Teen Titans: Return of the titans

by Goldust15

After three years, the titans encounter their old enemy Slade once more after years of peace.

12. Search for the Ring

Teen Titans Season 6

Fan fiction

Episode 12

Search for the Ring

By B. Borneo

Waking up from a long nap, Nightwing lifted his body from the bed. Nightwing's back felt slightly painful from the scratched skin, which, two days ago, the sister of the woman he had loved had torn. Blinking rapidly, Nightwing placed his hand on his face to make sure his mask was intact, and, luckily, it was. Nightwing rarely slept without his mask. Ever since Nightwing found a way to defeat Slade, he had been confined to bed, and all he wanted was to get out of that bed, find Raven's mother's ring, and finally end Slade Wilson once and for all. Looking around the room, Nightwing noticed the various newspapers and wanted posters decorating the wall, all having to do with Slade Wilson. He had done this to focus his attention on his goal at hand. Nightwing reached over to the right of him only to feel it touch the empty mattress. Nightwing turned to the spot and realized that Starfire had to sleep on the couch until his back was healed enough to move about, so she wasn't with him when he woke up. It felt lonely not waking up to find the love of his life next to him, sleeping peacefully at his side.

Adjusting himself, Nightwing suddenly heard a knock at his door.

"Come in!" he replied.

The door opened, and standing in the frame was Starfire, holding a tray in her hands with a plate of bacon and eggs and a glass of orange juice.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted him with a kind tone and a warm smile.

Nightwing grinned. The sight of Starfire in the morning was always a pleasure to witness to him.

"Morning, Star," Nightwing replied in kind.

Starfire walked over to her and Nightwing's bed and lay the tray on his lap carefully so as not to spill the contents.

"Brought you your favorites," said Starfire sweetly.

Nightwing cut the eggs with a fork and knife and put them in his mouth.

"Thanks," replied Nightwing

Starfire looked at Nightwing's back with her eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Is your back healing well?" She questioned.

Nightwing swallowed his eggs before twisting his head around to observe his back condition.

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better," he informed.

Starfire stood back up and held her hands together in excitement.

"Well, good, because Cyborg wanted me to inform you he believes you are ready to return to your active duty since your wounds have mostly healed... mostly."

Nightwing's eyes widened, and a look of excitement appeared.

"Really?! Great!"

Grabbing and quickly chugging his orange juice, Nightwing carefully removed the tray from his lap, slipped out of his bed, and shuffled to his closet to change into his superhero suit.

"I'm so ready to find that ring and defeat Slade for good. How about you, Starfire?"

No answer came, which concerned Nightwing as he zipped up his costume.

"Starfire?" he asked again.

Still no answer.

Concerned, Nightwing turned around to see Starfire on the side end of their bed, staring at a pair of giant newspaper clippings on the wall.

"Where is it?" she asked.

Nightwing looked confused.

"Where's what?"

Starfire responded to his query by lifting a newspaper to reveal a yellow poster with red words that read "Haley's Circus." Nightwing's expression turned to sheepishness.

"Starfire, can we talk about this later?" Nightwing pleaded.

Starfire turned to her beloved with a troubled look on her face.

"Why would you consider your concern with Slade more important than who you are or where you came from?" she asked.

Nightwing held his finger up, trying to process what to reply with.

"It…it wasn't exactly happy memories, to be fair. I mean…with what happened to my parents and all."

Starfire shook her head.

"I doubt the death of your parents was the only memory you could have had in your time there," she remarked.

Nightwing was about to defend his claim again before frowning. He decided he didn't need to explain himself. He was the leader, and what he said went, so if she didn't like it, she would have to get used to it.

"Starfire, I don't have to explain this to you. Now come. Let's go discuss with the others about going to find the ring," he said before strolling out of the room, Starfire's gaze following him.

She looked back at the poster on the wall in sadness, shedding a tear of remorse for her beloved's mental state. Sighing, she removed her hand from the newspaper she was holding up, allowing it to drape once more onto the poster before leaving their room in sorrow.

