A/N: I tried to load the story yesterday but it wouldn't let me, sorry! So here it is without further adieu!
I do not own Teen titans or Poison Ivy or anyone in this fanfic. Thankyous are at the bottom! ^^
Chapter ten: Part One – Is someone getting the best of you.
The Teen Titans stood in the middle of downtown Jump City, glancing around to see how deserted it had already become. It was as if no one had lived there for years. It was pretty amazing how fast people cleared out when several threats started to pop up randomly. It was almost heart-retching to see the once so crowded and loud city nothing more than an empty wasteland.
The only sound that filled the air was the soft breathing of six teens. It seemed so chilly and the tension was as thick as fog on a winter night. The eyes behind the black mask turned to see a blur and a few seconds later the cause of it was standing a few feet in front of him. A moment later the back lash of the wind exploded around them all and eyes squinted slightly, waiting for it to pass. As eyes focused again the group saw the reddish brown haired teen dressed in yellow and red in front of them, a pink haired girl looking nauseated in his arms.
"Hey, got your message."
"Glad you could show Kid Flash… will she be alright?" The teen dressed in yellow and red gave a nod of his head and slowly set his pale girlfriend down on the ground. She wobbled for a moment and he steadied her as she placed a hand on both her stomach and head. She was never going to do that again, ever. Next time if there was a hurry she would wait for the empath whether it took time or not.
"Yeah she's not very good with fast travel but she'll be fine in a few minutes."
"Gee hun… thanks for the-" Her throat clutched and she felt her stomach turn. Quickly she slapped a hand over her mouth and forced the contents of her stomach to stay down. Once she was sure it was safe she turned back to the blue eyes of her boyfriend and continued. "Concern."
He only smiled sheepishly and rubbed her back as her shoulders heaved again. Robin made a face and slowly turned away, leaving Kid Flash to take care of Jinx. The boy wonder was never good with throwing up or moody women. He only managed to lift a foot before two small child dressed alike suddenly appeared before him. Both sets of eyes looked up at the taller teen through yellow goggles, a plus or minus sign on a chest each. The boy wonder smiled and placed a hand each on top of their heads, ruffling the strands of red hair. The twins chuckled and smiled, the twin with the minus on his chest missing a tooth in the front.
"Más y Menos! Hey good to see you guys made it." The two children didn't have time to respond as a black portal suddenly appeared not too far behind them. The black energy started to fade out and in its placed stood four figures. The boy wonder could feel himself calm down slightly at having everyone near, but only slightly. This way everyone had a partner. He would not risk anyone to fight alone. "Aqualad, Speedy! Bumblebee! So glad you all could make it."
"Of course Robin, you need us we're here. We're a team after all." The girl with the insect wings responded, her hands resting on her hips. The other two teens only nodded as she said it and Robin could feel his heart swell with pride slightly. It was always good to have people you could rely on.
"I'm glad to hear it. Unfortunately we don't have time to catch up as you've all already been briefed. Villains are running amuck among the city and among them is Slade. Since we were not sure of his attack we could only assume the worse which is why we all will be working in partners." The boy wonder glanced around to see if anyone was opposed. Nobody said anything but the serious looks on their faces indicated they agreed and stood behind whatever decision he made. He pressed on.
"Here will be the teams. Cyborg, you take Jinx and Kid Flash and start to track down Johnny Rancid. Last I heard he was still in the junkyard. Speedy and Bumblebee I will have you looking for X. Be careful he is very skilled and you should proceed with caution." They all nodded and he turned his attention to the other half of the group.
"Aqualad since you work with water you'll take down Adonis at the beach with Más y Menos. He's a lot of talk but don't take that suit lightly, it's very powerful. Raven, you take Beastboy and Rorek and head toward the mines to defeat Cinderblock and Plasmas. I know it seems like a lot of work but I'm sure between the three of you you can do it. Starfire you are with me in apprehending Slade. Ready?"
A hand slowly raised and the boy wonder blinked, glancing at Terra. He hadn't even realized she had come along. He was so busy earlier that morning he just figured she went home.
"Yes?"
"I-I want to help." He raised an eyebrow and she felt herself curling up on the inside. No matter how old she was or how far down the line she would go, Robin would always be one of the people who made her feel like she was not good enough with just a lift of an eyebrow. "I… I've made a lot of mistakes in the past and though I do not wish to confront Slade… I do wish to help… please."
There was silence as all eyes watched the shy blonde before they moved back to the boy wonder. Robin seemed to be thinking it over, weighing how much he could trust her. After he realized she could be of help he nodded and knew where to put her just in case she stepped out of line. There was only one person who could take her down if needed be.
"Very well… you will go with Raven." Both girl's jaws dropped and they looked at each other before looking back to the boy wonder. He ignored the looks. " Raven will be the leader in your group, if she feels like you have stepped out of line or that you were not serious in your task to help she will take you down." The empath smirked and the blonde regretted asking to help. "That does not mean that Raven will let this go to her head and use her power of leadership in any other way than professional." Raven's smirk faltered and she nodded her head.
