Dark Titans – Arc 5 - Pre Wedding Jitters
Chapter 3 - Part 3/3
Enjoy if you Will, Tolerate if you won't.
Lotion leaned casually against the polished wood of the ancient granary. She certainly hoped she appeared casual at any rate. Tugging at the straps of the heavy pack resting on her back, her mind was racing with thoughts and it was all she could do to keep herself from shouting in frustration.
How undignified that would look.
The source of her anxiety floated above the distant farmland, its deep purple hull nearly blending into the night sky.
The Tamaranean ship.
Making its final preparations for departure; she swore she could see the tangerine hued figures zipping back and forth in the distance, loading up their remaining equipment and stores.
To think, if everything went to plan, then soon… soon she might be on that ship, howling through the dark void of space. Everything was happening too fast for the Amazonian scholar. Just a day ago, she had been petitioning the alien captain for a tour of his ship to sate her curiosity, but now, on the brink of stealing away on the steel behemoth, it was a daunting proposition indeed.
Everything had been so chaotic since the announcement came from the captain. Honored Elders had been crowing like chickens for hours but had no way to vent their frustrations. All hope of a renewed Amazon nation, built on the foundation of ancient tradition and alien super technology was quickly dwindling away…
And then the call from Honored Elder Cologne. Even more surprising, the Matriarch had contacted her through the communicator that Cyborg had left in her possession, rather than through any of the Lexcorp communication stations that were being set up throughout the village.
For a moment, she let her mind drift to the impossibly intelligent, imposingly strong… and improbably charming Titan. It had, to her regret, been several weeks since her last contact with him. With the alien and corporate interests overturning the village status quo of late, her role as an Archivist in training had kept her incredibly busy.
Despite the distractions, he still dwelled in her thoughts from time to time. He had taught her so much… even let her watch documentaries from the display in his arm. A private smile curved her lips and heat flashed on her cheeks; he had never complained when she had leaned against him to better view the small screen. She didn't like wallowing in her baser instincts, but he had been exotically handsome.
Honestly, she had always assumed that as long as the Tamaraneans were still present, it would only be a matter of time before they met the Titans again. As such, she had taken it for granted, hadn't felt pressured to contact the cybernetic hero.
But now, with the alien ship on the brink of vanishing forever, suddenly her complacency was replaced with desperate intent. As the ancient Chinese proverb went, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'.
That thought brought her back to the present, or at least to near past, and to Cologne's communique. It appeared that the Matriarch was not afraid to take brash, even reckless, action to protect the interests of the village.
The ancient warrior's request filled her with both hope and dread. Hope that she might be allowed to become involved in something that may be remembered forever in Joketsuzoku history… dread that she would inevitably fail to live up to Cologne's expectations and that the resulting memory of her would be most unkind indeed.
She let out a long sigh and rested her head against the ancient wood at her back.
Of course, none of that would matter if they didn't make it to the meeting place with Cologne in the first place.
"By the Ancestors, where is she?"
Spice… the young woman had become something of a blessing and a curse. Lotion had never paid attention to the girl before the Titans' arrival. Spice was much more dedicated to the warrior's path than herself, so they had little reason to talk.
To be fair, as an aspiring scholar, Lotion had little reason to talk to most of her sisters. Her most common companions for the past several years were a select few of the Elders, and, of course, her books. So, while she was well respected for her calling and her knowledge, she was not widely… liked.
Cyborg and Beast Boy, however, had changed all that, just by virtue of being seen with them. Suddenly Spice and herself had become like minor celebrities among their sisters. Beyond that, Spice had, apparently, imprinted on her as her new best friend. Now, not a day passed without the emerald haired warrior trying to drag her out on some new malfeasance.
It seemed that, despite being her complete opposite, the younger Joketsuzoku fighter was not so different as she had first thought. Spice was zealous in her training, even by Amazon standards. As such, she had a way of alienating many of their sisters in her ongoing bid to topple the legendary Shampoo one day.
