A/N: Four days of writing, and already another chapter! I'll admit, the chapter before this one was very difficult to write. The first chapter of any story, or of any Part to a story, is always the most difficult for me to write. Because of this, I'm happy that this chapter came to me so easily! Just so you know, I absolutely LOVED writing this chapter! I have been waiting to write this chapter ever since starting "Firelight", so I'm so happy to finally get to it!

Personally, I'm really happy with how Chapter Twenty-Four has turned out. Hopefully all of you are just as happy, because this chapter is going to be a staple not just for Part Three, but for the story as a whole. I have had a goal for "Firelight" since the beginning, and now that this chapter is here, I can finally dig into this story as deeply as I have been wanting to. Like I've been saying, Part Three is going to be the most intense Part of this story by far. As the story progresses, you are definitely going to be able to see this more.

Anyway, that's enough out of me. Enjoy the chapter! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, or any other TV shows that I might make references to.

Part III: Secrets: Chapter Twenty-Four

Damiana observes herself thoroughly in the mirror, yet she can't help feeling paranoid. No matter how many times she looks over her hair, she is always afraid that that a brightly-colored strand is peeking through. The strange thing is that Damiana put fresh dye in her hair not too long ago; ten days, to be exact. It is completely astonishing that it would start to wear off already! Even more astonishing is that Speedy caught sight of her real hair, and heard her speak in the Dabnodian language all in the space of five minutes. The fact that he got so close to the truth is enough to make her feel nauseous.

The fact that she told him about the deaths of her family members makes Damiana feel more nauseous. She still can't believe that she had to resort to such a thing! Then again, the girl tries not to judge herself too harshly over this.

As he was staring her down demanding answers, Speedy's gaze could only be described as frustrated and stern. The other times Damiana has seen Speedy without his mask, his stunning emerald eyes have always had a special brand of warmth to them no matter what emotions he was feeling. Of course, it was very different this time. His vivid irises with the vast arrays of greens contained no warmth at all; only a mixture of intense, negative, emotions. Though she stood to her feet, faced him directly, and refused to back down, the intensity seen in his eyes unnerved Damiana. Just as she wouldn't back down, the archer wasn't planning on backing down either. He made it blindingly apparent that he wasn't leaving until getting answers.

It was because of this that Damiana brought up the massacre of her people. A last-ditch effort to protect herself. When trying to hide one piece of truth, sometimes it is best to cover it up with another. In this case, it was better to reveal a small piece of truth so that the archer didn't discover the full truth. As much as the girl didn't want anybody to know about the deaths of her family members, she figured that having Speedy know about this would be far safer than confessing that she's an alien from the destroyed planet of Dabnod. Sometimes sacrifices must be made, and this time giving away one of the many secrets from her past was one of them.

Taking a deep breath, Damiana observes her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Nothing is seen besides golden-brown curls and false green eyes, causing her to run her fingers through her hair in relief. Despite everything that has happened between her and Speedy, she can't help feeling like she got off easy. All she had to do was say a short few sentences to get him to stop prying. If Speedy gets curious enough to ask what language she was speaking again, or if he ever asks about her hair, the girl has a feeling that it won't be so easy next time. She can always use the method she was taught, hiding one piece of truth with another truth, but there's no guarantee that it will work twice.

The frown of anxiety she had been wearing twitching into the most microscopic of smiles, Damiana can't help but think about the person who taught her that trick; using truth to cover something up instead of a lie. Even now, she thinks that his methods were always very clever...

Smile growing, she imagines the swishing of his waist-length, neon orange, ponytail, and the glint of the Ground Badger on his belt as he gave her a secretive wink. She can still remember the mischievous shine of his cherry red eyes. Adriel was really something.

"Don't lie to your mother and say that you forgot to wash the dishes, Dami. You and I both know that you didn't forget. Tell her that you were busy mopping the floor instead. That way you aren't lying."

Damiana remembers eyeing him oddly at the bizarre piece of advice. "What will that help? I'll still get in trouble for not doing my chores."

The older boy rubbed her fondly atop the head and gave her a wink as he replied. "Yes, but at least you won't get in trouble for lying. Don't hide the truth with a lie. Hide the truth with the truth. It works a lot better than you think."

Smile growing from microscopic to visible, Damiana whispers a response to her deceased friend aloud. "You'd better be right about that tip, Adriel, because now I finally need it. If you're wrong, don't think that I won't hunt you down and chew you out in the afterlife."

Giving a soft laugh at the memory of the boy, Damiana glances at her reflection in the mirror one final time. Once this is done she exits the room, praying to the fates inside of her head that she will be able to take on the rest of this day.

The door is locked, the lights are off, and the curtains are pulled, leaving a floating holographic image as the room's only light source. Speedy sits on the edge of his bed with his ginger-colored brow furrowed, eyeing the image in curiosity. Initially, he had assumed that the building they're supposed to be staking out would be something creepy and abandoned. If not abandoned, then he thought that it would at least be something inconspicuous. It is because of this that Speedy can't hold back his surprise. The building that Cyborg is showing them is neither abandoned, nor is it inconspicuous. Amazingly, he is showing them the Metropolis Museum of History and Astrology; a place that made the list of the world's top fifty largest museums.

What Speedy is looking at is something overwhelming. The museum is made up of nine levels, and is so massive that it takes up nearly an entire city block. Getting through only a quarter of a building this size could take all day. For somebody like Speedy who hates museums with a passion, it could take all week. Sadly, part of that week would be Speedy trying to motivate himself. Maybe this is the reason why Black Shadow sent his machine's schematics to one of the world's largest museums. He knew that the agony of boredom is all it would take to defeat Speedy.

Wanting to sigh, but then deciding not to, the archer shifts his gaze away from the hologram and over to Leila and Cyborg. They sit on the edge of the metal man's bed, staring at the image of the museum intently. Whatever argument had happened between himself and Leila earlier, it's over now. The instant she entered this room, she treated him as though nothing happened. The girl gave them each a nod, took her seat beside Cyborg, and asked about the building they're staking out, her demeanor all business.