"I understand." He nodded and glanced out at his friends, his comrades, his family. He hoped this would not be the last time he saw them, even losing one would be heartbreaking.
"We can do this team. We've always come out on top before and we will do so now." They all stared at him, pride and determination across their faces. The boy wonder could only smile with pride and reached in his belt to pull out the long steel pole he always wielded. "Titans… GO!"
They knew the routine, knew the roles and with quickness learned and taught over the years they divided up in seconds. The first group headed towards the junkyard as Kid Flash pulled away in the lead, the second group running towards the beach. With the third group, the redheaded archer jumped from fire escape to fire escape as Bumblebee shrunk down to the size of the insect she was named after and buzzed after him. For a moment the last group could only look around at each other, hoping they could put differences aside for the time being. Slowly the empath moved between the three teens and raised her arms. As arms lowered, the black aura flared to life and then they were gone.
The leader watched the spot where his friends had just stood and slowly swallowed the lump in this throat. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into the bright lime-green eyes of his girlfriend. Tenderly he took her hand in his and he let his eyes watch her behind the mask. Gently he tugged her to him and let his arms move around her waist, their lips meeting in a soft kiss. Starfire was surprised but she said nothing as she melted into the warmth he offered and responded with her own tender kiss. Slowly their lips parted and he stroked the back of his gloved hand against her cheek.
"No matter what happens today Starfire…know I love you." Her face lit up and she smiled warmly, nodding her head.
"And I love you as well, boyfriend Robin…" Once more he pulled her towards him and hugged her like it might be the very last time. His fingers ran through the strands of her red hair and he placed a kiss to her temple. She could feel his concern for her, feel how uncertain he was and it worried her a little. Her arms tightened a bit around him and once more they shared a soft kiss. Finally after a few minutes they broke apart and watched each other's eyes hoping the look said everything they could never say. They said nothing as he pulled away and got on his R-cycle. As the engine roared to life she took to the sky and off they went to face the man that had once nearly been the downfall of Robin's sanity and the Teen Titans.
Ivy had parked her car in a well hidden spot a few blocks away, leaving it covered and well hidden with plants. She listened as the bell to her store sounded throughout the quiet room and she wasted no time to slide into the large hidden room in the back. She stepped across the stones and made her way to her giant flower, taking a seat. Eyes the color of fresh grown leaves slowly closed and fingers touched the petals in a long slow stroke.
She felt the petals shift underneath her as she became one with the plants in her shop. Her senses spread past the lilies, through the grass, and into the trees. They scattered about into every plant in the city known as Jump City. Senses moved one by one until she found what she was looking for. Plants shifted and she could see each titan clearly in her mind, her puppets going about their duties without knowing why. A slow sadistic smirk spread across luscious green lips. The show was close to starting.
The brownish red hair teen came to a halt with dirt and rocks flying off all around. He wasted no time in letting blue eyes scan the area. It was quiet and he didn't see anything out of the ordinary but he knew that was more reason to be alert. Quickly Kid Flash started to move about the junkyard and came to a halt not finding anything. He rubbed the back of his head and frowned slightly. What a disappointment. It seemed like he wouldn't have first dibs on the first hit after all.
He moved to lean against a rundown car and waited for the rest of the team to show up before they decided where to go next. Minutes later the last two titans showed up. Cyborg started to glance around and Jinx leaned over to catch her breath, glaring at the teen with the red lightening bolt on his chest for leaving her behind.
"I don't see anything… think maybe he moved on?" Kid Flash said as he sent his glaring girlfriend a sheepish smile of apology. She grumbled and glanced in the other direction.
"Nah man, I think they all had a place to be. It wouldn't make sense for him to leave." The half robotic teen started to move away from the group and let his red censor eye come to life. He scanned the area and lifted the hatch on his arm to start tapping at a few buttons.
Pink cat eyes scanned the area and she could feel a chill run up her spine. She pushed it down and instead let out an annoyed sigh. In her opinion this was all just a waste of time and there were better things to be doing. If she remembered anything about Johnny Rancid he was just some sad teen with a Grease complex. Her hand rested on her hip and she leaned her weight onto her right leg.
"This is boring guys. Kid Flash said he wasn't here and it seems quiet. I think we're just wasting our time."
"I just want to make sure Jinx…" His arm began to beep and quickly he turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of the biker moving towards the cat eyed girl. "JINX!"
She whirled around just in time to see what the yelling was all about and barely missed being hit in the face with a massive fist. She did a backhand spring out of the way to put some distance between her and the biker. Landing in front of the half robotic teen she twirled on the tips of her toes and sent amethyst waves of bad luck at the Johnny Rancid. He jerked to the side and barely missed the attack as his eyes fixed on the girl, the attack causing a loud explosion behind him.
Her blood ran cold and her eyes widen slightly as she stumbled backwards at the sight in front of her. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. It couldn't be.
