I shall now explore new ships...and new forms of writing. DUN DUN DUN!

Disclaimer: same as always

Chapter 2

His light footsteps made no sound as he hurried through the streets. His black clothing concealed him from sight as he ducked into the shadows. It was becoming almost too easy for him to get around now that the Titans were gone. The last time he had done this, there had been more exhiliration and excitement, but at least he didn't have to feel anything BAD anymore...

So far his missions had been simple ones, stealing objects here and there, tests of his obedience. Slade was trying to make sure that he wasn't trying to pull anything, although he would have thought that after he had given his word, the villain would have believed him, but apparently nothing was sacred anymore.

So here he was, going after some new form of blaster with which he would help Slade to conquer the city. He wouldn't have admitted it in the past, but he relished this latest challenge. He got a thrill from trying to defeat the undefeated. The superheros that were once considered invincible were now his latest prey. And he enjoyed pitting his wits against theirs, because he knew that everyone expected him to lose. It was the thrill of winning despite the odds, and he enjoyed it.

The thing he enjoyed most about his current occupation, though, was the fact that now the press wouldn't come near him and he didn't have to think about anything that had happened to bring him here. Though many people refused to believe him when he said it, he was quite pleased with his decision.

There were no more hindering emotions in his life. Every moment was focused on the present, not the past. He was constantly training, plotting, or stealing. There was no time in between to think about his actions and their consequences, but there was also no time to think about her.

He wondered which of his former acquaintances would try to stop him this time. Yesterday it was Hotspot, and the day before that it was Wildebeast. No real threats had come against him yet, but he was prepared if that ever did happen.

A small explosion told him that the detonator had gone off and that he could now retrieve the device. Stealthy as always, he remained undetected as he swooped down quickly and grabbed the small package. Just seconds after he had exited, the guards rushed inside, weapons at the ready, but there was no one there.

He smiled to himself. This was getting to be too easy. He was waiting for Slade to give him something more challenging. His running footsteps were silent until he reached the roof. There the metal of his boots met the metal rooftop, and a soft pitter patter of footsteps resounded through the quiet night air.

A blur of red and yellow rushed towards him, and he sighed in annoyance and recognition. At least this would be some form of a challenge. The blur stopped in front of him: Kid Flash.

And Kid Flash had brought a friend with him, he noted with some disdain as he saw Jinx behind the young hero. The former criminal smirked. "This is new; aren't you normally the one trying to stop me?" she laughed.

This was one of the advantages of being Slade's willing apprentice; he could talk to them. It wasn't like he was going to say anything nice to them anyway. "Back off Jinx. I'd hate to have to waste you when you're so new to the hero business."

Kid Flash stepped in front of his girlfriend protectively. "Leave her alone!" he growled.

He gave a low bark of laughter. "Cute, Kid Flash, but she won't stay with you forever. Move on with your life," he advised.

"I won't take that too badly, considering you speak from experience," Jinx said quietly, her voice tinged with emotion.

Giving a shout, he charged forward, throwing several small explosives at the two to temporarily blind them. As Jinx shot a few wild shots of energy from her hands in an attempt to hit him, she accidentally hit Kid Flash.

As the fast hero stumbled backwards, he met with a strong punch. He looked down at the blinded hero before him and laughed quietly. "What did I tell you? Feelings are just hinderances," he grinned maliciously.

Kid Flash jumped to his feet and threw a punch at him, which he just ducked. Then the hero jumped to his feet and started to run around him in circles. Knowing what would come of it if he allowed the hero to succeed, he threw a small device, a version of his old birdarangs, into the blur of red and white, knocking an annoyed Kid Flash out of his circle.

A blast of purple energy sent him flying backwards, but he allowed himself to keep going so that when he landed, he was on the next rooftop. He looked up to see Jinx land in front of him, scowling. "Get a grip, lover boy! Just because Starfire is-"

"Don't. Ever. Mention. Her!" he growled, and allowed his anger to take over. He threw punch after punch, and he didn't register that he was also being hit. Kid Flash joined in the fray as well, and it was practically a free-for-all.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked an annoyed voice in his ear.

"Teaching her a lesson," he replied tersely as he delivered a swift punch to Jinx' jaw.

Slade laughed quietly. "Normally I would approve of revenge and anger, but you're straying from your objective," he reprimanded.

"I'm on it," he sighed, taking out his apprentice version of his freeze discs. First Kid Flash was frozen to the spot, then Jinx.

"Good boy," said the voice in his ear.

He growled in response, but continued to walk anyway. He didn't care that the two heros behind him were still frozen. They were no longer his concern.

TTTTTT

Red X sighed in annoyance when he saw what the kid had done. "I guess I'd better clean up this mess," he admitted grudgingly, unfreezing the two heros.

When Jinx saw who had saved her, her eyes widened in surprise. "You're supposed to be-"

He laughed, cutting her off. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I was trying to cover my tracks from Doctor Light, not Robin, but that didn't work."

"So why are you helping us?" Kid Flash asked.