In a way, the fact that she has moved past their previous disagreement so quickly disappoints Speedy. Her mom, her brother, and all of her friends and family were massacred? What happened there?! Then she all but admitted that English isn't her first language. If English isn't her first language, then what is the name of that other language she speaks? Where is it from? Heck, where is Leila herself from?! Who is she?! Their argument has left him with so many questions, it's unfathomable!

Then there's that whole thing with her hair. When he first saw it, it was purple, so he would like to say that her hair is naturally purple. But then, when he told her about the purple, Leila freaked out, and it turned green. He knows for sure that it was purple before that. Speedy saw the purple with his own two eyes, so he can't say that it's naturally green, either…

After putting some thought into the strangeness that he witnessed, Speedy could only come up with one explanation. Leila's hair changes color! That must be it. She was upset when it was purple, and then when he surprised her by saying that the dye was wearing off, it turned green. That must mean that she has hair that changes color when she feels different emotions! It's like that jewelry that preteen girls like to buy. What is it called? Mood jewelry? Leila's hair must be something like that. Considering the amount of effort she puts in to hiding her eyes, he would stake his life on it that her eyes change color, too.

If Speedy's suspicions are true, then he can't understand why Leila would want to hide it. When Speedy first found out that she dyes her hair and wears contact lenses, she told him and the rest of the Titans East that her hair makes her stick out like a sore thumb, and that she's a one-woman freak show when it isn't hidden. She made it sound like it was hideous! But color-changing hair and eyes? That isn't hideous! That's amazing! True, it's a little strange, but amazing nevertheless.

"So, Leila is a girl that speaks some weird, unknown, language, she has color-changing hair and eyes, her family and friends are all dead, and she most likely is not from America. This is getting more bizarre all the time, but also more interesting."

If he could, Speedy would sit here and mull these thoughts over for the rest of the day. After all, it isn't often that a person finds out such shocking secrets about their friend. Before their time is finished in Metropolis, maybe he can figure out where Leila is from, and who she really is. True, his primary goal is defeating Black Shadow, but discovering the truth about Leila serves as a strong secondary task.

Sadly, before he can think about this any further, that is when Cyborg breaks through Speedy's thoughts. The metal man's holographic rings are off, making him appear as his true self. The fact that he is not disguised automatically draws the archer's attention. Cyborg going undisguised makes Speedy aware of one thing; right now they are not the civilians they are pretending to be, but instead, they're the Teen Titans.

Feeling the solemn disposition that takes over the room, Speedy reaches in the direction of his suitcase on impulse. Though he is wearing a maroon t-shirt and cargo shorts rather than his Speedy uniform, the uncostumed archer grabs his mask and puts in on over his eyes. Apparently, Leila senses the intensity of the room's atmosphere as well, because she raises her left hand to adjust the metal cuff that encases her right upper arm. The picture of the bird, which was previously facing her body, is now facing outward. As they exchange glances, they do it not as a group of teenagers, but as young heroes.

"I hope you're ready for this, y'all, because this is it. Black Shadow sent his signal to the Metropolis Museum of History and Astrology. There are only twenty-seven museums on Earth that are bigger than this one. It has nine floors, takes up the entire city block, and there are crazy artifacts in every corner of the place. I don't think any of us knows what it is that Black Shadow's looking for, but that's the thing Robin wants us to find out. Including today, we have four days to search the place from top-to-bottom. Don't skimp on searching, and don't act like any single detail isn't important. If anything, the detail that we think isn't important could be the thing that Black Shadow's after." Pausing dramatically, he adds, "Black Shadow is already two days ahead of us. We can't let him have any more time."

Her left hand tracing the edges of the metal cuff, Speedy watches as Leila gives a firm nod. "I agree. We've already had to waste two days traveling. Time is of the essence, and we can't waste any more of it. It's time to move out."

As fast as Speedy put his mask on, he is already removing it and placing it back inside of his suitcase. While doing this, he gets in a statement of his own.

"If we're going to pull this off, though, then we need to do this right. We can't act like Titans. If we're staking out, then we have to act like tourists." Shifting his gaze to Leila specifically, he continues. "This means that during the rest of this trip, I'm not Speedy. My actual name is Roy, so call me that."

Catching his drift, Leila gives another nod. "I'm Leila, but both of you know that already." Peering over at Cyborg, she says in a fashion that is both joking and serious, "What about you? There's no way that your parents put 'Cyborg' on your Birth Certificate. You have to have a name."

The metal man gives a jovial smile at her comment. "Actually, even if my parents did put 'Cyborg' on my Birth Certificate, I'm sure it wouldn't work out too well for this mission. While we're in Metropolis, call me Vic."

Upon hearing his name, Speedy arches a puzzled brow, as does Leila sitting across from him. Noticing their confusion, Cyborg doesn't hesitate to fill in the blank.

"It's short for Victor."

Smile broadening, Cyborg reactivates his holographic rings, appearing fully human once more. The moment he does this, he stands and moves in the direction of the door. He doesn't have to say anything to Roy and Leila to get them to follow.

"Come on, Titans. Let's move out."

Later

Looking down at the vastly crowded streets from her hotel room window is one thing. Standing amongst the crowd is quite another. Shoving a curled brown strand behind her ear, Damiana gazes at her surroundings. Roy stands on one side of her, and Vic on the other, but besides this all she sees is an ocean of people. There are mothers pushing strollers, fathers trying to tame screaming little girls, elderly couples walking hand-in-hand, large families with every Aunt, Uncle, and cousin along for the ride, and every other type of family imaginable. Hovering over them like a towering monument is one of the most massive buildings that Damiana has ever seen; the museum.

