Reproba Paciscor
by Moonraker One

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I had a lot of stuff going on.

CHAPTER TWO

Based on Jennifer's instructions, he led the young Cormier to a house that, to him, looked rather alien. Then again, he had seen lots of rounded architecture where he came from, as the mostly rectangular constructs didn't largely exist. The two story structure separated from the other houses—almost all of which looked nearly identical to it—with a short metallic fence and a distance of a few yards. He warned her of the steps and she poked the door with her stick twice, and it creaked open. An elderly man with an unshaven face of stubble smiled at the young boy with his arm around his granddaughter, for he'd seen this situation a few times before. "Jennifer," he stated, in a bold tone, "you brought us a visitor!"

"I know, grandpa," she replied, in a cheery tone, "he comes from a place far away. You could say he's a lost traveler. His name is Otal Monruu." She turned her head in his direction, pushing her sunglasses up a moment. He wasn't as scary as he once was, she felt, as he seemed free of evil influence for the first time ever. She hoped he would keep it that way.

The grandfather raised an eyebrow. "Otal, huh? I can't say I've heard that name." He thought a brief moment. "Nope. Ah well, it doesn't matter. You're still in need of a place to stay, right?"

At this point Buu spoke up. "I never stay in one place long. Move around lots." His stomach growled. "Not eat since get here." He felt extremely guilty, looking at this happy scene with the old man and his granddaughter, both of which seemed very happy just to be near each other. Countless individuals who could be inserted in place of these two, had been his victims across many planets and many millions of years. He suppressed his urge to cry at the anguish it caused him, as it would ruin the joy of the moment.

"We can't have you starve, now can we?" asked the girl.

"Sit down," requested the old man, "and we'll fix that problem!"

"You nice people," he complimented. He wanted to mention about how he didn't deserve their kindness, but again, it would ruin the mood. He sat at a slightly dusty chair behind a fine oak table. He flexed his fingers, for the first time in a long time thinking about the normal human-looking tone of his skin. His short hair also had returned—it made him feel better, knowing he didn't look like the monster he used to be. Still, it only eased a bit of his pain.

Miles away from the home in the eastern side of Jump City, a tower stood on an island in the bay. Several costumed young superheroes stood in the middle waiting for their leader to ascend from below in order to begin a cleanup of the city that he himself had ordered. None of them found the choice of words rather pleasing to the ear. Previously, as Robin would fight crime on a does occur basis, now he planned to rid the city of crime. Plus, he had a take-charge attitude even he didn't previously have. "So, how long does our 'dear leader' have to spend getting ready for something like this?" Beast Boy asked. Everyone glared at him for the reference.

"He hasn't led us astray in the past," Raven reminded. Ultimately, she knew, when the others didn't, the risk this shift of power presented. She trusted him with her life, but she suspected that the tremendous amount of magic and chi-based strength and durability would invariably affect Robin's mind. "Although, I do kind of see your point."

"Why are we doubting friend Robin," Starfire asked, "when he needs our support now more than ever?"

The man in question stepped through the door to the roof—although it could be doubted he was still Robin.

"Uh, Robin?" Cyborg wondered out loud. "What kind of getup is that?"

Dick Grayson did not have his usual Robin costume on. Instead, he wore what looked like some version of a Red X costume, except without the red or the X, replaced by a blue version of an M on the chest, and his traditional eye mask being blue-on-black instead of white-on-black. He looked down, and pointed to the symbol on the chest. The two lower points of the M curled up slightly. "Oh, this costume?" he responded. "I decided that, if everyone in the city were to see Robin suddenly have amazing powers, and I were to lose my powers, they would come after me as if I had my powers, and I'd probably die. I figure, if they see someone else, they'll forget about me for awhile." He popped his knuckles as he prepared to get ready. He saw their stares. "What? I'm the same guy, aren't I? I'm just wanting to protect the Robin identity."

Raven smiled nervously as she nodded and turned away. "I guess simpler disguises have worked." She thought a moment about the symbol. That M, she thought, is the symbol of the ma-jin. I KNOW I've heard about it. She channeled her energy to get herself to fly. "Anyway, getting down to business, the closest bad guy to us is about six blocks past forty-forth street and its Doctor Chang operating an underground weapons business in the basement of an abandoned office building. Can you get a lock on his energy signature, Robin?" She couldn't help but stare at the symbol, wondering where she'd heard about it from.

"I've got a lock." He looked to Cyborg. "Where's the next closest one after that?"

Victor looked at a readout on his forearm. "We've got some former cocaine smugglers working for the Barzozo cartel, and they skipped out of prison a few nights ago undetected."

Robin looked for an answer. "Raven?"

"I see them in the cargo area of a semi heading down east and main," she answered.

"Here's the plan, guys," Robin began. "You work as a team and try to catch as many of them on your own as possible. I'm going after Slade, and then, Chang. I'm finding out about that guy once and for all."

