Dark Titans – Arc 6 – Wed by Dawn

Chapter 3

I don't own Ranma or Teen Titans.

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

With one last heave, Ryouga jammed the tall entry door back into position. He looked it over with a critical eye, noting that the massive slab of steel was still warped inwards a bit. Looking around, noting no one else, he shrugged and slammed a fist into the warped metal and the door popped back into place.

He rested a knuckle on his chin. He wasn't sure what to do about those hinges, though. It'd be bad if Kasumi went for groceries sometime later and the whole thing fell and flattened her. Man, being hard on people's property must be an Amazon tradition. Even he didn't casually explode as many people's walls as Shampoo.

Well, maybe he exploded more by volume, but he felt fairly sure that she had him beat in separate instances.

The ding of the elevator let him know that his solitude was about to expire.

"Hey, man, what are you doing down here?"

Wiping a hand across his brow, Ryouga spun to see Speedy approaching him. The crimson archer held a pair of ruby colored cups in his hands. He also let out a low whistle as he examined Ryouga's handiwork.

Ryouga shrugged ambivalently. "Too many Amazons upstairs. It's safer down here for now. Besides, I felt a bit guilty leaving the door like that."

Handing one of the cups to Ryouga, Speedy waved his now empty hand. "We should have made your crazy fangirls fix the thing. Good job getting those dents out, though."

"It fits, anyway. I'm still worried about it falling, though." He sniffed at the pale amber beverage in the cup. Hitting the beer already? Well, it was a party, after all. Considering the day he'd had so far, the fanged fighter didn't hesitate to take a long sip.

Speedy scratched his head for a moment, only to unlimber his bow, draw a trio of arrows, before taking aim. These arrows glowed with a cherry red heat as they sizzled through the air and impacted with the three sheared hinges. Ryouga had to cover his eyes for a second as a blinding light flashed out, but a moment later, the remains of the hinges were melted masses of glowing red metal.

"Well, now we don't have to worry about it falling open," Speedy supplied, grinning mischievously.

"Cyborg's gonna kill you when he sees that, you know that, right?"

"Well, then maybe he should have thought about making his doors Amazon proof."

Ryouga couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I'm not sure that's possible. Still, you're right, that should definitely hold until everyone gets back from space."

The sudden reminder of his friends' absence, of why they were absent, and who may not be coming back from said absence, suddenly made Ryouga awfully glad he already had a beer in his hand. He was about to suggest they head back up and get some refills when the elevator dinged again.

They both turned in confusion as they watched the elevator slide open. Seeing Kasumi step out was a pleasant surprise, as was the smile she wore, even brighter than any he remembered seeing in recent memory. In fact, he would say the usually laid back Tendo looked extremely excited, almost jogging towards the doors.

The eldest Tendo sister stopped in front of them, holding a hand to her chest and breathing a bit heavily.

"I just got a call from my sister. She says she's just coming up the road and should be here any minute now."

In an instant, conflicting emotions surged up in the young martial artist. Excitement, anxiety, happiness, regret. It had been a long time since he had spoken to Akane, and even while she had been in Jump City after the big fight with the Headmaster, they hadn't really spoken much. He was sure that she had forgiven him for… well, everything at this point, but it was still awkward. It still hurt.

So much had changed since that one fateful night out in the woods.

On the other, much less complicated, hand, if she were here, that meant that Ranma would be here too! Before he even realized it, he was already at the door, reaching to pull it open.

Luckily, the doorbell rang as he reached the door, distracting him enough to realize he was about to tear the newly welded half of the door open. Taking a deep breath, he calmly grabbed the other door handle, and calmly swung it open.

"Akane! ...Oh, it's only you."

Nabiki, wearing her famous mercenary grin, laughed at his reaction. Flanking her were Ryouga's other classmates, Gizmo and Mammoth, both smiling wildly and waving excitedly. The skin-tight, olive-green bodysuit that Nabiki was wearing was the only thing that didn't evoke a warm sense of nostalgia in the Lost Boy at the sight of the villainous trio. Though, with the bulky belt and heavy gloves, it made her look a bit like a grown up, and female, Gizmo.

"Yeah, real nice, Hibiki. Is that anyway to talk to your upperclassman?"

Ryouga chuckled, still not believing what he was seeing. "What in the world are you doing here?"

The middle Tendo sister rolled her eyes. "I was invited, of course." A grin like a shark's slid across her lips. "Now, you better give me a proper greeting, or I'm not going to give you your housewarming gift."

This time it was Ryouga's turn to roll his eyes. "Of course, I'm happy to see the three of you, Nabiki… but, seriously, you think I'm going to get excited over whatever dollar store trinket you…"

His words trailed off to nothing as Nabiki suddenly took a long step to the right, abruptly revealing the shorter, slimmer girl that had been standing directly behind her the entire time. The Lost Boy felt his heart lock up as warm, pink eyes met his. Molten pink hair flowed down over the young woman's shoulders, framing that pale, perfect face that had haunted his dreams for months.

His mind went completely blank, cycling madly for anything he could possibly say at this exact moment that he had been preparing for, for a seeming eternity. It had to be suave, confident, the perfect thing to sweep Jinx off her feet!

