Dark Titans – Arc 6 – Wed by Dawn

Chapter 6

I don't own Ranma or Teen Titans.

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

Supergirl found herself laughing at another of Hotspot's anecdotes. He'd fought several villains that she had never even heard of, and he wasn't so proud as to skip over the embarrassing and fun sections of those battles, either.

*grindgrindgrind*

The Argonian winced, shaking her head before returning her attention to her handsome companion. She took another drink and smiled shyly for the boy. It was hard to deny that she was getting a bit spoiled with this party. Everyone seemed to want to talk to her at one point or another, and there were a lot of cute guys here!

"Say, have you ever dealt with any cyborg ninjas?" she asked, mostly joking about her own recent mission with Mousse and Shampoo.

"Cyborg ninjas? Are you just teasi-"

*grindgrindgrind*

Most of what the boy said was lost as the grating sound pierced her ears. Kara had been working hard to tune out her super hearing for the night. First off, it was a privacy thing, second, she had not needed to hear Argent and Killowatt snogging in the coat closet! Something though, was just pecking away at her last nerve.

"-re you okay?"

Kara snapped back to the moment. She looked to see Hotspot glancing at her anxiously and giggled nervously. Thinking quickly, she held up her empty glass. "Yeah, sure. Say, would you be a sweetie and get me another drink?"

Shrugging, the tall boy took her empty cup and nodded agreeably. "No problem, Sweet Thing. I'll be back in a flash."

She offered him one last smile and wave, but the second his back was turned, she flew straight up over the crowd. Where on earth was that sound coming from? She spun around a few times, trying to pinpoint it…

*grindgrindgrind*

There it was! It was… that pink haired girl that had just blown up half the room? She recognized the young woman; she was that new heroine from Gotham… Jinx, wasn't it? Yeah, she remembered the video of Jinx's fight with Killer Croc; she'd watched it with Mousse and Shampoo not that long ago.

The Anything Goes Martial Arts Heiress had arrived with Kasumi's sister, Nabiki, and the rest of her team of unknown heroes. Now, Jinx was bereft of her team, sitting at the island in the kitchenette, staring back into the room. She wasn't alone, though; the easily identifiable red mop of hair and bright yellow outfit made her current companion too obvious.

"Hey beautiful. Why don't we ditch this shindig and go somewhere nice? How about Paris?"

Ah, that explained the noise now. She knew Kid Flash's reputation with the ladies, so she could sympathize with the poor girl that was currently grinding her teeth like it was going out of style.

It looked like she was doing everything in her neon hued power to tune out the speedster as her pink eyes stared intently across the room. Slowly floating back to the floor, Kara scratched her chin in thought.

She recalled seeing Jinx talking with Mousse and Shampoo earlier; her teammates had seemed genuinely fond of the trim heroine when they'd gone over her fight footage. Apparently quite fond, as the skinny young woman had even been hanging around Weapon Master's neck for a minute, but, thankfully, he was not where she was staring now.

Kara might not have known the newcomer personally, but if she was Mousse's friend, then she felt bad seeing her looking so down. Not to mention she might need to intervene before Jinx exploded again or exploded Kid Flash for that matter.

"I just wish I knew what her problem was..."

"What's that? Someone looking for information on our cute little Jinx?"

There was something especially undignified and embarrassing about being the most powerful person in the room, and still managing to get startled by someone sneaking up on you. Holding a hand to her chest, Supergirl let out a small wheeze before turning around.

Speak of the devil, it was their Hostess' sister, and apparently another of Shampoo's old friends, Nabiki. Well, if anyone would know what was going on with the neon goth girl, it would be one of her teammates.

"You know what her deal is? She's grinding her teeth so hard I think my ears are gonna start bleeding."

The brunette in the form fitting outfit giggled, her grin growing wider.

"Oh, it is quite the story, I can assure you. And it sounds like your ears depend on it, so, I might be persuaded to tell you…"

Kara grinned; juicy gossip was always a good time. There was nothing like-

"For ten dollars!"

"What?"

M'gann, or Megan, as she went by on Earth, was striving to enjoy herself, standing close to the karaoke stage and bobbing her head to Mammoth's… unique rendition of 'Sweet Child of MIne'. Something about the large youth seemed familiar to her, but nothing she could put her finger on. Even she knew that reading people's minds at a party was a super quick way to get people hating you, so she was doing her best to mind her business.

She winced, feeling a familiar, tremendous weight press down on her mind once more. It almost felt like someone had set an extremely heavy box of emo poetry on her soul. Spinning around, she glared at the culprit and his stupid bandanna.

The (white) Martian had no idea who the guy was - she had shown up a bit late, so she'd just flown up and phased through the window, so she had only talked to the people she was familiar with so far - but he had been a thorn in her side all night.

No, no. That is not very Megan!