Even more worrisome, after incidentally ensnaring them into her scheme to torture the Titan males, Elder Perfume had taken a shine to Spice and had decided to help her achieve her goal.
Lotion nodded casually to the pair of guards that strolled past her, along the edge of the field.
The fact that Spice had been the first and only person she had thought of when Cologne had asked her to bring someone she trusted… obviously her own judgement had been compromised by the past few months of association as well.
She – wait, she saw something - something moving through the long grass of the field. It took a second to guess the path, directly towards her two sisters walking their patrol.
Lotion pushed off the wall, readying to call out a warning, when suddenly the swath cutting through the grass accelerated. Nearly too fast to follow and assuredly too fast for the unaware guards to notice, an emerald blur exploded from the crops.
She stopped in mid shout, her face melting into a deadpan.
Spice's legs flashed out once, twice, thrice, and before Lotion could even let out a beleaguered sigh, both guards collapsed to the ground in a well toned and curvy heap.
Wearing a smile far too wide for comfort on someone that just committed simultaneous assault, Spice strolled over to join her. Lotion could only cradle her face in her hands as her erstwhile friend approached. Several years her junior and about a hand shorter, Spice might have seemed unassuming to most, but she was quite the dynamo when motivated.
"Dummy! We're trying to avoid the Tamaranean guards, not our own!"
Spice stared at her blankly, as if she were the one saying something dumb. "Yeah, I know that-" Suddenly a bulb seemed to light up over her head. "Ohh! You mean those two. Oh, no, that was just payback for them messing with me at training earlier."
The scholar in training tried to immolate her companion with her gaze alone… but, unfortunately, she was one hundred years too early to master that technique.
"At least tell me you weren't followed by anyone else."
The young warrior rolled her eyes, obviously offended at the notion. "I've got skills that would make most ninjas weep with envy. Of course, I wasn't followed."
This time, Lotion was the one rolling her eyes. Finally, though, she gave up with a shrug. "Let us make haste, then. We're already behind schedule. If we miss our rendezvous with the Matriarch, I'm sure that we'll be praying for death before she's done with us."
That seemed to ground her excitable friend. Without another word, they started sprinting for their destination. Staying low, they utilized the long, swaying grain for cover as much as possible. The floating behemoth of the alien ship loomed large in the sky as they closed the distance.
Even after all this time, Lotion still marveled at the sight of the vessel. The design was alien, yet beautiful. Just by looking at the graceful curves, the intricate inlays that covered the hull, it was obvious that this was no mass-produced machine. No, this vessel was a work of art, crafted with loving attention to detail by a true master.
It was a hallmark of the race, she had learned. While they had mass production for basic items, many of the Tamaraneans preferred to spend their time crafting more personalized possessions. Weapons, notably, were always made for the bearer. It was something the Amazons could understand, even Lotion herself, the bond between a warrior and their weapon.
"Over there," Spice whispered harshly as she gestured to the small copse of trees that obscured their meeting point. With fluid grace, they angled off and arrowed between the narrow trunks. Lotion quickly scanned the small clearing, surrounded by a circle of ancient stones.
They… were alone?
"Where is the Matriarch?" Lotion peered around the clearing owlishly.
"It's possible that her flight was delayed. Crossing half the planet in a matter of hours is bound to be a frantic affair."
Lotion nodded. "Yes, that is quite…"
Wait a moment.
"Spice, please tell me that was your concise and eloquent reply."
Silence.
Slowly, the young scholar turned to see Spice. The girl's emerald eyes were open wide and her body rigid as she looked off to the side. Hesitantly, Lotion swung her gaze to follow her friends…
"Elder Perfume!"
The statuesque woman sat perched on top of one of the stone monoliths, staring down at them as a hawk might a mouse. Before she could think, Lotion punched Spice in the shoulder. "I thought you said you weren't followed!"
Spice shook her head emphatically, her green locks whipping back and forth wildly.
