Using Jake's shower, Raven left his room. Entering her room, she changed from her dress to her normal Titan uniform. Things were going too fast between her and Jake. She needed to talk to someone. She needed a mother's advice. She was heading home. Back to Azarath.

Alone, Jake sat at his work bench cleaning his fun set from the previous day, heavy metal music blaring and a bottle and glass beside him. The reason he rarely used his fun set was the cleaning it took. The revolver and the double barrel shotguns weren't bad. The pistol and the pump were a different story. Noticing a light blinking on his communicator, he picked up, and flipped it open. Nightwing's face appeared, and was saying something he couldn't hear.

Turning the music off, his ears caught, "-TURN IT DOWN, JAKE!"

Raising an eyebrow, "These rooms are soundproof, yet you called me just to tell me that?"

Blinking, "Um, no, there's someone here for you."

Now Jake blinked.

"Who?"

A knock came to his door. Getting up, he opened it finding Hazara still with her black eye standing there.

"Oh," blinking again, "What's up?"

Standing beside her, "She came to talk to you about some offer," said Nightwing, "What offer did you make her?"

Looking at him, "An offer from one hunter to another, so don't worry about it."

Sighing, "Alright, I'll leave you to alone."

With that, he walked away.

Motioning Hazara to come in, Jake closed the door behind her. As she removed her facemask, he felt the poison in the air which still wouldn't affect him.

"So," Jake said.

Keeping her back to him, "I want a voice. Everyone treats me like trash. It seems that only you and the others, Otomo and them, are the only ones who see me as equals. I don't want to be silent anymore."

"So, that's what you want."

Turning around allowed Jake to see her angry expression.

"I want you to follow through on your word," she replied, "I want to have a voice around other people."

Cocking his head, a small smile appeared on his lips.

"I know," folding his arms, "but what is it that you want. A replacement for your mask, or something else."

Stopping for a moment, "I want a full face mask. Something that would contain the curse and prevent me from removing it in combat."

"You mind if I bring someone else in, someone that can come up with something?"

She shook her head no.

Pulling out his Titan's communicator, "Hey Cyborg, I got a question for you. Do you breathe?"

His confused face came over the screen.

"Huh, what do you mean, do I breathe?"

"Come to my quarters and I'll explain.

On Azarath in the home of Arella, Raven was at her mother's home for less then five minutes already she felt like confessing.

"Why do I want this so much?" she asked, "That I throw almost everything away?"

Arella was silent, she loved her daughter, and she blamed herself for falling for her father's trick. Even as a mother, she couldn't believe her daughter had grown up.

"Do you truly love him?" she asked.

Looking at her mother with her well known seriousness.

"I've never loved anything more than I do him."

Nodding, "I've seen the love he shows to you," which was true.

Using a special mirror to watch over her daughter and to know what she had been doing with her life. Arella knew how Jake freed Raven from her powers. How he sacrificed himself when it should have been her daughter. How Jake always thought of Raven first. Arella smiled at knowing Raven loved Jake and not that the second specter that hung over her daughter.

"And I know he truly loves you."

Looking away, "And I want to show Jake how much I truly love him, but…I'm afraid."

Holding her daughter's hand, "What are you afraid of?"

She gave her mother a look, "I'm afraid of what you told me would happen when I did…that."

A confused look turned into look of dawning across her face. Looking away for a moment, Arella smiled.

"Raven, I must confess something to you."

Those words and what her mother told her next, shocked Raven, to say the least.

"So let me get this straight, she wants a full face mask to prevent the poison in her breath to affect others, and wants to still be able to speak, which her current half mask doesn't let her do," said Cyborg.

Hazara and Jake nodded in agreement. Hazara wore her facemask until Cyborg said otherwise.

Thinking for a moment, "Sure, no problem. And no by the way, I don't breathe, at least not naturally…"

Putting his hand up before he went into detail, "That's," remarked Jake, "all we needed to know Cy."

"Ok, Hazara, could you take off your facemask so I can check a few things."

She gave Jake a look only for Jake to nod it's ok.

Untying the strings, she handed it to Cyborg.

Coughing, "Wow," coughed Cyborg, "that stinks."

Jake hoped he was referring to the curse.

Noticing Hazara glaring at him, Cyborg held his hands up in defense.

"Sorry, no offence."

Moving closer towards Hazara, he examined around her neck, jaw line, and basically the size of her head.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"If you want a new face mask, I'm using my computer eye to design a mask within my circuitry that will cover your entire head, yet still give you complete comfort and maximum visibility," he replied.

She nodded, "You should also know, that the organization did something to my bridle that prevents me from taking it off within the presence of demon."

