I'm SO sorry, I haven't updated in like forever, I know. We had this Science Project, and it's my worst subject so I had to do a good job. But I'm done with it, but I doubt that I passed, it's just a negative point of view. Ha ha. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope this chapter is better, longer, and gooder, if that is a word! Ha ha.

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The sky was set ablaze, as the sun began to fight for its position, turning a blood red. Clouds began to form out of thin air, dotting the atmosphere like the fur of a Dalmatian. The normal residents of Jump would soon arise and the streets abuzz with people rushing every which way.

But not everyone in Jump City was classified as normal. Five teens and a crazed adult stood out among the rest.

No ordinary teenagers, these tough kids were always up early, waiting for their alarm to go off, so they could start the day with a rush of adrenaline. The other man, a secretive person, who liked his privacy, yet loved to haunt others with his cryptic mind, was an early bird as well.

To an observer, it would have been a mystery how the city stayed as peaceful as ever, despite the physical argument of the town outcastes. But then again, an observer would have run away at the first site of this dispute.

This quarrel had become an everyday ritual to both sides of the fight. They would battle it out verbally, if not physically, until one seemed to be superior.

To some, this habit seemed pointless, idiotic even but the line between good and evil had grown thin in the last few years, so the fights were necessary.

The cold nagged bitterly at each of the youngsters exposed faces, their breath visibly blowing away through the chilling air. Each one glared at the masked mad man in front of them.

He stood relaxed, while his opponents shook violently with fear. It swept through their bodies, filling until capacity. Slade could see all of them through the eyepiece in the plate of metal he continuously wore. He studied each of them, watching their every move.

Starfire . . . he thought as his eyes rested on the young Tamaranian. He stared at her battle stance, and the hand that with slightly raised. A green orb surrounded it, supposedly a threat, or at least an intended one. Alien strength, starbolts, metallic chromium allergies . . . not much of hazard.

Cyborg . . . nothing dangerous, unless you're in a virtual video game designed for two-year-olds. And Beast Boy . . . the child who can only hurt you with one of his bad jokes. They can't fight, they can't do anything.

His averted his gaze, pinpointing the dark bird. She stood ready for battle, but her poor condition was eminent. He had seen what happened to her, how Robin had betrayed her, in order to try doing something he was destined to fail at. And still, half of her body was hidden behind that of Robin, the 'fearless' leader.

His fears were about as obvious as the mask on his face, and yet he was supposed to defend his friends. Slade's thoughts wandered for a while, until Robin's voice brought him back down to Earth.

"So what are you doing out at this time of day, Slade? Isn't it a little early for you to be causing problems?"

"The early bird gets the worm, Robin," he shot back.

"The worm being you?" Behind his mask, Robin raised an eyebrow.

Everyone knew that birds spat out the remains of their former lunch. But then again, calling himself more dominant than Slade was a risk. Anything to do with Slade was a risk, but that didn't stop Robin.

Nothing could at this point, not even an asymmetrical-faced mad man.

He reached for a birdarang in his belt, luckily being ignored by his adversary.

"Do you really want to find out who will be the worm? If I were you, I'd accept defeat now and go home. Of course, there is another option."

Robin gritted his teeth, his fingers tracing the edges of his weapon. The two words that once gently rested on his tongue were fighting to get out. Titans go. It whispered through his head, but his conscience urged his mouth shut.

Soon, he decided that his conscience was just a voice with no brain, and let out a yell, crying, "Titans, GO!"

The orb that had been cautiously waiting released it self, and was soon joined by a blue beam, and a crate surrounded by a black aura. A birdarang sailed in their wake, as Beast Boy brought up the rear in the form of a tiger.

The shots were supposedly aimed for the cryptic maniac, but missed him by a mile. His speed met that of a cheetah, and he easily dodged the simultaneous attacks.

He lightly chucked, and it seemed as if he hadn't even broken a sweat. Their efforts were futile when they confronted Slade, but the team of teens was too blinded by obsession to see this.

Robin whipped his bo staff out of his utility belt, and swung it wildly at Slade. His plan worked, until Slade countered with his stick of metal. His attacks pushed the adolescent back, and managed to hit him a few times.

