Review Responses:
Because of the new fanfiction ban, I will no longer respond to reviews. Sorry. Not my fault.
Darn. The reviews were getting interesting, too.
Notes:
I love this fic. Updating has been a royal pain in the ass. I'm so sorry for the lack of updatedness, but it's alright. I'm back in action and alive and well. Apart from the fact that I really should be doing homework or something…hehehe…
I have recently turned my attention to the beautiful fandom of Naruto! WEEEE! (I am very happy about this discovery)
A…all is good….
Oh, and before anyone asks, I may love them to death and back, but I barely know heads or tails about motorcycles. Bear with me.
Character Key:
Garfield Logan is BeastBoy
Richard Grayson is Robin
Victor Stone is Cyborg
Kori Andrews is StarFire (Koriand'r)
Raven is Raven
Manda Andrews is BlackFire (Komand'r)
Jennifer (Jinx) Golding is Jinx
Gizmo is Gizmo (Wow…redundant)
Remember:
"Talking"
Thinking, or in some cases, as noted, flashbacks
For standard disclaimer, check the bottom of my author's profile.
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Days of Tomorrow
Chapter Six
By Ryuu no Taiyo
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"That was most exciting, Richard! It was like the rush of the adrenaline!" she said, giving the helmet into Richard's outstretched hand.
Richard gave a wild smile.
"So you wouldn't mind too much if I picked you up after work?" he asked.
Kori blushed.
"I would like that very much. I will call you when I finish, then." She planted a soft kiss on his cheek and rushed towards the front door. "I shall see you later, Richard! Thank you!"
The man was snapped out of his reverie by a knock on the door. He was alone in the room, the TV in front of him playing, the volume at it's lowest, but he could hear it in the silence. Cyborg's apartment was empty. Cyborg had taken Rae and BB out for pizza. He ran a hair through his jet-black hair and got up. He went to the door and looked through the security camera hidden behind a poster (Cyborg's was big on security). The small screen showed a woman standing on the other side of the door.
The woman was in a police uniform.
Richard, or Robin, as he was sometimes called, almost panicked.
He unlocked the doors, placing the poster back in place as he did so to hide the security camera screen and opened the door.
"Yes?" he inquired.
The woman in front of him was visibly shocked.
"My name is Jennifer Golding. I'm looking for Vic. Is he here?"
"No, he just left…" Richard said carefully.
Who are you and what do you want with Cy?
His mind quickly process and possibilities. He was about to speak again and break a continuous silence and the pink-haired woman (he thought it was a strange hair color for a policewoman, unless maybe she was a fake? He also noted three earrings in each ear, which was odd.) spoke again.
"Can you tell Vic that I'd like to speak to him?"
Richard's mind tried to process the information.
"Why?"
"…It's…It's…"
Richard's face and eyes hardened.
"…It's of a matter of importance between Victor and me. Thank you and have a nice day." She said coldly, before walking away, breezing by Raven who was walking up the stairs. Raven was surprised at the amount of negative energy being discharged in the small hallway. The lavender-haired girl looked after the other woman that had just walked away.
"She's a very happy person." She noted sarcastically. "What did you do?" she returned her gaze to the martial artist.
"I didn't do anything!" Robin retorted, visibly annoyed. "That woman was looking for Cyb-Victor."
"Oh."
"I wonder if Victor is being suspected or-"
"Oh stop being silly." The short woman replied. "Vic is not that irresponsible. I'm sure there's a good explanation for this."
She walked through the open door, but stopped on the ledge. "We have been very careful, Richard."
Richard nodded, but was a little annoyed at the show of bossy attitude from the dark girl. He then spotted something amusing and grinned ever so slightly.
"You're still wearing Gar's shirts."
Raven's glare intensified and she shut the door in his face, and the sound of a lock being activated was heard. Richard smirked. She overreacted too much and it totally gave her away. He chuckled a bit.
And then realized he didn't have the house keys to get in.
He rolled his eyes. Oh bugger.
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It was about half an hour after the kids had left and Kori was still trying to put the large classroom back in a semblance of order. The children had been overly rambunctious today, and the tall young woman was tired. When she was almost done cleaning, Tina walked in. The red head smiled at her short friend who sat tiredly on one of the trapezoid-shaped tables and walked over, giving her friend an affectionate, bone-crushing hug.
"Oh friend I am glad to see you!"
"I saw you this morning, Kori." The part-time receptionist smiled and winced at the same time.
"But it was not enough because I was late! And I could not say more than a morning greeting!" Kori said, knowing that she was being a bit over dramatic. But it was part of her character to fuss over the little things.
"How have things been?" Tina inquired, her lips painting a small, knowing smile on her face.
