How long since I updated? Let me count the years…
Just to clear up any confusion, Raven and Nightwing are together romantically and have been for some time. Reasons as to why it is kept hidden will be answered further down the page.
She woke to a hand stroking her side and another her hair but the sorceress chose to ignore the ministrations. They would become more wandering but that was her goal. Eventually her prediction of the near future became the present and lips skimmed her neck.
Some mornings began this way and this wake up call was surely more pleasuring than the shrill blare of an alarm clock. Raven turned to look into the piercing blue eyes that always caught hers and her 'good morning' was muffled by his kiss. She groaned as his body engulfed hers and she accepted it without hesitance.
"We…have…to go." She mumbled between the moments when he left her. Damn tease, she added mentally and he laughed.
"Exactly why do we have to do that?" Richard asked before attacking her neck, coaxing out a moan.
"To see them off, remember?"
As if on cue, the alarm shrieked with a blinking 6:30 shining brightly. He had forgotten that the team that lost the exercise yesterday had to leave at seven this morning. Reluctantly, the Titans' leader rolled off with a sigh and stared at the ceiling. It was just the second day and one team was already leaving this…rook in the sky. Somehow it seemed unfair to base their failure on one instance. They worked well together and it was unfortunate that they had to go back to earth and wait until the next recruitment.
"I'm going to go take a shower." Raven slipped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She looked back and smirked. "Are you coming or not?"
"Do you have a reason as to why I shouldn't?"
Then again, the next recruitment wasn't that long of a wait.
Everyone had gathered on the departure deck in full uniform where a pod was filled and ready to fly back to earth.
"We're going to miss you two. Who's going to yell insults that nobody understands?" Cyborg smiled down at them sadly, knowing that they would have loved to be a part of the Justice League. They would have been the youngest recruits since…forever really. Starfire had already said her goodbyes, she was the reason why their sides were still throbbing and the others added theirs in as well and now it was time for them to leave.
The JLA members hadn't made an appearance, all except for Flash who spoke with them last. One would think that Zatanna would have wanted to see her own team's departure.
"Adios, my fellow speed demons. See you guys when you hit puberty."
"Véale luego, amigos. Buena suerte," Mas y Menos bid their farewells and minutes later, they were officially incapable of being chosen for the League. The young heroes were all left to wonder who was going to be terminated next because in the next few days, another team was to be shipped off.
"Titans. Now that you have successfully passed the first test, it's time to prepare for the second," Batman had filed in along with his teammates, startling some of the Titans that were deep in thought. "This test will last for two full days where you will have to be on your own. Without your partner. You will have to find each other in the course we have designed for you. This will help us to comprehend your ability to accomplish tasks on your own. I think it is fair to say that none of you have truly had that opportunity." He looked around the group and halted on Nightwing a second longer than the others.
Ironically, the Titans thought the complete opposite. Many of them had been independent before. Like Aqualad and Raven, for example. Aqualad protected the entire Pacific and Atlantic Seas on his own and Raven…Raven had technically been alone since the beginning of her demonic days on Azarath.
Batman continued. "This task begins in an hour and during this time, we advise that you gather supplies that you think you may need. In your rooms is a list of the things you may not bring and if you do, you are automatically disqualified. Do these instructions penetrate?"
They all nodded and left the room immediately.
"This is bullshit," Speedy stated while they were all on the lift. A few of them agreed with grunts and sighs. "How could they expect us to gather supplies when we don't know where the hell we're going? They could be sending us to Tokyo somewhere…"
His partner scoffed. "I doubt it, Roy. We'll probably be in the seven circles of hell if it was Wonder's idea." Bumblebee didn't quite hold a liking for their team leader since she practically bit their heads off for having too slow of a reaction during their first test.
"We can handle hell. Done it before," Nightwing glanced at Raven who was leaning on the wall next to him, her head resting on the cold steel as she shrugged.
"You both faired well in the first task but the others and ourselves were not as successful, friend Nightwing," Starfire spoke for the first time that day, which was highly unusual for the alien princess. She was the morning person who actually sung during breakfast. Maybe this was taking more of a toll on her than expected.
The elevator finally stopped and the doors slid open silently to reveal the girls' floor. (A/N: They all have separate rooms and the sexes have separate floors.) The females of the group stepped out and Nightwing straightened up, forgetting that Raven's room was not his as well.