Their battle ended when Cyborg's sonic cannon let loose a beam of light. It hit right on target, and sent Slade into an alley full of wooden crates. Beast Boy began to dance about as if the villain had been silenced by his attack, but soon stopped as an echo of hysterical laughter bounced off the buildings in the city and reached their ears.

Slade lifted himself from the heap of wood, dusting the slightest bit of sawdust off of his shoulder.

"Well, it seems as though you are the worm today, Titans. Another time."

He disappeared into the shadows of an alleyway, as the smallest rays of the sun began to shine down on the confused teens. The green changeling silently scratched his head, wondering what Slade had just said and why, and with a glance around, he could tell that his friends shared the same feeling of perplexity as he.

He secretly wanted to ask what they were to do now, but smartly kept his mouth shut, which was a surprise to him, as he had never done this in the past. But even he knew that now was not the time for a random joke that never made any sense.

Robin revved up the R-cycle, and Raven, lucky enough to get on, sped on with him, arms around his waist. The others stood quietly, gazing at each other, wondering which would take the lead this time. Cyborg turned and got into the front seat, and Beast Boy surrendered the shotgun to Starfire, and climbed into the back.

The wheels of the T-car rotated faster than ever, as Cy gunned the engine, and headed to the tower, trying to cover the gap between them and the two birds. It was a very long, silent ride home, even for the green comedian, who could never keep his mouth shut.

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The echo of Robin's slamming door was a warning to all in the tower to stay out of his way, yet one of the Titans did not regard this warning, and let herself into the room of her leader, who could not stop her even if he wanted to.

"Back to work, I see. You never find the time to rest, do you?" Robin, expecting a sarcastic remark, managed a weak, but true smile at her comment.

"Yeah, well, pretending to be hurt, when everyone can see that you aren't, really is a smart idea. So, what's your excuse, faker?"

Raven removed her hood from her head, and rolled her eyes. "How else am I supposed to get you to pay attention to something other than Slade?'

"I think you mean someone," he pointed out. "You live for attention, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, if everyone doesn't focus on me, I'll die. I think you know that I'm quite the opposite. You want to find someone who'd die for attention, go talk to Beast Boy. He seems to have the tactic down."

A small chuckle escaped from his mouth, and Raven couldn't help but join in on it. She lived to torture Beast Boy, and everyone knew it.

"Go back to your books. I need to concentrate, and you aren't helping any."

"In other words, you want me to stay because tracking down Slade is getting old, especially when you can't fight him at all. He's right, you know. You really need to accept defeat, and move on. He's bigger, badder, and better."

Robin gently nudged her shoulder. "See, this is exactly why I don't come to you for advice. You are so negative all the time. It'd be nice to see you view the glass as half full, instead of half empty."

"That's the stupidest excuse for an expression I've ever heard. Half empty and half full is the same thing. There's nothing to compare it with. It's like saying, 'I'm stronger than myself.' What's the point in using it, if it doesn't make any sense?"

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Look on the bright side now and then. It's not that complicated. And the expression depends on your outtake on life, which yours of course, is negative."

"Whatever, Boy Blunder. You want to be as cryptic as Slade, I won't stop you."

"Yeah, but you know what the difference is between me and Slade?"

"What?"

Robin ran a hand through his hair, and said coolly, "I'm better looking."

She shook her head, laughing inside her mind at his little comparison. "I don't know, we've never seen him. He could be so much better than you."

"Ah, come on Raven, admit it, you think I'm handsome, maybe even hot."

She pretended to throw up, as he arched an eyebrow.

"Whatever, but one day, when I'm married with two kids, you'll be wondering what would have happened if you had taken me offer!"

Raven walked out of his room, shouting back, "Maybe I won't be because I'll be married to someone way better looking!" If that's possible, she said to herself, as her walk became a happy skip.

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I decided to add some fluff, just for kicks. Yeah Raven and Robin. I'm a dedicated fan. Hope you liked it, I promise I'll get the next chapter up sooner.

As for Slade, you'll see him later, but sooner, and yeah, it's too confusing for words, just stay tuned and find out. You'll get his last comment in the next chapter or so, so yeah, just wait and see!

So did you like it, hate it, love it? I don't care if it's good or bad, I just want your opinions!

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