"Oh…there has been a lot of good…and a lot of bad things." Kori sighed. "…Let us go for a coffee to the house of coffees and teas and sodas, and we can talk there!"
"I guess so…I have some paperwork…but oh h-well that can wait."
Tina knew that Kori wasn't fond of harsh language. Although 'hell' did not seem bad in Tina's mind, Kori hated it's connotations. In front of Kori, Tina always watched her tongue, because even the slightest mess up could hurt Kori a little, the tall, slim, imposing girl was surprisingly sensitive and Tina cared for her very much. She was not quite childlike, as she was a very mature person, but she was a little naïve at times.
The two women got up and started to leave the bright classroom. Kori grabbed her bag and Tina closed the lights as they left. They went down a flight of stairs and through a few doors and halls and arrived at the front desk. Tina grabbed her things there and said goodbye to the girl that had taken over her shift.
"I'll be back in a about an hour." Tina more or less assured the girl who was currently talking on the phone. She nodded in response, still trying to listen to the blabbering woman on the phone.
So they left through the double, transparent doors.
To Kori's surprise, someone was waiting for her.
Tina noted her friend's surprise and followed her gaze. Her almond eyes landed on a relatively tall young man with jet back hair. He was wearing a black jacket and a pair of jeans. His hands were in his pockets and he seemed lost in thought, leaning on a bright red motorcycle.
"Who is he?"
"Richard…"
"Richard who?"
"Aaa…"
The man could not have heard them, but he looked up all the same and turned his head so that he could see the school's doors. He smiled when he saw her and stopped leaning on the bike. He walked over.
"Hey Kori."
"Hello Richard." Kori smiled brightly, a fait blush appearing on her cheeks. "I'm afraid that I forgot to call you, my friend, to tell you when I finished because I have been busy and…Oh!" she had been looking sideways and spotted Tina. "This is Tina! Tina, this is Richard, Richard, this is Tina!"
"Nice to meet you." Robin outstretched his hand.
"Hey." Tina said, smiling, "Same here." She took his hand and shook it vigorously.
There was an awkward silence and Kori resisted the urge to start babbling randomly and incoherently.
"Well then, Friend Tina and I were about to…" she started but was cut off.
"You know what, Kori? I still have quite a bit of paperwork to finish, so I'll go back inside and do it. I'll see you later, ok?"
Kori smiled sheepishly. Encircling her friend in a sort but nevertheless tight hug, she said a merry goodbye to her friend.
"See you tomorrow, Kori. Bye Rich." And with that, the short woman left, grinning to herself silently as she walked back to the very place she had just come from. Kori and Richard stood there for a while, watching her retreating figure.
Thank you friend… Kori thought, a blush spreading from her nose. Turning around to face the dark-haired man, she exclaimed joyously.
"Oh! I am so glad you thought of coming to see me!"
"No problem."
"So…where shall you bring me to now? Will we ride your motorbike?" the redhead asked, excited and yet… a small bit of apprehension could be seen across her features. She liked being so close to him on the contraption yet it was a little unnerving when they reached high and often illegal speeds.
But it only scared her a little, she decided. Her smile maintained itself as her friend, or whatever circumstances defined him as, answered her query.
"Well…I was wondering if you wanted to go eat something…" the man asked. His usual cool tact suddenly leaving him as he stood there, fixing her happy green eyes and her smile.
"Oh joyous! Have you a place in mind or shall we partake in a random search for a eating place!" she exclaimed, her hands clapping and Richard vaguely wondered why he was reminded of a giggling, very cute teenage schoolgirl at the moment.
"Random searching is fine, I guess. I know a few good places downtown."
Her eyes beamed and she smiled a true one.
He positioned himself on the bike, and took a second helmet that was unlike his bird-like one and handed it to her.
"Here, I bought you one too. I don't want you to get into trouble…"
"Oh thank you!" she said, putting it on with a bit of difficulty.
"Here, let me help." He got up from his sitting position on the bike and stood in front of her, gently placing the helmet over her head. Hope it fits… he thought, brushing the hair out of her view. Their eyes locked for a while.
Wow…"Uhh…let's go, shall we?" he said, smiling his own happy half-smile.
Kori nodded enthusiastically.
Putting his own robin-shaped helmet on, he motioned her to climb on behind him and turned the engine on. She did what he told her to do, and sat, making herself comfortable behind him. Her arms wrapped themselves around him tightly, already readying herself for the adrenaline rush.
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He smiled, his face covered in shadows and his features striking. He was tall and his voice was deep, and when he looked at you had the uneasy feeling of having your mind read. There was little this man did not know. There was little this man didn't expect. He had been told he was a genius in his younger, somewhat more peaceful years, and he had whole-heartedly, yet not arrogantly, believed it. His morals were non-existent, and he was on top of his world.
