"Is this the place?" Raven questioned herself, attempting to rub the fatigue from her eyes she bore from her lack of sleep, looking at the address "Mr. Smith" gave her.

She had a rightly reason to question the location, seeing that this place appeared to be out of a back alley of Gotham, except worse. Besides the ungodly stench from the rotting garbage that littered either side of the alley, graffiti on either building beside her, and the echoing sound of dripping water, it was traversable, even though it all seemed in vain. The address led Raven to a door down a set of stairs, apparently leading to the basement-area of one of the large buildings; a single, swinging lamp above the door illuminated the area, the rest swimming in darkness. Out of confusion, as well as curiosity, Raven approached the metallic door slowly.

"Well," she quietly commented to herself, raising her free hand, "here goes nothing, I mean, what's the worse that could happen?"

She rapped gently on the door several times, a hollow metallic sound echoed from within. Moments later, a small hatch about eye-level with Raven slid open quickly, a pair of sunglasses the only thing visible from the new opening.

"Was Sie wollen?" A deep, male voice ordered, wanting Raven to state her business.

"Ja bin ich hier für das Turnier? " Raven honestly answered, still unsure as to if she was in the right place or not.

The man let out a small chuckle that was barely noticeable as he closed the sliding hatch, unlocking the door. Raven cocked an eyebrow of suspicion, but the notion quickly passed.

"Recht dieser Weg," he politely stated as if he were acting, revealing his actual person.

The doorman was menacing, as any would expect. He possessed nearly the same build as Cyborg. Raven wasn't impressed though, if anything, his short, spiky blonde hair and whole "shades at night" thing made him look like a clown to her.

Raven gave a small nod as she stepped forward, following him. The hall she was led down was extremely narrow, and poorly lit, the lights above yellowed with age, or blown. She also noticed a distinct musty odor that lingered in the air. The more Raven saw, the more and more the actually thought about what was going on.

"From what I've seen," she pondered, the hall seeming to begin to descend deeper and deeper into the recess of the basement area of the building, "I highly doubt this is what it was made it out to be, but I think it is a little too late to go back now. Of course, the prospect of the prize is what attracted me here, so might as well get the low-down on it, you know, make it worth my while. Who knows? This may be easier than I think it is."

The doorman led Raven into a large open room, but it appeared to be fenced off all the way to the ceiling, a gate that led into it was present as well as Raven passed it, following her escort for the moment up a set of cast iron spiral stairs. Her attention was still focused on the fenced-off area of the room that was shrouded in darkness, something was rather peculiar about it, she could almost feel it. She finally arrived atop the stairs, the large doorman pushing a button upon a speaker that was just to the right of a cast iron door.

"Boss," he stated into the device in a heavy accent.

"Yes?" another voice questioned his underling.

"She's here," the man in shades managed once more.

"Good, let her in," the voice ordered.

He released the button, turning to face Raven, who had just broken eye contact with the darkened room below. He forced the door open, motioning for Raven to enter.

"You're such a gentleman," she stated out of sarcasm as she passed him, getting a low growl of a reply.

Unlike the rest of the area Raven had just witnessed, this room appeared to be rather lavish, someone that appeared to have expensive tastes…very expensive ones at that. Yet, like the rest of what she had seen, it was shrouded in darkness, only low lighting visible, similar to those seen in a theater. She knew there were figures in the room, but that was all that she could make out of them. Her hands found their way to a chair, feeling it out, and also noticing in the low light that a desk was in front of her.

"Have a seat, my dear," a voice, the same that spoke through the speaker before, just as vile.

Raven did so, and was going to before she was instructed to do so because of her own free will.

"From what Mr. Smith has informed me of," he began, his silhouette barely distinguishable in the darkness, "you are a highly skilled individual."

"Listen," Raven began, crossing her legs, "I am not interested in small talk, all I want to know is how many opponents do I have to defeat in this tournament before I can get the money?"

"Tournament?" he questioned, amused, "do you know what this is?"

"I knew something was up," Raven thought as she cocked her brow at this unknown man.

"No, I don't, that is what I was led to believe when I signed up," Raven honestly explained, "would you care to explain to me what kind of setup you are running here?"

"It's simple, my dear," the man flatly stated, "I am the sole proprietor of this business; I am here to make a profit and nothing more. You are here for a profit as well, and for the profit, you must work for it."

"Get to the point," Raven flatly stated, not amused one bit with his flowery explanation.

"I see you are most serious, that is good," he continued, as if Raven had said nothing at all. "Very well then. You have been brought here to compete in my underground league. Mr. Smith scouted you, and you are a very prospectable fighter. My fans have become…bored with my usual competitors, so that is where you come in. You will still be paid for your services of course, win or lose, but you and I both know that winning is the more profitable of the two."

"Illegal pit fighting? You've got to be kidding me," Raven boldly replied, preparing to stand up, but hesitated for a moment longer as she noticed two of the man's bodyguards making their way behind her, acting as if she hadn't noticed them at all. "I refuse to fight for you and your sick fans' pleasure."

"Oh really?" He questioned in a similar voice as he did before, as if he were in control. "From what Mr. Smith has informed me of, you are an illegal citizen; all I need to do is call the proper authorities. You don't want me to do that, know do you?"

"Do what you wish, but I'm not fighting, and I am out of here," Raven said in a voice of authority, not about to let this mysterious man control her.

She lifted her self up, backpack and all, turning to face the door, only to face the two bodyguards.

"Unless you want to know what a broken nose feels like, let me through," Raven warned in a serious tone as they continued to block her path.

"Don't be so brash, my dear," the man calmly stated, even though there was hostility beginning to flow. "All I wish to do is business, and who doesn't want to be paid handsomely for performing, giving the fans what they want."

Raven wheeled around at the man, a hardened stare of anger at him and his presumptuousness.

"I am not going to betray my teachings for your pleasure or personal gain." She said in a hushed yell of sorts.

By the time she turned around once more, she found herself looking down the barrels of two handguns, one from each bodyguard.

"I believe I can be most convincing, my dear," he quipped with an unseen grin at Raven's predicament.

She continued to stare hard, thinking as to what she could do, but her mind was made up as she heard the hammers of the guns locking into place as they prepared to fire.

"Fine," she finally broke, "I'll do it, seeing how I would like to continue living. You better hope you don't try anything funny or turn your back for once second, the last person that tried to oppress me died a most horrible and painful death at my hands, so just keep doing what you are doing if you wish to become number two to my repertoire of a body count."

