Author's Note: Thanks very much to the people who reviewed the last chapter; Lady Lestat, RazielsGhost, Devil's bride, Sliver of Melody and Ryukyu. I wasn't thinking of starting the second chapter very soon but after reading your reviews, I just got a sudden burst of inspiration and the result was this 15-page chapter. :-)

To Kirbilius Clausius, your 'review' confused me because it did not appear to be referring to any part of the story at all but was sort of more like an observation of the game. Anyhow, thanks for sharing your point of view.

CHAPTER TWO

Raven's eyes shot open in annoyance as she heard a low beeping, but the first thing she saw was the pillar of red light on the other side of Jump City. More precisely, from her point of view, she saw that the light was in the abandoned stadium she had been looking at a few minutes ago. She widened her eyes as she caught sight of an eel-like creature floating about the column, suddenly sensing an overwhelming source of dark energy coming from the strange apparition. What in Azar's name is that? A cold, unpleasant feeling was slowly crawling into her stomach. Her mind was far too occupied to notice the blinking brooch fastened on her cloak or the faint sound of the Titan alarm.

"Yo, Raven!" Cyborg's voice over the speakers near the door leading to the rooftop made her jump. "Trouble in the city! Get down here pronto!"

Still levitating, Raven drew her cloak and immediately phased through a few floors to reach the living room. Amber lights were flashing and she saw Starfire and Beast Boy staring out of the window intently. "Okay," she said monotonously to Robin, who was standing nearby with his arms folded and a grim expression on his face. "Who is it this time? Mad Mod? Or Dr. Light, perhaps?" She did not like being interrupted when she was meditating and just then, she seriously felt like beating somebody up.

"No idea," answered Cyborg instead, studying the scanner on his arm. "Reports are coming in about that huge flying thing. It looks like some sort of… dragon or somethin'… And that red pillar is at the stadium on 24th Ave."

An alarming thought suddenly flashed in Raven's mind. "I saw some people down there a few minutes ago," she said. "Do you think…?"

Robin looked up sharply, his eyes narrowing. "Are you sure?"

"Quite positive."

"Then we must rescue them!" Starfire cried. "Robin, they could be in danger!" The leader of the Titans cursed under his breath before turning to Raven. He gestured towards the city. "Do you think you could teleport us there?" he questioned. The dark-haired goth nodded. Her powers had grown substantially over the years and although she had to meditate longer, she now had more control of them. Teleporting the team to another location used to demand intense focus from her, but it was a little easier now. She pulled her hood on and started murmuring, "Azarath, Metri—"

"Dude! You're not gonna leave me here like you did the last time, are you?" Beast Boy's whine interrupted her. 3 pairs of eyes immediately glared him down; one masked, the other bi-coloured and the third flaring with white energy, making him gulp nervously. Raven gritted her teeth and growled, "Keep talking and I might decide to accidentally drop you off on the way…"

A sheet of black energy engulfed them all as she continued her chant and it took them less than a minute to reappear on the large, barren field of the stadium. Raven was sweating a little, her neck tingling. She might have more control of her powers but teleporting more than one person still required the utmost concentration of her will.

The column of red seemed far larger now that they were standing before it. Cyborg and Beast Boy were staring, dumbfounded, at the ominous swirls of dark clouds and the large eel-like creature, floating about where the strange translucent pillar met the sky, but the others already noticed the half-crouched, snarling beasts approaching them slowly. Each misshapen fiend was clutching a long scythe, foaming about their open mouths. Their eyes appeared to be empty sockets with a red glint in them. Robin equipped his staff, taking a small defensive step back. "Damn… What the hell are this things?"

Raven cast a quick eye around the stadium, expecting to see one of the familiar faces of the many villains they had defeated countless times, but nobody seemed to be around. A slight movement somewhere on the stands caught her eyes and she instinctively turned, just in time to see a flash of silver. That triggered something in her mind, almost like a déjà vu, but Robin's voice shifted her attention back to advancing creatures, "They're coming from that column, and it looks like some sort of… portal or something. Raven, any sign of those people you saw?"

"No. Maybe they left…" she replied but Starfire worriedly continued, "Or perhaps they were attacked by these strange creatures. I do hope they are unharmed."

