^^^Thanks teen titan 99 and Aguna for ur kind reviews! Have a cookie! Oh n tt99, i get really random n weird ideas for stuff like all the time. I'll be sitting on the couch bored out of my mind and think hey u know what would be cool? this idea! But yes, i like the stories that don't just pull your heart or give it a tug but rip it out n cause a big bloody mess. More entertaining that way...wow i sound kinda morbid. But i like the extreme and non cliche stuff. I can't express 2 u how many fanfics ive read tat were to blunt w the romance, stuff that normally would never happen n was totally out of character. But i have respect for everyone...in some way. But i have learned from reading other hate comments if u dnt like something say nothig n move on because how much is ur time worth to make someone else's life miserable? Poor losers. But seriously, teen titan 99 ur review made me smile so big my head almost exploded! XD So u rock for that! I never write long authors notes like these, but whatever very few people read them anyway probably. Thanks for reading and please enjoy n if u care to R&R! Keep readin my loves!^^^
The Haunt...
Richard often felt like a pet left behind in the house while his master went off to work. He always felt this way in the mornings of school weekdays. Terra would put on her uniform and get her stuff and go while he stood by the door watching her say goodbye and leaving him, in the dark, forced to make new plans.
He'd never liked to waste time. After his "sister" left, Master Slade would be out doing, well, something he wasn't allowed to know about, Wintergreen would be in the library. That meant after breakfast and some morning exercise, Richard would be off to the library himself. He often liked to silently read. Any book was a good book, and he read very quickly for someone of his age. Any age really. Wintergreen often marveled at the stack of books he could finished in just a few hours.
Although Slade was his master in martial arts and battle, Wintergreen was his mentor in two things outside of fighting. One being his teacher, he taught him math, literature, language, history, everything. Slade was right, this boy craved knowledge. Wintergreen, though impressed, feared this craving in the dark shadows of his mind. This boy's hunger for knowledge can be dangerous, there is no telling what Slade could be filling his mind with. Richard, in time, could become a weapon himself.
The older man sighed. He was with Richard in the extravagantly large library, reading silently. He did feel better after studies when the boy would mediate. He'd never seen the boy enraged or angry at anyone before. If he ever got stemmed, he'd go meditate. Though in battle, was a different story. True, not lead by rage or brute force but with cunning slyness of strategic advantage, Richard was able to practically "play" with his opponents. Entertained by their far lesser knowledge, he marveled at their incompetence, which to Wintergreen was the scariest thing of all. This boy, if not taught property, could become one of the worst villains the world had never seen. A true horror. This is why he taught the boy to meditate.
Richard also enjoyed a rather peculiar hobby for a boy, especially a boy of his age. Fighting, meditating, hungry for knowledge with the ability to absorb information like a sponge this boy was highly skilled in something else...cooking. True, Slade could get someone else to cook, and Terra had tried but she had to face it, she burned water. But Richard seemed to enjoy cooking, and was very skilled. It was a form of training to him, strategy, creativity, math and science all rolled into one. Sadly thats what he thought of it. Was anything "fun" to him anymore? Or was it all a lesson, a test?
There was one person whom he seemed to act at least partially human toward, and that's Terra. At one point, Wintergreen thought Richard may have had a crush on her, but he soon realized he just acts like an older brother to her. He liked to annoy her and play pranks or make sure he would go out of his way to make her aggravated just to see if he could, but he also cared for her, helped her with homework, listened to her, and was highly overprotective. Anyone who dared to mess with his "little sister", well, Wintergreen prayed softly that they wouldn't be dead when Richard was finished giving them his own lesson. Thats what Slade's "teaching" had made of him. He was a king boy, carless and seemingly immature..but it was an act. Wintergreen saw right through him. Inside this boy was barley anything less than a demonic teenager craving more than just knowledge but bloodshed. He'd seen it. He doesn't understand the concept of human emotion when he gets into a fight. Once he gets into battle he goes into a trace, a trace no one can pull him out of until he is done. This demonic force lives inside his heart, and Wintergreen could see it, he could see that this evil was not just tearing the boy apart but devouring his soul from the inside out. And soon, there'd be nothing left but an empty shell of a boy, there'd only be one thing left in this empty vessel.
Wintergreen in deep thought sat in his char, thinking to himself with a grave expression on his face. Richard felt a dark energy behind him. He turned around from his pot on the floor, a stack of books scattered around him and one nearly finished in his hands. He stared at Wintergreen, who was solemn, and then smiled at him. Wintergreen watched as the boy retuned to his book. He saw it coming. If Slade kept pushing him it would happen. There'd only be left a shell, in this shell a confused, psychotic, teenage killer made up of only rage and blood.
Makurami High...
It was one of those days when you know it's going to be completely and utterly boring. The clouds covering the sun were crying, their was a chill in the air, and Terra/ Tara hadn't gotten much sleep that night. The gloom of the day foreshowed a sleepy day in class, meaning she would mostly likely fall asleep during instruction time and be utterly embarrassed so she made it her top priority just to stay awake.
She hated leaving Richard alone with him, with Slade, all by himself. True, Wintergreen was there, but honestly that made no difference. Those blue eyes of hers seemed to look right through her.
During class, as predicted, Tara missed out on class but not because she was asleep, not fully. Her body was there but her mind wondered to the window and outside world soon to be swallowed by the inner thoughts of her hurricane of a subconscious.