"So feisty, I like that," the man commented with a laugh, "you will perform nicely tonight. Just promise not to kill your opponents, I need them for later bouts."

"I'll try to remember that, but I may forget," Raven stated sarcastically, knowing that she wasn't going to take any lives, but merely to instill fear into them.

"Take her to the dressing room, show her the bracket," the shady man ordered, pointing towards the door.

One of the bodyguards went to reach to take Raven's arm, easily getting her attention.

"Touch me and I'll break it," she threatened with seriousness dripping from her voice.

He looked at his boss, only to get another wave of the hand to at least lead her, seeing how his well-being was at stake. He looked back at Raven, merely motioning for him to follow him.

"I see you do have brains within your thick confines of a skull," Raven commented out of mere amusement.

He let out a mere gruff as he led Raven back down the stairs once more, once more past the fenced-off area as well, but as they walked past it, the lights came on as if someone had thrown a switch, revealing the darkened area. It was a caged-in area about the twenty feet by twenty feet, give or take a few feet in either direction, lowed about six feet into the ground itself, the walls and floor of the recessed area made of concrete, dark crimson spots were visible throughout the floor, speckling it, and at least two or three small spots that were noticeably larger. Raven knew it to be dried, hardened blood, and the spots were that all remained from the red liquid that pooled from some poor soul's defeat.

"Charming," Raven commented to herself upon this sight, knowing that is where she was to "compete" is in a matter of time.

She traveled down a hall just as she did before, the hall was dimly lit that led to the dressing room, which she was to assume it was for females only, or hoped anyway. The hall opened into a small room of sorts, two doors the only thing visible. The bodyguard sharply pointed to the one to the right. Raven, finding it somewhat relaxing, decided to show one more example of sarcasm, giving a small bow. He growled as he turned around, walking back down the hall once more.

"Well, here goes nothing," Raven said to herself as she pushed the door open, revealing what resembled a bathroom to her, a rather large one at that. There were multiple showers, each a private stall, or at least a curtain for that matter. Several lockers, as well as a couple of wooden benches vacated the room as well, the latter bolted to the floor in the center of it. A couple of sinks in front of a large mirror topped it all off. Raven treaded lightly as she walked across the tile floor, setting her backpack down as she took a seat on the bench, still looking around all that surrounded her.

"Ok," she quietly said, weighing her choices as of the moment, "I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for this, I mean, I'm better than this, I would expect Beast Boy or Robin to go for something like this, not me. I knew something was up with this, but I guess I found out the hard way. I can't just leave, or I will have several painful holes, if I refuse, that bastard will report me to the police for being an illegal immigrant, and I have no proof that I exist, so I don't know where they would send me then, otherwise I'd let him. Yet, how bad could this be? All I need to do is win a few fights, take it easy on my opponents, and call it a day, that's all."

Almost as if they weren't in the room to begin with, Raven was startled when she heard voices behind her across the room, slightly embarrassed that they heard her talking to herself. There were three women, about Raven's age, all of them for the same reason she was. Yet, one of them stood out to Raven, her hair was blonde, about shoulder length, blue eyes to match. From what she could tell she was slightly taller than Raven, who was just a few inches taller than what was considered average height, making this female tall for her in general. Like Raven, she appeared to be in rather great shape, very athletic build to her, a physique that actually made her look slightly intimidating. She leaned over to one of her accomplices while looking at Raven. She heard what was said, easily translating it:

"Check out the new girl, she looks like a freak or something."

Raven narrowed her stare, becoming angered at her insult, losing control of her emotions due to her fatigue. She stood up, facing them.

"You've got something to say," Raven ordered, "say it to my face. Unless you don't have the guts."

Even though it was said in English, the female that Raven had exchanged words with promptly stood up, revealing her height as Raven had predicted, approaching her. Once more, she translated:

"You're not from around here, are you? Well, let me tell you something, freak, I ain't no pushover, and if you want to start trouble, you've found it."

"That's right, I am, and if you know what's best for you," Raven fired back, standing almost toe-to-toe with her, not backing down, "then you'll back up, otherwise-"

Another female stepped between the two, but she was different from the others, or at least stood out from them to Raven. Her dark hair flowed down past her shoulders, a few strands in front of her ears on either side, vivid green eyes clearly visible. She placed a hand on Raven's chest, just below her neck, as she did with Raven's newly-made "acquaintance", pushing them apart from one another. She warned in fluent German:

"Alright, that's enough you two; you can settle it later, not in here though. In the meantime Evanna, just go get ready, the bracket says you're on first tonight." She turned to Raven, eyeing her up as the one she called Evanna walked away, still staring at her. "You, on the other hand, must be new here."

She extended her hand, as well as a smile, something Raven needed.

"My name's Alexa," she greeted, firmly taking hold of Raven's hand, even though she sheepishly extended it as well.

"Raven," she informed, still confused, "and yes, I'm new, I'm not even from around here."

Alexa cocked an eyebrow at her name, though it be strange, she thought nothing more of it.

"Really? Where you from?" Alexa queried, still speaking in what seemed like flawless German to Raven.

"Jump City," she replied.

Alexa's eyes widened with surprise.

"No way," she stated in English, "I'm from Gotham, what a coincidence, both of us from the U.S. What brings you here?"

"Long story short," Raven truthfully admitted, "I'm just trying to get home, what about you?"

"I came over here for vacation a few years back and liked it enough to move here, this whole thing here," she motioned to the entire room, "just happens to be my only source of income, so it pays the bills."

"I see," Raven pondered, seeing her logic, "I was conned into this."

"Mr. Smith fed you the whole "martial arts tournament" line, didn't he?" Alexa flatly stated, surprising Raven.

"Well…yeah, ho-"

"How do you think I got involved with this?" Alexa replied in her usual tone with a smirk. "On to matters at hand though, I know you seem to be a person of…individuality, but you need to tread lightly around here, otherwise you'll find yourself in a world of trouble. Not that you can't handle yourself or anything, but it isn't wise to start anything."

"I know, I know, I'm just really tired, fatigued in general, and I'm losing control of my emotions," Raven truthfully replied.

Alexa only finally noticed how tired looking Raven did look.

"You do look like hell," Alexa commented, getting a chuckle of Raven in a sense.