Beast Boy interrupted. "Dude, I know you're like mighty power and all that, but is it wise to take on Slade alone? He might find some Kryptonite to your power."

Robin chuckled. "Beast Boy, there ARE no Kryptonites of any kind for my power, and he couldn't hurt me with a tactical nuke. Titans Go!" The group took off at his request, leaving him behind to seek out the assassin Slade. For years the stealthy super soldier evaded him and was the bane of his existence. Tonight it would end. Finally, he could do it. He scanned around until he found a signature which seemed like the one in question, then took off towards it. He suppressed his chi as he closed in on the building.

The inside was pitch black as he crept into the structure. He wanted to give his foe the benefit of the doubt. He looked around confusedly despite knowing exactly where Slade was hiding. Psychological battles often triumphed over physical ones. Sure enough, the assassin took the bait. "It would seem, Robin," the familiar ominous voice echoed throughout the dark room, "that you've decided to test your skill against me yet again. It's quite sad, really, because you could instead be using your skills to help me." Despite not being able to see him, Dick Grayson could sense his energy patterns moving about the room. He walked on, perfectly aware of his foe's projected attack area. He brought his chi back up to normal levels as he detected Slade descending behind him.

"YOU'RE OPEN!" Slade's screech served to testify to the assassin's skill. He knew the exact moment when it would be best for him to comment on his attack so that it wouldn't serve to warn the boy ahead of time. His katana nailed its target head on, cutting through the tissue of Robin's right arm, and the limb, severed at the mid-bicep, plopped to the ground. "It's a shame you had to lose an arm, boy. You could have been more useful." A fact came to him a moment after his comment; no blood came from either the stump of an arm, or the removed limb lying on the floor.

Robin turned around to face his attacker; the arm turned into a skin-colored gelatinous substance, and dissolved into the boy's right leg. From the stump of what was left of his right arm, more of the skin colored gel oozed out into the shape of an arm, and from the gel, clothing materialized. He lifted his regenerated limb to face level, clenching his gloved fist. "Let's just say, Slade," he egged on, "this fight won't go like the others." He grinned like seldom seen before.

Slade gave one of his low, short burst laughs. "This must be Raven trying to trick me with her magic," the assassin assumed. "Well, let's see how brave you are, since you brought backup, apprentice."

"Trust me, this is no magic." He gathered chi into his left hand, as he could see his assailant going for a horizontal sword strike.

"Hyah!" yelled Slade, as he slashed laterally for Robin's neck. In response, the Titans' leader raised his open palm. The sharp steel katana hit the back of his hand and broke in half at the point of impact. Robin stuck his right palm out in front of him.

A sudden invisible shockwave blew the assassin backwards. "What is this? What's going on?" He dropped his sword and reached for his daggers on his belt. Robin took the initiative, appearing instantly in front of Slade as he stood. With a flick of the finger, the one-eyed mask flew off as if propelled by an invisible hand. For the first time, Dick Grayson looked at the true face of his long-time adversary. The gruff Slade's face was marked with a scar on the cheek. His left eye socket had a patch covering it. White hair hung down to where the neck began, and a white beard covered his face.

"Now I see who you are, Slade. And it's over. You're going to jail, once and for all." He flicked his finger again, and a pair of titanium shackles appeared on Slade's wrists and ankles. "Any last words for me before I take you in?"

For the first time, Robin saw Slade smile. "I'm satisfied, really. What's happened here, is that you've proven to me that you can't beat me without some outside power. You will never equal my skill naturally." He didn't show his anger at the assassin's comment, though, and tapped him on the forehead to render him unconscious.

"And you'll never bother the Titans, or the city again, Slade," Robin said as he scooped the man onto his shoulders and flew out of the building. "Your friend Chang will get to keep you company, too." Chang wasn't the only one. In a very short period of time, with their newly-powered leader, the Titans rounded up every major criminal in Jump City. It was the first time in the history of the city where people weren't afraid of the dark alleys at night, or the slum section. They even managed to get it done before midnight. Granted, it was mostly Robin's doing.

As the group wandered into the familiar living room of the Tower, Beast Boy yawned as he headed for his room. "Man, that was amazing! I can't believe we managed to get everyone!" Some of the others shared his enthusiasm, but two in particular didn't, for opposite reasons. Starfire felt like Robin was inviting responsibility onto himself he didn't truly want, and Raven felt as though he might lose himself in his powers. Neither one voiced their opinion, though. Cyborg reached into the refrigerator for a bit of late night food to heat up.

"Tell me, Robin," Raven asked, "You've had all evening to test out your powers. Do you feel at all different?" She had a secondary concern besides the obvious. During the round up of villains it occurred to her that the symbol more than likely meant something bad, and the boy wonder simply didn't know it yet.

He twitched his fingers. "Not really. I mean, it's a great feeling, knowing that I don't have to worry about meeting a sudden death." He pointed at the surface of the dining table and a small plate of pizza appeared. "You never told me how amazing magic can be, Raven! I can summon anything or change anything just by thinking about it!"

