Dark Titans

by Lathis

The ongoing adventures of Heroes and Martial Artists alike, as two very different worlds collide. The day of Starfire's wedding is at hand. Shocking family reunions and meddling wedding crashers promise much intrigue. Meanwhile, back home, Ryouga and the not quite Titans are throwing their own party. Kasumi only knows who is on the guest list.

26. Titan Rising! Chapter 1

Dark Titans - Arc 4 - Titan Rising

Chapter 1

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

---

CYBLOG

Ahh, Yeah! Welcome to the Silicon Jungle!

Home Again, Jiggety-Jig!

Annd . . . we're back!

Let me give a quick shout out to all my Bloggers and Blogettes out there! As you can probably guess (since you're reading this), my hiatus has finally ended. I know it's probably been a long – long week without Cyborg there to brighten your days, but I'm finally back from Japan and I have a special present for y'all at the end of today's post to make up for it.

Now, as you all know, I went over to Japan, T-Ship laden with enough gear to trick out Fort Knox herself, to help out our new buddy, RS . . . or is it SR . . . well, whatever, I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about. Anyway, for obvious reasons (i.e. Robin would kill me) I can't tell y'all about the insanely awesome security I installed for him (Oh, and it is!), but at least I can give you a quick rundown on the trip itself.

First, and most importantly, RS is absolutely sick with cuties! I know, I know, we got Star and Rae floating around here day in and day out, but (and remember the house rules: What's typed on Cyblog stays on Cyblog!), I gotta say I'm pretty desensitized to both of them now; not to mention they're both kinda, sorta spoken for. AT, kT and especially NT, though, I mean, just wow! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't anywhere near as awesome as our unscheduled stay in China, but it sure wasn't bad.

Of course, it wouldn't be fair to my blogettes if I only mentioned the Eye Candy, so I'll give you a quick rundown of the Beefcake, too. First and foremost, I was there, so that's almost too much manliness to fit in this column as it is. However, I also got to chill with RS and his buddy RK (lotsa R names going on over there, don't know what's up with that), I'm sure anyone that saw this broadcast will know the guys that I'm talking about. So, there're three major studs to balance out the cutie count.

Now, back to the trip itself. I have to say it was pretty wild, even by my standards! Initially, everything was going pretty smoothly, I got a lot of good work done in those first couple days. I mean, sure, I had to drag all those poor, entertainment starved kids out on the town every night (Those crazy kung fu people could dance when they finally pulled their respective sticks out), but I considered that to be my humanitarian act for the month.

On the fourth day, though, this crazy Flying Cow Monster suddenly blew into the city! Pretty messed up, huh? And that was nothing compared to the fireball throwing, lightning shooting, three faced, six armed girl it was fighting! Man, RS actually deputized me right on the spot (Weird, I know!) and we all dove in to break up the fight. It was pretty touch and go there, for a bit, but between the six of us we managed to pull out the Win in the end. I gotta say, that demon girl was as pleasant as could be when I offered to whip her up a fancy back brace, not at all like our snappy, moody Raven, that's for sure!

So, after risking life and limb in Japan to help out RS, I finally come home, and what do I find? That Insert hero's name here (I know, he still hasn't thought of one) has been lost for days! Star was beside herself, Raven was mega-mopey (not sure if that was actually related or not, though) and BB was practically having kittens! The only one that was actually taking it all in stride was KT (Always click here to view image!) When I got back, all she said was:

"Yes, he does that from time to time. Would you like some tea?"

Luckily for me, since I just knew they were going to stick me with the job, someone else found him for us! And you'll never guess who! It was the Flash himself! One of the Original Seven, Dawgs! Man, what a mind job that was, having Insert hero's name here dropped at our doorstep by the Fastest Man Alive!

Speaking of which, I better wrap things up. Robin was kind enough to give the guy the night to recoup, but I have a feeling they're going to give him a serious grilling this morning. Between BB's frustration and the girls' relief, I'd better go make sure he actually survives.

. . . Still, from Jump City to Central City in a week, on foot. I can only shake my head at that mystery.

Anyway, before I go, as promised, and by popular demand . . .

The Recipe for my world famous Three Meat Spaghetti Sauce!

- Cyborg out!

---

With a silent swish, the elevator door slid open to reveal the vast expanse that was the main room of Titan Tower. Against all of his expectations, the room was still immaculate; the purely entropic force that Beast Boy represented was as nothing in the face of the raw instrument of Order that was currently wrapped in a frilly apron and went by the name: Kasumi.

Cyborg stepped into the room, whistling a jaunty tune, just in time to catch the tail end of Starfire's formal Tamaranian greeting to their recently found Lost Boy.

"My heart bursts with joy at your fortuitous return. Please, never, ever misplace yourself in such a spectacular fashion again, dear friend Ryouga!"

Starfire then released her hug, letting Ryouga's wheezing form collapse back to the couch. Even as the guy sucked in a few desperate breaths, Cyborg had to give him credit. Most guys would have died from that hug (but what a way to go!) but Hibiki was only slightly crumpled around the edges.

"I – 'wheeze' – I'll see what . . . what I can do, Kori . . ."

The titanium Titan wasn't sure if the tiny droplets of moisture gathering at the corners of the guy's eyes were from Starfire's affection moving him, or Starfire's affection mauling him, but the adoring smile on the Redhead's face made him feel pretty certain that it was the former. He did quirk an eyebrow at Ryouga's use of Starfire's Tamaranian name, though. Not even Robin or Kasumi used it, and Kasumi had gotten into the odd habit of calling everyone she could by their real names.

Robin moved in before Cyborg could continue his ruminations.

"I'd like to know what you were doing in Central City. Are you sure you didn't sleepwalk onto a bus? I can't imagine how else you could have gotten that far otherwise."

Ryouga looked at Robin strangely for a moment . . . before a thoughtful look spread across his face. "Hmm, you know, that would explain a lot . . . Still, it's not like I meant to go there or anything. It all worked out, though, since I managed to stumble across that bank robbery and stop Private Boomerang."

Cyborg stifled a chuckle. Robin pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Actually, it's Captain Boomerang."

"Really?" Ryouga let out a bark of laughter. "Wow! That's funny, because I only called him Private Boomerang on account of where I stuck his b-"

"Be that as it may!" Raven cut in sharply. Her interruption earned her a dark look from Beast Boy, which she ignored completely (as usual) before continuing, "Why did you go running off like that? You know about your problem just as well as we do . . ."

Raven trailed off, absently sliding her hood up from her shoulders to shade her eyes. The young woman then turned her head to the side as she continued, "I- we were all very worried about you. You really need to be more careful . . ."

Even someone as clueless as the Lost Boy was able to pick up on the body language that Raven was giving off. Tentatively, Ryouga reached out a hand, his voice choked with emotion as he began to speak,

"Raven . . . I . . . I – "

"Yeah, Dude! Seriously, what were you thinking, ditching Terra like that?"

Apparently not even someone as clueless as BB was able to pick up on the tender moment that had been literally seconds away from unfolding. Instantly, Starfire and Raven both impaled the oblivious changeling with glares promising eternal torment, but the damage was already done. Star and Rae both turned back to Ryouga, hopeful and nervous glances respectively . . . Except all traces of tenderness were gone from his face. Now, Ryouga was just staring ahead in confusion.

"What was I thinking?" asked the Lost Boy. It was like he was sounding out the question, unable to fathom its true meaning.

"What was I thinking?" His head tilted to the side, a thoughtful look replacing the confusion.

Everyone simply stared at the bandanna clad boy, waiting to see where his train of thought was going. Cyborg was about to offer a suggestion – when suddenly Ryouga's eyes shot wide open and he leapt to his feet!

"What was I thinking!"

Then, without warning, Ryouga spun wildly to face Raven again and grasped her hands (one might say intimately) in his own. The sheer excitement in Hibiki's eyes must have been blinding him, since the boy completely missed the livid blush that suddenly bloomed on Raven's pale cheeks at the unexpected contact.

"Raven! You have to go for breakfast with me!"

Cyborg nearly exploded into laughter at the shocked expression on Raven's face. The poor girl's head swung back and forth frantically, as she tried to figure out what the heck was going on. He hoped between his enthusiastic thumbs up and Starfire's energetic nodding, that she would come to the right conclusion.

"S-s-sure . . I suppose it couldn't hurt . . ."

"Great! That's great, let's get going!" Without another word, Ryouga bolted for the door (amazingly, the correct one; he must have been pretty excited) dragging a shell shocked Raven with him. Luckily the Lost Boy actually stopped and waited for the elevator doors to open, instead of just plowing straight through them. The minor stop actually allowed the cloaked Raven to gather her senses.

"Wait – wait a moment."

Ryouga turned to face her, shooting the pretty girl an inquisitive glance.

"Ryouga . . ." she began leadingly, "Two things need to happen before we leave. First, I need to change."

The elevator doors opened before the duo and they stepped in. Ryouga nodded in response to Raven's statement as they did.

"Sure, getting changed should only take a minute or two."

Cyborg quickly slapped his hand over BB's mouth to stifle his buddy's potentially explosive outburst of laughter. That didn't stop him from rolling his own eyes, though.

"Second," Raven continued seriously, "You absolutely need to take a shower-"

And then the door closed . . .

"Bwhahahahahah!"

"Dudes, that was hilarious!"

"They are so adorable!"

That had easily been one of the cutest/most awkward moments that the titanium Titan had ever seen. The fact that Raven of all people had been involved, man, he just couldn't stop laughing. He turned to see how everyone else was doing.

