A/N: Oh my god, you guys are just so supportive, yah! I love you all so very much for understanding me and sticking with me, Raven's in love with you all. She told me – actually threatened me – to give you all more candy for your support.
(makes sure everyone gets candy while nervously glancing back at Raven who's holding a slave whip) the things I do for you people.
Anyway, thank you all so much candy and kisses, and here's the revised chapter ten … tell me what'cha think.
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What Did I Do?
"Drink down your gin and kerosene!"
Downward sweep, upward thrust, spin, twirl, then jab and in a fluid of flash movements I rapidly stabbed through the air at my unknown opponent, then dropped down in a split and fell to the side. On my back I twirled my legs around over my head blades following as I pushed up to my feet, leaning back I crossed the blades Jinx had made for me over my body, over my head and bent to the ground. Flipping three times and tumbling in the air and then dropping in a perfect stance with one blade over my head and once across my side.
It was what I was taught, the style of stealth and presentation, it was different for each sex on my planet. The males were more – no surprise – more robust and straightforward, where as the females. Well … I'd like to say it was more of a way to learn a dance than anything else.
"And come and spit on bridges with me!"
I glanced at the watch above the training room, sighing when I took note of the late time of night just after the Titans returned from their fight with Mumbo. I sighed and close my eyes, loosening my stance and standing straight up I wiped the sweat that dripped down my brows and wondered when Jinx was coming back with X. After all it was 1:58 and they were still not back.
"Just to keep us warm
light a match to leave me be
light a match to leave me be!"
My Mp3 blared snapping me out of thought about Jinx and X, but leaving them in the back of my mind. It was odd … X leaving me to go on a mission with Jinx? I didn't know why, but it just bugged the hell out of me, maybe it was because he said that he never liked to work together and with me being around. Well … I guess … I don't know … but it's like I'm the first and you know what they say. The second is usually always better – maybe not for movies, but for other things.
Like a new modeled car, or a brand new Mp3 – speaking of which I think I have to go get me the new software for this accused thing. I'm not very keen on technology for music, but I do listen and it is handy when you got nothing better to do but train. God … I'm more like Robin than I realize … training when I got nothing better to do – like look for the bad guys. Or talking among friends.
"I keep my jealousy close! Cause …
it's all mine!
And if you say this makes you happy
Then I'm not the only one …
Lying."
Where are they? I thought to myself with a scowl now forming, my fangs producing from my lips. They've been gone for far too long! Hell even I don't take this long on long ass missions! In fact, it's almost dawn! Only when I have one mission after the other does it takes me this long … but all Jinx and X have to do is steal a few artifacts than jam! What the hell is going on?
Suddenly my hand starts to spark with dark black energy.
I glance down at it and take a breather, feeling that my emotions were trying to take control I centered my thoughts and shoved the power that I've learned to control completely down my throat. The words temptingly wanting to slip I shook my head and turned around getting ready for another round of training. Sinking into my fighting stance, I should have checked my surroundings first other wise I would have noticed that familiar cocky aura hanging around the door just watching me with white slits.
The skull mask betraying no emotion as he observed my swift movements …
Of course I was unaware of him.
"Keep quiet
nothing comes as easy as you
can I lay in your bed all day?
I'll be your best-kept secret and your biggest mistake
Hand behind this pen relives a failure everyday."
(repeat)
For the while I've been spinning, twirling, basically dancing in a twisted vision of pleasure for my audience, never realized X had been watching, until he decided he got tired of waiting for me to notice. Introducing himself, 5 star blades went whizzing through the air aiming for various parts of my body. The danger was immediately calculated and without much effort I blocked them all off. Facing my attacker, X vanished using the utility belt and appeared behind me.
With my powers back it wasn't going to be easy for him to sneaky up on me.
Down my hands went and my body was well when he swiped for my throat with the X blades that produced from the back of his palms. I flipped using my legs to kick the blades from my person. He just moved to the side and followed, trying to get at my head with every movement. I growled in irritation at his persistence and stopped in a crouch.