He sighed. "I'm kind of stuck in the hero business now, thanks to the press. No one will ever take me seriously as a villain again."

"Makes sense," Kid Flash agreed.

"Look, I need some help," Red X said grudgingly.

"With what?" Jinx asked, dusting herself off.

He sighed. "I'm going to try and find Cyborg and put him back together."

Both mouths dropped open. "You're going to do what?"

"I just told you. Are you deaf?" he asked, annoyed.

"Man, how do you expect to do that?" Kid Flash asked.

"Well, you're fast, aren't you? Start looking everywhere. When you find something, bring it to the Tower. I'm going to try and put him back together," he replied.

When Kid Flash sped off, Jinx asked, "What are you going to do once he's put back together?"

He sighed. "I really don't know. At this point I'm just trying to revive everybody. I don't know about the Tamaranean, but I do know that if I can get Metal Man back together he can show me the way into the empath's mind."

"And then you can help to save Raven and Beast Boy. I get it," Jinx finished in awe. "It'll be hard to do," she added.

"Especially considering the fact that I'm not even used to playing the hero," he agreed.

Jinx sighed. "Me too. Just think. I've been a Titan for only a few months and already things are falling apart, and I'm supposed to help put them back together. Normally I'm the one that tears everything apart."

"And normally Robin's the one putting it back together," Red X added ruefully.

She nodded. "Everything's reversed, and I don't like it," she sighed.

He nodded. "And the former criminals are supposed to stop the leader of the Teen Titans from destroying the city. Talk about ironic," he laughed quietly.

When Jinx went to respond, he was gone. He had gone back to the Tower.

Everything was still a mess, as he remembered it. Nothing had been touched yet, as he was staying in a spare room, but he decided that he needed to bring himself to go into Cyborg's room so that he could retrieve some supplies.

A knock at the door alerted him to Jinx' presence. He sighed. He'd left her in the dust for a reason, but apparently that wasn't enough. "What do you want?" he asked when she walked in.

She was a bit taken aback by his rudeness, but she proceeded anyway. "I thought I'd take a look at...well..."

He realized what she wanted. "She's in the hospital wing. I've got to warn you, though, don't touch her," he cautioned.

She nodded. "Thanks."

Jinx walked into the hospital wing and saw Starfire lying there peacefully. She noticed the mask in her hands and the red imprint on her lips, and tears sprang to the former criminal's eyes. No wonder the kid was so heartbroken.

"There was a lot of trouble caused by those two," Red X said behind her.

Jinx whirled around. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "So what really happened? We've all heard the rumors, but what's the truth?"

He sighed. "I don't know how she died, but I do know that the kid was devastated. There was a whole lot of commotion about him and his emotions, and I regret to say that I was part of it," he said.

"How so?" she asked curiously, sitting down on an empty bed.

He sighed, sitting down beside her. "He and Raven had some sparks too. I spotted them one night when they were having a heart-to-heart. Their faces were so close I could have sworn they were kissing, but they weren't. When I gave the two of them a hard time, it created a rift between her and the Tamaranean."

"I can imagine. Starfire's been after Robin for forever now, and for someone to insinuate that he was dating someone else would be heartbreaking," Jinx nodded.

"Don't rub it in. I feel guilty enough. Anyway, after Robin got captured and had a problem with the xinothium mixture he'd been fed, he and Starfire had a moment or something, and he decided that his feelings for the empath were limited to friendship. Well, that didn't go over well, and Raven nearly killed him. Which, of course, meant that she had to go into her own mind to calm herself down, but it was risky. Her anger was getting the best of her, and she got trapped in her mind."

"And Beast Boy?" Jinx pressed.

"He went in after her. When Robin got back with Starfire's body, he discovered the two of them, and from what I can gather, he went beserk," he continued. Then he paused. "Let me show you something."

She followed him down the hallways and into Robin's room. He paused in front of the door. "I'm going to show you just how devastated the kid was. Maybe this will help explain why he is what he is right now."

She nodded as the door opened, then gasped. Shards of glass were everywhere, and blood stained the carpet, bed, and walls. The only picture that wasn't destroyed was a bloody, tear-stained picture of Robin and Starfire. A few tears fell from her eyes as she held the picture. Something caught her eye, and she flipped the frame over. "X, take a look at this!" she cried out, removing the picture from its frame.

"He wrote something on the back," Red X noted, looking over her shoulder.

She read it aloud, and more tears fell from her eyes as she did so. It was a poem.

Those gentle eyes that drew me in

Now closed forever more

The shadows of darkness begin

To eat at my very core

This broken heart that I now bear

Within my blood-stained chest

Is now torn without repair

I cannot endure this test

That loving laugh that filled my soul

With joy each time it rang

Now gone, leaving a dark hole

In my being where it once sang

My innocent love, my princess

Shall never more hear me say

That without her life is useless

And that my love shall never stray

Now left with nothing more to do

I am naught but an empty shell

My life is nothing without you

So now this tale I tell

My love for you was endless

You fell from heaven's arms

This death was purely senseless

To take from me your charms

I still love you, Starfire.