Waiting for Starfire to bring Nightwing out to the living area, Cyborg sat at the table in the kitchen area of the tower, quietly eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast. As he scooped his spoon into the milk for another bite, Cyborg looked up at the couch before him to see Beast Boy sitting on it, looking at the turned-off TV, not making a sound. Concerned and confused, Cyborg put down the spoon and tried to get his friend's attention.

"Hey, Beast Boy!" he shouted.

Beast Boy turned to face Cyborg with furrowed brows and a bitter, hapless expression.

"What do you want?" he asked in an unsettling tone.

Cyborg looked taken aback by the reaction, unsure how to handle his friend's new surly attitude he had displayed the past two days. Trying to keep the peace, Cyborg gave a nervous smile as he tried to figure out what to say next.

"Uh, want to chat about something, buddy?" Cyborg replied.

Beast Boy grunted.

"No, thank you," he said as he returned to look at the black screen before him.

Cyborg's face dropped at the harsh response. As much as he wanted to get through to his friend, he realized that now would not be the best time, so Cyborg continued to eat his cereal until he heard a door open. Turning, he saw Nightwing and Starfire walk into the living area. Starfire was carrying a meal tray, and Nightwing was shifting his back to improve his posture.

"Hey, is everyone out here?" he asked.

Cyborg shook his head.

"Raven's in her room meditating, and Kid Flash and Wonder Girl are working out in the training room," he responded.

Nightwing turned to Starfire.

"Do you think you can bring them out here?"

Starfire nodded, placing her tray on the counter. Then she ran to the bedroom halls, and Nightwing returned to Cyborg.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," said Cyborg.

Nightwing looked back to his wounded back and smiled.

"Yeah, I agree. I'm so ready to go to the under the earth to find that ring."

"Same," replied Cyborg.

Cyborg then noticed Nightwing's attention turn to behind Cyborg. Cyborg turned around to see what Nightwing was looking at and saw his gaze lay upon the sullen Beast Boy. Concerned, Cyborg's face drooped as he looked back at Nightwing and brought his hand to his mouth to whisper.

"He's been like this since the cave. He won't even talk to me about what's bugging him."

Nightwing bit his lip. Since Kid Flash consoled him, Beast Boy seemed to have been back to his old self again, and now, to see him all bitter and sullen, confused Nightwing. Beast Boy had been like this once before, but that was because of his werewolf transformations that had been inactive for nearly four years, so Nightwing doubted that was the case. Wanting to help his friend, Nightwing walked over to Beast Boy to console him when he heard a few pairs of footsteps behind him. Nightwing turned and saw Starfire, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Raven standing before him, waiting to hear how his injuries had healed.

"So, Starfire tells us you're patched up and ready for action, huh?" asked Wally.

Nightwing looked back to Beast Boy and then to his other friends, trying to figure out what to say next. After a beat, he decided that as much as he wanted to console Beast Boy on what he was going through, it would have to wait, as the mission was more important at the moment.

"Yes," he finally said.

"We are ready to go find the ring today. Get packed. We will be ready in an hour!"

Meanwhile, at H.I.V.E. Headquarters, several miles away, Mikron O'Jenesus, aka Gizmo, was in his workroom, sitting next to a ham radio, waiting to find out where the Titans were heading next. The signal buzzing with static, Gizmo leaned forward and adjusted the dial to boost the signal so he could hear the Titans better.

"Come on! Work, you lousy piece of junk!" he muttered.

Gizmo eagerly awaited the information, especially after all the hard work he put into the Titan Comm dummy. The one Nightwing currently had in his possession had a secret signal, allowing Gizmo to hear anything he said. After a few seconds, Gizmo listened to what sounded like a person talking, and his face brightened as he leaned in, his ear first, for a closer listen.

"Yeah, I agree. I'm so ready to go under the earth to find that ring!" came Nightwing's voice from the speaker.

With an evil grin, Gizmo activated his communicator and awaited the other person's response. Eventually, a cold, cynical voice emerged from the comm.

"What is it, Gizmo?" came Slade's voice.

"Slade! I think I figured where the Titans will head next!"