Blades flipped back so they were parallel to my arms I jumped up high overhead, flipping till I was directly above him and dropped down in a perfect drop kick. Forcing him to retract his blades and grab my ankle, whirl me around like some pathetic rag-doll then toss me into a tumbling abyss.
However I corrected my flight pattern and with the use of my powers landed in a gentle hover a foot off the ground glaring at X, "Well … it seems like your back. Where's Jinx?"
The question came out even harsher than I intended, that stupid mask of his annoying the hell out of me; I wanted to see his face as he mentioned her name. I wanted to see his eyes if it shined when her name was called, but to no avail. He never took it off … this was Titan Tower after all. But that didn't mean I wasn't livid. My Mp3's headphones off, but the words of the song still ran through my ears like a faintly whispered melody of the sudden tension.
Apparently X could see my strain on Jinx's name.
"I keep my jealousy close! Cause
it's all mine!
And if you say this makes you happy
Then I'm not the only one …
Lying!"
"She's wasted, we had a rough night, Mumbo raided the bank next to us," he answered sincerely – well as sincerely as the mask allowed. His voice was still distorted and broken up into a low metallic hum. Something that sent shivers up Raven's spine, it never failed to amaze her at how incredibly influential that "Halloween Mask" can be, "We had a run in with the Teen Titans … Robin went after us and we had no choice but to run for cover. Trust me it was harder than I'm making it out to be."
"Drink down your Gin and kerosene!"
"Oh really?" I questioned sarcastically, the blades on my side retracting and returning to their holding place in my belt that I wore slanted to my left side, while my original belt slanted to the right. He probably thought it was odd, especially since I was dressed in my training outfit of a tight sports bra and long sweatpants. It was comfortable, so don't go and be thinking I did this on purpose. Crossing my arms over my chest, he mimicked my moves and I glared, "So I guess you couldn't called me and told me? I could have gotten them off your back, I was at the Tower the whole time."
X titled his head, and rubbed the back of his neck stretching out his answering, making it sound so … I couldn't explain it … uh … off key? "Yyyeeaaahhh … about that, I don't know I guess we kind a forgot."
"Kind a?" okay, now that was the oldest damn excuse in the book, he was making me mad and I was already mad so I guess he was putting me in a rage.
"And come spit on bridges with me!
Just to keep us warm (just to keep us warm!)
Light a match to leave me be
Light a match to leave me –"
I gritted my teeth, "You "kind a" forgot? Tell me X how do you "kind a" something?"
"Alright, what's the matter, you usually don't chew my ass out for something unless you're in a mood. What I do?"
"Oh-no," I shook my head, "you didn't do anything. I'm just asking, how do you "KIND A" do something? I'm confused help me out here."
He could see where this was leading … an argument.
Something that he just had a knack for starting, but an even greater knack for putting out the fuse before anything exploded. At least in my case … I just could never stay mad at him … in fact … why the hell am I mad at him again? Holding up his gloved hands in defeat he slowly backed up and shrugged, "Look, Jinx is upstairs sleeping, I'm tired as all hell all I'm doing now is just coming down to check if you were alright. And frankly riskin' my ass for being seen around here. So … you okay or what?"
He was being honest … funny considering he was a thief.
However Christian I knew from experience was far different than most. Off to the side I found myself staring and shrugging, "Whatever … you can go."
"Cool," he sighed tiredly and walked up to me, more off to the side because the door was behind me, he stopped and put a hand on my shoulder, lifting up his mask enough for his mouth to show he was smirking. He leaned down and kissed me on my cheek, lingering for a while enjoying the hot red blush that crept up my face while he whispered, the chorus to the song that was playing in my Mp3, "… Nothing comes as easy as you, can I lay in your bed all day, I'll be your best kept secret and your biggest mistake … I love that song."
I pulled away from him just enough to turn and look up in his mask, really hating the damn thing. I can see his smirk, but I wanted to see his eyes … they were ones that told me for real what he was thinking of or what he had in mind. It was the little birdies that whispered his secrets into my ear and the worst about having the power of reading minds? Morals.
