­Ladies and Gentlemen, i am very sorry.

i had this chapter finished like... nearly 2 weeks ago and simply forgot to post it. shame on me......

Ω-

Red X, known thief extra-ordinary and proclaimed #1 antagonizer of the Boy Wonder was running through dark side streets, breathing hard and throwing panicked looks over his shoulder. Some would wonder why a thief with an overpowered suit by Robin's design would be in panic.... Well, the answer was actually simple: he didn't have the suit anymore. The thief had been victim of a theft. Normally he would have been able to take the suit back, he had gotten it on his own skills from Robin's place after all but.... HOW were you supposed to steal something when it was worn 24/7?

X rounded the corner and pressed his back flat against the wall, trying to calm his breath. 'DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL AND BACK!!' X was pissed; pissed at the thief, pissed at the world but mostly: pissed at himself. 'How could I have become so CARELESS only because Rob didn't came after me anymore?!'

X had seen the news when Raven and some others had given Robin the beating and crippling of his life. At first he had been thankful but then.... there was no one who could keep up with him now that wouldn't be suicidal to fight. He could think of 3 people right now who could and WOULD grind him into paste if he challenged them: Raven, the new Jinx and this Raziel dude. All three would be a challenge but they also would overpower him by ages.

True, the OLD Raven he could have taken but this new, unleashed Raven? No thank you, he liked his balls right where they are.

One night ago he had been forced to ask for help. HE had ask for help! It was... humiliating.... but he had no choice. Without backup he wouldn't be able to get the suit back and without it he was.... a skilled thief with a quick mind but that was it. He had no idea if his request would be answered; he didn't had time to stick around and await an answer.

Out of desperation he had tried once again to breach the perimeter of the base and get his suit back but.... he had failed once more.

X calmed his breath, securing the black shades that hid his eyes. His appearance was indeed very different from what he normally looked in the suit: black pants and shirt, steel-capped boots, black biker gloves and a white coat. His black, long hair was kept out of his eyes by a black leather headband. He stole a glance around the corner and saw that he was not followed. He let out a deep breath only to come face to face with.... a shadowy creature!

With a startled cry of a schoolgirl he jumped away from the thing, raising his arms in defense. A dark chuckle caught his ears and the voice that reached his ears caused a blush to spread over his pale cheeks. "Oh my. How far the 'Mighty' has fallen." X dropped his hands and his eyes fell on the smirking Raven, her arms crossed over her chest. On the demoness' left stood that Tamaranian chick with the purple blasts, on her right the blond geomancer X had heard about.

"Yeah, yeah. Spare me your sarcasm Raven," mumbled X as he slumped against the house wall. "Get the jokes over with and humiliate me already. Not that I have much pride left to squash under your boots." A sour scowl set on his thin lips before a slap forced his head left. His hand came up to his stinging cheek and he looked up and at Raven. The demoness' gave him a hard glare, her purple gaze making him shiver.

"And here I thought you were different but you're just like the Boy Blunder." X froze at Raven's words before he glared at her, "Take that back wench!" Raven strangely smirked at him, "THERE is the cocky thief we know. Now what is up with you? Why are you out of your beloved suit?"

X could only stare at Raven, not really able to understand the changes that had gone through the black sorceress. "...... The suit IS the problem..... It..... has been stolen....." X closed his eyes, expecting snide remarks and laughter but nothing. He opened his eyes and saw Raven give him a neutral look. "By whom?" "WHAT?! No sarcastic remarks? No "What kind of thief are you" comments?!"

Raven sighed, "Listen X, a LOT has changed since we last met. I am no longer the two-cent hero. I changed, I... matured and my vision is no longer black and white." X stared at Raven for a few minutes before he was able to work through what she said and he couldn't help but smile. "So you really did a one-eighty....." "Enough chit-chat X. if YOU call for backup shit has to be beyond rough so spill."

