Author's Note: It is WAY too hard to get your fic to appear on the front page in the Teen Titans section…
Shout outs:
Siberian-Tigress: Thanks. More on the way. You hold up your end of the deal, and I'll be glad to hold up mine.
evilsangle: Ah well, thanks anyway for reading as much as you did.
Kataphraktoi887: (I think I got it right, lol) Glad you're likin' it so far. As for the low reviews…eh. It probably has something to do with how tough it is to get a fic to actually show up on the front page when you update it…when it doesn't, it barely gets noticed, unfortunately.
AnimationWickedRaven: Heh….so sorry about the cliffie, but I had to end it that way, otherwise, that chapter would've gotten way too long compared to the others. I think it worked out pretty well, though.
Shades of Grey: Thanks for the comments, and I do promise not to leave you hanging too long…
Extra Disclaimer: Things I don't own: Teen Titans, the "mystery game" Cy's playing (well, I do own a copy of the mystery game, but meh...) Things I do own: Any OCs that might happen to pop up, and I suppose the plot for this fic...
Anyway, let's get started.
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Chapter 7: Internal Analysis, pt.2
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Beast Boy and Brave stood in a tense face-off, neither one moving a muscle, each trying to wait the other one out, holding out for that one, critical mistake that could offer the upper hand. Though the intensity of the moment was palpable, the two fighters had completely different feelings toward the situation at hand. Both wore a look of fierce determination, but for different reasons.
Beast Boy, on the one hand, was finally deciding to take things a little more seriously after being forced into a scuffle he wasn't really looking to join. He'd already taken a couple painful shots, and he couldn't back down now without dishing out a few of his own. How did he get himself into this predicament, anyway? He'd only wanted to help Raven…not get pummeled into the ground by her. And now, it looked like she had it in for him.
Brave, on the other hand…well, she simply loved this. The entire experience, the thrill, the sheer sensation of it all.
The fight.
The rush of adrenaline from ramming a fist into someone's nose. The electric surge of power that emanated from the knuckles, coursing down through the arm on impact. The delightfully moist, crunching sound of a bone being snapped under the might of a powerful strike. She lived for this. She only wished Raven would let her enjoy it more often.
Of all Raven's emotions, Anger was probably the only one besides Brave who could be considered a "fighter." But even then, Brave enjoyed combat on an entirely different level. Anger simply relished causing pain to anyone and anything, but she had no appreciation for the finer details, the subtleties of the dance, the art form at its most visceral. She'd never even indulged Brave in a sparring match. But recently, Anger had been weakened, losing her lust for destruction…and Brave knew why. And now, Brave made it her personal mission to become stronger, stronger than she'd ever been before. The way things were going, it would be necessary for the survival of not just Brave herself, but for all of Nevermore. Not only that, it would be necessary for the survival of everyone Raven cared about, including Brave's current sparring partner.
And so, Brave gave it her all, behind her arrogant smirk, behind her callous taunts. She had to. And as far as she was concerned, she hoped this match would make Beast Boy tougher, as well. He would need to be stronger for what was coming. They all would need to be.
A howling wind picked up again as Brave and Beast Boy stood facing each other down, the wind ruffling Beast Boy's hair and playing at Brave's cloak.
"I didn't know this was gonna turn into a staring contest…" Brave jabbed, her smirk still amused. "…Or are you just gonna be my personal punching bag for today?"
"Heh." Beast Boy muttered as he began a slow-paced walk toward Brave, fists clenched. Brave did the same, the distance between the two dwindling down step by step as tension mounted on both sides.
"Aw…did I make you angry?" Brave said, as the two finally came face-to-face, standing just inches from each other. Since Brave was just a little taller, Beast Boy glared up at her, eyes narrowed.
"C'mon…" Beast Boy said, his voice determined as he quoted her phrase. "Let's see who's tougher."
"Sounds good to me!" Brave shouted, as she swiftly spun in place to aim a high roundhouse kick toward the side of Beast Boy's head. Moving on instinct alone, Beast Boy ducked under Brave's heel, quickly morphing into a goat. While she recovered from her missed attack, goat Beast Boy slammed his head into her stomach, knocking Brave down into a sitting position.
"Nice shot…" Brave quipped as she deftly rolled sideways to dodge another charge. As she quickly got back to her feet, she glanced over to see Beast Boy take the form of a bull, stamping an angry front hoof as he lowered his head.