"You don't know the half of it," she replied half-heartily, rubbing the back of her head. "Since you seem to know more about what's going on, maybe you can help me out. This whole thing, what are the rules?" Raven added, changing the subject.

"Rules?" Alexa questioned with a huff of amusement, "there are no rules, well, except for paralyzing or death blows, but you probably already knew that. Other than that, it's anything goes. It is co-ed, there isn't any gender separation, but men and women hardly ever fight one another, so it isn't all that bad. There are only two ways you can win; K.O., or your opponent throws in the towel."

"Okay, know that I know what to expect," Raven added, "where's this bracket at?"

"Come here, I'll show you," Alexa motioned, walking to the wall they were facing.

Sure enough, there was a piece of paper taped to it, a tournament bracket printed on it.

"Let's see here," Alexa stated, studying it, "Raven, right?"

She nodded, looking at it as well.

"Ah, right here," Alexa informed, putting her finger upon her name, running it up slightly, finding out who she was paired to fight against. "Well, that will be rather interesting."

"How so?" Raven questioned, looking as well.

The other name wrote down was "Evanna", the very same individual Raven had already grown to hate, as she did likewise for her.

"Anything you can tell me about her?" Raven asked, wishing to know about her opposition.

"From what I've seen, she's strong, girl or not, but she's slow. From the rumors I've been hearing about you, you'll make quick work of her, nothing to worry about, you know?"

"I hope," Raven replied wearily.

"Trust me, you'll do fine," Alexa reassured, resting her hand upon Raven's shoulder, "it's time for you to get ready, so have at it."

She sheepishly smiled, finding her newly-made acquaintance rather…interesting and eccentric at times. She bent down, beginning to rummage through her belongings in her backpack, trying to find something to change into for this "event". Alexa noticed that by the way her backpack looked, it appeared to contain all of what she possessed, taking wherever she went.

"Well, Raven," Alexa stated, "since I don't really need to be here tonight, but I am glad I came, I ran into you. You are one of the few people I can relate to. Anyway, I'll come and get you when it is time, so do whatever it is that you need to do."

She nodded with a smile, knowing that she felt the same as well.

"Trust me, I will," Raven replied, unzipping another compartment, taking out her boots, the very same Slade bestowed upon her as part of her apprentice uniform.

Alexa gave a slight nod as she walked off, Raven gathering whatever she needed to clean up and change clothes. Just as she retrieved a pair of socks, she noticed Evanna had made her way to the bracket posting, wishing to see who she was set to square off with. She ran her finger down the list, finding her name, then seeing her opponent, a devious smile creeping across her face. She turned to face Raven, pumping her wrapped fist into her palm, an unsaid challenge and vow to her.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Raven thought to herself as Evanna walked away, "I do think I am going to enjoy defeating her, and I'm not usually one for violence. I think it has something to do with me being up for-"

She paused, checking her watch.

"Just over 35 hours with less than an hour sleep. I think I might hurt someone if I get pushed over the edge, but I highly doubt that will happen, especially here, most of these guys are pushovers. In any case, I might as well think about that top prize since I can't get out of this, even though I hate doing it, but I'd rather not be shot, especially since I don't have my powers to my advantage anymore. So if I do get hurt, I will have to wait and heal like a normal person, so I had better watch myself. I shouldn't think like that, no, I'm going to do this, and everything is going to go off without a hitch."

Raven was pleased with herself and her last statement, taking it to heart as she gathered her necessities, making her way to one of the open showers, pulling the curtain shut behind her.

"And now for a much needed and deserving shower," Raven quietly told herself, beginning to undress, "even though I am going to need another one after I'm done with this tonight, but I just need one now, I feel it to be imperative."

She kept silent as she contently thought about what had happened, and what lay ahead of her as she scrubbed the accumulation of the past day's dirt from her person.

After her much needed shower, Raven had dressed herself, wearing one of her tank top undershirts, as well the khaki-colored pants she possessed. Her hair, though dried, was still saturated with water, weighing it down as it hung from her head, hanging in her face.

"I really wish I had my hairdryer right now," she commented, pushing some of her bangs out of her face, blowing what she couldn't get out of her face with her hands. With a single motion upon each foot, Raven put a sock on; preparing to don her boots she hadn't wore since that fateful day. Just as she reacht for them, Alexa approached her once more.

"Just letting you know that you are on in about 15 minutes, give or take a few," she informed in her usual voice, taking notice to Raven's boots, "hey, nice boots."

She looked closer, seeing the details that eluded a wandering eye, such as the scuffs, as well as the worn crimson that barely stood out from the metallic toes.

"Wait a minute," Alexa added, seeing those noticeable factors about them, "that isn't what I think it is, is it?"

"What?" Raven finally replied, looking at the toe of the one she just put on, clasping the straps upon it, lifting it to her knee, propping it on it. "Oh, that? That's nothing."

"Looks like old blood to me," Alexa stated, pointing at it.

"Maybe it is," Raven half-heartily replied, "trust me, it's a long story, and we don't have the time right now, maybe later or something."

Alexa nodded, seeing that Raven didn't want to speak about it, or at least at the moment. As if she had forgotten something, she quickly turned around to face Raven once more.

"Oh, one more thing," she stated, digging in her pocket, "you might need this, trust me, I know from experience."

Alexa gently tossed the contents of her pocket, Raven catching it with ease in her hands. She opened them, revealing a roll of white tape.

"It isn't any fun breaking bones in your hands, so wrap them good and tight," Alexa lectured, "you probably already knew that, just thought I'd pass it along to you."

"Actually, I didn't think anything of it, but you are right, so thanks," Raven replied with a smile, seeing that Alexa actually cared for her well being.

Out of caution, as well to pass the time, Raven meticulously wrapped the tape about her hands, making sure she had adequate protection for her wrists and knuckles.

"Not that I am really going to need this," Raven commented, finishing her wrappings, rather pleased with her job she had done. "More of a precaution than anything, so cheers for that, I guess."

She clenched and unclenched her hands several times, getting the wrappings to take form to the bends and creases of them, making them slightly more comfortable, while remaining tight as well. Alexa approached Raven once more after conversing with another female, apparently one of her other friends, who appeared to be few and far between.

"Well, you're on, so let's see if these rumors are true," Alexa stated, motioning for Raven to head towards the door.

Raven understood, hopping up, stretching out her muscles quickly to prevent any type of related injury.

