Sorry for the wait. We're going to raise things a bit. I intended this to be solely Robin and Raven centric but that crafty thief who likes red was burning to get in on this, so he is now, but Robin needed a rival anyway and I always disliked having him rival with the other titans, so red it is. This is basically setting up that relationship with Robin and Red and foreshadowing other such things, and the bridge, mainly to the next chapter, where we'll get more into the war aspect of things, etc. This one has a distinctly less rigid/ sober quality to it. I think Robin's been coming off a bit distant and brooding, and that's fine since he gets that way sometimes, but I realized I want him to be a little more human after all. Also: typos? Probably a couple. I'm sorry. I wanted to get this out as promised, so I only looked over it twice after finishing writing it. I'll fix them later when I get a chance! This chapter might be boring, but stick with the story maybe, and it will, with any luck, get more interesting next time. I think so anyway! So there you go, my inanely long author's note. I'm very sorry. Forgive me!

Dedicated to: Everyone who has read so far and anyone who reads this chapter. Thank you for your patience.

P.S. Other promised updates are coming, but my computer died yesterday morning like nobody's business, and then wasn't letting me upload, so... oy. You get it, yes? Sorry, sorry, sorry! (runs in circles)

Without You

Chapter 3: In which you send me a message

By the end of the week I was certain she was avoiding me. Even though we had classes together, were always paired with each other to spar, and so on, she never met my gaze. Not once. That couldn't be coincidence.

And if it was, well...she must be psychic...or something.

And that was just stupid. Right?

Shoving the med room incident—I began thinking of it as an incident to make myself feel less awkward I'm sure—to the back of my mind, once I realized she was avoiding me, it was almost a relief. After all, dislike I could understand. Dislike was essentially the step that came right before hatred—in my head at least—and well...If Raven hated me, then I could at least say I sympathized with her...not that I hated myself. No, but someone else...there was someone else who earned that kind of feeling from me.

"How's Slade's latest hand-puppet?"

I tensed, getting a familiar itch at the back of my neck, more of a sharp, short pain really. He always seemed to elicit that reaction.

"Red," I greeted carelessly, ignoring his comment and for good measure, turning away. We were in the hall: me, standing with my back against the many lockers used to store equipment and manuals, him standing in front of me with that ever-present smirk. The occasional student passed by us in our next few moments of silence as I felt his eyes on me, appraising almost. Disturbed, as I usually became in his presence, I let my scowl deepen as I wondered how he could possibly have time to just stand there wordlessly taunting me, tempting me to push him out the convenient window right behind him.

I was on break. I don't know what he was on. I'd never bothered to ask.

"So sociable today," he remarked at last with a chuckle.

"We can't all be you," I replied stiffly. Maybe I was his Excellency's favorite, the star pupil of the Academy—well, with Raven close catching up—and yes, envied by most other military applicants. But there was that one other thing, that vital thing I lacked...I think someone once told me it was called 'people skills'...or something. Red, on the other hand, seemed to have them in spades. He wasn't any taller than me and really we could've been twins—much to my irritation—except his eyes were the oddest shade of gold-green and his hair wasn't quite as black as mine, dark brown more accurately.

That was just physical however. Mentally...persona wise...well, whatever Red lacked in everything else, he made up in his endless capacity to be a social butterfly. Credit due, he was a good fighter too. Before Raven, he was my main partner. I guess I inadvertently owed Raven for yet another thing, it seemed. Except now she was avoiding me.

And I was brought back to spacing out about that until Red chose that moment to flick my temple with his index finger and thumb, hard. I pushed him away, irritated.

"What the Hell?"

"You're losing it," he said, not the least bit fazed by my reaction. That was another thing about Red. He always got under my skin. I never got under his.

It was, as one might imagine, borderline infuriating. Without Raven my respite from him was gone, whether or not she knew it, and I cursed under my breath.

"Wish you'd stop avoiding me." I didn't realize I'd mumbled aloud until Red's smug laughter reached my ears.

"Is the prodigal warrior sulking over his lost Raven?" Red teased. His grin had a harsh edge to it that seemed to stem from his eyes that had an eternally unreadable expression in them. His tone almost sounded jealous, but that would be crazy. I couldn't begin to fathom where that kind of thing would come from. Red didn't seem to do jealous.

"Don't be stupid," I bit out. "Don't you have a class...or something?" I hinted.

