Dark Titans – Arc 4 – Titan Rising!

Chapter 4

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't

Terra clutched the cup with desperate strength, greedily draining every last drop from its glass confines. She honestly hadn't even realized just how thirsty she had been until she'd taken her first sip of water. To her embarrassment, she had guzzled so much it had actually made her sick. Luckily, understanding people surrounded her . . . and there had been a bucket close at hand.

Apparently being petrified in the heart of a volcano wasn't the best way to stay hydrated . . .

Shocker.

At least she knew why she had a headache now. She wasn't hurt, she was just hung over. Well, dehydrated technically, but same difference. If she had actually been the kind of girl that was hung up about her appearance, she would likely have been soaking in a tub of moisturizer to boot.

As it was, though, she was trying to settle her stomach enough so she could actually eat the delicious smelling meal that Kasumi had brought up for her. As good as the woman's cooking was, that broccoli hadn't exactly tasted great the second go around.

So, there she was, greedily sipping down water with Beast Boy at her side while Robin and Kasumi flitted around from this machine to that one, apparently trying to determine if she was actually okay or not.

Terra did her best to avoid glancing at the Boy Wonder, except to sneak quick peeks when she was absolutely sure he wasn't looking. Her last real meeting with Robin had ended on terms almost as terrible as her last talk with Raven had . . .

Now there was a reunion she could do without.

Across the room, the Boy Wonder in question tapped the digital display on one of the machines before nodding to himself. "Aside from a pretty severe case of dehydration, it looks like you're in pretty good shape, Terra, all things considered."

Terra nodded meekly, doing her best to not draw any attention to herself. In retrospect, it was a futile attempt, considering she was the center of attention, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable.

"Hmm, I'm not so certain, Robin. I don't think her body has had the chance to really start recovering from stress of removing that awful suit." Kasumi turned her attention from the pinging machine she had been examining to Terra. "You do realize that you have recently undergone an extremely invasive form of surgery. Though your body being stone at the time prevented you from being injured further, it didn't do anything to help you recover from the thousands of microscopic injuries you sustained."

The thought of thousands of injuries in her body sent the slight blonde's stomach to churning in a manner that had nothing to do with food.

"Sheesh, Kasumi, are you trying to freak her out here?" Beast Boy asked earnestly. He then turned to Robin. "She'll be fine in no time, right?"

Robin shot a quick glance to Kasumi, who nodded imperceptibly. A moment later, Robin offered a reassuring nod of his own. "Of course she'll be all right. Terra just needs to take it easy for a few days. No strenuous activity or training."

The changeling pouted adorably. "She gets to skip out on training? Man! How do I get myself a crippling injury like that?"

Terra probably would have made some kind of teasing offer to do it for him, but her mind was a million miles away at that moment.

Training? Training for what? They couldn't possibly be considering putting her back on the team . . . could they? How could Robin, of all people, trust her that much? She didn't even trust herself that much.

The blonde vagabond carefully studied the three people in the room with her, tuning out their cheerful conversation. The ease with which they moved, the relaxed smiles on their faces as they playfully debated the merits of training (Beast Boy and Kasumi appeared to be of the same mind, surprisingly.)

These people were completely at ease around her, their guards were completely lowered. Hadn't they learned their lesson already? If she so chose, she could probably wipe them all out in a seco-

She shook her head furiously, terrified at how easily that thought had slipped into her head.

"What? Oh, come on, Terra! You and me could totally beat Robin and Starfire on the obstacle course!"

What? It took her a second to catch up with the conversation. She still wasn't completely sure what they were talking about, so she just raised a faux enthusiastic fist into the air. "Um, yeah, go team . . ."

Beast Boy, ever oblivious, cheered happily. Kasumi, on the other hand, sent a strange, inscrutable glance her way. A moment later, the woman turned back to Robin and Beast Boy.

"Really, now, I think that's quite enough talk about training. Terra needs to rest and relax." Kasumi turned back in her direction. "Is there anything you would like to do tonight, Terra? Anything not stressful, at any rate."

Robin smiled, nodding in agreement.

How could he smile at her like that after what she'd done to him, to his team?

"Okay, Terra, what do you say? Starfire and the others got a night of fun to celebrate, so you should too," offered the smiling bird boy.

"Yeah, it'll be great! We can play video games, or watch movies, or whatever you want," chimed in an excited changeling.

Terra looked at the smiling faces of her three companions, trying her best to return those smiles with one of her own. Oddly, the first thing she could think of was to sink into the earth as far as she could go. All of this kindness and support was really starting to freak her out. She was still twitching with each move that Robin made, imagining he was going for his staff every time he turned around.

What she did need was some time alone. She needed some time to think, she needed-

"Actually, I think I'd really like to take a bath," she stated wistfully.

Beast Boy's brow wriggled suggestively.

"Alright, but I'm not sure we'll all fit."

"Beast Boy!"

"Beast Boy!"

"Beast Boy . . ."

Cyborg hummed along with the T-Stereo as they cruised down the road on their way back home. Sure, he was a little bummed that Raven had seriously veto'd his idea to head out clubbing after the movie had ended, but he still chalked the night up as a win. He figured Starfire and Ryouga agreed with him. Sitting in shotgun again, Ryo wore a pleased, if somewhat introspective look on his face. Starfire, for her part, was still giggling excitedly.

It appeared that only three out of four Titans approved of this outing, though, as in the back seat, Raven was wearing her usual annoyed expression. He'd been keeping an eye on her and she'd been doing an admirable job of keeping her opinion to herself, but-

"Kung Fu Panda? Really? I mean, we all know that you're a martial artist, but did your movie choice have to revolve around that fact as well?"

-He didn't think it would last . . .

"Says the girl that wanted to see a movie about a demon barber," Cyborg quipped, smirking wickedly.

Raven levelled her best glare his way with all the intensity of his sonic cannon. "I just happen to be a Tim Burton fan. Is there a problem with that?" The ice in the young woman's voice nearly froze him to his skeletal support frame.