"If it's a show they want," Raven commented, approaching the door, ready to see what she really got herself into, "then it's a show they'll get."

"You know what?" Alexa added as Raven passed, preparing to follow her down the hallway. "I like your style. To the point, no bull, just straight facts."

"You yourself seem to posses these traits as well," Raven replied with a smile, following the confines of the narrow hallway.

"Eh," She motioned with her hands, "I aim to please."

She entered the large, open area that contained the "pit" in which she was to face Evanna, and maybe others, but to her surprise, the hype generated around the rumors that surrounded Raven had ushered in a capacity crowd for this event of sorts, easily 200 people of this run-down neighborhood managed to attend. Raven maintained her composure as she made her way through the crowd, several people within it staring at her as she passed. Their hum of random conversations and thoughts about what was to take place seemed to hush slightly as Raven entered what had became aptly nicknamed "The Cage". She hopped down into the recessed area, landing softly, there was an apparent absence of stairs.

"That's strange," Alexa commented from above, "I've never seen anyone hush the crowd that much before."

"You've never seen anyone like me before either," Raven replied, gazing across top of the area, seeing all the people who came to witness.

"That is true," Alexa laughed, "in any case, just remember what I said and you'll do fine. Just a heads up though, Evanna's a crowd favorite."

"That's too bad," Raven replied in her usual voice, "I guess that will make her fall and my ascension that much more gratifying."

"Man, you've got a mean streak in you," she commented, "and that's good."

Raven nodded, attempting to refocus herself on the task at hand. Not that it was to be a difficult one, but more or less to turn her opponent into an embarrassment before the night was over with. Not only was it because she just didn't frankly like her, but she had been conned into this, and Raven wasn't about to stand by and let it happen. The crowd sounded, alerting Raven that Evanna was making her approach. Over their usual jeering, she made out the chant of her name, which was rather soft in her opinion for a favorite. Raven had stepped away from the door, merely standing there as she watched Evanna leap down into the pit, pointing a finger at Raven, then motioning with her thumb across her neck, a well-known gesture for signaling Raven was about to meet her maker, but she had other plans.

"Let's get this show on the road," Raven commented out loud, knowing Evanna couldn't understand her, still remaining with her feet planted.

Evanna narrowed her stare at Raven as she clenched her fists tightly, her anger visibly surging throughout her body. Out of the side of Raven's vision, she noticed the door had been shut and locked, the crowd all around them growing restless.

"So when's this st-" Raven began, only to be interrupted by a loud buzzer of some type, a rather obnoxious one at that. She turned to find Evanna beginning to advance on her.

"I guess that means go," she flatly stated as she watched Evanna coming towards her, waiting for her.

Evanna took up more of a boxer's stance, then attacking Raven, throwing a combination of punches at a remarkable speed, but Raven was ready, all of them flailing greatly by merely catching nothing more than air, Raven's body remaining relaxed and loose as she dodged every attack Evanna produced, easily angering her that much more. After several moments of this, Raven finally ducked underneath of a sweeping hook, backing up from Evanna.

"What's the matter?" Raven taunted, "can't hit what you can't see?"

Her adversary of the moment merely let out a growl as she drew back, lunging for Raven once more. If her strike were to connect it would be rather devastating, but instead, Raven easily side-stepped her slower opponent, causing her powerful punch to hit the wall of the recessed pit, creating hair-line cracks in the cement, only to cause her to wail out in pain as she retracted her hand, knowing she had to have broken something in it.

"That looked like that hurt," continued Raven, keeping her from getting focused. She merely walked around, not even putting her hands up in a defensive position, knowing she was clearly faster and more agile. "Let me know when I should start trying," she added with a smirk.

Even though Raven had managed to inflict damage upon her opponent without even touching her, the crowd was thirsty for action, they wanted to see blood, and they didn't care who it came from. Raven could pick up random comments from the crowd that stood out over the unrest, wanting to hit her, make her bleed, anything to get their money's worth.

"Even though I'm not one for blood," Raven thought, watching Evanna as she prepared to attack once more, "I got to give them what they want. I'll do it in the easiest, and least devastating way possible."

Upon that conclusion, she awaited her opportunity, but not before dodging several more vicious swings. At the end of her flurry of punches, Raven blocked one that was directed for her head, and in her seized moment of opportunity, she thrusted her free hand forward with an open palm. It cleanly struck as Raven had predicted, right into Evanna's nose, the stomach-churning sound of breaking bone and cartilage easily audible as she connected, causing her to stumble backwards quickly. As she fell backwards while remaining on her feet, blood began pouring from her nostrils well before she brought her hands up to defend herself, cupping them around her fresh wound. It fell, spattering on the floor in droplets what didn't soak into her clothing as it flowed down her face, nearly concealing it behind the crimson colored liquid. No sooner than Raven completed her single strike, the crowd that was nearly bored before was now insatiable with amazement, seeing Raven was no pushover. Evanna, though in immense pain, managed to regain her bearings, taking aim at Raven once more, swinging punch after punch harder than she had attempted before. She backed away from her aggressive foe, preparing herself for her advance. Raven predicted she would take the bait, and she did, setting the trap. Just as Evanna rushed in to swing away once more, Raven snapped her foot up sharply, catching her just on the edge of the chin, taking her off her feet, and causing her to slam into the ground with immense force, dazed by Raven's simple attack. She lay there for several moments before coming to in a sense, rising to one knee, shaking her head, blood from her nose following. Hurt and exhausted, she rose once more, still determined to take Raven down, but Raven had other plans.

"Time to finish this nonsense," Raven protested in thought as she awaited her over-eager opponent to lash out at her once more, "I hate useless violence, but I'm kinda here and might as well finish what I started."

Though in spirit-shattering pain, Evanna recklessly charged once more, not about to be deterred by Raven. Raven's only reaction was by merely shifting her stance, preparing for the attack. Evanna led off with what would have been yet another strike that would absolutely destroy her opposition, but Raven took hold of her leading fist, pulling her off balance as she jerked her lunging body towards her, grasping her by the front of her blood-soaked shirt. By the time Evanna could realize what was happening, it was too late, Raven lifted her over her shoulder in a single motion, using her own inertia against her, and throwing her, only stopping violently as she slammed into the wall of the pit, crashing into a heap, remaining motionless. Out of pure amusement of sorts, Raven walked up to her, nudging her unconscious state with the tip of her boot, not getting a response as she lay there, blood still slowly pooling from her nose. As it did before, the buzzer sounded, and Raven looked up, noticing the gate door being undone. With ease and the same grace as before, Raven vaulted up out of the pit, two men went in right after she came out to get her defeated opponent. Alexa was wide-eyed, her mouth open slightly in sheer amazement, and the crowd agreed, watching Raven knockout Evanna with only one hit, the other two were either self-inflicted or caused by the throw. Raven looked at Alexa with a small smile, knowing why she was surprised, not even breaking a sweat the entire time.

