long, sharp, and glistening.

This time, he wouldn't screw up. No more would he go easy on these Titans. Soon, he'd unleash his true power upon them, and with a little luck Robin would be dead by sunrise. Starfire, weak and defenseless without her protector, would cripple and finally submit.

Tonight, Scorpio would finally get what he'd come for.

THE END...of a chapter much longer than I expected it to be. So much for little. It turned out being like...eight pages...and usually my chaps are like four...considering my computer and time issues. O.o hurrah for me. And you. Whatever.

...As for right now, I have a Bible grade I need to salvage...X.x...wish me...more luck...belgh...

Oh! I almost forgot! I recently published the first chapter of a fic called Before ExBoyfriend: A Prelude to Chaos. This fic is the story of Starfire and Scorpio just after Taurus died and just before Starfire goes to Earth. Pretty much, the story of what happened between Scorpio and Starfire. PLEASE READ IT (there's only one chapter so far, but there will be exactly four total), as it explains some stuff that will be mentioned in the sequel to ExBoyfriend, which I have decided to entitle Faith. Don't forget to drop a review!

NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS: ookay...well...as i update this at five AM in secret...i must tell you...i got grounded till summer. again. but that's never stopped me before. the only thing that can stop meh is viruses, and i got through the last one so all dem viruses can KISS MY ASS...yyyeeeeaaaahhhh...long story short, i might have some trouble updating as meh bein watched by my mother constantly. O.o sorryz...meh always grounded huh? yeah...

Love,
SushiChica/Linka/CalmingDarkness/Whatever...

Special thanks to StarryRavenFire and Queen-of-Azerath for the much needed assistance in the posting of this chapter.

Edited 6/23/05