"Where are you going?" Aqualad questioned and the black spandex clad vigilante paused in realization. After the doors closed, he stretched. "Just stretching. Still tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."
"After doing what? Or whom, should I ask?" Speedy grinned, implying certain relations between him and another bird, but it soon fell after a large metal hand flew across the back of his head. "Ow!"
"Shut up or I'll drive one of those arrows up your ass," Cyborg threatened, catching the innuendo. Nightwing stared at him before stepping out once the elevator stopped once again.
"I think Cy knows something about us," Richard told Raven after he had snuck back down to her room.
"Oh…why do you say that?" The demoness was levitating over her bed, eyes closed and performing some kind of summoning spell.
"Speedy said something about us and Cy almost knocked his head off for it."
"So? You know how big brother is."
"But this time he didn't look at me with one of those accusing glares that says that 'I'll castrate you if you ever touch her like that,'" He watched as several objects materialized in the air before floating down to land softly on the floor. They intended on telling Cyborg and the others eventually but now...it was too much fun. It was exhilirating. The feeling of hiding something from their friends that knew everything about them. It was the only way to have privacy, not informing them and for the moment holding this secret wasn'tharmful in any way so Raven and he snuck behind corners and doors in an almost unseemly relationship.
"Maybe that's a good thing. If he knows and he hasn't harmed you yet, maybe he doesn't intend to. Give me anything that's electrical that you have." Raven settled back down and pushed herself off of the bed.
"Why?" He reached for his communicator and tracking devices nonetheless.
"Because it's on the list. We can't have electrical devices, any kind of transport unit except for one tote bag each, and two choice weapons," She took his possessions and tossed them on the nightstand beside hers.
"One tote bag? That's good for two-" He stopped when she held up a navy blue bag that was only a foot and a half long and six inches wide. "What the hell is that? Is that a doggy bag? You're laughing and I'm serious." Raven was smiling broadly at his reaction.
"I can work with it. A few spells and we can fit whatever we need. Also, our weapons must be contained in the bag." She carried on after his jaw dropped. "On the floor is everything I thought that would be useful. Water, food, ponchos, etc. Basic camping material. It'll be fine. As long as we have our bond, finding each other will be easy."
"What do you mean we can't use our bond?" Raven nearly shouted.
"It is not fair to the others that you have a telepathic bond that would help you finish your test so easily. Might I add that you can not use your other abilities either or you both will be disqualified." Zatanna answered with a twisted sneer.
"But I can still fly, correct?"
The magician only chuckled and walked away. They were again in the simulation room but all of them would perform their tasks at once. Some of them had even changed their uniforms. The men wore more loose clothing and the heroines who wore skirts now donned pants.
"You only have two days to locate your partner. After that you will be pulled out of the course. The team that finishes last will suffer the same fate as mine." Zatanna explained without remorse. It seemed that she didn't even care that her team had 'lost.'
"What if more than one team doesn't make the deadline?" Cyborg asked the League.
"You'll find out if you do." Again Zatanna answered and left more them all more frustrated.
"That's not an acceptable answer." Raven spoke still upset with the decision about not using her powers. Zatanna stepped forward but the Man of Steel stopped her.
"Your grade has hereby been dropped, Falcon. A consequence of your constant disrespectful nature," Superman sentenced. Nightwing looked down to the purple-haired vixen whose eyes were beginning to glow a deathly white.
"Let us continue with the test, shall we?" The question came from Wonder Woman with a slight edge in her voice.
"We shall." Batman replied with the same apparent edge and the second test had started.
Okay…this is a short chapter with a definite cliffy and I'm sorry but I need some time to figure out how this test will end and I'll make up for the length next chapter.
I forgot to mention that this story is Rae/Robin centered so if I focus on them during the exercises, that's the reason.
Thanks to all of the people who reviewed this story and I hate that I can't reply publicly but I will reply with PMs. If you don't have an account here and have a question, please leave an e-mail address and I will answer it.
I won't make any promises as to when the next chapter is coming but if I get some opinions from you talented writers out there, (you know who you are) I can get it out sooner.
Hasta la vista, mi amigos!
BirdsOnTheBrain