a.n. raex18- Thank you kindly. Glad you like. :) LM22102- Pretty soon those numbers are gonna start sticking with me, too. hehe. Yes, I adored little Valmont. So cute. X3;; Thank you for the reply.. and yes, I saw the last TT episode. The first time Titans East came up, I really didn't like them... they all seemed kinda jumbled together and they really didn't work. But this ep, they weren't bad. :) They replay new eps, what, every Friday and Saturday, I think? Kendra Chetnova- I'm assuming, then, that all your voices liked the last chapter? LoL Hm, never seen the Matrix movies. Well, saw parts of the first one, but never the whole way through. I just know Smith 'cause he also played Elrond. XD; Glad you liked it. Boldprint56-Hehe, I try to make X a little funny in the story. Without Beast Boy, there's gotta be some form of humor... And I hope Slade stays evil through the whole thing... but to me it's hard to tell anymore. :/ But maybe that's just me. Thanks for the review. :) gracefulraven- Thank you. :D Yes, I'll try to update every Monday. If I don't, don't tar and feather me too soon. LoL. VampireSelene- Thank you. And undomesticated equines couldn't make me abandon the story... (hehe, anyone watch Stargate SG-1?). psycicflower- Yeah, I usually don't look at story titles, either. LoL. Thank you, and... you'll see in the next chapter how close by the Titans really are. :3 kidsnextdoor112- Hey, cool, a new victim- I mean... reviewer. :B LoL. Thank you, and I'm glad you like. Hopefully I can keep your interest until the end of the story... (which won't be anytime in the near future, mind.)
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note: I sometimes break off chapters in weird places. The last thing was Slade saying Blackfire was expected but not welcome. ...yeah
Chapter 11
At that Blackfire's eyes glowed a bright purple.
"I didn't cross three galaxies to be treated like this!" she shouted. At the end of her exclamation, she swing her arms back, hit both the robot guards in the chest, and sent them flying.
"Lower your voice, my dear," hissed Slade, returning the woman's glare.
"Why?" Blackfire snapped, taking a threatening step closer. "Who's here that you don't want me to know about?"
"Not everything is about you, Blackfire," said the man bitterly. He wondered how much noise she would make if he locked her in some distant room and left her there. But Slade figured that the woman- with her powers- could get out of anything. Then she would search the tower for him, looking for revenge. Slade couldn't have her wandering around the halls where Raven could bump into her.
Suddenly Blackfire's angry expression was replaced by a scandalous one. "Or..." she began slowly, "who's here that you don't want knowing I'm here?" The man stared at her for a long moment, and cold silence fell over the hallway.
"First, dear Blackfire, this is now my house, and if I feel you are being unnecessarily loud in my house, I will inform you. Second, you're not even supposed to be here. I cannot change my busy schedule to accommodate you, especially at such late notice." At that he turned his back on her and began to walk away. After a few steps he stopped and said over his shoulder, "I don't have the time, the room, nor the patience for you to stay here. Just make sure you keep the Titans on your ship and as far away from here as possible."
"So where am I supposed to stay?" shouted the woman, intentionally raising her voice. Slade gave a nonchalant shrug with his wide shoulders.
"Anywhere you want. I hear the Caribbean is nice this time of year... go play princess there." By now more robot soldiers had entered the hall, and two stood on either side of Blackfire. Once Slade had finished speaking, they pushed her around and led her back the way she had come. As the man turned down a different corridor, he paused by another guard.
"Find out how she got in and make sure it won't happen again." The robot nodded and began to walk away when Slade grabbed its arm and pulled it back.
"What about that X? Did you find him?" The soldier shook its head, but this time waited in case there were any more questions. The man had none and headed back for the training room.
Slade found Raven floating above the middle of the mat, chanting her words in a whisper.
"Ready for round two?" he interrupted, walking over to the wall where everything was crowded. The dark girl put her feet on the ground and eyed Slade warily.
