Chapter Eleven: Fighting 101

Blaze could barely see anything, it was so early. To add to the situation, she had no idea where she was going. She was somewhere in Jump City, but she didn't know where. Red X said he'd been around, so where was he know?

"Hey!" Blaze wrenched around and looked down what appeared to be a street. Or and alley. She couldn't really judge the size. Or see anything for that matter. "You taking my offer?"

"Well I certainly didn't come to wonder around aimlessly in the dark." she retorted. There was no reply. Okay, maybe she needed to give him a chance. She strained her eyes to see his outline. He was siting on something? No, there was only one leg. Straddling something? A cycle, she was sure. "What are you doing out here?"

"Best stores shut down their security systems in the morning." Blaze was sure he was sitting on a motorcycle now, she could hear him revving the engine. "You gunna hop on, or just stand there?"

"Haven't made up my mind yet." Her tone was softer than before. Blaze really didn't want to be hostile towards him. X was doing her a favor. But she couldn't get past that he was a thief. "Did you steal that bike?"

"Naw, built it. Come on, we're wasting time." He was right. The sun had slowly started to rise, and Blaze wanted to be back at the Tower before anyone noticed she was missing. She looked up and down the street, unsure of what she was doing. Then she cautiously swung her leg over the side of the bike and leaned into him for support. "Hold on." he revved the engine once more, then took off and a breakneck speed.

Again, Blaze wasn't sure where she was going. Red X had his cycle going so fast, images past in a blurry confusion. All she could make out was the pavement under the bike. "Where are we going!" she yelled. She didn't mean to yell, the situation just called for it.

"You'll see."

If it was possible, he sped up. Blaze was losing her grip. She despised it, but she held on tighter around her waist. The wind whipping her face was unbearable. She closed her eyes tightly, determined not to scream from fright. Red X laid one of his gloved hands on top of hers. It comforted her, strangely.

He stopped suddenly. Blaze was jerked forward even further. X caught her, then pulled her off the bike. "This way." he nodded towards drainage ditch on the side of a broken down building. He ripped away the metal bars concealing it, then hopped down inside.

"Gross!" Blaze squealed. "No way!"

"You wanna learn or not! It's not that bad inside, trust me."

"Inside?" Blaze didn't want to think about what 'inside' was. She jumped down, and followed the thief down the pipe. "Gotta love the smell of sewage in the morning." she kidded, trying to lighten the mood.

"Here we are." There was a red curtain at a another hole in the pipe. Red X pulled it back and held out an arm inviting her to enter first. She refused. "Girls," he muttered, walking past the curtain.

X was right. Inside was better. In fact, it looked relatively new. There were weights perched on the wall along with gadgets that looked similar to Robin's occupying large spaces on the floor.. That was expected though. There was blue mats placed along the floor. The only dingy part that reminded Blaze that she was in a sewer pipe, was the dirt walls and ceiling and the single 100watt lightbulb hanging from a chain in the middle of the ceiling. "Home, sweet home?" she asked, looking through a pile near her.

"You really think I'd live in this dump? Yeah right." he pulled out two folding chairs from a dark corner of the room. "I have an apartment in the city."

"Never take me there, okay?" Red X nodded, not noticing it was a joke.

"Alright. So, you wanna learn to fight?" Blaze nodded. "Then you have something to do for me."

"What?"

"I need your help with a little... let's call it a project." he was sitting in a chair, leaning on his knees.

"You want me to steal something?" Blaze tried but she couldn't pull a shocked expression to her face.

"Don't put it so sour. And no, I don't want to steal something. I want you to borrow something with every intention of giving it back after I pilfer the idea." he stopped, rubbing his hand over the mouth of his mask. "Something... of Robin's."

Blaze was taken back. "So you're using me?"

"Of course not. Well, a little, but I don't want to think of it that way. Look, I'm helping you and you're helping me." He stood up and started circling her, looking her up and down. "I didn't originally offer to teach you for that reason though. It's just one of the perks."

"You know you really are starting to look like a bad guy!" she as disgusted. She couldn't watch as he continued circling her.

Red X didn't seem to hear her comment. "I originally offered because I thought you were different. You don't seem like a Titan. You seem like me."

"And what would that be?" Blaze braced herself. She could tell what was coming.

"A free spirit." he was speaking right into her ear.

Blaze grabbed his wrist and threw him into the wall. She pressed her forearm into his windpipe. "I am not a thief!"

"Welcome to fighting 101." he gasped, shoving her away and kicking her, hard in the stomach. "Rule number one, never put a choke hold on the guy that likes you." the last part faded into a cough.

"What?"

"Never. Try. To. Suffocate. The. Guy. Who's. Teaching. You." he spoke slowly, watching Blaze struggle to get up. He walked over to help her. "First lesson: kicking."