Now only 11 robed figures stood in a circle. There was an empty spot where Takahara once stood but no more. King's eyes narrowed.

"My fellow Royals," he began. "Our number has lowered. Even though it's only by one, it's one step closer for the Knights to stop us. And you," his eyes went over to Isaka who was trying to hide his dear from his leader. "Isaka, you ran away from a battle."

"I couldn't risk being sealed, King," Isaka defended. "It was my freedom on the line and the Royals still need me."

King nodded. "Very well, but don't fail me again."

Isaka bowed. "I won't, King. I promise."

Slade sat on his makeshift throne, looking at his monitors that were in his lair. His attention went to a monitor showing Pluto and Shadow fighting the Dark Roaches.

The monitor that was focusing on Shadow suddenly exploded. Slade tapped his fingers upon the armrest of his throne room. His eye narrowed.

The Titans were celebrating the Eagle Beast Spirit's defeat. Jinx and Leo were finally eating together at the kitchen counter. Kat had returned to the Café and told Leo to enjoy himself but not too much. This made Leo blush when he discovered the double-meaning. Kat had brought the okonimiyaki with her for the two to enjoy, much to Cyborg's dismay.

"Wow, this is good!" Jinx complimented with a smile.

"Arigato," Leo said with a blush. He then felt her hand on his. He didn't pull away.

The doorbell rang and Beast Boy shouted, "I'll get it!" he rushed towards the elevator and pressed down. On the ground floor, he went to the front door. Pressing a few buttons, the large doors opened. There, standing in front of Beast Boy, much to his surprise, was…

"T-Terra…?"

"Hi, Beast Boy," the blonde girl greeted nervously. "We need to talk."

Episode 17: Truths

To say the green shapeshifting Titan was surprised would be an understatement. He was down right flabbergasted at seeing the blonde girl standing in front of him wearing casual clothes (I'll let you imagine what she's wearing)

"T-T-Terra?" Beast Boy stuttered again, trying to regain his composure.

Terra nervously and absentmindedly tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She sighed, closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath of air. "Beast Boy," she began before correcting herself, "Gar…I…" This was painful for her, really painful, like her heart was being stabbed over and over by a hot knife. She then gripped her courage and said what she wanted to say, "I'm…I'm so sorry!" She wrapped her arms around him. His eyes widened and he was stunned. He then placed his hands on her back, soothing her.

"Terra, it's okay," he said to her. "It's my fault, really, for asking you out and…"

"No, not that," Terra said, looking up at him with tears running down her crystal blue eyes. "It's because I lied to you. I did remember, it just that." She struggled with her words, "It was just too painful to remember."

"But why?" he asked, still holding her, "We were Titans, you were a hero, we had great times together."

"But I betrayed you all," she protested.

"And saved us," he reminded. "You sacrificed yourself to save the city, remember? You were a hero and still are."

Terra gently pushed him away. "No, not anymore," she said. "Now I just want to live a normal life."

Beast Boy, seeing the pain in her eyes, said, "I understand."

"But…" Terra gave him a small smile before taking his hand. "I would like to see you more often, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy smiled excitedly, "You do!" he then calmed down. "Um…You do?'

"Yeah," Terra said, her smile back on her face, "Just because I want to be a normal girl, doesn't mean I don't want to be around you." She added, "I've, well, missed you, Beast Boy."

"I've missed you too," Beast Boy said.

Terra looked him in the eye and he did the same. They leaned closer, eyes closed, lips puckered up…and then…

Click!

Flash!

The two teens separated to see a grinning Cyborg holding a camera.

"Booyah!" Cyborg cheered, looking at the photo that developed out of his camera. "This would be a good addition to my photo album." He then heard and felt heavy breathing. Looking up he stood face to face with a pissed off looking T-Rex. Beast Boy roared and Cyborg screamed like a girl, running away and dropping his camera and photo behind. Beast Boy regained human form, blushing furiously. Terra was blushing too.

"That was awkward," Terra said.

"Yeah, sure was," Beast Boy said as he picked up the photo. It was a shot of them nearly kissing and it brought a smile to his face. He handed it to Terra. "Here."

"What for?" she asked.

"A present…or a souvenir," he told her. He then grinned, "Besides, now you can brag to your friends on how you almost kissed a Titan."