The Metropolis Museum of History and Astrology is something enormous. With large, marble, pillars lining the front of the building, bronze statues of historical figures and various planets sat up alongside the walkway, and what could very possibly be a hundred stairs leading to the front entrance, it's larger than Damiana ever expected. The museums she has been to have never had more than three floors and a basement level. The fact that this building has nine floors along with the basement seems unfathomable to Damiana. There's so much for them to explore in such a short amount of time! With only four days to work with, the girl honestly doesn't think that they're going to figure out anything for sure. The most they'll come up with during their search will probably be theory.

Brow furrowed questioningly, Damiana glances over at Spee—err…"Roy". If there's one thing that will take some getting used to, it's calling Speedy "Roy". Why this is so difficult for her, Damiana isn't sure. Somehow, calling Cyborg "Vic" hasn't been hard for her at all. In fact, it almost feels natural. Yet, going from calling the arrogant archer that she met that night in the café "Speedy", to giving him a name as average as "Roy", seems like the most difficult thing on Earth. After all, Roy isn't average. He's arrogant, over-confident, funny, handsome, smart, good-hearted, kind, and annoying all rolled into one. Nothing about his personality connects with this average name that his parents gave him.

Nonetheless, as she keeps her gazed fixed on…Roy… she does her best to adjust to it. When looking at him on the outside, she supposes that his name isn't too difficult to fathom. Plain clothing, short red hair, sparkling emerald eyes, posture slouched in boredom, apathetic facial expression… Looking at him now, he seems like a pretty normal guy.

Apparently Damiana has been observing him for a moment too long, because eventually Roy yawns at the sight of the museum and returns her gaze. Apathetic expression being replaced by a playful one, he smirks prior to giving her a teasing wink. His emerald eyes sparkle mischievously the whole time.

"This line is pretty boring. Good thing you found something attractive to look at."

Rolling her eyes at him, Damiana returns his smirk. With how he's talking to her, it's like the argument they had earlier never happened. Hopefully it can stay this way.

"Forgive my wandering eyes, Roy. You know I can't help it," she replies with jesting sarcasm. Jabbing him in the side with her elbow, she adds, "You might need to catch me in a minute. Too much longer in your manly presence, and I might swoon."

Teasing smirk transforming into a kind smile, he speaks to her sounding pleasantly surprised. "Hey, you used my name. Thanks."

Her own expression remaining jovial, she gives a shrug. "That's what you said to do, isn't it? You don't have to thank me."

Roy gives his own shrug. "I know, but still. I thought I would anyway."

From here it falls silent between the two of them. The line they're standing in, a line that leads to the base of the stairs going up to the museum's entranceway, begins moving. This relieves Damiana immensely, as she knows for certain that they've been in line for longer than an hour. There is only one group left in front of them; a group of bouncing little girls along with one miserable looking boy. The girls in the group squeal loudly, and each of them is holding a brightly-colored monkey stuffed animal. Atop the heads of each of the stuffed animals, oddly enough, is an antenna bearing a rainbow.

Ignoring Roy, who is practically asleep on his feet, and Vic, who has been involved in a conversation with the elderly couple behind them for the past half hour, Damiana turns her full attention to the children. The little girl closest to the front grips the lone boy of the group tightly by the sleeve. She is an Asian-looking child wearing a green sweater, and has lengthy black hair. The boy she's holding onto is blonde, wears a hooded orange sweatshirt, and sports a grouchy expression. In the girl's free arm, like the rest of the youthful bouncing females in the group, is one of the colorful monkey stuffed animals. Her's is bright blue.

"Isn't this exciting, Number 4?! There's finally a museum with an exhibit about Rainbow Monkey Island! This is the best day of my life!"

The blonde-haired boy pouts at his friend's enthusiasm. "Out of everyone else you could've brought with you, why'd you have to bring me? Why didn't you make Number 2 come with you, or Number 5, or your dopey sister?!"

The girl continues grinning happily. "My sister had to go to my Grandma's, so she couldn't come. I asked Number 2 and Number 5, but Number 2 said that he has chores, and Number 5 has to spend all week walking her dog. After that, I decided I wanted to bring you instead!"

The boy, who the girl referred to as Number 4, gives an exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine. But if I'm forced to come with you on this stupid trip, can we at least look at some of the good exhibits? I heard that there's an entire exhibit in this place about extinct planets!"

The dark-haired girl raises a confused brow. "Extinct planets? Why would you want to go to that boring exhibit? The Rainbow Monkey Island exhibit is where all of the fun is at!"

The boy scowls and opens his mouth partway, fully prepared to say something else. Before this can happen, however, the man standing at the foot of the stairs speaks. While doing so, he pulls back a red velvet rope and peers down at a clipboard.

"Well, what do you know? It looks like your group prepaid for entrance after all, so you're good to go. Go ahead in."

Exuberant screams burst forth from the group of girls, the children cheering loudly as they rush past the velvet rope and up the stairs. The boy screams too, though it isn't with excitement. More or less, his shouts sound desperate.

"No! Come on, Number 3, not the Rainbow Monkey exhibit! Anything but that! Let's go somewhere else! Anywhere! Please don't do this to me!"

Sadly, the child's pleading doesn't work. He is dragged up the stairs against his will, most likely being forced to see the rainbow monkeys. What exactly rainbow monkeys are, Damiana hasn't the slightest clue. Neither does she have any idea why they were referring to each other as numbers. After a second of contemplation, however, Damiana shrugs. Maybe they were playing a game, or pretending to be secret agents or something. That could explain the numbers. Kids have such active imaginations!

Once the children ahead of them are gone, she, Roy, and Vic move up in line so that they are directly in front of the red velvet rope. The man standing behind it is tall, lanky, and appears in his middle twenties. His face is spotted in various places by acne, and his voice is nasally. Personally, Damiana is happy to have finally reached the front of the line. Once they get inside, they finally have a chance of taking down Black Shadow! Based on Victor's human-looking face, he is equally happy. Roy, on the other hand, appears mildly content rather than happy. During the past hour that they've been waiting in line, Damiana has gotten the slightest hunch that the archer doesn't like museums.