"You think I actually go to class! I'm moved," he drawled and leaned against the window now, arms crossed. It occurred to me he was mirroring my posture and I uncrossed my arms, stuffing my hands in my pockets. His smirk widened slightly.

"How could you not? You'd be kicked out," I stated blankly.

"I don't come here because I need the instruction, kid." His look seemed to add more to that sentence but I wasn't a mind-reader.

Kid?

"Kid?" I voiced my incredulity...and insult. Red waved a hand in the air frivolously.

"You are a kid. I don't care what anyone else here says. You're a fledgling compared to me," Red went on. I clenched my fists at my sides but seeing him give me a look as if to say 'see? A kid!' I unclenched them.

"Then why aren't you top rank?" I challenged. I had to say something.

"Not that you would notice, oh oblivious prodigy but I'm not even on the list," Red pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. My scowl disappeared.

Not on the list? Then how...why?

"What are you doing here then?" I asked, now doubly irritated. At first, he didn't answer me. I think I muttered whatever and turned to go but Red's arm shot out in front of me, planting his hand against the lockers. My gaze went sideways asking 'What?' without actually saying so. I wasn't in the mood to deal with his...whatever it was...his problem with me, I guess. Before I knew it his face was an inch away from my ear. I had no time to react, perfect soldier, and still he caught me off guard.

But the rushed proximity was the last thing I would have been able to see coming.

Especially from my...rival, I guess? There I was with the guessing again...had to stop that, mental note.

"Just getting to know my enemies," Red whispered and as quick as he was there, he was walking in the opposite direction, whistling something unnecessarily cheery.

I shook my head to clear it.

Weird, weird, and weirder.

Red and I had been at it with each other as long as I'd been here. On my way up through the ranks, he'd just roared in one day on his motorcycle—red, mind you—and started picking fights with me. Well, it wasn't right away. It was maybe the second month he was here...and just like then, I still couldn't figure out exactly what his problem with me was, or why. At times, even though friends were out of the question for me, I'd mused that in other circumstances, we could have been comrades, but that might have been too whimsical a form of thought.

Still...his attitude...it bugged me.

What had I ever done to him? Maybe I wasn't er...social, but I tried not to be cold either.

Unlike Raven who...

I stopped in my tracks and actually took pains to hit my head dully against the wall. There I was, thinking of her...again. Was it because, like with Red, I knew so little about her? Was it something else?

A sigh escaped me. I couldn't be sure, as usual.

By the end of the next week it was driving me more or less insane.

In the morning I'd linger in the corridor to catch a glimpse of her maybe, even of her pivoting in the other direction, but she was never there. At lunch I went so far as to wander the base blindly, thinking maybe she was simply keeping to herself somewhere for extra training or the like, but I never even heard of someone seeing her...much less saw her myself. Night was the worst though. Every night for the rest of the week I barely slept and when I did sleep it was with her endlessly deep eyes staring at me, through me, into me.

I couldn't figure out where she had gone, nor why, and it was taking over my brain.

The weekend found me pacing restlessly on the edge of Lake Rena which was situated on the west side of the female quarters. A tall, old tree with wide thick branches sat about twenty feet from me, rustling in the wind and I sighed, crossing my arms.

"Where did you go?" I mumbled.

"Who are you talking to, boy wonder?"

I jumped and whirled to face two amused eyes of deep violet.

"Where have you been?" I demanded, irritated at wanting to know enough to ask, too inundated with questions to ignore it. Staring at her now, I realized she was in civilian clothes. So she had gone somewhere after all. When I looked at her eyes again they'd lost their amused spark, traded in for something dark and opaque.

"None of your business," she said coolly and turned to walk away.

I watched her begin to walk and something in me snapped.

"Wait!" I called after her. Nothing. I scowled. "Hey, wait!" I repeated and took off following. She must've heard me or sensed me or both because she started to run too, and she was fast. Very fast.

And suddenly it was a race.

For her, a race to somewhere I couldn't reach her, for me, a race to do exactly that; we couldn't help but compete with each other, it seemed.

"Would you just stop?" I shouted finally and grasped her wrist, jerking her to a stop so fast I ran into her.

"Let me go," she uttered the words with what once again reminded me could be mistaken for hate.

"No...not until you tell me where you've been!" I felt stupid. Just plain stupid. I barely knew this girl soldier and she disappears for a few days only to make me get so crazy I'm here holding her against her will?

What are you doing to me?

I hardly had time to think about it beyond that though.

