-+-A Thousand Shades of Gray-+-

+The Shade of Rain+

"The blood that boils in your veins,

Is not your own from before,

Now your soul is forever stained,

And you become more forgotten in your core."

"The Dark Flame of Revenge"

By: Ariel Dezellem

She was fiddling with it again …

Raven sighed and forced her hands to either side of her as she stood upon the roof of Titans East Tower looking out to the setting horizon where the ocean meet the blushing sky. A beautiful scene, even with the approaching storm just off in the distance, Raven could smell it, but beauty wasn't a word that Raven can use to describe life right now … it was just as X had said it was, it was a complete and total bitch. Here she was with her friends, the ones she's been trying to leave X for time and again even complaining about not seeing them. Only to have her way in the end then to suddenly get this irritating itch in the back of her skull, where she couldn't reach, Aqualad's bold statement only made the itching worse.

She was fiddling with it again!

The cursed sapphire she still hadn't taken off her wrist, the silver bracelet and large pure sapphire twinkled mockingly under the dimming daylight that bled into night. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, feeling her claws pierce into her flesh, dripping blood into the wind that splattered it on the ground. Smelling her blood reminded her of when she almost lost herself at the Van'Gareth mansion … reminded her of him, his distinct scent and utter stupidity to still stay by her side after she hurt him. Dug her claws into his shoulders and … Raven gulped when she remembered the smell of his blood.

Hissing through her clenched teeth, she released her tension and relaxed, even allowing her hands to unclench and lifted up the wrist with the sapphire on it. Unclipping it, she held it in her bloody hands and stared at it with a dry expression … thinking to herself: how silly of her. How utterly pathetic of her to even encourage the memory of a thief … of a man that she knew no matter what happened to her in the long-run.

There was no use.

Pointless …

Everything was pointless … her violet eyes glazed over and for a moment she thought she had fell into the water when her vision blurred and her breath hitched, her mouth fell open to gasp for air when her throat burned and tightened. Closing her eyes, she gasped softly in shock when she felt tears stream down her face … she wasn't drowning … she was crying … but the feeling was all the same. Still holding the sapphire she reached up and wiped her tears away. Smearing her face with salty liquid and blood, her violet hair whipped about her and created a silver glowing crown around her broken picture.

Raven cried out in frustration and flung the sapphire bracelet to the side … not having the heart to throw it into the ocean where it justly belonged to rid herself of him forever. Yet … she didn't have the strength to hold it anymore … it reminded her of how much of a weakling she was, of how much like … like Terra she had become. She was a trader to her friends … but she betrayed them in the worse way possible. Where Terra had made it easy to hate her, because she attacked, provoked them, gave them a good reason to hate her.

She, Raven, had done the unthinkable …

She was fraternizing with the enemy, and she was protecting him.

Worse still!

She was lying through her teeth, to her friends face.

Oh how much she'd long to have the strength to throw herself over the edge of the roof and plunge into Davy Jones Locker just so she wouldn't have to deal with the pain in her heart, in her head, in her pride. Never, never had she ever felt so pathetic or broken down over a guy. It wasn't her, guys don't get to her, boys weren't her cup of tea, she just wasn't interested in anyone! Yet … here she was bawling her eyes out because … because she was more confused than Beast Boy would ever be when looking over a schematic to rebuild the T-car!

She was always so composed.

So together.

So indifferent.

Passive.

Cold.

She was the Ice Queen of the Teen Titans.

She was Raven Roth, the Untouchable.

She was anything but a blubbering girl leaning on the guardrail letting her tears fall into the ocean adding to the 70 percent of water that the Earth was made of. Faintly wondering in her forever chaotic mind if, Life, the Bitch, had filled the Earth with water with her tears, crying because it was her duty to make everyone's view of life miserable. It made sense to Raven for a split second, but then it just seemed like something stupid to think about and immediately she excluded it from her thoughts.

One thing was for certain though … Raven didn't know if she could ever face her friends and be the same Titan ever again.

"Raven?"

