Unsuspected Heroes

An alternate look at the Prophecies Universe

Robin was surprised to find Raven standing in the doorway to his workroom. "Raven? What's wrong? Shouldn't you be at school?" Standing up from where he was sitting, and setting down a threat analysis report that the police had put together, he started to take a step towards her, when her flat voice stopped him.

"The mission proved inconclusive, outside of determining that Ker Selais was not the person responsible for the capture of the teenaged bank robbers. My cover has deteriorated to a level that made me decide to cancel my false enrollment. Also, the effort to recruit Ker Selais into the Titans was ineffective. He has left Jump City on what I assume to be a solo metahuman vigilante career. That's…that's all there is to report." Raven turned and walked away, leaving Robin to ponder the quaver that had crept into her voice, as well as her military-like report. He didn't notice the small loop of fine gold chain that protruded from her fist.

The wind ruffled Raven's hair, still in the 'Rachel' style, as her calves dangled off the edge of the Tower's rooftop. She wasn't meditating, nor was she looking out at the endless sea or the bustling city. She was looking at the pendant, cupped in the palm of one hand as she tugged listlessly at the chain with the tip of one slender finger.

How could he give me up? I don't doubt that he meant every word he said…but how could he find duty to be more important than love? Why didn't he stay and fight alongside us…as he did in the past. What makes a person willingly separate themselves from someone they love?

She didn't like the answer she found, admitting it to the wind. "Because the one they love has hurt them so badly that they can't stand to be in their presence anymore. Because the only way to preserve that sacred emotion is to keep it away from reality. Because you love the thought of loving more than you love the person." She tilted her hand, thinking to drop the pendant.

"Or you might just have been raised like a samurai."

Raven's fist closed around the pendant and turned to see someone in a marching band uniform standing there…the person she had been trying to find the identity of. "Who in Azar's name are you?"

"That's something you're not going to find out," promised the figure darkly. "So don't bother trying. Some of us aren't the type who are happy being paraded around as freakish saviors."

Raven's eyes started to glow dully. "Why would you not want to be recognized? A good deed deserves reward."

"And mine is a normal life. I'm no warrior, not like the guy who gave you that necklace. I'm not selfless enough to give myself up to a cause. I'll help, but I want my life. He…he'll give up anything to do what he thinks is right. You think you drove him away? He left because he knows that others need his blade, because for him to do what he does allied with you would ruin the Titans. You think that you made that character on the pendant a lie?" The figure laughed scornfully. "It was a lie when he etched it into that metal. He can't love because to love means to be selfish…and he can't do that. He has to be the paragon of a warrior, even when he pretends to be human."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to know exactly why you should throw that thing away. Why he's not coming back. It wasn't you…it was him all along."

Raven let the glow in her eyes fade, and looked at the uniformed person with an intense and accusing stare. "No…it's not a lie. Lying is something he doesn't do." She settled the pendant around her neck. "Know this…I will wear this pendant forever, even if I love another. It tells me that there is at least one person in the world who can see me for what I am…and that I can see for what they are. Now leave…before I make you leave."

The figure snorted. "Believe what you want. But don't come crying to me when you find the truth." He faded away.

Raven stared at the spot where he had stood for a minute or more, a chill breeze blowing her cloak out to her side. Goosebumps rose on her skin, but she did not feel cold.

Raven shadow-warped into her room and brought out a brush calligraphy set that Starfire had gotten her as a 'friendship bonding' gift. Though she had never used it, she understood why Starfire might have thought it appropriate for her. The art of the brush was one of concentration, discipline, and one of expression. It was a way that she could safely express herself. She hadn't quite gotten that until now, but she figured that it might be good to use the gift. Eight sheets were included…that would work perfectly. Mixing the ink, Raven set to work.

Even after being on Earth for as long as she had, and living with her friends, Starfire still often felt like she did not belong on Earth. Some days, she spent sequestered in her room, much like her one Earth-dwelling female friend who was still flesh and blood. It did let her practice some of the rituals that the Warlords of Okaara had taught her so long ago, melding her mind, emotions, and body into a more cohesive unit. Had the other Titans seen her practicing the mostly forgotten rituals, they might have thought that she was stumblingly emulating Raven or Robin. But it was not that.

Each time she performed them, she felt a stab of shame that she could not remember them better. But still she did, hoping to remember more.

She was about halfway through with one when there came a light knocking at the door. As stuck as she was with it, she didn't resent the interruption too much…even less so when Raven's voice came through the door. "Starfire? Can I come in?"

The Tamaranian walked over to the door and opened it. "Of course, Friend Raven! To what fortuitous event do I owe thanks for the pleasure of your company?" It was a mouthful, but that was Starfire for you.