"I won't lose this fight…" bull Beast Boy thought as he let loose, charging with all his might down the path toward his opponent.
"This is gonna be interesting, indeed…" Brave thought as she prepared herself for her next move. She smiled, not a smile of arrogance, but one with a slightly more significant meaning as she steeled herself, planting her feet firmly on the ground, the bull rapidly closing in…
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How long had it been since Raven started walking this path? How long since she'd spoken with Timid? She honestly had no idea. But now, as she neared the outermost edge of the reddish black haze, she could feel the disturbance in the air as the winds grew stronger, seeming to come from the cloud itself.
Clutching her cloak closed tight near a shoulder, Raven made sure her hood was tightly secured on her head before she stepped into the haze, the force of the winds quickly multiplying. Though this was the thinnest part of the cloud, she strained to see inside, and it only grew thicker as she progressed. Her own curiosity pressed her onward as she began to make out a dark sphere in the middle of the storm, seemingly centered on the very edge of the platform.
"Soon…" Raven thought as she fought her way through the fierce winds toward the central sphere.
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Just as the mighty green bull neared her, Brave hopped straight up, bull Beast Boy catching nothing but the ends of her cloak as Brave flipped and turned in midair.
"TORO!" Brave yelled as she reached down, taking the bull horns tightly in her grasp. Brave landed on his back, riding for a few moments as the two of them neared another wall. Bull Beast Boy threw his head this way and that, trying desperately to fling Brave away from him, but she held fast. Brave crouched down on his back, curling her legs up before kick-jumping off him, backflipping away as Beast Boy careened right into the wall. The collision caused a deafening crash as Beast Boy crumpled against the wall, still in bull form. However, Brave didn't let up, flinging blasts of dark energy his way as she landed.
The first couple blasts missed their target and flew into the wall instead as Beast Boy quickly regained his composure, morphing into a raven himself as he took to the sky, ascending up the mountain. Brave continued to fire bolts of energy at him, grabbing her firing arm at the wrist with her free hand to steady her aim. Beast Boy swooped between the blasts, still traveling upward the whole time.
"I won't let you get away!" Brave yelled as she leapt upward, taking to flight herself in order to pursue him. Still taking potshots, Brave burst upward, quickly gaining on raven Beast Boy. Just then, Beast Boy saw a flat plateau near the top of the mountain, which led to a cave a little farther within. He detransformed to land on the plateau, but Brave was close behind, and she floated on, several feet above the platform as Beast Boy took a step backward.
Without warning, she nosedived, coming straight for him. Beast Boy hopped back to avoid a couple blasts of energy, then quickly took another backward step as Brave landed, aiming a punch for his head. Unrelenting, Brave threw several lightning-fast jabs, two of them hitting their mark before Beast Boy brought up his arms to block, forced into a backstep by Brave's continued offensive. It was all he could do to throw out an occasional retaliatory punch of his own between every flurry of attacks from Brave, but none of his counterattacks ever did hit the target. She didn't even give him enough time to transform into anything, as he had to concentrate too much on defending against her near-constant stream of furious strikes rather than think of some animal to change into that might help.
After a particularly powerful uppercut that forced Beast Boy's guard open, Brave stopped her rush briefly, and hopped into the air, preparing another spinning roundhouse. At the last moment, Beast Boy morphed into a turtle, ducking inside his shell for protection just as Brave's foot made contact with it, sending him hurtling into the dark cave. A small crack sound as turtle Beast Boy hit a wall inside, then silence. Brave hesitated for only a moment, then cautiously floated toward the cave's entranceway.
"Tired yet…?" Brave asked as she hovered at the shadowy mouth of the cave.
She wasn't expecting to be pounced on by an angry green rottweiler.
The vicious dog took her by complete surprise, using his weight to pin her to the ground, precariously close to the edge of the platform. He snarled and barked, snapping and clawing at her. Though Beast Boy managed to successfully scratch at her arms, ripping a bit of the cloth on her skin and her cloak, she held his jaws at bay by keeping a firm grip around his upper neck. In an attempt to get the mad dog off her, Brave tightened her strangle grip on his neck even more, charging her hands with dark energy. Rottweiler Beast Boy yelped as the energy burned at him, letting up just enough for Brave to place her feet on his stomach, rolling backward to flip him over the edge.