"Amazing, simply amazing," Alexa commented, barely audible over the roar of the crowd.

"Why?" Raven quipped, "I didn't do anything."

Alexa merely shook her head as she led Raven back to the dressing room once more. Just as they entered, she wheeled around, eager for Raven's explanation.

"That was brutal, how did you do that?" She pressed, tossing Raven a towel, even though she didn't even need it.

"I told you," Raven replied in her same voice as before, "I didn't do anything. I merely turned her own attacks against her. She was extremely powerful, but slow as you said, and I abused her weakness. I barely did anything, she basically ran into my attacks, amplifying the damage herself. If anything, that quick kick I snapped up was my only true attack."

"You turned her nose into a fire hydrant, you can't tell me you didn't attack more than once," Alexa protested.

"I snapped my palm up, and she came into it," Raven informed, demonstrating as she held it up, using her other as if she was pulling her off balance into it.

"Not only are you dangerous, you're pretty smart on your feet," Alexa noted, "well, you're pretty much done for tonight since it is still the prelims, but tomorrow you got 2 fights, I know you'll fight both of the too, I doubt there's anyone here that will stand a chance, not to mention the intimidation you got going on. Frankly, you scare me."

"Thanks," Raven replied to the compliment, "so two more victims, er…I mean matches. I'm joking, but I am going to win, no worries. Come on, you don't have to be afraid of me, I don't bite…hard."

"Knock it off," Alexa laughed, feeling comfortable around Raven, basically considering her a friend. "man, your something else, you know that?"

"I don't want to be part of the masses," Raven honestly admitted, "besides, I couldn't be normal if I wanted to."

"I think your normal right now, why don't you think you could?" Alexa consoled discreetly as Raven.

"Trust me," Raven informed, "if you knew everything about me, I could never be normal."

"I don't care about that past," she promptly informed, making her way across the room, headed for the coffee pot that sat upon a rickety old table, probably her own. She came back with two cups.

"I make it strong to take away any pain after a match if you get me," Alexa warned, "I know it seems weird, but trust me, it helps, even if you don't need it or not."

Raven understood, taking a sip, only to quickly draw back at the bitterness.

"Wow, that's awful," she commented, "is there any water in this, it tastes like straight coffee."

"It's a liquid ain't it?" Alexa calmly replied, taking a big swig of it as if it were nothing.

"More like a sludge," Raven commented, swirling it around, seeing it was black as night, "down the hatch, I guess."

Raven brought the cup to her lips once more, chugging the remaining contents, even though she was wincing from the horrible taste as she did so. She finished it off, slamming the cup down in a single motion, still puckered up.

Alexa watched Raven wide-eyed as she slammed the rest of it back.

"Good stuff," she coughed, "enough of that though. How much longer do I need to hang around here for?"

Alexa checked her watch.

"Little over an hour," Alexa informed, "then you head up to the office and get your cut for the night."

Raven nodded as she began digging in her backpack once more.

"I noticed something though," Raven began, putting on one of the button-up shirts she had, "you don't seem like the kind of person that would be involved with this."

She let out a small huff of a laugh.

"You know what? I sometimes think the same thing. I don't know, I just stayed after I tried it, I guess. Growing up rough in the bad part of Gotham usually does that to people; they need to have some kind of constant conflict." Alexa truthfully admitted. "Let me ask you something then. Even though you were basically forced to do this, you could have thrown the fight and left, why didn't you?"

"Honestly, I'm running low on funds," Raven replied, "and when an opportunity presents itself, I seize it. I do feel…guilty in a sense though."

"How so?" Alexa naively questioned.

"I betrayed my teachings for personal gain," she explained, leaning back in her chair. "It just doesn't feel right."

Alexa rested her hand upon Raven's shoulder, getting her to look up from the floor.

"You can't stop something you were forced to do," Alexa explained, "besides; you don't need to look at it that way anyway. Someone is attacking you, and you are defending yourself, the prize is just a bonus."

"I guess your right, but it still doesn't feel right to me," Raven replied with a weak smile.

"The feeling will pass," Alexa stated, then actually taking a real focus to Raven's eye. "I don't want to impose, but what happened to your eye?

Raven snapped her eyes open with surprise.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Raven politely replied.

"It has something to do with those other scars on your body, doesn't it?" Alexa deduced, while respecting Raven.

"Yes, it does," she honestly answered. "Look, Alexa-"

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, I respect that and I understand," she interrupted, "I just don't know why someone would want to hurt someone like you."

"I need to get it off my chest, the more I share about it, the easier it will be to handle later on in a sense," Raven admitted. "Even if I do tell you just basically what happened to me or how it became, you wouldn't believe me."

"Raven, trust me, I've seen stuff you probably wouldn't believe, so go ahead," Alexa replied.

"It all started about a year and half ago," she began, "I was part of a group of superheroes called the Titans. Everyth-"

"Wait, you're a superhero?" Alexa questioned unbelievably.

"I was," Raven admitted, "because of this, I've lost my powers. In any case, everything was going fine just as it had for the entire 7 years we had been together as a team. Yet, something happened to me and I had to leave, I needed to return to my home planet of Azarath. Before you ask, it is a world in another dimension. In any case, I was ambushed when I was trying to return home, and captured by one of our arch nemesis, Slade. Instead of killing me off like I thought he was going to do, he forced me to do his bidding or he would kill my friends and thousands of civilians."

"So you were working for this Slade guy, who hated you and your friends?" Alexa stated, attempting to put two and two together. "And if you didn't, he was going to kill them?"

"Right," Raven answered, "at first, I couldn't stand it, I wanted to kill him every waking moment I had, but over time, I was more influenced by my own personal feelings and demons, like I wanted to be evil. I even almost killed my own friends after being overtaken by my own emotions, similar to being brainwashed. They were going to take me down, no matter what, but one of them managed to convince the others from making that choice, and I owe him life, he already has my heart, but I fear I may never get to see them again."