"Almost kissed, huh?" Terra raised an eyebrow before grinning. She picked up the camera and said, "Pucker up and say cheese!" she grabbed him by the front of his uniform and used the camera.

Click!

Flash!

Terra pulled away from Beast Boy, grinning victoriously, as the changeling had hearts in his eyes and wobbled. She said, "So, seeing you around?" he nodded while wobbling. "Okay, sweet!" she pecked him on the cheek. "Bye!"

Beast Boy fainted and sighed, "What…a woman…"

Leo was on the roof of the Tower, looking over at the surrounding ocean and the city. "Sugoi," he said in awe at the amazing view. "No wonder the Titans chose to live here. The view's simply amazing." Didn't I just say that?

"Hey, Leo," he heard and he turned to see Jinx approaching him. The pink haired witch stood next to him and smiled up at him. "Enjoying the view?" He nodded. She stared at his profile. 'So am I…'

"It's simply amazing how different the city looks from here," he said in wonder and he took a deep breath of the sea-air. "And it's so nice here."

"Would you like to live here, in the Tower?" she asked, hopefully. She did want him to stay in the Tower. She had just asked Robin if she could stay and since she was Titan too he agreed. There was just the issue of Raven still being wary of her despite her change of heart. If Leo stayed in the Tower too, it would be easier for them to see each other and then…

Jinx remembered how she fell for Kid Flash. He had convinced her to leave evil and because of that she was thankful to him. They tried dating a few times but they just weren't compatible enough. They were just attracted to each other but there was nothing there to build a relationship. It broke their hearts to break up since they did care about each other but they still remained friends since it was on good terms.

Leo looked at her, his emerald eyes blinking and he said, "But what about the Café? My onee-chan? I just can't leave them. It's not just where I cook and work, it's also my home where I have built memories for myself and my onee-chan. Arigato and Gomen, Jinx-san, but I must refuse."

Jinx was saddened but then asked, "You'll still be in Jump City, won't you?"

"Hai," he answered. 'At least until all the Beast Spirits here are sealed.' Truth be told, Leo actually liked living in Jump City. He missed Tokyo, though, but home was where the heart is and right now his heart was leaning over to…he took a glance at Jinx and averted his gaze, blushing. Just what was he feeling? Love? But he just met her? 'Well, she is kinda kawaii with that hair and those eyes. The color really compliments her skin tone and that dress looks nice on her and her curves are…' He stopped his trail of thoughts. "No, no, no! Don't think of those sort of things! You're on a mission! You don't have time for…for…' He sighed miserably. 'For this…Gomenasai…Jinx-san.'

"Something wrong?" she asked, hearing his sigh.

"Nothing," he denied, eyes cast down a bit before he smiled, "Nothing at all."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Jinx asked as she looked over to the horizon. Leo looked to and was astounded. The Tower was a good place for the best view of the sun setting. The orange of the sky cast it into a twilight of an in between of both light and darkness. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Hai, it is," he admitted. He then began thinking, 'I'm always the voice of reason, especially to my sister and I also put my work first, but what if that's not all I am…could I be more? If so, would doing so cause me to shirk my responsibilities? If I ignored one alert, people would end up hurt or worse. I cannot afford that, But…' he looked at Jinx. 'Is it worth feeling so alone?' He remembered his mother's words: "Life is about surprises, Ryuki. Some surprises might be unpleasant, but there are some that can change you, your perspectives even. Just don't become too serious and strict that you forget about the lighter side of life." Leo smiled. His mother's words were always full of some sort of advice hidden within the meaning. 'The lighter side of life, huh?' Growing up, Leo had been trained in kendo as a self defence method. In addition, he had adopted a strict code of honor. Bushido, it was called, and he had used it to pave his path. However, in the samurai movies he watched, some of the samurais took their own lives for the sake of honor, for Bushido. Was it honorable to do so? Was taking one's own life the only answer when facing hardship? When you lose everything, including your honor, was it worth dying over…? He didn't know what to think of that. It just seemed both stupid and cowardly to commit seppuku (honorable suicide) just because one lost one's honor. Honor can be regained, with time and…He took another look at Jinx. She was so beautiful. Maybe, for once, he could forget that he was the Advent Knight of Seiryu and just be Leo Narukawa…

He heard Jinx sigh and he gazed at her. The wind was blowing through her horn-like pigtails. Was it caused by his powers? She spoke, "How refreshing. The wind here is just so nice."

