Well, school is officially back and I think I am in the "swing-of-things". Of course tests start next week, so that may be a complete lie. ANYWHO...here is the next chapter. This chapter is going to be a little shorter than the others but has some of the, much wanted, RobStar and even a little BBRae BUT not too much. There is way too much left in the story. Oh, I if you are wanting some MEGA action, you won't get it but there are some important hints eluding to Pilot and I am sure some of you will start putting pieces together.
:)

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE TEEN TITANS

Rachel slowly opened her eyes and stared out the window in the living room. Someone was playing with them and after what she had managed to pry from Star she had no doubt it was Pilot. Victor had gone down to the hospital wing and opened 'Aukia's head and found a small metal piece lodged in the front of his brain. According to Vic, once activated it sends electricity throughout the brain, slowly roasting it until the brain is burnt. Any poor person to die from it endures a slow, sometimes long, torture before they die. More importantly, once it's activated it can't be stopped.

Rachel turned at the sound of Garfield flipping through channels, his face emotionless, while staring at the changing screen. She smiled, realizing he was completely unaware of what he was doing.

Pilot.

Pilot's heartless actions had already taken their toll on Kori and she hoped it wouldn't scar her friend for life. Her thoughts then turned to Richard. Something about what 'Aukia had said caused her to be uneasy. Whether Richard knew it or not he and this Pilot were connected somehow. How or why, she didn't know.

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I just don't get it. Richard stared out his window toward the city watching the rain pour and the lightning light up the sky. I spent 10 years gathering information, trying to find a direct link to this guy and what happens: my only connection gets assassinated. Not to mention that the rain washed away any evidence that was at the pier.

He could feel his blood boiling and he silently thanked himself for moving everything away from the windows, or else it would be in pieces on the floor. What is it about this guy that gets under my skin? His thoughts then turned to Slade and the obsession he had had, and how he had almost killed himself with that fixation.

The part the angered him the most was that his old habits were returning.10 years. He thought silently. 10 years I worked on my habits and trained myself to be wiser about things and now look. I'm reverting back to a young naïve teenager. He stared at his light reflection in the window trying to see through the external self that deceived everyone, including himself. His eyes were serious and troubled and hidden. Even without his mask his eyes were still locked and unwilling to open; it was like they, themselves, were a mask.

I have got to find this guy.

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The rain was calming and soothing as Kori sat curled up in a chair; the lightning and thunder were another matter. She had grown to love the rain, but after the night's events every time lighting struck the sky, she watched as 'Aukia's face would come out of nowhere pleading with her to stop the pain. It made her shiver.

True, the man had been working for Pilot but he didn't deserve to be killed like that. What kind of person did something like that to their own follower? The vision left in her head was the blank look left on 'Aukia's face. Apparently, Pilot had learned to ensure he could keep his minions close to him, especially after loosing Slade. Kori shivered again, this time wrapping the blanket closer around her. She hated Slade but had realized the genius behind the mask, which made sense to her that Pilot had been mad when Slade went rogue.

Her thoughts turned to Nightwing. She knew he was taking this loss hard. Even as teens he always hated loosing a piece to the puzzle. To him, it was gone forever and there was never any hope of retrieving it. Perhaps I should go check on him.

Richard heard a tap on his door. "Who is it?" he snapped.

"It's Kori. I was just checking to see if you were ok."

"Yea, Kori. I'm ok."

"Then you are not in need of any medical attention?" She eagerly asked, secretly hoping he would open the door.

Richard looked down. His bare chest held scars from past battles and minor scrapes from the night's endeavor; the worst was his hand which was now stained with blood and tiny bits of paint from the cargo bin.

Kori patiently waited outside Nightwing's door. She could hear movement inside and took a step back. The door opened and Kori turned away shy fully, "I am sorry. I did not mean to disturb you. I shall come back later."

"No, Kori. It's ok. I'll just throw a shirt on." He took her hand and pulled her inside his room. When the door shut he let go and went to a drawer, pulled out a black shirt and pulled it over his head. Still, due to the shirt's fitting shape, she could outline his defined muscles that covered his chest and felt her cheeks turn bright red. She looked down, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Richard watched her, as she shy fully walked across the room to the couch facing the window. He casually followed her and sat beside her. Raking his hand through his hair he asked, "So, I see you aren't frightened by storms anymore."

"Yes, I got over that fear." She smiled, "It's funny. I now find them quite comforting and relaxing."

Richard raised his hand and raked it through his hair. "Yea—"

"Richard, your hand!" Kori had straightened up, taking his bleeding hand into her own. "You need to clean this up."

"Really Kori, it's not a big…" But he watched as she got up and went into his bathroom and turned the water on. "…ok." He muttered to himself, leaning his head against the back of the couch.

Kori came back out with a washcloth and bandage. Sitting next to him she put the warm washcloth on his hand. The warm water made him wince but he didn't show it. They sat silently as she gently stroked the cloth over his wound until his skin was cleared of any blood. Kori then carefully wrapped his hand in the bandage.

"There, good as new." She said, smiling at her work.

"Thanks Kori."

Kori returned to her gaze to the storm. As time went by, Richard noticed that she jumped every time lighting lit the sky.

"Kori?"

"Mmm"

"Are you ok?"

Kori turned her head, "What do you mean?"

"Every time lighting strikes you jump. What's wrong?"

Kori sat silently, staring into the storm. She quietly said, "I see his face in the lighting. I see the ghost white face; the blank stare that knows it will never see the sunlight again." Richard hears her voice quiver. His only reaction is to wrap his arms around her and hold her, but he doesn't even have to make the move before she falls into his arms, sobbing.

"No matter who you are or what you have done, no one deserves to die like that."

Slowly, Richard wraps his arms around her and gently began stroking her hair. Kori's sobs became drowned-out by the storm as she peacefully drifted off to sleep. All the while Richard held her close and stared out into the night.

Ok, well there it is: short and sweet. As you can see Richard is fighting his own demons which I feel is a very important part to the story. And just to give everyone a heads up, Pilot will be briefly mentioned in the upcoming chapters but we won't actually meet him until later. You will also get the opportunity to see how close the four titans (excluding Nightwing) have become. All the while I set up for the grand finale so I apologize in advance for some maybe not so thrilling chapters, important, but like I said, maybe not as thrilling. YEA!!!!

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