Despite her actively not scanning anyone's mind, for some reason this one guy was projecting emotions like a drive-in theater! And none of them were of the nice, pleasant 'whee, a party!' kind of emotions; it was really bumming her out! The feelings would go away periodically, when he spoke with someone, but came back almost immediately after he moved on. And why wasn't he projecting any of his happy emotions for that matter?

Oh, and then there was that burst of absolute terror that had nearly got her killed when Hotspot had been an inch from lighting her up like a Roman Candle!

She took a deep breath. Stop it! You need to be more Megan… Megan!

Letting out a deep sigh, she felt the down-in-the-dumps feelings seeping into her. The guy was obviously hurting over something. And it didn't take a telepath to figure out what it was. Him and that pink haired girl that had blown up the TVs had been circling each other and staring longingly at one another ever since she'd gotten there. Even though the girl's mind was like a locked box compared to the guy's projection jet engine, Megan had definitely felt some white-hot fury when Donna had been making moves on the bandanna guy.

Ugh! This would be so much easier if I just read everyone's mind so I could get them to sort out their problems! They'd probably even thank me for it! Half the people in this room would probably be well served with a few visits to a psychiatrist.

She giggled at the thought. Sadly, humans were super hung up on their privacy, and would rather let dangerous mental issues build up and fester over time, rather than just be honest with themselves.

Well, to be fair, she was hiding a couple of big secrets herself, even from her 'uncle'... but at least she was being honest with herself about her secrets!

Megan finished her cup of water, turning a longing glance to the concession tables by the windows. She was getting hungry, and some of those snacks looked super delicious, but there were too many of those stupid hot food trays, with the little burners under them. Who has open flames at a party? It just wasn't fair! Probably in violation of the fire code, too. It would probably be safer if a few of them went out…

"Excuse me, but I don't believe we've met."

The red-headed Martian jumped a bit, only to spin around to see Speedy's co-host standing beside her. Kasumi was her name if she recalled. She took a few moments to catch her breath, before smiling widely and holding out her hand.

"I'm sorry, I sort of let myself in," she admitted sheepishly, bopping herself in the head with her knuckle. "I'm Miss Martian. Nice to meet you."

The mature and graceful human woman returned her smile with three-fold the warmth and Megan almost had to take a step back at the wave of serenity that washed over her.

"Of course. Oracle mentioned you might be coming." The dazzling smile ratcheted down several degrees, and the long-haired brunette's face grew concerned. "I hope you don't find this rude… but are you enjoying yourself? I've noticed that you've looked quite preoccupied most of the night and haven't even touched any of the food."

Aww, what a good host!

Attentive, to boot. Looking around a bit, noticing that they didn't have an audience, she leaned in conspiratorially.

"It's not your party, I swear! It's my own dumb fault that I can't enjoy everything."

Kasumi grinned. "I find that hard to believe. You look to be a very smart young woman. Now, please, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."

The Martian girl hemmed and hawed for a few moments, this Kasumi was so nice, and just seemed so trustworthy! "Well… I get a bit… nervous around open flames, so I haven't been comfortable getting anything to eat."

The Japanese woman's eyes widened, and she clasped a hand to her chest, apparently in shock. "Oh my! I am so sorry about that. I had no idea. Just let me know what you want, and I'll get it for you." Kasumi tapped a finger to her chin. "Or, if you prefer something else, I could prepare something for you. It's no trouble, really."

Instantly, Megan held her hands up wardingly. "Nonono! Nothing like that! Just a few things would be nice-"

Her reply was cut off as the weight on her soul, which had lessened again without her even noticing, suddenly slammed back in, even heavier than before. She was distracted this time, so it hit even harder and she was forced to lean forward and grab Kasumi's shoulder for support.

Genuine concern flooded her at the contact, and her wonderful host quickly grabbed onto her to help her stay on her feet.

"What was that?"

She let out a shuddering sigh. Feeling so much, so abruptly was disorienting, but also a bit exciting. The more she felt it, the more diverse and foreign the emotions she was able to discern from the mass of negative sentiment, some she was sure she hadn't had the opportunity to feel before.

"W-well, I'm a bit telepathic, you see… and that guy over there-" she pointed out the bandanna wearing guy, just walking away from Speedy and now staring intently at the pink haired girl and Kid Flash, again. Oh, was that it? Was that extra bit of heft to the emotions jealousy? "-I don't know how he's doing it, as I'm actively trying to block out everyone's thoughts, but he keeps projecting his emotions all over the place. It's not exactly pleasant."

Kasumi looked at her, then to the solitary guy, then back to her, before letting out a long, tired sigh. "That's Ryouga. And I guess you could say that he has something of a talent for battering down people's defenses with his heavy emotions. It's… a bit complicated."

"Really?" she asked, now interested. "Is he a telepath too? That might explain things."

Her host shook her head. "Nothing like that. What he is, is a young man in need of an intervention. And preferably before he ends the party prematurely by bringing the entire tower down on our heads."