"I don't have to answer to you!" she said evenly.

And so we stood there, just stood there. The silence crept around us like the enemy and I felt my hand release her, vaguely. It was as if I wasn't in control of my actions. Equally as vaguely I was aware of her hand falling limply at her side, and aware of her turning that piercing stare on me.

I didn't feel like meeting that look though. This was enough confusion.

"Why do you care anyway?" she asked, flippant. I almost laughed.

"I don't know," I said honestly and she arched a brow as if to say 'oh really?' but of course, no words came. Just that patronizing gaze that told me she knew something but wasn't about to share. It started to rain and inside I felt a wave of amusement. The rain would come at a time like this. Soon we were both soaked, neither of us looking at each other anymore, neither of us speaking, just the roll of thunder in the sky, not far off, and the immediate drops of rain.

It reminded me of an old movie, though I couldn't really be certain which one.

"Well figure it out." Her voice was sudden, breaking the otherwise natural sounds and for a moment, I felt like she was an intruder, even watching her leave, boots making that odd squish noise that wet grass often caused.

Figure it out...?

Oh...why I care.

Right.

I kicked at the ground.

Why I care?

But how could I figure it out when I wasn't sure I was ready to admit to caring at all?

The rain seemed to intensify but it was a long time before I returned to my quarters, drenched like a sewer rat and smelling about as bad. A quick hop in the showers fixed the smell, clean new uniform fixed the saturated state...and I was just running a towel over my hair when someone knocked at the door.

A frown worked its way across me.

I really wasn't in the mood for visitors. Opening the door I opened my mouth too, ready to tell whoever it was just that.

My eyes narrowed.

"Go away." I closed the door.

Knocking again.

"Red, I don't know what you want, but I'm not in the mood for it."

"How can you say that if you don't even know what 'it' is?" his voice was clearly amused. So he was in a jolly mood today? Well, great, though I couldn't say I really had a preference between that and his 'vendetta with no reason' mood in which he would simply verbally accost me until I agreed to fight with him...or something. Honestly, and I was supposed to be the kid? I rolled my eyes.

"I know." It was curt and clear and I thought, listening to the nothing, that he'd left.

Then the door opened. Hadn't I locked that? I eyed him. He held up a lock pick. I groaned and turned away, rolling on my side.

"Sleeping," was all I said. Silence again. I heard him move closer and did my best to pretend I hadn't heard a thing.

"Look kid, I don't usually do this, but just turn around and take this already, would you? Man, I hate this. I'm not some errand boy," Red's mood had shifted drastically in the span of a few seconds. Somehow, I was used to it as I turned and looked at his hand. There was an envelope in it.

"From who?"

Red scowled now and I smirked. A reaction, a reaction of displeasure. I felt like I'd just won a match.

"A bird," Red finally replied and tossed it at me, exiting quickly. I stared after him a second until the words dawned on me. I tore open the envelope.

Robin, meet me by the lake, one in the morning. I can answer you then.

-Raven

"A secret rendezvous, kid? Impressive," Red praised in a tone that suggested he was anything but. I couldn't tear my gaze from the brief message though.

"Why are you playing messenger for her? No one has ever been able to bully you into doing anything like that," I heard myself ask. Red snorted.

"Yeah well," he answered and I watched curiously as he ran a hand through his hair and looked away.

Was Red...nervous?

I stood.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked at last and his scowl returned as he stormed out of the room.

"Like I'd tell you, kid!" he yelled loud enough that anyone in my corridor could hear and I frowned.

What was that?

I got up, closed the door and returned to my bed, rubbing my temple with my free-hand. A few seconds passed and I stared at the door, half expecting Red to burst in demanding some kind of competition, insulting, me or something. When it became clear that wasn't about to happen I think I relaxed a bit. That guy...under my skin? Something like it, only worse, I glared at nothing and then, as an after thought, looked down at the message again...neat, prim handwriting, not at all loopy, not real indication of it being a guy's hand or a girl's...just like Raven.

The thought caught me off-guard, again.

How would I know what was 'like' her? Honestly. Setting it down I rolled back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.

One in the morning?

The last thing I thought before I dozed off was that maybe I was about to learn one of Raven's secrets, but she seemed to have so many, I doubted this would make much of a difference.

Reviews are always really appreciated, but you know that, right?

-Yuki Rei, using her full name because school has gotten her in the habit again (well actually, she lies…her whole name is longer…)