Ryouga, just receiving the frigid fringes of the Dark Titan's ocular attack, ran his hand through his hair, looking mildly embarrassed. "What? I had to see the movie, just to make sure, you know . . .?"

Raven looked like she was about to confirm that she did not, except-

"They were all so adorable!"

Starfire could contain her glee no longer. "The fuzzy panda of comically epic martial skill was simply too lovable for any known language, excepting perhaps the language of the Korugarian, to fully capture. I wish to view the movie a second time!"

The darkly clad Titan scooted away from the vivacious young woman at her side to glare out the car window. "Well, you can count me out. The whole movie was so – so immature."

It was Cyborg's turn to roll his eyes. "Pffft. It was a kid's movie, Rae. Sheesh, you sound like one of those award show types, bein all pretentious and stuff."

Raven shot him a dark look. "I am not pretentious. I just have a more mature taste in entertainment."

"Oh, come on, Raven," pleaded Ryouga, "That movie was really insightful. I mean, now that I know the secret of the Dragon Scroll, I feel like I've already taken a big step forward as a martial artist." Of course, the guy's retort might have held more weight had he managed to hold a straight face, but Cyborg had to give him credit for trying.

"Okay, children, that's enough arguing. We're all losing sight of what's important here: How jealous BB is gonna be when he hears we saw that movie without him."

Almost instantly, the violet eyed Titan perked up. "That is interesting. I still haven't gotten back at Beast Boy for ruining the end of the Sixth Sense for me."

Cyborg winced; Raven had been livid about that.

"Please, friend Raven, you must not divulge the pertinent plot points of this most pleasant picture to our friend. I believe he would enjoy the animal masters of kung fu very much."

Raven's smirk spread out into a dark smile. "Exactly."

The pleading look on Starfire's face turned to sly contemplation. "But, my dear friend Raven, if you spoil the movie for him, then it would be unlikely that he would desire to accompany myself to a second viewing. Thus I would have to look elsewhere for a companion to join me."

The Tamaranian finished with a very pointed stare in the dark Titan's direction.

Cyborg and Ryouga both did their darnedest to keep from snickering out loud at the poor girl's plight. It was hard, though; it was pretty rare for Starfire to actually outmaneuver Raven.

The Raven in question matched the alien's stare for several long seconds, until finally she released a defeated sigh and turned back to gaze back out the window. "That's not fair. I finally think of something fun that I would like to do, and you all say no."

Awww. Now Cyborg felt like a heel. Raven hadn't really had much say in the night's activities. Maybe a compromise was in order. Turning just enough to see the girl out of the corner of his eye (and not get them all killed in a car wreck), he made his offer. "Hey, Rae. How about me and Ryo duct tape Beast Boy to the ceiling for ya?"

Ryouga started chuckling, even as a thoughtful look bloomed on Raven's face. ". . . it is tempting, though lacking a certain personal touch."

Cyborg worked his positronic brain a little harder. "How about we duct tape him to the roof?"

The sorceress' lips curled up at that. "It does look like it's going to rain soon, doesn't it? I always was a fan of dark and stormy nights."

"Don't remind me," grumbled Ryouga, glaring up at the dark clouds rolling in above them. "At least Beast Boy gets to choose when he transforms."

To Cyborg's annoyance, the Lost Boy's bitter comment killed the playful mood that was finally starting to build up again. Immediately, sympathetic looks blossomed on the faces of Starfire and Raven . . . one much more noticeable than the other.

"Though it shames me to state it, I had almost forgotten your most tragic condition. We have spent so much time beneath the earth, that your affliction has not been triggered for some time," admitted a red-cheeked Tamaranian.

Raven nodded. "It must be terrible to have no control over it, no choice in the matter."

If anything, Ryouga just slumped further into his seat-

So, being the great guy that he was – Cyborg reached over and punched the guy in the shoulder with enough force to powder concrete.

"Ow! That really stung! What'd you do that for?"

The Titanium Titan rolled his eyes. "Stop bein' such a downer, Ryo. Look, it could be worse. I mean, at least you don't turn into a pig no more."

Even as both girls prepared to lambaste him for his insensitivity, Ryouga made a surprised 'hunh' sound, like he had never thought of that point before. Quickly following that, the fanged boy seemed to withdraw completely, studying the billowing clouds even more intently than Raven had.

The change in mood was so abrupt that it left the three original Titan's staring at the young man in various states of confusion for the rest of the trip through the city.

It wasn't until they had finally finished crossing the mammoth bridge which gulfed the city's famous bay, garage door dead ahead and tower looming above, that the silence was broken.

"Hey, Cyborg, hold up, would you?"

A little confused, not to mention a bit startled by the sudden request, Cyborg pulled up a few yards short of the garage. He shot the Lost Boy an inquisitive look, only to see an expression on the guy's face which he couldn't quite place.

"What up, Dawg?"

Ryouga popped the handle and swung his door open. "Nothing, nothing. I just thought I'd head up to the roof, is all."

"But, Ryouga, did you not previously state that precipitation was imminent?"

The fanged fighter turned to smile at the lovely Tamaranian. "I know . . . but y'know, I just realized . . . it's been years since I've been able to enjoy the feel of the rain on my face, my hands."

Raven shot a quizzical look at the Lost One. "But your curse will activate."

He nodded in agreement. "Pretty much, but at least it'll be my choice this time. Hey, if Ranma can live with it, why can't I?"

Cyborg chuckled happily. "Now that's the spirit. After all, they might be a bit younger, but they're still your hands, right?"

Ryouga nodded again, causing a look of understanding to bloom on Raven's face. Soon, a small smile graced the gloomy titan's lips as well. Seeing his two normally dismal friends looking so positive brought a wide grin to Cyborg's lips as well . . . still . .

"But, Ryo, seriously, we have an elevator. You don't gotta go all Robin on us and scale the building by hand."