At the side of the room, comfortably tucked behind the kitchenette's counter, Kasumi stood silently. Oddly, the lovely Japanese woman was staring at the elevator door with a potently neutral expression on her face. It was enough to kill Cyborg's laughter. He almost considered thinking about asking her what was up – when the eldest Tendo sister turned his way and graced him with a beautiful smile that had the odd effect of shutting down the human half of his brain completely. The talented woman then went back to work on breakfast again, as if nothing had happened.

. . . He shook his head a moment later . . . That had been weird, maybe he –

"I just cannot believe it," Robin interrupted his train of thought for the second time that morning. The masked Titan shook his head from side to side in befuddlement as he stared at the now closed elevator doors.

Cyborg turned an inquisitive stare in their intrepid leader's direction.

"What's wrong, Robbie? Not a fan of a little 'R&R'?"

Robin looked back at him, taken off guard. "What? No, it's nothing like that. I just can't believe Ryouga got so badly lost so quickly. If you think about it, we really dodged a bullet there. Ryouga could have caused a serious incident between us and the JLA if he stumbled into a different hero's territory."

"Pfft," interjected Beast Boy, "Get over yourself, Robin. Not all of us are like Batman. Heck, I'm pretty sure that your old boss is the only guy in the world that doesn't appreciate a little outsourcing."

Cyborg nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, man. The Flash was totally psyched that Ryo stepped in there."

---

The images on the screen blurred as time reversed itself at the whim of his mighty thumb. He held the rewind button for a few more seconds before finally releasing it.

The release of said button instigated the forward flowing of a series of events on the gleaming Forty-Eight inch flat screen television which caused him to laugh, guffaw, hoot, holler and, ultimately, to wince in sympathy at the ultimate suffering which pinpointed the apex and end of the fight-

"Oh, man! They're gonna have to call him Private Boomerang now!" cheered the Flash.

Hmm, he wondered if he could rent that kid out the next time that Mirror Master showed up in town . . .

Yet again, his finger floated towards the rewind button . . .

---

Robin ignored Cyborg's rather inane comment to glare daggers at Beast Boy.

"He wasn't my boss, he was my partner. Still, you do have a point. Unless he actually wandered through Gotham, I doubt anyone else would take too much issue with a little unauthorized assistance.

Robin cracked a smile as a wicked thought flitted through his mind.

"Still, it would be nice to be able to keep track of him more reliably. I don't suppose you have any tracking chips sitting around, do you, Cyborg?"

His titanium teammate laughed aloud. "Ha! Tracking chips? I got those things in cherry, grape, sub-dermal and suppository. Take your pick!"

"Dudes!" Beast Boy jumped between them, excitement on his face. "You gotta let me do it! I could go all Crocodile Hunter on Ryo!"

The emerald changeling suddenly crouched down and placed a hand over his eyes, charading a furtive search.

"Croike! Lookit the size of that Hibiki, he's huge! I gotta say, this is a real treat. You never get to see a critter this big so far from its natural habitat," Beast Boy explained in a completely unidentifiable accent, "Now watch me wrassle him to the ground and implant this tracking chip right up his a-"

"You most certainly will not!"

The unexpected outburst drew the attention of Robin and the other two young men over to the resident Tamaranian. Starfire's arms were straight at her side, her fists clenched in righteous fury; the lovely girl's face was more than a little red as she glared at them.

The Boy Wonder scratched his head at the sight. "Ummm . . . Star? We were just joking . . ."

"Your joke was not funny!" fumed the alien girl.

Beast Boy scoffed loudly at that. "What? I beg to differ, Starfire!"

Rather than continue to argue, their flame haired friend crossed her arms under her chest and spun around in a huff.

"Hmph!"

At which point she flew out of one of the side doors before anyone else could say another word.

This time, it was Cyborg's turn to scratch his head. The squeal of steel on steel caused Robin and Beast Boy to wince, but Cyborg continued on as if nothing was wrong.

"Man, what was all that about?"

A deep frown etched itself onto Robin's features.

"I don't know, but I'd like to. I think I'll go talk to her-"

His determined declaration was cut off by a gentle hand on his shoulder. There were only a few people on the planet that would actually place a hand on his shoulder, and even fewer that would be so gentle about it . . . and considering one of those people had just floated out of the room, it didn't take much detective work to figure out who it could be.

"Perhaps you should give her some time, first, Robin," offered a beatifically smiling Kasumi.

He turned to face her fully.

"Do you know what upset her, Kasumi? Was our joke really that bad?"

Cyborg nudged Beast Boy and whispered harshly, "Dawg, I told you it was too soon for those Crocodile Hunter jokes!"

"Dude, you so did not!"

"I totally did!"

"Not even!"

Kasumi's warm, loving smile actually shrunk a fraction of an inch as she shot a look which was as close to disapproving as she was capable of towards the silently arguing boys. This had the immediate effect of shutting them both up and causing them to start fidgeting nervously.

"Well, your suppository joke was . . . somewhat graphic." Both guys were positively squirming now. "However, I don't think that is what upset her."

Robin shot her a quizzical look, which brought the Tendo Sister's smile back in full force.

"Starfire is a very sweet and loyal young woman, and she thinks very highly of Ryouga. Even though you were only joking around, what you call a tracking device, some might call a leash . . . and Starfire knows Ryouga well enough to know he's never done very well with leashes."

". . . Wow . . . I didn't even think of that," he muttered, "Umm . . . Kasumi? I don't suppose you could talk to her for me, you know, explain that we didn't mean it like that?"

Normally, the Boy Wonder hated delegating anything he could do himself to someone else. However, when it came to Starfire, all of the normal rules seemed to go out the window and he never seemed to know just what to do or say around the stunningly beautiful young woman. That, and it was Kasumi, everyone liked Kasumi.

If anything, Kasumi's smile only widened.

"I would love to."

---

The sight of the three young men enjoying her lovingly prepared meal brought a wide smile to the eldest Tendo sister's face. They were so boisterous and happy that she felt like she could just sit where she was and watch them for hours on end. The almost-alien notion that, if she so chose, she could actually join them and be acknowledged as more than just another place setting was still something she was working up to.

She giggled to herself quietly. And to think there had been a time when she had thought younger men were boring.

Still, as energetic and entertaining as her little men were, she was beginning to miss the simple pleasure of associating with other females. While her near daily conversations with her sister (soon to be sisters, so she heard!) were very important to her, they didn't seem to fill the void of going from living with two sisters to living with a small mob of boys. Of course, Raven was not an option, for a myriad of reasons, but there was a very promising and pleasant alternative available.

That in mind, Kasumi removed her apron, skillfully pulling her long ponytail through the apron strings with practiced ease. She then folded the piece of fabric twice and carefully laid it down on the counter next to the stack of pots and pans that Victor had sworn on his honor that he would clean. (Such a silly, yet sweet young man.)

Several minutes later, she found herself standing outside a stark, steel door. Starfire's name was printed across its metal surface in bold lettering, signifying clearly the room's occupant. It actually reminded her a bit of home, and of Akane's little door duckie.

With a little more hesitance than she would have liked, Kasumi knocked on the door. A response was quick in the coming.

". . . Who is there?" The inquiry was asked in a quiet voice.

"It's Kasumi. May I please come in?"

She had to wait a little longer this time.

". . . no." Starfire's reply was timid and sounded a bit embarrassed.

Kasumi tilted her head to the side.

"Why not? Are you upset with me?"

"No! . . . no, it is . . . just that I would not make good company at the moment."

Starfire's panicked response quirked Kasumi's lips up into a tiny smile. She gingerly pulled the scrunchy from the end of her loose ponytail and flipped her hair over her shoulder. It appeared that it was time for her to bring out the big guns.

"Really? Well, that's too bad. I was hoping you could braid my hair for me, but I guess I'll be on my w-"

She didn't even get to finish her sentence as the door suddenly flew open and Kasumi somehow found herself magically transported from standing in the hallway to sitting on Starfire's bed. The transition was so quick that, even though it had been her plan, it still took her a moment to reorient herself. By the time she did, her simply lovely young companion was already floating back from her vanity with a brush in hand.

The look on the young woman's face, which Kasumi could only call joyous, already made her sneaky little plan worthwhile. A second later the flame haired girl plopped down on the odd, circular mattress behind her and immediately began to run the comb through her hair. She winced initially, fearing a harsh and forceful ministration . . . but then sighed in relief. Despite her tremendous alien strength, Starfire was as gentle and careful as could be.

Oddly, it made her think of the time that Akane had told her about Ryouga's puppies. Even though she, personally, had never been afraid of Ryouga a day in her life, hearing about the sensitive, yet powerful youth rough housing with adorable, yet terribly fragile little puppies had actually caused her toes to curl in apprehension. Now, just as back then, she was heartened to know these dangerously strong children had such precise control over their power.

"Your hair is most luxurious, Miss Kasumi."

Kasumi smiled at the compliment.

"Why thank you, Starfire, and please, you can simply call me Kasumi, if you like."

Now that the Tamaranian was sitting behind her, she couldn't see the expression on the girl's face, but hopefully she hadn't offended her companion with her overly familiar gesture.

"I will endeavor to do so . . . Kasumi . . ."

Silence reigned for several minutes as Kasumi enjoyed the sensation of the brush running through her hair, of Starfire's strong, delicate fingers artfully arranging her flowing chestnut locks. It had been quite some time since either of her sisters had been so inclined to play with her hair, ever since they both had their own hair cut so short . . .