"No way… do you see that!" She asked the two teen boys, shock still in her pink eyes.
"I sure do…" Kid Flash frowned and moved in front of the pink haired teen, putting a hand in front of her to keep her safe.
Something was wrong with Johnny Rancid and it was not the fact he was a pale pasty green, though that did register as weird also. It was the fact that there was a large pulsing red flower that covered his entire back. The leaves looked to be fastened onto the material of his jacket and the vines encircled around the large teen's form, weaving around his limbs. If that wasn't scary enough it seemed as if seeds had sunken into the once grey skin and now his veins could be seen, glowing green seeds dancing through them. The once gray eyes were now a lush green and seemed to be both scared and pleading. He opened his mouth and no sound came out.
"Cyborg… W-What's wrong with him?!" The robotic teen could say nothing, only watched as the biker lifted his shoulder and opened his mouth even wider only to fail once more at producing sound.
"I-I don't know… I have to run this through my system… keep him busy!" Kid Flash glanced at Jinx who was starring at Cyborg like he had grown an extra head. Seeing that he was indeed too busy to notice them and was taping away at his arm, she knew he was serious. Figures. Slowly she growled and turned back to the twitching form in front of her. She would do her job and she would win like she always did.
"You heard him Kid Flash… Let's do this!"
Adonis was freaking out. He was a pale pasty green, there was a giant red flower on the back of his Hercules suit, and worse of all he had no function of his body. It was as if someone was moving him like he was a puppet. He jerked his shoulders at weird angles and when he tried to scream for help, nothing came out. His eyes even felt funny and he could see some guy dressed in blue, white, and black spandex standing in front of him. He needed help, why wasn't anyone helping him. Once more he tried to shout and nothing came out. His body suddenly jerked backwards and he wanted to cry, to scream, but the only thing close to a sound was his heart beating in his ears. Where were the Teen Titans when you actually needed them?
Aqualad stood a few feet away from the body that twisted and turned before charging at him. The Altanian easily sidestepped and wondered if this really was what he had come for. The red suited teen stumbled and fell down onto his knees. Slowly Adonis started to get back up, his shoulders jerking upwards one at a time. It all seemed so easy. His black eyes caught the sight of the large flower on the back of the red suit and he got an idea. Dark pools for eyes glanced down at the two twins, making sure to also keep a watch of the glowing villain.
"Más. Menos… I want you to run up while I distract him and yank the flower from his back. Alright?" The two twins nodded and saluted.
"Sí Señor." The first twin replied, a large white plus sign in the middle of the red circle on his chest.
"Listo cuando usted es." The other red haired twin said, this one holding a minus sign on his suit. Aqualad nodded and sent them a small smile before glancing back at the glowing villain in an oversized suit. The blue dressed teen cracked his knuckles and flew forward as Adonis did the same, staggering about.
The Altanian held up a hand and called forth the water. The cool liquid wasted no time as it soared from the sea and went to the one summoning it. The blue dressed teen jumped in the air just as the glowing villain swung his fist. Aqualad quickly landed behind the glowing teen and rolled on the ground. The mechanical teen turned around faster than Aqualad would have thought and what felt like a thousand pounds connected with the Altanian's jaw. The teen with black pools for eyes went flying and the water landed in large drops into the sand.
That had hurt. Rubbing the back of his jaw he saw the two twins urging him to get up and get back to business. He should have made them the distractions. He pushed himself backwards in a roll just as a giant metal hand came crashing down into the sand, sand flying about as a hole appeared where Aqualad had once been. He paled slightly. He had to finish this fast or he might not make it to see tomorrow.
He jumped to his feet and spun in a circle to summon the water. The clear liquids gathered to turn into a soft blue as they whirled around the twirling teen before flying full force at the glowing villain. He staggered and once more his mouth opened but nothing came out. Just as he was about to charge again, Más y Menos held hands and sped over to the glowing villain. Más jumped up onto his brother's back and landed on the large metallic suit's shoulder. He sat down and started to press his feet against the flower, Menos gripped the large flower with his hands from the bottom and swung up to place his feet against the glowing villain's lower back to help him pull. Más pushed with feet and Menos pulled with his hands, both trying to yank it off with all their strength. It didn't budge at first but the mechanic teen hadn't seemed to notice them, throwing punch after punch to the Altanian.
Aqualad barely rolled out of the way of the last assault as the giant red fist came crashing down and through the sand.
"Hurry up! He's way stronger than he looks!" The twins said something in spanish and Aqualad was sure it was probably something children shouldn't say. His hand blocked the next punch and he felt his whole body shake and he stumbled backwards from the blow. This was getting ridiculous. If the twins didn't hurry he was going to have more than a few broken bones. The glowing teen took that moment and pounced. He caught the water bender and pinned him to the ground and his mouth opened once more but nothing came out. The glowing teen raised his arm and Aqualad was sure he was about to lose his pretty face.
