Part 2: Tears Shackled Karma
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans
CyxJinx Their love was a battle of will and fear, each devoted to the other and devoted to their side of light and dark... eventually, something was bound to be broken.
Rose colored cat eyes flittered nervously over the night. It was starless and the moon was a mere sliver in the sky. The pale girl trembled and hugged herself tightly. Nothing would happen. Nothing would happen. She just had to keep reminding herself, and it would all be ok. Still, she felt the usual apprehension of standing atop her worst enemies' home base… The girl bit her lip and swallowed hard. What she did for a kiss… Jinx managed a bitter smile at this. She certainly had placed herself in an awkward position. What would the headmaster say if he knew she was dating a titan of all people? Jinx sighed and shook her head, pink tresses rustling in their high pig-tails.
What was taking him so long tonight? She shuffled her feet, scuffing a combat boot on the ground. She would take her leave if he didn't arrive shortly. Despite his every assurance, the sorceress couldn't help but feel intense foreboding every time she made her midnight rendezvous onto the roof of Titans' Tower. Jinx stepped lightly to the side of the roof, her boot toes poking precariously out over the edge. In the minimal moonlight she appeared as nothing more than a shapely shadow with brilliant magenta eyes. She tilted her face heavenward and sighed. If there was a God, He surely hated her. The bright young HIVE student smoothed her delicate hands down her hips, pressing out the wrinkles in her indigo dress. The jagged edges caught the breeze and rustled about her mid-thigh, chopping at the view of her striped leggings.
"Jinx?" a soft voice floated to her ears. The fate bending wizardess turned and narrowed her feline eyes.
"Cyborg, you're late. You know I hate being up here like this," she snapped, gesturing a hand at the surrounding. Cyborg moved to her side, heavy titanium feet surprisingly stealthy as he walked to her. Jinx kept her irritated expression flawlessly, despite the affectionate grin the android titan was giving her. "Gnnnh… don't look at me like that!" she hissed, pouting and balling up a tiny fist. She was darkly beautiful, her scowl lighting her face the way most women were lit by a smile. Cyborg supposed that was the difference between villainess and any other femme fatal.
"I'm sorry, Jinx… I was… delayed by, you know… titan stuff…" he said it awkwardly and his one human eye shifted uncomfortably away from her. Jinx's expression faltered and then fell to soft bewilderment. Her fist dropped and she tilted her head to the side.
"Is something going on…?" her voice fluttered. Being endowed with the ability to bend fate itself, she couldn't help but succumb to the inclination that teased at her mind, whispering that she was not safe with him.
"Naw, come on… Jinx, you gotta relax. You know how I feel about you," he assured her, taking her slight form into his arms. Jinx looked up at him suspiciously. Cyborg smiled and planted a light kiss to the top of her head. The girl sighed and her frame drooped.
"I'm sorry… I just get so edgy when I come here. I know you keep telling me it's safe but I… this is enemy ground for me," she murmured. Cyborg nodded.
"I know. I'm sorry I made you come," he said. Jinx shook her head suddenly, leaning against his metal chest.
"No… I wanted to see you again. It doesn't matter what people would say. I mean, my job is breaking rules anyways… right?" she managed a giggle. Cyborg nodded and smirked slightly. Within his mind things were raging. Why was he doing this to her? Was it really right? What Robin had said… was it really the best thing?
He looked down at the petite girl in his embrace. She seemed almost frail, her delicate gymnast's form firm but thin. She had an aura about her that made her seem as if she towered over others and a passion for her line of duty that baffled him. But it was her zealous nature that he was attracted to, none the less. Jinx sighed and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. She didn't hear the nearly silent hiss of power unfold well behind her. She didn't notice the sound hidden shadows descending onto the rooftop from the air.