"I can't get any readings," Cyborg reported, looking back and forth from his scanner and the salivating creatures slowly advancing to them. "Whatever these things are, they're not from Earth."

"Dude, ya think?" Beast Boy chipped in.

"Well, they definitely didn't come here for a vacation." Robin narrowed his eyes, gripping his bo-staff tighter. "Cyborg and Beast Boy, you guys take the left flank. Raven, Star and I will handle the other side. We'll take care of them now and get our answers later. Titans, go!"

Beast Boy transformed into a Triceratops and charged at the horde of creatures, effortlessly knocking them over like a set of bowling pins. The horns on his lowered head mauled into a number of them. A few clung onto him, slashing at him with their scythes but only managing to scratch his hard, reptilian skin. Cyborg readied his sonic cannon and blasted them off him. They dropped onto the ground with inhuman screams of anguish, some disintegrating into sand and dust, their blood splattering onto the ground.

On the other side of the field, Starfire took to the air, throwing starbolts at the fiends below her. Robin was deftly evading the clumsy attacks by the creatures and incapacitating them with strong, skilled swings of his bo-staff while trying to get closer to the radiating column. Now that he was nearer, he was certain the strange object was a portal, considering a few more of the fiends were appearing from it. What he needed to do next was find a way to close it…

Behind him, Raven levitated slowly, her violet eyes flaring. Forming spikes of dark energy, she hurled them towards the snarling beasts and then sent some broken seats from the stands smashing onto them. A few of the remaining creatures made sudden lunges to her, their blades raised in an attack, but she formed a protective shield around her, fending off their futile slashes and making them recoil from the impact. Before her enemies could recover, she telekinetically snatched the long scythes from their grasps and sent them spinning, like deadly projectiles, back to the creatures, striking them in the head and neck to bring them down.

"There's no end to these guys!" Cyborg yelled from the other side as he smashed yet another creature into the nearby wall. "Yo, Robin, if you're gonna do something about that portal thing, do it now!"

"I can't… get to it…" Robin gritted his teeth, delivering another blow at his target, successfully knocking it back, and then reached for a set of the custom made grenades from his utility belt. He did not see the reaping hook behind him, poised to send a downward slash. From the air, Starfire, who always kept an eye out for him—unconsciously, perhaps—cried out in fear, "Robin, behind you!"

Spinning around with a gasp, Robin looked up just in time to see the lethal scythe being encased in black energy, inches from his face. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, Raven sent the creature flying towards Cyborg, who readied his fist and crushed it with a single, powerful blow. Beast Boy, in the form of a T-Rex, was finishing off the remaining fiends on that side of the field, but more creatures were still coming from the portal.

"Thanks, Raven." Robin gave her the thumbs-up, but her eyebrows were raised in surprise, staring at something behind him. In the air, Starfire's emerald eyes were as wide as saucers, also gazing intently. She pointed tentatively and said, "Um, Robin… There appears to be someone approaching…"

True enough, a figure in dark red was casually walking towards the horde of beasts in front him. In his hand was a gleaming broadsword and in one quick, precise swing of his weapon, he sliced off the heads of some of the creatures. Swiftly evading the attacks of the others, he leapt into the air and fired what appeared to be two handguns, but just before he reached the ground, he grasped his sword again and delivered a deadly downward strike on the unsuspecting beasts below him. The stranger landed near Robin, who instinctively took a battle stance. Just because he seemed to be the enemy of the enemy doesn't make him a friend.

"Pull back," the man commanded laconically. "You won't stand a chance against them. Not while the portal is still open."

"Who the hell are you?" Robin questioned warily, still unsure about the guy's intentions. The others were already regrouping with their team leader; Cyborg and Beast Boy taking the defensive formation and carefully watching the predating fiends around them. Starfire was still in the air, close to Robin, but Raven remained behind. The hood over her head prevented anyone from seeing the expression on her face, which was exactly what she wanted just then. Now that the stranger was up close, she definitely did not want people seeing her slightly alarmed look. She had another sense of déjà vu and it was the man's silver hair that jogged something in her memory. He was clad in a red coat, unbuttoned to reveal his bare, well-chiselled chest. His sword and holsters for his guns seemed to be strapped on his back. Underneath his platinum bangs was a pair of piercing cyan eyes.