"Not here," muttered X as he looked around. Raven nodded, "Where is the dock area of this backwater gig?" X gave her a puzzled look before pointing behind him, "3 miles to the west....." Raven gave him a court nod before her black magic burst from her body and swallowed the four.

-Ω-

X' head was spinning and he reached for something to steady himself with his left hand. It fell against something and he tried to garb onto it..... only to feel something soft and warm under his fingers. As the dizziness faded and he could see clear again..... he saw what he was holding on..... and his blood froze......

In his blindness he had grabbed nothing else but the blond's left tit, squeezing it for good measure to keep himself steady. Quickly X removed his hand and took several steps back, raising his hands in surrender. "I...." he was lost for words as he stared at the blond, waiting for her to tear his balls asunder...... but nothing. The blond only glared at him, baring a single, very log canine tooth at him. X gulped, a bad feeling settling into the pit of his stomach.

Raven clearing her throat roughly got him to pay attention to her. "When you're done feeling up the geomancing draculina and gambling your balls lead the way to the closest bar." X stared first at Raven and then at Terra, his mouth opening and closing without words coming out. Blackfire, by now rather ticked off, decked X over the head, "Get your perverted head out of the gutter and get moving. We don't have all night and we'd prefer to NOT get mixed up with the authorities."

X recovered fast and nodded, leading them deeper between cargo containers and shipments. The three women moved after him with little problem and he took notice that all three... had this predatory stride. He had barely seen this, mostly from other thieves or female martial artists. Shaking those thoughts from his mind he turned back to the problem at hand. "Where are Jinx and that Raziel dude?"

He had expected an answer.... but not laughter. He turned around and saw all three females laugh slightly. "What's so funny?" Raven gave him a grin that sent shivers up and down his spine, "Let's just say if you were to weak them after the last activities you would run into the danger of ending up worse than Robby Boy." X gave her a confused look, not really sure he caught onto what Raven tried to say to him. Blackfire, as always blunt like a club gave him the short version, "They just fucked each others brains out. You really wanna come between them now?"

X froze, what the alien said slowly taking root in his mind and he shivered and mumbled, "No thank you, I one day might want to have kids." "Good choice buster," giggled Terra, eying X with a hungry stare.

As they started moving again Raven leaned into Terra, "What you up to?" Terra couldn't help the slight blush that colored her pale cheeks, "I don't know but....." She threw a look at X's back and licked her lips. Raven groaned slightly, easily catching onto what the draculina was saying, "Bad Terra. He's no snack." The blond glared at her, "I wasn't talking about a snack."

Raven blinked as Terra stormed after the other two. 'Wait..... WHAT?!' Raven rushed after the vampire and grabbed onto her shoulder, spinning her around and leveling a dark look at her, "Tell me you're NOT thinking about turning him!" Raven's shout caused the other two to look at them, surprised looks on their faces.

Terra was staring back at Raven, her eyes flashing red as her lip curled up in a slight snarl, "What if? What is it to you? He's pretty much the best a human body can be molded into."

X was very confused as he watched how demoness and draculina launched into a heated discussion. "What the heck are the talking about," muttered the thief and the Tamaranian next to him smirked. "It looks like little Terra here wants to eat you alive; or should I say: drink you alive?" The blood in X' veins froze and he slowly turned towards Blackfire, "Say what?" Blackfire rolled her eyes, "She. Wants. You."

X turned back to the two bickering females, his mind slowly realizing what this was about. A slight blush moved over his cheeks as he watched Terra and how her top and jeans hugged her curves. "Hey Terra! Looks like your prey here is not that much against the idea!"

Terra and Raven spun around at Blackfire's shout, two sets of eyes locking onto the blushing male. A small wave of Blackfire later and their eyes dropped a bit south and the sight made Raven groan and Terra lick her lips. There was a tell-tale bulge forming in X' pants.

"ENOUGH!" Raven's shout caused everyone to instantly look at her. "Terra, X: keep your hormones down until this is done. X: WHO HAS THE SUIT!?" X shrunk back from Raven, her body covered in her back magic while her eyes tinted with a red hue. "Blood...... Blood has the suit."