"Guess not…"
Not wasting a moment, Brave got back to her feet in an instant, hopping over the edge after Beast Boy. She accelerated, ramming both her fists into his stomach, knocking the wind from him before he could even detransform. With her fists firmly lodged in his midsection, she picked up even more speed, the two of them nearing the ground far below at an alarming rate. Brave grit her teeth as she prepared for impact. Though his eyes were closed, Beast Boy was faintly aware of the fact that he was in trouble. He just barely managed to shapeshift into an armadillo, the transformation itself painful because of Brave's fists still planted in his stomach.
A few moments later, and a thunderous boom reminiscent of a bomb detonating shook the entire area. An enormous plume of dust was kicked up.
Then silence again.
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Raven finally stood at the threshold of the dark sphere, taking just a few brief seconds to collect her thoughts before entering. Anger would be on the other side, and Raven was uncertain what would happen once she crossed over.
"Time to find out."
With that thought, Raven stepped into the sphere, prepared to endure the strongest forces yet. She was met with a bit of a surprise as she found the air eerily calm, perfectly still. Inside the sphere, it was almost as if the raging storm outside it didn't even exist, wind and noise blocked out by the sphere's dark walls. Raven's gaze shifted from the sphere itself to the figure who stood at the very tip of the platform they were standing on. It was Anger. Raven remained tacit, taking a few steps toward Anger. Anger's back was facing Raven, so Raven had no idea what to expect.
"…Leave…" Anger said without moving, her voice faint. Raven had to strain her ears to hear Anger, even though the air was still, the area inside the sphere otherwise completely silent. Raven heard the warning, but she would not heed it. At least, not yet. She wanted to know what was going on.
"Anger…" Raven ventured, making sure her voice was calm, non-threatening. She took a few more steps toward Anger. As she got closer, Raven noticed that Anger's cloak was ripped in a few places. She began to wonder if there were any bruises or scars anywhere underneath the cloak as well.
"Leave me…" Anger said just a little louder, her red cloak closed around her body. Why was she like this? What happened to her? Raven still refused to back down, coming even closer to Anger until she was only a few feet or so away.
"Anger, listen to me…I want you to te--"
"LEAVE ME!" Anger loudly screamed, as a partitioning black wall of energy suddenly sprang up from the ground immediately behind Anger, morphing into the shape of a raven as it curved around her, isolating Raven on the other side. Raven's eyes widened a bit, and she stood motionless for a few moments. Anger remained still, a statue on the edge of the platform. Raven gasped quietly, then slowly turned and began to make her way back out. If Timid wouldn't talk…and Anger wouldn't talk…she'd need to find someone who would.
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Back at Titans Tower, a fully-repaired Cyborg sat on the couch of the Tower's main room, playing Gamestation on the big-screen TV. Cyborg leaned left and right with the motions of his in-game character, mashing on the buttons as the black-clad character dashed about a cave-like area, running on walls and slashing at demons. It seemed he was unstoppable as he'd already outran a huge boulder, and defeated a giant bone dragon. And now, he used his sword to cut a swath through wave after wave of demon footsoldiers, all the while traversing deeper into the cave. Suddenly, the sound of a wooden support breaking as a huge wave of water came crashing down the narrow passage behind the hero. Cyborg was unfazed, as he was soon able to swim out of the flooded cave to an elevator that took his character up and up until he emerged in a monastery.
"And they said this was supposed to be one of the hardest games of all time…" Cyborg thought with a smirk.
After dispatching a few more minions, Cyborg led his character out into the main hall of the monastery. Just as Cyborg's in-game character had hopped down to the main floor, a huge, purple, female demon suddenly burst forth from the stained glass window. Cyborg engaged the creature, but she proved much too strong for him, quickly depleting his health bar down to nothing with a few well-placed attacks.
Game over.
Cyborg held the controller numbly in his hands, his expression blank as Starfire walked up behind him.
"Please…where is everyone?" Starfire asked. When Cyborg didn't answer right away, she maneuvered around the couch so that she could see his face. Then she realized what had just happened as she glanced up at the TV.
"Oh…you have gotten the 'Game Over'…that is…the bad screen, yes?"
Cyborg nodded, groaning slightly, his eyes still unfocused.
"…Then, you must try again, with renewed vigor!" Starfire said, attempting to bring his spirits back up with her optimism. Cyborg finally looked at her, and her encouraging gaze strengthened him, until he had the willpower to press the 'Continue' button. Within moments, heads were literally rolling as Cyborg's character was back, busting up demons.