"Who the hell are you guys?" the stranger retaliated in challenging tone.

"Hello?" Beast Boy flapped his arms about, feeling his ego drop down a notch. "Can you not see it? We're the Teen Titans. Were you born yesterday or something?"

The guy was about to respond when the creatures around them suddenly began to howl, as if in agony. The column of crimson light started to pulse dangerously, the clouds above it gradually melting away. Up in the sky, the dragon-like beast appeared to squirm, its mouth open in a hollow roar. The Titans took a step back but the red clad stranger merely stood his ground, looking silently at the creatures that did not appear to be pursuing them any further. When the pillar began to darken, pulsating more rapidly, Robin turned urgently to the Raven, but she was already forming a dome of black energy over all of them, including the mysterious newcomer. She didn't know why; she just followed her intuition, and something at the back of her mind was telling her he needed to be alive.

The empath finished placing the shield just as the crimson pillar erupted in a shockwave of red. The almost seismic waves rumbled towards the remaining fiends, cracking the concrete walls of the stadium and shattering the windows of the dilapidated commentator's room. Then, as quickly as the minor earthquake occurred, the column and beasts shimmered away, leaving no traces of their existence whatsoever, apart from the puddles and splatters of blood on the dry ground. Even the large creature in the air had disappeared.

When Raven lowered the shield, the sudden emptiness on the field made them stare in bewilderment. The sword-wielding stranger chuckled bitterly, calmly walking away from the team, his arms spread open to gesture at the wide area before him. "Well, what do ya know? Pretty random, huh?"

"Wha..? Did I… What the… Where'd the bad guys go?" Beast Boy gaped, clutching his green hair in disbelief, but Robin's attention was somewhere else. He carefully approached the silver-haired man, a hand still gripping his staff just in case, but a part of him was beginning to think the stranger was harmless—to them, at least. If he was going to hurt any one of us, he wouldn't be standing there doing nothing anyway… he sensibly thought.

"Hey… You're not from around here, are you?" Robin said slowly. The stranger turned to him with a shrug and replied, "In case you haven't noticed, no… Who did you say you guys were again?"

"We're the TEEN TITANS," Beast Boy repeated as he crossed his arms, his chest swelling up in pride and self-importance. "And since you haven't heard of us, I… am the amazing, shape shifting Beast Boy with drop dead gorgeous looks and awesome moves to kick your—"

"Doesn't he ever shut up?" The guy looked inquiringly at Robin but a monotonous voice answered him instead. "Believe me, that's not the worst part of him…" Raven said drily, unable to resist an opportunity to squash Beast Boy's ego to a place lower than dirt. Her heart did a double take when the man turned to her—not in the giddy, bashful, girly way (like that time with Aqualad…), but rather, in an alarming manner. There was something about his cyan eyes which made her a little apprehensive and now that she thought about it, she also sensed a strange aura about him. She was suddenly inclined to step behind Cyborg's protective stature, away from his stare.

"You were the one who shielded us before," he remarked, a thoughtful look on his face. "Not bad... That's a pretty neat trick, you know."

"It wasn't a trick," she said, suddenly feeling annoyed. She didn't know why that casual comment of his made her flare up. Her eyes flashing dangerously, she narrowed her gaze at him. As of that moment, she made up her mind that she definitely didn't like the guy.

"What else can you do? Pull rabbits out of a hat, perhaps?" he continued with an arrogant smile.

Anger is pointless… Raven kept repeating that sentence in her head, like a mantra. All these years, she had managed to keep her emotions in check, so she was surprised—and a little piqued—that he was able to get her worked up over such a silly matter. Even Beast Boy had to do better if he really wanted to agitate her.

"Okaaay…" Robin hurriedly stepped in at that point, seeing that they were both already starting off on the wrong foot. Plastering a good-natured grin on his face, the Boy Wonder stuck his hand out and said, "I'm Robin, leader of the Titans." Following the man's remarks about Raven, he was quite sure that he didn't pose a threat to them.

The stranger stared at the outstretched hand for a while before slowly reaching out to shake it, albeit awkwardly. Robin then gestured towards the Tamaranian girl by his side. "This is Starfire," he said and immediately regretted introducing her because the man was already stepping up to the redhead, leaning into her with a charming smile.