Slade was informed that ARGUS, a corrupt government group, was pressuring a select team of supervillains to work together in a task force. ARGUS required them to perform dangerous missions and threatened immediate elimination if they failed. The concept amused Slade, as he knew there would be no way anyone would bring him to their knees to serve under them anymore, especially not at his top position. In the underbellies of H.I.V.E. headquarters, Slade, Brother Blood, and Blackfire patiently waited for the arrival of the task force they had been promised, staring at the garage door.

After a few minutes, the massive garage door opened to reveal a gigantic armored truck slowly backing into the enormous garage. Slade and his subordinates stood back to give space for the truck to park, their eyes not leaving the vehicle before them. When it parked, the bronze text on the side read "ARGUS" and glowed. Suddenly, a door opened, and Slade turned his attention to see a man in his early 30s with a blonde shirt and bleach-blonde hair exit the vehicle. Slade approached the man and stared him in the eye.

"Slade Wilson?" the man asked.

Slade nodded.

"Yes,"

The man in front of Slade held out his hand.

"Colonel Rick Flag. I'm here representing Agent Waller and to drop off Task Force X."

Slade gripped Flag's hand and shook it quickly before pulling it back.

"Are they inside?" Slade asked.

Flag waved his hand to motion Slade to follow him, and Slade trailed Flag to the rear of the armored truck.

When they reached the back of the truck, Flag's co-fellow soldier opened the two massive doors and motioned the passengers out. Five men and one woman emerged from the truck. Tall and slim, the first man donned a red jumpsuit, silver armor, a silver mask with a scope-like eyepiece mounted on the front, and wrist cannons on his arms. With a black helmet featuring a skull design imprinted on it, the second man stood out, donning extra armor and having a massive sniper rifle strapped to his backside. The third, a buff man with claws on his gloved fingers, wore yellow and orange spandex. The man, wearing a blue outfit and holding a pair of boomerangs, was red-haired, and he was the fourth one. Wearing a red cloak and a container on his head holding an exposed brain, the shortest person was a man with pink skin. The last member was a female with a green cloak, long fingernails, and a smiling cat mask.

Slade took a moment to observe the group before turning to Flagg.

"Is this what you promised me?" he asked.

Flagg nodded.

"Yes. We have Deadshot, Bloodsport, Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, Cheshire, and Psimon here."

Slade focused his gaze on Chesire and Psimon, realizing something about them.

"Colonel Flag, what were the previous affiliations of the final two before someone captured them?" he asked.

Flag looked at the pair Slade was referring to.

"Last we checked, they worked for the former version of the Brotherhood of Evil. Will that be a problem for you, Wilson?"

Slade scowled under his mask. Since conceiving his incarnation of the organization, Slade had vowed to use few members of the original version, as he had little trust or need for some of the weaker or treacherous types Brain had enrolled. But Slade was running out of time to prevent the Titans from foiling his plans, so he decided he'd have to make do with the pair being part of the task force.

"No, Colonel. No problem whatsoever," Slade finally responded.

Flag nodded.

"Good."

Flag then made a head signal to the vehicle's driver, and the driver walked up to Slade to provide him with a contract on a clipboard and a pen. Slade grabbed the pen and signed the agreement before returning it to the driver and turning to Flag.

"Here," said Flag as he started digging in his pocket.

He eventually pulled out a rectangular-shaped device and placed it in Slade's hand.

"If anything goes wrong with them, press the button, and a detonator in their brains will go off, leaving them as nothing more than write-offs. If the task force survives, we will be forced to disavow any connection and knowledge of you and your operations and end our relationship. Understand?"

Slade looked at the device and nodded.

"Yes, Colonel."

Having finished his business, Flag saluted Slade before he and his driver walked back into the armored truck and drove off into the night. Slade then turned his attention to the task force in front of him.

"As for you, I have gained your services to help prevent a group of heroes known as the Teen Titans to prevent them from finding a device they could use to end my reign of power. The device is below the Earth and you shall not be alone. My associate, Dr Light, will accompany you as he has had experience being down below the Earth. You are to listen to everything he says unless you want to lose your head. Understand?"

Deadshot stood forward amongst his comrades.

