Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. And, even more sadly, I ran out of clever remarks to place in my disclaimer. This is the SECOND to last Chapter. Sorry for the mix up!
Chapter 25: Leaving
Beast Boy pulled his ear away from the door. Yeah, he had been listening. So? He wanted to know what Nem had to say, and why Scorpio didn't want him hearing it. Where were they going? Why couldn't Scorpio stay?
He was sad now, but more angry. Before Nem had come along, everything was great. She had destroyed it! And even worse, Scorpio knew that she had to leave. She sounded as if she knew it all along.
He pulled himself away from their drawing conversation and looked at the journal between his hands. He didn't want to listen anymore.
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Cyborg and Starfire had started up the Gamestation, even though they were both tired. Still the score was left untouched, with Starfire in the lead. Robin had gotten some coffee and was sipping it silently to himself, wondering more about Raven.
"Let it go, man," Cyborg calmed from the couch. "You know Raven. She'll tell us whatever she wants to tell us and then the rest she leaves to our imaginations."
"True, Robin," Starfire agreed, tapping on the controller. "Raven is complicated...it is not our place to annoy her with our questions."
He didn't answer. If anyone, Starfire could get Raven to spill anything. Raven had shunned Terra and never trusted anyone beyond the tower. Scorpio had come only about a month before and now she knew more about Raven than he ever would.
Beast Boy walked into the living room, grabbing some tofu and a pan, making only a individual sized meal. No one bothered him, and even Cyborg kept his tofu comments to himself.
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"If we are to leave," Scorpio continued, "we are not going back to those damned convents."
Nem, shocked and unready for this news, beaded her eyes. "What? Of course we are. It's where we are from. Your friend can get us back and forth easily. She--"
"No!" Her sister raged, right to her face. "I'm not going back, nothing you can do can change that. I am the older, I will decide. If you want to go back and marry Kudio, you can. I have no life there. I never did."
Nem's lip trembled. "You will always have a life there, Rella," she said quietly. "Even without Jet you are my sister, and you will always be with me. We have each other, we don't need any one else."
Scorpio looked her in the eyes, the blue eyes filled with Nem's cover up stories. She wanted to marry Kudio. After his fourth term 3 years from now he'll be free to do what he wants, and by that time she'll have a choice whether or not to join the convents or marry him. Scorpio could see right through the act. As soon as she would marry Kudio she would leave her, and without Nem, the convent would sell Scorpio off to the Libran Lord for shillings. "It's like I told you. You can go back and marry Kudio. I'm not going any where near Saphiria."
Nem hardened and stood straight. "Who said I even want to marry Kudio? What if I don't? I've waited so long to see you, Rella. The least you can do is show some sort of affection towards me for once! Even if you don't go back, they'll come looking for you."
"I don't care!" Scorpio hissed.
"You'll put your new friends in danger!"
"I want to be free!"
"You'll never be free! You are a Scorpion! Always have been and always will be." Nem bit her lip.
Scorpio looked at her. The shrill vibrating of her eyes following Nem's mind. She had said it. She had noticed. All these years, though Scorpio thought that she was different, she had noticed. She had known. And now she was reciting the truth. The horrible truth that no one could escape from.
"I know what I am," her sister said loudly, covering her tears. "I know that I'm different and I know I can't escape that. But here, here on Earth, I have a chance. In Saphiria, I will never grow to my potential. You, of all people, Nem, should be happy that your sister found a place where she belongs." Her words hit Nem like scorpion venom. "I'm not going back."
Nem didn't know what to say. What could she say? Now, of all moments, would be the worst time to mention that Scorpions were being sold left and right, and that many had been abused and killed in the streets. With Rella's black hair flag, people would be all over her.
"What are you to do?" Nem asked quietly, wishing she could take back what she had said. "You have no where else to go."
"I have the sky, I have Earth, I have the Titans. Where ever I decide to go, it will always be on Earth. This is the only place where I won't be disturbed, Nem. Where I can be free."