"That's really sad," Alexa seriously replied, feeling what she felt just through her words, "so what happened next?"

"With the help of all our allies we have all over the world, they came for me, not to take me down, but to rescue me, even though they were outnumbered and outmatched by Slade's army of robotic minions. They fought valiantly, the hardest I have ever seen them fight before, and it showed as they prevailed, holding off the horde of machines. Meanwhile, my closest friends, my teammates, were coming for me, but Slade wasn't going to let them. They fought him, I feigned combat with Garfield, the very same that convinced them to save me. They were winning, then he pulled a gun and…shot Robin, our leader."

"Wait, you mean the Robin, as in Batman's sidekick?" Alexa questioned in disbelief once more, intrigued by Raven's story.

"The very same, that's why he left Gotham in order to get out from underneath of him," Raven explained, remembering when she projected herself into his mind, knowing and seeing all he knew and felt, "Originally, he wanted to be a solo act, but by a twist of fate, we all ended up becoming a team. Anyway, back to where I was at, he did get shot, and was about to finish him off, and that is when I got a reality check, and I had to act fast. I had the metallic emblem on my uniform, and I threw it like shuriken, catching him in the arm and caused him to drop it. Though surprised, he knew it was bound to happen that I was going to turn on him. I told the others to leave, I had to settle the score between him and I, no one endangers my friends, and it wasn't about to start now. They reluctantly left, knowing what I was going to do, even though it pained them to do so. I fought Slade, my Master and mentor for over a year, severing all ties between us. The battle raged on back and forth, every time I managed to get in a successful blow, he came back just as hard. Much like a day, it began with unarmed combat, midway with staffs, and ended with swords. I nearly defeated him, only one more blow, but he countered with the his remaining blade I had only shattered moments before, running it through my shoulder."

Raven pulled her arm out of her sleeve, moving the strap of her undershirt, showing Alexa the scarred tissue where her shoulder connected to her torso, then moving around to show the exit wound as well.

"Ouch," Alexa cringed, "so that is where all the other scars came from?"

"Yes, including this one," Raven motioned to her eye. "He made me just like him. I should have died there, but I lost complete control of my powers, and I unleashed them on him and everything around me, killing him and destroying the place I called home while I was oppressed by him."

"So how are you alive then? It sounds like a miracle to me," Alexa replied, feeling as if this story was so outrageous that it had to be true, and Raven bore the evidence.

"It was," Raven answered, "my mother, as well as the Elders of my homeworld, Azarath, summoned me to a place that was kinda like…nowhere, but everywhere, time stood still, and I was neither alive nor dead at the time. She explained to me what had happened and why. I found out that my life is scripted, everything that has happened to me since my birth has been true to the text in the Archives they had. Knowing that now, I feel as if everything that is happening to me is happening for a reason, like destiny. They granted me life to live once more, saying it wasn't my time, but at a terrible price."

"Like what?" Alexa interrupted, anxious to hear the rest.

"My mother and I were to be separated from one another for the rest of our lives, never to physically see one another ever again. She was exiled from Azarath, never to return. I was banned from returning as well. My punishment wouldn't have been so severe if I hadn't committed such heinous acts under my rage-induced insanity," Raven managed, physically showing it was becoming difficult for her to continue.

"That is harsh," Alexa commented, "wow; no one should be forced to experience that."

"I was though," Raven replied, "but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?"

"That would make you superhuman, damn near invincible to me," Alexa commented with seriousness, "I don't know what you think, but you are tough, I mean really tough. I don't think another living soul could go through what you have and keep it together."

"Trust me, it's hard, I do feel like giving up at times, but the thought that my life is set in stone and I must continue, everything happens for a reason, and it is destiny, I must fulfill it." She informed, rubbing the back of her head. "You do surprise me though."

"What do you mean?" pondered Alexa, cocking an eyebrow.

"You seem to have taken my story quite well, anyone else would have said it was the biggest load of bull they had ever heard," Raven stated, cracking a minute smile, even though the look in her eyes bore what she was truly feeling.

"It was too…out there to not believe," Alexa explained, "you even have the proof on your body. You showed what you were capable of only moments ago, why shouldn't I?"

Raven shrugged her shoulders, propping her feet up on the bench.

"So," Alexa pondered with a devious grin, hoping to lighten the mood a little, "care to tell me more about the Garfield character?"

Raven reacted with noticeable surprise, being caught off-guard by her request.

"Garfield is known as Beast Boy on the team," Raven explained, clearing her throat, "he's an…eccentric person. Built like your average guy, and a green skintone to match."

"Green? Like green-green?" Alexa questioned, surprised.

"Yes, like "green-green"," Raven continued with a smile, "he has the ability to shape-shift into any animal, comes in quite handy sometimes when we are facing certain individuals. He could be considered my guardian angel of sorts. Even well before I actually even started thinking about him in a passionate way, he was always going out of his way to cheer me up, or to protect me, just stuff like that. In any case, I found out that he has always had this crush on me, even when he was after another girl that joined our team, but it didn't last. Even during that, he couldn't deny it. I, though I hate to admit it, was the same way. After I had my heart shattered on the rocks of reality, after being deceived into doing another's bidding for his own personal gain, I was a wreck, but he was there for me, even apologizing for that bastard that broke my heart. Ever since that, I always looked at him different, and my feelings were becoming harder to control, I couldn't hide the truth much longer. Both of us longed for the other, but wouldn't show it. Even during my forced betrayal, he still tried to turn me back, but my lust for rage and power were too strong, overshadowing my own personal feelings. When I fought all of them, him being the last remaining one standing, he finally got through."

"He sounds like quite the gentleman, how did he get though to you?" Alexa questioned, finding this side of Raven rather enjoyable.

"Even as I was about to deliver the final blow to him, he uttered those words I'll never forget, the words that struck home and finally broke Slade's control and my own anger. I knew that he meant them with all of his heart, too. He would never lie about something like that."

"He said "I love you," didn't he?" Alexa deduced, placing her thumb and index finger on her chin as if she were thinking.

"Yes," Raven answered with a smile, "and I will never forget the kiss we shared either right after that. With his help, I was finally able to escape my living hell, but I didn't know it was going to come at such a price that it did. I really wish to return home to him and share my feelings with him I have kept back all these years. If I had a chance to make that decision again, and even knowing the consequences, I would do it all over again if I had the minute chance that I would return to him."