"Hey, I just need to know one thing," he said as he mimed holding a handgun.

"Where they are."

The rest of the task force laughed at Deadshot's joke while Slade smiled under his helmet, confident that the squad could easily handle this task.

"Arthur!" called out Slade.

Dr Light walked before Slade and bowed to him in honor.

"Yes, Master?"

Slade pulled out the trigger and handed it to Light.

"If any of them fail or get out of line, press the button and eliminate them."

Light nodded.

"Yes, my master."

In the skies, the Titans' T-Shuttle soared through the clouds rapidly, never wavering once during their voyage. Next to the T-Shuttle, Wonder Girl was flying alongside it, with Kid Flash on her back, clasping onto her waist as they flew. Annoyed, Kid Flash released one of his hands and pulled out his Titan comm.

"Ok, how did I get talked into this again?" he asked.

Nightwing's voice then came out of the comm.

"Because Cyborg wanted to drive a vehicle where he doesn't have to see through the floor, and you didn't want to share a pod with him." Nightwing reminded.

Kid Flash rolled his eyes.

Wonder Girl chuckled to herself.

"Ah, don't worry, Wally. I won't let you fall!" she remarked.

Kid Flash frowned.

"I'm not worried," he grumpily replied.

Inside the front cockpit, Nightwing looked out to Wonder Girl and Kid Flash to see how they were doing. Wonder Girl turned and noticed before giving him the thumbs up. Nightwing smiled as he turned on the intercom to see how his other teammates were doing.

"How are we hanging in here?"

"Doing good, man." came Cyborg's voice.

"Glad to hear. Starfire?"

"I am very well!"

"Raven?"

"I'm fine."

"Beast Boy?"

Nothing came.

Concerned, Nightwing looked out the canopy to the rear cockpit of the shuttle to see Beast Boy, arms folded, slumping back in his seat with a surly expression. Nightwing wasn't sure what had gotten Beast Boy so down but was also aware his team was on a mission, which had to be completed before anything. After a minute, Nightwing concluded that after the mission, it would be the best time to question Beast Boy about his issue, and he turned back to the sky in front of him in the cockpit. Suddenly, a red light on the control console went off, and Nightwing looked down to see that it had signaled they were arriving.

Turning on the intercom again, Nightwing spoke into it. "All right, guys! Brace for landing!"

When the T-shuttle landed, the Titans quickly exited their cockpits and wore winter outfits. Cyborg carried a massive backpack containing tents in case it got late during their search before examining the Arctic Circle around them. It was just as they remembered it. Despite the night being upon the land, the massive ice blocks still twinkled beyond the blackness surrounding it. Blue and purple lights illuminated the sky like a natural light show. It felt peaceful. After a minute of admiration, Kid Flash spoke up, wrapping his arms around himself as he could still feel the burden of the freezing air around him despite wearing a winter coat.

"Where exactly is this "Underground world" exactly?" he asked.

Nightwing turned to Kid Flash and pointed at the ice.

"Somewhere under the ice. I don't remember where, though."

Kid Flash raised his eyebrow.

"Are you telling me we came out here to go to this world, and you don't remember where it is?!" he responded, irritated.

Nightwing frowned.

"We found it last time by pure chance because we fell through the ice while fighting Dr. Light! There's a lot of ice here; I don't remember which part of the land we were fighting on, so I'm suggesting we..." Before he could finish, Nightwing looked over Kid Flash's shoulder and saw Wonder Girl walking towards the group from the T-Shuttle, holding a staff she had more than likely grabbed from one compartment on the ship. Nightwing was about to ask what she was up to when she suddenly flew into the air with the staff and started charging down to the ice floor. The Titans ran out of the way as the staff slammed hard onto the ice, causing several cracks to form. The ice broke, and the Titans fell, screaming in terror as gravity pulled them to the floor below. As Nightwing fell, he heard Raven chant, "Azarath Mentrion Zinthos!" and he felt himself suspended in midair by a giant black sphere containing him. Surprised, Nightwing looked to his side to find Raven hovering in midair, holding her hands and four other spheres floating around her, containing Beast Boy, Cyborg, Kid Flash, and Starfire. He then saw Raven look up, and Nightwing followed suit. He saw Wonder Girl still holding her staff, hovering down and stopping in front of Raven.