"Yes, it is," he agreed, smiling.

"You're doing this, right?" he shrugged.

"Maybe. My wind powers often react to my emotions so it could be me. This could be natural, but it could also be me too."

"Thanks, the breeze feels nice."

"You're welcome." He then offered, "You think the Titans will let me cook dinner?"

"I've tasted your cooking," she said, licking her lips. "And I say go for it."

"Arigatou, Jinx-san."

The pink haired witch leaned against the auburn haired Knight and sigh contently, watching the sun set with him. There was a barely noticeable tinge of red on his cheeks as he took a glance at her and smiled.

Kat dismounted her motorcycle and saw Craig waiting for her. They were both at the port where Craig worked as a docks-man. Craig had asked Kat to meet him there so they could hang out, but he had actually planned something else.

"Hey Kat, how's it going?" Craig asked, trying to keep his voice normal, which was hard for him do since his stomach was in knots.

"Hi, Craig. I'm fine, how was work today?" Kat noticed that there was something different about Craig. He had a worried look on his face, so she decided to ask, "Is everything alright?"

Craig nodded, "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't it be?'

Kat shrugged, "I have no idea." She decided to change the subject. "So, what're the plans today?"

"How about we stop by my place before we do anything else? I left my wallet there by accident."

"Oh, OK. Where do you live anyway?"

Craig turned around and pointed at a warehouse, at least 20 feet away.

"You live in a warehouse?" Kat asked, very confused.

"No, no, my uncle owns the warehouse. I live in the loft upstairs. Come on, I'll show you."

They walked their bikes to the warehouse, since it wasn't that far. They both went up the stairs on the side of the building that led to Craig's loft. The inside was very basic, but the one thing Kat did notice were four very expensive looking guitars, custom built ones. Kat quickly walked over to them and she was amazed, to say the least.

"Like them? I actually designed them myself," Craig said very proudly.

"Yeah, they're awesome. Where'd you get the money for all the parts?"

"All I did was save up and work tons of overtime."

"These things must crank out a lot of power. I bet your parents can't sleep when you're jamming with these," Kat said. She then turned around and saw that Craig had a very depressed look on his face. "Craig, are you OK? Was it something I said?"

Craig smiled quickly, trying to cover up the depressed look he had. "He he, it's nothing Kat"

"Come on Craig, you can tell me. We're friends right? Maybe I can help."

Craig let out a sigh and admitted, "My parents died ten years ago, Kat. You see, when I was eight years old, me and my parents went to the pier to celebrate their anniversary and well, I was playing too close to the edge and I fell into the water. My dad dove in to save me, but as soon as we got back on the shore a freak wave came out of nowhere and pulled my dad back in. He drowned, and my mom got really sick a few days after that. She passed on, too; I'm guessing it was from grief."

Kat apologized, "I'm sorry for bringing that up, Craig. It must be really hard to lose both of your parents." This reminded Kat of her father.

"Hey, no worries. I've moved on. They wouldn't want me to be angry or sad my whole life because of this. Well, after that I lived with my Aunt and Uncle till I started high school, but then my Uncle told me that he had the extra space here. They still constantly check up on me; my Uncle is my boss even. So life's been good, I can't complain."

"It must be awesome to have your own place."

"Yeah, it is." He took a look at his watch. "Hey, let's head back to the port. I want to show you something"

Craig grabbed his wallet and they both left Craig's loft. They both walked back to the port.

"So, what did you want to show me?" Kat asked anxiously

"At a certain time the sun hits the water at a certain angle and it looks really beautiful." He looked at his watch again and smiled. "It's time"

The sun had just started to set and it made the water turn to very shimmering blue and golden color.

Kat's eyes lit up. "This has to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. How did you know about this?"

"I actually just found it by accident." He looked at the smile Kat had while looking at the water. Truthfully, Craig could care less about the water: to him Kat was more beautiful than any sun set could ever be. Craig took in a deep breath; it was time to say what was on his mind. "Kat," Craig spoke up.

"Yes, Craig?" Kat spoke up

"I didn't call you over just to show you this. There's something that I need to tell you."

"What'd you want to tell me?" Kat asked with concern in her voice.