"Starfire, huh?" he repeated, reaching for her gloved hand. "That's a pretty name. Maybe we should go out for a drink later… Get to know each other…" Star merely stared at him with a blank look and, surprisingly, was unable to say a word, but Robin already had enough of the flirting and chuckled a little nervously, grabbing Starfire's other hand and pulling her towards him while motioning to the others behind, "That's Cyborg, and Beast Boy, and… well, you've met Raven…"

"Right…" The man nodded, crossing his arms. "So what are you guys? Vigilantes?"

"This is our city. We take care of it," answered Robin simply before peering at the man in curiosity. "You seem to know a little about those creatures and that portal. Who exactly are you?"

The stranger remained silent, as if considering whether to tell them his identity or not. Robin's quick eye noticed the tense clenching of his jaw muscles and made a mental note not to keep his guard down. If it took him a while just to tell them who he was, he must have some questionable past.

"Name's Dante," the man finally said. He spoke confidently and Robin decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "I'm from up north. And about those creatures, let's just say I've had previous run-ins with them before."

"We think there were some people here before the attack. Any idea where they went?"

Dante shrugged. "I've been here since dawn. Haven't seen anybody around."

"Man, what were those things?" Cyborg asked, looking at his scanner. "I couldn't get any readings on them. And that huge thing in the sky… That's just crazy!"

"They're demons from the Underworld," Dante said quietly. "That red light was the portal from it, and once it's open, nothing can stop them. You can destroy a hundred but thousands will just pour out." He paused for a moment, nodding towards the clouds. "And that thing in the sky… That's Leviathan…"

"This… Leviathan…" Starfire began tentatively, frowning at the new word. "It did not appear to be aware of us. Why did it not attack?"

"Because it's supposed to be the guardian of the Temen-Ni-Gru, not some portal watchdog…"

"Uh… What's a… the-man-he-grew?" Beast Boy scratched his head.

"The Temen-Ni-Gru," Raven said unexpectedly, drawing their eyes—even Dante's—to her. "It's an ancient edifice of the Underworld; the throne of the ruler of all demons—and the main vessel from the demon world to our world. According to a myth, millenniums ago, one of the demons turned on its own kind and tried to destroy it, but when he failed, he sealed it within the depths of hell instead, by means of an ancient ritual… or so legend says… "

"I see someone's done their homework." Dante observed, beginning to change his view on this moody girl. She merely stared at him without a word, her gaze cold and challenging. He couldn't see her face beneath that hood of hers, but there was something intriguing about her. He could tell from those secretive, violet eyes that she probably wasn't human as well.

"So that portal… Where did it come from? Why here?" Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully, turning back to the swordsman, who shrugged. "Beats me," Dante muttered, suddenly not wanting to divulge any more information. He had already said too much…

"My guess is that someone's trying to reverse the ritual," Raven voiced out. Cyan eyes darted sharply to her but she was looking at Robin. Dante raised his eyebrows. Her words immediately made him see her in a new light. She's pretty good… He silently admitted. Not bad at all…

"Yeah, okay, but where the heck did it go?" Beast Boy's voice went up a couple of octaves. "Why open the portal, then close it? What's going on around here?"

There was a silence as they turned inquiringly to Dante, but he merely shrugged again. Raven narrowed her eyes in suspicion, watching his body language to see if there were any signs of nervousness, but he remained unfazed. She still didn't trust him, though. Something about him just didn't quite fit.

"We should head back and monitor the city," suggested Cyborg. "If that thing can disappear like that, isn't it possible for it to just reappear again? And it could be anywhere."

"Agreed. I think monitoring the city would be most wise," Starfire concurred.

"I might be able to find out more about that portal or the Temen-Ni-Gru from some of my books," Raven added. The young leader of the Titans nodded. "Alright," he said. He hesitated before awkwardly looking at their new acquaintance. "So, uh… Dante… What're you up to?"

The platinum-haired man was already nonchalantly walking away. He stopped at Robin's question, his head turned slightly. "I'll be around," he said shortly. "Is there a problem?"

"No, I just thought if you haven't got a place to crash tonight—" Robin started, but a dreary voice echoing in his head made him stop instantly, 'Don't even think about it…'

His masked eyes turned to meet Raven's sharp glare. Although her face was partly hidden, he could almost sense her animosity. 'What?' he responded.