"Oh, yeah…" Cyborg said, remembering Starfire's question from earlier. "Raven's probably holed up in her room. I honestly don't know where BB is…" Cyborg chuckled. "He might've gone back out for more pizza. As for Robin…he said he wanted to take a look at a few things, so he's either in the Vault, or maybe up in his room looking at newspaper clippings or something."
Starfire gave a nod, then turned and left Cyborg to his game. Cyborg's smirk returned as the purple demon once again burst through the window. This time he'd be a bit more careful.
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Brave got to her feet, and dusted herself off as the giant smoke cloud began to settle, standing over a fallen Beast Boy. He lay sprawled on his back, at the center of a small crater. The armadillo shell probably protected his back quite a bit, but he still felt intense pain as he detransformed, his face twisted in agony. He groaned faintly, trying to move. Was his back broken? He didn't think so…but it still hurt every time he tried to rise. Brave glared down at him, eyes narrowed, silent for a few moments. Then she shot a hand out, flashing a 'V' for victory sign.
"OWNED!" she yelled, a wide grin replacing her scowl. She turned around, and began walking away. "Maybe next time…"
But he couldn't just lay there…he couldn't allow himself to admit defeat…
"No…I can't let it end like this!" Beast Boy thought, trying desperately to find the strength to stand again.
"This…isn't….over…yet!"
Brave halted when she heard the voice behind her. She glanced back to see Beast Boy wearily getting back to his feet, his arms hanging loosely as his upper body leaned slightly forward. His teeth were tightly clenched, his breath labored and heaving. Brave smiled again, glad Beast Boy wasn't willing to quit. She turned to face him, easing down into a fighting stance.
"Heh…guess you're tougher than I thought, little man…"
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By this time, Raven had made her way back out of the haze, back up the path the way she came. She paused at a forking pathway, glancing both ways. She'd come from the left path…Timid was still up there, most likely. Raven took the right path, eventually coming to an archway portal that led her to a park-like area. She walked through the grass, the sound of the nearby stream calming her. Soon, she saw who she'd been looking for: Wisdom sat on a small park bench.
Though Raven had only intended to speak with Wisdom, she was surprised to see others here, as well. Wisdom was engaged in a game of chess with Knowledge. Happy sat at the edge of a nearby pier, humming a tune to herself as she dangled her legs in the water. Rude lay across an entire park bench, an arm hanging over the top part of the bench and one leg dangling over the side as she snored loudly. Raven glanced at all of them, then made her way over to Wisdom.
"So, you've finally decided to come…" Wisdom said, as her eyes scanned the entire chessboard, looking for one particular move. "…I know why you're here. I think there's something you should see…" She found her move, using a little bit of dark energy to slide a rook a few squares to the left.
"Checkmate."
Wisdom stood, and Knowledge did likewise, adjusting her glasses. Rude woke up groggily as Happy skipped over to join them. As Wisdom led the group down a brick road toward another archway, Rude yawned, reaching behind to scratch at her rear.
" 'Bout time you showed up…"
The group moved through the portal, emerging on a giant, inverted triangle-shaped asteroid. Raven looked around as the others gave her a bit of room. The sky still looked the same, the ground was flat…but there was a large hole in the ground, right at the center of the platform.
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Brave locked arms with gorilla Beast Boy in a massive power struggle. Both fighters dug their feet firmly into the ground, each attempting to muster up every ounce of their might. Even with the immense strength of a gorilla at his disposal, Beast Boy was amazed at how well Brave still held her own against him, returning his powerful grip with one of her own. Brave smirked, thinking she'd try her idea from earlier again. She channeled dark energy into her hands, but Beast Boy caught on quick and flung her entire body skyward. Caught off-guard, Brave flailed through the air for a few seconds as Beast Boy leapt up after her, morphing into a falcon.
Brave regained control just as falcon Beast Boy reached her, and she aimed a forceful kick at him. The small falcon dodged it, swooping in close and then a little above Brave. Brave slightly turned in air to glance up, and she saw a green kangaroo curled up in a tight ball, its feet dangerously close to her back. She went wide-eyed, but it was too late as kangaroo Beast Boy unloaded all that pent-up fury upon her back, fully extending his legs as Brave was sent crashing downward. She was unable to recover in time to save herself, and smashed facefirst into the ground. She groaned, rolling over once so that she was lying on her back. When she looked up again, she saw Beast Boy take the form of a pterodactyl, swooping down into a nosedive of his own.