"Who was in the tower?" Raven asked softly. She didn't know what would spark a sudden mood swing in Slade, and she didn't want to find out. The girl didn't like being yelled at. Therefore she wanted to be as careful as possible for now.
"Don't mind it. It's been taken care of," the man replied, still scrounging around for something. Presently he returned with two bo staffs. Raven suppressed a groan.
"You know, as your apprentice, I need to be informed of what goes on around here," she said quickly. Slade threw her a staff which she easily caught with one hand. His tone bordered amusement.
"Reasonable. However, no beginner should know everything the teacher knows. Frankly, it's none of your business." Raven's eyes narrowed and she whipped her staff around, sinking into a defensive position.
"You're the one preaching trust, Slade. What's wrong- don't you trust me?" The last part came in a challenging hiss. The hint of humor in his voice completely dropped.
"In all truthfulness, Raven, I don't." The dark girl's jaw set in a grimace. For some reason, she felt offended by his reply.
"Do you want to be trusted?" Slade asked with a tilt of his head. Raven hesitated. It was the worst feeling in the world not to be trusted- especially by friends. But this man wasn't her friend. He was still the enemy... wasn't he? He was dangerous and, even worse, had a short temper. But even trust from an enemy was something.
"Yes," she said in a half whisper. Slade's tone sounded amused again.
"Excellent. Your move, my dear." Raven hated it when he appeared smug. Quickly she swung her staff around as darkness seemed to seep right from the weapon. The dark girl hit Slade square across the chest with all her force, sending him hurtling into the far wall. As the man staggered to his feet, he cast the girl a look that was something between annoyed and betrayed.
"What was that?" he cried. A hardly noticeable smile crept onto Raven's face, pleased with herself that she had beaten the smugness right out of him. After a victorious twirl of her staff, she replied, "You never said no powers for this match."
"No I didn't, did I?" said Slade, almost begrudgingly. If Raven didn't like it when Slade sounded smug, then Slade definitely did not like Raven's attitude. To him it was a direct, insubordinate challenge. The man stalked forward threateningly, and again, Raven looked wary. Slade immediately stopped and vented a sigh, which sounded much more like a hiss.
"That will be all for today," he said. The girl put her staff on the mat and quickly flew out of the room, followed by the two soldiers. Once the doors had closed behind her, the man flung his own staff against the nearest wall, splintering the wood and almost shattering it.
This was taking far longer than Slade would've liked. However, he knew he had to be careful with Raven. She would make a strong ally- the man just had to get her to join willingly. Raven had to think that choosing Slade's side was fully her decision. If she had any doubts about it, she would never live up to her true potential as his apprentice.
Even though Raven was powerful, mentally she was fragile, and if Slade tried to pressure her, he knew she would resist. The man figured that to win her over, he'd need more time than he had.
Slade was surprised when the doors opened and Raven poked her head into the room.
"Uh... what about dinner?" she asked The man tilted his head questioningly.
"You have a kitchen full of food. Find something."
"...Had," she corrected. "Practically nothing's good. Starfire hadn't been to the store in..." Suddenly the dark girl's voice faded.
Slade neared her and replied almost sensitively, "My dear, you shouldn't rely on other people for anything. It's only more of a disappointment when they're gone. You need to learn to take care of yourself."
Raven stepped into the room to get further away from the two robots practically breathing down her neck.
"But... we were like a family. Starfire did the shopping, Beast Boy did the cooking, Cyborg fixed everything, and Robin kept everyone in line like a parent," the girl recalled softly. Even though she was looking downward, Slade could see her eyes were clouded with memories. For the first time Raven looked genuinely calm... if not happy.
"And where do you fit into that 'family', Raven?" he asked, breaking her thoughts. The girl hesitated.