Meanwhile, the museum employee speaks to them in a nasal tone. "Welcome to the Metropolis Museum of History and Astrology. Entry for three?"

Vic is the first to respond. He does so in his usual cheerful manner.

"Yes, sir, entry for three. How much is that going to cost?"

Eyeing them over lazily, he asks, "Three adult tickets without any of our offered discounts? That would be one-hundred and fifty dollars."

Upon hearing the price, each of their eyes widens to the size of saucers. One-hundred and fifty dollars? That would make the price would fifty dollars per person! There must be a mistake!

It becomes clear that Roy is thinking along the same lines as Damiana, because he speaks next. Put simply, he sounds undeniably flabbergasted.

"One-hundred and fifty dollars? You have to be kidding." Pausing, he asks, "If you're being serious, then at least tell us that you take debit or credit."

"That would be no to both of your questions, sir," replies the museum employee lethargically. "The price comes to one-hundred and fifty dollars, and we either take cash or check."

Roy doesn't hesitate to groan in frustration. "Fifty bucks per person to get inside of a museum? That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

His nasal voice maintaining its monotone, the man speaks to them once more. "If you're that unhappy with our prices, sir, then you might apply for our family discount. For this week only, we're giving discounts to any group that has more than two people as long as they're related." Pausing, he asks, simply, "Are you related?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Damiana makes a curious inquiry. "That depends. How much is it if we apply for the discount?"

"If you're eligible, the price would be sixty dollars."

Silence falling, their eyes widen once again. In truth, while they have cash money on them, the last thing they want to do is spend it on getting into the museum. The cash they have on them is for emergencies. Not to mention that the price as a whole is ridiculous! It is because of this that Damiana does what she does. Though, she knows that this is going to give her a guilty conscience later.

Putting on a pleasant smile, Damiana gives the museum employee the most innocent look she can muster. "In that case, yes. We are absolutely related! The very thought that we aren't related feels ridiculous, we're such close family members!"

Damiana can't help but glance at Roy and Vic nervously, hoping desperately that they'll go with her scheme. For a moment each of them stares at her oddly, as if questioning if she's really serious, but it doesn't take long for them to shrug and play along.

Placing his very large hand on her tiny shoulder, Victor is the first person to back her up. Giving the man his most convincing smile, he speaks out happily.

"Of course we're related! Why wouldn't we be? You should see my baby sister at Thanksgiving! She can shove down turkey legs like a professional wrestler!"

The man, who'd previously appeared bored and uncaring, stares them down wearing a skeptical expression. He looks from Vic, to Damiana, and back again. Throughout the entire duration of his staring, Damiana wants to slap herself in the forehead in frustration. She has no doubt that the museum employee is comparing Vic's chocolate-colored skin with her porcelain-colored skin to judge the truth behind the claim that they're siblings.

Upon realizing his error, Vic rubs the back of his neck and grins awkwardly. "Did I mention that she's adopted? Mom and dad were so happy when they signed the paperwork!"

If the man's expression wasn't skeptical before, then it doubtlessly is now. "Uh huh. I bet." Giving a nod in Roy's direction, he asks, "Is he adopted too, or is he supposed to be your grandpa?"

Becoming a bit nervous at this question, Damiana is about ready to tell the man that he's her cousin, he lives in Metropolis, and that he's showing them around. It's only too sad for the alien girl that Victor speaks first. As he speaks he moves so that he standing in between her and Roy. The whole time he wears a wide grin.

"What? He isn't my adopted brother, or my grandpa! You're talking crazy!" Putting one arm around Damiana and the other around Roy, he exclaims proudly, "This is my brother-in-law! He and my baby sister are married!"

Meanwhile…

The windows of the rental car were rolled down, the wind could be felt going through his hair, and the only noises that could be heard were the sounds of traffic. The uncostumed Robin was behind the wheel, Starfire was in the passenger seat beside him, and Saeran and Raven were in the back. Thus far, their morning drive had been very peaceful. That is, until a sharp bolt of intense pain hit Saeran in the chest.

The pony-tailed man, who is dressed in jeans, a hooded sweatshirt, and sunglasses, keels over in the backseat clutching his chest. He winces in agony the entire time, releasing the occasional pained groan. Robin is focused on his driving, and Starfire is busy chatting away to him, so neither of them notices his current state. Instead, the one who catches it is the dark girl sitting beside him.

Raising a concerned brow, Raven reaches over and places a hand on his shoulder. "Saeran," she whispers, "What's wrong? You look like you're about to have a heart attack."

"I know it's strange, but I feel like I should be having a heart attack..." whispers Saeran in response. Then he adds in confusion, "Or…if not a heart attack, then maybe a panic attack? And I don't know why, but for some reason, I have this sudden urge to punch Cyborg through a wall…"

Back in Metropolis…

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Harper! I hope you have a happy life together!"

"You be good to your pretty little wife, Mr. Roy! It's the twenty-first century, remember! If you don't please her, she can leave you!"

"I envy the two of you for being so young! Eighteen and nineteen years old? The honeymoon must have been a blast!"

Damiana can't remember if she has ever been this embarrassed before. Has she ever felt angry? Absolutely. Specifically, this applies to the past two-and-a-half weeks since she has gotten involved with the Titans. Embarrassment, however, is another emotion entirely. She has rarely ever felt it, and if she has, she hasn't been able to place it. At least not until today, anyway.

The alien girl stands behind the red velvet rope approximately three stairs up from the ground. On the stair behind her stands Roy, his arms wrapped around her in a loving "marital" embrace. Based on the unusual stiffness of his posture, he feels every bit as awkward about this as Damiana does. Yet, he manages to keep his emotions much better hidden than Damiana. Based on what he says to those individuals calling out to them, this is blatantly apparent.