This man was known by his subordinates by many names. His real name was not known by many, and he kept to himself all of the little information regarding his past. At this moment, he was standing by a closed, curtained window and the daylight could not pierce through but in small slivers, illuminating only small parts of his face. He was looking at a young woman, her hair was a midnight black and here eyes were masked by her bangs. She was looking down at the flour in anger.
"I was told you could help me."
"Depends on what you want me to do, my dear."
The woman, who was tall, probably just as tall as the imposing man, looked up, her eyes full of anger. He almost let his smile waver. This one meant business. But it was apparent that she wasn't on top of her game and in some distress…This would be amusing.
"I want to get revenge…on my sister and protection."
"And what can I do for you?"
"Give me the power to do so…" she said, her voice wavering and breaking off.
"Well well…my dear, you are demanding. And what would I get out of this, pray tell?"
The woman did not answer.
At that moment, a screen appeared on his desk out from a hologram positioned there: a faceless voice came out of the transmission.
"Mister Nis…?"
Ah, that silly little play on words that he had done to put one of his targets on the trail. But now was not the time to think about this. He pressed a button next to the hovering screen and answered.
"Yes?"
"The two policemen are here for their appointment, sir."
"Ah…thank you very much. I will see them in moments…"
"Ye-" he turned the intercom off and the screen disappeared, the voice with it and the man put his attention on the tall woman in front of him.
"Your terms are interesting…miss…"
He knew her name, he even knew her full name. He even knew her former address and her profession, which was that she didn't have a profession. He never let anyone so close to him without knowing who they were. And his technology was marvellous: no one could hide from him when he wanted to find them. In any case, he wanted to know if she put enough trust in him to be properly used…
"My name Manda Andrews." She almost hissed, "…but you can call me BlackFire."
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Garfield and Victor both entered the house grinning from ear to ear and roaring over their 'arcade adventures'. The argued, laughed and managed to crawl in the small apartment without causing to much trouble. Their laughs were cut short however when they saw an odd sight in the living room. Floating (yes, floating) above the couch, her legs cross and her arms raised to her sides, her eyes closed and her mouth muttering an incomprehensible string of words, Raven was meditating.
They looked at each other, confusion painted over their faces and Garfield saw the perfect opportunity for a beautiful, marvellous…divine prank.
He approached her with animal-like silence. He was BeastBoy after all. He didn't want to be heard? You wouldn't hear him. So he crept up besides her. Victor fixing up the security cam as silently as possible, deciding not to interfere but keeping an eye on the little guy anyways. Raven was a violent child. Who knows how she'd react?
His mouth went up to her ear and he sharply drew in some air, on the verge of yelling out.
"Don't even think about it." She said, and he jumped in surprise, and fell of the couch he had been standing on.
Rubbing the back of his head, he groaned a little as Raven floated down to the floor next to him and Vic laughed a little from where he was.
"That was mean."
"What you would have done to be could have blown up this apartment. I can't lose control when I take in hand my powers."
"What?" Vic said, entering the room.
"It's at times a curse…and at times a gift." She said vaguely. "I don't really want to talk about it." She snapped slightly, getting up curtly.
"It's okay, girl." Vic nodded, understanding.
Garfield didn't look convinced and wanted to know more. She was a real mystery, and he wanted to know more. It was his nature to be curious…well…about things that intrigued him, anyways. He wasn't much of a thinker, really, but he did have is moments.
"What do you mean? A gift and a curse?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it." Raven said curtly, sending an annoyed glance at the boy- no man( although he didn't act like a man) sitting on the floor.
"Aww…come one Rae!" he said pleadingly, and stood up from the floor.
"Don't call me Rae!" she said angrily.
"Okay, okay. Break it up guys." Victor said, getting in between both of them. "No more bloodshed for now, 'kay?" He really didn't need things to get ugly, "Let's all…I dunno, do something peaceful…watch TV or something."
Raven glared at the green-haired boy standing in front of her. Why was she so…angry? She was so good at hiding her emotions; at keeping a stony, icy wall in between her and others, but how did this…this…how could he push her buttons that way? She hated the way he affected her. It annoyed her to no end. He was a brat. What ever possessed her to seek him out anyways?
"As long as I don't have to sit next to him." She said finally.
"Aww! Don't be that way, you know you wanna!" he replied in a sing-song voice.
A wave of black energy sent Garfield tumbling backwards and he fell on his ass. The young man growled almost.
"Youch! Rae, that hurts!"
"My name is NOT Rae." The lavender-haired girl exploded, walking out of the room and a door was heard, slamming.
Garfield looked up at his best friend. Victor, in turn, looked at the 'grass stain' with a look that betrayed amusement.
"Dude!" Garfield let out, getting up and rubbing his lower back.
"You asked for it, little guy."
"No I didn't!" Garfield responded indignantly.