"I… um… you… think-" He tapped his fingertips together as he looked to the side and giggled manically. "Nice… looking -wait - Think you look…nice?"

Whew! He'd managed to pull out of that nosedive! He was improving!

Or, so he thought, as Nabiki, Gizmo and Mammoth all burst into uproarious laughter, only to shuffle past him through the open door, patting him on the shoulder. He was so tuned out, that he didn't hear a thing that was said, and so shocked that even the light pat from Gizmo to his knee nearly toppled him completely.

All he could do was stare at the vision before him, her hair starting to float in the autumn breeze, still wondering if she was real.

"..."

"Is it just me, or do three of those people seem really familiar?"

Kasumi waved off her archery obsessed companion's curiosity. "I'm sure that it's just a coincidence."

That said, she spread her arms wide and took several long steps forward, colliding heavily with her younger sister, initiating a flawless Tendo interlock.

"It's good to see you, Sis. It's been awhile." Nabiki leaned her head onto Kasumi's shoulder, and Kasumi rested her own cheek on her sister's silky hair. The eldest sister relished the contact for a long moment, before finally pushing Nabiki back to arms length to get a good look at her.

"I'm glad you could come. Also, I love your outfit," she giggled, glancing first to Mammoth, who was waving shyly, and down to Gizmo, who was glowering at Speedy. She scanned Nabiki's new look one more time. "You look so cute, wearing matching costumes with Gizmo."

Watching the unflappable Nabiki Tendo struggle against swallowing her own tongue before spinning on her diminutive companion drew an honest laugh from Kasumi.

"Gizmo! I told you people would notice! Why haven't you changed the look yet?"

"I'm sorry, Boss!" The childlike genius waved his arms frantically. "The stinkin' suit's still in Beta! I'm just making sure the flippin' thing works before I worry about how it looks!"

Unable to resist, as her sister was currently facing away from her, Kasumi leaned forward and poked a finger to Nabiki's rather prominently displayed bottom. Instantly, Nabiki jumped, clamping her hands to her butt.

Kasumi giggled teasingly. "It certainly is tight. I think you might need to work out a bit more if you plan to keep fitting into it."

"I work out!" It wasn't often that she was able to get her mercenary little sister on the ropes like this, but it was certainly the most fun she'd had in some time. "Not like you're one to talk, Miss Couch Potato!"

To prove her point, Nabiki reached around to swat Kasumi's own pert posterior.

On the sidelines, Speedy and Mammoth, now standing side by side, bumped fists together, both grinning shamelessly.

"This party is awesome," whispered the archer.

"This is already the best night of my life," Mammoth responded, equally hushed.

Nabiki, however, pulled back her hand, shaking her fingers and wincing. "So firm!"

Suddenly, the middle sister's eyes widened in shock, bordering on fear.

"You - you aren't training again, are you?"

Kasumi grinned a fathomless grin. "Just enough to keep in shape. Nothing at all to worry about."

Her sister studied her for a long moment, before letting out an explosive sigh of relief.

"Oh my, how rude of me," Kasumi gasped, suddenly realizing her own faux pas. She quickly turned to Speedy.

"This is my sister, Nabiki. And my friends from school, Baran and Gizmo."

She graced the tall, ginger villain with a winning smile, and giggled as he nearly floated away in bliss.

Speedy looked the trio over suspiciously for a moment before shrugging. He held his hand out to Nabiki.

"Hey, I'm Speedy."

"Wow." Nabiki just stared at him. "I want to say how disappointing that is, but it's just too easy."

In an instant, Speedy's face went dead serious. "Pardon. What did you just say?"

Nabiki glanced to Kasumi, then back to the archer. "What? I just said that I didn't want to dwell on your morbid compulsion to advertise your sexual inadequacies to every girl you meet."

Instantly, Mammoth and Gizmo exploded into laughter, and even Kasumi had to chew on her lip to remain the polite one.

If the archer was insulted by the quick rebuke, he showed no sign. Instead, his eyes flicked down, then back up again. "Say, how long have you had that fancy suit of yours again? It looks like it has a lot of tricks up its sleeves."

Looking a bit weirded out now, Nabiki shrugged. "Not that it's your business, but just a few months."

The archer's face went stony for a moment, only for him to start smiling brightly once again. "Hey, don't mind me, just reminded me of something else."

Staring for another moment, Nabiki shook her head and turned back to Kasumi.

"Anyway, don't think we only got the Lost Boy something nice. We got you the stuff you were asking for. Gizmo?"

Instantly, the young scientist stopped laughing, an extremely nervous look blooming on his face. Moving extremely slowly, he pulled out a remote, and a long, spidery arm extended from his back. It reached back slowly into his backpack, before retracting with a small black box, a blood red ribbon wrapped around it.

The robotic arm then swung slowly, in a wide arc, beads of sweat forming on Gizmo's brow as he controlled the claw, until, finally, the box hung before Kasumi's face. Smiling pleasantly, she grabbed the box - Gizmo flinched and muttered a quick curse as she did - only to sigh in relief as she tucked it into her pocket, and it vanished from sight.

Speedy quirked an eyebrow at the display. "Um… what the heck was that?"