"Ask, and you shall receive!" she said proudly.

Raven scowled.

"A warning would have been nice," she responded fiercely.

"Seconded," interjected a winded Kid Flash.

"Same here," chimed in Cyborg.

Donna looked at the other's reactions and blushed in embarrassment.

"Oops," she said meekly.

Kid Flash got to his feet and started brushing the dirt from the ground off of his suit. He then looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight before him. Luscious trees and bushes covered the land from head to toe; surrounding them were various Dilophosauruses, something Kid Flash had only dreamed of seeing in person, and above the trees appeared to be elongated heads of brachiosauruses, munching on tall leaves from branches. Wonder Girl stood next to Kid Flash, her eyes equally shocked at what she was looking at.

"Is this…is this real?" she asked.

Wally gulped.

"I think so," he responded.

Cyborg looked at the pair's facial expressions and chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, we reacted the same way our first time here," he remarked.

After a beat, Wally snapped out of shock and turned to the others.

"So, do we know where we'll find Kole?"

Nightwing observed the area quickly before deciding.

"This isn't where we fell last time. I think it might be a long walk before we find her home. You up for it?"

The titans nodded.

"Good," replied Nightwing.

He motioned to the team, and they followed him down the nearest path.

The Titans had been on the trail for about 15 minutes since they had arrived in the hidden world, and so far, the likelihood of making it to Kole's hut before sunset was dim. Cyborg was now up in the front, using his mini computer on his wrist to help navigate the Titans to their destination. They were farther from Kole's hut than the last time they had been there, so getting there now would be a long hike.

Getting bored with trudging, Kid Flash approached Beast Boy and attempted to pass the time by talking with him.

"So, kid, this place isn't dangerous, is it? Only meat eaters, right?"

Beast Boy grunted in response, with a sullen look on his face. Kid Flash raised his eyebrow.

"Uh, okay? Hey, Raven! There aren't any meat eaters we should be worried about, are there?"

"The first time we came here, we encountered some velociraptors that nearly killed and attacked us. So, in a word, yes."

Kid Flash gulped in response.

"Why is it of all the places this ring had to be at? It had to be in the underground man-eating stone age?" he muttered in annoyance.

In the group's front, Nightwing walked alongside Starfire and Cyborg, his feet aching from prolonged walking, his face sweating from the long hike, and his mind on the well-being of his team and his concern if they were ever going to find this ring in the underground labyrinth they currently walked in. Getting impatient, he turned to Cyborg and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" asked Cyborg.

"How much further do we have to go again?"

Cyborg raised his eyebrow.

"Dude, I told you it will take until tomorrow to get to where Kole is. Until then, all we can do is…" before he could finish that sentence, the pair heard a loud sound and a sudden gust of wind, forcing them to stop in their tracks.

"What the?!" exclaimed Cyborg in shock.

Looking up, he and Nightwing peered towards a tree, and standing on a branch while holding onto the trunk was a man wearing a heavy suit of armor and a mask that resembled a skull on the bottom half of it and holding a sniper rifle with his right hand.

"Who are you?!" demanded Nightwing as he pulled out his escrima.

The man in the tree didn't answer. He jumped down from the tree and slowly approached the Titans menacingly.

The other Titans moved up and flanked Nightwing and Cyborg as they prepared to face this new foe.

"Well, whoever he is, I hope he realizes he's outnumbered," said Donna.

Suddenly, someone uttered a loud, profound war cry, causing the Titans to turn around and see another man emerging from a trail of bushes. This man, who was unmasked, wore an orange and brown jumpsuit with yellow markings on his forehead. With tremendous force, he jumped towards the Titans. Landing, the man leaped again, taking advantage of the Titan's stunned reactions, and kicked Beast Boy and Kid Flash down with both his legs before turning his attention toward Starfire and Raven. Starfire made the first move by tossing a handful of star bolts at the assailant, but to her surprise, he dodged each bolt without ease. Before the man could make another attack, a black mass suddenly covered him and lifted him off his feet. He looked to the source of his trouble and saw Raven holding her hands, holding him up in the air with his powers.