Victor shook his head. He wondered: had he been like that when he had been a teenager?
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They sat in front of each other, the small coffee table between them as they sipped their drinks, their eyes meeting each other frequently. The silence wasn't awkward but rather comfortable as they stared out the window. Kori wasn't one who usually liked silence, but it was relaxing to just be with Richard and stare at the passer-by's. She smiled, her eyes darting to steal a look at him. His attractive face was lost in thought, and he was finishing his Sprite(™).
"Richard…"
"Yeah?" he snapped into focus, looking at her and smiling slightly.
"We never exchanged our last names…" she said, smiling brightly. She trusted him enough now. She liked him very much and he was…a good friend.
He looked to be thinking.
"…Alright then. What's your name?"
"It is Kori Andrews!" she said cheerfully, moving a stray strand of red hair behind her eyes.
Then the most shocking thing happened. An explosion occurred right next to them, blasting the window to bits. Kori screamed, but did not cowar. She screamed out of surprise, but not of fear.
Well maybe a little bit of fear.
Richard stood up and grabbed her by her waist, and carefully dragged her, as to not hurt her, out of the way. He grunted, put her down and examined her face. He looked so serious: Kori was sure she had never seen him like this. It wasn't something she disliked, however.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine, are you?"
"Doesn't matter."
A thousand thoughts whirled around the young man's head. He was pretty sure that attack wasn't random. In his line of work, there were no such things as coincidence or chance. Almost everything was suspect. He cursed himself. He had let his guard down. Him! He had let his guard down! And Kori, his Kori had almost gotten hurt because of it!
He ignored the possessive way he had just thought about the girl standing behind him as he searched the area around the explosion, looking for the attacker.
"Richard?"
"Show yourself, dammit!"
The angry raven-haired boy suddenly saw her as the smoke cleared. And she was floating, wearing a metal-plated armour around her body, the black fabric of her clothes could be seen at certain parts where the armour did not cover, a beautiful green gem hung around her neck and her eyes were glowing with an eerie purple. Her hair was dark, so dark it was like black and it shone with a slight violet. She was smiling maliciously.
"You're not that important, kid." She told him, flying higher as Richard jumped out of the huge, shattered window, trying to reach her.
"What?" he yelled. "Who are you?"
The people around them on the streets started screaming. The realized what was going on: they were being attacked. They took little notice of Richard or Kori, but certainly did notice the dark clothed, flying maniac.
"SISTER!" Kori screamed, "How dare you!" she got out of the store, and was at Richard's side instantly. She did not know why Richard was acting this way: she also knew that her sister could cream him, given the chance.
"Sister?" Richard looked at the redhead suspiciously, bewildered. What was going on?
"My dear, little, adorable sister. Long time no see, huh?"
"It has only been a few days, sister…" Kori said, confused, not understanding the figure of speech.
Manda rolled her eyes.
"Ever the slow one, aren't you? You are no match against me. I won't let you get away with what you did!"
"I did! WHAT I did!" Kori could not believe this. Sure, her sister was known for being a hypocrite at times, but this was something the younger sibling has never, ever fathomed.
"Kori? What's going on?" Richard asked in a commanding voice.
"This is my sister." The girl answered apologetically. "She is not usually so…so…"
Words failed her and Kori felt a great sadness within her. The people had fled away, standing as far as possible but their curiosity kept them from leaving the area completely. They wanted to know what happened next. Her sister had destroyed a portion of the sidewalk.
"Manda…why are you so violent? Why hurt me? And these people! They are innocent!" Kori pleaded, once again finding herself in the shoes of the little sister trying to convince her older one from disappearing. It was ironic. But why was Manda doing this? Why attack her?
"They do not matter. There are so many of them on this planet, anyways."
"How could you?" Kori yelled, or tried to. But she was trying to fight tears.
"Fight me sister. We will settle this once and for all."
"Settle what? I don't want to fight!"
Richard looked at her curiously and there was apparently more to Kori than was apparent. All doubts about her disappeared slowly from his mind.
"You have mocked me sister. I do not like being mocked!" her sister roared. One of her hands started charging with a dark purple energy.
"Then you are indeed a child, sister. Grow up! Please!" Kori pleaded.
"I am older and stronger than you!" Manda furiously retorted, throwing her arm forward and sending the energy sphere straight at her sister. Richard, who was standing right next to her, became suddenly very aware of the danger.
"Kori look out!" and he tried to push her out of the way but instead found himself being lifted by two thin yet incredibly strong arms.
The explosion occurred right where they had been standing.
When the explosion ended, two forms could be discerned in the smoke. They were both flying.
"That is enough! You have hurt enough people today. I am angry, you have succeeded. But I will win this fight!"
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CYJINX vs. CYBEE
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