'I know what you're thinking. There's no way you're inviting him home. I don't trust him… He's hiding something…'

'… He seems alright to me.'

'I—don't—trust him. He could be bad news.' Like Terra was, Raven stopped herself just in time from telepathically verbalizing that last thought. Beast Boy would never forgive her if he knew.

'But—"

'Besides… you don't want him around Starfire, do you? He seems to be quite the charmer…'

That shut Robin up at once and Raven couldn't help a small smile of triumphant. She always knew the Tamaranian girl was the best weapon against him…

"Thanks for the offer, but I've got myself covered," Dante ended the telepathic discussion himself. He continued walking before he stopped again, slowly turning back to the team. "Say, any decent places to get breakfast around here?"

"Oh!" Starfire suddenly squealed in eagerness, her emerald orbs shining in delight. Somehow, Raven kind of knew what was coming… "I propose that we all go for the pizza! Beast Boy and Cyborg have been 'going at each other' ever since the day had begun, so mightn't the pizza make things right? And we could all get to know Dante, our new friend! Do you not think it is a good idea, Robin?"

Robin was speechless. A part of him wanted to laugh at Star's naivety and another part was noticing the interested looks Dante was giving her. The result was a mixture of annoyance and amusement, if that was possible. Raven, on the other hand, would have already murdered Starfire if looks could kill. Cyborg and Beast Boy both seemed unaware of anything.

"I'm up for it if it's your treat," Dante said bluntly, grinning at the redhead. He could never turn down a free meal… or a chance to be more acquainted with a babe…

'Still think he seems alright?' Robin ignored the dry voice in his head and reluctantly conceded, "Uh… Sure…" He couldn't say no to Star anyway.

"I'll see you guys at home," mumbled Raven monotonously. She didn't mind pizza, but she refused to go if Dante was. For some reason, she was beginning to hate his guts. Beast Boy was already a handful to deal with so she definitely wouldn't be able to stand an arrogant, smart-mouthed bastard.

"Aw, come on, Raven. Pizza after the butt kicking? You know you want to…" The green shape-shifter tried to persuade her but she merely glared at him and said shortly, "I'll pass."

"But Raven… do you not want to learn more about our new friend?" Starfire asked, her jade eyes wide in disappointment.

"No," came the firm but curt reply. Before they could say another word, she took the shape of a raven and flew off. If they wanted to hang out with that aggravating man, they were going to have to walk to the pizza place themselves. She sure as hell wasn't going to teleport anyone.

"Why are you so moody?" Wisdom asked as she reached out for one of the black pieces on the chessboard before them. Suppressing a sigh, Raven was regretting going into her meditation mirror in a bad mood. She should have known agreeing to a chess game with Wisdom was a bad idea, but the truth was, she had actually felt kind of lonely without the others in the tower. Plus, she wanted to have a chat with Grumpy, but her other self had dragged her into a game the moment she stepped into her mind.

"I'm not moody… I just don't like the guy, that's all…" she replied, telekinetically moving one of her pawns forward.

"Dante? What about him?"

"You're Wisdom; You tell me…"

"Well…" Her pale-blue self studied the pieces on the board with a frown. "He does seem quite suspicious. Why did he come here, for instance…?"

Raven grunted, lightly tapping her foot in impatience. She liked chess but Wisdom always took ages to make a move. "What do you know about the Temen-Ni-Gru?" She figured if this was going to take a while, she might as well try and dig up some information in the meantime.

"Not much. I know what you know, of course. I'm in your head, remember?"

"Well, maybe you'd know where I should start looking it up, then… A little help here?"

Wisdom's hand reached for her bishop, hesitated, and then retreated. She was biting her lip, staring intently at the squares of black and white in front of her. Even under her hood, the intense look of focus on her face was clear. "Maybe you should try the Book of Azar first…" the emotion said distractedly, finally making a move. Almost instantly, Raven pushed her rook forward and that signalled another staring contest between Wisdom and the chessboard.

"This… is going to take a while, isn't it?" the goth muttered, the vein in her head popping to twice its size.

"Patience is a virtue, my dear Raven… I'm sure you've heard that one before… Now be quiet. I need to think…"

"… Can I forfeit?"

