Chapter Four

"They're sending for the Titans, my work is done, you have a few days to train before you start to commit my crimes." Slade said, handing Kori a suit. "And you, my dear, are going to welcome them to the city." He grinned.

"Why me?" She asked, "Surely it would be better for you to show yourself – fear is your friend, remember that one?" She asked sarcastically, snatching the suit from him.

"I gave you a choice, Starfire," Slade said, grabbing her chin and pulling her close, she winced at the use of her previous name, but he wouldn't call her Kori, or even Koriand'r, "And you chose to be my apprentice, wreak havoc throughout the city, ruffle a few feathers and make sure the Titans arrive in Gotham to a little vixen, a hell-raiser that knows all their tricks..." He said, trailing off and waiting for her to take over what she'd agreed to – like he'd taught her to.

"And I am to follow your ever order until the contract is complete." She sighed, groaning when he pushed her face away roughly.

"Right, now get dressed." He ordered her, "I hate seeing you with those clothes on." He snapped at her.

She looked down at her old Titans uniform that she'd managed to make big enough to fit for training – six years of hardly using your powers deems you pretty much useless – and nodded.

"That makes two of us." She agreed, pulling up the heavy suit she'd been given by Slade moments before.

It was a set of tight, hard-wearing leather pants, black in colour, and then a pair of boots that felt heavy but they bent well – probably for maximum damage and minimal restrictions.

The shirt was tight and cropped to expose her stomach, well, the lower part at least and then she had several different belts that had Slade's symbol on and different gadgets inside. One of the gadgets was a communicator that fit into her ear, she thought it would fall out but it took a lot of effort to get out once it was in, so she just left it there.

She changed into her new suit, clad in black apart from the emblem of Slade on her belt and the skin of her arms, head and stomach. Her boots were extremely comfortable and though they were heavy they stayed where they were and allowed maximum movement – they reminded her of ski boots with all the Velcro fasteners and clips.

Strangely enough, so did her pants – regardless of them being tight leather and a fuss to get on, they didn't fall down.

"Like they'd have anything else to show that's not already on show..." She muttered to herself as she looked down at her stomach.

These pants were very different to the skirt she used to wear, for one, it covered all her legs but felt much more revealing. And secondly, they only just covered where her underwear ended, the 'V' that she always thought of as a little arrow that pointed to her nether regions, was fully on show.

The shirt did come lower than her old one did, coming to the top of her waist. The sleeves were capped and different attachments were all over her arms with gadgets and even a slight amount of jewellery.

"Not bad..." She complimented herself as she turned in the mirror to check out her impressive derrière that was hugged to perfectly by the pants. "Could use some work though..." She added, poking the left cheek where it jiggled ever so slightly.

"It's not meant to be a fashion statement, or make you look good, Starfire." She heard from behind her.

She whipped round to see Slade leaning on the side of the door.

"You know, knocking on your guest's door would be a good idea." She snarled at him.

"I assure you, I have known of your location for months – if I wanted to peek, then I would have done it sooner." He told her.

"Why put me in something so revealing if you don't enjoy the view?" She asked, pivoting so that he could get a good look at her.

He looked her up and down before chuckling, "I guess I subconsciously registered your womanly figure then...rather than just giving you the suit that fit your teenage body." He nodded, coming into her borrowed room fully. "I hope you understand that this is a partnership, Starfire, and I hope that you can...understand...my situation."

"You mean to say; 'I treat you like shit because I have to, and you treating me like an acquaintance is turning me on. Stop it'?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have the feeling you're being sarcastic." He retaliated. "Behave, and I won't have to treat you like shit." He warned her.

"I thought you didn't want me to behave..." She asked, genuinely confused as to his change in instructions.

"You must be obedient when it is required, you seem to have developed the attitude that I need...but now you must control it when we're around the Titans." He told her.

Kori turned to face him completely and raised her eyebrow, "So you want me to not speak when you're speaking and...?" She trailed off, not sure what she was supposed to do when it came to them figuring out who she was.

"You may do what you wish when you're alone." He told her, "But you're not allowed to use your powers, Starfire, I have supplied you with equipment, the same as Robin's."

Kori's fist tightened at the mention of that traitor and Slade noticed.

"Why can I not just use my flight and starbolts?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"You must keep your identity a secret from them as long as possible – how many Tamaranean's do you suppose there are on Earth?" He asked, throwing her a pack of hair bands. "Tie your hair up, it's a giveaway."