"Let me see it," carefully examining it, "I see it there."

"See what?" asked Jake.

Continuing to study the mask, "There is nano technology in this. There are sensors here that more then likely work the same as the demon sense for you two. I can also see something like grabbers along the sides. So small that she wouldn't feel them, but enough of them to prevent her taking it off. And I can also she that the string isn't just a ribbon. I can see circuits in it that link up to the facemask to when the sensors go off, it changes to a stronger material. Maybe even a material a blow torch couldn't cut," seeming to be in awe as he looked at Hazara, "I've never even seen tech like this."

"Can you make me something or not?" asked Hazara.

Blinking to regain his train of thought, "Oh, yea, no problem, if I start now, I'll have it done by tomorrow night."

"Fine, I'll be back tomorrow then."

"Hold on now," asked Jake, "where are you going?"

"I'm not staying here," she said clearly. "I still haven't forgiven you for having me go after that grass stain of a person."

Taking a moment to remember the grass stain, "Oh come on, I told you guys to go after the Titans. I didn't tell you who had to go after who, you could have just gone after Cyborg and left Beast Boy for someone else to go after."

"Yea, I mean, BB's not that bad," said Cyborg, "once you ignore him and with Terra around, he doesn't even make that many jokes."

"I'm not staying," she said clearly.

"Ok, this ain't a prison," replied Jake, "See you tomorrow."

Looking at Jake, "What?" remarked Cyborg.

Staring at Cyborg, "We can't force her to stay, and she's not a criminal. Just give her back her mask and let her go on her way."

Really? Curious what she's like in bed?

Returning the facemask to Hazara, "Fine, I'll go get started," grumbling Cyborg, "Be back here around four tomorrow afternoon, that way I can be sure of the fit and make any finally adjustments."

Putting on her facemask, she left without another word.

"She's just the laugh of the party, isn't she," said Cyborg.

Shaking his head, "I really don't want to find out,"

New Years Eve, she's a riot. She loves Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Their communicators went off.

Studying his communicator, "Where's Raven?" asked Cyborg.

"She said something about visiting her mother," answered Jake.

Sharing a sub with the green haired Alice, "How many mechs stolen?" asked Victoria.

"Quarter of them," answered Alice, " And they're older models."

"Still they can do damage."

"Since Jess got suspended permanently at Area 53," stated Alice, "What about my alternative recommendation for Hazara's sparring partner?"

"I'll check my appointment book."

It was a robbery gone wrong and the Titans had been called in to help. A group of men took over a bank armed with full body armor and full automatic weapons with semi pistols for backups. They had work with military precision, till the Titans showed up. Now, all were captured expect for the one got away with a hostage.

"He went down that way, and he has a hostage," shouted a police officer.

Running the way he pointed, "I'm on it."

Running down an alleyway, and saw the robber, with his female hostage.

"Drop it," taking aim, "Let her go."

Spinning around, he placed her in the path of Jake's gun and himself. Placing a knife that Jake didn't see to her throat with one hand, he aimed his pistol at Jake.

"I'll die before I go to jail!" he shouted firing two rounds, which hit him dead on,

Jake stood up letting his healing factor push the bullets out.

"You could shoot me all day and I'll still take you out, now drop it and let the girl go," ordered Jake. Like fries with that.

His lips formed an evil smile.

"Then I guess I'll have to kill her to convince you."

"You ain't got the time," firing a stun round between the girl's leg into him.

Still he didn't drop.

Placing his chin on the girl's shoulder, "Special armor, dissipates all energy so it doesn't affect me, and the regular armor will protect my legs," he said with his knife blade between him and Jake's target sites, " had this made incase we ran into any freaks like you," pressing the knife harder against the girl's flesh, "Now watch, as this girl's life is taken from her."

A drop of blood appeared on her neck.

BANG.

The knife blade shattered. The hole in the robber's head caused his gun to fall onto the ground. The robber's eyes rolled up into his head as blood poured from the hole in between his eyes

He was dead before he hit the ground. But the hostage was safe. Sprayed with his blood and a small trail of her own down her neck, but she was still alive. Be prepared to pay that woman's shrink bills.

Why does everybody want to kick my ass?
I'm just tryin' to have a little fun
For all the ones who can't
And just because I kiss the prettiest girls
And I drive my truck too fast
Why does everybody want to kick my ass?
- Big and Rich

"How could you, Jake?," remarked Nightwing in that cold way would make Batman proud.

Returning to the Tower, Jake stood there receiving the riot act from Nightwing.

"How could you kill him? What happened to using those charged rounds of yours?"