The Sorceress gasped in shock and jumped back when the voice of none other than her masked-leader snuck up behind her. Staring at him through a messy, slightly bloody face, her mouth wide open as he stood there, before her, holding her discarded bracelet, Raven gulped; there was no lying about this mess. Quickly wiping herself clean she composed herself the best she could and smoothed back her violet hair. Whispering his name, letting the wind carry it into oblivion because it was so soft, "Robin …"

He fiddled with it in between his fore-finger and thumb, a deep frown on his enigmatic face with the setting sun reflecting just right off his skin and uniform. Giving Raven the feeling that he was more so untouchable than she'll ever be from now on, the old Raven was gone and this new skin she was in … felt so foreign. Her violet eyes trailed to the ground, then out to the horizon as she winced at the coldness in her leader's tone as he advanced her, "I'm guessing Xander got you this?"

"…"

She didn't say anything.

She didn't have to.

Robin already knew the answer, he didn't have to ask.

He sighed, "You know … they told me … Aqualad and Speedy, they told me everything."

Not surprised … Raven couldn't help to think to herself as she gulped and sucked in a deep breath to steady her breathing, gathering even more of herself she bit down on her lower lip and blinked, "… So … what do you want from me …?"

"The truth."

Oh how simple an answer that was, and how hard a response she could give.

What truth did he want?

Everything or just the sugar-coated topping?

Raven sighed again, and figured that telling him the whole truth would just land her in more trouble, besides, it's not like he needed to know. She owed Red X … didn't she? No, but since she discovered forbidden secrets in her psyche, she couldn't just bust out and sing like a canary in a steel cage to the red-Robin now could she? Which was the entire reason for her break down anyway, she knew it was wrong to keep secrets and lie to oneself … but goddamn it all if she wasn't allowed a little sin here and there. It wasn't like Red X was done with his thieving days, he'd be back and there'd be another chance to capture him.

Hopefully, Raven thought, by then I would have forgotten all about him. She didn't know how much she gambled on that one statement, but she knew she staked her entire life on it, on time to help her forget, because that's all time does. Bleed past, present, and future together until there is no room to remember everything and she ends up forgetting. With time, she'll forget.

She had to.

So why could she feel another wave of tears coming on at her after making a solid decision?

Raven looked away from Robin feeling him standing beside her, glad, for once, that she had long hair to help cover her disheveled expression. She knew she looked like a mess, didn't mean her voice had to match it as she spoke in her trademark icy-tone, "Fine … I guess I got a little too attached to Xander while I was staying with him … but that's it."

She felt Robin's aura scoff even in his silent, she could hear the strain in his voice, even if he was composed. Obviously he was fighting with his temper, trying ever-so hard not to blow up in her face like he did in that car. For once, he was using his head and trying to handle the situation as calmly as he could be, "So … because you like this guy … you won't tell me everything, you'll even let a criminal get away just because you fell victim to some greedy rich-brat's scheme to get you on his side. I guess all it took was a little something shiny and he bought your silence."

He was attacking her.

Raven inwardly felt she deserved it, but her pride would not allow it, without caring if another tear slipped she looked up into Robin's white hot mask and glared at him viciously, "Say what you want, but at least he has sense, unlike some people, who obviously can't take the damn hint that we're on the same side."

"Raven," Robin stepped closer to her and leveling her gaze with his own, his tone and posture indicating that he was keeping this strictly business … or at least trying to. Raven felt at the back of his throat another throw-back personal assault. She just dared him to let it slip, he was close enough, she could hit him and he wouldn't even see it coming, "as far as the Titans are concerned, I don't want to start thinking that I can't trust you with vital information and I don't even want to believe what you're telling me. I really don't … don't force me to do something we'll both regret."

Was he serious?

Well, this was Robin she was talking to … of course he was, joking besides … was he really threatening to kick her off the team because she liked someone? No, he was threatening to kick her off because she was withholding information and hindering an investigation. That's what he was doing, that's what she wanted to believe … but something in her gut told her different, something told her he was attacking her personally again and she couldn't help but to draw back from him in disbelief. She took a step away, and he straightened himself up and fiddled with the sapphire in his hands as if waiting for a response from her.