Kori had grown out her childish hair into a longer version with layers and a stylish box-fringe. She tied it into a high pony-tail that reached her mid-back, and a few pieces hung to her chin at the front along with her fringe, framing her face.

"Why? Why not just let them know of my fury?" She asked, "Why not use my identity to play games with them?" She grinned evilly.

"Robin obsesses, that I'm sure you know." He said, seeing her eyes tighten. "And how much do you think he's going to drive himself crazy to figure out who my new apprentice is? You don't want to give him a ticket out of insanity, my dear." Slade said, turning away from her, "I am going to teach you the way to fight with these items but you must put the effort in, Starfire." He told her. "What do you know?" He asked.

"I know little of hand to hand combat, but learning it is not an obstacle." She told him, her old way of speaking coming through slightly when she relaxed – she had to try very hard to control it and sound normal.

"Are Tamaranean's fast learners then?" He asked, leading her into a large training room that was luxurious compared with the one the old Titan's tower had had.

"Yes, we have heightened intelligence – remembering footwork and such is a simple task." She explained, looking around at the weapons, "It is flexibility that sometimes hinders me." She told him.

"How so?" He asked as he flicked on all the lights.

"I am supposedly too flexible – due to my strength – to learn the Earth ways of fighting...according to Robin." She told him nonchalantly as she stared at the lights and obstacle course. "Tamaranean Martial Arts was created for our way of moving, you see..."

Slade nodded and set up the course as she went on to explain how she knew little about it, though he seemed patient with her and her lack of knowledge.

"Watch, and learn." He told her seriously, it wasn't banter as he set off into a sprint.

Leaping over the first wall with a summersault, he landed on top of a balancing beam and cart wheeled along it, converting the end into a backwards summersault as he landed on a higher wall. Sliding down the curved side of the wall he leapt high into the air and landed at the finishing point on top of a three inch, by three inch pole ten feet from the ground.

Kori couldn't say anything; she was shell-shocked that someone of his size could do something so elegant and quick. Even Robin would have had trouble and faltered on that course in training – or he would have the last time she seen him.

Thinking of Robin and his skills in hand to hand combat, as well as his use of a utility belt – made Kori think about how hopeless it was if she fought against him. He'd destroy her and then watch her fall off a building, her emotions would be too affected to fly and she'd just fall to her death when her panic was too high to shoot a grapple out and save herself.

"Starfire, go!" Slade yelled, repeating himself for the third time as she day-dreamed.

Snapping out of it, she ran at the first wall. She managed the summersault but landed funny on the wall and fell off.

"Again." Slade demanded, not helping her up as she crawled back to the starting line.

She set off again and cleared it, but the balancing beam she couldn't land on with a summersault and she fell off.

"Again." She heard from behind her.

The rest of the day continued much like this, Kori only managed to complete the course a few times before she realized that Slade had disappeared. She wished that she wasn't so hopeless. Her flexibility meant that she wanted to turn several flips and form tight circles with her body and the amount she had to concentrate on getting the angles right was meaning that she couldn't concentrate on landing properly.

Seeing that her mentor had gone she went back to the starting line – checked one more time that she was alone – and set off to complete the course as she would as a Tamaranean. Even at Titans tower she wasn't allowed to do anything that wasn't based in the air or using starbolts.

Running at the first wall, she leapt over it easily and landed in a forwards-roll, but she pulled out of the forwards-roll into a standing position immediately – then turning that into seven tight summersaults that had her hands and feet touching as she folded in half one way and half the other way. The slide down the wall was simple enough, and landing on the pole on her hand was far easier than her feet and she grinned to herself as she held herself with one had up in the air.

Giggling to herself, she lowered her body slowly so that it would be placed gently on the floor. She'd do this her way; she could complete the course in a way like Slade's...unlike Robin had once told her.

Robin had lied.

I LIKE her, don't you like her? I think she'd awesome, so badass and shit.

Anyhoo, this is the last instalment of...normal and sane...if you can call it that. Please, don't be put off by the way it seems a little far fetched...because I know it is, but, like most Hollywood movies, you just have to throw sense to the wind and lust after the hunks...

Or the letters, in this case...I like the look of that 'B' back there ;)

Rate and review, I have nothing but your words left in my life, I told my mom I needed friends but then she told me my dad found a Mac...and I...I just cracked...DON'T LET ME DOWN!

Jade.