Kasumi turned her smile on the young archer. "Oh, just an accoutrement to help me with a monthly issue."

"Gah! Forget I asked!"

Giggling in amusement, Kasumi knelt and patted Gizmo on the head. "Thank you very much for getting that for me. I imagine it must have been quite difficult for you."

Gizmo looked to the side, muttering almost curses. "You don't know the half of it. Oh, before I forget, give this to the Lost Boy, too, would you?"

With that, Gizmo pulled another item from his pack, and draped it across her arm. It looked to be a rather normal looking leather belt, thought strangely bulky. She looked at the belt, then to Gizmo and Mammoth, who also seemed to be wearing similar belts. She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"The instructions are on the card. Trust me though, he'll be thanking me for this one."

Well, whatever it was, she was sure it must be a genuinely nice gift. She did not return to her feet though and pinned her owlish stare back on the diminutive criminal.

"And the rest of it?"

"W-what? I dunno what you're talking about…"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Argh! Fine, stupid… armpit… dangit…"

And with that, Gizmo unloaded a steady stream of other gadgets, every single one of them a surveillance device that would no doubt have slipped into the various Titan systems without a single soul noticing.

Now holding an armload of trinkets, Kasumi stood back up, giggling happily. She turned to look at her sister pointedly. Nabiki just shrugged helplessly.

"What? You can't blame a girl for trying." The dark-haired mercenary gave a sigh, resting her hands on her hips. "Hardly the biggest disappointment of the night so far, though."

Nabiki swung her hand up to her shoulder, gesturing behind her with her thumb. Kasumi followed the line back to the door, where a certain pair of young sort-of-heroes were still standing awkwardly, frozen like a painting.

"I was expecting those two to be naked at this point," Nabiki explained wryly.

Kasumi let out a sigh of her own. Naked would be a bit much, but she, too, had hoped that Ryouga and Jinx would have been ready to start taking the next steps to something… more.

Nabiki shrugged again. "Well, I'm starving, so we're gonna head up. I'll catch up with you later, Sis."

"Of course, I look forward to it."

With that, Nabiki let out a piercing whistle.

"Hey, Jinx! Last chance to maintain a shred of dignity is heading upstairs!"

Ryouga stared at Jinx, who stared at Ryouga, who stared at - well, you get the picture.

If the fanged martial artist had felt confused at the thought of Akane showing up, his current state of mind blew that out of the water with nuclear ordinance.

He could no more keep track of what he was feeling than he could make sense of the tumult of emotions that flashed through the beautiful witch's haunting pink eyes.

Should he say something? He had said something, did he need to wait for her to say something? His thoughts tripped over his last memory of her, of the video that she had recorded with Mr. Cobblepot, and it filled his heart with warmth. Only to follow it up with the memory directly before that… of an elevator door slamming shut with damning finality.

He almost swore there was something… howling winds and a pink flash, in between those two memories, but he couldn't hold onto it.

Should he apologize? Or did she need to apologize? Did it even matter? He wished Ranma were here, every girl he knew liked that guy, no doubt the Casanova would know what to say!

Maybe-

A sharp whistle pierced the silence.

"Hey, Jinx! Last chance to maintain a shred of dignity is heading upstairs!"

Instantly, they both started, Jinx's cute face going beet red in embarrassment.

The pink haired witch glanced to Nabiki, then back to Ryouga, rinse and repeat, until she ducked her head and started to move to follow. She did, however, pause just quick enough to mutter a quiet parting.

"It's good to see you again…"

And then she was running off to join her - their - old partners in crime. The wiry villainess whispered something volatile into Nabiki's ear, but it only elicited a bark of laughter from the even more villainous Tendo.

And then they were gone, piling into the elevator with Kasumi, the eldest Tendo wrapping Jinx in a tight hug before they vanished from sight.

Ryouga felt a hand drop on his shoulder, feeling glad for the contact for a change.

"So, that's the one that got away, is it?"

The Lost Boy nodded sadly.

"You, my friend, are a moron."

He could do little more than nod, before finally breaking down. He clutched his hands to his skull and let out an anguished cry of frustration.

"Dammit! Why didn't I say anything?" He looked to Speedy for support, but the crimson archer could only shrug helplessly. Sighing, Ryouga let his chin drop to his chest as he muttered to himself.

"No one can possibly be in as much Hell as me at this moment."

As silent as ghosts, the pair of servants swept the ornate double doors open before her. She glided forward into the elegantly appointed room, and grinned at her luck, catching her sister in a private moment. Within the dressing room, Starfire stood, looking up at her K'norfka with a resolved smile, while Galfore cupped her cheek, a look of intense pride on his weathered face.

Despite herself, Blackfire felt something twist up inside her. There had been a time when Galfore had looked at her that same way… so long ago, before her sister became the star around which the universe revolved. Just one of the more inconsequential items on the long list of things that Starfire had taken from her.

The expressions of anger and disappointment that spread across their faces as they finally noticed her only firmed her resolve. Squaring her shoulders and donning her best superior grin, the Dark Empress of Tamaran glided into the room. With a simple gesture, she dismissed her long since abandoned K'norfka from the chamber. The massive male ducked his head subserviently and floated through the doors.