"I don't doubt your friends made a lovely little family. However, I can't see how you would ever have or want a part in that, " said Slade. He laid a hand on one of the girl's slumped shoulders. "My dear, you shouldn't miss what you never had." Raven gave a small, acknowledging nod of her head. She was too tired to protest his statements. She just wanted to eat.
"How about I send someone to pick something up?" the man suggested after a long pause. Raven looked up at him questioningly.
"You're not gonna steal anything, are you?" she asked with one eyebrow arched. Slade leaned over so he was eye level with the girl.
"And how exactly did Starfire get what you needed? None of you Titans had a job," he said matter-of-factly. "You have no money."
"People just gave stuff to us because of what we did to help the city," she replied flatly.
"Hm. Well, as wonderful as that is, my soldiers will be picking up the tab from now on. In fact, I'll send them right away. Why don't you go meditate for now, Raven?" The girl stood there with a suspicious and questioning expression, but at length shrugged off his hand and left the room.
Raven instead went to the living room. She cringed every time she passed a robot guard, and all of them gave quizzical looks as they watched her, wondering if she should be roaming the tower or not. Was the dark girl supposed to get used to this? She was a prisoner in her own home- no matter what Slade said.
The doors slid closed behind her and she was surprised to see she was alone in the room. The two robots that had been following her stopped outside and had stationed themselves on either side of the doors.
Raven walked over to one of the giant windows, pressed a hand against the glass, and dolefully stared out. The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon, setting the water ablaze with different and distinct colors.
"Guys," she whispered, leaning her forehead against the window, "where are you?"
The dark girl remembered one New Years Eve when the team watched the sun set from the top of the tower, then stayed there until midnight. They watched all the fireworks shows that were set off from different parts of the city. From the tower room, they could even see other cities' fireworks displays. Raven also remembered that when it was over with, everyone wanted to stay on the roof and watch the sunrise. Beast Boy, of course, was still vigilantly facing west, waiting for the first morning rays. The dark girl, however, didn't want to, and returned to her room to go to sleep.
Raven sighed and her hand slowly slid down the glass. She would give anything to have had more time with her friends. Why had she been so anti-sociable before? Why hadn't she gone with the guys to look for Starfire? At least then she would know what happened to her friends, for she would be part of it. That would be far better than wondering what happened to them.
Raven completely lost track of time as she became absorbed in her memories. Before she knew it, the sun had completely set, and except for the soft hue warming the horizon, the sky was dark. The girl didn't even notice Slade enter the room along with two of his soldiers. One of the robots was carrying a pizza box. Slade seemed to ignore Raven and went right to the screen. He brought up a map of the city to check on the progress of the fight. The man was pleased to see Killer Moth had been beaten.
"He's got an annoying daughter," a soft voice spoke up behind him. Slade turned to see the Titan staring at him, still leaning on the large window.
"You've fought him before?"
"Once. You should've let me fight this time," chided the girl. She didn't know why, but she felt she had to prove herself to the man. Raven felt he didn't consider her dangerous at all- and she didn't like that.
"He came up right when we were going to start our training," Slade replied quickly.
"This is still my town!" protested the dark girl.
"You're not ready to fight on your own. You would be quickly defeated. You're used to fighting on a team, my dear, with four other members. No doubt you had routines worked out and everything. But now, before you can be sent out on your own, you'll need training so you can learn how to take care of yourself."
"Don't underestimate me, Slade," Raven replied threateningly.
"Believe me, I don't. I think you worked very well on a team, but now that you have to fight on your own, you seem to have lost some of your expertise. It's like having to learn to fight all over again," he said with a shrug. The dark girl felt like showing Slade right there how well she could fight. Using all of her powers and taking him off guard, Raven figured she could quickly beat him.
"So forget everything the Titans taught you," the man continued, staring out the window into nothingness. "All you need to know is what I teach you."
The hand that wasn't pressed against the glass was clenched into a fist. Was he saying that everything she learned from her friends was meaningless? That's all he ever did- ever since he started talking to her- he tried to discredit her friends. Slade tried to make them seem mean, hurtful, and inept. And even though Raven wasn't as close to them as they were to each other, she felt a fierce loyalty to them.
