Sorry for not updating sooner people, but I've been extremely buisy as of late. With school and freinds , adn such I haven't really had much time. But here's chapter 9, hope ya like it. 10 should be up soon. Im almost done with that one to.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans

Ch. 9: Training Day

Raph woke earlier than usual this morning. After the party they'd had the night before, he felt lucky to have woken up at all. He remembered very little. All that he really recalled was a bunch of really bad jokes that had seemed, at that particular moment, to be the funniest jokes ever.

The new Titan swung his legs off the bed and onto the floor. He lazily dug threw his dresser drawer for something comfortable. After throwing half the contents around the room, he decided upon a pair of black, loose fitting sweat pants and a gray sleeveless shirt. He was about to leave the room when he stopped. He turned around and strolled back over to the nightstand.

"I better not forget these." He said as he picked up his shades, and headed out the door. Raph was not a morning person. The sun was far too bright, the air was far too cold, and the night had been far too long. Raph rubbed his eyes under his glasses in an effort to wake him up, but to no avail. He stumbled clumsily down the stairs toward the kitchen.

As he staggered down the long and winding stairs, he tried to untangle the hazy mess that was the night before. For some strange reason, all he could remember a couple of really bad jokes that seemed hilarious the night before.

"Oh man. I'm never partying with them again." Raph stumbled into the kitchen and awkwardly grabbed the extra strength Tylenol from the cupboard. He removed two pills from the plastic container.

As he was about to swallow them, he got a whiff of freshly brewed tea. Apparently he wasn't the only early bird this morning.

Raph carefully poured himself a cup of hot tea and ambled over to the window. He peered out to see Raven hovering silently inches above the ground. He could hear the faint sound of her hypnotic voice as she recited her enigmatic chant.

He smiled wickedly as watched the unsuspecting sorceress. Everything about her was intriguing. Every move she made had a distinct purpose. Although it was sometimes hard to see, she always had a reason for what she did. This is what made her such a good opponent, and a dangerous foe. To say the least, Raven had become his favorite hobby.

It was a game between them. They both were constantly testing and probing each other's limits, trying to find a weakness to exploit. To Raph, she was the ultimate challenge. Not only was she extremely smart, but she was also just as diabolical as he considered himself. For every nasty trick he pulled, she had two more waiting to fling back at him.

Raph sloshed the tea around in the cup. He downed the rest of the bitter liquid and set the ceramic cup back down on the table.

"Time to go pick a fight." Chuckling quietly to himself, he turned and exited the living room.

Raven sat quietly, chanting to herself when she felt his presence creeping ever closer. He had an extremely assertive atmosphere about him. This aura was unmistakable. It was him. She opened her eyes and landed carefully back on the rock-strewn ground.

"What do you want Raphael?" She turned abruptly and faced the fellow Titan. He was poised vigilantly on the very tip of a large boulder jutting up out of the ground. He carefully balanced him self, his hands in his pockets and the usual confident grin on his face.

"Well, I simply thought you might want some company this early morning."

"No thank you. I rather enjoy this time in the morning. It's the only time of the day that I get a little peace and quiet." She turned back to the coast closed her eyes and tried to resume her meditation.

Raph leapt gracefully off the boulder landing only feet away from where Raven hovered quietly. He walked around in front of his silent companion in order to get her attention. However she just ignored his ill attempts to catch her eye. So he tried harder.

Finally after ten minuets of his insistent whistling and flailing of his hands in front of her face she gave in.

"What do you want from me you insufferable parasite?" Although her face was completely void of any emotion, her anger was more than evident in her eyes and in her voice. At this point, Raph took a step back and raised his hands up in front of himself in a mock attempt to guard him from her brutal verbal attack.

"Hey now no need to be rude Raven. I'm just looking for a little company that's all." Raph lowered his hands and grinned mischievously back up at Raven. "Maybe a good sparing partner?"

Raven glared on at Raphael. He was just asking to get his ass kicked now, literally. She landed once again back down on the ground and glared viciously at him. She was about to say no when she began to think. She realized that Raphael's tactics were a complete mystery to her. She assumed he fought like Robin, but after their episode with Cinderblock, she realized that this was not the case. He seemed a little chancier than Robin. If she could see how he fought her, then perhaps she could make a more accurate calculation of his skills. Perhaps even find some flaw to exploit later on.

"So what do ya say, huh Raven? Up for a little, one on one?" Raph jabbed playfully at the air. All in an attempt to entice her further.

"Why not?" Raven challenged. She took up her own fighting stance, and prepared for his attack. "But don't complain when I beat you."

"Well now, aren't we cocky this morning?" Raphael walked slowly backwards, keeping careful watch over her every move.

The two Titans stood at stalemate for the longest time, each sizing up their opponent and trying to predict the others opening move. Finally, Raphael took a bold move and charged the surprised sorceress. She easily dodged the attack and countered with a swift kick to the side of Raphael's head. Raphael stood slowly and stared at Raven in disbelief.

"I didn't expect that from you." Raphael let out a surprised grunt. "I thought you only fought with your mind." Raphael rubbed his sore face.

"Well that's what you get for making assumptions." She smirked optimistikaly at her oponent.

"I'll keep that in mind next time." Raphael came at her fast, astonishingly fast. After several narrow misses Raven finally took to the air. Raven launched herself far above the ground, and out of Raphael's reach.

Raven was up high in the air lobbing anything and everything she could at her enemy below. Raph easily jumping out of the way before the objects hit. He was waiting for the perfect opening, and if he got the timing right he could easily take her down with one quick shot. Or so he thought.

"Here we go!" Raph quietly declared as he bound from stone to stone. He quickly made his way to where Raven was poised ready for him.

She hit him hard with a small boulder, just as he flung a small capsule at her. A blinding light erupted from the tiny shell, and Raven, her concentration completely obliterated, plummeted to the ground.

Raven regained her composure just in time to slow her and land gracefully on the ground.

She twirled around as Raph leapt high into the air. He brought his foot down hard on a black barrier that Raven quickly conjured.

Raven launched small rocks at Raph as she tried desperately to gather her lost energy again. He was very quick, but if she could only keep him from landing any hits she would be ok. Just as she gathered enough energy to fly, he jumped into the air twisting around and landing directly behind her. She spun around to attack him, but before she could, he wrapped his arms around her, and locked them together behind her back. They now stood face to face.

"I gotcha now girly." He smiled sadistically down at Raven. Her arms were pinned firmly to her sides, and struggle as she might, Raven couldn't break his hold. But that didn't matter. She has other ways of getting loose.

"Heh, that's what you think. Azarath Metrio..." Raph panicked. If she finished her chant he would be done for, and he couldn't let her win. He had to do something. So he did the only thing he could possibly think of. He kissed her...

There's chapter 9, 10 will be up shortly. hope this'll tide you over till I get 10 up. This was an acceptionaly hard chapter to right. I knew what I wanted to happen but I couldn't quite get it down on papaer ya know. So in turn I ended up cutting a lot of stuff out. Oh well hope ya liked it. Please read and review, and please tell me weather or not this surprised you cause thats what I was going for.