: Engele :
- Day Four -
: Disclaimer :
Teen Titans and all its bishounens / bishoujos are not mine
Only Engele and this pretty plotline is mine
: Credits :
Story credits to both Aoi Akiko & (brother) Alexstar Moonlight
- Day Four -
He wondered if she would remember the day before. It made his heart ache, Starfire's words returning to remind him of his promise…
He hadn't lied to Raven on the first day – he wasn't a father. But he was learning to look after her as best he could. But is it the best she deserves…?
As predicted, her accelerated growth had made her jump another year forward… Thus, according to calculations, she'd be four today…
Something snagged in his heart. Sure, he could cope now when she was so young… but how would he feel once she hit her teens? Was he ready to look after Engele then? What of her twenties, when she begins to outgrow all the Titans? Could he handle her as he was handling her now? Stars, he didn't even want to think about the day-years after the age of 25…
If anyone could advise him on parenthood, there was always his own father-figure to return to. However, sending her to Batman would most probably confine her to Wayne Manor, perhaps an assistant to Alfred for a while. Could he really see her live such a life? Would she be content with such a life? Growing up and growing old and—
His breath caught, clutching his sides at the thought of her death in 50…? 60…? 70 days…? Would he be able to let her go? Let her die? Less than three months and he'd have to mourn… move on… forge—
"Robin…?"
He hadn't heard her stir, rubbing her eyes with a fist overlaid with a pajama-sleeve too long for her. When he looked, all thoughts disappeared. She was his cure for everything and anything wrong with his world, telling him everything's alright… do not worry about tomorrow… stay with me, stay by me – now is all that matters…
He rose with her and adjusted the collar sliding down her small shoulder, "Morning, love…" He rubbed noses with her, noticing for the first time she had tiny freckles dotting the bridge of her nose and spilling under each eye, "And what would you like to do today…?"
She tugged at a wing shyly, tracing little patterns on the bed with the other hand, "I don't know… I thought… maybe… the Titans could… you could… teach me how to fly…?"
"It's really high…" she gasped breathlessly, staring over the ledge with saucer-like eyes.
"Don't lean too far over the edge, kiddo…" the half-mechanical youth warned, "Else you'd fall and go—"
"UWAAAAAARGH!" "Unca BB!" "—like that, actually…"
They alternated looks between the shapeshifter morphing into an albatross gliding on the wind and the violet-haired sorceress hiding a smirk under her hood. Feeling the heat of their gaze, she turned and shrugged, "Like you said, don't lean too far over the edge…"
"You're a sadist, Rae…" "What's a sadist?" "I keep telling you not to give her words she shouldn't know…!"
"Is everyone ready?" the eldest Titan queried, opening all communication channels between them. Each were assigned a station overseeing the whole flight path, with emergency units on standby – Starfire and Raven took to the air, Beast Boy supervised from the sea, while Cyborg monitored it from the roof on land…
"Wait…" the toddler spoke up from where she stood, braids shifting, "Where's Robin?"
"Right here, love…" came the familiar voice of her Guardian, strapping a modified R-glider(1) onto his back. He stepped onto the ledge with his charge, hands lifting her by the waist, "Shall we?"
They pushed off together, catching the air currents, sending them aloft. She squealed excitedly as they were raced through the air, the sea rolling beneath them…
"I'm flying, Robin…!" she declared, arms outstretched to the sides, her braids trailing behind her, "I'm really flying…"
He chuckled good-naturedly, "Not quite, Engele – this is gliding… What you can do with your wings, however – that's flying…" He looked up to where the fiery beauty framed by the sun was, hovering patiently, "Ready to go?"
The feathered appendages ruffled slightly as she prepped herself for her first attempt. Nonetheless, a moment before he let go, she asked for one last assurance, "Promise you won't let me fall…"
He smiled at her through the face-shield, "I'd never let you fall…"
The object of their current exercise was for her to learn the basics of flight, flitting herself from Robin to Starfire to Raven, then learning how to land on the platform guarded by Beast Boy. If she was up to it, it was learning how to take off from ground level and climbing the skies upwards to where it had all began, near Cyborg. Should she be able to maneuver herself up and down without much incident, then her wings would prove useful in the future…
It was a moment of truth as his hands left her, releasing her completely. She squawked like a panicked chick, her wings flailing with the sudden loss of any sort of support. She'd have to masters her abilities, and quickly, if she wanted to pass her first test…
Her body immediately acted upon instinct – limbs held straight out to balance all points, wings pushing against the resistance that seemed to hamper her. Once, twice, flap-flap-flap… it gradually became a natural part of how she could move…
She floated herself gently into the Tamaranean's waiting arms. Her eyes could not hide the exhilaration she felt, face lighting up with a brilliant grin, "I did it, Mama…"
The maternal figure giggled and squeezed her in her arms like an inflatable doll, "Oh, my cereae, I am so pleased!"