That's when the teen in the suit stopped and the glow left his face. A quick gasp of air filled his lungs and he collapsed down onto the white sand beside the Altanian. The teen in the mechanical suit gasped and coughed for air, curling up into the fetal position. Aqualad slowly sat up on his elbows and let out a sigh of relief as he glanced over to where the two twins stood, poking at the twitching flower. Black eyes glanced back at the gasping Adonis that seemed to be out of it and just glad he had his body back. Aqualad sighed and collapsed onto the ground. They would join the others after his jaw stopped hurting.
Speedy ran at full speed from rooftop to rooftop, landing on a knee and then taking off again in a run. The girl in the black and yellow half shirt was the size of a bee and buzzing close to him, staying close to his ear in case she needed to yell a command for him to hear. They had found X before but ended up fighting so much he managed to take back to the rooftops during their argument. They both had blamed one another but finally decided on simply putting away their differences and catching the villain. They were far more concern about why the flower was on his back than who was right or wrong. They needed to find him before he infected someone with whatever strange eerie glow thing he might have. That's when they both spotted him.
"There he is!" They said in unison and sent each other a look.
"I said it first!" They said again and she growled, stopping in the air to glare at the redhead archer.
"Look it doesn't matter. Let's just get this guy, alright?"
"Deal." He pulled a glowing arrow from his satchel and placed it against the string. He aligned the shot and let loose, the arrow whirling in the air. Red X easily dodged it and landed sideways on a nearby chimney, pushing off of it for momentum as he lounged at the archer.
Speedy jumped but the black cladded teen was faster and yanked him back down by the ankle. The teen with the skull on his face landed, spun in a circle, and let go of the archer. The redheaded teen collided with a nearby brick chimney and landed with a thud on the roof. Bumblebee took this moment to return to full size and started to shoot her golden stingers at the freelancer. X leaped in a crescent shape and cart-wheeled out of the way. As she shot another bolt and he dodged again. The freelancer squatted down for a moment and then leapt right at her. She wasn't able to move fast enough as his foot collided with her stomach and sent her flying across the rooftops.
The freelancer squatted back down on the ground and leaned his head forward as if he was in pain. Oh he would be in pain when she was down with him. Nobody threw her across a roof like she was a kickball. Oh yeah and they didn't place a hand on her team member either. She grumbled and slowly stood up, holding her stomach.
"Oh it is on. You alright Speedy?" The archer groaned and nodded, rubbing his head. Sluggishly he got to his feet and let his eyes meet with the glowing teen covered in black.
"Yeah… for once I agree with you."
"Alright good cause' I have a plan and it involves you being a good shot… we need that flower off of him."
"What for? You already have a room full of them back home."
"It's not for me you idiot!" She screamed and he winced a bit, arching an eyebrow at her. Sometimes it was too easy to tease her. She forced herself to calm down and pointed at the freelancer who still sat squatting, his fingers digging into the loose gravel. "I think it's controlling him. You can see him fighting. Now I'll distract him and you just try not to miss for once." He mouthed what she said and made faces. She glared and he straightened up, pulling out another arrow.
"You just better keep up your end of the bargain, Sweets." She fluttered into the air and her size started to dwindle until she was nothing more then the size of a bee. Buzzing forward she started to shoot at the freelancer and he easily avoided. He leapt forward and caught her in his hands and she immediately returned to her full size, grabbing his arms.
True to his words, the archer lined up his shot and once more he let the glowing golden arrow fly. Like the professional he was he did not miss and the arrow hit the side of the flower full force. Seconds before the arrow made contact Bumblebee let the freelancer go and flew backwards out of the way. It took the glowing green teen all of two seconds to realize what had happened as the arrow hit and exploded. He stumbled and fell to his knees, the pulsing large red flower dropping down to the ground.
Slowly the two titans walked over as Red X started to cough and gasp for air, his fingers curling against the ground.
"You think he's alright?" Once more the freelancer coughed and fell over onto his side, slowly curling up to wrap his arms around his legs.
"Well he's breathing… my question is do we arrest him?" They glanced at each other and the archer could only shrug.
The R-cycle followed after the orange and black dressed man. The rider gunned the handles as he took a quick turn, using his foot to keep from falling over. The sound of tires squealed and an engine roaring filled the air. He flew into the construction working area, Starfire flying over head. The boy wonder quickly spun in a crescent shape to send gravel flying, killing the engine as he glared at the man in front of him. Slade stood there and watched the boy wonder with his chest rising and falling in slow breaths.
"What are you doing Slade?! What are you planning?!" The older man said nothing and only kept breathing. Robin could feel his heart pulsing and hear his own breathing as they both stared at one another. He didn't even turn his head as Starfire slowly landed down on the ground beside him. He had to make sure to protect her, to be ready for anything. "Answer me!" He screamed but the orange and black suited man still said nothing. Instead he moved down into a fighting stance and waved the boy wonder over with two fingers.