Megan felt her eyes widen. That guy was that powerful? And had that little control over it? What was he even doing at a party, and not somewhere getting help? She was distracted as she felt a small bubble of… mischief, she would call it, float into her through her connection to Kasumi, and she quickly released her hold. Whatever that thought was, though, it felt… fun.

Leaning in a bit further, an entirely new smile formed on the older woman's lips.

"How would you like to help me with a small mission of mercy?"

"-and that's the last thing I remember from Cologne's conversation with Blackfire."

Robin could only stare in bewilderment at Raven, safely nestled away in her own invisible column of light, separate from his own invisible column of light. The scheme was as petty, spiteful, and convoluted as he'd come to expect from Starfire's big sister, and it did confirm his suspicions that the wedding itself was total bull. But that wasn't what had him worried.

Cologne had apparently sided with Blackfire, in hopes of getting a better deal for her village? There was only one thing he could think to say.

"Well… shit."

Raven gave that coy gasp of hers whenever she caught him slipping up like that. He rolled his eyes and ignored the caged bird. She shrugged at his dismissal and leaned against the unseen wall that surrounded her. Robin wasn't sure if she could escape or not, he hadn't asked yet, and she was still in her cell, but it was possible she was just waiting for everyone else to end up here before making her move. He had no idea how well monitored these cells were, so asking could tip off their jailers if that was the case.

"So, the fleet is real. The wedding is fake. Blackfire is ultra powerful, and Cologne has turned bad?" he summed up, not liking what the final tally was.

The hooded Titan nodded flippantly. "Well, just a bit worse than usual for Cologne," Raven giggled, actually giggled, "Ranma has told me some good stories about what the Old Ghoul has gotten up to the past few years."

He could only shake his head at that. Maybe later he'd ask about some of those stories, but now wasn't the time. Frustratingly, all his gear was sitting on a table next to the distant door, but with this unknown invisible force was penning them in, it might as well have been on a different planet.

"You worry too much, Robin," Raven muttered. "Just be patient for a bit longer."

"I think I'm not worrying enough. I wasn't happy with Perfume ditching me before, but now, knowing about Cologne? I don't think we can trust any of the Amazons."

Adding Perfume to the list with Cologne and Ultra Blackfire didn't instill him with any kind of confidence, not even accounting for the pair of nebulously skilled girls that came with them. About the only thing he could think to neutralize the Joketsuzoku threat was simple self-interest. Knock Blackfire out of the picture, and they'd be kissing Star's butt in no time flat. So, it became a game of cat and mouse, evading the unknowably dangerous Elders long enough to take on the unknowably dangerous Empress and however many other allies she had.

"I think you're being too… Robin," Raven commented.

Robin grinned. "I don't think you're being Robin enough."

Ah, there was that familiar, unamused glare.

Whatever she was about to say, though, was interrupted by a rumble that echoed through the entire prison complex. Smiling to herself, Raven slowly stood up and dusted off her cloak. Luckily, she didn't get to her 'told you so' moment, as another quake shook the room. A second later, he heard a sound that brought a smile to his lips.

"Booya! Come get some, ya sentient Clay Pigeons!"

The 'thoom' of Cyborg's sonic cannon sounded and was followed by a pair of Tamaraneans being bodily hurled through the door, riding a wide lance of coruscating sound.

Following hot on their heels, looking to be either on the strangest, or the most fun double date ever, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Lotion and Spice charged through the door and spun around looking for more opposition. No one looked more crestfallen than the emerald haired Amazon when none were to be found.

The cybernetic genius spun around twice, before spotting the obvious control panel for the light cells, and with a few short steps and a few quick button presses, the entire room went dark. A moment later, normal lighting resumed, and Robin strode forward, crossing the threshold of the invisible cell without hesitation.

His eyes hardened as he closed on the quartet, focusing on the pair of females.

"Cyborg, Beast Boy, step away from them. The Amazons might be working for Blackfire now."

Hmm, his own certitude fluctuated slightly at the looks of genuine surprise on the faces of all four teenagers. Beast Boy took a frantic step forward. "What are you talking about, dude? Perfume was the one that told us to come get you!"

Cyborg nodded. "She's taking on Galfore even as we speak. Why would you even think they turned traitor?"

Raven fielded that question, hovering shoulder to shoulder with Robin. "Because Cologne has. I saw her pledge her loyalty to Blackfire, right before she attacked me, and I ended up here."

"She what!?" Spice's eruption drowned out everyone else's reactions as she started pacing around, flailing her arms. "The Old Ghoul did that? Damnit, I'm gonna take her down myself!"

Well, that was better than he had feared. Perfume was neutralizing Galfore (hopefully), and Spice and Lotion were still allies. That gave them fewer obstacles to avoid at the least.

"We don't have time for grudge matches, unfortunately," Robin finally stated. His mind was going a mile a minute as he tried to think of a viable plan. "We need a two-pronged attack. First, we need to stop the wedding before it's too late and give Starfire an opening to take the throne. Second, we need to neutralize the threat of the drone fleet, just to make sure Blackfire can't turn the entire planet into a hostage to get her way."