My moral?
Never to read into other people's minds unless necessary and that rule right now was killing me. Caught up in thought I noticing him leaning even closer to me and I realized what he was about to do. Immediately moving back three steps barely catching my self from falling. I faked a sneeze and X just shook his head, pulling the mask back down over his whole face.
"See ya later Rae," he chuckled and walked to the exit, leaving me to stare at the ground in frustration. That would be the second … or was it the third time he came on to me? I have no idea and I have no idea if I could handle every time, cause every time I froze up and moved. I couldn't go through with it, I have no idea what it is that makes him think it's okay, but I thought this was all business?
Sure he was there for me when I was down – way broken down – but our relationship was still business … right?
Right?
Swoosh.
The door closed and I was left alone in the training room trying to convince myself that our relationship was nothing more than business, but I knew. I knew that after that eventful night when I fought against my first friends I knew … just knew my relationship with X had crossed that line of just money and missions.
We had broken the first and foremost the most important rule in partnership.
NEVER fall in love.
Not that I'm saying that I am! No … never … never … at least …
Oh shit … I am …
((--Noon Next Day--))
Last night for me was hell.
I couldn't sleep, not after that encounter with X and the meeting with Jinx in the morning wasn't something that I needed to have. Especially when she wouldn't silence herself from talking all about how 'amazing' and 'impressively skilled' X was at his job. Telling me how 'lucky I was to have him' I have had it up to my neck with her talk about it all! I was SO CLOSE to just strangling her, like I wanted to know how 'hot' X was.
She thought he looked nice in that stupid suit? Then I'd love to her drop dead at the sight of him 'without' the costume. Though not like he or I would risk that. No, X would drop dead before that happened and I'd kill Jinx before she got the chance … geez I'm so damn violet.
Amazed at myself I shook my head as I walked down the hall – without Jinx – and headed to the main room, apparently the heist last night had taken a lot out of her because after her boast about partnering up with X she went to her room claiming to check on something. However when I went to check on her she was sleeping like a baby. Thank God! Book in hand – well actually it was the Draco Chronicles from Malchior's archives that I was holding.
The spell that Jinx and I had used was an interesting one. I had to reread the darn thing in order to make sure there weren't any loopholes or ways for Malchior to haunt me. Not that he was already a pain in that dreaded book I just prayed there wasn't a big coincidence to this whole thing. Heading into the main room, head still in book I never knew it until –
BOOMStartled and concerned, I snapped the book shut and levitated off the ground shooting forward to the ops, the door slide open to find it was empty, meaning it was probably in the training room. Phasing through the floor to and through more walls I reached the wide-open room only to be greeted with the burning smell of black smoke.
Immediately I shot up a barrier for my sensitive nose and listened for even more coughing in the room, following the sound I landed next to Bumblebee, "What happened?"
She coughed and glared straight ahead trying to move the smoke from her sight and nose trying to breath, "Robin and Speedy … training …"
Well that explained it, with a flick of my wrist I turned on the vent to rid the room of the smoke and as it cleared both Robin and Speedy were slowly sitting up from the floor obviously their brains knocked around in there skull were giving them that swaying dizzy look. Robin being the first to recover put a hand to his head and groaned, "Ooo … remind me to remember that Floyanide and Pompeian don't mix."
Speedy coughed then sneezed, "Whoa … boom."
I sweatdropped, yep, they were knocked silly. Shaking my head I watched as Starfire and the twins went to help out the downed Titans and Cyborg checking to see if they were really all right. I reopened the spell book and tried to find my page to see what was what. However … just my luck as I made my out Robin called out to me, "Oh, Raven you're here after all. Good. I need to talk to you."
I stopped, Crap, was my only dry thought as I turned around, "About what?"
Still a bit shaky on his feet he sighed and ran a hand through his mused spiky hair to try his best to straighten it out and answered my question, "Well actually I just wanted to be sure that your power is back. Think you're up to running the obstacle course?"