Her mouth stayed shut, her teeth gritted, as her temper flared. The dark girl knew she wouldn't be able to win with words. Instead, the large window she was touching grew black and shattered. There was a piercing echo in the room and all the shards fell down to the rocky ground below. Even though the man tried to hide it, Raven knew he had been startled.
"Control your temper!" he exclaimed with a glare, though that was all he could find to say.
"I did," hissed the dark girl through clenched teeth. With a final glare to match his, Raven turned and headed for the doors. As she passed the robot soldiers, she grabbed the pizza box and guarded it like her life depended on it.
Not wanting to have to deal with the two guards outside who were constantly on her tail, when Raven reached the doors, a giant shadow figure engulfed her and phased right through the door. It flew past the robots and, just to be sure to lose them, sunk through the floor halfway down the corridor.
It resurfaced in Raven's room, then vaporized, leaving only the girl holding the box. She sat on her bed and flipped the top off the pizza box. As she ate her first slice, the dark girl carefully looked around her room, considering it. It barely felt like a sanctuary anymore. She certainly didn't fell like her home was safe now- not like it was when her friends lived there.
Raven stayed in her room the rest of the day and devoured the pizza, her thoughts on her friends the whole time. She went to bed after a particularly long meditation.
Her night was peaceful, although it didn't seem very long before she was forcefully shaken awake by a robot soldier. It was still early; the sun had just barely crept up from behind the horizon. Raven sighed as she sat up and looked out her window. How many days had it been since she last saw her friends? It felt like an eternity already. Reluctantly, the dark girl stumbled out of bed and went to take care of some morning chores.
By the time she arrived in the living room, a towel twisted around her wet hair, she found Slade already there. He was idly checking out what was in the cabinets and didn't notice the girl until she was within an arms length of him.
"You eat?" Raven asked, almost incredulously, as she grabbed a pitcher to begin making her herbal tea.
Slade saw her wet towel and replied in the same tone, "You bathe?" The dark girl glared at him, but said nothing. However, a minute later when she was fishing a tea bag from its box, her hair towel, covered in darkness, floated gently from her head and came to a halt above Slade's. Immediately it pulled taut and wrung itself out, the little bit of water it had dripped onto the man. Just as he started to look up, one end of the towel pulled itself back and snapped forward, slapping Slade in the face. After that it zoomed up and disappeared into the ceiling.
Raven was calmly dipping the tea bag in and out of the hot water, a content expression on her face.
"That wasn't funny," the man growled, wiping the water off his mask.
"What wasn't?" asked Raven, looking up for once. Slade had half the mind to throw the tea pitcher across the room, but he knew if he kept telling her to restrain her temper, he couldn't run away with his. Instead, he vented a sigh as he slowly counted to ten. His fists were firmly on the counter to prevent them from destroying something.
After a few moments' pause, Raven suddenly spoke up.
"Where are my friends?" Slowly Slade lifted his head.
"My dear, please grasp the concept that they are not coming back."
"I know," she replied slowly, now stirring her tea with a long handled spoon. They had been gone so long; the girl had never been separated from them for a longer time. When she had woken up to another Titan-less Tower, she had finally given up hope. "I just want to know." Her voice was soft, as if she was ashamed of herself to admit it. "You know... closure. You said you got rid of them." The man straightened.
"Well," he replied somberly, "it was my doing that Starfire was lured away. When the boys went to save her- which they did- they then had a choice: stay where they were or return home. ...I guess they stayed."
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Hm, reading over it again, Slade's ending explanation seems kinda... lame. :/ It'll be better explained later, for those who agree with me. LoL.
And for some reason I like the part where BB's "vigilantly facing west." X3;
Next Update: January... j/k October 31st. Ooh. Halloween. Somehow fitting. :)