A few eyes widened in surprise, but everyone nodded along soon enough. The Boy Wonder considered the potential obstacle and allies they might have throughout the palace.

Taking a long breath, he finally nodded to himself. "Cyborg, take your team and take out the mothership, whatever it takes to make sure they can't use the fleet against Tamaran." He shook his head. "Though, if you can find a way to hijack the whole thing, that might sort out some problems down the road."

He then turned to Raven. "We'll break up the wedding and backup Starfire. We're more likely to run into Cologne going that way, so we'll need you if we want even a chance at bypassing her."

Raven nodded, grinning unpleasantly. "Don't worry about Cologne. I owe her one, now."

"And we got that ship, no problem," Cyborg added confidently. "I already downloaded all the info you got from the attack ship. No doubt taking control won't be easy, but hopefully I'll be able to come up with something good by the time we get there."

"Oh, I hope there are, like, all the guards!" Spice added.

"I'd rather no guards myself," Lotion muttered, garnering a nod from Beast Boy.

No time for second guessing now. If Blackfire knew they were on the move, there was no doubt she would move up her schedule and get things started as soon as possible. They had to move, and now.

"Titans, go!"

"Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are like looking at the clouds at sunset?"

Jinx rolled her neon pink eyes, which, no, no one had ever said looked like a sunset before. The cheesiness of the line wasn't what frustrated her, though. She glanced at the unitard wearing boy next to her out of the corner of her eye. Nice hair, handsome face - what she could see of it, anyway - good body. No, what frustrated her was the fact that, even a year ago, this was exactly the kind of guy she would have fallen head over heels for.

Buff dudes with smooth lines was her type. Considering her lifestyle, and lack of dating options, it never even occurred to her that pick-up lines were just that. Calculated words strung together by a player that wanted to get with her. She cringed internally as she recalled how often she'd fallen for the very same lines, over and over again.

Only now, after having spent time with someone who was sincere in his feelings - yes, yes, they were coerced feelings, but damn Ryouga was sincere about them! - did the shallow words dripping from Kid Flash's mouth ring so coldly hollow.

It probably helped that she had seen him hit on at least four other girls at this very party. A grin tweaked her lips at the hasty exit the speedster had been forced to make when he'd tried out a line on Shampoo, with Mousse standing right next to her. If the guy weren't a speedster, Mousse would probably still be shoveling up Shampoo's handiwork.

She muttered some vague response to some half-heard question from the 'fastest boy alive'. (Man, and Speedy thought his name was bad?)Trying to focus past the distraction of the biggest collection of hormones alive, she scanned the room for Ryouga again. The last she saw of him, he was talking to the red headed Martian girl and Kasumi, so her threat detection system hadn't triggered.

Not like with that Amazon Bimbo… other Amazon Bimbo! Somehow, she knew that Shampoo had been behind that! She didn't know how, or why, but she just felt it in her thin, birdlike bones.

Hmm, there was a stand full of steak knives on the counter before her. Maybe a light stabbing would improve her evening?

She didn't have time to mull over her latest plan and the various benefits it offered, as she was suddenly blanketed in shadow. Her eyes flitted up and she felt her throat clench up at the sight of Supergirl standing over her, hands on her hips and looking down at her.

So, this is how it ends.

She didn't have time to make peace with her gods as she noticed that the alien super being in the miniskirt was being flanked by Shampoo and Nabiki. The former only made her pray harder, but the latter piqued her curiosity. While Nabiki would definitely be in the front row to watch someone get squashed like a bug, the smirk on the brunette's face was not of the 'ha-you-gonna-die!' variety, but more of the 'dis-gunna-be-good!' type.

Supergirl suddenly lifted her gaze from Jinx to pierce Kid Flash with her stare. A moment later, she jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Beat it, K-F. This area has been officially sanctioned as a girl talk zone."

Rather than leave, the boy in yellow vanished, then reappeared a second later leaning on the counter right in front of Supergirl. Slicking back his red locks, he pointed a finger at her.

"Hey, no one talks to more girls than me. Why don't I join you lovely ladies?"

Behind Supergirl's back, Nabiki and Shampoo shared a nasty look. Leaning forward, the Tendo sister led off.

"That sounds like a good idea. We were planning to start off with syncing our monthly cycles, you know, like girls do."

Casually reaching out and grabbing one of the steak knives, Shampoo idly started to balance it, point down, on one of her fingertips. She then eyed the lithe superhero with a wicked grin. "Shampoo certain we can make you fit for girl club."

The yellow speedster eyes widened for a moment, his wits not nearly as slow as Jinx figured they were, and a second later, his afterimage faded away.

"Sorrygottagoneedadri…"

Despite herself, Jinx couldn't help but burst into laughter. Now that was some classic Shampoo right there. She turned to look at Nabiki, though.

"Really, Nabs? Syncing cycles?"