He dared to glance at her as if she was just another person on the street that had accidentally brushed him, Raven gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists, "Regret …? Regret! I won't and don't regret anything … kick me off the team because I'm a potential threat to the wellbeing of the Teen Titans, but don't you dare disband me because I hurt your feelings you self-bastard."

Raven scowled and stormed away from him, unable to even be in his presences, it made her sick to even evoke the very idea that Robin would be so degradable in order to do something so distasteful. She left him on the roof, left him to fiddle with the sapphire glaring at it. Glaring at it so intensely that the sun went down even faster to avoid his heated gaze, the sapphire, he felt – even though it was his imagination – sizzle in his hand and he almost wished it would. With a growl and without caring he flung the bracelet over the edge of the roof and watched as it sailed though the sky. Split the thick air, and landed with an anti-climatic splash into the ocean.

Never to be seen from again.

((--Later that night--))

((--Unknown Location--))

The lightning crashed.

The thunder boomed.

A real storm had hit without warning, and the silent drop-down house perched upon a steep cliff flashed when the lightning struck and then faded back to darkness. The sounds of pounding raining against the large plain window which lead to a balcony was the only sound that echoed through out the supposedly empty household. Silence literally reigned, but not for long, because after the thunder rattled the skies, something else rattled at the doors.

Loud knocking, urgent … but with a sort of defeated and tired beat.

KNOCK … KNOCK … KNOCK!

No reply.

The house remained silent and still.

More thunder, then more knocking …

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Followed by a drenched and drowning voice trying to hide from the rain, "Milo … I know you're there, open up!"

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"MILO!"

Movement, down a long stretched hall came out of a room and walked towards the sounds with a groggy pace and a scary growl, which implied that the 'human' named 'Milo' was actually something more. Milo Arch's fangs gleamed in the darkness, his silky black hair which reached to his waist swayed with the rest of his trudging body as he made his way to the door. Narrowed blood-red eyes that glowed at the right angle of the light glared into the darkness as he ran his clawed hands through his flawless hair.

He was, in the lamest terms, a handsome young 'man' with very dangerous features, his growling turned into a slight snarl as he reached the door, gripped the handle, unlocked it and opened up ready to literally chew out the human. Until, his sights rested on none-other-than Robin Xander. Soaked to the bone in rain-water, shivering ever so slightly, his cold onyx-eyes glaring at the baffled Milo who did nothing as the human let himself in, "About damn time …"

Milo closed the door and stared after Robin with a raised brow, not quite sure if he was dreaming or not, he announced his name with a blink, "Robin?"

An obvious, yet not so heavy English accent dripped off his speech, X, without a care in the world took off his shirt and proceeded to the kitchen to wring out his clothes and to get something to eat. Having traveled non-stop to get here, he, despite his eerie mood, was still human and he was hungry. He just hoped his inhuman friend kept something edible in the large kitchen, "Yeah … I need a place to crash, if that's all right with you."

Milo narrowed his blood-red eyes and followed after the thief, "Incase you've forgotten, this is your house, you're just lending it to me, remember?"

"Oh … right …" X sighed, and closed his eyes, he just couldn't think straight right now, and he knew that Milo could sense it. He was, after all, not human, he should be able to feel if something was out of the ordinary. Besides the late night visit and what not, X shrugged, "I guess I just forgot … I hardly come up here … oh … and by the way, the names not Robin, it's Trix Tanner."

"'Trix Tanner'?" Milo repeated slowly, testing the name and frowning, "So I see you're on a bloody assignment. Gods, Trix, why do you have to bring your affairs into my environment, not that I'm not grateful for everything you've ever done for me, but to be quite frank your job isn't exactly delivering papers to every suburban street on this block."

"Which is why I'm going to pay you enough money to shut-up and pack up if you don't want to stick around for my 'assignment'," 'Trix' growled and slammed the icebox door shut. Go figure Milo didn't have anything in the fridge, or the cabinets to eat, X figured that he'd have to wait till tomorrow to grab a bite to eat. The rain was pouring, and another flash of lightning lit up the darkness, he shivered when suddenly he was reminded he was still soaked and standing without his shirt freezing. Without even bothering to smooth back his messy, matted, tangled hair he walked by Milo without another word to go warm up.