Robin did not disappoint and let out a scream of anger as he jumped from his bike and flew at the older man. Slade easier avoided the punch that the teen sent to him, a hand blocking the kick. He only had to keep this up until the potion wore off and when it did, oh was he going to get her back. If she thought this was funny (and he knew that she did) he was going to smash that beautiful face into a wall. Well maybe not, she was so nice and soft and great to be around. She had such a beautiful smile and she always smelled like fresh flowers. Not to mention that laugh, oh that beautiful laugh. He groaned and tried to fight the potion, ducking with grace as the boy wonder sent a kick to his head.
Starfire could only watch and frowned slightly not sure if she was supposed to leap into action or not. She could hear the yelling of her boyfriend, could feel the tension washing off of him and it scared her. Oh how it scared her. She knew Robin always wanted a rematch against Slade. He seemed to think he had something to prove to the team. Still she could not let the love of her life do this alone. So she flew into the fray and made sure not to use any of her starbolts to loosely.
Robin went to punch and Slade grabbed the boy wonder's arm. Quickly Slade turned the teen around to press the boy wonder's own arm against his back. The multicolored teen let out a loud scream and the older man ducked as Starfire shot a starbolt at him. Using the pinned arm Slade swung the boy wonder downward to twist the arm at an awkward angle. The orange clad man tilted his leg up to sent a kick to the alien princess's face.
She stumbled backwards and he hurled the boy wonder as far as he could go across the ground. Robin landed on his arm when he hit the ground and heard something snap. Once more the boy wonder let out a loud scream of pain as he collided with a nearby pile of wood, the stacks falling over on top of him.
Starfire's heart sunk and Slade took the moment to grab her by the hair. He pulled as hard as he could and she swore her hair was being yanked from her scalp. Spinning on his heels he whirled them in circles once, twice, three times and let her fly through the air. She hit against a fourth story pole and let out her own scream of pain as she doubled over onto the bar.
"Starfire!" Slade walked toward the boy wonder who had managed to crawl his way out from the debris. The one eyed villain watched as the teen cradled his arm. Eyes narrowed behind the black mask and he could feel his temper flaring. He had to get the man back for hurting him and the alien princess. First he wanted to know why though. He needed to know why Slade had come back. "Why?! WHY?!"
He tried to fight it, tried to keep from walking over to the boy wonder but the potion still ran through his veins. The older man reached over and picked the teen up by the throat and let the body dangle. Robin gasped and he felt his insides start to turn. He had to fight it. This was not part of the plan, not part of the deal. It was one thing to hire her to finish the job but it was completely different to make him a pawn! He fought for control of his body and flung the multicolored teen across the ground once more.
The boy wonder hit the ground and rolled onto his stomach. He coughed as the dirt filled his lungs and watched through the cloud of dust as Slade drew closer once more. The older man raised a steel platted shoe and let it go crashing down on Robin's leg. The Christmas colored teen let out another loud scream of pain as he felt the steel connect over and over again, kicking randomly at his fallen form.
Starfire swept down and tackled the older man away from the love of her life. He hit the ground and she started to let one fist after the other pound away at the hidden face. His head jolted side to side with each hit until he caught both of her hands. Lime green eyes widen and then she felt a foot to her stomach. The force knocked her off of him and onto her back in front of the boy wonder. She coughed for a moment but quickly stood up as Slade started to walk over again. Hate shinned in her lime green eyes and her hands clutched into fist, ready to release an attack when he got close enough. She would protect her boyfriend and if she needed to kill Slade to do it. So be it.
"You will not hurt my boy anymore!" She raised her hands and let lose an assault of starbolts. The green pulsing lights flew through the air and Slade avoided them before flipping backwards. He pushed from the ground and landed on the first story level of the bar. He stood there for a moment and felt his body start to become his own again.
Starfire started to shoot the green lasers at him once more and the older man felt one hit his side. He stumbled back a bit before he did a back-flip down onto the ground. Their eyes met for a moment before the older man turned around and started running as fast as he could away from the two Titans. He had business to take care of and it was not here.
She did not give chase instead she ran over to her hurt boyfriend and drew him into her arms. She could see the distress in his face and her insides hurt at the fact he was hurt. Though he tried not to show her that it hurt she could tell and she swore if she ever got her hands on Slade he would know a whole new world of pain.
"Oh Robin…"
"I'm alright… my arm might be broken… but I'm alright… we have to go after him though Star… we have to!" She frowned and stroked his cheek, shaking her head.
"I am afraid not boyfriend Robin… we must wait for our friends and then we will venture out and do the down falling of Slade." He straightened up slightly and wanted to yell, to say something but all he could do was slowly nod his head. Though he didn't want to admit it he knew she was right. Knew that he would need help in this condition and slowly his eyes looked down. He had never felt like such a failure before.
"It's dark in here."
"Then stay close and shut-up."
"Can't we like… light some candles."