The hidden in plain sight villainess shrugged. "You'd be surprised how often that works back home. And I do have two sisters, you know. I speak from experience."

"Okay, so what's this all about then? I appreciate the save, but I'm not getting a girl power vibe from you three." Jinx eyed the Kryptonian and the Amazon warily.

Supergirl shrugged her shoulders. "No need to get all paranoid. Shampoo vouched that you were cool, and that's good enough for me. That, and you kicked butt against Killer Croc!"

Jinx eyed the lavender hued Amazon, not exactly believing what she was hearing, but Shampoo replied with a superior smirk. Before she could even try to divine what that meant, Supergirl gestured over her shoulder again, to where Kid Flash was already attempting to put the moves on Stargirl.

"Besides, I think we could all use a bit of a break from the guys here."

Nabiki nodded. "Kasumi said she had a little surprise set up for some of us girls, and you know she'd want you to be there."

"Shampoo thought you cat girl, not chicken girl."

The sorrowful sorceress rolled her eyes. "Again, you are the last person that gets to make cat jokes!" Still, the idea of disappointing Kasumi felt like taking a handful of the knives in front of her and jamming them all into her heart. Plus, after a night of prowling on the fringes of the party, it felt nice to have someone (Not Kid Flash!) interact with her for a change. Even for a jaded, solitary (semi)ex-villain being included in something not crime related (well, she shouldn't assume, Nabiki was involved, after all) made her feel better about herself.

"But fine," she finally followed up. "I'm in. Let's go braid our hair, dye our nails, or watch tasteful porn, you know, whatever Kasumi has set up."

This was apparently not the prudish group, as the trio of ladies seemed to be putting a lot of thought into that last option, various smiles and grins forming on their faces.

After that, the four of them were wandering through the halls, until they rounded a corner and saw Kasumi and the Martian girl standing next to a door. She started as she realized just which door it was.

"Raven's room? What are we doing here? We gonna snoop through all her stuff?" Jinx grinned cattily, "Just let me warn you, she doesn't have any porn in there, but she does have some of the trashiest novels imaginable hidden under her bed."

Now that was more like it. Kasumi and the Martian's faces started burning red at her revelations. Nabiki stepped in, a curious look on her face.

"How did you know this was Raven's room?"

Jinx shrugged. "I stayed here for a few weeks," she explained, pointedly leaving out the part about kicking the Titan's out of their own tower to do so.

"And you stayed in Raven's room that whole time?" Supergirl asked, grinning. The Kryptonian suddenly coughed into her fist, though the cough sounded suspiciously like "Gaycrush!"

"I meant I stayed at the Tower!" The pinkette sorceress spun on the invulnerable alien. "Don't even start! I will end you, Valley Girl!"

Even as the Kryptonian teenager rolled her eyes, obviously unconcerned, Jinx felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kasumi beside her.

"Now, now, Jinx. We're all here to have fun. And there is a perfect source of entertainment in Raven's room. So…"

Without warning, the green skinned girl opened the door to Raven's room, and Kasumi's grip on her shoulder grew surprisingly tight, and then three other hands on her back suddenly pushed her into the darkened interior of the room. The door slid shut behind her a second later, followed by a strange hissing sound.

She spun, not even believing what she was seeing as glowing red beads of metal began running down the edge of the door. Were they welding her into Raven's room!?

"I am not in the mood for pranks!" she hollered through the now sealed door. As if it would take more than a second for her to blast-

"Jinx, is that you?"

The already pale sorceress felt the blood drain from her face as she heard his voice from behind her. Reaching out blindly, relying on years old memory at this point, she fumbled a bit before finding the light switch.

Even with the lights on, the room was still dim, the dark colors covering every single surface seeming to drink up the light. Slowly, she spun around, and found the source of the inquiry. Sitting on the edge of Raven's oversized bed, looking extremely uncomfortable, was none other than the Lost Boy himself.

Her heart skipped a few beats, which now that she experienced it, was much more terrifying than romantic as the movies always told her. Instantly, she flattened her back against the still warm door.

S-she wasn't ready! She still had no idea what to say, it had to be her turn to say something, right? Granted, she'd been here for hours now, and was still no closer to a solution, but she couldn't do it now, not like this!

Spinning around, she banged a fist to the door. "Let me out right this instant!"

It was Supergirl that responded, muffled by the obstruction between them. "Listen, girl. You two are getting on everyone's nerves with all of this 'will-they-won't-they' crap! You're not coming out of there until you guys settle whatever all of this is!"

Jinx couldn't help but feel personally attacked there. Her romantic life, or lack thereof, was no one's business but her own! She wasn't going through all this hell for anyone's cheap entertainment!

"You guys watch too many Soap Operas! You know that, right!?"

"Not possible!" Kasumi replied with a lilt in her voice. "Now please, would you two just talk? Could you do it… for me?"

Argh! Jinx clutched a hand to her chest, only to turn around and slump against the wall. Slowly, she slid down until her butt hit the floor. "Not fair, Kasumi!"