As Starfire continued to loop her hair around in a surprisingly skillful manner, the alien girl finally broke the silence.

". . . Kasumi, while I must admit to enjoying this greatly, I am most curious as to why you did not simply do this yourself. Your skills in the earthly techniques of 'femininity' are vastly superior to my own."

Kasumi turned slightly, just enough to face the exotically aesthetic young woman.

"Well, if I had, then I wouldn't have been able to trick you into letting me into your room," she replied impishly.

A shocked gasp.

"Y-you deceived me? But how could you have known that your ploy would be successful?"

Feeling unusually playful, the Tendo woman raised a finger before her and tried to scrunch up her face as much as possible.

"You're a decade too early to defeat my big sister skills, child," she stated in her best rendition of a certain, wizened Matriarch.

Starfire instantly exploded into a fit of giggles, clapping her hands ecstatically.

"Marvelous!"

Kasumi gingerly rubbed her cheeks before returning the bubbly young woman's smile. "That little trick used to get me into Akane's room every time." She let out a wistful sigh. "I do miss those days, playing with my sisters' hair and making them look so cute or silly . . ."

Suddenly, Starfire clasped her hands, staring her way with glistening, emerald eyes filled to the brim with sympathy. "You – you may braid my hair if you so desire. My own sister was never interested in such meaningless endeavors . . . or in associating with me at all . . ."

"Ahh, there, there," the brunette cooed soothingly into the redhead's ear, pulling the tall girl into a quick hug. She then pushed Starfire back to arms length and stared her straight in those huge, green eyes. "I would love to braid your hair."

The gleam of tears barely restrained in the younger woman's eyes nearly started Kasumi crying too, but she managed to get a hold of herself. Even though her own hair still hung in a loose, half formed braid, the sisterly Tendo gently turned the alien girl around and began to run her fingers through Starfire's luscious crimson locks.

"You have the most beautiful hair that I've ever seen, Starfire. I have to admit to being a little envious. I wish that I could have such long, soft hair, and such an amazing color . . ."

Rather than reply, her companion simply released a blissfully contented sigh as Kasumi worked her wonders. It was like running her fingers through spun silk, as she wove the young hero's hair into an intricate braid. She couldn't even find a single split end.

"So, can you ever forgive me for my deception?" she started teasingly.

Though she couldn't see it, she could nearly feel the smile that formed on the Tamaranian's lips.

"Perhaps . . . if you were to promise to join me in the equipping of our follicles with your earthly hair ornaments."

It was Kasumi's turn to giggle. "I'd be delighted to. With hair as lovely as yours, I'm certain that we could find a style that would turn a few heads."

Starfire raised an inquisitive finger into the air . . . but lowered it a moment later, shrugging to herself. Well, whatever it had been mustn't have been that important. A moment later, the flame haired girl turned to face her, though not enough to pull her silken tresses from Kasumi's hands.

"I feel inclined to inquire. If engaging in braiding maneuvers upon each other's hair was not your true intent, then for what reason did you wish to speak with me?"

Kasumi absently began to twirl one of her finger's through Starfire's hair, feeling a bit embarrassed at being put on the spot so abruptly.

"Well, there were two reasons, really . . . You see, I was hoping that the two of us might be able to spend some time together. I feel terrible that I've spent so much time under your roof, and yet we've hardly spoken at all. You're a very sweet girl, and I was hoping we could be friends."

Starfire gazed at her with a look of sheer excitement.

"Of course! Your friendship would be most appreciated!"

The precious young woman's enthusiasm brought Kasumi's own smile back in full force. She tilted her head to the side as she smiled, continuing her work on her beautiful companion's beautiful hair.

"I'm very happy to hear that, Starfire. . . . As for the second reason . . . well, the second reason I wished to speak to you is Robin."

Starfire started slightly at the mention of their erstwhile leader, an indiscernible emotion flitting across her features. Unsure of what it could mean, Kasumi soldiered on.

"He was very worried that you may be upset with him because of their silly little joke. He wanted to ask you himself, but I asked him if I could instead, since it would finally give me an excuse to chat with you like this."

The Tamaranian smiled a weak, timid little smile. "H-he was worried for me?"

She nodded happily. "Very much so . . . So, are you?"

Starfire blinked. ". . . Am I what?"

"Are you upset with him because of their joke?"

The younger woman's smile shifted into a petulant, yet oddly adorable scowl and she let out a small sniff of annoyance. "I am not upset with Robin as a result of that most unhumorus attempt at humor. I am upset because he . . ."

The alien girl started suddenly, looking at Kasumi as if she'd just realized whom she had been talking to. Starfire then began to fidget nervously, tapping the ends of her fingers together.

". . . um . . . because . . . because heee . . . lacks trust in Ryouga . . . yes, for that reason and no other . . . heheheh . . ."

Kasumi looked at her queerly for a moment, but then shrugged. Starfire had absolutely no reason to lie to her, so there was likely some other reason for her odd behavior.

"Now, Starfire, you know that Robin respects Ryouga as much as anyone else . . . but, Ryouga does have . . . special needs in that certain respect."

Starfire nodded reluctantly.

"I know, but the idea of monitoring his movements so, it is most offensive. We are Ryouga's friends, not his K'Norfka."

Unfortunately, Kasumi had absolutely no idea what the girl was talking about, but she nodded in understanding anyway.

"But weren't you more upset than anyone when Ryouga was lost?"

The Tamaranian shifted on her seat. ". . . Yes, I missed him greatly in his absence. However, I do not believe that one's feelings alone give one the right to violate another sentient being in such a way, and without his knowledge."

The eldest Tendo sister prepared to counter Starfire's argument . . . but was having trouble doing so. She knew that, even though Robin had been joking, his plan did make some sense; Ryouga had responsibilities beyond himself now and couldn't afford to go missing for weeks or months at a time any longer. However, the fact was that she agreed with Starfire completely . . .

Instead, a now familiar sensation bubbled up from the back of her mind, making a terribly naughty suggestion. She would have banished the errant thought right away normally . . . but the conversation had been getting far too serious for her tastes, and it did seem like a good way to lighten the mood . . .

A somewhat sly smile slithered its way onto Kasumi's lips.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure if Garfield had things his way, then Ryouga would be very aware of being 'chipped'."

The effect was instantaneous, as Starfire's entire face blushed the color of her hair.

"Kasumi!"

Kasumi held in the fit of giggles that felt like it was literally going to burst out of her chest. Rather, she winked conspiratorially at the Tamaranian. Leaning forward slightly, she continued in her best attempt at a sultry voice.

"You have to admit, the idea of those two strapping young men wrestling each other out of their clothing does have certain . . . merits."

Starfire began to sputter indignantly in protest to her words, but the seed had already been planted. Kasumi counted down in her head: Three, Two, One . . .

"Ack! No! By X'hal! I require the mind soap!"

The wicked brunette finally allowed her giggles to escape to sweet freedom. Beside her, Starfire swatted frantically around her head in a futile effort to dispel the mental images that Kasumi had just created.

After several hilarious minutes of watching the young woman sputter and choke as she flailed in disgust, Starfire finally regained enough of her faculties to turn on Kasumi. Starfire fired a halfhearted glare her way, though her cheeks were still burning so bright that her entire face seemed to melt into her flowing hair.

"You are most evil, Kasumi."

The aforementioned Tendo continued to giggle impishly.

"Oh, only half of the time."

---

Raven smiled shyly at the handsome young man that sat across from her. They had both changed (and thankfully showered . . . not together, though!). Despite the chill autumn weather, her companion was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of loose fitting black slacks which Raven liked quite a bit. Unfortunately he was still wearing his gaudy bandanna and had an umbrella strapped to his back on a cloudless day, but nobody was perfect.

She, on the other hand, had actually taken the weather into account and had dressed somewhat more appropriately. The sorceress was wearing a pair of snuggly fitting black jeans (Starfire had suggested them, though in bright pink . . .), a flattering mauve top and, of course, a stylish onyx jacket to keep out the cold.

She watched in amusement as Ryouga went about finishing off the massive omelettes he'd ordered, even as she continued to peck away at the Greek salad which she'd ordered for herself. Again, the pair of them were sitting on the sidewalk patio of the quaint little bistro they had come to frequent over the past several weeks. It was, she thought wistfully, sort of becoming their 'thing'.

Honestly, she wasn't sure what it was, perhaps because Ryouga had been missing for so long, but she was feeling almost giddy at the moment. Whether it was because of the young man's brashly forward invitation, or simply because, after a week's absence, that his powerfully broadcasting emotions were throwing her off of her balance once more, she really didn't care.

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

Ryouga's sudden outburst shook her from her reverie. The young man frantically dug a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a small black box. Raven nearly felt her heart stop when she saw the tiny object, but quickly scolded herself for being foolish. There was no way that there was one of 'those' inside that box; she couldn't even imagine what had made her think of something so idiotic.

"I got you a souvenir while I was lost . . . well, I got souvenirs for everyone, but yours is the most special."

Still not trusting herself to speak, she took the tiny wooden box and opened it up. She then took a look at the item contained within its confines . . .

A startled gasp escaped her lips!

It was a solid gold arrowhead! Ryouga had looped a golden chain around it, making it into a very expensive looking necklace, as well.

"Where did you get this?" She was unable to keep the shock out of her voice as she asked.