In response, Ryouga lifted himself out of his seat to stand by the car. "Naw, I'm fine with this. Besides, I could use the exercise."

"Perhaps I should fly you up?" asked a still somewhat confused looking Starfire. "We would not wish for you to become displaced; also, we could do the chatting concerning the film."

Cyborg recognized the signs of Ryouga's distress immediately. The young man began running his hand through his hair, even as he started chuckling helplessly. "C'mon, Kori. Even I can figure out straight up. I'll be fine, really."

"But, perhaps-"

"Starfire-" Raven's interjection was as abrupt as it was welcome. "-do you know what would really make this night complete? We should ask Kasumi if she would like to . . . how did you put it again . . . engage in braiding maneuvers?"

Cyborg, Raven and Ryouga were all forced to cover their ears lest they be deafened by Starfire's squeal of joy.

"Oh, yes, Raven! That is a most wondrous idea. Kasumi is most proficient at the . . ."

Over the din of the alien's hair-do diatribe, Ryouga shot Raven a look which screamed, 'Thank you'. In return, Raven replied with a small smile which said, in no uncertain terms, 'You owe me more than you could ever know.'

The Lost Boy then offered Cyborg a quick salute before leaping up and out of sight. The titanium teen leaned out his window to see the crazy martial artist land on the second story ledge, before launching himself up further.

Cyborg could only shake his head at the display. "What is it about kung fu that makes you lose your mind?"

In a flash of darkness, Raven teleported into the front seat, only to chuckle wryly. "I don't know, but it certainly can be amusing to watch."

Starfire, finally realizing that no one was actually paying attention to her anymore, looked around in confusion. "Whose insanity is it our amusement to observe?"

The violet haired girl shook her head in amusement. "Take us home, Jeeves."

Before he complied, he leaned out his window once more to watch the nimble martial artist's accent of the tower. "Maan! Dude is probably getting smudge marks all up my beautiful tower! Starfire is gonna be up there all day tomorrow with a bottle of Windex."

"Indeed, I . . . wait, why must I be the one to do such cleansing?" Starfire levelled a challenging glare to the front seat.

Raven shrugged before replying. "Well, I don't do windows, and I doubt Kasumi would appreciate dangling from the roof in a harness, so that leaves you."

Cyborg finally coasted the T-Car the rest of the way into the garage, heading for his usual parking spot. "Heh, I dunno, Rae. Kasumi does love cleaning. Maybe extreme cleaning is the next step?"

The cloaked Titan sent a sly smile his way. "You know, if I didn't know that you liked her, I'd say you were being a chauvinist."

Instantly, his human cheek blushed red and he pumped the brake a little harder than intended. The sudden stop sent both females lurching forward in their seats.

"I-I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout, Rae!"

The second he issued his stuttering denial, Starfire's eyes grew to nearly double their size, trying to drown him in twin seas of emerald. "Is this true, friend Cyborg? Do you harbor the – the fondness for Tendo Kasumi?"

Cyborg groaned for all he was worth before shooting his best death glare at Raven. "Not that it's any of your business, but my feelings for Kasumi are purely professional. She's my student and I'm her teacher, so there's no more there than there is between Robin and Kasumi."

Even as Raven's eyes glittered with cynical mischief, Starfire's face fell like a satellite from orbit. "Oh . . . I see. So you share the same feelings for Kasumi that Robin does . . ."

At the incredibly odd tone in the girl's voice, Cyborg and Raven shared a brief look before turning their stares on the flame haired alien in the back seat. Not exactly sure what she had meant, the bulky teen could only nod uncertainly. "Um, yeah . . . I guess so. T-there ain't nothing wrong with that, is there?"

In a most impressive display of bi-polarism in action, Starfire made an emotional about-face, going from Ryouga's Shi shi Houkodan to Beast Boy's 'I finally beat you, Cyborg!' victory dance, in the blink of an eye.

"Of course not, friend Cyborg! You are absolutely correct, it is of no vocation of mine whom my team mates harbor affection for – and now we are securely docked in the vehicular maintenance bay, so we should terminate this pointless conversation immediately and make our way into the tower!"

The Tamarianian's speech rose in pitch and pace so rapidly, that Cyborg barely even noticed the fact that, by the time Starfire had uttered the final words, she was already out of the car and halfway to the elevator.

He and Raven shared another confused glance. The darker Titan's eyebrow rose quizzically. "What just happened here? I thought we were supposed to be teasing you?"

He shrugged in reply. "Beats me, but I know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth."

His companion made a cute little 'hmph' sound, obviously disappointed at being denied her prey, then teleported out of the vehicle. Somewhat more constrained by the laws of physics than she, Cyborg was forced to open his door to get out before he was able to rejoin pair of females at the elevator.

Thankfully, at the very least, Starfire had held the door for them, though the alien was whistling innocently to herself and spending an inordinate amount of attention on the glowing panel of numbered buttons.

Again, Cyborg shrugged at the strange behavior. Considering who it was, strange was pretty much the norm. And, of course, being smart enough to not bring up the topic of the lovely older Tendo woman, Cyborg was more than happy to let the rest of the ride up pass in silence.

When they finally hit the main room, though, it was almost pitch black.

"Huh," he elucidated quickly. He was a second away from declaring their teammates already in bed, until he noticed the soft glow of the television at the far side of the massive room. The quiet sounds of music, mixed liberally with girlish giggling (some of which sounded like Beast Boy's) suffused the air.

As one, Cyborg and his entourage made their way to the couch. Even through the darkness, he could make out the familiar silhouettes of Robin, Beast Boy and Kasumi contrasting sharply with the colorful television screen. It appeared that the trio was watching what appeared to be a –

"Oh no, I am not watching another inane animated Disney movie," Raven stated plainly.

The three seated Titans must not have heard their entrance, as all of them jumped slightly at Raven's stark declaration. Robin, Beast Boy and Kasumi all quickly turned to stare at them.

"Hey, you guys are finally back!" exclaimed Beast Boy.