There was a chorus of muffled giggles from the other side of the door before the sound of Kasumi shooing people away silenced them.

Taking a deep breath, the sort of evil villainess, sort of good heroine, sort of neutral martial artist, looked up and locked gazes with the room's only other occupant.

Grinning sheepishly, and rubbing the back of his head, Ryouga shrugged. "Yeah, that was how Kasumi got me in here, too. Sometimes I think she's even more evil than Nabiki."

She couldn't help herself, and a small giggle escaped. Maybe that could work? Keep themselves laughing. Some light teasing was always a good way to break the ice.

"So…" she drawled, "You and Wondergirl, eh? I didn't think you were into Amazons."

The bandanna clad cutie shook his head ruefully. "Would you believe that Shampoo actually put her up to that?" Ryouga barked a laugh of annoyance. "Greek Amazons don't even have any stupid marriage laws. She just wanted to mess with me cuz I set foot on their precious women only resort."

Jinx tried to hold in her laughter, she really did, but it just resulted in it leaking out in small gasps until she finally broke down completely. "I knew it! Shampoo is such an asshole!"

Themyscira, the women only resort, eh? She wondered if she could make any money off that idea. Meh, probably been done. At least it seemed like the more things changed with Ryouga, the more they stayed the same.

"So," Ryouga suddenly replied, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, "You and Kid Flash, eh?"

Now that was not a mental image she needed. She had to gag a few times on the vomit that threatened to crawl up her throat before she could laugh at the insane idea.

"Oh please, that guy hit on Mousse before he actually turned around to talk to him. I'm done with Players and their Games."

Judging by the overtly relieved sigh from Ryouga, his question had been a bit more serious than her own. Then again, Ryouga had been visibly freaking under the Amazon's gentle ministrations, while Jinx's blatant disinterest might have been less obvious to the sensitive Lost Boy.

That thought brought a smile to her face. "So… does that mean that you're happy to see me?"

Slowly, he nodded. "I don't even have the words to express it… and I know a lot of languages. ...And you?"

Dipping her head and looking at her fingers, she nodded imperceptibly. And that was it, after so long, so many months apart, fighting, clawing, and spitting every inch of the way, she was finally here… with him. She tucked her chin to her chest as she felt that lump catching in her throat, felt her shoulders start to hitch and her eyes burn.

Every lonely night, every longing thought, every distant memory of her nights with him, all came crashing down at once. It was ironic, or maybe fitting, that this master martial artist could so easily shatter the walls she had built up around her heart. This time, he didn't even need to lift a finger to do it, either.

She waved her fingers in front of her eyes in a futile gesture.

"Y-y-you better not l-laugh," she choked out, "God, I th-think I'm gonna cry."

Her eyes flitted up, expecting to see the Lost Boy grinning, and laughing at the poor, emotional girl.

Only to see the boy on his knees, tears streaming down his face in near torrents.

"I won't cry if you won't," he lied straight to her face.

A second later, she collided bodily with the Lost Boy, sending him crashing back into Raven's overstuffed bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. The smells of sweat and booze and dirt were intoxicating in a way that really worried her about her psychological health.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured into his ear. "I'm such an idiot."

Wrapping his arms around her gently, she felt his breath right on her ear and it sent a shudder through her entire body.

"Well, you're my idiot, so I guess I'm stuck with you."

She giggled… only to pause as realization sunk in.

"Hey! We did that backwards!"

"No take backs!"

Pushing off the wall, Supergirl spun to look at her co-conspirators, the smile on her face legendary at this point!

"Well, it sounds like a mission accomplished, ladies. No one is dead, and I really don't want to have my ear on the wall for what might come next."

Miss Martian's cheeks flushed as she grinned. "I think this is my favorite moment of this party. I can't feel any negative thoughts from Ryouga right now."

Shampoo shrugged, "No have Cu here, but Pid still master of romance."

Everyone looked at Shampoo, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

"Well, what should we do now," Kasumi asked with a smirk.

Taking a step back, Nabiki looked over her disparate little gang of matchmakers, an epiphany striking like lightning. Grinning herself now, she turned to Shampoo.

"Hey, we got you, me and Kasumi. And we also have a cute little redhead," she gestured to Miss Martian.

"Aw, thanks."

She then gestured to Supergirl, "And a girl with gorilla-like strength."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Instantly, both Kasumi and Shampoo begin to smile eagerly.

"Oh my, this will be so much fun!"

The Kryptonian turned to the Martian. "Why do I get the feeling that we're being roped into something that we are not going to like?"

The red-haired girl didn't have a chance to respond, as Shampoo wrapped powerful arms around both vastly stronger alien female's necks.

"Because you are!"

Nabiki used her own, less-literal version of the strong-arm tactic.

"Welcome to DoCo ladies! Don't worry, we'll sort out all the contract stuff after you guys pass your audition."

"And then the guy suddenly stops and yells out 'I'm a genius!' and then just stands there!"