"Of course, I didn't follow her." Perfume gracefully dropped from the stone and began to sedately circle them. A bit like a tiger. "I followed you, Lotion. Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look, trying so hard to act casual while you so obviously have something to hide?"
The sensation of her cheeks burning was not helped by her companion's shameless laughter.
"Don't feel too bad," Perfume rolled her wrist lazily as she continued to pace. "You're forty years too early to match my skills."
"And you are sixty years too early to match mine, Perfume."
All three of the warriors started as one, spinning around to stare at the edge of the clearing. The familiar sight of the ancient white-haired warrior, perched effortlessly on her staff, filled Lotion with equal parts relief and dread.
Perfume, for her part, smiled slyly. "Matriarch. I had anticipated that you would attempt something reckless, but don't tell me that you are actually planning on stowing away on that ship."
Cologne wore a potent neutral expression. "Then I won't."
The ancient elder then gestured to Lotion and Spice. "Come along, children. We have work to do." Cologne then turned an owlish eye back Perfume's way. "If you have nothing of value to say, you may take your leave."
The middle-aged Elder bristled visibly at the dismissal. She stepped forward, swiping her hand through the air.
"Do you realize what you are doing? You are going to steal away on the ship of a people that have all but declared war on us. Will then hurtle millions of miles through the void with no hope of escape or return. And then land in the heart of the Tamaranean's empire and make demands of their Grand Ruler?"
Cologne stared impassively as Perfume took another step forward. "This isn't a plan. It is an act of suicide! And worse-" This time, the honored Elder gestured to the two young Amazons. "You would take two of the village's most promising youths on this… this blaze of glory you intend to burn out on?"
For the first time in Lotion's life, she saw Elder Cologne, Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, set back a step. The wizened woman looked at Lotion, then to Spice, as if seeing them for the first time.
"I - I had not even considered…"
Cologne hopped off her staff, appearing to diminish in many ways. She glanced about, looking at nothing they could see.
"I have grown so used to using the young for my purposes of late." She nodded slowly. "Perhaps you do have the right of things."
Perfume stepped forward and dropped to a knee before the Matriarch. "I respect what you want to do, but the odds are long, and the cost to the village great."
The younger Elder gestured back to the village. "Luthor will make us great. We have no need to throw away the lives of three proud warriors on a distant dream of reaching up past the heavens."
Lotion felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, as if she were standing in an electrical storm. In the distance, she could see the Tamaraneans were starting to board the ship. Before her, she saw an unassailable warrior begin to falter.
Fate loomed large before her… but was pulling back her hand.
"...With all due respect,,,"
Instantly, the learned young warrior felt her very being collapse in on itself as the combined gazes of two supremely powerful women fell upon her. Uncertainty gripped her for a moment, but rather than wither, she squared her shoulders and stood tall, defiant.
"With all due respect, Honored Elders." She held her breath and matched their stony stares. "You… you may speak for the entirety of the Joketsuzoku nation, but do not deign to speak for me."
She noted the eyes of both Elders widen in surprise. Nodding with determination, she forced herself to continue.
"Do you assume that we did not understand the implications of this mission?" She gestured to Spice, standing fitfully at her side. "That we came to this place out of blind obedience alone?"
Fists clenched, and nails dug into calloused palms. She felt her confidence as Spice stepped forward, nodding fiercely.
"For my entire life, the village was all I knew, this valley, my entire world. But now, Lex Corp, the Tamaraneans… the Titans." She swept her arms up to the heavens. "They have opened up the entire universe to me."
She clasped her hands before her, a gentle smile settling on her lips.
"Cyborg, before he left, taught me the courage to reach for the stars. And our ancestors teach us that our deeds are like the light from those stars, carrying on endlessly, even after our deaths."
Both Cologne and Perfume's harsh expressions softened at her words.
"I have contemplated the infinite nature of the universe much of late, and there is one truth I have learned." She dipped her head respectfully. "In the vastness of time and space, how rare and beautiful it is to even exist."