"Getting ready for your wedding, I see," she quipped sarcastically. She glanced down quickly, noting the tasteful white dress, and just how damned radiant her sister looked in it.

Her sister's feet lifted off the ground as she floated to match gazes with her. Mirroring her own actions, a moment ago, Starfire squared her shoulders proudly and she glared back at her. The traditional headpiece she wore, while not as ornate as Blackfire's imperial crown, reminded her of the warrior her sister had once been, all those years ago.

"I do not yet know the nature of the deception you are enacting, but I can assure you, sister, that if this marriage will help our people, then I will gladly follow it through."

Blackfire gave an unladylike snort. As if the little twit knew even an iota of what she was doing here.

"Isn't that just like you," she barked bitterly, "Though, I suppose it's easy to be so generous after being handed everything your whole life!" She spun away from her sister, her cape flaring out. "Well that ends today. You won't be taking anything from me, ever again."

"The only thing I had ever wanted, was the one thing you refused to give."

Blackfire felt a hand on her shoulder and recoiled as if burnt by plasma. She spun, hissing, her eyes and fists flaring with violet energy, only to watch Starfire float backwards, sadness in her eyes.

The power in her chest bucked wildly, struggling for release, but she forced it back down. No, not here, not like this. Her revenge had to be complete.

Slowly, the dancing purple light faded, returning to room back to its natural earthen hues. Blackfire smeared a grim smile across her lips once more, as best as she could.

"Unfortunately, Sister Dear, one tends to have little to give, after being stripped of everything. But don't worry, you'll finally get a taste of that yourself, soon enough."

Infuriatingly, her beloved sister refused to rise to her bait. Where was the righteous anger? The curses and epitaphs against her fate?

Instead, Starfire only shook her head in that insultingly sad manner of hers, floating back to inspect herself in the tall mirror next to the balcony. Then, against all reason, she laughed - laughed! The redheaded princess shook her head in fond amusement, as if remembering something.

"Listen to you. Speaking as if only you have known pain, experienced loss. You cannot even comprehend the feelings of others or understand the effects your own actions might have on those that care for you." Her little sister held up a hand and pressed it to her own cheek, pressing her face into her palm. "You suddenly reminded me of a conversation I had with another, so long ago at this point. Just the thought of it filled my heart with hope."

"W-what are you talking about?"

Her sister looked up, her vibrant green eyes locking with her dim violet gaze. The smile that grew on her lips was disgustingly genuine.

"If someone as lost as him could find his way to understanding, then perhaps there is hope even for one such as yourself."

"Who are you even talking about? You sound like an idiot!" Blackfire couldn't understand why she was letting her sister get under her skin.

Rather than explain, her sister instead floated across the room to sit on one of the long couches. She simply shook her head, setting her ruby locks shimmering in the lights.

"Is it not amusing? Here we are, me about to be wed to a disgusting creature, and you, the ruler of our entire world… and yet I find myself pitying you in this situation."

"Yes, well, you always were the stupid one," she bit off acidly, "Even on your best day, you're pitiful! And this day is lightyears removed from that."

"And yet, despite you now possessing everything that you believed I had ever stolen from you, I still go knowing that I have experienced something that you never shall."

Violet light spilled out from between her clenched fingers, but the dark empress forced it back under control as she glided forward. She pinioned her sister to the couch with a piercing glare.

"And just what could that be, Sister Dear? You have nothing left."

Starfire's sister only grew more unbearable. "I have one thing that you can never take from me. Something that you denied us both our entire lives. I know the joy of being loved, unconditionally, by a sibling. And it is not something that even an armada of warships can strip away."

Feet touched the floor, as Blackfire stared at her sister in disbelief.

"That's... That's idiotic! I am your only sister. We are all that we have left."

Her young sister's chin dropped to her chest, tears dripping from her eyes now. "I have my dear brother, Ryouga." Starfire's face rose and matched her gaze, her eyes hardening and cooling like shards of ice. "You have no one, Blackfire. Just as you have always wanted."

Without even realizing it, Blackfire was already backing out of the room. Her breathing came in shallow gasps and she was forced to half-run from the chamber, that freezing gaze having chilled the joy from her heart. The words still echoed in her ears.

You have no one, Blackfire.

The doors slammed shut behind her, and the moment that her cursed sister was out of her sight, she felt a familiar warmth settling in her abdomen. It was so comforting and familiar, that the warmth lifted her feet from the ground once more.

The words were slowly sifted and fed into the furnace of her hatred.

Just one more thing that her sister had taken from her, though, this one burned surprisingly hot; all the better for what came next.

She had to give Starfire credit. Who could have imagined her capable of such cruelty? It was enough to make her proud. With that in mind, she found her anger melting away to curiosity.

Just who is this Ryouga?

"Wait, wait, wait. You need to walk me through this again. I'm still not understanding this entire concept of 'male amazons.'"

Mousse chuckled in amusement as he watched Donna Troy pinch the bridge of her nose as she tried to wrap her mind around his mere existence. And he thought the women of his tribe had been militant about the whole thing. Granted, he'd lived with the pejorative of 'Amazon' his whole life, it had never even occurred to him that they were not the trademark holders, so to say.