Cuddling her tightly around the waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, he replies to them sounding nothing but joyful.

"Thanks a lot! Your congratulations are appreciated! And you're right, by the way; the honeymoon was fantastic! We went to Honolulu!" Giving her a playful pinch on the cheek, most likely to conceal any discomfort, he adds, "Only the best for my feisty Princess!"

Doing her best to withhold a scowl, Damiana fakes a grin and snuggles up to Roy as she gets in a remark of her own. The grin she wears is so excruciating that it almost causes her physical pain.

"Yes, we may be young, but our marriage is worth it. Roy Harper is my man. Anything to make my wonderful hubby happy."

Approximately three feet to her right, "big brother Vic" can be seen chuckling. This is almost enough to make her outwardly cringe. Yet, by some miracle, she manages to withhold it. When they get back to the hotel tonight, there's a good chance that Cyborg might find himself punched through the nearest wall…

Meanwhile, another person can be heard shouting to them. The person shouting is an elderly woman. What she says makes Damiana want to bang her head against one of the marble pillars that lines the museum.

"Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, kids! Once you hear the pitter patter of little feet, you can stake a year's salary on it that you won't see Honolulu again for a long time!"

Roy's response makes Damiana want to knock that pillar down and bury herself under it.

"Are you kidding me, lady? After honeymooning in Honolulu, I wouldn't be surprised if there's already a kid on the way! My feisty princess would make a good mother, too. If anybody messes with our baby, then she'll turn into Mama bear!"

Unable to take any more of this, Damiana forces her way out of his grasp, moves so that she's on the stair directly beside Roy, and grabs him firmly by the wrist. Once she has the redhead in her clutches, she moves to grab Victor by the wrist as well. The instant they're both in hand, she marches them up the stairs while blushing profusely. The entire time she mutters angered words to them so that only they can hear.

"Enough of this crap. We're done. We already paid to get inside, so we're going inside." Pausing, she adds with a snarl, "I hate both of you, by the way."

Because she's facing the entrance of the museum the girl doesn't notice, but Cyborg gives a smirk. Laughing, he makes a confession in a low tone.

"If you think you hate me, then you should've seen Robin's reaction when I told the media that he and Starfire were engaged. He wouldn't talk to me for a week after that one." Chuckling, he adds, "It was even worse when I put his phone number on the internet. His inbox was completely full the first ten minutes after posting it."

Giving his own smirk, Roy puts in, "Don't get so worked up over Vic's little stunt. I'm sure we can come up with plenty of ways to get him back for this."

The girl's scowls vanishing, she gives a small smile.

"You know what? You're right. We can get him back for this." Grinning mischievously at the metal man, she remarks, "You'd better watch your back, because now you're on my hit list."

Damiana doesn't say anything after this, neither do the Titan boys. They finish ascending the stairs, entering a location that could very possibly turn into the Teen Titans next battle ground. The instant they enter the building, Damiana is immediately able to tell that each of them are experiencing similar thoughts. The companionable feeling that previously loitered in the air between them has vanished. Just as she had expected, the room they walk into through the glass doors is massive.

The walls are littered with maps of each of the building's levels, toward the center are numerous escalators alongside glass elevators, and the front is crowded with gift shops. Behind the elevators and escalators, Damiana notes, is a three-tiered fountain crafted from marble, as well as the skeletons of several dinosaurs. On this level alone, with the gift shops and the mazes of maps, a person could literally spend several hours. On the other levels, the ones with actual exhibits, she would hate to see how long a person could spend there. Searching this entire museum for anything of significance honestly could take the three of them the entire four days.

Sighing internally, Damiana speaks to herself. "Why couldn't Black Shadow send the signal to an abandon warehouse or something? Of all places, why one of the world's largest museums?"

Just like the girl had suspected, Roy and Victor's thoughts truly are along the same lines as her own. As the three of them move more deeply into the immense enclosure, it is Vic who speaks. Whatever man it was that cruelly pranked herself and Roy only moments before, that man is gone now. Currently, the man standing before her is entirely mission-oriented, his hazel eyes filled with a dangerous combination of seriousness and determination; dangerous not to her and Roy, but to Black Shadow. Motioning for her and the uncostumed archer to move aside so that they are away from the midst of the throng, Cyborg speaks to them in a quiet yet commanding fashion.

"Okay, y'all. I'll take the basement level, Leila can take floor number two, and Roy can take floor number three. We'll meet back on this level next to the fountain in three hours. Once we meet we can figure out if we need more time to keep searching the levels we were working on, or if we're ready to move on to other levels. While you're searching, remember what I said back at the hotel; don't skimp on any of the details. We can't afford to miss anything." Pausing slightly, he continues. "When the meeting time comes, make sure you're here on the dot. I don't want any of us to be late. We can't afford to miss any details, but we can't afford to be late either. If something happens where one of us misses the meeting time, I might start thinking that something bad happened."

Hearing every word of what the disguised metal man says, Roy and Damiana nod firmly in understanding. They don't have to say anything to confirm that they know what he's talking about. The importance of this mission has already been drilled into them, and neither of them are prepared to risk it all by ignoring the rules.

Upon seeing their nods, their temporary leader gives one of his own.

"Good. It looks like all of us are on the same page. In that case, I guess it's time for us to get going. I'll meet you at the fountain in three hours, and until then, good luck."

Later

As strange as it is, Damiana is glad that Black Shadow chose to send the schematics for his machine to a museum. For the hour that she has been here, the girl has been enjoying herself enormously. The level that she is on, while it has numerous exhibits, there are two primary ones. Luckily, the two main exhibits just so happen to have back-to-back tours scheduled for today. How Roy is capable of hating museums, the girl has no idea. Quite honestly, the Metropolis Museum of History and Astrology is the one of the most fascinating places she has ever been to. Once their nightmare with Black Shadow is finished, Damiana would like to spend some time here simply for enjoyment.