In an effort to defend herself, Brave thrust both arms upward, firing off rapid-fire dark energy blasts. Pterodactyl Beast Boy avoided these effortlessly, bringing his wings in close as he started a spiral to build up speed. Just before he landed, Beast Boy turned in air and morphed into a hippopotamus, the added weight slamming down on Brave full-force. There hippo Beast Boy lay on his back for a few moments, wondering if it was over yet. A slight shifting underneath him told him otherwise. Then he heard a mighty yell, and all his weight was lifted from the ground, Brave's hands clutching his back tightly. Though her face was strained, and her body trembled, the green-cloaked girl stood, holding hippo Beast Boy up on her own strength.
"No…WAY…" hippo Beast Boy thought, not believing what this girl was doing. With another yell, she threw him directly into the rock wall. Beast Boy stayed in hippo form as he smacked into the wall, the entire thing trembling just a bit. Hippo Beast Boy looked up at the rock wall as it buckled, a sly idea forming in his head. As Brave sprinted toward him, he morphed into a grizzly, standing on his hind legs as Brave dashed at him, aiming a flying kick his way.
Grizzly Beast Boy brought up his powerful arms, crossing them at his chest to defend himself. As he blocked the kick, the impact pushed his back into the wall again, causing the thing to buckle once more. Brave didn't notice as she hammered at him with her fists, each attack weakening the wall a little more. Grizzly Beast Boy held out, blocking the onslaught of attacks until a faint cracking sound above them told him the time was right. Without warning, Beast Boy detransformed, catching one of Brave's punches to pull her into the wall, Beast Boy himself transforming into a cheetah. Without hesitation, cheetah Beast Boy bounded away at top speed, as Brave still leaned against the wall for support. She looked at him quizzically, wondering what he was doing. Then she heard a thunderous noise above her.
She looked up, to see a huge portion of the rock wall break off, boulders hurtling toward her. She threw her arms up in response, but it was in vain as the heavy rocks tumbled down onto her, burying her under all their weight. Beast Boy detransformed as he looked at the results of his plan…the rocks were piled high, and he could see Brave's head and shoulders protruding out one corner of the pile, her eyes closed. Beast Boy smirked as he turned his back.
"Looks like you underestimated me…" Beast Boy said as he left the area. Once she was sure he was far enough away, Brave opened her eyes, beginning to dig her way out of the pile. She couldn't help but grin.
"Heh…There may be hope for you yet…"
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Raven walked up to the hole, peering down into it. It was pitch black inside.
"What happened here…?" She asked as she turned back to the emotions. Wisdom spoke up.
"There was…another…" the brown-cloaked girl said, her eyes distant. Raven shook her head, wondering what she was talking about.
"Apparently, Trigon had one more trick up his sleeve…" the bespectacled, yellow-cloaked Knowledge said.
"What do you mean…?" Raven asked.
"You remember when you cleansed the world of Trigon's evil?" Knowledge asked, to which Raven nodded.
"Turns out Pops was a sore loser." Rude spat. Happy chimed in, a smile on her face despite the seriousness of the situation. "After you beat him, another one of us popped up outta that hole there."
"What?" Raven said, incredulous. "But there are only eight--"
"Nine, now." Knowledge corrected, as she adjusted her glasses again.
"But how is that possible?" Raven asked, making sure to keep traces of worry out of her voice. "I cleansed myself of his evil, too."
"That was what we believed…" Wisdom said, her gaze fixed on the red stars above. "But your efforts only awakened Strife."
"Strife…" Raven repeated.
"She wears a black cloak," Happy said, "four red eyes, like Anger…you know, all 'gloom and doom.' She's actually even worse than Anger."
"Didn't anyone try to stop her?" Raven asked. "…What about An--"
"We tried…" Rude said, scratching at her hair under the hood of her orange cloak. "She was just too damn good."
"Yup…" Happy agreed, the pink-cloaked girl deciding to tell the tale, gesturing with her hands the entire time. "Ya see, Miss 'I Hate You All' came through that hole, right? Then she went through that portal there, trying to leave. We tried to stop her, we all did. Honest. Well, except for Timid. I think she was cowering in a corner somewhere. But black-cloak just brushed us aside, like we were nothing. Then Brave stepped up, all 'I'm gonna kick your ass, beeyotch', but she got smacked around, too. I was surprised when that happened, really. The only one left to do anything about it was Anger, and she was all like 'Grrrr' but then she got owned, too. She's actually been pretty down about it for a while now. After that, black-cloak just up and left."