Jinx knew it was wrong. She knew she should have found love within the HIVE, but Cyborg was… he was just so alive. She admired him so much. His strength and hope amazed her. Nearly eighty percent of him could no longer be considered human and yet he still loved life with a vigor she found intoxicating. To say the least, she couldn't really bear to be away from him too long. It had been nearly a year now since Cyborg had infiltrated the HIVE and they had become close. She'd thought she'd fallen in love with Stone, the mysterious new student but she had been wrong. She'd toppled head over heels for a titan.
But even after his untimely discovery and the events that had pulled them apart they were drawn back to one another. And they had found they were both willing to go to great lengths to keep their ridiculed love alive. Jinx shivered. It was cold…
"Cyborg… why do you have to be a titan?" she asked quietly. "I-I mean, I don't really care what you are as long as you… you love me… but you could have been so amazing as one of the HIVE. Why do you choose to play second fiddle here when you could've had so much power?" she asked. Cyborg blinked. Before, it would have been easy to answer her question. Justice was more important than fame. What was right had to be valued over what was wanted.
What was right had to be valued over what was wanted.
What was right had to be valued over what was wanted.
Was that really true?
He stared into the radiant eyes of his dark love. "What's right… has to be valued over what is wanted," he said slowly. He wasn't sure he even believed his own words. Jinx bit her lip and looked down. Cyborg sighed and tilted her chin up with a finger, pressing his lips tenderly over hers. The kiss ended much quicker than either would have liked.
"But… who's to judge what's right?" she asked softly. Cyborg considered this for a moment and then his throat tightened. His gaze swept past Jinx and to the four slinking shadows making their way to them. The subtle click of Robin's bo-staff finally caught Jinx's attention. She jumped from Cyborg's arms and whirled instinctively to face the sound, fists aglow with pink fire. She stood panting for a moment, puzzlement edging into her eyes.
"It was nothing. You're just paranoid, Jinx. It's ok," Cyborg soothed. Jinx turned back to him doubtfully.
"But Cyborg I…" she stopped abruptly and gasped, reeling backwards as an obsidian form oozed up from the roof of the tower and took the form of Raven. Raven managed a pleased little smirk out of her monotone and then flicked both wrists forward. A wave of black power knocked Jinx to the ground. She scrambled backwards. Eyes flickering solid pink in and out. "Cyborg! What's g-going on!" She rattled out, not wanting to believe what she now knew was true. She hadn't just been paranoid. She should've listened to her instinct.
He had betrayed her. Jinx swallowed hard and floundered to her feet, the emotions rampaging through her head were robbing her of her usual agility. "Hyaa!" Jinx flung a band of hex out at Raven. The cloaked heroine was prepared, though, and lithely levitated out of the way.
"Do not hurt my friend!" an angered voice cackled behind her. The Tamaranian princess hurled a starbolt at her. Jinx gasped and rolled out of the way, twisting to face Starfire's direction at the same time. She let hex fly from her hands. Wild emotion was still beating in her head. He betrayed her… She could feel her power surging and building. He betrayed her.
The hex hit the small overhang of cement above the door in front of which Starfire was hovering. The concrete crumbled and toppled Star to the ground. "Ah!" Star cried out as she was slammed with concrete. Robin grit his teeth angrily and came flying at Jinx with a rapidly whirling bo-staff. Jinx bit her lip and back-flipped away, flinging hexes at him every time she was in the air. Robin deflected each with his madly spinning staff.
Beast Boy charged from behind in bull form and he caught her off guard. She had been perfectly ambushed. HE BETRAYED HER. The hot tears that had been stinging her eyes flowed now as she hit the ground and rolled to the side of the roof from Beast Boy's blow. Jinx slid to a stop. "Cyborg… why?" she breathed as she pushed herself back to her feet. Cyborg was simply standing and staring at her. She tore her gaze from his and readied more hexes as the other titans flew at her.
Cyborg stood. He watched numbly. Who's to judge what's right? The words rang in his ears.
"AAHH!" Jinx cried out as Raven and Starfire sent a partnered attack of starbolt encased, black energy. She was hit and sent flying. Jinx plowed into the ground a foot away from Cyborg. The titans stopped. Jinx lay still. Cyborg remained unmoving.