Richard. One day he'd find out. His hungry mind would eat info and throw a clue smack in his face. He'd find a trail and he'd find questions and of course he'd find the answers to said questions. It was inevitable. He wouldn't take it, not after finding out who he really is. He'd want to leave. Master would never allow it and stop him, by force which will be necessary. Richard, the bird, would end up in a cage. Once more, only stronger. Slade would clip his wings. Worse than all of it, it'd be her fault. And they all knew it. He'd hate her for it, but no matter how much he hated her she'd always hate herself more.
Titan Tower...
All the titans were together in the main room. Normally this would be normal, but since the past year it hasn't happened since that night. Even more abnormal was that no one spoke. Not a single word. Bruised, battered, and drenched but most of all tired and confused and a bit angry. A serious look on all their faces, and they were all thinking the same thing.
Starfire closed her emerald eyes. She shut herself out for a moment, just a moment. Hoping the rain dripping off her hair would cover up the tear down her cheek, as she replayed what had just happened once more in her head.
X had gotten ahead. Clever, very clever. He'd gotten much better since the last time the faced him. The only one close enough to get to him was..Robin.
But Robin wasn't there. It was just them. Star had watched as all her friends fell before X. They weren't dead, but temporally out of commission.
It was up to her. She had to face X, she had to beat him. Robin...Robin...
Her heart pounded as she ran across the roofs of the buildings. He then disappeared into the ally way. Star looked down and saw nothing.
"Why don't you fly?" X called from behind her.
She whirled around, ready to attack when-
"Why don't you fly, Starfire?" He asked.
Why did he care? Why was he doing this to her? Why? Why? Why? Did her heart pound when she was near him. She loves Robin! Robin!
"My powers are controlled by my emotions." She told him.
"What emotion are you lacking?"
"Joy."
X was silent. "I see." He said. Starfire looked away. Lately X had been acting like a friend to her. Why? Why was he doing this? "Who took your joy?" He asked her.
Star looked up at him. She then felt her cheeks get red and stared back at the ground. I hate this! she said to herself.
"It was him, wasn't it? Robin took your joy when he died?"
"He isn't dead!"
"Right, just missing." Red X then took Star in his arms, too shocked to move she just stood there, blank. "Then..forget about him. Forget the titans. Come with me."
Star opened her eyes. She was back in the tower. She'd refused and he had disappeared on her. But there was one thing he'd said before he left. He'd given her one tiny object that know was in the center of the titans.
"He's back." Cy repeated holding the tiny silver S in his hand. Lighting and thunder struck the world. A storm was brewing, a big storm.
"If Slade was returned, why show up now? What reason?" Raven asked.
"Robin?" Star whispered.
"Maybe it has something to do with that girl Tara?" Cyborg asked.
BB felt his ears get hot. Suddenly he thought of her, the girl he liked. No. If that monster wanted Tara, he'd have to go through him first!
"Star?" Cy asked.
Star remained looking a the ground.
"Starfire, you okay?" Beast Boy asked.
She looked up. "It's Robin. I can feel it! Slade's back because of Robin!"
Another strike of lightening. The orchestra played outside. It was like something out of a horror movie that only made tonight more dramatic than it needed to be. Dramatic? Try traumatic! One of hose it only goes from bad to worse situations.
"Star, I-" Cy stared.
"No! It has to be! Im certain." Star said.
"Okay, assuming Slade has Robin, why would X tell you?" Raven asked.
Star looked outside. "I'm not sure. I'm only sure of one thing a the moment. and thats that we must at all costs find Robin!"
With that the thunder and lightening rang off her words into the night, letting them echo in the other's ears. She was right, if Robin was alive and there they'd find him no matter what. At any cost, Starfire would find him. Even if it men losing her life.
Gotham...
It was a dark and stormy night in Gotham, and the Dark Knight still had work to do. Alfred was used to Bruce overworking himself far too often, but this was different. This involved Robin, his son. There is no telling what could have happened to the boy, but no matter what any one said he was not giving up.
He was the one who suggested letting go and assuming Robin was dead after the trail hadn't just become cold but had frozen over and shattered underneath them. But he was not letting go. If there was no ground he'd fly instead. Sadly, this only brought him a heartache, migraines, and awful nightmares. Losing his son was his worst fear come true. to make matters worse his boy was missing without a trace. The World's Greatest Detective had no luck, Batman came up short, Bruce Wayne couldn't do anything, the titans ere worthless...no. It was't their fault. It was his. All his fault. And he hated himself for it.
"Master Bruce?" Alfred came in.
Bruce Wayne stared at the screen. He was losing his mind. The screen was blank, but his thoughts were wild.
"Master Bruce?"
The Batman was in his own world, one were his son was still there with him. A haunting world. One with the good memories, the bad ones, and the ones that were downright touring to the point he knew he'd never sleep right again if he could never sleep again at all.
He thought of all his mistakes. All the pain he forced Robin to endure. Everything. He could barley take it.
He broke down and tried to force away the tears. Alfred tried helping him but he shunned him away. Bruce's nightmares haunted him second after horrid second. Every breath, every blink, every thought was pain and misery. And it was all his fault. He was so tired. He began to watch the world fade into darkness. Hoe long had he been like this? How long?
Just before he went into a deep slumber he thought of every wrong thing he;d done in his life. All is mistakes. His only regret? Everything.