Laughter filled the air, and Terra couldn't help but laugh along with her new friends. She was currently wedged between Mousse and Artemis, while Mammoth sat on the far end of the couch, and Argent and Gizmo lounged back in a pair of chairs facing the couch.

Artemis leaned towards her, swiping her hand through the air disbelievingly.

"Really? In the middle of a training exercise? Like, did he forget what you guys were doing?"

"Please tell me that you bouldered the guy," Argent added, a vindictive grin on her face.

"Of course I did! How was I supposed to know he wasn't gonna dodge?"

The emerald archer shook her head, obviously still not believing it. "And he didn't die from that? How tough is this guy? I thought you said he was a martial artist, like me?"

Mousse interjected for her, chuckling loudly. "Don't worry about Hibiki. Getting hit by three-ton boulders is just light training where we come from."

"Bah! The guy is a featherweight," Mammoth chimed in, "But I suppose he can take a hit, at least."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's not lay it on too thick." She gestured to Terra, "I expect daddy's little girl to exaggerate these stories, but why are you guys making him out to be so amazing?"

Hey! What was that supposed to mean?

"I don't act like Ryouga is my daddy!" she barked, glaring at Artemis and Argent as they shared lascivious smiles at her phrasing. "And I'm not making things up, either! Ryouga will prove it all himself!"

Standing up on the couch, wobbling a bit on the soft cushions she spun around the room, looking for her teacher.

"Hey… where's Ryouga? I don't see him anywhere…" Dread realization rose in the slight geokinetic. She spun back to Mousse. "You don't think he's lost, do you? We should look for him!"

"Hibiki isn't lost, Terra, Shampoo and the others are looking after him," Mousse explained. As if to answer her unasked question, he held up a cellphone just as another message popped up on the screen for him to read, only to chuckle to himself a moment later.

Argent, scratching her head, leaned forward in her seat, showing off even more of her annoyingly prevalent cleavage. "All you people keep talking about bandanna guy getting lost all the time. What's up with that?"

Mammoth let out a laugh, waving his hand dismissively. "Nothing you gotta worry about. The only thing that's probably lost are Ryouga's pants!"

Everyone else present began laughing uproariously, but Terra could only look about in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked the ginger haired giant. "Why wouldn't he have his pants?"

"Well, probably because Kasumi and Nabiki conspired to lock him into a room with Jinx." Mousse scratched his chin, trying and failing to suppress a goofy grin. "They have some… issues to discuss."

Artemis burst into laughter at his choice of words. "That's one way to put it! Pinky looked so pent up I don't know if your buddy is going to be able to walk before morning."

"Oh, it's too bad, though," Argent added, even as everyone else kept right on laughing. "She's got such a great look. He's so blah, they don't look good together at all!"

All the chit-chat and laughter washed over Terra as Mousse's words ricocheted around her skull. Ryouga, her teacher, was locked in a room with the girl he'd been pining over for months now? And said girl felt that way about him? And might be the type to act on it?

A brief flash of athletic, intertwining limbs careened through her mind, and she nearly shrieked.

Panic, nausea, disgust, and a dozen other emotions she couldn't even name surged through the slight blonde as she tried to purge her depraved imagination.

"Um… is the blonde twig gonna start blowing chunks?" Gizmo asked, obviously not happy with his current position in the potential splash zone.

Without thinking, Terra snagged the phone from Mousse's hand and frantically started dialing. She managed to get in '9' and '1' before her hand was grabbed by a frantically flailing Mousse. A second later, she was pulled to the cushions by an uproariously laughing Artemis.

"What are you doing?" the martial artist asked incredulously. "It's not like she's taking advantage of him!"

"You don't know that!" Terra shrieked, her mind still running laps around the horrific concept of – of that! Ryouga would never do that! She scrabbled for the phone. "Jinx needs to go to jail!"

The blonde archer, nearly in tears at this point, wrapped her arms around Terra's shoulders. "Sheesh, and I thought the Dad that was supposed to freak out at their Daughter getting lucky!"

"Wow, she is really taking this apprenticeship seriously, isn't she?" Argent asked, shaking her head.

Mousse gasped for air, still staring at her in shock. "Terra, you don't call the cops over things like that!" He gestured around the room. "Also, all the underage drinking going on?"

"Yeah. Don't be a snitch, kid," Mammoth added. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "'Sides, Jinx deserves a little happiness after all she's been through."

Terra struggled vainly for another second, only to huff loudly and cross her arms over her chest. Artemis, seeing her give up the fight, released her death grip, leaving Terra wedged between the cushions. The geokinetic stared petulantly up at the ceiling and mumbled indignities under her breath as everyone giggled at her expense.

"Hey Mousse! Get over here!"

The sudden shout thankfully distracted everyone from Terra's own embarrassment. Leaning an arm over the couch, Mousse turned to regard the unseen speaker.

"What's up, Shampoo?"