"I am doing the best I can…"
"I agree with BB, your lighting skills suck." The empath could feel her eyebrow twitch and she seriously debated on just punching both the green teen and the blonde in the face. They had been complaining since they had started walking into the tunnels. She didn't see either of them creating light out of nothing but apparently that didn't mean they didn't get to stop complaining about it.
"May I, Lady Raven?" She blinked and nodded her head. The white haired wizard held up a hand and chanted something she couldn't understand. A white light illuminated from his palm and then shot out down the dark tunnel. The dark tunnel of the abandoned mine lit up with white light before it slowly started to die down. Everyone but Rorek arched an eyebrow and the green teen went to say something until something flickered. Soon specks of white lights could be seen and they started to grow until they were floating balls of light down along the walls.
Everyone stood amazed and the white haired wizard sent the empath a small smile.
"I hope this will be satisfactory." She nodded and Beastboy grumbled something underneath his breath. Talk about a show off for no reason. So he could create light. Big whoop didn't make him any less of a pretty boy. Raven glared at him and the green teen went quiet, glancing in the other direction. She could glare all she wanted. He was still going to grumble and think mean thoughts.
They started walking again in silence until they came across a fork in the tunnel. And if it was not quiet amongst the group before it certainly was now. They all stared at the choices before looking at one another and then the violet haired empath. Raven stared back at them for a moment before glancing down each path.
"Hmmm… I suppose we'll have to split up… Gar you'll come with me-" His heart jumped and a large smile spread across his face. She wanted to be alone with him in the tunnel. In a light dimmed one at that and he was all for it. However it was not to be as Terra intervened. He was really started to not like her.
"No way! Like I would trust you alone with BB!"
"I am the leader here and I decide on groups."
"Robin said not to abuse your powers!"
"Well what would you suggest? Because there is no way I am leaving you alone in a dark tunnel with Gar. We're here to work. Not to try and grope one another."
"Hey now! I would not let her grope me!" Everyone glanced at the green teen and he went quiet, glancing down at the ground with a large blush across his face. That had come out the wrong way. He had meant to say that he understood there was a job to do and that he would not fraternize during his duty.
Terra turned back to the violet haired girl and tried to ignore the outburst from the green teen. Terra knew being alone with him was out of the question which only meant one other option.
"Fine then. Boys with boys and girls with girls." Raven arched an eyebrow. She couldn't be serious. Gar and Rorek would kill each other. Not to mention the thought of killing the blonde had crossed her mind a few times. The look on Terra's face said otherwise. She was going to tell her to suck it up but decided to agree with the rock wielder instead. After all, keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. The empath sighed and rubbed her temple, turning towards the right of the fork.
"Fine. Girls with girls and boys with boys."
"Wait Rae I don't think-"
"I know you don't. Now shut-up. Boys with boys and girls with girls I will not repeat it again." Not like she had a chance to. Raven was already walking further into the mines and out of sight. Terra glanced at Beastboy and sent him a small smile before she followed the empath down the dimly lit tunnel.
The green teen slowly moved emerald eyes to land on the wizard who was looking back at him. This was going to be very uncomfortable and by the way he was looking at the green teen, Rorek agreed.
The violet haired girl walked silently down the tunnel the blonde earth mover not far behind. Somewhere off in the distance they could hear rocks sliding down the walls. Blue-violet eyes glanced around and wondered how long the walls could hold. By the looks of things no one had been in here in a very long time. The wood that held up the roof seemed to be rotting through and every now and again pebbles would fall from the ceiling. It did not seem a good place to be. Especially with a rock mover that had it in for you.
Terra strolled along behind the empath and sent glares of daggers at her back. How dare she try to use her power as leader to be alone with Beastboy. In fact how could Raven even think that she would let it be that easy? If the empath thought that she was going to lie down and let her be with him, she was seriously deluded.
"You know…I and Beastboy kissed when I first got back." She smirked as she saw the empath stiffen slightly. Raven stayed silent and the earth mover smirked more, pressing on. "He still loves me you know."
"That's funny he didn't seem too eager to be alone with you now did he?" Not to mention he spent the night with me, she thought but kept it to herself. This wasn't the time to start a petty argument she knew she had already won. Not that is wasn't very tempting.
Terra narrowed her eyes at the empath's back and she muttered something to herself, folding her arms across her chest.
"He's just… shy."
"Right. Can you maybe focus? We're here to do a job. When we get back we can let Gar decide."
"Fine. Just as long as you lose gracefully, Rae." Blue-violet eyes narrowed and she reminded herself to stay focus on the job at hand. The last thing she needed was to let her powers and anger get the best of her. She had to stay in control and be the mature one. It was harder than she remembered it being.
"Right back at you, Ter."
The blonde haired girl growled and went to yell but the sound of movement caused both girls to stop moving. Slowly both sets of eyes tried to peer deeper into the lightly dimmed tunnel. Cautiously the empath started to walk forward. The rock wielder followed close behind as she glanced over the empath's shoulder. Moments passed and they heard something but no one made a move. Finally getting a bit annoyed, Terra started to move around Raven.