Silence fell over them as all three females stared at X and he felt that this was not the brightest move. "Say what," growled Raven as she slowly walked up to him, "Who has the suit? Blood? For how long?" X swallowed dryly and took a step backwards, "A.... couple of days....." A snarl spread over Raven's face, "Blood......" Raven's wings started to twitch along her fingers, showing her irritation and the rising level of anger.

Raven looked at X, her infernal red eyes making the thief flinch, "Fine X. I get your beloved suit back. As payment you'll come with us." "WHAT?!" "SHUT UP X!" the thief shrunk back from Raven as black tendrils moved over her body and a strange weapon appeared on her back. "Listen X; Terra wants you and you BETTER let her take what she wants." X shot a worried glance at Terra and saw her lick her lips and teeth. "The less you resist the more there is in for you."

Faster than X was able to see Raven had lashed out and seized his collar, "Where is Blood?" X was starting to sweat, "Uhm.... last I knew he was in his new base..... old uranium mine that ran dry...." Raven glared at him, "You're lucky we demons are mostly immune to radiation of most kinds." she let go of him and spun around, her body dissolving into a black mist that shot into the sky in for of a bird of prey.

X looked after the vanishing Raven before turning to the other two, "Uhm.... shouldn't we..... help or something?" Terra and Blackfire laughed loud, Terra being the first to be able to control her laughter after minutes. "X, Raven doesn't need help. By now she probably could tear most villains asunder in mere moments. And Blood..... he is HIGH on her Hit List for what he did to Jinx." X swallowed dryly, not even trying to imagine what Raven would do should she find Blood. Suddenly he was yanked forward and dragged away by Terra, "And now we two will have some fun buster."

-Ω-

Brother Blood was sitting in his dark office, reading over the data his scientists were able to gather from the X suit. His lips formed a small grin as he read over the abilities of the suit now that he had managed to get his hands and on a healthy supply of sinophium. "Soon, soon I will be able to combine the abilities of the suit with my own and then, THEN NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP ME! MUAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!"

"Think again Blood."

The sinister voice behind him caught Blood by surprise and he spun around, shooting out of his chair and taking something similar to a battle stance. "WHO'S THERE?!" A dark corner started to twist and turn and two blood red eyes appeared within soon followed by a strange green thing. A feeling of dread flooded Blood as he took a small step backwards, his mind reaching out to overpower whatever it was that dared to challenge him.

A sinister chuckle filled the room as the two red eyes disappeared for a few moments. "Oh Blood, you stand no chance to overpower MY mind. I have endured worse." the eyes came back and then the owner stepped out from the shadows.

Blood's eyes widened as he saw Raven step before him, two feathery wings sprouting from her back and a boned Scythe in her hands. "Raven?" The demoness smirked at him, long fangs flashing in the dim light. "You're not as stupid as you look blood."

The mentalist was not entirely sure about this whole thing. Last time.... well, he never really had faced Raven before.... and she was obviously able to block his attempts to breach her mental barrier. "What do you want," asked Blood, the usual honeyed tone in his voice.

Raven smiled slightly at him, "Oh not much. Just this suit you have acquired recently as well as something else." Blood's eyes narrowed, his lips becoming a thin line, "How you know about the suit?" "Besides the fact that you have been openly raving about it?" Blood suddenly grinned, "So Robin sent you to get it back because he was unable to take it back from a petty thief?"

Raven snorted, "Yeah, right. Don't you watch the news? I have long since left the Titans. Last I know Robin was still trying to get used to his new cybernetic arm as well as recovering from loosing half his sight. He has nothing to do with this."

Blood frowned, his brain trying to figure out what the hell was going on here. "Then what do you want with the suit?" "I have been.... hired to retrieve it, simple as that." a super sweet smile that sent every alarm in Blood's mind off suddenly played over her lips, "The fact that I have a few personal things to settle with you is a bonus." "Personal things," echoed Blood as he looked at Raven with confusion. Raven nodded and closed her eyes.