Raven rolled her violet eyes. "Obviously. Now, whose idea was it to watch . . . this . . ."

The cloaked Titan's words trailed off to nothing as a new figure rose up from where she had apparently been lying between the changeling and the medical student. The blonde haired girl dropped an arm across the back of the couch as she turned to face them.

"Ah, come on, Raven. Are you telling me you never wanted to have a Fantasia party?"

". . . Terra?"

"Heh, that's my name. "

Terra pasted the biggest smile on her face that she was capable of. It wasn't too hard; she was definitely happy to see Cyborg and Starfire. Those two had been almost as close to and supportive of her as Beast Boy.

However, an equally large part of her was quailing internally at the mildly surprised looking girl wearing the dark cloak. Of all of her battles, that had been the most vicious, the most personal. Even as she sat there quipping away with the violet eyed Titan, all she could see was Raven's terrified face being swallowed down into an ocean of mud . . .

Quickly shaking off that disturbing mental image, Terra turned her attention back to the trio before her.

"You know, you guys sure look surprised to – urk!"

The rest of her observation was cut short as Cyborg grabbed her left arm, Starfire grabbed her right arm, and together they pulled her over the couch with all of the effort one might exert in the picking of a flower.

"Terra!" "Terra!" exclaimed the pair in surround sound.

Knowing that any second the two would begin jockeying for position, she cut them off and leaned forward to give Starfire a quick hug.

"Hey now, calm down guys! You don't want to crush me just as I'm getting better?" she asked teasingly.

She then leaned over and wrapped her arms (as far around as they would go, anyway) around Cyborg, hugging the big lug as well. Then, getting a little caught up in the moment, she actually leaned over to give the next person in line a hug to boot-

Raven's flat stare pulled her up short on that score. Terra stood awkwardly for a moment, caught in the aborted hug and likely looking like a complete goof in front of the somber Titan.

"Umm, hey there, Raven . . ."

Raven nodded, once. "Terra."

Thankfully, before the moment could get even more horribly uncomfortable, Terra found herself airborne once more. This time, she found herself thrust down into one of the chairs around the Kitchen table, Cyborg and Starfire magically present at her sides.

"When di-""It is glor-""Why didn't you ca-""How are you fee-""This is so grea-"I must prepare the pudding of jo-"

Terra's eyes bounced back and forth like ping pong balls as the two excited Teens trampled all over each other's words, trying to pump her for information. The fact she could only hear every other word made it difficult to answer, but she still tried her best, though.

"Ummm, a few hours ago. It's good to see you too, Starfire. I didn't want to ruin your evening. A little stiff . . . and that sounds great!" The waifish blonde gulped for air, but a feeling of nostalgia warmed her heart as she glanced at her friends smiling faces. Oh, if only it would last . . .

It was about then that Beast Boy materialized at the table and instantly the three Titans exploded into a flurry of questioning and well wishing. It was all that Terra could do to get a word in edgewise, despite the fact everyone was talking to her.

She still couldn't shake the feeling of soul numbing guilt that was gnawing away at her stomach as she sat there, pretending like nothing had happened. What was wrong with these people? She had tried to destroy them! The only person acting sane was Raven, and even then, that was pretty much how she'd acted when Terra had first arrived.

It was also hard to pay attention, as her eyes continued to subtly scan across the room. She didn't actually know who she was looking for, though she had a strange feeling she would know him if she saw him. Even as she did her best to keep up with the ongoing conversational onslaught, a single question kept running through her mind.

What do you say to the complete stranger that saved your life?

It was an odd question, coming from a super hero, she supposed. Saving complete strangers had pretty much been her bread and butter for the longest time . . . but this just seemed to go so far beyond stopping a building from collapsing on someone. He hadn't just saved her, whoever this Ryouga person was, he'd – he'd brought her back.

She felt terrible for not focusing on the friends surrounding her, but as much as she appreciated the Titan's kindness, it was just too much, too soon. The smile she wore kept trying to slither off her face; all she could see were phantom faces filled with grief, anger, or betrayal-

"Oh my, wherever did Ryouga get off to?"

Terra let out a tremendous breath of relief as everyone's attention was drawn to the blissfully unhaunted face of the lovely Tendo woman. The geokinetic did her best to keep all of her attention on Kasumi while she waited for the answer; on the one face in the room that didn't cause her insides to twist up on themselves with guilt.

"Our dear friend has expressed a desire to perch upon the roof of the tower. Provided he arrived at his destination, he should be there presently," explained Starfire in a somewhat put-out tone.

For some reason, Robin shot a quizzical look out the massive bay windows, as if confirming something. "Really? But, it looks like it's going to rain soon."

Then, even more perplexingly, Raven of all people, smiled a secret little smile that Terra was certain she'd never seen before.

"Exactly," stated the darkest Titan in a tone even stranger than her smile.

Apparently Terra wasn't the only one confused by that little exchange, as Beast Boy spun on Raven. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

Terra couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, what's the big deal about being on the roof in the rain?"

She forgot that he friends were city types that hadn't spent a good part of their lives getting caught in the rain while walking from one city to the next.

Except that her mundane question didn't have the effect she thought it would. Instantly, everyone clammed up and spun to look at her. Expressions which screamed 'Big Secret Right Here' were plastered all over their faces . . . except for Kasumi.

The lovely woman still wore that serene smile of hers. "Why don't you ask him?" suggested the tall brunette leadingly.

Terra felt shock flash through her as she stared at Kasumi. Had the seemingly sweet and harmless woman seen through her façade so easily? The blonde began to fidget nervously-

"I imagine you must be eager to thank Ryouga for doing so much to help you," continued Kasumi, apparently oblivious to Terra's exploding anxiety.

Taking a second to calm down, Terra nodded a little uncertainly. "Ah . . . yeah, actually . . ."

"Alright!" Beast Boy cheered excitedly. "I'll take you up and introduce you to the big goof."