"Just shut up Nightwing," Jake retorted back in the cold way.

Nightwing sounded way cooler then Jake.

Looking him straight in the eye, "And tell me how many people of died in your life time that you could have saved. Tell me how so many criminals you've put away with Batman have gotten out and killed again because they enjoyed it," getting closer into Nightwing's face, "Killing ain't easy, but sometimes, to save a life, its what you have to do. I tried a charged round, but his armor was made to counter it, and even firing a charged round into his face, which was the only exposed place, would have killed him. Just cause my charged rounds do different things, that doesn't mean they aren't any slower. And I've killed just as many people in my line of work then demons. Same goes for other hunters." A lot of bull shit from the Butcher of Batur.

"That doesn't mean its right," said Nightwing.

Giving him a look before leaving, "If everything was right in the world, hero's wouldn't be needed." Except Jake you're not the hero people deserve. You're the hero people are stuck with.

Elsewhere in the Galaxy, a hero was gathering people for his holy cause The great Val-Yor, defeater of the Locrix and the Symobots. He was the galaxy's greatest hero; no one doubted his strength and command ability. Now, he was gathering arms against a new threat.

Standing in front of a huge mass of people on one of the most transit planets so his wonderful message would be heard across the galaxy.

"My brothers of the Stars," he called out to the booming millions growing across the galaxy, "I have defeat great enemies that would have seen to do you harm. And you believe and trust in me for what is right for the galaxy. And I thank your for placing such trust in me. But a new threat arises, one that we have ignored for to long. The Troq."

At that word, everyone in the crowd had grown silent. The Troq were the people of Tamaran that kept mostly to themselves, but now their hero was calling them a threat, why? Good question for prophet of a false God.

Continuing on, "They are a barbaric race who refuses to change their ways in order to become one with the rest of us. I believe that one day, the will have enough in numbers to push out into our homes and kill us while we sleep, and I refuse to let that happen. So I call to all of the people of the Stars, the ones I am honored to call my brothers, will you fight with me?"

Cries of "YES!" heard through out the galaxy, all rallying to Val-Yor's cause. The Troqs would not be allowed to live. Losers with nothing better to do.

In the back of the group, the raven-haired sister of Starfire looked on in horror. Being released from her second prison term, she planned on mending her problems. This made things worse. She couldn't even return to her home because of her sister banning her for life.

"Look, a troq, kill it!"

Backfire's eyes went wide, as she turned and took off as fast as she could as weapons were discharged and trash was thrown at her. She had to warn her people. That meant Starfire. Even though she hated going to her sister, she was the only person she had a chance of listening to her. Still Tamaran was still her home.

"I have to do this," thought Blackfire leaving the planet's atmosphere, "or else my people won't have a chance."

That night, Hazara had returned to collect her new mask.

In Cyborg's lab, "Ok, it's finished," he said with a smile handing her the mask.

Slowly placing the mask around her head, the mask was mostly solid black on the bottom half while the top half was more of a meshed black. Tying the lacings together allowed the poison in the air faded once again.

"Well, at least it works," Jake said smiling.

"And I can speak, which is good, since I did come here to do that," she said looking at the new mask in a mirror on the wall.

"Now, your going to find a small panel on the right hand side of the neck," explained Cyborg as Hazara felt for it, "Those are a few special things I put in I thought you would need. The first button will change the upper mesh into a solid material and back to mesh."

A few times, "What is the purpose for that?"

"It's so you can use the other two buttons," Cyborg replied, "The middle button will allow you to use night vision as if your wearing the goggles, but it doesn't give you away. And the third button will allow you to use heat sensors in case you're fighting an invisible enemy. Also, I used the same types of sensors along the neck to prevent you from removing the mask in a fight, figured you wanted to keep that much."

"Then, I guess I owe you. How much?"

Waving it off, "Don't worry about it. I owe it to you since you helped get Jinx out of the tower those many months ago."

Exiting Cyborg's lab with Hazara, "So what are you going to go do now?" Jake asked.

Grabbing his arm, "That's none of your business," heheard in his head.

"You can speak now, you know."

Blinking, "Forgive me, but I've gotten used to speaking like that." Plus her fingers could use the rest.

"Eh, no problem," he replied with a shrug, "so you to that sparring session we agreed on last time?"

Shaking her head, "As much as I would enjoy hurting you, I must go, take care of something."

Raising an eyebrow, "You need help with anything?"

Shaking her head, "No, I will be fine."

"Ok, have fun, and you know to call in case you need an extra hand or two."

"I know, but don't worry about me," with that she left through the front door.

Closing the door, Jake sighed hoping Hazara might finally be ok.