Suddenly Blood let loose a blood freezing scream, his body screaming in pain. Black tendrils had stabbed through his limbs, obliterating joints as he was slowly lifted into the air, his body forced into the form of a cross. "Yes, personal things. Like.... Jinx." Blood forced an eye open, his vision blurry with pain, "What... do YOU.... have to do.... with that failure....GHAAA!!!" A new tendril stabbed him through the stomach from the back.

"Careful Blood, NEVER insult the mate of a demon." "M-m-a-t-e....?" Raven nodded, still this super sweet smile on her face, "Yes. Now it's payback time for all you have forced her through." The tendrils in his limbs stared to pull, slowly tearing on his arms and legs. Blood's cries of pain went unheard as slowly Raven tore off his limbs one by one.

Raven stepped closer, slowly pulling the Scythe from her back as it began to glow in a neon green. "I have thought long about what I could do to you Blood, how I could make you suffer for what you did to Jinx and her friends. And I think I have found just the right thing." She reached out with her left hand, her index finger moving over Blood's armored chest as her nail left deep scratches on it. "You like to overthrow others, conquering their minds and forcing them into submission."

Blood groaned as the tendril in his stomach twisted. "How would you like this: trapped in your own body, unable to do anything but watch how scientists layer by layer pull you apart to see what makes you tick?" Blood's eyes shot open, staring down at Raven with.... fear. "WHAT?! You can't do that!" Raven's face hardened, murder burning in her eyes, "And why not? What could possibly stop me?" "YOU'RE A HERO!!! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!"

Blood cried out as Raven raised her Scythe and drove it fully through Blood's chest. "I can't? I have long since skipped out of the hero deal. Right now, I am but a Mercenary, trained by the Hive." Very slowly Raven pulled the Scythe free, savoring Blood's cries of pain with a dark smirk on her lips. "You see that there is NOTHING you can do."

Black tendrils lifted Raven off the floor, raising her to be on one level with Blood while she slowly pressed her left palm flat on Blood's forehead. "Even your mechanical parts will not be able to save you." and then black magic burst from her hand and invaded Blood's mind. The man screamed at the top of his lungs as he mind was torn asunder and forced away. After minutes Raven pulled her hand away and recalled her shadows, Blood's immobile body crashing into the floor.

Raven towered over him, her eyes sparkling with sinister glee. "See Blood? I CAN! And now I will tear your base apart, leaving nothing but rubble behind. Oh, and don't fear: I won't forget you when I leave. Ahahahahahahahaha." and with that Raven strolled out of the office, a long tendril of black magic swift to smash the desk and the build in computer to bits and frying the electronics in a matter of seconds.

Raven slowly made her way down the cave-like corridors, the occasional scientist unable to call for help when their heads exploded with black magic or their bodies were torn to shreds. Ever now and then she stumbled over a robot like the ones Blood had created after he got a hold of Cyborg's blue prints. Those she tore apart slowly, enjoying it as a twisted form of revenge she executed in her friend's name.

After minutes she reached what she suspected to be the main lab, catching a good dozen scientists still at work. In total 16 men and women looked up at her a she strolled into the room and onto the small observation platform that rose above the actual working area. Several of them moved to sound the alarm but no one was able to do so.

All but one were impaled, ripped apart and mutilated by black tendrils of magic, blood spraying everywhere and bathing the walls, floor and equipment with a red paint. The last scientist, a young man that by now shook like a leaf pressed himself against one of the walls, his whole body covered in blood and he stared in shock as Raven slowly floated down from the observation area like an Angel of Death.

"Tell me human, where is the X suit as well as all the data you gathered on it?" The man was shakily pointing at a small room in the east and Raven spotted the Suit, hung from the ceiling and dozens of detectors attached to it. "The data?" He pointed at a large computer in the middle that Raven supposed to be the base's main CPU. A black tendril snatched the man up and threw him towards the computer, Raven floating after him.