Terra stared at the handsome young man. She was almost tempted to accept his offer; he was the one person that she was closer to than anyone . . . but that just made it all the more painful to see those phantom flashes of betrayal crossing over his face.

"Um, actually, I was kind of hoping to talk to him alone for a bit, Beast Boy. There are some things I'd like to ask him."

The crestfallen look that descended on the changeling's face almost made her change her mind. Unexpectedly, it was Raven that came to her rescue.

"Please, Beast Boy. She's only going to the roof. She'll be back in no time . . . provided she doesn't let Ryouga lead her anywhere."

Inexplicably, everyone around began to chuckle or giggle respectively, again leaving the recently comatose hero afloat in a sea of confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Even as everyone else quickly stifled their laughter, Raven turned that mysterious smile in her direction. Had she ever smiled at me before? . . . Not that I can remember.

"It is Ryouga's place to tell you, not ours. . . . But I have a feeling you won't have much trouble gaining his confidence."

What was up with her? Raven acting halfway nice to her was creepier than the way she normally acted. All she could do was stare at the cloaked woman, before just shrugging and shooting her an odd look.

"O-kaay, then." And with that, the narrow framed girl made her way to the stairs . . . quickly reconsidered and altered her course to the elevator. It was a tall tower after all.

Even as the small metal box shot her up towards the apex of the building, all she could think about was this Ryouga person. From what Beast Boy had told her, the first image that popped into her head was Ryu from Street Fighter. Some huge, grim faced guy with muscles literally bursting through his clothing. Honestly, she hoped that wasn't the case, super muscley guys just looked weird to her.

Conversely, from what Kasumi had told her, he was some kind of shy, stammering, gentle soul, with big puppy dog eyes to boot. How this sweet, caring (and let's face it, a little girly) sounding person could match up with Beast Boy's Kung Fu death machine, she had no idea.

The gentle ding of the elevator reaching the roof drew her out of her reverie. The doors then slid open to reveal the dark, cloudy night sky. She took a moment to steel her resolve. Well, only one way to find out.

As soon as she took a single step from the relative safety of the elevator, mischievous winds began to play through her long blonde hair. For just a moment, she stopped. All she could do was relish the feel of the wind on her face, enjoy the sweet sensation of the zephyrs running their fingers through her tresses.

Maybe to her mind it had only been several hours since her battle with Slade, but her body seemed to realize just how long it had been removed from the world. She enjoyed the simple pleasure of simply being alive for another minute, staring at the billowing clouds tumbling in her direction, before finally resuming her search for her quarry.

It didn't take too long to find what she was looking for. The large, onyx circle of an umbrella cut a pretty vivid silhouette against the distant lightning. The person holding the umbrella (was that really smart in a lightning storm?) was only visible from the waist down. Though she could tell his back was to her, his umbrella was tilted back to block most of her view of him.

She decided, then and there, that she wanted to make a good impression on this strangely familiar stranger. She'd been feeling so guilty and mopey since waking up, so hesitant and worried about saying the wrong things to the people she had betrayed so cruelly. But whoever this person was, he was a fresh start for her. She didn't know him, hadn't hurt him, so maybe, just maybe, he could be her friend too.

Casually, she sidled up beside young man. Deciding to play it cool, she kept looking straight ahead into the coming storm.

"Hey there, the name's Terra."

Apparently the guy must have heard her coming, since he didn't jump at all. Rather, he replied with a softly amused tone, containing only the barest hint of some kind of accent. "Ryouga . . . heh, I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to sleep for too long."

Terra giggled, finally turning to face her rescuer. He looked down at her as well, and she felt her breath catch for just a second as she imagined what he might look like . . .

A second later, her breathing resumed. The young man before her wasn't some scarred action hero, nor was he some soulful, simpering pretty boy. He was . . . just a guy. A cute guy, sure, but he looked like he could have been any one of a hundred people she had passed by on her travels.

Hmm, wait a second. She wasn't sure what it was, but she got an odd feeling for some reason. Her look shifted to impish amusement as she stared up at the bandanna clad youth.

"Did you really? Or are you just trying to sound all wise to be cool?"

Embarrassed chuckles filled the air as the young man ran a hand through his hair in a simply adorable manner. "Heh, is it that obvious?"

Taking a half step closer to him (just to use him as a wind break, that was all) she smiled happily. "It is to me. Not that you need to worry. I mean, you saved my life. You're pretty much already as cool as you can get in my eyes."

He returned her smile with a fanged grin. He then shifted his umbrella slightly, moving the canopy to cover her more fully as the storm clouds continued to roll in. Without thinking, she accepted his implied offer and shuffled closer until their shoulders were nearly brushing.

"Really?" asked an amused Ryouga. "I figured you'd be tired of my company after all this time."

Terra looked at the fanged boy oddly. "Umm, but this is the first time we've ever spoken."

Her companion donned a sheepish expression that she found to be extremely endearing. "Actually, we've talked a lot over the past few months . . . this is just the first time you've talked back. . . . You know, your voice sounds almost exactly like I imagined it."

Though she wasn't exactly sure why, the geokinetic felt a flush of heat rush to her cheeks. She looked up at the martial artist out of the corner of her eye, watching in fascination as he gazed intently at the storm before them. There was an odd look of anticipation on his face for some reason.

After a long, comfortable moment, she decided to break the silence. "There are so many things I want to ask you."

Ryouga tore his eyes away from the boiling black clouds to stare gently down at her. "I'll do my best to answer whatever questions you have."

That stumped her for a second. Well, it was true there were a thousand and one questions swirling in her head, but it all seemed to boil down to a single question that she needed answered more than anything else.

"Why?"

The martial artist was taken aback for a moment and she half expect a 'why, what?' coming, but then understanding dawned on his face.

Absently, his gaze drifted back to the coming storm. "Why . . . such a small word for such a big question."

She waited expectantly as he organized his thoughts.