Moving purely on instinct alone seeing as his brain just couldn't function properly ever since that dreaded afternoon when Richard decided that then was a good a time as any to take Raven away from him. It troubled him to no end how great of an encumber he felt when she left … it was like the entire world suddenly thought it would be fun to climb on top of him and put him face down in the dirt. Suffocating from all the weight, X subconsciously felt himself take a deep breath as he suddenly found himself exiting the warm shower and bathroom after getting dressed.

He didn't even know or realized that he had taken a hot shower … what gave it away was when he was done he was standing in front of the bathroom mirror. Staring at his voided expression … clean from the water, but to him it was still filthy. He could feel it, the weight of many, many faces and masks he had to wear in order to stay alive, or to feed his own selfish desires … it was ridden with smudges of dirty little secrets. And he had to faintly wonder … what mask did he wear when he was with her? What face of him did she fall for?

Surely it couldn't have been the real him.

There was no such thing.

Besides, there was no way she could really know him.

How would – no, wrong question – why would she bother herself with such trivial knowledge that was just plain useless to her. Of course she could always use it against him, X wouldn't put it passed her he actually expected it of her. She was, after all, a very practical girl, in control of herself, never letting her feelings outweigh her logical train of thought. He was the same way … most of the time … but when it came down to deciding things that touched at his rectitude, he'd let instinct guide him.

His instincts never lied to him.

He always listened to them … excluding the moment he watched Raven walk out the door.

For some reason, he decided not to listen to instinct and let her go.

Was he right in doing so?

Was he wrong?

He didn't know, and frankly he wanted to careless about it.

He wanted his old self back, where he could careless about whether or not she fell into a ditch and died. He wanted that part of himself back; it made his life so much easier if he just didn't care. Because when he cared … he cared a lot it didn't matter if it was morally wrong, or shunned by society, he cared … and he didn't want to. It made him feel weak and vulnerable.

Both components X didn't feel comfortable with and he wanted it out of his system.

He wanted his life back.

Knock … knock … knock …

"Trix …?"

For split second his heart stopped, his mind raced, and that hopeful feeling boiled up in his chest when the feminine voice softly called out to him from beyond the door of the bathroom. However, reality was a cruel thing, and without warning it slapped him hard across the face, when he realized just what name he was being called by, and who the voice belonged to. It was female alright … but it was only Jamie's … he had called Jamie and Otto earlier to meet him here instead of Tomika Point.

X gritted his teeth and glared at his reflection, You're a fuckin' idiot you know that? Like she'd really come after you … face it … you're out of your league and out of your goddamned mind! Growling to himself he smoothed back his damp hair and immediately started to build a barrier to keep his world locked up tighter than any vault he had cracked. However, still in the process of being built, he grabbed the bathroom handle and turned it and yanked it open with a harsh jerk that the motion startled Jamie. The young blonde backed up and stared up at him as if he was a different person … and he might as well have been, his name wasn't Robin or X at the moment.

It was Trix Tanner.

She stuttered nervously, "He-hey, Trix … um … you okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

Cold …

So cold …

She shivered at the icy-daggers hidden behind every word that came from his mouth, "Well … just trying to be a good friend …"

Friend?

Was she serious?

Since when were they ever friends? X always saw her and Otto as mere tools, people he could gain a few things here and there from. Were they ever friends? Yes, he just didn't want anyone near him at the moment. Feeling vulnerable could do that to people … so he pushed her away … just like he always did to people he didn't feel safe knowing they were getting too close. He pushed them away and hoped to god they were smart enough to figure that he wasn't doing it to hurt their feelings, he just didn't want people so close to him.

He made that mistake with his mother and Marisa … he didn't want to make it again.

Maybe that was the reason he let Raven go?