Hmm … the obstacle course.
Tempting is the thought, I've always wanted to go through the obstacle course, but I never wanted the others to see me. So now that I had the chance I was just about to agree, when behind my cape hooked to the back of my dangling belt was the cell phone that went off. Not in an obnoxious ring thank god other wise I'd be given weird looks. However it did vibrate, telling me that there was a call coming in.
You couldn't have picked a worse time X, I growled inwardly and sighed, "Sorry Robin, but I have other things to pertain to, maybe you should test Jinx. If she has her power then you can be free to release. In the mean time I must not be disturbed. Good-day."
Beast Boy raised a brow as I walked off and before I left mumbled to the others, "Yo, is it just me or is Raven withdrawing again?"
The answer was lost to me as I walked down the hall and made sure the Titans were weren't following me as I answered the phone after checking to see if it really was X, "You know, now's not a good time, what do you want?"
"It's Benu, there's been a change of plans."
Benu? Change of plans? What?
"What's changed?"
"I don't know …" X trailed and through the phone I could feel he was … well he was half dead asleep. Maybe even still in bed, "… but there's a meeting going down at some book store at the corner of Park and Lincoln Avenue tonight."
"What do you mean tonight? We still haven't finished the current list now! If this guy is wanting to change something I'm gonna charge his ass extra."
"Sis, sis, or Rae, whatever the hell your name is at the moment," I gave the phone a strange look, either X smoked something or he was really, really tired, "shut-up, I know just as much as you do at the moment and we can worry about the money later. Right now, just try to get free by 10:00 got it?"
"… Fine." I gave in, but I wasn't going to let him get away with tell me to shut-up.
There was a sigh and he yawned, "Good .. see ya … till … bye."
Click.
He hung down and I did the same growling and tempted to throw the damn thing to the wall in frustration. First Jinx goes off with X, and now this Ben guy wants to change it up? I am NOT in a good mood, but Benu … hmm … this meeting … I didn't like it.
Not one bit, I wanted to argue with X … but he sounded too tired to care and when we meet up to have the meeting it'll be too late to talk about it. I guess I had no choice but to go along with it. At the very least … I was curious about what Benu could want to change, yet at the same time I didn't want to know.
Remember when I said that I didn't trust him?
Remember when I said something about him was familiar?
Well those were the two main reasons why I didn't want to see him … I hate it when I had bad vibes of something, or had a familiar feeling with a person I've never met cause if that was the case then it was most likely I had met them at some point. Whether it be in a past life or a few seconds ago, it didn't matter, I hated feeling paranoid.
Than don't go. I gasped and spun around when a voice seemed to whisper and breath down my right shoulder. It fell to authentic that the hairs in the back of my neck stood up. Looking down the hall to find out who was the one that whispered in my ear, my eyes narrowed when there was nothing there.
Aw hell no, I know there was something there. I put a hand to my shoulder and rubbed it trying to erase the feeling of someone … watching me. Or hovering over me, If you doubt it so, than why risk the chance? Don't go.
There it was again! In the same area too, I dropped the book and the cell phone taking a 360 degree turn around to see if there really was someone watching me. I spun the other way and growled, "Alright, I have no idea what the hell is going on, but whoever the hell you are come out and show yourself."
I would, but you yourself prevent me from accomplishing a proper introduction. The best I can do my lady is to give you my name.
Not for a damn second did I believe that bullshit, but for the sake of the lake of knowledge I played along, "Alright than … who are you?"
My lady, my name is Rorek of Nol and seeing for your best interest I suggest that you listen to my advice and don't go.
Ror … Rore … Rorek …? But … how can that be?
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There you have it the new chapter 10, I feel so much better working on this story and finally giving it a chance to have an ending. It just feels so good to be back on this story; anyway I have to really thank you guys one last time be fore moving onto the next chapter and continuing the story.
I also thank you all in advance for all your lovely review you all make me so happy!
Anyway see you in the next chapter!
L8er Daez