The boy shrugged nonchalantly. "From my back-"

Her eyes widened in shock and Ryouga's jaw snapped shut with an audible click-

"-yard! From my backyard! Yeah . . . that's it . . . heheh, boy, people sure lose the craziest things, eh?"

One of Raven's eyebrows arched in pure skepticism . . . but given the two alternatives, the less she knew about the former, the better in her estimate. As such, she decided to play along and let him think he'd actually fooled her with his adorably feeble deception.

"That's very sweet of you. It's absolutely beautiful, Ryouga."

More than just beautiful, she could actually feel a weak magical aura clinging to the arrowhead. Even though it was obviously the purest gold she had ever seen, she had no doubt that it was stronger and sharper than any piece of steel could ever hope to be. Where on Earth could he have come into possession of such an item? This was no ornament, it was a weapon, pure and simple . . . And as considerate as Ryouga's gift was, there was absolutely no way she would have that razor piece of shrapnel dangling between her breasts . . .

Not that she would ever tell him that, the poor boy would probably faint dead away at the mere mention of it.

Ryouga's fanged smile widened immeasurably at her appreciation. "Well, it was the least I could do for worrying you so much. I mean, no one's ever really been worried about me when I've gotten lost before, so it never occurred to me that anything was different this time around."

Feeling strangely sympathetic, Raven dropped a comforting hand on the fanged martial artist's and offered him a weak smile. She wasn't used to smiling, but this was the first time that anyone had ever given her jewelry before (however deadly), so she figured she could give it a try.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault and we can hardly expect you to change who you are just because it would be convenient for us. In fact . . ." she trailed of weakly, "I would be disappointed if you stopped being the fascinating young man whom I've come to know . . ."

Ryouga's cheeks reddened visibly at her words and the Lost Boy began running his free hand through the hair at the back of his head in that naively cute manner of his. He didn't remove his other hand from hers, though.

"Umm, heh . . . well, I don't plan on changing any time soon," he stammered nervously, "Ah, as a person, I mean! I'm still going to change clothes and stuff, I mean, that would get pretty bad if I never changed at all . . ."

Raven rolled her eyes as the fanged boy tripped over his own words for nearly half a minute, trying desperately not to embarrass himself, and failing more thoroughly with each word. The sorceress eventually decided to take pity on her companion.

"Ryouga," she cut him off gently, "Why don't you tell me the reason that you ran off like you did. I mean, it's not like you to forget your backpack or your umbrella behind . . ."

She paused thoughtfully.

". . . Speaking of which, where did you get that new umbrella, anyway? She inquired about the sleek and very expensive looking ebony umbrella what was still strapped to the boy's back, even as they were sitting and eating.

Somehow, Ryouga managed to display three of his nervous traits simultaneously.

"Ummm . . . would you believe an eccentric collector gave it to me?"

She shot him a flat look.

"Not when you say it like that, no."

Ryouga's nervous laugh grew continually weaker in the face of her potently neutral expression. Finally, he broke it off altogether to cough politely into his fist-

"Anyway." The boy shifted topics with all of the subtlety of a bulldozer. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Raven."

She quirked an eyebrow.

"About your umbrella?" she deadpanned.

"No!" Ryouga's frustrated outburst curled the corner of Raven's lip up into a smirk. "I meant about me getting lost."

Immediately, all of the frustration, nervousness and embarrassment on the fanged boy's face vanished. It was replaced by an expression of excited pride that she was fairly certain she'd never seen on his face before.

"I did it, Raven! I mean, I think I did it. It all makes sense now, what I saw, so I think I know how to do it!"

"Did what? What do you know how to do?" she asked, honestly confused at his sudden rambling.

"Save Terra!"

Raven's violet eyes shot open in shock. She could only stare at Ryouga for a moment, mouth agape.

"You . . . you know how to restore Terra?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

He nodded fervently. "Yes! I think I know why she turned to stone, and why she got stuck that way. So, now I know what I need to do to bring her back."

Bringing Terra back . . . how long had they been searching for an answer? It had been months since the girl had sacrificed herself to save their city . . . and now it was possible that her return was within grasp . . .

So why didn't she know what to say?

"T-that's amazing, Ryouga. I'm certain that everyone will be thrilled to hear your news . . ."

She trailed off warily.

". . . Ryouga . . . is there some reason you didn't tell everyone else about this revelation earlier?"

"Heheh . . . well, I know what I need to do . . . I'm just not exactly sure how I'm going to do it yet . . ."

She stared at him silently.

"Then the point of telling me is . . .?"

His determined expression returned twofold and Ryouga leaned forward excitedly.

"Because, of everyone I know, you are the one person that can help me! My knowledge might be more specific, but I doubt anyone short of Cologne knows more about energy manipulation than you."

Raven nodded slowly. It was true that she had a lot of experience in the field, and Cologne's training had only expounded on that.

"So, you believe that I'll be of some help to you . . .?" Her tiny smirk finally began to return of its own volition. "Does this mean that you'll finally allow me to join you in Terra's Cavern?"

Ryouga let out a bark of laughter.

"What? Of course!" He dropped his free hand over hers and matched her gaze with one of fiery intensity. "Raven, over the coming days, you will be the most important girl in the world to me."

". . ."

No words would come; Raven had literally been struck speechless. The way he had said her name, the way his eyes seemed to pierce her very soul, the warmth of his hands in hers . . . She wasn't too keen on the 'coming days' part, but this was the first time she'd ever received such a compliment, so she'd take it.

Today was proving to be quite the groundbreaking day, she noted absently.

Ryouga was acting so confident, so self-assured. It was something she rarely ever saw from the shy, nervous young man, at least outside of battle. Oddly, it made her think of Ranma; that boy was always brimming over with confidence, just shy of actual arrogance. Of course, that boy was every bit as childish and immature as Cyborg and Beast Boy. Ranma completely lacked Ryouga's smoldering intensity and maturity.

A small giggle escaped her lips at the thought, eliciting an interrogative from her companion.

"Is something funny?" he asked, looking at her oddly.

A little reluctantly, she withdrew her hands from his so she could tuck several errant strands of hair behind her ear. She responded to his perplexed stare with a wry smile.

"No-no, nothing like that. I was just thinking . . . do you know that you are one of the few boys I know that has never called me Rae?"

Ryouga smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I know how much you hate that . . . besides, I like the way your name sounds . . . Raven."

A wistful sigh escaped her lips; maybe she was enjoying this moment more than she probably should, but could hardly bring herself to care. Why couldn't the Fanged Warrior be this confident all of the time?

"You know," she drawled, lost in her own little world, "If someone combined you and Ranma, you would make the perfect man . . ."

'Oooh, Brrrr!'

Raven quickly pulled her jacket closed as it felt like an arctic gale was trying its best to lash her to the bone. That was one of the reasons that she detested autumn, she did not do cold. And that was before one even took her usual outfit into consideration!

Without warning, Ryouga rose to his feet. The look on his face was positively unreadable. It struck her as slightly odd, considering she could normally read him like Beast Boy read a comic book, but considering how many other unbelievable things had been happening over this seemingly simple breakfast, it hardly registered.

"Please excuse me. I have to use the washroom."

Raven nodded absently, still buttoning up her jacket to try to battle the sudden cold snap that had descended over them.

"Of course, Ryouga."

'What a polite young man.' No one else she knew would bother excusing themselves like that.

Hmm, that was predictable. Just as she finished doing up the last button of her jacket, the cold breeze suddenly decided to subside. She considered undoing the jacket again, but felt too lazy. Idly, she began to pick at her salad again, releasing another wistful sigh as she imagined what the next few days would entail, working side by side with Ryouga . . .

As she sat, patiently awaiting his return.

---

"-and by the time I realized what I had just allowed to happen, twenty minutes had already passed."

Beast Boy and the rest of the Tower's occupants (those present, anyway) listened to the tail end of Raven's droll, yet quite amusing story. The snazzily dressed girl seemed to be taking the whole ordeal pretty well . . . she obviously wasn't interpreting Ryouga's actions the same way that he was.

Before anyone else had the chance to say anything, the changeling stuck out his hand to forestall them.

"Wait-wait-wait just a minute!" he barked excitedly. He then pointed at Raven. "Are you telling us that Ryo asked you out, only so he could pull the old 'Dine and Dash' and stick you with the bill?"

The perfectly calm expression adorning Raven's pale face cracked slightly at his needling. She folded her arms under her chest and leveled a warning look in his direction.

"I prefer the way which I explained it, thank you."

The shape shifter knew it was probably insensitive, but he just couldn't help himself.

"Hahahahaha! Dudes, that is the most awesome prank ever!" He turned and slapped Cyborg on the shoulder. "Man, talk about sacrificing your life for the sake of the art."

He went for a high five with his best friend . . . only to be left hanging. The much larger teen stared down at him in disappointment.

"No. Just, no, Man; worlds and worlds of No."

Beast Boy felt his jaw drop open in shock. Cyborg didn't think it was funny? The changeling looked around the room in a desperate search for support, but each glare he met was somehow harsher than the last . . . at least until he got to Kasumi. The one woman that he figured would be most disappointed in him was actually wearing a tiny, secretive little smile . . .

"Beast Boy's unbelievable insensitivity aside," Robin stated seriously. This move likely saved Beast Boy's life, however inadvertently, as it changed the subject. "Do you know where Ryouga is? I'd hate to think we've lost him within twelve hours of finding him."