"I . . . well, it's kind of hard to explain, really. I'm not that great with words, you see, but I'll try." He drew in a deep breath of the cool night air. "I guess there were a lot of reasons, really. I did it to make Beast Boy happy . . . to make Cologne proud . . . to rescue a stranger from a fate worse than death . . ."

The tall man at her side chuckled in a self depreciating manner that confused her to no end.

"It all sounds pretty good, right? All noble and selfless?"

She nodded slowly, even though his eyes were still locked on the clouds above them.

"Sadly, I'm not that kind of guy. Like most things in my life, I ended up doing the right thing for the wrong reasons . . . or the wrong thing for the right reason; one of those two for sure."

Finally, he turned his gaze back down on her, his eyes filled with emotions that resonated right down to the core of Terra's being at that second. Pain and guilt, those were things she could understand better than anyone in the world at that moment.

"In the end," he continued quietly, "I really did it for myself, I suppose. I . . . I saw so much of myself in you, the pain you've endured, the loneliness, the bitterness. Both of us are wanderer's, no family to speak of, barely a handful of friends in the entire world."

Terra nodded somberly, a chill having nothing to do with the wind seeping into her bones. If Ryouga noticed, he gave no sign, just continued to stare into her soul with those piercing brown eyes.

"Finding it so hard to trust anyone after a life on the road, only to have that trust dashed so casually when we finally dare to offer it. Running away from our problems, or hiding them behind a wall of anger and resentment. Lashing out at the people that actually cared for us, because we were too blind to see it . . ."

Every word made Terra feel smaller and colder than the last. The only thing keeping her from lashing out and telling him to shut up (man, he'd called that one, hadn't he?) was the sense of pure understanding that was radiating from the young man's eyes. She had, over the years, heard the term 'kindred spirit' bandied around before, but she'd never given it any real thought before . . . but now . . .

Abruptly Ryouga broke his gaze away from hers, a mirthless laugh escaping his lips. "There's only one real difference between you and me. You may have turned on the Titans, but in the end . . . in the end, you saved them all; though it cost you everything, you saved the whole city and redeemed yourself."

The fanged boy's heavy gaze fell towards his slippered feet.

"I . . . didn't."

Words failed to come to the blonde geokinetic. So, instead, she gently twisted her fingers into the rough material of his sleeve and tugged until he raised his eyes to match her own once more. The bleak expression hung on his face for a long second before another bark of mirthless laughter filled the air.

"I guess what I'm really trying to say, is that when I was trying to save you, I was really just trying to save myself . . . just – just a better myself."

"A better yourself?" she parroted quizzically.

A gentle sigh. "Terra, when the whole world was collapsing down around you, you found something inside of yourself that gave you the strength to do the right thing. When I was placed in a similar situation, I was ultimately found wanting."

She gasped when she noticed a drop of water trail down his cheek.

"Not only did I break, I broke so spectacularly that I nearly killed everyone I ever cared about. Heh, I can still imagine the headline: Jump City sinks into the Bay because a young boy couldn't take it anymore."

He turned back to face her, a strained look in his eyes.

"It just seemed so unfair to me. I mean, what kind of justice is that? You do the right thing, save everyone, and end up a statue; while I get to survive after coming within a hair's width of wiping out everyone I know?" He shook his head solemnly. "No – no, when all was said and done, you needed to be saved . . . because – because if someone so much better than me didn't have someone looking out for them, then what the hell kind of chance do I have?"

A hush filled the air for a long moment, interrupted only by the gentle pitter patter of raindrops on the umbrella over their heads. Just as fascinated by her own footwear as her companion was, it was finally Terra that broke the heavy silence.

"I'm not better than you . . ."

Ryouga snorted not-quite-derisively. "You don't need to patronize me."

She glared heatedly at the grim male. "It's not like that!"

This time his response was a cynical grunt. It annoyed the thin geokinetic enough that she slugged him in the shoulder . . . though she regretted that decision instantly. Sheesh, does this guy carry metal plates in his pockets?

"Look, I don't know what it is you did," she exclaimed, "Beast Boy and Kasumi tried their best to tell me what kind of guy you were, but they never really told me about any of the stuff you've done. But none of that matters to me! I don't know what you did, who you might have hurt, and I don't have a clue how you could have possibly even come close to destroying the whole city, but I do know one thing for sure."

She took a step forward and turned to make sure that he had no choice but to meet her gaze. She could feel the ticklish tingle of raindrops splashing across the back of her exposed heels as she stood at the very fringe of the umbrella's protective radius, but didn't even spare the sensation a second thought.

"You saved me. You saved me. The traitor, the villain, the monster. There are probably a thousand people in this city that would have taken a sledgehammer to my statue if they'd known about it, after all the things I did. Ten times that number probably thought that being turned to stone was a fitting punishment for what I'd done, and would have been happy to see things stay that way."

She offered him a weak, but sincere smile. "But you, someone that never even knew me, you took the time to see beyond all that. Whatever reasons you may have had, you decided that I deserved a second chance and you . . . you gave me back my life."

Playfully bouncing her knuckles off his chin, her smile grew wider. "If that doesn't make you a good guy, than I don't know what does. And I'm not going to take no for an answer, got it?"

She finished with a pointed stare that would make females the world round swell with pride.

Apparently Ryouga was well versed in being on the receiving end of female ire, as he nodded quickly in capitulation. He even went so far as to offer her a weak grin, one of his oversized canines peeking out teasingly. "Heh, I guess we can call it a draw, then."

She nodded positively, heartened at the small grin twisting his lips. "Now, enough of that grim stuff. You and me are gonna be friends, whether you like it or not, so cheer up already."

Her companion shook his head in amusement at her righteous demand. "I can hardly say no to that, now can I?"

It felt kind of odd, acting so cheerful with this person. No, actually, the odd part was that she wasn't 'acting' at all. When he'd started falling into his personal well of despair, she could almost feel herself being dragged along with him. However, now that his spirits were lifting, she felt her own flagging mood begin to rise as well.