"Try getting out of this!" Raven remarked.

"Good Job!" congratulated Nightwing.

Before he could say anything else, the man with the sniper attempted to attack Nightwing, only for the latter to grab him by the arm and pull him over his shoulder before aiming his escrima toward the assailant.

"Who are you, and why are you doing this?!" he demanded.

Before the man could answer, Nightwing heard a loud noise approaching him. He turned around to see a giant branch being hurled at him. Nightwing could not dodge the branch, knocking him back along with his friends. They all crashed, and the branch knocked them down, except for Nightwing. He felt his ribs being crushed as he squinted in pain, noticing two blurry figures running toward him and the others. When his vision adjusted, he saw Raven and Kid Flash rushing over to assess their damage. When Kid Flash made it to Nightwing, he stretched out his hand, and Nightwing accepted it, being pulled back up to his feet.

"Thanks," muttered Nightwing.

"No problem," replied Kid Flash.

As Nightwing struggled to keep his balance, he saw Raven help Beast Boy and Starfire to their feet while Wonder Girl and Cyborg struggled to get up themselves.

"What was that?" asked Cyborg.

Nightwing looked in front of him, seeing more figures standing before them. Four more newcomers have appeared to aid the two men who ambushed them. Nightwing noticed a man in a white mask with a scope over his eye. A petite young woman with a feline kabuki mask crouched down on them as if ready to pounce was also with him. The third was a man with strawberry-blonde hair, a blue outfit, and a hat with a pouch around his waist. The last newcomer was a short male holding a red cloak with exposed brain matter in a glass ball.

The one in the middle walked before his comrades, holding his arm up, showing multiple gun barrels on a circular railing on his wrist.

"Well, well. If it isn't the famous Teen Titans!" said the man.

"Name's Deadshot kid. Remember that," said Deadshot, flicking a bullet in his hand.

"I don't care who you are!" interjected Nightwing.

"You should, brat. Cause I'm the one who's gonna put a bullet in the Bat's head, and anyone who stands in my way. That includes his little sidekick," loomed Deadshot.

Nightwing clenched his fists tighter at the remark.

"Why are you guys here, and why are you attacking us?!" asked Nightwing

"Because.." said a fresh voice.

"...you are looking for something we would rather remain undiscovered."

Nightwing turned to see who the voice belonged to, only to be met with a blinding flash of light, prompting him to shield his eyes with his hand.

Nightwing removed his hand when the light dimmed, still squinting to see a man wearing a black jumpsuit and white armoring in front of him, holding his arms out theatrically.

Nightwing recognized the man.

It was Dr. Light.

"Hello again, Titans! I see I wasn't the only one who missed this place."

Light snapped his fingers, and the task force walked past the Titans and flanked Light on each side.

"What's this? What's the game, Light?!" asked Cyborg.

Light snickered to himself.

"The game, my cybernetic friend, is that me and this little task force here are required to prevent you from obtaining whatever device you are looking for that might harm my master."

Not having any more of this, Nightwing signaled to his friends and pointed towards their adversaries.

"Titans! Go!" he exclaimed.

The others nodded and joined him in charging into battle.

As Nightwing charged in, his mind raced as he honed in on which opponent to attack. He eventually decided on Deadshot, whom he saw lift his wrist cannons, preparing to shoot his prey. Seeing this, Nightwing sneered as he tucked quickly, allowing Deadshot's bullets to fly over his head before launching himself up and grabbing Deadshot's waist, tackling him to the ground. He lifted his fist to punch Deadshot, but Deadshot grabbed it and threw Nightwing off of him. When Nightwing got up, he saw Deadshot aim his wrist cannon again, firing a different bullet that exploded before it could hit Nightwing, launching a massive gust of smoke around them. Nightwing coughed profusely from the smoke as he tried to make out Deadshot's location, only to be met with a pair of arms grasping his throat from behind and putting him in a headlock. As Nightwing struggled to get free, he looked up and around and observed the struggles of his other teammates. He saw Cyborg engaging in battle with Bloodsport, who appeared to be getting the upper hand on Cyborg, dodging all his attacks and striking him to the ground quickly. He then looked to Starfire, who she saw doing her best to dodge swipes from Chesire's claws before levitating in the air and attempting to fire a couple of star bolts towards Chesire. Cheshire leaped out of the way with incredible agility and dodged each star bolt before jumping in the air and kicking Starfire to the ground. He then turned to Raven and Psimon; the latter was tossing rocks and tree stumps at the former, and Raven did her best to block each hit with her abilities.