"Well," he began, at least trying to appear serious, "The women in my village aren't immortal demigods blessed by literal gods that live in the attic. There are certain biological truths that need to be acknowledged if they want to propagate the line, if you get my meaning."

"But, to do that," the distaste on the (Greek) Amazon's face was palpable, "With men? And then to let the men remain? To be a part of the society?"

"Well, they kept us around for a few thousand years, anyway, so there must be something they like about us." He playfully nudged her in the ribs with his elbow. "Besides, you know what they say, you can't knock it till you try it."

The Hidden Weapon Master was grateful for the new glasses provided by the League, as they let him perfectly see the wonderfully baffling array of expressions that flitted across the statuesque woman's face as she tried to process his teasing. He decided to enjoy his drink while she processed this new paradigm thinking when the ding of the elevator arriving distracted him for the briefest of moments.

Honestly, he almost didn't pay it any attention at all, no one that had arrived in the past hour had been anyone he'd known, from home or work. The flash of pink, when the doors slid open caught his gaze and locked it in with the power of a lamppost sized electromagnet.

Jinx walked out of the elevator, and the gut punch of seeing her, here, sent the drink in his mouth spraying out like a Las Vegas water fountain.

"Sorry, I have to go!" he barked at the now sodden Amazon. Donna could only stare at him in utter shock, decent quality beer dripping down her face, and he wisely chose that moment to leap away.

A few people noted the spectacular jump, literally soaring over people's heads, but no one made any fuss over it. That, at least, got a grin from him. There was something to be said for being in the company of like-minded lunatics.

He landed a second later before the quartet of Hive alumni, still trying to formulate a game plan. His abrupt arrival caught his old friend's attention, and Gizmo and Mammoth were the first to greet him.

"Hey, Four Eyes, it's good to see ya," barked the massive teenager.

"Heh, nice glasses! You look like a nerd!" snarked the smaller one.

Leaning down, Mousse rapped the diminutive genius on his bald dome. "The prematurely balding anime fan does not get to throw around the word 'nerd' like that."

Nabiki, being her typical self, just waved her hand absently in greeting. "Hey Mousse. I can only assume that your less literate half is here, as well?"

Nodding, he bit his tongue for the moment, "We managed to convince her to come out. Speaking of herculean tasks, I see you managed to find Jinx. Say… do you mind if I borrow her for a moment?"

Not waiting for an answer, the spectacled Amazon grabbed the still clearly puzzled Witch by the arm and pulled her off to the side. Her own expression was a few beats behind his own, just now departing exuberant happiness and creeping into dread realization.

"What the hell are you doing here?" "What the hell are you doing here?"

Ah, good, it looked like they were on the same page, now.

"Hey, what are you guys whispering about? Anything juicy?"

As one, the master of Chinese black magic, and the mistress of Pagan western magic, looked up to see Nabiki leaning forward, her hands resting on her knees, and firmly planting her face into the middle of their little huddle.

He could see the gears starting to turn behind Jinx's catlike eyes, trying to come up with something, but he decided on a more direct route.

Screw it!

He just grabbed the slender pinkette and made another jump, targeting the biggest concentration of lavender in the room. He just heard the tail end of Nabiki's disgruntled 'hmph, how rude' before they were out of earshot.

Thanking his new glasses once more, they landed next to Shampoo, as opposed to the large humanoid Wildebeest looking creature currently eating cotton candy (where had he gotten that?) by the concession table. The second they landed, Jinx tried to pull back, nearly hissing at the mere proximity to the (Chinese) Amazon, but he kept his grip.

The lavender haired Joketsuzoku was talking to a dark skinned boy wearing a blue hooded cloak, reminding him a bit of Raven, except he was wearing a silvery mask that covered the top of his head, and his blue costume had a picture of a silver trumpet on the chest.

"Shampoo never actually listen to Jazz before. Not sure if she would like it, or not."

The blue themed hero seemed to be caught between shocked and excited at the idea of her not knowing about the musical styling and began lifting an actual silver trumpet in his hand.

"Well, then you have to let me pl-"

"Hey!" Mousse interjected, trying, and failing to maintain a casual tone. "Sorry to cut in, uh-"

"Herald."

"Yes, that! Excuse me, but can I borrow Shampoo for a second?"

For a moment, both Herald and Shampoo looked about to protest; the poor deluded fool no doubt thinking he was on the way to getting lucky, the latter just because she was contrarian in anything and everything. At least until Shampoo saw who Mousse was clutching in a death grip.

In an instant, a growling Shampoo reached halfway for the haft of her weapon, before realizing where they were, and that Jinx looked just as freaked out as she no doubt was. The next instant, she was smiling sweetly and spun back to Herald. "Shampoo too too sorry! Must catch up with old friend have no seen in long time. You play for me later, is okay?"

He was nodding to her after-image, as the trio were already scurrying for the furthest, most isolated corner of the vast chamber (he would ask how the Titan's afforded such a place, but he'd just upgraded from an executive suite to a space station, so it seemed a bit petty). Jinx looked about ready to explode, verbally, and possibly plasmatically, any second, and Mousse pressed a finger to her lips to try to contain it for another few seconds.

"Why in Hell Of Stampeding Oxen is Bad Dye Job Girl here?" Shampoo whisper yelled.