She remembered feeling this way before, so long ago, when she had first met the Titans. The hopeful optimism of meeting people that had a chance of understanding her. She'd completely ruined that wondrous bond she'd forged with Beast Boy and his friends, and despite what Ryouga said, didn't feel at all like she'd made up for her past mistakes.

It would be impossible to tell how long it would take before she finally felt like she actually deserved the forgiveness that the Titans had so freely given . . . but with this person, this Ryouga . . . she didn't feel anything like that at all. Maybe it was just selfish, simply turning her head to the side to look to this new, flawed companion, rather than crane her neck looking up at her perfect friends.

Was it just her, or were the Titans drawing pretty heavily on the ex-villain community to fill their ranks?

There was just one thing bothering her.

"You know," she stated, fixing him with another pointed stare. "You really have me at a disadvantage here. You sound like you know all there is to know about me, but I hardly know anything about you besides your name and what Kasumi told me. I think if we're gonna be friends, here, that you need to tell me something about yourself."

Her companion scratched his chin in consideration. "Hmmm, well . . . I guess that sounds fair. So, what did you want to know, then?"

Again, a thousand and one questions ran through her head. 'Where were you born?', 'What's your favorite color?', 'Which of Starfire's recipes is your favorite?', 'Do you have a girlfriend?'

She quickly shook her head to rid it of that last errant thought. That was assuredly none of her business. She was just glad that it was the middle of the night so the burning of her cheeks would only be known to herself. So, instead, she just latched onto the last thing she could think of. Turning back to face Ryouga, she asked the question which had been haunting her since just before coming up the stairs.

"So, why are you standing up on the roof in the middle of a rain storm, anyways?"

Despite the rather innocuous nature of her question, it had an effect that was as startling as it was stark. Instantly, Ryouga tensed up like he'd been stuck with a cattle prod. The young man quickly looked around, panic in his eyes, as if he'd just realized something very, very, very important which had slipped his mind up until that point. Confused, Terra gazed out into the heavy rain that was coming down all around them, fat drops of water falling within just a few inches of her face. . . but she couldn't see anything that would have evoked such a reaction.

"Heh, heh . . . heh," chuckled the fanged boy weakly. "You know . . . I – I actually forget why I'm up here . . . yeah. W-why don't we head backstairs – quickly."

Something seemed kind of odd about his response, but Terra shrugged easily. Sure, she would have liked to stand out in the rain a little longer; it was so invigorating, especially considering how tired she was feeling, but then again, sitting on a warm, soft couch also had its own merits.

With movements that she wouldn't quite call frantic, Ryouga turned about and began to head back to the elevator, umbrella still held up protectively between them. With the idea of a warm couch and a fluffy blanket now firmly entrenched in her mind, Terra quickly turned to follow suit –

Which was pretty much the exact moment that her legs decided they'd had just about as much of this being stood on crap as they were gonna take. Perhaps standing on the roof, in the chill September air, just hours after being revived from being a statue hadn't been a great idea, Terra lamented as her narrow legs buckled and gave way beneath her.

Luckily, falling face first onto a soaking wet roof would not be her fate this night. With reflexes just as fast as Beast Boy had boasted, her companion reached out to catch her faltering form mere seconds after her loss of equilibrium. The ebony umbrella slid from his hand as he did.

And just like that, her (very unlikely traumatic) fall ceased, and a second after that, she felt the rain begin to soak through her clothes. Feeling terribly embarrassed for getting them caught in the rain just seconds away from the elevator after spending so long on the roof without getting wet, she turned to offer Ryouga a sheepish grin . . .

Ryouga returned her grin with a classic 'deer caught in the headlights' expression. She wondered what was up with . . . him . . .

It took her about three seconds to process the information that her eyes were feeding to her brain.

But only a single second to faint dead away.

Well, that went about as well as possible, Ryouga groused to himself. That had been about as predictable as the sun, really. And for that matter, why had he even considered trying to hide his curse again?

With a grunt of annoyance, he flipped back onto his bed to stare at the ceiling hanging above him. Despite the fact that he have 'lived' there for months now, the plain white ceiling was still as foreign to him as his parent's dining room.

Of course, that might have had something to do with him spending most of his time down in a cave. Unfortunately, he doubted anyone would be so generous as to walk him down there every night to sleep. Besides, it probably wouldn't be nearly so comfortable without Terra down there to keep him company anymore.

Speaking of tiny little blonde heroes, Ryouga counted himself lucky that most of Terra's fainting spell had been attributed to exhaustion, rather than shock. He didn't even want to imagine how much worse Beast Boy's revenge would be if that hadn't been the case.

Not that he imagined, even for a second, that Beast Boy's revenge for him causing Terra to faint wasn't going to be terrible . . . but, hey, it could have been worse, right?

All of which left him where he was: lying awake in bed, with nothing to do but wait in dreadful anticipation. Absently, he popped his communicator out of his pocket, if only to stop the damn thing from digging into his side in such an annoying manner.

I wish there was something to do, he lamented.

Sure, it was well after midnight, but he just wasn't feeling tired. Probably something to do with drinking over a gallon of caffienated soda back at the movies. Idly, he began flipping his communicator over and over in his hands. The alternating patterns of yellow and black were almost hypnotizing.

Wasn't there something I was supposed to do tonight?

The errant thought caught him by surprise, but as soon as it did, that niggling feeling that he'd forgotten something bloomed quite blatantly in his mind. Now he knew he was forgetting something.

But what could it bee?

That brought the Lost Boy up short. 'What could it bee?' Now why the heck would he have thought that? He looked at his H.I.V.E. communicator again. That was pretty silly, thinking 'bee' instead of 'be'.

Heh, bee, be . . . be, bee . . . BB?

Instantly, hand met forehead in a meaty smack. He let out a groan of disgust; he'd totally forgotten that he was supposed to call Bumble Bee.

Should he still call her? It was pretty late, but then she was a super hero. It wasn't like their kind kept regular hours. Meh, what the heck. What's one more girl being annoyed with me?