She felt her chest tighten as the white-haired matriarch began to smile. Short of breath, she forced herself to continue.
"To be given such a treasure, I feel it would be a waste to squander it all hidden away in our tiny village. Not when I have been given the chance to walk the heavens."
Unable to stop herself, even if she had desired it, she took a step forward, sweeping her arms out dramatically.
"With all due respect, Honored Elders. I could not care less what you say! With you, or without you, I will be on that ship." Her piece said, she spun about, matching words with action.
"Wait, Child."
Lotion hesitated, looking over her shoulder but not sure what to expect. Behind her, Cologne, Perfume and Spice were all staring at her, strange expressions on their faces.
The eldest warrior raised a hand to stall her. "It's been a long time, indeed, since I've found myself being lectured, especially by someone barely even a fraction of my own age." Lips so ancient that Lotion could almost hear them creak like wood, twisted up into a wry grin. "And I don't think I have ever needed someone to convince me to pursue my own plans before." A wry laugh. "I would be remiss if you left without me now, young Lotion."
Elder Perfume offered a shallow nod. "That was quite the speech. I think that you have the makings of a formidable member of the Council within you… you know, provided that we survive this madness."
At that, Spice started and looked up at the taller warrior, confusion filling her emerald eyes. "Wait a sec. What do you mean we?"
The young Elder shrugged her shoulders, sending a shimmer of moonlight reflecting down the waterfall of Aqua colored hair that ran down to her waist. "I fear I would shame myself if I refused to walk the path that even our talentless neophytes dared to tread." Perfume grinned widely at that. "Besides, I must admit that I have a few things I'd like to… discuss with this 'Grand Ruler' of theirs."
The pair of Elders quickly began to exit the clearing, speaking rapidly in lowered voices. Lotion moved to follow, only to nearly jump out of her skin when she felt a hand on her elbow. She spun to see Spice gazing up on her, eyes shimmering.
"Wow. That was amazing! I didn't know you could be such a badass with just using words."
Lotion felt her cheeks heat up and waved off the younger warrior's praise. Without another word, the green haired Amazon zipped off after the Elders.
...Off towards the alien ship…
Soon to be hurtling through the stars.
She certainly hoped she could maintain her courage long enough to make it to that behemoth alien vessel.
Lotion touched a finger to her chin as she started to jog after the others.
She also hoped Cologne had a plan to get them on the ship in the first place.
Sarah sucked in another gasping breath. She was laid out on a sleeping bag close to the fire, still too exhausted to move despite having been let off the hook by Ryouga hours ago.
The martial artist in question was on the far edge of the camp, running through yet another graceful kata. If her bones weren't aching so badly after being subjected to a workout that she was in no way prepared for, she might have enjoyed the way his muscles glistened in the firelight.
Cute he might be, and adorably shy under the right circumstances, but after being endlessly drilled through countless self defense moves, she could only see him as a merciless taskmaster. On the plus side, it wasn't just his dating potential that had been scoured away. The lingering fear that had been in her heart was gone now too.
After seeing how patient he had been with her, and how shamelessly he doted on his true student, almost like an indulgent uncle, she couldn't even imagine him as a villain.
Letting out a low groan, her muscles complaining every inch of the way, she turned to regard her other companion.
Despite having gone through all the training she had, followed by weirder training after Sarah had bowed out, Terra was still on her feet. The slight blonde was currently running through some martial arts kata.
Sarah noted the intense way Terra watched Ryouga across the clearing. She appeared to be trying to match his movements, copying his dance. It was obvious that the young hero was exhausted, and her movements reflected that.
"Have you not had enough yet," Sarah asked, incredulous. "Wasn't, like, six hours enough?"
Terra shook her head, stumbling on a tricky turn that Ryouga pulled off with preternatural ease. "Ryouga is doing different stuff than he taught us."
The exhausted Social Worker turned back to study the martial artist. Honestly, as cool as his demonstration was, she wasn't sure what Terra was talking about.