"Oh, like you're one to talk! How many Muppets did you mulch to get your color?"

"With utmost respect, would you both shut the hell up? We need to talk!"

Hmm, the high definition his new glasses provided really let him get a good look at the murderous glowers on the faces of the two women. Perhaps 'too much of a good thing' wasn't just a pithy saying. Thankfully, his call for peace worked, and the two alpha females settled for just glaring at each other as he gestured frantically for calm.

"Jinx, do you speak Chinese?"

"Uh, no. Why? And why are we whispering again?"

Mousse subtly tilted his head across the room to where a large red 'S' was being prominently displayed on a just slightly too tight T-shirt. "We came with a friend with good hearing."

Jinx caught onto that pretty quick. "I speak Hindi fluently, and I picked up passable Japanese. Do those help?"

She spoke Hindi? That was interesting, didn't help as he did not. Japanese worked, though, as he knew Supergirl didn't speak it. Come to think of it-

"When you learn Japanese?" Shampoo asked, switching to the aforementioned language, and resuming a less tense posture. It was good thinking; he quickly followed her lead to hopefully draw less attention to their clandestine meeting.

"Happosai speak Japanese when drunk."

Mousse grinned. "Ah, immersion therapy, then. Happosai is drunk a lot."

Shampoo snorted, "Old pervert ever not drunk?"

"Watch it, Cat-Girl! I have mind to blast you out window!"

If the Amazon was at all intimidated by the threat, she failed to show it. Instead, she inspected her nails intently. "Why Bad-Luck-Girl mad at Shampoo? We had good fight, even end in draw. No even need Kiss of Death."

The slight witch surged forward and curled her fingers around the edges of Shampoo's breastplate.

"You tried to have me murdered by goons!"

The Amazon warrior shrugged. "And you survive. Jinx prove herself as worthy opponent. Also gave good showing against Alligator-Man. Was good fight."

Apparently, Jinx had not been expecting that response, the light praise setting the lanky witch back a few steps, confusion alighting on her face.

"Yes, yes, you're both super dangerous," he muttered, rolling his eyes - not noticing those murderous glares turning his way again, "Now, Jinx, we really need your help, here. You're the only one that knows about our dealings with… you know, that guy. So, we really need you to keep quiet on that."

Jinx scoffed loudly. "Obviously, but how on Earth you get invite here?"

Shampoo rolled her vivid lavender eyes. "You no listen?" She nodded in Supergirl's direction again. "We come with Too-Good-Hearing-Girl."

Jinx's face shifted through a whole array of expressions, before settling on abject horror. Finally, she was catching up to where Mousse had been emotionally situated for the past few minutes.

"Nooooooooooo! You did not do what I think you do."

Mousse could only offer up a helpless shrug. A second later, both of the Amazons cringed as Jinx let out a string of profanities in rapid fire Hindi, well, they certainly weren't English or Japanese, anyway, but he was pretty sure he got the gist of her meaning.

This time, Jinx dug her hands into Mousse's robe and pulled him within a millimeter of her face.

"You- *Untranslatable Curse Word* -Insane?"

Again, Mousse replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Look, now is not the time to talk this out. Let's just keep this under lock and key and don't mention this to anyone, please?"

Jinx's eyes danced with pink lightning - had she learned that ancient Amazon Technique? No, she was just super pissed off - as she pierced his soul with her stare. A seeming eternity later, she finally relented, letting out an explosive sigh and wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

"No get stupid self killed, Duck Boy."

Well, that was a sentiment he could appreciate. He wrapped his arms around her, nearly enveloping her rail thin frame with his bulky robes and rested his cheek on her pink hair. It was good to know that there was at least one girl out there that cared about the real him, beneath all the lies and deceptions.

"Okay, Stick-Girl need to stop molesting Mousse," Shampoo barked clearly and in English once more. "Stupid blind Duck getting head full of wrong ideas from too many bad-taste girls flirting with him lately."

Mousse gave a resigned sigh, which quickly descended into a pained groan as Jinx looked up at him, a familiar Cheshire grin spreading on her lips.

"Really? My little mallard is a heartthrob in the hero community, is he?" She winked flirtatiously. "Well, I can hardly blame them, now can I?"

Her shameless giggle became an outraged squawk as Shampoo tugged on her long pink hair and pulled her back out of Mousse's arms. The hellion in striped socks spun on the armored Amazon, near spitting fire, before Shampoo held up a hand to cut her off.

"Why you flirting with Mousse, anyway? Why not finding Lost Boy and using 'naked attack' like you used on Shampoo?" The lavender haired fighter rolled her shoulder suggestively and donned a lascivious smile. "Surprised you even made it inside door without riding Ryouga to exhaustion."

Mousse was glad he'd already spit his drink out, as he was sure he would have done so again right there. Jinx's face, neck and beyond looked like they were ready to combust.

Taking a second to scan the crowd, Mousse caught sight of the Hibiki in question standing close to the elevator, talking with Kasumi and a young Japanese man with a katana strapped to his back. Unfortunately, it wasn't Kunou, as he hadn't seen the swordsman in some time as well.

"Speak of the devil, there's Hibiki now."