"We need someone to do lighting. Ryouga too too busy-" Terra's stomach clenched at that unneeded reminder "-So you'll have to do!"

Argent snickered. "She's a real sweet talker, isn't she? I bet she's way bitchier than the pastel hair would indicate. ...I should talk to her later."

Shaking his head helplessly and taking a moment to securely vanish his phone up his sleeve, Mousse rose to his feet. "Well, as the old saying goes: no rest for the wicked."

Terra rolled her eyes, still muttering as the robed man leapt over the couch and vanished from sight.

She wished she hadn't abandoned her spiked drink now. Even the searing pain of that had to be better than the knowledge that somewhere, someone was doing… things with her master.

The sound of five voices singing as one were totally wasted on her at that moment.

Speedy had his cell phone in hand, snapping pictures as fast as his thumb could tap. Needless to say, he was not the only one.

Then again, how many once in a lifetime chances like this did one get? As if the mere sight of five gorgeous ladies up on the stage wasn't worth the price of admission all on its own. They actually got the fantastically famous Supergirl front and center, not to mention the ridiculously reclusive Miss Martian.

Even Shampoo, or Nujiézú, was a major up and comer for the Justice League and on track to become a fan favorite in no time amongst the males 18-36 demographic. So, two full leaguers, one potential, and a pair of mysterious unknowns. He could only guess what would generate more buzz, the trio of famous heroines singing together, or the wild mass guessing at just who the hell the other two were.

The red-headed archer didn't even bother to hide his amazement as he watched the quintet sing. Sure, Supergirl and Miss Martian were up there having fun, but Shampoo and the Tendo's were really getting into it, you'd think they were professionals. Especially with the long-haired guy on the side frantically typing away at the computer and making a real show of the lighting. There was no way this could all be spontaneous.

Wild cheers surged through the crowd as the current song ended. The girls on stage all laughed and smiled and waved, before Mousse gave them the thumbs up as he cued up the next song.

As if anyone had the balls to tell the gorgeous glory hogs to get off the stage.

The next song began, up tempo and full of energy, just like the last two, easily seducing the audience to dance and sway along.

Huh, that sounds kinda familiar.

Miss Martian started this song, still singing timidly, but everyone ate it up regardless. One after the next, the others joined in, and that odd sense of Deja vu just kept ticking away in the back of his skull. Kasumi, Nabiki and Shampoo were really belting it out this time. Must be one of their favorite songs...

"It's true! I saw it too."

Ice coursed through Speedy's veins as Shampoo sang the line and things careened into place with avalanche force. In an instant, he was back in the electronics store, creeping along silently as the unseen Red X sang her heart out.

No fuckin' way!

He stared intently as Nabiki took a half step forward, turning her body just enough to emphasize what her skin-tight suit was barely concealing. The curves were familiar as well, though the suit was a different color now.

"They held each other yet seemed far away."

The younger Tendo sister had the cockiest smile on her lips as she bounced back and forth a bit before stepping back in line. The rest of the song washed over him in a wave of static as he couldn't take his eyes off Kasumi's sinister sister.

There is no way! Is she just mocking me now?

Oh man, what did he even do here? Making a scene would not end well. And it would just be his word against hers at this point. Even worse, she'd somehow wormed her way onto the new Jinx's – the new Gotham girl - team,so it'd be her entire team's word against his. Not to mention him just accusing Nabiki would probably make Kasumi upset, which would probably result in Ryouga making him dead.

W-was this her plan? To mess with him all week, just so she could flaunt it in his face, knowing that he'd never be able to prove it enough to convince her family and friends. A grin split his lips; he could respect that level of unadulterated ego. He was going to have to up his game if he wanted to pull one over on this evil genius.

You sassy bitch, don't think this is over!

Starfire stood solemnly at the entrance to the throne room. Everyone had assured her that she looked resplendent in her bridal gown, but she did not feel as such. Laid out before her, seeming to stretch on into eternity, was the ceremonial carpet that would lead her to the hastily erected altar standing before the throne.

Throngs of her people were massed on either side of the aisle now, but there were very few joyous faces among them. She took some solace, at least, in the knowledge that most people did not celebrate her coming marriage to the disgusting creature before them. Blackfire might rule Tamaran, but she did not command her subject's hearts, and she was ill-suited to masking her spite.

Frankly, she was used to her sister's utter disdain at this point, and there was little that Blackfire could do to surprise her at this point. What did disappoint her, though, was the empty space at her side. She glanced around furtively but could not catch a glimpse of her dear K'norfka anywhere. It was his duty to shield her as she traveled down the aisle, and to stand where her father would have… if he were not…

She dashed a tear quickly, before squaring her shoulders and holding her head up high. Deception or not, Starfire would not give her sister the gratification of seeing any weakness, not on this day.

A moment later, music began to swell throughout the chamber, and she knew her time was up. She sniffed one last time, before locking her expression to cool indifference, then took her first step forward.

Where are you, Galfore?

Beneath her feet, the floor trembled faintly.