Nem couldn't tell her that they would look for her, but Nem couldn't stay on Earth. She had a future waiting for her back in Saphiria, a life with Kudio in Tavis. Even without her beloved sister, she would have to fend for herself.
"But you'll die..."
"No, I won't. I promise."
"Promise?"
"Yes, I promise."
Nem lunged toward her and hugged her as tight as she thought possible, sobbing silently to herself. "Promise me, then," she continued, "that we'll always be sisters, and that you'll always be with me, no matter what. And that you'll visit."
Scorpio shuddered at the word "visit" but she nodded her head on Nem's delicate shoulder. "I'll try..."
"No! Please, Rella. Promise me. I don't know what I'd do without you..."
"Fine, Nem. I promise."
Scorpio broke the embrace and smiled at her teary sister. "I guess we better get you back before morning, huh?"
Nem nodded.
"OK. Come on then."
They walked out of the room to find Raven.
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Raven had went to her room, trying to avoid Robin's blunt staring. Right now, she couldn't stand him. She had tryed to fix up the room, pulling her cloak and shoes off the floor and moving the Aquiran birch from her bed. She had seen Beast Boy with the journal when she had brought Nem, and she was sure that he had left it with Scorpio. But what if he hadn't? What if he was opening it right now?
She shook the thought from her head, settling into her meditating postition. She hadn't meditated for a long time...
There was a loud knocking on the door, a hollow echo that filtered the room. Startled she got up and placed her hood on, sure it was Robin.
But it wasn't. Scorpio and Nem were standing infront of her, Scorpio smiling slightly and Nem teary.
"Can I talk to you?" Scorpio asked, glancing at her whimpering sister.
Raven respected Scorpio, Scorpio respected Raven. And when they weren't having any mood swings or off beat days, they were usually fine together. But now, today, catching Scorpio actually wanting to talk was usually odd. "Yeah...is something wrong?" Raven asked, closing the door behind her.
"No, really. We're...um...in need of your...help..." She rolled her eyes at the fact that she sounded a bit like Starfire.
The group went over to the West Bay, which was still close by. Nem plopped down on the bed and stared out the window, avoiding Raven. Raven lifted an eyebrow and sat on a chair next to the door.
"I can't stay," Scorpio blurted out as she started to pace the floor. "Not here, not now, not ever. They'll come looking for me, and I can't put you guys in danger any more. I can't put Nem in danger either. She has to get back to Saphiria, Raven. And I have to leave Titans Tower." She stopped pacing and looked at the empath. "Can you help?"
The first portion of the speech had been bad enough. The news struck Raven like bleating rain on a windy day. She wanted to leave? And Nem wasn't coming with her? Raven's concern for her friend over took her and she blurted out a "What?"
"I can't stay, Raven. As much as I want to, I can't put your city in danger." Scorpio didn't want to put anyone in danger. With the Libran Lord after her, she couldn't stay one place for long.
"But you can't leave. Not now. Your powers are fine, and Robin's OK with you staying..." Stop! Why do I even care? She couldn't hide it. She knew she would miss her, the early days of waking up in the morning with the sun directly overhead, Scorpio's daily meditating whine. The fact that she always made breakfast and cleaned the tower. She would miss all of it. But most of all she would miss having someone to talk to, someone she could actually relate to.
"I'm sorry, Raven. You've already helped me so much...and I feel awful having to ask you to take Nem back, and then leaving you guys. But it's not in my control. I want what's best for the city." Scorpio could feel her tears rising, but they settled. As long as Raven wouldn't cry, she wouldn't either. No matter how much she wanted to.
Raven nodded, and without thinking a black aura covered her hood and moved it up over her forehead. "Come on then," she gestured to the 2 of them, leading them back to her room.
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The next chapter will be the last, I promise. I hope, anyway. I had to end it, as much as I didn't want to. When it's over, look for the sequal!