"I can handle this. Just sit back and watch how it's done." Raven held up a hand before the earth mover could take a step further. If she thought she was going to allow her to crush them, the villains, and her other two fellow team members in a cave-in just to show off. She was out of her mind. Raven's eyes moved to land on blue ones and she shook her head.
"You haven't used your powers in awhile. It's best to just wait and see if we'll need them."
"Are you trying to say I don't know what I'm doing? I was a Titan too!" She stepped closer to the empath and Raven had to remind herself not to get angry. So instead she only narrowed her blue-violet eyes in a warning.
"The keyword being was and even then you weren't able to control your powers. Or did you forget the outcome of that?" The blonde growled but couldn't voice the insult on her tongue because at that moment Plasmas decided to show. Quickly the empath shoved the other girl away before her aura wrapped around her and she teleported just in time. The glob of purplish slime hit where they had just been standing.
Terra winced and growled, holding up a hand but stopped as she noticed how confined they all were. If she used her powers here there could be a cave-in. Cursing she got to her feet and started to run down the path, past the violet haired girl who was sending a wave of black energy at the man of sludge.
"We have to get him into an open space!"
"Gee, whatever gave you that idea." Violet strands flew along her face as she jumped backwards, dodging another attack of slime. Turning on the heels of her blue boots she started to follow the other girl down the tunnel. Plasmas let out a bubbly groan before he turned into a puddle of mud and followed after the two girls, right on their heels.
Beastboy kicked a random pebble as he walked behind the white haired teen. They had said nothing to one another ever since they started on the journey down the increasingly long tunnel. It was torture. He missed Rae, he missed being able to talk, he missed being able to tell a joke. He was more than certain that the wizard would not appreciate a good joke if he heard one. Still he was sick enough of the silence to try it.
"Want to hear a joke?" Silence. The green teen arched an eyebrow at the white haired teen's back and continued. "What did the ocean say to the sand?"
"…"
"Nothing, it just waved. Get it?" Silence.
Beastboy frowned and grumbled something about no sense of humor. This seemed to catch the white haired teen's attention because cerulean eyes were glancing over his shoulder at the green changeling.
"I fancy a good joke as much as the next fellow. The opportune word there is being good." He turned his attention back to the walk and the green teen only glared.
"Well I'm so sorry my jokes aren't good enough for your up tightness." Rorek only shrugged.
"Forgiven. I understand not all of us are blessed with a good sense of humor." Beastboy narrowed his eyes and felt his fingers curling into fist. Pretty boy was asking for it.
"So I suppose you think your jokes are funnier than mine?"
"I don't have jokes but if I did, I'm sure they would be, yes."
"Dude. You're an ass." To this Rorek chuckled a bit and Beastboy arched an eyebrow, something he had picked up from the empath. The white haired teen could only shrug.
"I suppose I inherited that from my father. The original Rorek. But as he told me, I now tell you. That does not mean I am not a great wizard and that I do not feel any less compassion when it comes to saving lives. One day I will find someone who will make me feel more than others and the bright side of me will venture out. Until then, I will put away childish notions and fight with all the bravery I possess."
The green teen could only watch as the wizard kept his eyes sharp and focused down the lightly dimmed tunnel. It was fair to say Beastboy was a little intimidated but he was a hero and he had morals as well.
"Original Rorek huh? Shouldn't he be… you know… not around?" The wizard stiffened slightly and Beastboy blinked at the sudden weight that seemed to land on the outsider's shoulders.
"He lives for however long Malchior lives… they are both bounded by the book to live forever or until the spell may be broken or passed on to a decedent. I share the same curse, though I am not the first son I am the only one born more like father than the others… once I have the book my father may rest and I will take his place." Beastboy blinked and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing down at the ground. Now he only felt like a worm.
"I'm sorry to hear that…"
"It is alright, I have accepted my fate… I only hope that Lady Raven…" His words trailed off and emerald eyes shot up. The wizard seemed less sad now and was blushing. The green changeling's eyes narrowed and he marched over to the wizard, cutting him off before he could take another step.
"Only hope Rae, what?" Cerulean eyes landed on emerald and they held each other's look. For a moment the white haired teen did not reply and only started to walk around the green teen. Beastboy didn't allow it and kept his eyes fixed firmly on the white haired teen. Finally Rorek let out a small annoyed sigh and answered the question, watching the green changeling.
"Only hope she wishes to come with me." The green teen's eyes narrowed and he poked a finger into the wizard's chest.
"Now wait one moment! Rae is off limits buddy! She's taken." Rorek only lifted an eyebrow and gently yet firmly pushed the green teen's hand away. He started to dust off the front of his armor, keeping cerulean eyes on Beastboy.
"Oh? From what I've seen you both fight a lot and you prefer that other Lady. Besides if I may be frank, Lady Raven needs a real man. Someone who will be there for her and strong enough to protect her if needed."