"Shh! Let me think!"

Great… I'm being told off by myself… Raven's mood darkened. Why does she have to act as if it's a matter of life or death anyway? There was a silence as she watched Wisdom bite her nails, looking almost in a trance. For a second, she wondered if she herself looked like that when she played chess with Cyborg or Robin…

"Lighten up, Raven, or Grumpy will be along any minute now…" Wisdom unexpectedly said with a good-natured grin.

"Actually, she's the reason I came. I thought Happy locked her up. How'd she get out?" Raven demanded. Wisdom shrugged indifferently. "I don't know… Maybe Hate helped her break out," she replied. "I can't say for sure. Things were crazy in here about an hour ago. Everyone was just running around—even Solitude. They were all making a din and Intelligence and I tried to calm them down but nobody would listen to us…"

"Huh… An hour ago, you say?" Raven raised an eyebrow. "That was probably around the time Robin officially introduced us to that annoying guy… I was this close to sending him to another dimension…"

"You can't deny it, though… Doesn't he seem rather familiar? Maybe you've met him before… in a, I don't know, a certain dream, perhaps…" remarked Wisdom, uncharacteristically giggling girlishly. Raven couldn't help going slightly red as her words hit home. "That dream this morning?" she blurted.

"Of course, silly." Wisdom rolled her eyes. "We all knew what happened. Happy couldn't stop laughing and Lust was almost mad with delight. Maybe you should go have a word with her. She looked like she was planning something…"

"Great… As if I don't have enough on my mind already…" Raven sighed. She watched as Wisdom had a hand hovering on one of the black knights, chewing her lip thoughtfully. The Titan momentarily considered meditating—it would be a wise use of time.

"Didn't that silver hair of his ring any bells?" Wisdom's dreamy voice broke the brief pause. "I kind of thought he looked like the person in our dream. You must admit the resemblance is uncanny."

"Can we… stop talking about that, please? I'm having enough trouble dealing with what happened at the stadium…" said Raven as she squeezed her eyes shut, massaging her temples where a sudden headache was beginning to develop. She didn't know Wisdom, of all the people in her mind, could be that annoying. Damn, my head is such a mess… She thought to herself. This chess game was starting to drag on too long… "Aren't you ever going to make a move?" she growled.

"Just… give me another 10 minutes…" was the mumbled response.

"That's it. I surrender." Raven used her powers to rearrange the chess pieces, ignoring Wisdom's disappointed cries. "There. Checkmate. You win… Happy now?"

"Oh, why are you such a spoil sport?" Wisdom whined. "All I ever wanted was just one game. You never spend much time with me, Raven."

"Sorry, but I've got more important things to do." As Raven got up and left, Wisdom appeared to have a surprising change of mood and was cheerily starting another chess game by herself again. Raven approached one of the many stone archways around her and went through the portal, immediately finding herself in a sunny meadow. She heard a giggle and turned to see another of her emotions—this time one in pink—crawling through some thick, waist-deep grass. An eyebrow instantly shot upwards. "Uh… Happy, what're you doing?" she asked drily.

"Yikes!" the emotion squealed, jumping up immediately, and then beamed brightly when she saw who it was. "Raven! How nice to see you!"

"Right… What were you doing again?"

"Oh, I was playing hide-and-seek with Brave," the pink girl giggled again before turning around and suddenly hollering, giving Raven quite a shock, "Brave! Come on out! Raven's here!"

Raven couldn't help wincing at the shrill tone. She couldn't bear the thought that that was probably how she would sound like if Happy got too much freedom in her mind. Her attention shifted to the green-clad person who had jumped down from a tree with an exhilarated grin on her face. "Hey there, sister! How's it going?" she chirped, giving the goth a smack on the back. The pink emotion beside her burst out laughing, for some apparent reason which only she herself could fathom.

"Settle down, you two." Raven commanded tersely. "Happy, how did Grumpy get out? You were supposed to keep watch on her." The girl in pink merely shrugged nonchalantly and chuckled, "I dunno. I was playing aeroplanes when everyone suddenly appeared and they were running around and yelling at each other and there she was! But don't worry, I locked her up again! And Brave chased that annoying Hate away and stuck her back in that cave of hers! Don't you think we did a great job?" Her ear-to-ear grin was more creepy than elated.