Starfire nodded, looking a little more miffed than Beast Boy remembered seeing her in regards to the Lost Boy.

"Indeed! Did we not just have this self-same conversation this morning? I shall endeavor to give Ryouga a fragment of my cerebellum in regards to his rude behavior and carelessness."

Everyone just stared at the Tamaranian. Hesitantly, Cyborg raised an inquisitive finger, but Robin just shook his head from side to side and Cyborg lowered it once more. Thankfully, Raven was the first to recover.

"There is nothing to worry about in that regard. Ryouga still has his communicator. When I finally realized he wasn't coming back, it was the first thing I checked. He's currently in Terra's cave. Judging by how long it usually takes us to make that walk, one would think he had run the entire way."

"Ooooh. . ."

Again, the attention of everyone was drawn back to Starfire, just in time to catch the girl wincing at some imagined pain. She noticed their stares and began to giggle weakly.

"Eheheh . . . Well, it is just that . . . it has been my experience that the only occasions during which Ryouga is able to determine the proper route to any given location are during moments when he is either obliviously happy, or terribly upset . . . For him to have traversed such a distance unaided, he must have been most upset."

"Huh?" Beast Boy hopped back into the conversation. "What makes you say that? Didn't you say he could just as easily have been stupidly happy?"

The redheaded alien offered him an uncharacteristically flat look. "Trust in my veracity. Ryouga's proficiency for prolonging periods of negative emotional impacts is disproportionately large in comparison with his ability to enjoy periods of positive emotional support."

"Huh?"

Robin moved in and quickly nodded. "Of course we believe you, Star." The masked boy shot Beast Boy a look that just screamed 'I have no idea what she just said, but let's go with it'. "It's just . . . what possible reason could he have to be upset? I mean, he was out for breakfast with Raven."

Beast Boy peered at the Boy Wonder, wondering if he was completely sane.

"Um, dude? And you can't think of a reason that he'd be upset?"

Suddenly, the changeling felt a vice-like hand drop onto his shoulder and pull him well clear of Raven. Cyborg leaned down and whispered harshly into his ear, "For the love of God, BB, shut up before you get yourself killed!"

Seeing the logic in his learned companion's advice, Beast Boy decided to comply and quickly zipped his lips. Once all of the girls finished glaring at him (except for Kasumi, again), they went back to ignoring him. A thoughtful look then crept onto Raven's face.

"I can't think of anything . . . Though, now that you mention it, he was acting slightly odd when he excused himself. I don't know what could have caused it, though."

Robin rubbed his chin with a gloved finger, Beast Boy could almost see the Detective gears in his head start to turn. "Did something happen? Did you say something, did he say something? Anything at all that could explain what could have set him off? After all, he was very excited at the prospect of getting breakfast with you, so for him to do that, something must have happened."

The violet eyed Titan continued her ruminations. "Well, he had just given me the necklace, then we discussed why he had rushed out of Terra's cavern so rashly . . . Hmm, I remember what a pleasant change it was for Ryouga to be acting so assertive and confident . . ."

Raven tilted her head to the side and lifted a knuckle to her chin as she thought.

"Then I made a rather innocuous joke about combining Ryouga's maturity with Ranma's self confidence, but-"

"Ohhhh! A rookie mistake!" Cyborg's outburst cut off the sorceress and the titanium Titan began shaking his head sadly. "You hate to see that happen, you really do."

Beast Boy quickly slid to the side, vacating the space between Raven and Cyborg. He could actually see the tiny vein on Raven's forehead start to pulse dangerously as she glared at Cyborg.

"What are you talking about? What mistake?"

Cyborg smirked knowingly. "Rae, Rae, Rae, you can't just go comparing guys with other guys. You might as well be saying 'That guy is better than you, because' . . ."

Raven looked more confused than anything by his response.

"Why ever not? I constantly tell you and Beast Boy that you could desperately use some of Robin's maturity and it's never bothered you."

Cyborg shrugged. "Well, that's because we're best buds."

"And, because it's true!" Beast Boy added helpfully.

"However," Robin interjected, "Ryouga's made it pretty clear that he only sees Ranma as a rival. Now, I don't know much about their relationship, but I do know a lot about rivalries. And trust me, Raven, if anyone even insinuated that Speedy was my superior in any way . . . well, I probably wouldn't have been as polite as Ryouga was."

Smirking wickedly, Cyborg nodded his agreement. "See, Rae? The male ego is a delicate creature, and, on your first quasi-date, you managed to kick Ryouga's right where it hurts."

Raven rolled her eyes dramatically.

"First of all, it was not a date of any kind. And secondly, I am supposed to believe that the three of you are experts on the inner workings of Ryouga's mind, and know exactly how he feels about Ranma, is that right?" she fired back sarcastically.

"Saotome Ranma is possessed of a disproportionate arrogance which magnifies his many other negative traits to truly unbearable levels. He incessantly remonstrates events which are trivial and exaggerates the negative aspects of his curse, if one can even call his affliction a curse, he is unappreciative and undeserving of the many and plentiful gifts which his life has been blessed with and . . . and he smells funny!"

Dead silence . . .

Slowly everyone turned to regard the heavily panting Starfire, who was still recovering from her unexpected rant. Under the weight of their combined scrutiny, the Tamaranian quickly blushed and began to giggle nervously.

Beast Boy was the first to break the silence. "First of all, that was awesome, Star! Secondly, where the heck did that come from? I didn't know you hated Ranma!"

Now tapping the tips of her fingers together in embarrassment, the alien girl endeavored to explain.

"I do not harbor dislike for him, in fact, his assistance against the Brother Blood was most appreciated. However, I felt it would be helpful if someone present were to speak on Ryouga's behalf . . . and Raven did wish for an accurate representation of his views on Ranma . . ."

The emerald changeling nodded in a sagely manner. "Um-hmm, um-hmmm, yes-yes, I see . . ." He then spun on Raven and dramatically pointed a finger right in her face. "Ha! In your face, Raven! We so nailed you on that!"

"Now stop that right now, all of you!"

The sound of Kasumi finally entering the conversation had exactly the effect the young woman desired. Everyone instantly shut their traps and spun to regard the slightly frowning Tendo. Kasumi took several steps forward, bringing her side by side with Raven. For a moment, the brunette looked like she was about to lay her hands on the violet haired girl's shoulders in support . . . but quickly reconsidered and clasped them together in front of her skirt.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves, picking on poor Raven like that. She didn't intend for any of this to happen."

Raven turned to stare at the apron-clad woman, looking quite surprised.

". . . Thank you . . . Kasumi."

If Kasumi even heard the young hero's gratitude, she gave no indication. Instead, she just kept right on speaking.

"After all, if Raven isn't able to appreciate Ryouga for who he is, then that is between the two of them."

Raven nodded in agreement. "Yes, exact-wait a minute! What?"

Kasumi didn't even miss a beat.

"Now, unless I'm mistaken, this is a team of super heroes, not a team of super gossips. So, I'm certain that you all have better things to do than stand around harassing poor Raven, here."

Everyone ruminated on that particular though, except for poor Raven, who was still looking shell shocked. Finally, Robin raised a hand.

"Not particu-"

Kasumi's eyes narrowed a fraction of a millimeter.

"-uuuo know, you're absolutely right! My crime files really need alphabetizing."

Robin flew the coop.

"I believe that it is my turn for which to patrol our fair city!"

Starfire achieved escape velocity.

"Ah . . . I think I left the nuclear pile sitting out again!"

Cyborg rolled out.

Damn! Unfortunately, Beast Boy didn't have an actual excuse like everyone else; he'd have to think on his feet . . . Wait a minute, that was it!

Donning his most freaked out expression, the shape shifter pointed dramatically behind Kasumi.

"Look, a distraction!"

Kasumi stared at him, smiling politely . . .

He kept on pointing dramatically, waving his arm a little bit to emphasize the danger she was in.

The brunette continued to stare at him, her head tilting to the side as her smile grew wider.

'Damn!' It wasn't working, but he'd invested far too much effort into it now. The problem was, that she knew it was a distraction, so if he wanted it to work, he really needed to sell it. He continued his frantic pointing, combined it with a desperate lean forward, then did his very best to use his eyes to complete the deception.

After continuing to look at him for several more long seconds, the naïve young woman finally turned to look to where he was pointing. He was absolutely certain that it wasn't out of pity, either.

"Aha!" Vindicated, he took the opportunity to make his break for it.

Which, of course, left Kasumi and Raven standing side by side, the latter still staring at the former in incomprehension.

"Kasumi . . . what exactly did-"

"Oh my! Look at the time, I have to go do the shopping."

And then there was one . . .

And she was fairly certain there wasn't another person on the surface of the Earth in a worse mood.

---

"Why can't you be more like Ranma? Why can't you be more like Ranma?" The high pitched, nasally voice he was whining in probably wasn't making him look overly mature, but he could hardly be bothered by that now . . .

Not that Hibiki Ryouga whined. No, he was just . . . seething. Yes, that sounded way better; he was seething with rage, rage only barely contained!

"What was I thinking? That was so stupid!"

Unfortunately, most of said rage was aimed at himself this go-around.

"Asking her for help? She must think I'm a total loser now! Ranma would never ask for help," he sneered his rival's name with all of the venom he could muster.

He bet Raven thought Ranma would have already figured out how to restore Terra by now. After all, Ranma was the best and the brightest, wasn't he? Everyone wanted Ranma, wanted him as a friend, or a student, or just plain wanted him. Why should Raven be any different? Heck, the only two girls that didn't were Starfire and Jinx . . . bless their narrow framed hearts.