"Left Nevermore?" Raven asked. "But how? I would've known…"
"The nightmares you've been having…" Knowledge said. "The ones you haven't told anyone else about. That's when she escaped."
"But the mirror…" Raven mused.
"Didn't need it." Rude interrupted. "Chick literally came out of your head."
Raven took a step back toward the portal, eyes widened. "This…is bad."
"Duh…" Happy said, rolling her eyes.
Raven looked at the four of them, finally realizing that after encountering Timid and Anger, a couple were still missing.
"Where are the others?" Raven asked.
"Brave took it upon herself to increase her training regimen. She's probably off bench-pressing something." Knowledge said.
"You saw Anger, right?" Happy said. "She's skulking alone somewhere."
"Timid's still scared as a mouse." Rude said.
"We have not seen Affection since the incident." Wisdom said.
"I…think it's time for me to go." Raven said, turning around to walk back through the portal.
"…Make sure you take your friend with you before you go." Knowledge called after her.
"…Friend?" Raven thought. "What did she…?"
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Beast Boy had found another portal, one different from the one he used to enter the mountainous area. He used it, finding himself in a large clearing. He stood in a field of grass, surrounded by tall forest trees under a twilight sky. Beast Boy groaned.
"Argh…Am I ever gonna find Raven?"
Off at the far end of the clearing, Beast Boy spotted a small cabin, smoke curling up from the chimney. Shrugging, he started walking toward it. He could see that the lights were on from the windows, but they seemed pretty dim. When he reached the door, Beast Boy rapped lightly on it.
"Umm…Raven…? You in there?"
No response. He tried the doorknob. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. He opened it, the door creaking slightly as he did so. He cleared his throat, stepping inside cautiously. As soon as he was inside, the door shut on its own behind him, startling Beast Boy as he hopped away from it.
"Uh…hello…?" Beast Boy said nervously. He looked around the room. It was actually quite lavishly decorated for such a small cabin…purple and gold themed, expensive looking furniture lining the walls…and the sound of a flute coming from somewhere inside. The sound seemed to soothe him, to make him forget about all the bruises he'd just acquired fighting Brave. Beast Boy absent-mindedly wandered a little farther into the cabin, almost feeling as though he weren't in control of his own body. Soon, he came to a bedroom, and some strange perfume began to waft its way into his nostrils. He stepped into the room, the music also growing louder. The bed looked very comfortable, inviting…suddenly, the lights dimmed even more.
Beast Boy was broken from his trance when he heard the sound of someone behind him. He whipped around, making out a figure who slowly emerged from the shadows. She wore a dark cloak.
"Raven…?" Beast Boy asked. The light was too dim for him to tell that the figure wore a purple cloak, not a blue one.
"Hey there, big boy…" the girl said, her voice soft, sultry. She stood in the doorway, then turned sideways to lean up against the doorframe, striking a lustful pose that accentuated all her curves.
"Er…" Beast Boy muttered, taking a step back. Affection entered the room, walking toward Beast Boy seductively.
"Aw…got a few bruises? Come here, let me make it all better…"
Beast Boy took a few more backward steps, not realizing he was moving closer to the bed the entire time. "Raven? What are you--"
He then tripped over a small table, just as Affection lunged for him in a half-tackle, the two of them landing on the bed. Affection pinned him down at the shoulders with her arms, slowly mounting him. He tried to push her off, but he was too weak after his battle with Brave, and nearly everything he moved ached terribly. Soon, he realized that this wasn't Raven per se, but another of her many emotions. As he recalled, he hadn't had the "pleasure" of making her acquaintance last time he and Cyborg came to Nevermore.
"Umm, listen…" Beast Boy said, uttering a small "eep" as he squirmed underneath her. "This isn't right…Purple Raven, I really don't think this is a good idea…what about Ter--"
"Shhh…" Affection silenced him by placing a forefinger over his mouth. She then leaned in close, her face only inches from his. She closed her eyes, as her soft, pale lips gently brushed against his…suddenly, Affection's entire body glowed with black energy. She was forced to release Beast Boy as she levitated into the air. The bedroom door burst open, and Raven stormed into the room, saying nothing, stomping each step.
"Oh…hey Rae--OW!"