"Well over the past few months I've grown to l……" Craig sighed as he couldn't even finish.

"Craig…." Kat reached for one of Craig's hands and gripped it tightly "……Tell me, please."

"I lo…" Craig started to say before something burst out of the water near them. It was mostly green with slimy skin ad a head that looked like…a cone-shell? It looked like a humanoid sea-snail and despite not having any visible eyes, or even a face for that matter, was looking at both Kat and Craig with murderous intent, especially Kat.

"Craig! Get out of here now!" Kat yelled at him as the thing advanced on them. It rushed at them and Kat dodged to the side.

"What about you?" he yelled back. He was still trying to catch his breath and recover from the shock at seeing this monster suddenly bursting out of the water attacking them.

"I'll be fine!" she shouted back as she stepped back quickly from the thing and delivered a roundhouse into its side, much to Craig surprise. He knew she was pretty brave, but to see her fight a monster with her bare hands was something else. He wasn't sure if she was either stupid, insane or fearless. Probably all of the above.

"But-" he began to protest but only felt Kat push him away, insisting and forcing him to flee.

"I said I'll be fine! Just go!" she ducked under a swipe and punched the thing in the chest. Craig, knowing how stubborn Kat was, did as told and ran. He ran as fast as he could and Kat had to make sure he was far enough to not only keep him safe but to keep her secret safe as well. Kat smirked as she saw him disappear. 'Sorry to make you worry, Craig,' she apologized mentally as she ducked down again and swept the creature of its feet before jumping up and dropping down to elbow it in the chest. 'But you need to be away so I can do this!' She stepped back a few feet and took out her Suzaku Buckle and Change Ace card. She slid the card in right after the buckle generated the belt around her waist. The Shell Beast Spirit got up and charged at her.

"Henshin!" she shouted as the buckle snapped open to reveal her heart symbol and shoot out a rectangular energy field that smashed the Beast Spirit away as it rammed into it.

"CHANGE SUZAKU!" The field swept over her and replaced her clothes with her armor. Her head and face were well hidden and masked by the helmet and the red heart shaped visor. She watched as the Beast Spirit struggled to get up. She summoned up her Suzaku Arrow, the bow which not only doubled as a dual-bladed weapon but also as her card reader when the additional implement was connected, and got into a fighting stance, her blood red visor glinting.

"Bring it on," she said.

Craig had run away as fast as his legs could carry him before he stopped. 'What am I doing? I can't just leave her like that!' He turned back around. Kat had told her to run but he, despite seeing her showing off some impressive fighting prowess, was still worried. 'I can't just run away like that! She's my friend!' He picked up a discarded lead pipe that was lying nearby and gripped it. "Hold on, Kat," he said firmly. "I'm coming to save you!" He then ran towards where he had been running from not knowing of the surprise he would receive or the secret he would soon uncover.

'Okay, maybe this thing isn't based on a snail,' Mimic thought to herself as she ducked and rolled under a hail of needles it fired from the hole in its shell-like head. It also cracked a whip-like tentacle that came out of its hand and swung it at her. She jumped up and fired her energy arrows only for it to suck itself into its shell head to defend itself. She landed and focused her fire power into the next arrow and it was still the same. She tried the same thing with her ice powers and the shell froze over. Satisfied, thinking that she had defeated it, she reached for her card holster. That was when she heard the cracking. Looking up ahead, her eyes widened from under her visor as the ice exploded. The tip of the cone-shell was spinning rapidly like some sort of drill. Fragments of ice slammed into her armor and shattered upon impact. The shell then floated up and flew straight at her, the drill still spinning. She raised up her weapon and blocked it but the drill still kept on spinning after the impact. Sparks flew as the tip of the drill spun against her weapon. With a yell, she spun her body around swiftly and hurled it away. The blasted shell splashed into the water. Mimic walked over and looked over the edge, scanning with her eyes. "Where are you?" she muttered under her breath. Suddenly, a motorboat slammed into her, knocking her onto her back. Green tendrils began to snake their way out of the water and straight towards her. The disgusting and slimy green appendages wrapped themselves around her legs and then flung her away. She yelled in shock and in pain as her body met with another surface and produced a clanging sound. She dropped down in front of a large container. She looked up and saw the drill coming at her again, fast. She rolled to the side and the drill imbedded itself into the container. Mimic aimed her weapon at the stuck Beast Spirit and fired an arrow at point black range, sending it flying and with a good portion of its shell stuck to the container. The Beast Spirit's body came out of its broken shell and it looked like it was in agony.