"I'm not sure I see what you mean."
Punching out once, twice, thrice with surprising force, Terra let out an explosive grunt at the exertion. "I thi- think he was teaching us basic self defense earlier."
Dropping into a low stance, Terra tried to sweep out her leg, only to collapse into a heap. Sweat poured from her face and stained her shirt, but Terra forced herself up.
"This is different. It feels… special. I think-I think this is his style."
Could the young heroine tell the difference? It all looked the same to Sarah. But it looked incredibly important to Terra. Tears formed at the corners of the young fighter's eyes as she tried to force her hands up again.
Only for her to finally collapse to her knees bonelessly, nothing left to give. As her tiny chest heaved like a bellows, Sarah felt her own chest tighten at the display.
"But why is that important?"
Taking a few more desperate gulps of air, Terra finally turned her way. The slight girl absently traced her fingers in the dirt.
"It's just, for everything he's done for me, I don't really know anything about him." Terra's eyes slid back to her mentor, watching him avidly. "I feel like, if I learn this, I might understand him better."
Sarah couldn't help but be impressed with Terra's dedication to her teacher. It was all but impossible to reconcile the sensitive girl before her with the living nightmare that had driven her and her family from their home.
Seeing her like this, so desperate to improve herself, her powers and her heart, Sarah found herself trying to imagine what could have driven her to such depths of hatred. Could this even be the same Terra that had tried to destroy the Titans, the entire city?
Was it possible that all it took to pull this terrible titan back from the darkness was the helping hand of an earnest, if a bit goofy, martial artist from halfway across the world? It seemed hard to believe; she doubted anyone else would believe her if she told them.
But, maybe Ryouga was right. Maybe Terra just needed to let her actions speak for her, like she'd done for Sarah. Maybe she just needed one helping hand at a time to help pull her away from what she'd been.
"Terra," she began tentatively, "I wanted to apologize to you."
The geokinetic hero looked at her askance. "What for?"
Sarah ducked her head. "You were right, earlier. I am a jerk. I post on the Cyblog a lot. I said… some pretty terrible things about you when Cyborg broke the news that you were back."
Terra stared at her silently, only to look away, shadows hiding her face. "You don't need to apologize. I did terrible things. I - I know I hurt a lot of people. And I know that nothing I can do will ever make that right."
"That's not true!" Despite her stomach screaming at her, she sat up to drop a hand on Terra's narrow shoulder. "The fact that you are here, trying so hard, shows me that you really are determined to make things right."
Her companion looked back at her, the glimmer of tears in her eyes once more. "Do you… really think so?"
A confident nod was her reply. "Hey, working with troubled youth is kind of my specialty. I have a pretty good feeling for kids that are serious about overcoming their demons."
Feeling better, but not wanting to push too far, too fast, Sarah turned to the other side of the clearing and called out. "Hey, Ryouga! Would you give it a rest, already? You've got a pair of starving girls over here, and you're the only one that can still move enough to cook!"
Begrudgingly, the distant martial artist brought his training to a conclusion and moved to join them. One quick swipe with a towel and he looked fresh as a daisy, in contrast to the pair of sweaty messes sprawled on the ground.
On second thought, maybe Ryouga was a bit evil, rubbing it in their faces like that.
The bandana clad guy chuckled as he approached, no sign of his shyness showing now. Then again, considering her current state, Sarah felt about as sexy as week old laundry.
Moving with practiced ease, which was how he seemed to do everything out here in the woods, Ryouga unpacked some supplies and started preparing some form of stew.
"You know, Terra, if you're really serious about learning martial arts beyond just controlling your powers, there are better styles out there than mine."
Terra's cheeks puffed out indignantly at the suggestion. "No way! Your school is the only one I want to learn! You better not be trying to foist me off on someone like Ranma!"
Sarah watched the interaction with interest, even if the names didn't mean anything to her.