Standing amidst a group of tourists, the brown-haired teen follows along as the middle-aged tour guide leads them from one artifact to another. There is a young couple to her right fighting over a camera, and a small child complaining to his parents that he's bored, but she doesn't notice. Damiana's full attention is on the energetic tour guide with the graying ebony hair and beaming smile. Rarely has Damiana seen such an exuberant woman.

Grinning widely at the group, the woman motions to the display that is set up directly behind her. The tour she is giving them is on a historical period known as the Dark Ages. Damiana has heard of this time in Earth's history before, though she has never taken the opportunity to research it in-depth. Within the past hour alone, however, she has learned more about the Dark Ages than she has in five years. Because of this tour, she knows that this historical period came about after the fall of the Roman Empire, and that it was a time of peasants, Knights, Feudal Lords, and the Roman Catholic Church. Currently, the guide lady is explaining to them about the Knights. It's strange because, in a way, they sound very similar to the Knights that used to exist on Dabnod.

"…Becoming a Knight wasn't an easy task for young men to achieve. It required years of training, of honing battle skills, and learning the Code of Chivalry. As men worked to attain these skills, they would start out as a Page, work their way up to Squire, and eventually acquire the title of Knight. Most often it wasn't the sons of peasants who took up training to become Knights, but—"

Before Damiana realizes what she's doing, she finds herself finishing the guide lady's sentence.

"It was the sons of powerful, high-ranking, families that trained to become Knights. They were well-liked by the nobles, and allowing their sons to become Knights helped those families stay in the good graces of the monarchy. By raising a lot of strong, powerful, Knights, it brought pride to the families that they came from, too."

As she says all of this, the girl barely comprehends that she's speaking. The only time it comes to her attention that she has spoken at all is when those surrounding her turn to stare. The rest of the individuals in the group look her over in irritation, attempting to glare her into silence. Realizing that everything she said was audible, Damiana's face reddens and she clears her throat awkwardly.

Looking past the sea of glaring eyes to the face of the cheerful middle-aged woman, she pastes on a smile as she apologizes. "I'm sorry. Forgive me. Please continue."

Grin fully intact, the woman waves a hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about it, honey. Everything you said was right on the money. Somebody did their research before coming here!" Giving a high-pitched giggle, she adds, "The only thing you forgot to mention was that the families the Knights came from were wealthy, too."

Once that is said the group goes completely silent, the woman motioning to suits of armor behind her. She has gone from speaking about the Knights themselves, to how their armor was constructed. Along with this, she also talks about the Code of Chivalry.

"…The Knights Code of Chivalry was not just about combat. It was a moral system that effected all areas of their lives, and was understood by everyone who was alive during that time. According to historians, none of the rules were written. More than anything, Chivalry was a Knight's moral code. Some of the concepts included were bravery, and courtesy toward women. More than anything…"

The tour guide continues talking, but sadly, Damiana begins zoning out. Mostly, this is because the entire concept of "Chivalry" nearly causes her to burst into giggles. With the way this woman is talking, she almost makes Knights sound like they were these flawless, sparkling, gentlemen. Bravery, and acting courteously to women? This was true much of the time, but definitely not all the time. At least not for the Knights-in-training that she knew, anyway.

Doing her best to restrain laughter, a scene flashes through Damiana's mind.

"Bravery? Yeah right…"

*Flashback*

Damiana had been down by the pond that day. She'd spent the entire afternoon reading, swimming, and braiding flowers into her hair. Everything had been so quiet; so perfect. Then…

"No! Don't do this to us, Master Urrvink! Take us to our clans' elders! Put us in a battle arena with the ten members of the Royal Counsel! Anything but this!"

"We mean it, Master Urrvink! We'll do anything! We'll even clean the phoenixes' stables, and wash your beard! Just please don't tell our moms!"

Looking up from her place leaning against a white-trunked tree reading a book, Damiana saw Knight Master Urrvink making his way up the hill to her family's cabin. His lengthy beard was a dangerous shade of midnight blue, and his eyes were practically the color of coal. Of course, this isn't what caught Damiana's attention. The thing that distracted her from her book was the fact that all three of them were soaking wet. The forty-year-old man was gripping Saeran's wrist in one hand, and Adriel's in the other. The two boys were fighting against his grip, their hair feces-colored brown in displeasure. Sadly for them, their feeble escape attempts didn't work. Master Urrvink's grip was strong not just from years of training, but from malice.

"No! There's no way I'm letting you two off easy! You flooded an entire village! This calls for punishment, and I'm sure that your mothers can come up with better punishments for you than the Royal Counsel, Queen Guayusa, and myself combined!"

The man's words didn't work to subdue them. Saeran and Adriel exchanged horrified glances and started pleading all the way up the hillside. Their shouting could be heard for miles.

*End Flashback*

Laughing softly at the memory, another one comes to Damiana.

"And courtesy toward women? Desperation was more like it…"

*Flashback*

Damiana was walking through the Palace corridors alongside Queen Guayusa. They'd been chatting, mostly about topics such as the languages she had recently acquired, along with the new techniques she'd accomplished with her fire. She'd been in the middle of telling the Queen that the elders of the Fire Phoenix clan had moved her up to Master's Level when they'd exited the Palace into one of the courtyards. That was when their conversation was brought to an abrupt halt.

"Please? My cousin is getting married to this woman from the Sky Serpent clan next week, and I need a date! I'll give you flowers, a necklace, a pet phoenix, just name it! All you have to do is suffer through one day with me, and I swear that I'll never get near you again!"

In the middle of the courtyard, on his knees in front of one of the Queen's courtiers, was none other than Adriel. His waist-length ponytail maintained its usual vivid shade of neon orange, and his eyes kept their tint of cherry red. Yet, despite this, distress was written all over his face.

The courtier he was addressing, a very beautiful woman who just so happened to be in her middle twenties, gave Adriel a sharp glare. When he collapsed onto his face and grabbed her around the ankles, her glower became even more volatile.