"I know," Raven solemnly replied. "You've got access to magic so powerful, it makes my own look pathetic in comparison. Now, I'm not jealous of you—okay, that's a lie, I am a little jealous—but this is beyond anything I'm familiar with."

He scoffed at her concern. "Don't worry, Raven, it's not like I'm going to start turning people into rocks or something." He sat down and began eating the pepperoni pizza he'd just summoned. It had the delicious texture and form he'd imagined. These were abilities he could grow to like.

"Just don't stay up to late," Beast Boy warned, "because Cyborg's set up his new security system."

"I won't," he admitted, and leaned back in the couch to watch late night television. "Good night, guys. You all did a great job out there!" The others filed off into their rooms a few seconds later. He flipped through the channels, quickly noticing there weren't very many quality shows on. The mindless drivel on late at night would not appease his boredom, so he went back to his room. Tomorrow would rise with a new dawn. The criminal population of the city had dropped dramatically when the Titans and he had cleaned out all the major baddies. Closing his eyes as he fell onto his bed, he didn't even change his costume as he drifted into sleep.

He found himself on the shore. A beach with white sand greeted him, with an ocean nearby of crystal blue water, and a sky with multiple moons. It must be a different planet. He looked around a bit and saw the grassy terrain with hills, but no structures for miles around. A few minutes passed before he realized his costume he wasn't wearing. He was in the same casual clothes he was in when he first encountered the pink creature.

"I'm glad I got to you when I did," a gentle voice cried out. Robin immediately turned around, and faced a being a foot shorter than him, with light blue skin and a white Mohawk haircut. He wore a strange outfit of multiple colors the young crime fighter had never seen before.

"Who are you?" Robin asked, getting ready in case he needed to.

"There's no need for that, I just want to talk," the stranger replied, easing Robin's mind. "I am the Kaioshin of the east, and the new Kaioshin until more of my kind are created. You, for ease of use, can call me Shin."

Robin folded his arms. "Ok, Shin, what's happened to me?"

"Somehow," Shin explained as he paced back and forth, "you've gained the terrible powers of Majin Buu. Before you speak, the world 'terrible' is very accurate. I think you can guess what a being with the powers you've displayed could do if his mind was maligned towards darkness." He walked over and touched Robin on the forehead. The young boy saw images. A stream of pictures flashed into his mind all at once, of carnage, chaos and destruction, seemingly limitless bloodshed and death over many millions of years. He could scarcely wrap his imagination around the horror. Yet, as quickly as the display came, it ended. "Dick Grayson, I want you to remember this. This is what the previous owner of your powers did. Don't become another Majin Buu."

Robin felt his mind being pulled away. "Wait, I have questions!" He immediately woke up, his body jerking to a seated position on his bed. He wiped his brow as he looked over. "God, what a dream. Holy shit." he whispered. His clock came into view. One minute? But it feels like I've been asleep for days! He shook his head. At least he felt refreshed and not tired anymore. He wiped his eyes. Maybe he should get out again. Window, open, he mentally commanded, pointing at the glass at the end of his room. The sealed Plexiglas opened and upon floating out of the building, closed again. He flew over the city, looking down every so often. The cold night air did its job; it eased his mind. "Maybe this city will be better now that it's cleaner," he mused to himself.

"Hello, Dick."

Robin heard a voice he'd hoped never to hear again. Without facing that way, he responded. "So, what're you doing so far from Gotham, Batman?"

"I'd hoped to patch things up between us a bit, Dick."

"No," Robin analyzed. "You heard I developed powers and you wanted to make sure I hadn't become a threat."

"You always were observant, Dick, but I do actually care about your well-being."

Robin faced Bruce Wayne and floated up to the ledge he stood on. "Which is why you brought the Kryptonite ring Superman gave you." He grabbed Batman's hand before the detective could pull it away. "You see? If I had Superman's powers, I wouldn't still be flying right now. So, now that you know I don't have powers like his, you can flap your wings back to Gotham."

Batman protested. "Dick, I just wanted to make sure you were ready..."

"No!" Robin shouted. "You just wanted to be in control. That's why you insisted the Robin name stayed with you, and I had to steal the costume I wore! Go away. Now."

Batman shook his head. "Ok, fine. If that's what you want, I'll go back home. But know this: I can see what's happening to you, Dick. The same thing happened to me when I got a lantern ring during that event. The power gets to you."

"You're just upset because I've got the power to clean my city up."

He flew away before he would've gotten really upset. Damn it, Bruce, you can't just leave me alone. Seeing the mentor he'd been raised by brought back all kinds of feelings of inferiority he'd felt ever since he was a little kid. He made a decision. He would be his own hero as the leader of the Titans. No longer would he require any of Batman's teachings. He would prove he was superior to his mentor. He just hadn't figured out how, yet.