"Load the data you have on the Titan Cyborg, ALL of it." With shaky hands the scientist started to type away and swiftly navigated through the maze of data before a window opened, schematics and other data rolling over the screen. He looked over his shoulder at Raven who nodded slightly. "Well done. But now you serve me no more purpose." The man's eyes opened in terror before a back tendril pierced into his forehead and his head split apart.

Raven dropped the man and her fingers started to dance over the keyboard as she typed away a few commands. A window with a progress bar appeared that swiftly filled up and sent all the data to a computer. Raven smirk as the data was gone before she raised her left hand. Her whole arm glowed black before she stabbed it into the CPU. Sparks started to fly everywhere as her magic wrecked havoc on the inside and reducing every bit of data to a jumbled mass of gibberish.

Satisfied with her work Raven turned around and floated into the small lab, her magic pulling the suit into her arms. Folding the textile carefully Raven let her eyes travel the room until they fell on a large cylinder like object. She recognized it instantly and her lips split into a small smile before the large object was swallowed by her magic. 'This will come in handy.'

Calm like she had just been shopping for groceries Raven floated out of the room and her eyes glowed in a bright white for a short moment. A second later and Blood's battered and unresponsive body floated next to her as she moved towards the exit of the caves.

It took her nearly 20 minutes before she stepped out of the caves and into the open, slowly turning back to the mountain that housed the former mines. A small spark of her magic raced through the mountain before it hit its mark and caused a short circuit in the main CPU. Moments later, a huge explosion tore apart the labs and everything within the system of tunnels and caves. Satisfied with her work Raven teleported away. She had a delivery to hand out.

-Ω-

After dropping Blood off at the local police station Raven made her way back to the docks. She was swift to find Blackfire, the alien sitting on one of the huge cranes and bathing in the moonlight. Raven landed behind the alien, "Where are they?" Blackfire threw a look over her shoulder and pointed downwards at a run down warehouse. "If you try you can still hear their screams." Raven shook her head as she sat down next to the Tamaranian, "I knew being turned into a Vampire would make her more.... outgoing but I didn't imagine it would be like this."

Blackfire laughed slightly, "Let the girl be. She has years to catch up on." Raven chuckled slightly, "Yeah, she does. Though to be honest I expected her to try jumping Seras." "From what Terra told me she did and the two seemingly had some wicked fun while they were gone," smirked Blackfire, a strange spark in her eyes. Raven gave the alien a critical look before she gave a sly smirk, "So THAT'S how it is: you two are friends with benefits."

Blackfire smirked as well, "The things that little minx can do...." Raven raised a single hand, "No details please. I already know too much. Not that I really care who you two are fucking."

A loud scream cut of their conversation and both looked down at the warehouse, Blackfire out of curiosity and Raven with a hint of annoyance. "And yet another bloodsucker is born. Seriously, we can be glad if we don't have to fight off that stupid Icarus of the Vatican in the near future. Though I think Seras and her master would be more than willing to led a hand." Blackfire turned to her, a single eyebrow raised in question, "Icarus?" Raven simply gave a short wave, "Not really important. Let's call them Hellsing's rivals and leave it at that."

Blackfire nodded and both females lay down on the crane, looking up at the moon and waiting for Terra to come back.

20 minutes later Terra left the warehouse, an unconscious X slung over her shoulder. "Had fun," asked Raven dryly as she and Blackfire landed before the draculina. Terra simply gave a nod, a radiant smirk on her lips while she had a slight limb in her walk. Raven shook her head, eyes closed, "Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. And he will be sleeping in YOUR room." Terra only nodded, her face telling that she had absolutely no problem with sharing a room with X.

With a last look of resignation Raven let her Soulself wrap around them and transport them back to DC. This was getting more and more complicate.

-Ω-

and CUT!

hope you liked this. i am honestly still not sure WHAT X's role will be. the idea of him joining just jumped my mind and i guess i will see where i go with it from here.

- Nelo Akuma