He mentally shrugged and left the thought floating in the air … it was better than admitting that he wasn't good enough for her that was for sure. Stuffing his hand into his pocket he shrugged outwardly and walked passed Jamie into the hall towards an extra room within the large villa of an estate that was his and his alone, "I'm fine …"

No you're not … Jamie frowned sadly and sighed with sagged shoulders as she turned to return to the living room where she left Otto and Milo alone. Only to jump up in fright when the later appeared out of nowhere and stood in her away. His intimidating aura filling her heart with so much fear that she nearly fainted when he bared his fangs and scoffed as he flipped back his silky locks. It didn't help that he put Adonis to shame! Inwardly she pouted, wondering why a guy had to be more beautiful than her in the hair department; she wanted to know his secret.

With a hand to her heart she glared at the handsome young devil, "Jesus! Can't you just walk up to anybody like a normal human being instead of stalking them? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

He raised a haughty brow as he scoffed, "Please don't impugn my nature as I condescend to your level of unimportance in order to elucidate on the matter that is Robin."

Jamie blinked, then narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Well excuse me for being human, smart-ass and what the hell did you just say to me?"

Milo rolled his eyes in a very conceited way and expressed his distaste for sharing his quarters with humans, he snorted, "Of course I can't expect you to fathom the concept of simple English without me having to employ vulgar literature."

"You know, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a damn mid reader, so just straight out tell me what it is you want." Jamie felt her patience slipping; it always did when it came to Milo, X had only known him for a year or so and her and Otto for only 6 months at the max.

He was a shady character, with a shady background, and an even shadier species, he never told them what exactly he was. Otto always just assumed he was a vampire that could withstand daylight, Jamie thought there was more than meet the eye with the conniving creature, and X? Well … to say the least, he just didn't give a damn, Milo was just another merit. Milo sighed and gave the blond a dry look, "What's wrong with Xander? He's not acting like he should be, and by the looks of it, he's probably dragged the two of you into his affairs. What's he scheming?"

Even if he wasn't using 'big words' he still sounded so snobbish, Jamie hated that about him, it made her feel like she had to always look her best when she was with him least he criticize her for her attire. He just sort of let out a wave of royalty and authority that Jamie had to faintly wonder if he was the leader of anything, like, if what Otto said was true and he was a vampire, was he like the head of a clan or something? An aristocrat? An undercover prince? Jamie dismissed the thought as pure speculation and ignored it as she shrugged and tried to answer his question, "Well … if he's scheming something I don't know what it is … but I think he's just duckin'."

Milo raised a brow at the foreign use of slang, Jamie saw the look and now she felt it was her turn to act all superior, "I mean to say, your majesty, is that he's hiding out because he's cover's blown … he was working for Slade."

"Well then," Milo turned his back on her and with an akimbo, sauntered down the hall with a flick of his wrist, "explains the ungodly hour … but … past-tense … why did he stop?"

Jamie just shrugged again and followed him, "I don't know … I guess he liked her and didn't want to see her get hurt or anything like that."

"Oh … doth thy ear deceive me? He has a heart?" he chuckled sinisterly.

She sneered, Same couldn't be said about you, she held her breath and kept her head as she nodded, "Yes, actually he does, and it's for Raven of the Teen Titans … I don't think he had the heart to watch her suffer anymore of Slade's torture so he let her go."

Milo stopped … and for the first time since she's met him, Jamie saw his face express sudden shock and disbelief as he stared at her as if she had grown another head, "Raven? The Half-Bred Sorceress? Are you for sure?"

"If I wasn't would I be telling you? I even helped him patch her up after he took her from Slade's capture." Jamie wasn't liking Milo's sudden change in interest, "Why? Do you know her personally or something?"

He didn't answer, only left her hanging in the hall as he suddenly turned his heel and briskly walked back to confront the thief. Jamie watched with narrowed eyes and a disapproving frown, Damn bastard's probably going to lecture X on the dangers of meddling with Titans … X doesn't need that … I hope neither of them start a fight … she shuttered. She hoped that for X's sake, the thief was strong, agile, cunning, and frighteningly calculating … but Milo wasn't human … that was a danger in and of itself. Never mind if Milo had skills in fighting or not, his natural instincts as a beast were likely to kick in if the two ever threw-down.