Beastboy stood there dumbfounded. He was just insulted more in that last sentence than he cared to be. Growling his fist curled and he narrowed his eyes again.
"I am more than enough man for Rae and if you think you're going to get her, it's over my dead body." The words were spoken in a whisper but the threat was clear all the same. The white haired wizard narrowed his eyes and went to respond but something caught his eyes. Blinking Rorek looked over the green teen's shoulder, trying to make out the shape. Beastboy followed suit and saw what had caused the pause.
Quickly one teen jumped to the left and the other to the right just as a giant stone hand came crashing down. The white haired teen landed in a fighting pose and white energy pulsed to life in his hands. The green teen landed in a fighting stance and held up his hands ready to block any attack.
Cinderblock however did not seem all that eager to fight as he groaned and then made a break down the tunnel. Beastboy blinked and then growled. Leave it to the stone man to run away when he actually wanted to relieve some stress.
"Look what you did!" Yelled the white haired wizard as he pushed past the green teen and ran after the giant stone man. For a moment Beastboy could only stand there in shock of the accusation. Finally his mind kicked back to life and he growled, flailing his arms around.
"What I did! If you hadn't started with me none of this would have happened!" The green changeling started to run after the wizard and Cinderblock, making a note to punch the wizard at the end of all this.
"Oh yes because I wish to indulge in derisory conversation with you!"
"You're derisory conversation!" The wizard sighed and rolled his eyes as both of the teens turned the corner and started to run up the slope. They kept arguing the whole time as they chased after Cinderblock.
Nails the colored of crimson tapped lightly on the soft petal of her 'chair.' A wide smirk was spread across her face as she watched how the teens had already taken the flowers off. By now she was also certain that Slade was back at his mansion, trying to find where her hideout was. If all worked out, he would show up when planned. As for now she kept watching the confused Titans. Though not everything was going as planned, it was going well enough.
Slowly lips parted and she started to count down in a whisper.
"Three…Two…One."
Jinx kicked at the biker with the tip of her curled up purple boot. It had been a lot easier than they thought it would to take down the glowing teen. Johnny Rancid now laid on the ground, groaning but alright all the same. She shrugged and turned towards the two teen males.
"He seems to be alright now." The half robotic teen nodded and let out a small breath of victory. Kid Flash smiled and moved over to place an arm around his girlfriend.
"Good job! I'm lucky to call you my girlfriend."
"I know. I just wish you weren't such a whore." Silence. Two males blinked at the pink haired girl and she seemed confused at what she had just said. Shaking her head she went to talk again. "I mean I wish you were more like Cyborg instead of out there trying to sleep with anything that bats their eyes at you."
Her hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes went wide. Slowly Cyborg glanced over to the just as stunned Kid Flash. Jinx shook her head again but didn't speak, not trusting herself to talk. Cyborg could tell by the look on her face she hadn't wanted to say it and that concerned him greatly. Maybe the ordeal was not yet over.
A/N: Muhahahahaha what could Poison Ivy be planning? Doesn't look good for our heroes! Originally I was going to name the chapters after chess moves on a chess board but after I failed to understand what my boyfriend was saying after the…oh about seventh time. I decided on just using whatever popped into my head at the time. Go figure they were mostly lines from songs. Let me know what you think! On to the thanks. ^^
Spiritedheart4ever: Thank you! I'm trying.
Wolvmbm: I'm glad you like the story, you're very observant! Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and reviewer. ^^
ChicoMagnifico: I know but she's confused and reacts the only way she knows how. I'm sure things will get better… maybe. ^^
sinomin: Yeah, Poison Ivy is evil. You have to love it though!
acosta perez jose ramiro: That makes me glad to hear because a few times I wasn't sure if I hit the nail on the head or not. So I just left it in and hoped for the best. Thank you.
Rosalind2013: lol you are not a bad reviewer! I understand completely I have so many fanfics to catch up on as well. Thank you so much for mentioning me on your story! I couldn't stop smiling! That was so nice of you. Also I do try to update as quickly as possible, writing chapters in advance helps a lot. ^^;
sumbunnyluvsu77: At least you reviewed! I'm ecstatic about that! I'm glad you still like the story! Hopefully you'll still like it as you read on since things are about to get a bit more dramatic. Thank you for commenting on the scene with Poison Ivy and Slade, I was iffy about that scene so I wanted to see what the readers thought of the interaction. ^^;;
Star Melody: Lol! I can't believe you caught up so quickly! I'm glad you like the story and yeah the dance on the roof was cliché but I just couldn't help myself! Thankyou for leaving so many reviews! That was very nice of you and they made me laugh and smile to read how much you enjoyed the story.
Thank you for everyone who has been reading and reviewing! I love reading them. Also I just want to say to anyone who had ever done an action scene in writing or a complete fanfiction on them. I bow down to you. I never knew writing action scenes were so hard! Please read and review and let me know what you think. TTFN!