Beast Boy had turned himself into a lion and did his best to fight Bronze Tiger, who was quicker than expected and could easily take on Beast Boy. Even Wonder Girl's interference could not help much. Finally, Kid Flash walked up to the man known as Captain Boomerang, who stood confidently.

"Bring it on," Kid Flash dared.

Boomerang grinned and swiftly grabbed a boomerang from his belt, launching it in Wally's direction. Summoning his speed, Wally shifted his body quickly and allowed the stick to fly past him before returning to his spot.

"Nice try." Wally gloated.

To his surprise, Boomerang was still smiling. He then pointed behind Wally, and Wally turned to see the boomerang coming back near him. The boomerang flew back and knocked Wally's leg, placing him on the ground. Wally pushed his head up in pain and looked at the boomerang, now on the ground. He saw a red light on it blinking rapidly. Wally's eyes widened in terror as he desperately attempted to distance himself from the device. A colossal explosion suddenly ensued, propelling Wally into the air and causing him to hit the ground harshly on his back. Having witnessed enough of this, Nightwing found his strength and reached back for Deadshot and pulled him forward over his head and to the ground. A winded Deadshot turned to his front to find Nightwing aiming his escrima towards his face. Before either of them could react, they heard a loud roaring that grabbed their attention. The sound attracted the task force and other Titans, who looked around for its source. Suddenly, a noisy set of what sounded like massive footsteps could be heard, and the Titans and task force turned to find a giant tyrannosaurus rex charging toward them at full speed. Noticing the colossal creature, Dr Light's face sweated in terror at the sight.

"Squad! Retreat!" he announced loudly.

Hearing the order, Deadshot scrambled to his feet and ran towards Light with the rest of his team, leaving Nightwing staring dumbfounded at the giant reptile heading towards him and the other Titans.

"What do we do?! Run or fight?!" Cyborg shouted as he struggled to get back to his feet.

Nightwing took a step back, trying quickly to think of what to do for this situation. After a second or two, Nightwing decided that fighting the dinosaur would only slow down their mission, leaving only one option.

"Run!" he ordered.

The Titans obeyed, and the next thing Nightwing knew, he and his friends were running alongside each other as the dinosaur started rapidly gaining on them. Nightwing could feel his feet aching from the jog, but he didn't dare stop as he refused to die that day when they were so close to the goal. Unfortunately, though, he realized there was a cliff ahead, which would slow down their progress. Nervous, he looked to his side to see Starfire running alongside him. She looked to the cliff and then to Nightwing.

"Jump!" he heard her say.

This confused Nightwing briefly until he understood what she was trying to tell him and grinned at her. When he approached the cliffside, Nightwing jumped and held his arms up to find them grabbed by Starfire, flying above him. He allowed her to carry him across the ravine to the other side. When they got to the other side, Starfire released Nightwing and allowed him to do a tuck and roll on the ground as she slowly descended to the ground. The couple turned to see Raven carrying Cyborg, Wonder Girl carrying Kid Flash, and Beast Boy, having turned into an eagle, flying across the ravine to meet up with their teammates. When they got to the other side, they looked back at the dinosaur, which stopped quickly when it got to the edge before glaring at its intended prey and emitting a frustrated roar. The T-Rex then turned around and lumbered off into the jungle, disappearing. The Titans then collapsed on the ground, catching their breaths as they tried to figure out their next move. After a beat, Nightwing looked into the sky and saw the sun setting over the treetops. He looked toward the others and figured that the group was already exhausted and weary enough from fighting the task force and running from the T-Rex and that over-exerting them would not help the mission. He decided.