"Uh… sure. Thanks. And make sure Grumpy's secured. I don't want her trying to free Rage again like the last time…"

"Booya!" Brave suddenly screamed, almost giving Raven another heart attack. "Did we kick some demon butts just now or what? Come on, gimme a high-five!" She raised her palm excitedly but Raven merely gave her a dull look and replied, "I'll pass."

"Aw, lighten up!" Happy was starting to skip around merrily, flapping her arms about. Even though it was like gazing into a mirror—except that she was wearing pink—Raven had to admit her other self looked absolutely ridiculous. She couldn't imagine what Cyborg and Beast Boy were thinking when they in there a few years ago. "By the way," said the pink emotion, her eyes dancing. "That was a funny dream we had this morning! Heh heh heh…!"

"Not again…" Raven groaned, feeling her headache returning. "Why is everyone talking about that stupid thing? It's just a dream… It doesn't mean anything…"

"It was boring," yawned Brave. The look on her face showed she was clearly losing interest in the subject. "I think we should have more of those dreams where we beat up Dr. Light, or maybe smash Slade up with rocks… You know, dreams where we're kicking asses! Those are more fun."

"Or maybe, dreams where we're in Candy Land and the—" started Happy in excitement, but was interrupted by a muffled voice which echoed blaringly around the place like a megaphone, "Raven? Friend Raven, are you there?"

Raven and her two other selves looked up, Happy giggling again. The dark Titan sighed, "Starfire. I guess that means the others are home. I hope to Azar that Robin didn't invite that aggravating man home…"

"Dante had some pretty cool moves, though," Brave remarked as she leapt into a fighting stance and attempted to do a poor imitation of the silver-haired man's actions. Happy, unsurprisingly, was doubling over with laughter, but Raven just rolled her eyes and left the pair. She headed towards the main portal out of her mind and in a second, was back in her dark room. Feeling a little light-headed, as she always did whenever she used the meditation mirror, she moved to the door and warily slid it open.

Starfire stood before her, a bright smile on her pretty face. She was holding a small pizza box and a steaming mug. "Hello, Raven! We have just returned from the Palace of Pizza and I thought you might desire a slice of the cheesy goodness, so Robin purchased a take-away. I made some of your tea for you as well!"

"Uh… thanks…" Raven raised an eyebrow at the two things in the Tamaranian's hands. Herbal tea and pizza didn't exactly complement each other, but it was a nice gesture from the alien anyway.

"Um…" Starfire began uncertainly as Raven took the pizza and tea from her. "May I… speak with you for a moment, please? It is about a matter of great concern to me…"

Oh no… here we go again… The half-demon inwardly sighed and almost automatically pushed the door open wider. Every time Starfire wanted to talk about 'a matter of great concern', it was either a girl problem she didn't want to ask Robin, or something about their leader himself. Regardless, Raven was always ready to help (although she did not show it…) and in doing so had learnt to open up to the other girl. She was the only person Raven willingly invited into her room, even after all these years.

Starfire flew into the dimly lit room. The curtains were drawn to keep the sunlight out and the redhead found herself itching to tear them down to brighten the place. As she would readily tell anyone, Tamaranians actually disliked the dark…

"So, what's up?" Raven, feeling a little hungry, was already digging in to a slice of pizza. She was sitting on her bed, her legs crossed, the mug of tea and pizza box levitating beside her. Starfire hovered hesitantly in the air, her hands clasped rather tightly. "Well, you see…" she started. "I have been… thinking… for a number of days, and… well… do you think I should… do the 'asking out' to Robin, as they always say in the movies?"

Although this was rather sudden, Raven was not surprised at all. She had long known that her alien friend held feelings for their young leader. "Wouldn't you rather if he asked you?" she mumbled and immediately felt that was a silly question. It was Robin, for crying out loud. He might be the brave, courageous hero the citizens of Jump City knew him by but he wouldn't have the guts to confront the girl of his affections.

"Do you think he will?" Starfire's emerald eyes grew wide with hope.

"Uh, maybe not. Robin's not very good at expressing himself…" Raven admitted.

"Perhaps I could get him to go to the movies with me? You do not think that would make me appear… 'desperate', do you?"

"Maybe not the movies… He might not be very comfortable with that… How about something more casual, like a walk?"