That thought brought him up short. An only slightly bitter smile twisted the corner of his lip as he looked up into the eyes of his companion.

"You believe in me too, don't you, Terra?" he asked, ignoring the disturbing implications of talking to an inanimate statue.

As always, he took her silence as agreement. Jinx, Starfire and Terra . . . what was with him and skinny girls? The Lost Boy chuckled weakly. Sure, it was only three people in the whole world, but they believed in him . . . or, at the very least were relying on him.

Yeah, he'd show Raven. He'd save Terra without her help, just like a real man would. Then she'd have to see that he was just as good as Ranma . . .

"No!" He shot to his feet, holding out his fist in fiery determination. Staring fiercely, he made a proclamation to his captive audience of one.

"I won't just save you, Terra. I'll take my mastery of the Bakusai Tenketsu to the next level and use it to defeat Ranma, once and for all! HahahahaHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!"

Ryouga stopped suddenly, peering all around himself nervously . . . This was usually the point when he realized he was completely surrounded by strangers and making a complete idiot of himself . . .

Except for Terra, the monolithic cavern was barren . . .

Hmm, what the heck?

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Man that felt good. Hey, this cave had a pretty good echo, too . . .

"Damn you, Ranma!"

"-a!"

"-a!"

"-a!"

"Heh heh heh . . . nice."

Well, now that that was out of his system, Ryouga pulled out his trusty hexagonal communicator and flipped it open.

"Cyborg, this is Ryouga. I need you to bring me some things . . ."

"I've got work to do."

---

Robin lashed out with a lightning quick jab, forcing his opponent to duck frantically to the side to avoid it. He'd anticipated that, though, and followed up with a rapid combination of a right hook, spinning into a flashing backhand, which flowed down into a flawless leg sweep. His opponent was so busy dodging out of the way of his higher strikes, that the circular, sweeping attack struck her ankles with enough force to knock her legs out from under her and drop her to the firm matting of the floor.

Kasumi winced slightly and gingerly rubbed her bottom, upon which she had landed. The innocuous gesture instantly brought a surge of red to Robin's cheeks and he frantically looked to the side, even as he simultaneously offered her a hand to help her back to her feet.

"Uhm," he cleared his throat quickly, "That was really good, Kasumi, you've really come a long way in your training."

The gi clad Tendo offered him a sunny smile and slid her graceful hand into his. With a quick tug, he had the lovely woman back on her feet.

"That's very nice of you to say, Robin, but it does seem like it's always me flat on my back when these matches are done," she replied, giggling with the crystal purity of a wind chime.

Robin chuckled lightly, then began to lead his student to the benches for a quick rest.

"Well, I have been doing this for a little longer. Not to mention the extra training I got from Cologne and Happosai . . . if you can call it that."

Kasumi tittered in amusement. "Oh, Grandfather always had so much fun training Ranma. My, the shenanigans those two would get into."

Once they reached the bench, Robin flopped down and started to wipe the sweat from his face with a conveniently placed towel. He still wasn't able to tell if she was being naively optimistic, or just teasing him mercilessly, so he just nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well," he shifted the topic away from perverted masters of the martial arts, "After Cyborg told me how fired up Ryouga was to 'redouble his efforts to restore Terra' yesterday, it really inspired me to get back to your training as well."

His companion smiled, though it looked somewhat weaker than usual. "Yes, and I appreciate your concern for my well being . . . but, do you know what would be even more fun than training all day long?"

Robin considered her question carefully.

"Running through the obstacle course?"

The eldest Tendo sister shot him a flat stare, though it only lasted a second.

". . . Yeeeess . . . there is that, but I had something a little less . . . harrowing in mind. Like, perhaps, you accompanying Starfire to that new movie that just opened in the theaters. She's been hinting to Raven and I that she would really like to go see it."

The Boy Wonder could only imagine what Starfire 'hinting' at something could possibly entail . . . though five foot neon signs did come to mind for some reason. He considered his options quickly.

"That new romantic comedy?" he drawled warily.

The brunette nodded excitedly, smile literally beaming.

. . . Riiight . . . Still, he'd have to be diplomatic about this. As much as the idea of spending two hours in a darkened theater with Starfire filled his chest with funny, not completely uncomfortable, feelings . . . the idea of watching anything with Hugh Grant in it offended his strict sense of honor.

"You know that I would love to, Kasumi . . . however . . ." He floundered for a moment, but luckily for him, he had been trained by the best, and no one made up last minute excuses like Bruce Wayne. ". . . However, my responsibilities as the team leader take precedence right now. I have to make sure that everyone on my team, especially you, is able to defend themselves properly. I mean, we lost nearly a week of your training searching for Ryouga, so now it's twice as important that we get back to work."

Hey, that actually hadn't been too bad . . .

Kasumi gave him an odd look, on anyone else he might have called it skeptical, but then the lovely woman gave out a long sigh and nodded.

"Alright, Robin, if only to put your mind at ease, we can continue. I just don't want you to forget your responsibilities as a friend on my account."

The vigilante nodded, hiding his grin over the rampant success of his plan.

"It should only take another week, two at the most, if we really push the envelope." By that time, Starfire's movie should be out of theaters and he could take her to an actual good movie. "At the rate you're improving, I'm confident you'll be able to defend yourself from anyone by then."

For a moment, an odd look flitted across Kasumi's face, but then she let out another weak sigh and bravely put on a wide smile for him.

"Well, I suppose another week or two couldn't hurt too much . . ."

---

Raven awoke with a start, her eyes shooting wide open and a strangled half-scream on her lips. She quickly sat up in her wide, gothic styled bed, her satin sheets falling down to her waist to reveal her nightgown clinging uncomfortably to her chest, a sheen of cold sweat gleaming across her now clammy skin. Still breathing raggedly from her unexpected awakening, the trembling woman did the first thing she could think of . . .

With desperate haste, she snatched her communicator from the nightstand and snapped it open. Entering a sequence of buttons by rote, the screen blinked to life . . . revealing a vaguely familiar redheaded girl, apparently sitting at a desk.

Looking off to the side for a moment, as if confirming something, Ranma quickly turned her attention back to Raven and a wide smirk split her face.

"Yo, Rae. Yer up pretty early, heck, I'm still workin' on my homework . . ."

. . . Except, now that Raven had Ranma on the line . . . she had absolutely no idea what to say.

". . ."

At her silence, Ranma pulled the communicator closer to her face, as if that would somehow improve her view of Raven . . . It must have worked to some degree, because she could clearly see the redhead's gaze slowly slide downwards, her cheeks beginning to match her hair as it did. It was about then that Raven remembered her nightgown was still plastered to her skin. Luckily, before she had the chance to wrap her mind around the idea of a young woman ogling her and getting offended, or worse, Ranma coughed guiltily and quickly shifted her eyes back up to match Raven's.

No longer . . . distracted, Ranma seemed to take a moment to take in her condition. A moment later, the redheads eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh, jeez, Rae, I'll be back in a sec . . ."

The tiny screen suffered from a blur of jarring motion as the picture shifted quickly to an uninspiring view of a ceiling. In the background, she could hear some various sounds of activity, punctuated by the sound of running sink, then, moments later, the familiar raven haired form of Ranma filled the screen once more. Several wisps of steam were still rising from the boy's hair.

"There we go, Raven. Now, how are you doing?"

Almost like magic, the soft baritone of her friend's familiar and comforting voice melted away the anxiety that had been holding her own tongue. She let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

"Thank you, Ranma . . . I'm feeling much better, now."

An uncharacteristically serious expression remained on the young man's face. He arched an eyebrow in an amusingly skeptical and familiar manner.

"You sure? You looked pretty shaken up there." He gazed at her suspiciously. ". . . Have you still not told anyone about this, yet? I mean, I know I'm great and all, but I can't exactly do too much for you from half a world away."

She rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. "There would be no point in telling anyone here. None of them could do anything for me, so all it would accomplish would be to worry them needlessly. Besides . . . hearing your voice helps more than anything else I've tried . . ."

Ranma snorted loudly. "Yeah, well . . . I guess . . . Still, you don't wanna worry anyone over there, but its fair game to worry me? Is that right?"

A weak smirk found its way onto her lips.

"I do believe that's the general point I was trying to make, yes. After all, it's not like a man amongst men such as yourself is even capable of being worried about someone, isn't that right?"

"Argh! Yer lucky I like ya so much, or else I don't think I'd be able to put up with your lip like I do. Seriously, though, I really think you should tell someone else over there . . . like R-"

"Ranma," she stated firmly, cutting him off, "Can we please just drop it? I-I really don't feel up to talking about this right now . . ."

The pigtailed boy looked to be gearing up to be his usual stubborn self for a moment . . . before letting out a long sigh, doing a credible imitation of a deflating balloon.

"Fine, fine. What do ya wanna talk about, then?"

The violet haired female trailed a finger along her cheek as she considered her options. ". . . Well, it's been two nights and Ryouga still hasn-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ranma held up a hand on his end of the communication to stop her. "You remember what the deal is about you complaining to me about Bacon Bits."

She arched an eyebrow and shot him a dirty look.

"I don't complain."

Surprisingly, he matched her glare and crossed his arms over his chest.

"But-"

His glare only intensified.

"'Sigh' – fine: Every time I discuss Ryouga with you, I have to help you with your homework . . . So, what do you have to do?"