She reached the living room, only to find her brother uncharacteristically standing in front of the large plain window watching the rain obscure the darkened world. A melancholy, distant look on his face, Jamie frowned and sighed, Seems like ever since she left every one's been feeling depressed … I got to admit … I even miss her … she was kind a cool … thinking that was the case where he brother was concerned. Jamie walked up to him and placed her hand behind her back and tilted her head, "You alright? Something on your mind?"

"…" for a moment, her bother, once again caught her off guard when he failed to respond with at least a decent shrug. Instead he sighed heavily and scratched the top of his head, meaning something must have really been bothering him as he glanced at his sister for a split second then retuned to staring at his reflection in the glass and the rain, "I don't know Jamie … something about this whole thing doesn't add up. Isn't Slade the kind of guy that doesn't give-up so easily? Especially if he could just taste victory in the palm of his hands? He had Raven in is grip, even without Rob's assistance … and the whole 'keeping-her-away-from-her-friends' thing doesn't seem logical either. Who was he aiming for? Robin of the Teen Titans, Raven … or … something else … someone else … but why go through the trouble? See what I'm saying?"

Jamie didn't want to … his concept was frightening.

Slade … aiming for X?

She literally shuttered the thought.

She knew Slade from a rumor point of view, and she knew Red X even better, she knew his past, his secrets, his thoughts … she knew what he was capable of. If placed in the care of a mad-man like Slade, could prove utterly fatal, because, both men thought the same where achieving a goal was concerned. Though she'd never say such a thing out loud and to X's face least she get her throat ripped out, but still … it was a disturbing chill.

SLAM!

X had to admit, for a split second he was startled when his door was slammed open and a growling Milo stood at the entrance baring fangs and clenching the door so tightly his claws dug into the polished wood. Walking in, he slammed the door shut, and X glared as Milo continued to growl low and dangerously, "I am taking extreme measures not to cross the room and tear into your flesh for even having the very gull to just stand there like you've done nothing wrong."

Milo, X knew, was a deadly character, anything set him off … but it had to be the right kind of anything, and that right kind of anything was hard to find. However, when X knew he pushed the wrong button that triggered the bloodlust side of him, he also knew how to weasel his way out of a confrontation … not that he was scared to face his beast head on. No, it was actually for the simple truth of he didn't know what kind of beast he was dealing with, and with that absent knowledge made it sort of a no-fly-zone where teasing and manipulation was concerned around Milo.

Which was why X frowned, he didn't know what set the creature off this time to make him say such words, and X didn't doubt that he would do it to. The thief raised a brow, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The sound of a vicious snarl ripped through the otherwise tense room and before X knew what hit him he was slammed against the wall window, cracking it, coming very close to breaking it as Milo clasped one large hand around his throat. X retaliated and, as if born with his own inhuman skills, snuck out of Milo's grasp and without warning sent a fist flying to the side of the beast's head. Milo was fast enough to side-step the attack and appearing behind the human sent a simple back-hand to the back of his head. X spun out to the ground and stayed their on his hands and knees trying to stop the world from spinning.

Milo sneered, baring his fangs and glancing at his sharp talons, noticing with a frown that he had hit the human at the wrong angle and scraped his skull. There was blood on his middle claw, he snorted and returned to glare at the equally glaring human, "The temerity in you astounds me, but not as much as the haughty attitude of yours that has you thinking you can do anything you wish without consequence. Now I know for a fact that besides money, power, and sheer boredom being the motivations for your hazardous occupation, you make sure you gain certain merits to help you in life … what merit would the Sorceress of the Titans bring you I wonder."

It wasn't a question, but it wasn't a statement either.

X huffed and felt the back of his head … bring his finger to his face to notice a small smear of blood in it. He gritted his teeth and clenched said hand into a fist as he carefully got to his feet. Noticing Milo taking cautious steps back as if prepared for another confrontation, the thief tried with all his might to control his rising temper, hating himself because he prided himself in keeping his temper under control. Yet, ever since she weaseled her way into his vaulted heart, it became increasingly hard to control his emotions.

However, he couldn't blame her.