Her suggestion immediately brightened Starfire up. Clapping her hands in glee, she chirped, "Oh, glorious! A walk would be perfect! We could journey to the park, or to the beach, or to the lake, or perhaps to the—"

"The park would be fine, Star. I'm sure Robin would love that."

Starfire flew around happily with a sigh of delight, already beginning to plan her date. Still munching on the pizza, Raven merely stared at her, slightly amused. A sudden thought came to mind and before she knew it, the question was already out of her lips, "By the way, did you find out more about that Dante guy?"

Starfire stopped and blushed a little, almost guiltily, or so Raven thought. "Oh, not much. He did not appear to want to talk about himself, but he did want to know more about me…"

"I'm sure he did." Raven rolled her eyes. "Was he hitting on you the whole time—like he did at the stadium? Robin must have been going crazy…"

"Hitting… on me?" Star cocked her head in puzzlement. "But he did not hurt me. And Robin… I do not know why, but he was acting strangely…"

"Star," Raven began, talking in the tone people used to address young children. "Remember when Robin went to the junior prom with Kitten?"

The Tamaranian's eyes glowed dangerously for a second. "Why would you bring up such an infuriating matter?" she almost snarled.

"Remember how you felt? Robin was probably feeling the same way about you just now…" Raven continued indifferently. "Well, that's what I sensed anyway…"

"Oh…" Starfire blinked, realisation showing on her face. "Truly? I did not think about that…"

"Anyway," Raven said again. "Did you at least find out why your new friend came here?"

"He mentioned that he is in search of someone, and also that he is a demon hunter. I tried to find out what his favourite colour is, but he only ate the pizza and he did not seem very pleased with Beast Boy's attempts in fool playing…"

"A demon hunter?" Raven raised her eyebrows. That explains why he's so familiar with those creatures… "Did he say any more about that portal?"

"No, he did not. Is something wrong, my friend? You seem displeased… I am sorry I was not able to find out more…"

"No, it's not you, Star," the goth said and took a sip of her tea, trying to keep a straight face as the usually delicious bitterness mixed with the saltiness from the pizza to produce a rather horrible, nasty taste in her mouth. She was suddenly reminded of the glorg worm pie of Tamaran that Starfire made once… "There's just… something about Dante that gets to me… He's definitely hiding something, and who knows, he could be dangerous…"

"There is much about you that even we, your team mates, do not know, Raven, but you are still our friend, are you not? Perhaps it is the same with Dante… Perhaps we are not meant to understand certain things about him, but that does not mean he is dangerous…" Starfire said sensibly, wrinkling her forehead in deep thought. Although she would reluctantly admit that Star was right, Raven didn't like knowing she was wrong.

"I still don't like him, though," she said obstinately, resisting the urge to scowl.

"Perhaps you just need to get to know him better." Starfire beamed as she flew to the door and opened it. "I shall now find Robin and propose to have the walk with him," she announced brightly. "Thank you, Raven, for your delightful advice."

"Sure," the empath replied with a shrug. "I better get working on finding out more about this Temen-Ni-Gru thing anyway."

As the door slid shut, Raven telekinetically reached for a number of books on the shelf and gently lowered the floating leftover pizza on the floor. Another object—the Book of Azar—encased in black energy, appeared from under her bed and settled before her. Levitating herself and the bunch of hardbacks around her, she began her intense search for more helpful information on the paranormal happenings of that morning.

So engrossed in her task was the dark Titan that she did not notice the meditation mirror on her dresser faintly pulsing a rosy reddish-pink…

Author's Note: One of my weaknesses is writing battle scenes so do tell me how that fight at the stadium was. I also find writing Starfire's lines and keeping her in character pretty tough, since she's an alien and all, so it'd be great to get some feedback on how I've written her.

I realise this story might be a little slow on the plot side, but I will probably be focusing a lot of Raven and her thoughts because I've always liked that side of her and it's great fun to dive into her mind, or into 'Nevermore', as heaps of people call it. I enjoyed writing the part with her alter egos a lot:)

If you've played DMC3, some things in this chapter would definitely ring a bell. I won't be following the game's plot entirely, but might change a number of things instead.

Oh, and I wonder if anyone can guess what's going on with that meditation mirror...