Instantly, Jinx spun around to where he was pointing, and, by act of providence, Ryouga chose that same moment to look their way, perhaps noticing Mousse pointing right at him. For an instant, both Jinx and Ryouga seemed to surge with joy at the sight of each other, only for Jinx to give a strangled little squeal and spin around, burying her face in Shampoo's bosom.

Damned lucky girl!

Seeing Jinx spin away, Ryouga seemed to lose whatever nerve he was scrounging up, and quickly turned his attention back to his current companions, both of whom were glancing at him oddly.

Shampoo and Mousse shared a look, and he did his best to implore a trace of tact in his volatile teammate. Finally, giving a disgruntled grunt of surrender, the powerful Amazon grabbed Jinx by the shoulders and pushed her back to arms length.

"What the hell was that?"

Hey, that was pretty nice for Shampoo, his look had worked!

Jinx mumbled something, but not even the sharp eared weapon master could make it out.

Shampoo must have, as she crossed her arms over her chest and spat a curse word he definitely understood.

"After all the hell you went through to get to this exact place, even going through me to get here, after all of that, now you are too scared to talk to Ryouga?"

Mousse looked around, but they were still on their own for the most part, so he didn't bother mentioning Shampoo slipping into proper English. He did raise his eyebrow at his love's words though.

"Come on, Jinx. You can't be serious? You put up with Happosai for months! Compared to that, talking to Ryouga should be a walk in the park."

The slender sorceress seemed to collapse in on herself. Shampoo let out a disgusted snort.

"And just when I was starting to develop the tiniest bit of respect for you. When did the neon hell-cat turn into a blubbering coward?"

Mousse hid his grin, Shampoo was the master of tough love, though most didn't understand her well enough to realize her intentions. Unfortunately, rather than react as he expected, with fire and fury, Jinx tugged on her hair in frustration.

"I knoooow! I'm so pathetic!" She spun on her Amazonian friends and grabbed each of their hands. "You have to help me!"

Mousse and Shampoo shared another telling look.

"Wellll…"

Terra glanced around the room anxiously. She had been having fun palling around with her new gal pals, but after a few more drinks, Artemis had gone off to talk to a guy with a sword on his back, saying that he looked pretty 'sharp', and Argent had gone to ensure the keg was safe, and maybe see if there were any 'sparks' between her and the gloomy looking electric blue guy that was nursing a drink in the same area.

Superhero puns were the worst.

She picked out Ryouga easily enough. He and Kasumi were on the far side of the room already talking to the Japanese swordsmen that Artemis was currently stalking, and she didn't want to seem like that lame kid that followed her older friends around wherever they went.

There were a surprising number of Legacy heroes in attendance, now that she thought about it. Speedy first and foremost, but she recognized Kid Flash, Supergirl, obviously, as well as not one, but two Wonder Girls. She also noticed a young woman with dark green skin and long red hair that was giving her either Martian Manhunter vibes, or a deeply disturbing paranoia over the idea of Beast Boy and Starfire hooking up behind everyone's backs. The emerald skinned redhead was talking to a pair of kids that looked so young that she was wondering if both together even added up to her own age.

Another group caught her eye as well. A trio hidden away in one of the corners, hosting some of the longest and most colorful hair in the entire party. She remembered Kasumi pointing out two of them briefly as Mousse and Shampoo. Apparently, they were some of Ryouga's oldest friends here, and she was anxious to talk to them about her teacher.

The third member of the group, she recognized from memory. She still remembered the footage of that epic Gotham battle and her fight against that crocodile guy.

Jinx, the touchiest subject on Ryouga's extensive list of touchy subjects - noting such highlights as Directions, Raven, Pigs, Curses and, of course, Ranma. Terra had no idea what to think, now that she was in the same room as the girl.

She had admitted to idolizing her back when they had watched the fight, she was such an amazing fighter. Not to mention she looked so sexy, and curvy… well, in comparison to herself at any rate. And there she was, already chatting away with Ryouga's friends like she had known them for years.

She watched the group, feeling a bit envious, as the dark-haired guy, Mousse, pulled a small white box from his sleeve and handed it to Jinx. Were they close enough he was even giving her gifts? Jinx read the card attached to the top of the box, only to burst out into laughter before tossing it onto a nearby shelf. Terra could only imagine what that exchange had been about.

Terra couldn't really pin down what kind of person Jinx was from a distance. Would it be awkward to talk to her? She wasn't sure she was up for the idea of trying to explain the whole teacher/student relationship thing to the girl who could be, ostensibly, her mentor's… girlfriend?

Ugh! It felt weird even thinking it!

Maybe something to take her mind off things? Moving as nonchalantly as humanly possible, the young geokinetic sidled up next to the keg. It was a party, after all, and everyone else here was too young to drink as well. It would be just the height of pettiness to deny her, wouldn't it?

She reached out a single hand towards the tap-

"Mmhmhm."

Her sapphire eyes shot up, catching fast on a pair of chestnut brown eyes that stared back down at her. Instantly, she looked over to the far side of the room, where Ryouga was still talking to the swordsman, as well as Artemis, now. She then looked back to Kasumi, then double checked just to make sure.

"What? How? When-"

Kasumi just raised an eyebrow.