He only had himself to blame … which made him even more irritable.

Hardly – if ever – in life, had he ever held himself accountable for his own actions.

His silence unsettled Milo, and Milo snorted as his narrowed crimson orbs glanced out the pouring rain, "Figures … you manipulated her to stand on your side of the fence …"

That set him off, X scowled and threw Milo an intense glare, "Fuck you, that had nothing to do with –"

"Say I'm a liar," Milo challenged standing tall – taller than X that's for sure – glaring down at him in a contemptuous manner, "go ahead, tell me I'm wrong … give me another good reason as to why you put up with her for so long …"

X hated loosing just as much as he hated being out of control, and standing there, taking this lecture from Milo knowing that he was right and he himself was wrong irked him to no end. He felt so much like smacking that smug smirk off the beast's face when he didn't respond to the challenge. Milo snorted, "That's what I thought ... despite the … 'changes' that may have accrued when you were with her … you can never teach an old dog new tricks."

He had it wrong … but not completely …

X knew, deep down, that was part of the reason why he held Raven so close to him, her status; he knew he could use it. Work it into his advantage, and just as he predicted when she was whisked away from him, she didn't rat … he affected her so much that she was … enchanted by him. X wasn't stupid, he knew his abilities and he knew his place, he hardly if ever lost his footing in a game of cat-and-mouse … and where Raven was concerned he made sure to walk the tight-rope rigidly straight. Yet … even still … he wasn't able to predict the outcome of the possibility that he'd still fall even though he was very careful.

He really did overestimated himself.

The point being, Milo is right to think that he was using Raven … he couldn't help it, it was second nature to him to calculate the oddities and the possibilities of forming a bridge between Titan and Thief. To really get someone on the inside to spill information … he thought of it … often … and the more he thought of it … the more determined he became to have her.

But when he started to put it like that …

To have her …

Changed to wanting her …

Which evolved to a dangerous need …

She was incredibly captivating.

Forbidden …

Tantalizing …

In every way enchanting … thinking about it now after Milo had made such a clear point. He had to narrow his eyes when suspicion gripped his heart and he ended up slowly looking up at the beast with cold obsidian eyes and matching his heated crimson hues. Milo raised a brow when he saw the skepticism in the human's intense expression, what realization had he come to he wondered. X's scowl returned as he changed the subject, not the one being attack this time, but being the attacker, "What's it all to you?"

"I don't want to be dragged into a confrontation with the Titans," Milo answered pointedly, however, too quickly for X's tastes, it was like he had that answer planned and expected the question.

So X went on gut instinct this time and pushed the questioning even further, "You act as if you've ran into her before."

It never left Milo's observation that X had been specific in who he was addressing, so he flashed his fangs and made sure to be in control of this minor interrogation, "I'm not exactly a boy scout now am I? No, I just don't want to deal with trouble … I've had enough of it in my past life, so do me a grand favor and don't attract anymore trouble to me. Especially from that bunch."

"That wasn't the question," X sneered, and Milo growled.

"You think you scare me, human?"

"Answer the question, what do you know about Raven?"

Milo's crimson eyes narrowed warningly as a small growl escaped his throat, not at all liking how X was standing up to him. Snorting, he walked around the human and headed for the exit, "I know she's a Titan … and they are always more trouble than they're worth."

X gritted his teeth and opened his mouth to call attention to himself, but a funny beeping noise stopped him, coming from his laptop upon his nightstand. Glancing at it then moving to glare at Milo he found him already gone, running a hand through his hair and scratching his skull he grumbled and walked to his laptop. Pressing the enter button he quickly scanned over the message and his irritation changed in a snap to a frown.

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Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans

A/N: Don't worry my favorite people in the whole wide world, I haven't forgotten about you, see another update in a matter of … I don't know, was it a week? (shrugs) I would have posted this up sooner, but I was working on another story – not Teen Titan related – but a personal story. One that's of my own characters and plot and such and such, ANYWAY, thank you guys for your support, I really, REALLY do LOVE YOU ALL!

So here's a few cup-cakes and candies for you to enjoy while I work on the next chapters.

L8er daez