Chapter 80: When We Are Reborn
A/
Robin was thrown a staff for mainly not attacking but blocking blows from Slade's. One, two, three. One two three four. Hit! Hit! Block, hit! The sequence seemed unending. But Slade decided to make a few, alterations…to their game of chance, hit and fall. "So, pant… what did you think?…" Smack! The staves hit one another when Robin was only trying to block. Slade's not talking to me… Robin wondered. "About last night? Not exactly what I'd call good behavior." Slade answered. Hitting the staves again the two decided it was time for a third participant.
"Alice." Slade extended a hand to the flowering maiden who slowly nodded instead. In a burst of colour she was soon dressed in a suit that looked like Robin's training uniform. She'd magically done this without effort. Leaping at the two she extended her own weapon, a silver staff that was wide and powerful with a gem at its tip. Sliding her hand towards the tip she pulled off the gem piece and brought it to her belt compartment area with pockets like Slade's. Robin thought she tried to be too much like him. Even when she didn't have anything to do with the man. "Shall we continue?" asked the master to his protégés. They agreed by beginning again but before they were able the Titans appeared through doors unhinged.
Beastboy bounded up to the others as a dog with pointed ears. Robin knew what dog it was, just like the Bat hound. Bruce's trusty old German Shepard mix from his earlier years. It probably was best not to think about these things as Robin or he would blow his cover, again. Starfire was not looking at Robin. But when she tried to turn her head, she'd turn it right back. Raven was staring at Slade with Cyborg, waiting.
"Slade." The name also brought back memories as the group now looked at Robin except for Starfire that was. "You're not just gonna let him take over are you?" Cyborg asked the former leader. Robin shook his head but Alice interrupted.
Her voice was shaky as she swallowed. "You were instated here as trainees to the lord himself a —
So? Where is he!?" Beastboy yelled at her. Hands waving in the air. He was mad enough. Robin said nothing, as did Slade. Alice was in the worst of moods once they'd arrived. She had lost all hope at a chance for freedom. So had her new friends. Slade got between the two and spoke in a strong voice, which would scare any child. "That's. Enough. Both of you calm yourselves." Beastboy whispered over to Raven. "Looks like he's the one who —
Eep!" Slade bore down with his glare unto Beastboy. Raven shushed him. He passed them and then began speaking so that all his new students would listen. "
"You have all been given a chance to prove yourselves to Rokuro." Serious looks were given.
"He's not here at the moment but that shouldn't change. A. Thing…BUT. That you are not here to have fun. You are here to train and learn to become stronger than you've ever proven to be on earth." Beastboy was the first to freak out. "Whoa —
I've been what?!" Slade was not going to hit anyone else as of now unless things got ugly. "We want out Slade. Now." Raven said angrily. "You have no right to be our teacher and control us. So give, up now…" Starfire hovered about, towards him. Her eyes lit up but Robin ran to stop her and she ended up hitting him with a starbolt. "Star —
Oomph!" He was sent back against a side of walling. "Gasp…Robin!!…WHAT did you make me do?!" She head straight for Slade but Alice intervened. "Don't! I know it sounds bad but trust me…You'll know why it has to be done, ok…?" Starfire began crying over the girl's shoulder in moments. Robin being picked up by Cyborg by the wrist. Robin held his shoulder for a few seconds. "What did you do to her Slade…pant…" Now, he was angry.
B/
"I did nothing apprentice. Or should I say, apprentices." Within seconds the burning of fiery chests had begun. Robin ordered the attack that all Titans go for. Cyborg shot his cannon. Raven shot blasts of darkness. Starfire shot her starbolts. And Robin somehow used Roku's power to his own advantages. It was just like good old times, now for the finishing touch…
When the smoke had almost cleared Beastboy let out a roar as her became beast and rampaged the spot that had or still was Slade. Shwing! Claws proved worthy as they came down on the maddest of them all. Or so they thought till sooner…Smoke left the area in what seemed to leave the Titans to guessing what went on. "Did we win?" Raven waited to answer Beastboy as she saw a hand curl up and move. She let out a gasp and before the others could move away the blast from Slade's body was enough to send anyone packing. They went flying all except for Alice who remained in a cool bubble of energy. Slade's eye popped open And his body was healed of all marks that he'd either gotten or hadn't. The Titans groaned from not getting a concussion or something worse. Robin was the first to realize his ability when he woke, when his scratch on his hand disappeared before his eyes alone. He was wide eyed as he saw it make itself glow and reshape his wound, it was gone! "Wh —
You could have your arm ripped off and still live to tell the tale." Slade said over the bodies of unconscious and conscious students. "B-b-but how did he —
Survive? Magic, duh." Bb replied. Sitting up she was in Starfire's way as she had already found that her arm was wounded. She looked away from her friend and bit her lip starting to cry again. Robin got up with Alice's help till she was turned away for assistance by her master. She sighed right then and there.
Later each Titan had dinner in a separate room, no company, no talking. Nothing at all. There was a knock on Robin's door. Then a bang. Then —
CRASHHH! The door was down thanks to a reluctant Starfire for now knowing her mistake. "Starfire? What are you —?
I do not wish to be pitied! You had almost had us killed! Vanquished like the gorgons of the quadrant of their homeworld… By my people…" She was close to tears but held them back knowing trouble would most likely come. "I wish to join you in defeating Slade, and the dragon that calls himself Ro-Ku." She said loudly. 'He must be stopped…!"
"Do you not see what he has done to our team, Robin?" she asked. Robin sighed and looked down at his hands, reminding him of before. With Roku…
You and your little friends? They're all gonna pay. Now his fists were in her's. "Robin —
Knock, Knock, Knock. Robin, Starfire….? Starfire?" Raven went up to her friend. "Is everything alright?" Robin looked down and then back to her. "Everything's fine, what's the news?"
Raven was about to speak when Cyborg popped his head in. "Rae! Bb and Alice are missing!" All of them were in shock.
C/
In the gardens Garfield Logan and Alicia Ainsley were having a discussion on the group's affairs. "So you see… my mother may not be Roku's and his father may be. Loralei was not his first choice, just his best…" She was getting the night out of her eyes when Beastboy spoke. "So, Robin's mo—
Not Robin's, Roku's." She stated. "His true name in Arabic is a form of bowing."
"Huh?" Beastboy scratched his head. "Are you sure?" They walked on through the gardens.
/
"Did he tell you anything?" Asked Robin who ran to catch up with Cyborg. "Nope, he just said he was going out for a while but he didn't say where." The teen said back. Raven and Starfire flew down the halls knocking on doors and calling out his name if she could that was. Each girl was holding something of value to Slade. A magic pendant from Raven's bag. Something that would protect them from night demons. The guardians and Malchior were still encased in their boxed up prisons by slade's request, so there was only one thing to do, get help. Robin had seen what each student could do and he was sure Beastboy wasn't just out having fun…he hoped.