Terra grumbled darkly to herself but adjusted her aim to grab a bottle of soda and a bag of chips.

"Stupid ninja Kasumi…"

"Wait, are you telling me that you actually know the Tatewaki Kunou?" the Japanese swordsman asked their bandanna wearing host, his voice filled with awe.

Artemis frowned, standing next to the two cute guys, but having trouble working her angle. Ryouga had even been kind enough to introduce her to the target of her little hunt, after Terra had introduced them properly. Everything had been going well, until the fanged martial artist had absently mentioned the name 'Kunou' as he had glanced around the room expectantly.

"Well, yeah," Ryouga admitted, "He was part of our little Nerima Wrecking Crew for the longest time."

"Hey, who's this Kunou guy?" Artemis asked, hoping to insert herself back into the conversation.

Bushido, the katana wearing warrior she currently fancied, turned to her, smiling as bright as the sun. "You mean that you have not heard of the legendary Shooting Star of Furinkan Highschool?"

Ryouga chuckled. "He's actually going by Blue Thunder these days."

"Even more epic!" Bushido declared. "To think I might meet one of my idols, here of all places! I still remember seeing one of his tournament matches, years ago."

Artemis tried to appeal to their host. "This Kunou guy is that good?"

Amusingly, the warrior held out his hand and tilted it back and forth. "Ehhh. He's pretty good with a sword, but he's no Ranma, that's for sure."

Bushido balked at the obvious dismissal. "Surely, you must be joking. You know someone else that has mastered the blade beyond even the skills of the Blue Thunder?"

The archer internalized her groan as the swordsman launched into a lengthy and excruciating diatribe on this Blue Thunder's many skills and talents. She knew all about being a tiny bit obsessed with a particular weapon herself but come on! This was a party! The emerald archer tried to get a few words in edgewise, but neither she, nor Ryouga (currently rolling his eyes), could manage.

"You know what I hate"? Artemis suddenly blurted out, deciding to try a different tact. "How my breasts can get in the way when I use my bow." She leaned forward and pushed her shoulders together, just to give a bit of… emphasis.

It had some effect, as Ryouga quickly went red in the face, grabbed his nose, and spun around. Bushido, on the other hand, just gestured to her absently. "If you are concerned about that, you may be better served trying your hand at the sword."

"That's what I'm trying to do," she muttered under her breath.

"Uh, anyway," Ryouga interjected quickly, "Umm, actually, I did have some archery related questions, you know, after working with Speedy."

The blonde archer shot their martially inclined host a grateful look. It took a real decent guy to play wingman despite only knowing each other for a few minutes at this point.

"Of course, a most worthy topic… but first, master Hibiki, I must ask how you can possibly discount the skill of a man that can shatter concrete just from air pressure alone?"

With that, Artemis threw her hands up in the air.

No boy was worth this frustration!

Robin wondered if the fact that he could no longer feel the repeated impacts from slamming the back of his head against his chair was worrying, or a relief. On the bright side, even Raven was looking to be regretting the apparent dam that she had burst by teasing the younger Elder about Galfore.

No one else had come back yet, either, to at least provide a distraction to latch onto.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, it seemed.

"Perfume!" he barked out, his voice cracking with his frustration. He coughed into his hand, trying to regain his composure before continuing. "Elder Perfume, don't you think that we should strategize on how we can get Starfire out of this sham of a marriage?"

She stared at him oddly for a moment, before finally shrugging her shoulders and taking a seat at one of the tables.

"I'm not certain what you mean. This is their tradition, after all, who are we to intervene if Koriand'r does not object?"

"Look, you don't know Blackfire like we do," Robin explained, nearing the end of his patience. "Even Cologne caught on that this whole thing was impossibly too convenient. There is no way that this isn't a setup."

"Be that as it may, as long as the young princess believes the marriage is legitimate, I don't think there is anything we can do to stop this."

"And if we can prove it's not?" Robin latched onto the tiny opening Perfume had provided. "If we can find evidence that Blackfire is lying to Starfire, like she always does, I have no doubt she would change her mind then."

Raven chimed in, grinning. "After all, Blackfire seems quite resistant to the idea of working with your people. If you had to choose one side to back, wouldn't Starfire be the better choice for the Amazons?"

The Elder seemed to consider their words. "Well, with Cologne working on the Grand Ruler already, I don't see any issues with hedging our bets, as it were. And I will admit, I have become somewhat fond of my young student."

She looked around the room they were in. "Also, it is deadly dull here. I could use a good distraction."

The young detective nodded, that had been easier than he'd expected, honestly. "Alright, then we should split up to find evidence."

He pointed to Raven, first. "You see if you can find anything on Blackfire. Maybe she's got something in her room that might reveal just what her angle is."

The dark Titan nodded evenly.

"Perfume, the two of us will go and check the enemy ships. If we can get into their computers, or get one of their crew to talk, that might explain things as well."

The Elder nodded, apparently content to let him dictate their actions for the moment.

He wished Cyborg and the others were back already, he would have liked to try to speak to Starfire as well, but that was just personal and wouldn't help nearly as much as getting information on this alien armada.

Sighing, he rose to his feet and adjusted his belt.

"Titans, go."