"… c-can't… b-breathe…"
It was a marvelous game, gliding herself up and down, round and round, forwards and backwards between her two female guardians. Her paternal figure watched overhead as she seemed to gain unusual stamina through the use of her wings, glinting gold in the afternoon sun. Following the two Titans possessing true flight, she was learning things beyond their expectations – looping circular arcs and spiraling small whirlwinds in the air. Raven began crafting an aerial obstacle course of black-fire hoops black-solid blocks while Starfire raced with her through its entirety…
"Engele!"
They'd expected it… though they never thought it would actually happen since she was doing so remarkably well. A rogue wind slammed into her the wrong way, and she twisted in mid-air, unable to stop herself from falling… falling… fallin—
"Gotcha!" he whispered, catching her before she could hit the water, riding the remaining wind to the platform the green dolphin was tugging fast under them. He caught his breath, grinning rakishly, "Told you I'll never let you fall…"
She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, her sole protector never failing her, "Robin…!"
And for one moment in time, he wished this was forever…
There was no forever, sunshine faded to a rainy evening, escalating into a thunderstorm as night descended upon the cityscape. Not that anyone minded, seated comfortably in their warm and dry tower complete with surround sound systems (connected to personal headphones), a Gamestation XL (with its twin controllers attached, of course), tonnes of ancient books & scrolls (more to come via Raven Space-time Plotholes) and a fully functional kitchen (separated into the General 'edible' Food section and the Starfire 'vaguely-edible' Food section)…
She sat drawing little pictures to accompany the alphabets she had learnt. Seeing her diligence, no one had the heart to tell her that a K should not have been paired with a cat and an E had three lines instead of four…
She drew passable figurines to the letters B, C, M, and R. B is for Beast Boy resembled a comical green bat, with impossibly large eyes and even larger ears on each side of the crayon-coloured blob. C is for Cyborg looked relatively better, with twin reversed U-shaped eyes and an enormous mouth sporting a silly grin. M is for Mama had a sweet rendition of an orange-and-purple stick-figure with a happy smile. R is for Raven portrayed an artfully peaceful purple face overlaid with a large blue triangle-hood…
Behind R is for Raven was R is for Robin, this picture having two smiley circles drawn and coloured in. The larger one was most definitely their leader, the jagged hair favouring one side and the black-and-white mask unmistakable. The smaller one, they all guessed, must be the artist herself… only, there were very little features, fluffy blue-and-white fans shielding the face from view.
When her guardians pressed for a reason, she had surprised them, answering easily. "They're my wings. They're the things that hide… me…"
Most were confused by this answer, but the one attentive to her words winced discreetly. It was uncertain how she meant her reply – was she playing peek-a-boo or hide-and-go-seek in the illustration? Or was she intending a deeper meaning? Perhaps she was trying to say something else entirely, but its true significance was lost while she borrowed his words so carelessly…
There were several more pictures, none having anything to do with letters whatsoever. They told the story of her life – an enormous T on a green floating island amongst blue jagged sea… faraway views of the park littered generously with yellow flowers… a pyramid of six smiling faces with many, many pink and red hearts all around it…
As the girls left to put their youngest member to bed, the boys busied themselves tidying the mess of multicoloured papers scattered about the room.
"I can't get over this…" Beast Boy frowned, glaring at a particular portrait of himself, "I do not look like a overgrown watermelon with purple-and-black stripes…" He turned to look at his reflection in the far wall, "Do I?"
"Has anyone have the S page?" Cyborg announced, sorting through the pile and arranging its contents, "I've exactly 26 letters here – only, I've got 2 Rs and no S…"
"Maybe she took it with her…" Robin suggested, sifting through the other sheets for the best to frame on the fridge door. "She had a few in her hand when she fell asleep…"
The doors hissed open and shut, two grave members entering with a heavy burden in their hands. "Guys, we've concerns about Engele…"
There was a continuous tap-tap-tap sound, and she roused irritably, glaring at the tinted barrier between her and the outside world. Lightning illuminated the figure daring to bother her at such an hour…
She gasped, scrambling away from the window as the figure's eye showed cruel amusement, one could almost imagine the definite smirk beneath the metal mask…
He drew a circle on the glass with an odd instrument, its edges glowing until its complete circumference met end to end. Then he pressed his hand at its axis, and pushed through—
She tried to scream, wanted to run, but he'd already pounced on her through the portal he'd created. She found there was no escape from his clutches – his long limbs too strong to struggle away from, his armored glove too thick to bite.
"Hello again, sweet Innocence…" he purred, sending shivers up her back, "And how is my dear daughter(2) today…?"
The missing leaf was produced – S is for bore the representation of a two-toned mask with an angry eye. Alongside this was another diagram – the same dual-coloured mask attached to a long body looming over a frightened angel, limbs drawn all wobbly…
"Aw, man – is that Slade…?" the emerald shapeshifter groaned quietly, studying the new series, "When did this happen…? What did he do to her…?"
"Engele said she encountered Slade yesterday, when she was missing in the park," the fiery-haired princess answered, bowing her head gravely, "Engele said Slade killed her butterfly…"
"There's more," the sorceress added, bringing another piece to the metaphorical puzzle laid on the countertop from under her cloak. This time, five dead faces having Xs for eyes surrounded a crying angel, blue streaks drawn down her face…
"What does this mean?" the eldest of the group scanned the sheet with distress building in his human heart. "This is rather disturbing for a kid her age…"
"Maybe Engele thinks if Slade can hurt her, he can hurt us, too…" their masked leader suggested, staring for hidden meanings in the simple drawing. He hissed angrily, "This time, Slade's gone too far…"
"Robin… what must we do now…?"