"How does that feel?" Mimic taunted. Suddenly, the tip of the broken shell grew back and Mimic groaned, "You have got to be kidding me!" The Shell Beast Spirit shot spikes at her again and she escaped in between the containers.

The containers were lined up side by side, creating enough space for movement within their gaps. The pace looked like a single labyrinth and almost like a death trap. Mimic looked around for her elusive opponent, feeling tensed and scared. Her phone hadn't detected it earlier plus it was fast. She heard movement behind her and turned, aiming the Suzaku Arrow. Nothing. She took a deep breath and continued on her way until she was in the open. That was when she got surprised.

The drill came back and slammed into her back and pinned her against a container. She struggled and yelled out in pain as the drill spun faster and faster in an attempt to penetrate her armor and through her flesh to end her existence and career as a Knight. She struggled to use her power but the pain clouded over her thoughts. She was so much in pain.

"GET OFF HER!" someone yelled and to Mimic's surprise it was Craig as he swung the lead pipe hard to slam the Beast Spirit away. Mimic slid down against the surface of the container. She looked up and saw Craig offer his hand. She took it. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, not wanting to risk him finding out her identity. "Good." He then asked, "Have you seen my friend? She's a girl with long black hair and a bow in her hair."

Mimic, mentally distorting her voice, said, "I saved her. She's okay."

Craig sighed in relief. "That's good."

The Beast Spirit came back and Mimic pushed Craig away before picking up her weapon and slashing it in a horizontal arch that smashed it away. It spun insanely. Mimic shouted, "You, run! Go now!"

Craig's eyes widened. This…armored person had just saved his life. She had also told him to run and the tone of voice was very similar to…Nah, it couldn't be! He shook his head.

"You deaf or something?" she shouted. "I said go!"

Craig got up, "Sure!" and ran off.

'Thanks, Craig,' Mimic thought. 'I owe you one.' She saw the Shell Beast Spirit's body jump out of its shell and then the monster headed for her. She formed a fireball and flung it at it. It got blasted and singed. She then created an ice spike and hurled it at it and it pierced through its body and green blood gushed out. It screeched in pain. Mimic then fired arrow after arrow, alternating between fire and ice. The arrows pierced its body and more green blood gushed from its wounds. It looked nearly finished. Mimic removed her card reader from the back of her belt and combined it with her Suzaku Arrow. She then drew out a card and slashed it through.

"Should've thought of this earlier," she said to herself.

"VINE!" her weapon announced as vines shot out at it and wrapped themselves securely around the Shell Beast Spirit. Despite its wounds, it struggled and Mimic drew another card before slashing it through.

"FLOAT!"

The Float Dragonfly card gave her the ability to fly and that was why she was taking off and taking her unusual (in more ways than one) cargo along with her.

They arrived back at the port and Mimic swung the vine whip down and smashed the creature upon the cement surface. She floated down and drew two more cards that would end this battle. She slashed them through, "CHOP! TORNADO!" and her card reader announced, "SPINNING WAVE!" Tornado winds blew about her and she spun straight towards her target. It didn't even have time to react as the Spinning Wave crashed into it and sent it flying and crashing down upon the ground. It laid still, defeated, green blood pooling around its immobile form.

Mimic walked over to the immobilized Beast Spirit that was lying on the harbor. She drew a card from her card holster and casually dropped it on the Beast Spirit's body. Without putting up much of a fight anymore, it was absorbed and sealed into the card. The card flew back into her armored hand and she slid it into her card holder without even looking at it before ejecting her Change Ace card out of her buckle to undo the transformation. Turning around, she was shocked to see Craig looking at her with wide eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that he had seen her. She then said the first thing that popped into her mind, "You...didn't see that, right?"

A/N: This cannot be good. Craig has seen Mimic change back into Kat and has put 2 and 2 together. What is going to happen? Stay tune to the next chap.

Preview of next chap: Shadow has been captured by the Royals? Why? They are planning to eliminate the other Knights. Is Shadow the key? Stay tune next time for the next installment of Advent Knights of Legend.