Beast Boy glanced up to see her, just as she shot a hand out, grabbing him by an ear. Beast Boy yelled in pain as she yanked him to his feet, her right eye twitching again as she dragged him back toward the door.
"Raven!" Beast Boy shouted. "It…it's not what it looks like!"
Beast Boy glanced back to see the black energy formerly enveloping Affection dissipate, the purple-cloaked girl falling back onto the bed. She laid there sensually, gesturing at Beast Boy as Raven led him out.
"Come back and see me some time…"
Back outside the cabin, Raven continued to drag Beast Boy through the portal, still not speaking as she brought him back, past the other emotions. Happy smiled and waved when she saw Beast Boy.
"Hey, BB!" she said, as she and the others watched Raven drag him on. He waved back weakly, as he caught sight of Brave, standing off to the side, arms folded. He trembled slightly, hoping she wasn't looking for Round 2. However, she smirked at him, flashing a thumbs up as Raven led him on, all the way to the Forbidden Door. For some reason, Beast Boy had a sneaking suspicion they'd have no trouble at all getting through…
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Back at the Tower, Starfire hovered through the hallways, until she came to the doorway to Robin's room. She hesitated briefly, then knocked. She smiled as the door opened to reveal Robin looking at her.
"Starfire…what's up?"
"Oh…Robin, I came simply to…talk, if that is alright…"
Robin shrugged, then beckoned her inside. "Sure. Whatever you want, Star..."
Starfire followed him into the room, looking about. "What were you doing?"
Robin sighed. "Trying to figure things out…like always."
Robin went over to his desk, picking up a newspaper clipping. He handed it to her, and she held it in both hands, glancing down to read it:
MASTER THIEF SWIPES AGAIN
Local enigma Red X steals from Wayne Enterprises
Jump City-- 'To Catch a Thief' – It's been proving quite difficult lately, for everyone. The Jump City Police Department is at wits end trying to corral the unruly kleptomaniac. It even seems as though Jump City's resident adolescent crimefighting team, the Teen Titans, have been unsuccessful as of yet in apprehending the thief, despite multiple encounters. And when an item worth millions suddenly disappears, everyone wants answers.
(insert photo of the Titans fighting Red X in the vault at Wayne Enterprises, photo taken by an on-duty security guard)
caption reads: Even Jump City's Finest may be no match for Red X.
Last night at approximately 1:17a.m., a distress signal went out at Wayne Enterprises, alerting police as well as the Teen Titans. The Titans were the first to arrive at the scene, engaging Red X in full, however--
Starfire stopped reading at that point.
She glanced up again to meet Robin's gaze. "Robin…it is alright. We will stop the Red X."
Robin sighed, looking away at the wall, which had several more similar news clippings plastered all over it. "I know, Star…I know. But it seems like he's always two steps ahead….every time…"
Robin's fists clenched, and a slight scowl found its way onto his face. No matter how many times Robin and Red X met in battle, Robin could never truly beat him. Things always ended in a stalemate. It was like Red X already knew all Robin's tricks beforehand, just as Robin knew all Red X's capabilities in the suit. No matter what Robin did, Red X was always able to find some way to escape Robin's clutches. "Every time…"
Starfire stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The Red X may be crafty, but he is not invincible. You are as clever as he, and I am certain that soon, you will discover a method for apprehending him that will not fail."
Robin turned slightly to glance sideways at her, his scowl giving way to a half-smile. "Thanks Starfire…for believing in me."
She smiled back at him, just as Cyborg appeared in the doorway. He had a look of seriousness on his face. "Robin…you got a call."
Robin brushed past Starfire, his smile quickly vanishing as he exited the room, the other two following him.
"…X?" Robin asked, not looking back. Cyborg didn't answer. As the three Titans made their way back to the main room. A masked face was shown on the TV. It wasn't Red X on the other end, but the face, the voice, made Robin cringe inside. The Boy Wonder grit his teeth in unbridled rage as he stared up at the screen. The face glared back down at him, the familiar voice that he'd grown to hate so much echoing throughout his mind.
"Hello, Robin…"
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Author's Note: Whooo…Chapter 7 is out of the way. Good thing, too, 'cuz things are gonna get intense. Raven's finally learned what's been nagging at her, and Beast Boy has had quite an adventurous day. Now there's yet another threat to worry about…and besides that, the call to Titans Tower can't be anything good…what does he want? You'll have to wait 'till next chap!
BTW…bonus points to anyone who knows what game Cyborg was playing, lol…