He opened his mouth to say something, but the words never revealed themselves. Instead, he gave her a bittersweet sigh, "Show Engele that nothing – not Slade, his associates or his henchmen – will take us away from her…
"Not now, not ever…"
"F-father…?" she whimpered, then struggled violently, "No, you're can't be my father! You broke my butterfly…!"
He chuckled mockingly, "A minor sacrifice. If it comforts you, I'll give you a hundred butterflies…" He stroked the nape of her neck, her wild trashing stilling suddenly, "You know it, don't you…? You can feel it, can't you…? There's no denying it…
"You. Are. Mine."
She snapped her head upwards as his fingers slid against something within her, body rigid as if poisoned. Wide blue-violet eyes were consumed by swirling red-and-black… Wings of purest white glinted silver and grey… Black threads shot from her fingertips and anchored themselves onto nothingness…
He removed his hand and she slumped bonelessly with a soft moan, transformations(3) receding as quickly as they had emerged. The area where his digits had been glowed with the silhouette of his characteristic symbol, gradually fading into pale unblemished skin…
He settled her into her original position, tucking the covers gently around her unconscious form. Erasing all traces of her reaction to his presence, he whispered as he placed a cold caress to her cheek, "Rest well tonight, sweet Innocence…
"For tomorrow, your nightmare begins…"
He returned to find her fast-asleep on her front, as her growing wings made it difficult otherwise. He picked up the toy fallen onto the floor and curled her arm around it, a small comfort during the night. He knelt by the bed and just stared…
He was at a loss. Half-a-week ago, his life had been bearably perfect – he was just your normal local superhero who had to worry about delinquent villains with less than half-a-brain trying to take over his territory (trying being the operational word), a bunch of hormonal teenagers who managed to drive him utterly insane (also known as his best friends) and which hair gel could best tame the wild unruly locks he called his hair (Cyborg was the lucky one to NOT have anything to manage…)(… he really didn't want to think about Beast Boy and his… hair / fur / whatever he had…).
Half-a-week later, he'd had his life turned upside down – his hair was still recovering from her ooey-gooey-super-dampening-saliva assault from three days ago (he really, really need a really, really good hair gel – really, really soon!), his teammates were trying to out-compete each other who was the better parent (he voted for Starfire, but that would've been biasness on his part), and this wasn't just any no-brainer villain – this was SLADE…
He wondered if it was all worth it… Maybe he should consider Batman seriously, give Engele up to him, and return to his life of bearable perfection… He wouldn't have to worry about Slade, oddly-behaving juveniles living under the same roof and bad hair days anymore! It sounded all well and good, but…
… but he didn't think he could do it. Engele was now as much a part of him as his Titans were, some closer than others. He knew it was dangerous to get attached, he knew it was thoughtless to get involved… but he did it anyway. Anything and everything he did these few days past was to fulfill the tiny void eating him from the inside – the growing despair of questioning everyday, Am I really making a difference?
He prayed he did, at least to one life on this whole Earth. He prayed that he was all the difference in Engele's life – that if he were left behind in any way, she'd feel his obvious absence and return, time and time again. It was a selfish thought, but he wanted to be selfish… at least a little bit…
"You're everything, you know that?" he murmured, "There's nothing like you… Raven was right, you trust me – and so, I want to do everything to prove how I'm deserving of that trust… Cyborg was right, you're good for me – and so, I want to show you how I hope I can be good for you, too… Starfire was right most of all – there's nothing more I want to do that nurture you more and more until it kills one of us…" He graced her cool cheek with his lips, "I'll stop Slade for you, Engele… He'll never, ever touch you…"
I want to search the oceans and deserts, ever knowing hunger and thirst…
I want to be lost with you; through every blessing, every curse…
I want to love you dearly till there's nothing more I have to do…
For in the universe of wonders, there's only me and you…
And from his strategic vantage-point, a wraith chuckled, "Too late, Robin… Far, far too late…"
Aoi Akiko rambles:
(1) Robin's modified R-glider
Modified, to look like the more traditional glider, because the actual R-glider seems to be attached to his arms (see S4: EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH). If he's to hold Engele, he'll need both his arms free...
(2) Engele as Slade's daughter
Engele isn't Slade's daughter. Slade just calls her that because he was the one who created her, so naturally claims to be her father. More to come in : Day :
(3) Engele's transformation
There's two sides to her - Engele and Innocence - and it was Slade's made it so. Engele is who she is with Robin - honey-brown hair, blue-violet eyes, white wings and gold threads. Innocence is who she is with Slade - dark hair, red-black eyes, silver-grey wings and black threads...
(it's a blend of red-and-black instead of orange-and-black (as Slade is often seen) because it wouldn't fit the colour scheme for eyes...)
(4) The song, For the universe of wonders
All © to the lyrics of Robin's lullaby / love song belongs to Aoi Akiko