"Several…and some not so good," answered Raven. "But I wanted to give you this." She handed over a sheet of paper with the word ganshiki brushed in black ink upon it. "I finally was able to use that calligraphy set you gave me…and I thought that you should have this."

Starfire took the paper reverently. "I shall treasure this beautiful gift. Please, my friend, how does it read?"

"Ganshiki…insight."

Starfire nodded solemnly. "Have you used the other sheets?"

Raven nodded. "Gi…Yu…Jin…Rei…Makoto…Meiyo…Chugi." She paused for a second. "Rectitude…Courage…Benevolence…Respect…Honesty…Honor…Loyalty."

Starfire cocked her head to the side. "Worthy virtues, my friend. How did you know the seven pillars taught by the Warlords of Okaara?"

Raven looked at her strangely. "I didn't. That's the seven virtues of Bushido…the Way of the Warrior."

"From Azarath?"

"No…from Japan."

Starfire opened her mouth to ask a question when the alarms went off.

Raven's lavender eyes narrowed as the Titans pursued a shadowy figure down an alleyway. This all felt hauntingly familiar. Had they fought this foe before?

She got her answer when the burst of crimson Xs came flying at them like a handful of shiryuken. Red X…but Robin was with them, and had been from the start of this chase. What was happening?

Then there was no time to think, and only a hastily erected telekinetic shield kept her from becoming a pincushion. Dropping it proved a mistake as a punch caught her in the jaw and dropped her to the floor. The suited miscreant cocked his head to the side as he looked down on her. "Nice necklace."

Then he was ducking under a horizontal bo staff swing that flowed into stabbing lunge with the butt of the collapsible metal pole as Robin slid the blunt weapon around his back in an extremely fluid motion. X batted aside the stab and swept Robin's feet from under the Teen Wonder before darting away from a sonic cannon blast and returning fire with a series of Xs from his palms that punched shallow holes into the ground and walls of the alleyway as Cyborg hopped out of the way, and right into an X that wrapped him up tightly.

Beast Boy took that moment to launch his attack, jumping from the roof of one of the two buildings that formed the alleyway, in grizzly bear form both forepaws swinging…only to find X disappearing in front of him, and the ground that he hit awfully hard. Raven got to her feet and shot a empty beer bottle at the black-clad thief, wincing as he dodged it, and it exploded awfully close to Starfire, who had worked around back of X and was flying in at him. "Sorry…I don't drink on the job…OOOF!"

Starfire's flying tackle worked well for all of two seconds, X somehow contorting and twisting so that when they hit the ground, he pinned Starfire. "So, what do you think? Doesn't this suit look better on me than bird-boy?"

Starfire answered with a burst from her eyebeams that sent X flying, though not without enough presence of mind to pin her with a capture X. "Hoo…if looks could kill. Anyway, thanks for the fun, but I've really got to be going." He pressed at the belt buckle and started to disappear, only to have the device short, and keep him solid for one of the ends of Robin's staff to impact his temple. But Robin's follow-up overhead swing that would have left X out cold didn't hit anything but the ground, as the phasing device decided to work. "DAMMIT!"

Raven waited quietly as Robin paced back and forth in front of the Titans, assembled in the common room for a briefing. The Teen Wonder finally stopped and looked at them. "It would seem pretty obvious that we've got a problem on our hands. Red X is back…and this time, it's not me in the suit. I checked the vault where I was keeping it, and found it stolen."

"Oh…just a tiny little problem…especially since that suit can take us all down easy, dawg! Why didn't you just destroy it?"

Robin looked at Cyborg wearily. "Xenothium powered devices aren't exactly the easiest things to dispose of safely."

At the word xenothium, Raven sucked in an involuntary breath and Cyborg was stunned into silence. Starfire covered her mouth with her hands and even Beast Boy looked awed.

"Oooo…I never get anything like this," complained the changeling after a second, shaking his head in ignorance.

That snapped Cyborg out of his silence. "Xenothium! You were stupid enough to mess around with xenothium? I don't think there's a more unstable substance on Earth!"

"I know," growled Robin. "But I needed a lightweight power source that would let me defeat all of you. Xenothium fit the bill. Why do you think I haven't used the X suit, or at least the gadgets?"

"There is one precious metallic lining in this collection of precipitation," observed Stafire, "Xenothium degrades quickly when being drawn on for power. Our new X will be dependent on it."

"Star's right," confirmed Robin, "So you can bet that he'll be looking for it. And there's only two places he could get it. Let's get to work."

AN: Well, here's this next chapter. Not the strongest, but that should change soon enough. Tell me what you think by your wonderful reviews.