"For the last time, no! I'm not going to a wedding with a pleading child as their date! Now go away, and leave me alone!"

Kicking Adriel aside, the woman stepping over him in aggravation prior to exiting the courtyard. She gave a short bow to Queen Guayusa, some swift greetings, and then entered the Palace without another word. Glancing back at Adriel in curiosity, Damiana saw that he was slumped onto the ground in depression. Standing directly beside him were Saeran, and his sister, Jaegana. In attempt to cheer up her brother, the girl with the lilac-colored hair and the soft voice gave him a gentle pat on the back.

"It's okay, Adriel. I'm sure you'll find a date. It isn't that hard." Standing to her full height, Jaegana edged closer to Saeran and placed a hand on his forearm. "Just look at me. I have my date already. Like I said; it isn't that hard."

Irritation crossing his features, Adriel shot to his feet and gave his sister an annoyed scowl. "Well, yeah! Of course, you have a date! Saeran's your boyfriend!"

Damiana watched as Saeran smiled pleasantly. Leaning over, he gave Jaegana a kiss on the cheek as he replied to his friend.

"Don't make that sound like a bad thing. Personally, I'm quite happy with this arrangement."

Pointing at Saeran, it was here that Adriel began having a panic attack. "Come on, don't you two get mushy on me! I'm in the middle of a crisis!"

Feeling bad for Adriel, Damiana was about ready to approach the trio to see if there was anything she could do to help. It was right as she was having these thoughts, however, that another female courtier entered the courtyard. This courtier was in her early twenties, and while she wasn't as pretty as the previous woman, she had an aura of sweetness about her that the other lady didn't have. It was for this reason that Adriel went sprinting in her direction like a thirsty animal to a pond. Upon catching sight of him, the courtier's eyes widened in terror.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you look wonderful today! You're like a fresh blossom in the middle of spring! You wouldn't happen to be free five days from now, would you? Because that would be great!"

It took less than a second for the courtier to take off running. Adriel didn't let this stop him, though. He took off in a quick pursuit.

"Wait! Where are you going?! Take mercy on me! I'm a desperate boy looking for a date to my cousin's wedding! You have two hearts like the rest of us, so spare me one!"

*End Flashback*

Damiana doesn't realize it, but as she comes out of the memory, she is busting into fits of giggles. Those surrounding her, once again, stare her down in aggravation. The tour guide stares at her as well, though the lady doesn't appear annoyed. Rather, she appears confused. Arching one of her salt-and-pepper brows, she doesn't hesitate to ask a question.

"Are you okay, hon? I don't see what's so funny about the Crusades."

Coming out from her thoughts, Damiana finally takes note of all the eyes that are staring at her. Feeling far more awkward than she had during her previous outburst, the alien girl averts her gaze and backs out from the crowd. Honestly, Damiana doesn't want to leave the tour, but she figures that she is no longer focused on it anyway. Not to mention that she's supposed to be figuring out why Black Shadow sent the schematics to this museum; not going along with the tour group and enjoying herself.

It is because of this that, in spite of her innermost wants, she forces herself apart from the rest of the group. Only once she's free does she reply to the tour guide.

"Oh… Uh… I'm sorry. Again. I don't mean to keep distracting everybody. I'll just go look at the other exhibits, and come back during the next tour. Bye!"

It is here that Damiana sprints from the room. There are plenty of other exhibits that she could be looking at. Exhibits with cursed artifacts, and ancient weapons that Black Shadow could possibly go back in time and steal using his machine. It isn't any use loitering around the Dark Ages exhibit. Besides. Even if she doesn't find anything major, Damiana is certain that she could at least find something.

Meanwhile…

Out of the hundreds of exhibits within this massive building, the tiny exhibit tucked into the corner of the second floor must be the most deserted. It is an exhibit about diseases that were common during the Dark Ages. The Plague, smallpox, typhus, scurvy among sailors, this exhibit has them all. Along with the names of the diseases, it also comes with in depth descriptions of how they were spread, descriptions of symptoms, and vivid images of what these diseases looked like. Most individuals come to the Metropolis Museum of History and Astrology for educational family fun that isn't too educational. Thus, why this corner of the building is avoided "like the Plague".

Right now, like most other days, there are very few people in the room. Besides two of the museum's employees, the room is actually completely empty. The two men loiter toward the backmost part of the exhibit, one leaning against the smallpox display while eating a sandwich, and the other sitting atop a giant plastic replica of a flea-bitten rat. The man sitting atop the rat is chowing down on a Styrofoam cup of instant ramen, chatting away to his coworker across from him.

"Fantastic idea coming in here for lunch, Seth. I never would have thought to avoid the breakroom this way. You're a genius!"

The man leaning against the smallpox display, Seth, gives a friendly shrug while responding to his coworker. His coffee brown eyes are filled with nonchalance the entire time.

"Don't mention it, Adrien. We've been buddies for a while, so I thought I'd help you out. I know you don't want every person in the building catching sight of your eyes." Taking a bite of his sandwich, he adds, "It really sucks that your contact lenses still aren't in yet!"

Poking at his ramen with a plastic spoon, the man called Adrien gives a small sigh. "Yeah, I know. It really does suck. I called my optometrist this morning, and she says that they still won't be in for another two days. I'm telling you, this is really getting annoying."

Even from a distance, to the majority individuals in Metropolis, the man sitting atop the plastic rat would seem peculiar. Most people of the male gender in America have hair that is either short or shaggy, and if it does pass for long, it normally isn't any longer than shoulder-length. This man, however, has a head of thick hair that reaches all the way down to his waist. It is tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck and swishes whenever he moves, almost in what could be considered a vivacious fashion. Along with this he is very slim-faced, almost to the point where it takes away from his masculinity. Yet, at the same time, he is tall and incredibly well-built; more so than most men his age. Because of this, despite his lengthy hair and slim face, he could never truly be considered feminine.