Hibiki shook his head, chuckling. "It seems to be working fine for Jinx, but no. The Anything Goes School is too aerial to suit people as grounded as us. Mousse might be able to give you some good lessons, now that I think about it. But, honestly, I'm still holding out for Cologne. She's the teacher that someone of your talent really deserves."
Now Sarah was feeling a bit worried, as now the Japanese boy was just naming random bathroom products, but Terra seemed mollified at least as soon as this 'Ranma' person had been dismissed.
"Well, as long as it's just pointers. I still want to learn the Hibiki school more than anything!"
Ryouga held up his hands in surrender. "Look, you have plenty to learn before we get to that point. Let's not bore poor Miss Simms with all of our shop talk."
Soon enough, dinner was served in large bowls wafting with steam. The meal passed with some light conversation and good-natured teasing. After that, the doting martial arts master cleaned up after them and washed all the dishes for the next meal.
By the time all was said and done, the sun was set, the fire was roaring and all three of them were tucked into sleeping bags next to the fire and nursing cups of delicious hot chocolate. Entire boxes of cookies prepared by Kasumi were sprawled all around them as the pair of heroes seemed intent on making at least a dent in the stockpile.
Sarah had to admit, the kids had definitely missed out. This Ryouga really knew how to make camping as comfortable as possible. She would have to thank Kasumi for convincing her to come out.
She also needed to get her cookie recipe too!
"Alright! Now to move on to proper camping business!" Terra looked at the both of them expectantly, a smile on her face.
Ryouga, for his part, rolled his eyes. "Not your 'Camping Protocol' again. Can't you let the camping experience just happen?"
"Not a chance! I got gipped last night. I'm not going to bed until I get, at the absolute minimum, one story session."
Sarah giggled shamelessly, suddenly feeling much more in her element. Dealing with a demanding youngster was a daily experience for her. She realized her mistake a second too late, as her titter of amusement drew Ryouga's attention her way. One of his eyebrows arched in an 'Oh really?' kind of way.
"You know, maybe that's not a bad idea. Say, Miss Simms, why don't you tell us how you know Cyborg? There has to be more than just being a fan of his blog."
She glared back at him for a second, but it was hard to stay mad at that cute little fanged grin. "You know you can just call me Sarah, right?" She gave a long, put upon sigh, but a single look at the excited glint in Terra's eye sealed her fate.
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Settling in, she took another sip of her cocoa.
"You probably don't know, but my specialty is physiotherapy. I work mainly with children that have suffered traumatic accidents. I try to help them come to terms with their injuries, and to return to as close to a normal life as possible. A part of that is often helping them learn to use and get used to new prosthetics."
She felt a small swell of pride at the looks of astonishment that were forming on her new friend's faces.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Terra gushed. "Why didn't you mention that before?"
Sarah waved her hand dismissively. "It's hardly amazing compared to people that can move mountains with their brains. I just do what I can to help people."
Ryouga nodded knowingly. "I think I'm starting to see how the pieces of this puzzle fit together."
She nodded back. "Yeah, a few months back, I had taken my kids out to the park for a game of baseball. The day was going great, until we were attacked by…"
The social worker paused, suddenly realizing what she was about to say. Her hesitation prompted Terra to lean forward. "Attacked by what?"
She grimaced, covering her eyes with her free hand. "Oh man, this is going to sound stupid, now that I have to actually say it out loud."
A wide grin suddenly spread over the bandanna clad boy's lips. "Attacked by something stupid? Now that's Nerima talk! Trust me, you'll be hard pressed to surprise me." He chuckled that evil chuckle of his. "My budd- ahem, rival, he had to fight a monkey trained in Martial Arts Tea Ceremony once."
It took Sarah a moment to absorb that tidbit. "...Really… Did he win?"
"Yeah," Terra added, grinning mischievously, "Did Ranma really spank the monkey?"
"Terra!"
Sarah couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity, suddenly not feeling nearly as ridiculous.