Soon enough, his communicator was open and beeping in wait of someone picking up at the other end. He wasn't left waiting long as the familiar face of the lovely bee themed woman filled the screen. It only took a second for recognition to fill those big brown eyes.

"Hey, Ryo. I was starting to think you stood me up, here."

Ryouga grinned his fanged grin. "And risk getting on your bad side? I may be reckless, but I'm not suicidal. So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Bumble Bee's playful expression dimmed noticeably at his inquiry. She quickly replaced it with a serious gaze aimed in his direction.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you if you've seen Jinx at all lately."

The Lost One could only stare at his communicator for several long seconds. The question was so out of the blue that it completely threw him for a loop. "W-what? Why are you asking me? I mean, you're the one fighting with Nabiki over there. Jinx left with them, didn't she?"

His dark skinned companion looked at him in confusion, until understanding suddenly lit up her face. "Oh, right! You were totally out of it when that happened, weren't you?"

He shot her a sardonic look. "To the best of my memory, yes."

Rolling her eyes in that penultimate female mannerism, Bumble Bee stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't be smart, Ryo, it doesn't suit you. Man, I can't believe no one bothered telling you. Nabiki told everyone that Jinx wasn't gonna be on her team. The girl might have left with them, but Jinx isn't with them anymore."

Ryouga's eyes widened at the news. It sure didn't sound like a shocking revelation, Jinx going her own way, but for a reason he couldn't explain, even to himself, Bumble Bee's statement struck right to his core.

"J-Jinx isn't on Nabiki's team?" It felt odd to ask the question, since the very notion of Nabiki's team had only been a vague concept in the back of his mind until Bumble Bee herself had mentioned fighting them earlier that evening. "But, if she's not with them, then where is she?"

The tiny representation of Bumble Bee shrugged. "No one knows . . . Well, I haven't actually had the chance to ask Nabiki or anything, but no one I work with knows. It's like the girl dropped off the face of the planet."

Ryouga wavered for a moment, before squaring his shoulders and setting his face straight. "Well, be that as it may, I'm not sure what that has to do with me."

It was his lovely companion's turn to don a shocked expression. "Ryouga Hibiki! How could you even say that? That girl would have stolen the moon for you!"

His grim demeanor slipped for a moment. "Well, if anyone could . . ." He quickly shook his head. "Hey! She was the one that left me, remember?"

"But did you even consider that she might have had a reason for doing that?"

The sudden question cut into his angry rant, causing his jaw to click shut. He stared at the young woman for another moment. ". . . You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Ranma. Why is this so important to you guys, anyway?"

He could see the bee clad girl fidget around uncomfortably before she could finally look him in the eye again. "Look, Ryo, Cyborg's been telling me how you kinda got a thing for Raven going on-"

He prepared to offer up his standard, sputtering denial-

"-But, but, can you honestly tell me that she needs you more than Jinx does?"

Ryouga did his best impression of a deer in headlights (second time that night, not bad, even for him). "Huh?"

Bumble Bee sighed loudly. "It's not that I have anything against Raven. It's just, well, that Jinx is a friend, our friend, and I was hoping that you might have been able to bring her around, save her from herself, y'know?"

Despite himself, Ryouga found himself smirking fondly. "The Jinx I know has never needed saving, and I'd be the last person to want to change her . . ." He released a resigned sigh. "I still don't know why Ranma cares so much about this, but you two are right. In spite of everything, and no matter how much I try to tell myself otherwise, I do miss her. She – she deserves so much better than what fate dealt her . . ."

It was his companion's turn to smile fondly. "She isn't the only one. This isn't all about her, you know? I want you to be happy too, Ryouga. I just happen to think that the odds of happiness are higher with vivacious, slightly unbalanced femme fatales, than they are with gloomy, reclusive bookworms."

One of Ryouga's eyebrows quirked upwards. "I thought you said you didn't have anything against Raven."

Coughing uncomfortably into her hand, Bumble Bee's gaze wandered all around the perimeter of the tiny view screen. "Of course I don't. I mean, it's not like she effortlessly pounded XL and me into the ground back in the Martial Arts Obstacle Race . . . I mean, I'd have to be pretty unprofessional to hold a grudged over something silly like that . . ."

The Lost Boy began chuckling, even as his companion finally broke down into girlish giggles. "Well, just so long as I know your opinion isn't biased. Hmm, you know, now that I think of it, I might just know a person that might be able to point me in the right direction to find Jinx."

Bumble Bee burst into laughter instantly. "Wow, this guy must be amazing if he can point you in the right direction!"

"BB . . ." growled the fanged martial artist.

"Sorry, sorry, it was just too easy to pass up."

Annoyed now, he fired a mild glare at the giggler. "Look, I'm only doing this because Jinx was our friend. I can't make any guarantees that I'll even be able to find her, or how she'll feel if I do. Remember, though, that Raven is my friend too, and I'm not going to turn my back on her for 'what if's'."

Bumble Bee shot him a pointed look. "Hey, now. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life. I'm just giving some friendly advi-"

"Bonzai!"

In an explosion of motion, the bedroom door flew open and a flurry of spherical projectiles came flying in the Lost Boy's direction. Acting on reflex, his arm shot out to deflect the attack-

Which only served to burst the salvo of water balloons all the more dramatically. H2O splashed everywhere, soaking the walls, the carpets, the bedspread . . . and, of course, Ryouga himself.

With a growl roughly three octaves to high to be anything but adorable rumbling in his throat, the pint sized Hibiki could only stare at his communicator in shock. The loss of a good ten years was likely the only thing stopping said communicator from being crushed into the electronic equivalent of diamond.

On the distant end of the communiqué, his lovely companion struggled vainly to stop herself from bursting into uproarious laughter.

"W-what the heck was that about-" Bumble Bee must have seen the familiar signs of his temper about to snap messily all over Beast Boy's hide, because she quickly amended, "-You know what, you can tell me later. Go kick that grass stain's butt already."

Ryouga was only too happy to comply.