Meanwhile, as he shoves a bite of ramen into his mouth, his coworker responds. He does this in a way that is both serious and joking.

"You know what's 'really getting annoying' to me? The fact that you won't cut your hair. Me, Janette, Tony, and Chris in the copy room all tell you that you should cut your hair; especially if you're so determined to keep it dyed. But for some reason, you still show up at work with that cheesy ponytail. After two years of this, I can't decide if you're attached to your hair, or if you're just really stubborn."

Swallowing the bite in a single gulp, the man smirks. "Does it matter what the reason is? Either way, I'm not cutting my hair. My hair stays no matter what."

Seth rolls his coffee brown eyes at the comment. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that."

Giving a laugh, the pony-tailed man rolls his eyes in return. "And I figured that you'd keep pushing, so I guess both of us are right."

Lifting his spoon, he shoves down his final few bites of ramen, stands to his feet, and saunters toward the exit. Tossing the empty container into a nearby trash bin, the man raises his hand in a farewell gesture.

"I'm finished eating, so I'm gone. My shift is over in a couple hours, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. See you around, Adrien." Taking another bite of his sandwich, Seth gives a final piece of advice to his departing friend, "By the way, you should keep your eyes pointed at the ground when you walk. It'll make it harder for people to see them until your contacts come in."

Smiling, the man named Adrien nods. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

After separating from the tour group, rather than finding herself in another vastly crowded area like she'd expected, Damiana ended up in a section of the museum that is largely deserted. Originally, she had gone in search of the exhibit on the Renaissance Era, as that is the exhibit that is having the next tour, but by this point it is blindingly apparent that she'd taken a wrong turn.

Looking around at the stone walls, at the tall windows, and at the displays sitting in the corridor's far corners, Damiana furrows her brow.

"Huh. Well, this isn't right. I definitely got lost somewhere. Maybe I should look for a map, or somebody who works here."

Running a hand through her false brown curls with a sigh, Damiana saunters to the end of the corridor and rounds the corner. The first thing the girl runs into is an arched doorway leading to another exhibit. Based on the sign in front of the entrance, it certainly isn't the exhibit on the Renaissance Era. As she reads the words "The Horror of the Plague: Diseases of the Dark Ages", the girl can't refrain from wrinkling her nose in disgust. It's no wonder that this section of the building is so deserted. Who wants to spend time in an exhibit all about diseases? This is especially true considering the amount of fascinating, attention-grasping, exhibits there are on this level.

Right when Damiana is about to walk away, however, that is when it comes to her memory what Cyborg had told them. Don't skimp on any details when searching. The thing that they think is unimportant could be exactly the thing that Black Shadow is after. Damiana already went through the rest of the Dark Ages exhibit as thoroughly as possible, as she'd explored it on her own before the tour started, so she might as well search this one, too. It looks fairly small, so examining it shouldn't take her longer than twenty minutes. The odds are likely that nobody is in there, so that will make this go more quickly still.

Although she would much rather move on to the Renaissance exhibit, Damiana marches closer to this one anyway. Figuring that not a soul would bother wasting their time here besides her, she doesn't bother hesitating or looking before entering inside through the arched doorway. A second later, however, Damiana learns that this is her mistake. Before she knows what's happening she collides into another body with great force, knocking both her and the person exiting to the ground. Whoever she ran into, she can tell that they're male, as their upper torso is firm instead of soft, and the "oomph" they give when hitting the ground sounds masculine rather than feminine.

Mortified by this occurrence, Damiana sits up from where she landed on the tile and faces the man. The whole time she gives a rushed apology.

"I am so sorry, sir! Forgive me! I wasn't watching where I was going."

The man she collided with landed on his stomach rather than on his back. Because of this, the alien girl catches sight of a lengthy, red, ponytail that runs all the way down to the man's waist. His hair isn't the bright shade of red that Roy's is. It is a few shades darker, appearing more brown than red, but the color is still there nonetheless. Even with the length of his hair, his gender couldn't be more obvious. With muscled arms, a straight and muscular back rather than a narrow waistline, and masculine legs, this person is as male as Damiana is female.

Pushing himself up so that he is sitting, the man responds to Damiana. His voice is light, cheerful, and is smooth like chocolate. Not only that, but it sounds so familiar that it practically punches Damiana in the gut.

"Don't worry about it, Miss. Collisions happen all the time. It isn't a problem."

Upon hearing his voice, Damiana's posture turns rigid. Feeling as though she'd just been hit by a bulldozer, the girl remains frozen in place unable to move. That voice… She knows that voice… But this can't really be true, can it? It's impossible! He may have the ponytail, and his build might be the same, but that still wouldn't be right. The very thought of this…it's just so…impossible!

Once the man turns to face her, however, Damiana learns that this isn't as impossible as she thought. The moment his face is in sight, she finds herself gaping at a slim jawline and cheekbones that are so achingly familiar that it takes her breath away. When their eyes lock, she is peering into two deep pools of cherry red. As Damiana takes in the sight of those eyes, it feels like she may never breathe again.

A/N: I wouldn't blame you if you hate me for this, but that's the end of the chapter. Just so you know, the ending was by no means impulsive. Like I stated in the first author's note, this was the plan long before I started writing the story. Also, my reasons for bringing him in are by no means simple. My thinking behind this wasn't "Alright! Damiana, Saeran, and Adriel are reunited! Hugs, tears, and kisses!". Absolutely not. Part Three is where I really want to start digging deep into this story, and in order to make my initial plan work, Adriel HAS to be alive. As a hint, I titled Part III of this story "Secrets" for reasons other than the obvious ones ;).

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Hopefully you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I confess, it was absolute blast to write! :)

Until next time, my friends!

Forever and Always,

OCQ

(P.S. Hopefully there are some of you out there who caught the KND reference! XD)