Ranma's trademark smirk bloomed on his face, very much making her want to reach through the tiny screen and strangle him. She considered trying to Force choke him, regardless, but was worried there was actually a small chance it could actually work. Still, she was beginning to understand Akane a little better, now.

"Heh heh heh. Just got some Finite, a little Geography, and then a short story for my literature class."

She groaned out loud. "What? Do you stockpile your homework until I call you now?"

Ranma's smirk only widened. "I refuse to answer that question on the ground that I might incriminate myself."

The teen hero rolled her eyes in serious annoyance this time. Still, she didn't mind it nearly as much as she maintained. Helping the pigtailed boy with his school work was really quite entertaining, and she was actually learning as much by doing so as he was, since he was technically a year or two ahead of her in most subjects. It even forced her to work on certain things that she wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole if given the choice, Finite being one of those things.

"Alright, but we'll save the story for last, since that should be fun in comparison."

A wry chuckle was his reply.

"Okay, then, the usual routine, I'll point the communicator at the text book and you can talk about whatever ya want."

For the umpteenth time, Raven rolled her eyes at her companion's attitude. But, as was their usual routine, she quickly dug out the pad of paper and pencil hidden in the drawer of her nightstand and began to write out the complicated mathematical formula so that she could begin to decipher it.

"Now, as I was saying," she continued, "Ryouga hasn't shown his face since we parted ways at the Bistro . . . I don't think he's forgiven me for the comment I made yet."

The screen flashed again, once more filled by the incredulously staring face of Ranma.

"Well, duh, Rae! I still haven't forgiven you for that comment! I mean, sticking me and P-Chan together? That's just so many levels of wrong that I still can't wrap my mind around it. As if there's anything about Ryouga that could improve on me!"

A wry smirk quirked her lips.

"Oh, I don't know, a small dose of humility would probably go a long way right about now."

"Oh, har-dee har har, Rae. Maybe we should give you a humor transplant from Jinx, I bet that'd be an improvement."

The half-demon's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Careful, Ranko, that's not even remotely the same kind of situation."

"Oh, reeeaaally? Maybe you can elucidate me on how exactly it di-"

Before she could think to ask Ranma where on earth he had picked up the word 'elucidate', let alone use it correctly, the ring of knuckle on metal rang like a cymbal going off right inside Raven's skull. The sudden, and extremely unexpected ruckus nearly scared the poor sorceress spitless.

Judging by the tempo and deceptive force behind the strikes, it didn't take much to figure that it was Starfire at her door. Raven glanced quickly at her communicator, only to see Ranma laughing hysterically at the look of shock that must have filled the Titan's face. She growled at him threateningly.

"Not. A. Word. I'll get back to you in a moment."

She then slid out of bed and made her way to the door. The floor was cool, but the carpet kept it bearable to walk across. Thankfully, her quiet chat with Ranma had given her a chance to cool down, and her nightgown was again flowing normally . . . not that she really cared if Starfire saw her in such a way, but it was just more comfortable to walk in now.

Raven slid the door open roughly two inches to glare balefully at the fully clad Tamaranian floating hopefully in her hallway.

"Starfire, do you have any idea just what time it is?"

Starfire nodded obligingly. "In Galactic Standard Time it is Throng-Repnak-Ba'an."

Raven's stare was as flat as glass.

"In Earth time, Starfire."

The Tamaranian giggled helplessly. "Eheheh . . . I believe it is Five Thirty Seven in the A. M."

Raven let out a weary sigh.

"And you are knocking on my door at this ungodly hour because?"

"Ummm, well, I was returning to my room from a post midnight-midnight snacking endeavor . . . when I heard you speaking to someone as I passed your door. As such, since you are already awake, I desired to make a request of you."

Suddenly, Starfire held up her hand, revealing their contents for Raven to see . . .

A pair of crisp, new movie tickets.

Raven looked at the tickets rather drolly. She then looked back up to Starfire.

"At five-thirty seven in the morning, you are asking me to go to watch a romantic comedy with you?"

Starfire nodded enthusiastically.

"I had asked Robin yesterday, but he was quite adamant that his training of Kasumi took precedence over the watching of a movie in my company while devouring untold amounts of unhealthy, yet delicious foodstuffs."

Raven wavered for a moment, feeling a little sorry for the girl . . . still, she had an image to maintain.

"I'm sorry, Starfire. However, I prefer my romances to be of the tragic variety."

Starfire quickly muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "I had not noticed", but Raven hadn't quite caught it.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing. Well, I must be on my way. Perhaps some other person will wish to accompany me on my adventure to the cinema of movie viewing."

With that, the Tamaranian began to float forlornly down the hallway. Unable to resist a final parting shot, Raven let out a mutter of her own.

"Yeah, good luck with that."

---

The soldier carefully made his way down the long, alien looking catwalk hanging between the massive trees which grew all around him. His S Variation/Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor didn't slow him in the slightest, fitting to his body just as flawlessly as it had been designed to. The HUD of his visor displayed, in great detail, the enormous alien structure that sprawled out before him, almost appearing to be growing out of the very trees themselves.

Even though the ancient Forerunner installation that they were searching through had been abandoned for thousands of years, judging by the insanely huge jungle that had grown up and around the structure, he knew that the massive complex had at least one inhabitant at the moment. He absently checked the ammo in both of his Spikers, not wanting to run out if a firefight suddenly broke out.

Still, despite the stakes, he just couldn't keep his eye on the prize. Fidgeting slightly, he turned back to his companion, a fellow Spartan wearing the Extra Vehicular Activity variation of the MJOLNIR armor, though his was colored in drastic contrast to his own. While his companion's was bright white, with pale blue highlights, he had colored his in alternating slashes of purple and green. Personally, he liked his odds better in this jungle terrain than his buddies, not that he'd mention that till it was too late.

"Man, Ryo has been down in that cave for three days, Cy. How much longer do ya think it's gonna take?"

His white and blue teammate shifted the massive Spartan Laser on his shoulder, but before he could reply, another Spartan cut in. This warrior was wearing the standard Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Armor, though his coloration was a very bold combination of yellow and black.

"Sheesh, Beast Boy, I'm sitting two seats down from you on the couch. I can hear you when you talk about me."

Spartan Beast Boy turned to glare at the black and yellow Spartan Ryouga.

"Yeah, and I told you that I wasn't acknowledging your existence until Terra was back to normal! Who let you out of your cave, anyway?"

Spartan Cyborg chuckled evilly.

"Oh, Kasumi told him, pleasantly as could be, that if he skipped one more meal to eat pizza down in that cave, then he could skip the rest of his meals from now on to eat pizza down in that cave."

Had Spartan Beast Boy's helmet allowed, his jaw would have dropped open in shock.

"Whoa, dude, that's harsh."

Spartan Ryouga nodded sadly, absently switching between his Battle Rifle and his Plasma Sword . . . either that, or the guy was still figuring out which buttons did what.

"Tell me about it, I've grown to love pizza as much as the next guy, though if you tell Ukyou that, I'll deny it and kill you all, but I'm not giving up Kasumi's cooking for anything."

"Besides," another Spartan entered the conversation, this one wearing Close Quarters Battle Armor done in black and red and toting a long barreled alien sniper rifle. "As important as freeing Terra is, we can't keep Ryouga locked in her cave twenty four-seven, Beast Boy. He's our teammate, not our slave."

Spartan Ryouga turned to nod to Spartan Robin.

"Thank you."

"Okay, seriously, are you girls done chatting each other up yet?" grumbled Spartan Cyborg. They could all tell he was just itching to use the massively overpowered energy weapon balanced on his shoulder.

"Dinner is gonna be ready in a half an hour, so we have to take care of this ASAP. Now, it took some serious doing, but we managed to corral that Nujiézú jerk down into the central complex. If we approach this carefully, we can finally frag that bastard for all of the kills he's laced on our butts."

Spartan Robin snorted skeptically. "Seriously, Cyborg. It's just one guy, did you and Beast Boy have to drag me and Ryouga into your little feud too?"

Spartan Ryouga shrugged. "Meh, I don't mind."

Spartan Cyborg stared at the crimson and ebony Spartan disbelievingly.

"Just one guy? Just one guy! Dawg! You have no idea the hell we've seen! I mean, Nujiézú was bad before, but these past two weeks, the guy has been just plain vindictive, I'm talking 'out for blood' nasty!"

Spartan Beast Boy nodded emphatically. "Dudes, I've lost my head so many times I don't even know why I bother wearing a helmet anymore!"

Spartans Robin and Ryouga retained their skeptical looks (as much as such was possible when wearing polarized visors which completely hid one's face), but weren't about to back out now.

"Fine, what's the plan, then?" asked Spartan Robin.

Spartan Cyborg quickly led them to the entrance of the complex and then began to explain the game plan to them. First, the white and blue warrior pointed to himself and Beast Boy.

"Okay, the two of us have dealt with this guy tons of times, so we're gonna head in and spread out, you know, try to flush him out into the open. I've got a bubble shield, in case the guy gets the drop on me, and BB's got Spikers, so he should be able to fend the guy off, at least for a bit."

Next, Spartan Cyborg pointed to Spartan Robin. "Robbie, you got the mad sniping skills, so you go find a good position and set up camp."

Spartan Robin nodded in agreement.

"Ryo, since you've never played the game before, you're pretty much our cannon fodder, so try to make your certain death as meaningful as possible."