"Come on, Cyborg… finish it!" Robin snarled. The Boy Wonder was already snatching out handcuffs from his utility belt. Cyborg remained still. Jinx panted and looked up at him. The titans couldn't have defeated her so easily if it hadn't been for him. She wasn't weak. They had needed his betrayal to catch her. Once she was locked away, the rest of the HIVE would be undoubtedly quick to follow. More tears. She said nothing. Cyborg slowly lifted his sonic cannon and aimed. Minutes passed.
"Dammit, Cyborg… this isn't that hard," Raven muttered and with a strong spiral of ebony energy she consumed Jinx and her frightened scream. The sorceress was released from her black prison seconds later and she was left quivering on the ground. Robin frowned at Cyborg and swiftly pulled Jinx into handcuffs.
"Cyborg, you're lucky the ambush caught her so off guard. If it hadn't been for that…" The Boy Wonder shook his head. "You said you could handle catching her. You weren't supposed to actually…" Robin sighed and ran a hand over his face as Beast Boy pulled Jinx to her feet, shackled and sobbing.
"I loved you! Didn't that matter at all! I-I… how could you?" the pink-haired girl's angered screech dropped to a trembling whisper. She'd been right to be nervous about coming here. Night after night they had met and he'd blinded her to the real threat of being a villain and standing atop Titans' Tower. Had all his kisses been filled with deceit as well? This elicited new sobs from her. "Too cowardly to even give it a fair fight," she murmured bitterly, bleary eyes flashing with hurt and hatred at every titan. Starfire flinched. Raven was blank. Beast Boy wrinkled his nose. Robin scowled. Cyborg… hung his head.
"Jinx…" he stepped towards her and she recoiled like a wild animal. Cyborg stopped and lifted a hand, pain flashing through his features. The pale sorceress refused to look at him. "Jinx I really did love you too… But I had to…"
"Of course you loved me. That's why you're throwing me into a cell and chaining me to a wall," Jinx's bitter hiss coiled around Cyborg's heart. "You really are just a machine. A cold, heartless, soulless machine," she growled. Her shoulders were still jerking with soft cries and tears still slithered down her cheeks. Cyborg swallowed and stepped back.
"No, Jinx… I-I… please don't say that!" he pleaded. He deserved it though… and he knew that.
Jinx's tears abruptly stopped and she suddenly brought her gaze to meet his with burning hatred. "I might have accepted being thrown in jail just because I was caught. But you… you're making me see something real important. I never want to have anything to do with your side ever again. Tell me what kind of justice puts a girl in shackles for loving," she spat. Cyborg flinched. Her leering gaze flew hen to Robin. "Be sure to give him a kiss for me, won't you?" she snarled with a furious, Cheshire cat grin. Robin didn't react. He simply moved to take her by the shoulder and led her to Raven.
"Take her to jail." Robin said. Raven nodded. Jinx had time to send Cyborg a last, spitefully scalding glance before Raven teleported her away. Cyborg was numb with horror and his breath was coming rather hard. The remaining three titans looked at him. Robin's cold leader face slipped away. "Look, Cyborg… she was villain. You know you had to…" Cyborg lifted a hand to stop him. His face was stony. All the memories of his cherished moments with the beautiful villainess were shoved roughly away.
"What's right has to be valued over what's wanted," Cyborg said bluntly. He turned abruptly and left the roof. Left the haunting lingering of Jinx's perfume. Left his heart back with his betrayal. Left his thoughts of a radiant soul shrouded in black far, far behind with the distant and imperceptible whimpers of Jinx as she sat her new cell, shackled and denied love simply because of her allegiance.
He left it all and walked slowly to his room.
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But who's to say what's right? Perhaps only… the heart?
Author's Note: Ok, making this really short. Here's the nest installment... I have to go now 'cause my mom's going to get ticked. Um, please give me your thoughts! All your comments were appreciated and... I know it's not that tragic, but, um... yeah.
Love, Princess Starfire of Tamaran