"You've got something special with him from the way it sounds," Alexa commented, "never forget that and always keep that in mind, it will drive you."

"Well," Raven noticed, "what about you? You have a man of your own or anything?"

"Me?" Alexa motioned, pointing to herself, then waving away, "no, any guy I hook up with usually ends up leaving for a whore or I end up beating his ass when he tries to push that macho crap on me."

"Then they weren't the ones you needed then," Raven stated, still laughing of sorts from her reply, "there's a perfect guy out there for you somewhere, may take some time to find, but he's out there. I just got lucky is all, and I don't even know if it will be the same if I return."

"What makes you think that?" Alexa asked, surprised, "if it's true love, then he won't care."

"No, it's not that," Raven corrected, "I mean, he may have used a device that I helped Slade construct to revive the girl that he loved before. Besides, they all think I'm dead and gone, and I rightly should be, but I will return to them, I just hope there can be some normalcy when I do."

"If your friends are as good as you say they are, then there shouldn't be any problems. True friends wouldn't care about the past or what happened, and only look forward to the future," Alexa consoled, "besides, anyone that has you as a friend is extremely lucky."

"You must be pretty lucky then," Raven replied with a smirk, "you are one of the few people I can relate to around here, maybe even help me out."

"Likewise," Alexa stated, nodding with a smile. "So, who's this other girl Garfield likes or whatever?"

"Her name is Terra," Raven answered, "she is my friend, but I still don't trust her, not after what she did to us. Several years ago when she first joined, she was working for Slade, getting all kinds of information on us for him, all our weaknesses, I mean everything. By the time we found out, it was too late. Slade had already sent a force of machines to eliminate us while she distracted Garfield. We tried to help her, but she refused, and we finally said enough was enough, and then she ran scared. Slade wouldn't accept her failure, so she tried to leave, but he had complete control over her with this interface suit she wore, it infused with her own body, giving him access to her powers without her choice. Even when things seemed worse at their darkest hour, she managed to retaliate, realizing the error of her ways, and took Slade down, hard. In doing so, she caused an explosive lava flow to erupt, and she was the only one able to stop it from destroying the entire city and she knew what was going to happen to her as well when she did. Her sacrifice wasn't in vain, and never will be. In our eyes, she made up for her faults, but she would still need to regain our trust if she ever got the chance to. I feel as if she has, and doing it."

"What is with you heroes having such bad luck? I mean, that's what it sounds like to me." Alexa commented.

"I know you've probably heard this before, but," Raven began, "with great power comes great responsibility. Some of us can handle it; others struggle with it, not knowing how to use that power to the best of their abilities or in the most correct way possible. Terra was one of those confused souls. She never had any true evil intentions. Slade seduced her into working for him by offering help; helping her conquer and master her powers, making her a foe to be reckoned with. His aid came at a great cost, the betrayal to us."

"I hope she has a clear head now," wished Alexa, "besides, when you do get back home, you can make amends with her."

"You're right about that," Raven replied, "I really do hope you are right though. She and I had quite the rivalry in a sense. I couldn't stand her, but as I said, I am willing to forgive."

"It's all water under the bridge now," Alexa added, "just look at it that way."

She looked down at her watch.

"Well, it's about time for us to go collect tonight's earnings," she informed, standing up with a stretch, Raven following suit.

"I just got to thinking though," Raven stated as they made their way to the door.

"About what?" Alexa replied, going through the door.

"You said you didn't have to be here tonight, right?" Raven deduced, "I think it has something to do with my destiny."

"You mean I'm here for a higher calling for you or something?" Alexa questioned unbelievably, "come on, Raven, I'm just your normal nobody."

"Evidently not, and especially not to me," Raven protested, taking notice that the place had been completely deserted of people, the lights remaining on though, illuminating the pit, the gore from Raven's simple strike still visible.

"We'll find out, I guess," Alexa managed, shrugging her shoulders. "Now come on, let's collect and get the hell out of here."

Raven nodded, enjoying her company.

After making their way up the stairs, the duo entered the office, the very same Raven had graced before, not pleased with the outcome of that meeting. As they entered, the man from before was standing in the shadows, applauding Raven.

"I am most impressed, my dear," he congratulated, "you performed above and beyond my expectations. You made a mockery of one of my most prestigious fighters."

"If that's the best you've got, then I'm going to rob you blind," Raven quickly snapped a reply, "now give me my earnings so I can get out of the cesspool."

He nodded, taking in Raven's seriousness, shoving a small stack of bills into the light, showing Raven what she had made for the night.

"Not bad for a first night," he commented, "it would have been more if so many people didn't bet against you."

"Whatever," Raven flatly stated, standing up once more.

"Ah, yes, Alexa," he began, "you really need to pick up your earnings the night you make them from now on, I can't promise you I can hold on to them for you."

He did the same as he did for Raven, except Alexa's was noticeably larger, showing she made substantially more.

"Sorry, I forgot," she apologized, "I'll try not let it happen again."

"That's ok, seeing how you are one of my best, no harm done," he replied with an unseen smile, "now you two don't go spending it all in one place."

Alexa nodded, Raven merely showing him a rather obscene gesture with her middle finger as she walked out.

"I like her," he said to himself, "she has spunk."

The door closed behind them, making their way back down the stairs as they prepared to leave.

"I swear to Azar I better not run into that Mr. Smith guy," Raven growled, "I will rip him a new one for getting me involved in this."

"Take it easy," Alexa cautioned, "besides, you can't argue with easy money, can you?"

"Well…no," Raven admitted, "but I still don't like what I have to do to get it. Even though most of these other fighters are anything far from a threat, it doesn't feel right."

"After a few nights," Alexa added, "the feeling will pass, trust me, I felt the same way at first, but when you need money fast, and are willing to do whatever it takes, you do it."

"Sounds a lot like me at the moment," commented Raven, seeing they were growing closer to the entrance to the arena of sorts, the same place where Raven naively questioned if this were the location.

"Oh, uh shield your eyes," Alexa warned, "sunrise is coming fast, maybe already here, so be careful, hurts like hell going from nearly pitch black to bright."

"I'll keep it in mind," Raven replied, seriously taking precaution.