"Thanks for that. Alright, so we got attacked by… well, by a giant Heart."
The martial artist came up short in his laughter. "Uh, do you mean a Hart, like a giant deer? If so, then I've been there."
She filed away that peculiar fact for later and shook her head. "Nope. Like a giant blood pumping organ that floated around and attacked you with giant slimy tentacles."
"Eww, gross!" Terra summed up perfectly.
Ryouga paused for a moment, before ducking his head and pulling off his bandanna. "I stand corrected. My hat is off to you MIs- uh - Sarah. Even by Nerima standards, that's just crazy."
Feeling somewhat proud at stumping the fanged fighter, Sarah giggled happily. "Even better, it turned out that the thing was named 'Cardiac'."
Terra groaned loudly. "Don't tell me. Cyborg yelled out 'Cardiac, you're under arrest!', right?"
"Was there even a doubt?"
Ryouga nodded. "Cyborg always has the best lines."
If the martial artist noticed both females rolling their eyes, he gave no sign.
"So, yeah, Cyborg showed up in the nick of time, beat down the baddie. Then, he actually finished the rest of the game with me and the children." She gave a heartfelt sigh. "He was just so amazing. And the kids just loved him, you know, when they weren't grinding his gears."
This time, it was her that missed the pair of heroes sharing a pointed look and grinning broadly. She tapped a finger to her chin. "I guess that was mostly it. It was after that, that I really started following his blog. You know, to let him know the kids were doing fine."
"Oh, of course that's the reason," Terra replied cheekily.
Sarah puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "Oh yeah? Well I do believe it's your turn to tell a story, little Miss Sarcasm."
The younger blonde looked put on the spot.
"A story? Me? Um, what can I tell a story about?"
Ryouga eyed his pupil incredulously. "What? All this talk about stories and you didn't even have one ready? Did you just expect me to tell you stories all week?"
Grinning shamelessly, Terra ruffled a hand through her hair. "Kinda, sorta?"
The sound of the martial master's put-upon groan set Sarah to giggling again. It died soon enough, as something did occur to her. She turned back to the young Titan.
"Terra… maybe you could tell us the story of how you ended up working for that criminal, Slade? I'm sure if you explained why you-"
She didn't have time to finish, as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Ryouga shaking his head slowly.
"It's just story time, Terra. You don't have to talk about that, or yourself, if you don't want to."
Sarah was about to question his judgement, until she noticed the look of… almost horror on Terra's face that was quickly melting into relief.
"Thanks, Ryouga." Terra curled up on herself, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Sorry, it's - it's just too soon. You have to realize, for me, it's only been a few weeks since… all of that happened."
Oh… right… The blonde social worker suddenly felt the fool. That hadn't even occurred to her, but it was obvious now that she thought of it.
"I guess I can go. I got plenty of ghost stories," Ryouga offered.
"No, I want to go," Terra interrupted emphatically. She rubbed her chin. "Just… can I tell you something else. It's… my favorite fairy tale. I'd kind of like you to hear it."
Sarah noted that while Terra was speaking to both of them, she was looking pointedly at Ryouga. Her teacher grinned a fang filled grin. "Go right ahead. Age before beauty, after all."
The small blonde stuck her tongue out at him before nodding. Sitting up and clasping her hands around her knees, the slight girl settled in, a far away look settling over her features.
"Alright… well, a long time ago, there was a magical kingdom. It was called… uh… Marvonia. It was a beautiful country, filled with emerald forests, sapphire rivers and enchanted castles."
Sarah smiled, sipping on her hot chocolate, noting Ryouga doing the same.
"This kingdom was very lucky, in that it had a beautiful Princess, and a handsome Prince. They lived happily with their parents, who were always kind and gentle with their people."
A wistful smile settled on Terra's lips. "The Prince was always proper and brave, like a true prince should be. The Princess, though, was headstrong, and a bit of a tomboy, always causing problems."
Ryouga chuckled. "Now that's story content that I, the target audience, can relate to."