". . . I hate you guys so much . . ."

"Yeah, that's sweet, now, this is how I see things going dow-"

To Spartan Beast Boy's ears, the rest of his comrades carefully plotted . . . plot dissolved into a drone which sounded suspiciously like the speech of an adult from that old Charlie Brown cartoon. What was the point of all of this planning and thinking and junk, anyway? Everyone knew that no plan ever survived the first five seconds of the actual battle . . . and really, Spartan Cyborg seriously should have taken his ridiculously short attention span into account when formulating his increasingly complex battle scenario . . .

To heck with this! Spartan Beast Boy was gonna take down Nujiézú himself, if he had to! That thought in mind, while his friends were still chatting amongst themselves-

"Alright, Dudes, times up! Let's do this!"

Spartan Beast Boy charged once more unto the breach . . .

"LEEERRROOOOYY JENNNKIINS!"

---

-Five minutes Later-

. . . The four men, who looked very much like boys at the moment, could only stare at the screen, pupils, eyemasks and infrared sensors shrunken to pinpricks in shock. Haunted expressions hung on their faces, expressions usually reserved for those poor soldiers whom had been made privy to the very darkest horrors of war.

". . ."

The silence was shattered by the sound of Ryouga's controller slipping from nerveless fingers to clatter to the floor.

". . . Now I know what it would feel like if Gosunkugi challenged Herb to a duel."

With the eardrum piercing squeal of steel on steel, complete with a shower of burning sparks, Cyborg turned his head to glare at Beast Boy. The emerald changeling returned his friend's gaze with a nervous laugh and a tiny wave of his fingers.

"Heh . . . heh . . . ummm, at least I have tofu?"

"Beeaast Boooy-"

"Oh hell no!" The highly unexpected epitaph derailed the cyborg's psychotic episode and drew everyone's attention to Robin . . .

Or, at least the red faced, simmering kettle with spiky hair that was wearing Robin's outfit, anyway. A second later, the Boy Wonder snapped down and grabbed Ryouga's controller, jamming it back into the larger boy's hand.

"Play, now."

"But I really don't-"

Robin's fiery gaze cut Ryouga off dead.

"I have never been schooled like that before. Whoever this guy is, he is going down!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy shared an evil smile between themselves. It looked like Robin's competitive streak had finally kicked in. Now Nujiézú was in for it.

Unbeknownst to the quartet, a figure floated up stealthily behind the wide, circular couch. A figure possessing, ironically, a very lovely figure, a look of boundless optimism on her face . . .

And a pair of slightly crumpled tickets in her hand.

"Friend Cyborg! Perhaps you would desire to-"

"Not gonna happen, Star. I don't go to those movies unless I'm gonna get at least a goodnight kiss out of the deal."

A look of mild consternation flashed across the Tamaranian's face, but she quickly shook it off and turned slightly to the side. Despite the initial setback, she still bore a look of hopeful optimism.

"Beast Boy-"

The boy in question held up a hand, not even tearing his gaze from the flashing screen, to stop her.

"Um, what he said, 'cept you'd need to get a bottle of blonde hair dye and lose about eight inches, first."

This time, a look of actual annoyance crossed Starfire's normally cheery features.

"Eight inches from where, my grebnaks?" she muttered darkly under her breath.

Still, not to be deterred, she turned her attention back to her original target. Now only barely levitating an inch above the ground and tickets slightly more crumpled than when she had begun, Starfire mustered up some guarded optimism . . .

"Robin . . . perhaps if you have the time to enjoy the playing of the video games . . . then perhaps you also possess the time necessary to accompany me to-"

Robin, at least, had the decency to turn and acknowledge the determined young woman.

"Not right now, Starfire. This just got personal . . . maybe later, okay?"

Robin then returned all of his attention back to the game, totally missing the crestfallen expression that descended over Starfire's face. Very slowly, her toes dragging along the floor, the alien girl floated back towards her room.

As she left, Ryouga looked to the two guys on his right, then to the one guy on his left, a confused look on his face . . .

". . . What the heck was that all about?"

---

Jinx leaned back, taking another deep breath, her chest heaving from her exertions. She relished the sweet sensation of the chill breeze caressing her sweat drenched skin. She could scarcely remember the last time that she had exerted herself in such a . . . pleasurable manner, but she had definitely been past due for spoiling herself. Beneath her, the heavy, pounding beat of the techno music saturated her body and she swayed fluidly with the rhythm.

"That was the most awesome rave I have ever been to," she remarked dreamily.

Absently, she turned her attention to her partner in crime. The ancient master was perched beside her on the roof. Happosai stared off into nothing, his pupils dilated so far that his entire eyes looked to be made from glistening onyx . . .

"I . . . am a changed man . . ." he declared euphorically.

The witch's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded her revered master.

"Oh, and FYI, that's the last time I ever let you take E. You were way more handsy than any of those other . . . pill . . . heads . . ." she trailed off, suddenly coming to a very basic realization.

"You didn't take any E, did you, Happi?"

Happosai looked up at her in confusion. "I don't even have a clue what you're talking about, Jinx. Are you saying there was some kind of connection between this magical E that you're talking about and all of those lovely young ladies downstairs being so . . . handsy as you put it?"

"Well doy!" Jinx held up a tiny plastic bag filled with tinier pills and waved it around teasingly. "You think all of those fine ladies down there would have been all over you like that if it weren't for a little . . . chemical persuasion? They probably thought you were a teddy bear, or a leprechaun, or something."

Happi's eyes nearly doubled in size as he stared at the slowly swaying baggie dangling from her fingertips. The effect it seemed to have on him bordered on hypnotic . . .

"W-w-where did you get those from?"

Jinx rolled her cat like eyes in exasperation.

"Some loser was trying to get me to take them, probably hoping to cop a feel or some crap . . . so I took them. Seriously, I'm loopy enough upstairs without adding crazy stuff like this," she admitted, tilting her head to indicate the empty space where a tiny bag of pills had been dangling-

"Huh - Wha?"

She glowered at the diminutive pervert.

"Hapiiii, where did those pills go?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

He offered her his most innocent look in return, with a tiny shrug of helplessness to go with it.

"Haappii . . . aw, screw it. You know, any chick dumb enough to take unmarked pills from a one foot tall dodecagenarian obviously isn't contributing anything but double D's to the gene pool anyway, so it's no big loss."

Her mentor smiled proudly.

"That's the spirit, Disciple! Concern for strangers is over rated."

Jinx considered that . . . considered it some more, then shrugged and nodded in agreement.

". . . Soooo, you wanna go back in?"

"Oh Hellz yeah!"

Jinx let out a groan of disgust.

"Happi," she sing-songed in a sugary voice, "Could you please remind me to kill Bumble Bee the next time we see her . . . painfully?"

"Jinx, you keep taking me to these raves, and I'll do it for you!"

"Heh, heh, heh . . . nice."

---

Starfire gazed up at the lighted signage which hung above her head. The glowing display named each of the movies currently playing within the cinema before which she stood (unable to muster even the enthusiasm to float any longer), as well as the times at which each movie commenced. She then looked down forlornly to the pair of sad looking tickets that were wilting in her tightly curled hand.

It had been five days since their fortuitous relocation of Ryouga, and she had believed that things would have returned back to a state of relative normalcy within her home. Instead, all of her friends seemed to have become even more preoccupied with activities and people which seemed to preclude the inclusion of a certain Tamaranian.

Beast Boy and Cyborg had become obsessed with the 'fragging' of their virtual nemesis. Raven spoke often, and at great length, with Ranma, not to mention that her preferences in reading and viewing material differed enough from Starfire's that finding common ground was becoming increasingly difficult as of late.

And, of course, Robin and Kasumi had become infatuated with the idea of physically accosting each other for extended periods of time as well . . . The worst part was that she was finding it almost impossible to actually blame her feelings of insecurity and envy on the lovely Tendo woman. Even as Robin's presence had become more and more sparse lately, Kasumi had somehow found more and more time to spend with Starfire. As much as she wanted to dislike Kasumi for what had been occurring, the disturbing fact was that she enjoyed the older woman's company . . . in fact, Kasumi had been the one to suggest that she invite Robin to the cinema in the first place.

The Tamaranian could almost hear the wails of agony from the poor, unfortunate tickets in her grasp. It was all she could do to keep them from bursting into flames . . . or drowning in her tears. After all, if it was not Kasumi's fault that Robin was avoiding her lately . . . that meant it could only be her own . . .

Starfire disliked the 'being alone', she disliked the 'being alone in the crowd' even worse. She was starting to acquire the sneaking suspicion that everyone on this entire planetary body was enjoying the social interactions with one another, except for herself . . . The steady influx and output of happy couples and loving families from the edifice of the theater only drove that depressing thought home with unnecessary brutality.

She let out a weak sniff . . . But then a strange thought flitted across her morose mindscape.

There was one other person whom she had not yet sought out for companionship. True, it was because, of all of her friends, he was possessing of the most valid reason for spending his time in solitude, but she was certain that he would not be adverse to a visit from her.

How odd, why had she not thought of that earlier?

Still . . . a female did have to remain true to her principles. She looked back to the tickets in her hand. It was too late for her to view the film on that night and tomorrow was the last night she would be able to exchange this pair of tickets before the movie ceased to be shown in this particular theater. So, she would give Robin one last chance to see the error of his was, and if not . . .

One way or the other, she was going to see that movie.

Oh, yes. Tomorrow would be a joyous day for everyone!