She opened the door, and sure enough, the sun was just beginning to break over the building tops, casting its glow onto the streets. Yet, it wasn't as penetrating as it would be with rays, but more of an aura on everything, an orange brilliance was cast upon all that could see. Alexa climbed the stairs that led down into the recessed area Raven had entered before. She followed her newly-made companion, squinting at the sunlight.

"I've never been a real fan of the sun, especially sunrise," Raven drolly commented, shielding her eyes.

"You do seem a tad…dark to me, which is a good thing," Alexa commented, walking forward as she turned her head, "it makes you unique."

Before Raven could reply, she noticed that a trio of figures appeared in front of them as if they had been waiting for them, standing up from their leaning positions. Raven knew who it was before she came close to them, seeing her forearm wrapped up in bandaging. Not to mention the makeshift repair work that had been done to her nose, which was noticeably swollen as well.

"Let me handle this," Alexa stated, pushing Raven back before she could begin her advance.

"Are you sure?" Raven questioned, concerned for her safety.

"I got this," she replied in a voice that made Raven need not worry.

She stopped, sliding her arms out of her backpack, allowing it to fall to the ground, just in case she needed Raven's assistance.

"What's the problem here, Evanna?" She began in her fluent German as Raven noticed before.

"Your freak bitch friend is," she growled, "now get out of the way, I ain't got a problem with you."

"That's where you're wrong," Alexa interrupted, "you see, if you have a problem with Raven, you got a problem with me."

"Unless you want to share her pain, I suggest you get out of the way," Evanna boldly informed, beginning to advance.

"Don't do something stupid you're going to regret now," Alexa warned, keeping calm, but Raven noticed how she began to tense up, ready for whatever was coming.

Evanna's companions that were accompanying her came forward as well, feeling as if they had an easy target since they were outnumbered. Just as she recklessly charged Raven in the pit, she came at Alexa, and by the way she could tell from her stance, she was going to counter with something devastating. Raven's instinct was right, just as her unbandaged fist came forward, Alexa took hold of it, throwing her off-balance as she brought her knee swiftly into her midsection, audibly knocking the wind out of her. Before she could react, Alexa then struck again, landing a clean straight punch right to Evanna's face, causing blood to come forth once more from her already damaged nose. Just as she staggered backwards, the other two came at her. Alexa dodged the first's swing with ease, bringing her own fist right into his open midsection, causing him to wince from the blow. In that split second, she struck again, bringing a looping hook across his face, leveling him with destructive force. The second managed to catch Alexa in her distraction of the first, landing a blow, but she quickly fired back with even more force, laying him out with an uppercut he never saw coming. Alexa merely adjusted her jaw with her hand, as if the blow hardly fazed her. She approached the reeling Evanna, taking hold of her collar. Alexa picked her up off the ground, even with her being physically shorter, and slamming her into the brick wall of the alley.

"Now," she angrily warned, "you've got your ass kicked twice, so unless you want it a third time, I suggest you take your beating and go home. You're lucky Raven put you out, otherwise you'd have to face me, so you should be thanking her."
She released her, allowing her to slide down the wall, still in excruciating pain. Alexa turned from her in disgust, approaching Raven as if nothing had happened, even kicking one of the other fallen males, getting a grunt of pain as she did.

"You've got a little…" Raven motioned, still wide-eyed from Alexa's awe-inspiring performance, pointing to her mouth.

Alexa looked confused wiping her lip with the back of her hand, finding a small amount of fresh blood on it.

"It's nothing," she commented, "you never did tell me where you were staying at while you are here in town."

"Nothing?" Raven questioned out of disbelief, "you just leveled all three of them like it was nothing, but, to answer your question, that is what was on the agenda for today, I need to find a place to stay until I can find a ride out of here since my transportation is out of commission."

Alexa thought for a moment, still wiping the excess blood that managed to escape before her lip sealed itself.

"You know what?" She finally began, Raven picking up her backpack, "why don't you crash at my place? I trust you, and I'm not going to leave you out on the street without a place to stay, so come on, it's only a few blocks away."

"Seriously?" Raven stated in the same voice as before, "You're serious? As in not joking?"

"To answer all of the above: Yes, I am serious, now come on, I don't know about you, but I'm bushed," Alexa replied with smile, motioning for Raven to follow.

"I second that feeling," Raven replied, happy that she had an actual place to stay at for the time being.

Just as Alexa had informed, Raven didn't need to walk far before they found themselves in the elevator of the apartment building that Alexa called home, rising to the top floor of the complex. To Raven's surprise, the interior of the building didn't seem to match the neighborhood that it dwelled in, but it was for the better, and Raven was indeed pleased with a rather homely surrounding than the ghetto.

"Wow," Raven stated in awe, "this place is really nice."

"Eh, it's home, not bad for a penthouse. The entire top floor is mine, so it's like an actual home," Alexa explained as she tossed her keys on a small table near the door, taking her jacket off, hanging it on a hook above the table. "Mi casa es su casa, mi amiga. Make yourself at home, don't do anything I wouldn't do," she added, motioning to the spacious area ahead of her.

"Muchas gracias," Raven replied with a laugh, "don't mind if I do. So, where can I sleep at?"

"The couch, floor, wherever, it doesn't matter to me," she informed. "What time you want up?"

Raven plopped down on the couch, sitting as she began undoing the clasps on her boots.

"Whenever you do, I guess," Raven replied, not sure what to answer with.

"Alright, well, I'm going to hit the hay, you're probably going to do the same, but do whatever you want." Alexa informed, making her way through the room, passing through what appeared to be the kitchen area, and into another room, disappearing from view. No sooner than she did, Raven had already kicked her boots off, both landing with a thump on the hardwood floor. She fluffed up one of the throw pillows on it, laying her head down as she attempted to cuddle up.

"I owe much gratitude to Alexa, she's like a guardian angel of sorts, I mean, she not only provided me with shelter, but she basically protected me even when she didn't need to. I think I've made one of the best friends I could possibly have." Raven thought as she slowly closed her eyes, "but for now, I'm going to get some well-deserved rest, and maybe have another enjoyable dream, hopefully one of Garfield, at least it will lull me into a false sense of security for a time being, but I don't care, at least it's an escape from the reality that is more like a never-ending nightmare. Ah, ignorance is bliss."

Raven gently smiled as she slowly entered the deepest sleep she had entered since leaving Heinrich's, so it was inviting.