"Ryouga! Shut up!"
The fanged fighter laughed, dodging a flying stone.
"Anyway," Terra continued with a huff, "Despite being a perfect, wonderful place, the kingdom wasn't free from strife. The kingdom had enemies. Jealous rulers, envious of what they had lurked on every border. Worse yet, these enemies only grew in number and power with each passing year, and all too soon, war broke out."
The smile faded from the story teller's face. "Things seemed to be hopeless for the noble King. But, one day, an… evil Witch arrived in the kingdom, demanding an audience."
She hugged her knees more tightly. "She made a simple offer. She would give the King the power to save his country, to sweep aside all his envious rivals. All it would cost him… was his children."
Sarah sighed. Why did evil witches always want the children?
"The King, of course, refused… at first. But as things got worse, and the war dragged on, his General, and ancient, hateful man, finally convinced him to agree to the bargain.
"The Witch, she took the young Princess and Prince, and she used them, changed them. That was the bargain. She gave the King's children great power, and they would be forced to wage his war for him now."
This story was starting to get a bit dark for Sarah's taste. Was this one of those Grimm's Fairy Tales? Those were always so terrible. And was this really her favorite story?
"The Prince, as brave and true as ever, took up the sword for his father. But the Princess… she was younger than her brother. Young and scared and not ready for the strange new powers that had been forced on her."
Terra opened and closed her hands several times, staring at her curled fingers. On Sarah's other side, a queer look began to cloud Ryouga's face as he listened.
"So, one day, the Princess, terrified that she might hurt the people she was supposed to protect… she ran away. She left her brother to save the kingdom and abandoned her family and her people.
"And… she was never seen again. And, I guess that's the end of the story." Terra rolled her wrists absently. "I guess the moral is 'be careful what you wish for', or 'some prices are too high' or some junk… but, yeah, that's it."
Sarah looked at Terra oddly, before smiling weakly. "Um, yeaaahhh. That was great. Thanks for sharing that… lovely story. So, uh, how about you, Ryouga?"
Ryouga was still staring at Terra intently, only to give his head a shake when he registered Sarah's inquiry.
"Oh, right. What did you guys want to hear, again? Japan created ghost stories, you know, so I got a million of them. Beast Boy told me a few of your tall tales, too. How about the hook hand one?"
Before Sarah could make a suggestion, Terra nearly leapt out of her sleeping bag. "Uh-uh! I need a romantic story! I wanna story about Jinx!"
Ryouga's face screwed up amusingly. "What? That's not fair! Romance is a horror story for me. You don't even know the hell I've been through because of the girls I know… and Ranma."
Giggling at his emphatic reaction, something struck Sarah. "Wait, did you say Jinx? As in the villainess that was always fighting the Titans?" her eyes widened, "You dated her?"
He let out a long-suffering groan. "Can I claim the 'Too soon to talk about it' defense?"
"No way! Only I get to do that. You gotta spill!"
Ryouga looked to Sarah, seeking her backup at the obvious injustice. Instead, she offered a helpless shrug.
"Sorry, Ryouga, but dating cute little bad girls is way too juicy gossip. And after that last story, I could use a dose of romance myself."
The fanged martial artist glared at her. "Just so you know, I loathe you."
"That's sweet. Now shut up and entertain us!"
"That's right! Tell us about your first date!"
Ryouga shook his head. "Feh, that will be difficult, considering I've never even been on a date with Jinx."
He leaned back, ignoring their rolling eyes. Slowly, a wistful expression settled over his face.
"Still, there was this one night, back when I first got to the Academy." He chuckled, gesturing to Terra. "It was back before they realized my… issue, so, needless to say, I ended up wandering the city with no clue where I was, or how to find anyone."
Issue? Sarah wondered what issue he meant. Also, what was this Academy? Before she could interrupt, he continued his recollection.
"It all started when I ran into this lost little boy, looking for his Mom."
He chuckled to himself.
"It went something like this…"