Unsuspected Heroes

An alternate look at the Prophecies Universe

"So my son," said Ker's 'father', a Japanese man who was getting on in years, "Your necklace has not left its place of rest for a full year today." The man scooped out another portion of rice into his bowl and continued to eat. "Have you truly been so unlucky, or are you simply just unwilling to give up the past?"

"Well, papa," said Ker slowly, "I'm hoping that my luck might soon change. I think I may have found a…well, I'd hate to call her a prospect…but I'd say that I might have to try and relearn the steps of the dance."

"Think of it as kata, and you will go further. I hear that your lovely flaxen-haired friend also has news…another prophecy?"

Ker nodded, gesturing with his chopsticks. "Un…something about the awakening of some blood…and it references the Wind Soul Warrior, so I'm definitely in it…" He shrugged. "Why?" He paused for a few moments. "Father?"

The older man shook his head. "Not now…you'll have to wait for the proper moment."

Ker jabbed his chopsticks at his master and surrogate father, a fairly rude action. "Dammit, dad, the last time I had to wait to find something out, it nearly cost Faris his life! What would have happened if I didn't figure out that hand switch…if I fumbled it because I had never practiced it?"

"You didn't," pointed out the man whose family name was Kawada, mildly.

"Not the point," grumbled Ker, somewhat sullenly.

"I will admit that I was wrong to not teach you that technique earlier…you performed it beautifully, but this is not the same sort of thing. Trust me. You have lessons to learn before I speak to you of this."

Ker went back to eating with a sigh. "Fine."

"Now…about this girl…"

Ker got an outraged look on his face and dropped his chopsticks to the floor with a clatter. "Dammit dad, I thought we had agreed that you would stay out of my love life! I know full well that I can't beat you, but I can sure as hell get a few hits in."

"Peace, my son," said the old man with a hand held up to calm his son. "I merely wished to say that if you do give this girl a chance, you may learn the lessons that you need. And I would like to meet her. You have very good taste in young women, and any girl that catches your eye is a person worthy to meet."

Ker sighed again. "Yes, father. If you'll excuse me, I have homework to do." Picking up his food and chopsticks, he rose from the floor and walked towards the small kitchen, then picked out an umbrella and headed down a forest path towards the house that he and his father slept in, rain splattering off the leaves of the forest and the oil-paper of the umbrella he held.

Raven gave a wince as her cat-like stretch had a good four vertebrate popping. No, wait…five. Being a student wasn't crime-fighting, but it certainly had its own stresses. With the two taken together…well, she was glad that there wasn't anything that had come up that necessitated all the Titans appearing. Bad enough trying to get enough time for a good meditation session. And the homework, which was tailored to her actual intelligence level, was difficult, by ilk of the fact that she was behind on the schooling that everyone else had at school.

"Need some help with that homework, Rae?"

Raven gave a tired look over her shoulder at the door she had forgotten to shut entirely. A hulking form of flesh and cybernetics stood there. "You're a little late," she informed him, wearily. "I just finished. Come in if you want."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you must be tired if you're inviting me in here." Nevertheless, he stepped in and walked over to the desk the Azarathian was using.

"Mmmph…" replied Raven noncommittally, "What happened to the third-person speaking?"

"Do you really want me to start again?"

"No."

"Didn't think so. Whoa…is that Japanese? I don't think any of us will be able to help you with that."

"Well…it's actually probably the easiest subject for me, so that's all right." She paused for a second or two. "Vic, can I get some advice from you?"

"Sure, Rae." He sat down on her bed. "What do you need to talk about?"

"Well, it's about Ker. Robin thinks that he's too good of a martial artist to pass up at least trying to recruit, regardless if he's the one who took down those jocks or not. And…I'm faking a crush on him, and he's responding. I just…well, I feel like I'm pulling a Terra. I know that she saved us all in the end, I know that she's likely all back on the stable, good side. But there's no denying that she gave us a lot of pain. I'm pretty sure I'm doing the right thing, but I don't think that he deserves something like that."

"Hoo." Cyborg ran a hand over the fleshy side of his head. "That's tough. Really sounds like you're starting to care about this guy."

"Of course I do," grated out Raven. "I'm a believer in this team's goal…keeping people from harm, remember?"

"I know…I know. But it isn't often that I've seen you really considering the emotional side of what your actions might cause…which always struck me as a bit funny, considering that you're an empath."

"I'd been…well, I've been locking that power away. I really don't want to know those things in that way."

"And I'm thankful for that, Rae. I know I'd have been embarrassed for quite a while if you could look into my divided noggin. Not so much now, but that's life." At Raven's questioning look, he went on, with a somewhat uncomfortable look on his face. "I think you're very cute at times, Rae, and other times I think you're hot. Back when the team was formed, I would have never had told you that, you know. And don't think that I'm asking you out, or that it ever would have worked out. Just…you're attractive, you know?" Raven kept her mouth tightly shut, prompting Cyborg to sigh and go on. "But that was all physical…and that's not something that's me anymore, you know?" He looked down at his metallic hands and shook his head. "All that's left for me is emotional, and I never quite got that back when I was flesh. I coulda had it…but I missed it. And I've gotten that now…I just don't know if there's anyone out there that I feel for that way." He shook his head. "But I think that you really care about what happens to this guy. Be careful, Rae. I don't like the idea of my little sister falling for the wrong guy…or getting out of control."

"I'm not your little sister."

"Oh, yes you are, Rae," chuckled Cyborg as he got up and left the room. "Oh, yes you are."

Raven stared after the black teen's departure. Well…that was a little disturbing…and didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know about my problem. "Oh, Azar…what am I going to do?"

Raven had been tortured by doubts all week long, but in the end, there was nothing to do but go through with it…she had to ask Ker out. If she was going to get to know him well, and not blow her cover, she was going to have to bite the bullet sometime…and here they were, walking in from band. Now…if only she could get herself to force the words out of her mouth.

"Hey, Rachel?" came a surprisingly timid sounding Japanese voice.

Raven snapped out of her confidence-building pep talk with her aspects, most of who were far too supportive of the course of action to make her feel comfortable, and looked over to a Ker that looked more apprehensive than she honestly thought he could have. "Yes?" Was he…fidgeting?

"I was kinda wondering if you might want to go somewhere after school…" he trailed off, looking away, though she could have sworn she saw reddish skin through the strands of his brown hair.

Yeah…definitely fidgeting…WAIT A DAMN SECOND! "Ker…did you just ask me out?"

Imperceptible nod.

Joyful hug. "I'd love to!" Well, that had made her self pep talk unnecessary. Suddenly, she realized that she pressing her body up against the guy and cutting off his air with her hug. Apparently his body couldn't choose between blushing like a tomato or going blue with asphyxiation and had compromised with a nice deep purple. "Eeep!" Rachel jumped back, hoping that her date would be okay…and still her date after that. Oh Azar, thought Raven, I just pulled a Starfire. "Are you alright?

Ker coughed for a couple of seconds before answering. "Fine…fine…" He looked up at her with a bit of a breathless smile on his face. "Just…warn me before you answer me so…empathically in the future."

A/N: Well, I'm back. No fighting yet...but that's coming in the very next chapter, I swear. I shall give you the battle scene that I know you all crave soon. In return, give me reviews that tell me what you think, and especially what you think can be done better. The more informative reviews I get, the better I can make the story. Ja na.