"We'll camp here for the night."

The Titans sat on logs as the fire in their center raged through the night. It had been two hours since their escape from Dr. Light's group and the T-Rex, and they were lucky enough to find an uninhabited piece of land to set up camp. Cyborg had brought a backpack with three mini tents. Each fit at least two people; the last one could fit three, with Beast Boy being able to turn into any animal he chose. Beast Boy sat away from the group around the fire, looking into the night, sulking in his grief. Meanwhile, Nightwing folded his arms as he leaned closer toward the fire and turned his attention to his teammates.

"Ok, guys! We sleep until sunrise and then go to Kole's hut early to see if she knows anything about Raven's mom's ring."

"How do we know she knows anything?" asked Cyborg.

Nightwing shrugged.

"We don't. But we also got to take whatever opportunity we can just in case. Kole's been here for a long time, so maybe she saw the ring once or twice while on a walk or something."

Cyborg raised his eyebrow in skepticism.

"Raven, what do you think?" he asked Raven.

Raven adjusted herself on the log she sat on before looking toward Cyborg.

"I believe it's worth giving it a shot. If we can't locate the ring, we may not have another chance to defeat Slade."

Cyborg nodded in agreement before turning to Beast Boy. Noticing how his friend had barely said a word since they had arrived in the prehistoric underworld, Cyborg decided to try to attempt to get Beast Boy to open up.

"Hey, you want to come over and sit with us by the fire, B?" he offered.

Beast Boy let out an agitated grunt and didn't move from his spot. The reaction caught the attention of the rest of the group, who exchanged concerned looks with each other.

"Ok, kid. You've barely said anything all day. What's up?" chimed in Kid Flash.

Beast Boy said nothing, irritating Kid Flash.

"Kid?"

Suddenly, Beast Boy jumped down from the rock and turned to the others, his gloved hands curled into fists, eyes slanted in frustration, and nostrils flaring with fury. This expression told Nightwing that what the young boy would say next would not be pleasant.

"You wanna know what's been bugging me lately?! Why I'm not talking?! Or why do I just want to be left alone?! Fine! What is the point of this? Any of this?!" he shouted in anger.

Cyborg gulped at the reaction his friend was expressing. He didn't know what had come over the green changeling to make him think so pessimistically. Cyborg knew Beast Boy was going through the motions, but not as much as he thought.

"What do you mean, 'What is the point of this?'", questioned Cyborg.

Beast Boy marched up to Cyborg, pointing his finger towards the much taller titan's face, finger shaking in rage.

"You know what I mean! We beat Slade twice, and he comes back again. He has most of what he needs for whatever he's planning, and there has been nothing we've done to stop him! We beat Blood, but now he's back in charge of H.I.V.E and helping Slade! We beat Blackfire twice, and now she's Slade's apprentice! What is the point if they keep coming back?!"

Cyborg stood in shock, unsure how to handle his friend's rant. The look of contempt in Beast Boy's eyes saddened Cyborg, as he could tell the boy's pain was now worryingly high. Looking around nervously, Cyborg saw Wonder Girl slowly approach Beast Boy with her arms up in caution and attempted comfort.

"Gar, please, calm down!" she begged desperately.

"No!" shouted Beast Boy as he turned his attention to Donna.

"I'm sick and tired of everything we do, which is pointless! You don't know what it's like! You've only been here for a year, so don't act like you can just tell me everything will be ok!"

Hearing this, Donna lowered her arms, her eyes drooped, and her head tilted as the words absorbed her consciousness. As Beast Boy continued, she stopped talking and decided it was not worth further fueling the green changeling's rage.

"They got the parts and DNA for whatever it is they are making, and what have we got to show for it?! Nothing!"

Getting concerned with his Beast Boy's tirade, Nightwing decided to try to calm him down. He was their leader, after all, and letting this adverse reaction continue would not be healthy or productive for the mission at hand.

"Beast Boy, if you'd just.."

"And what about you?! Do you even have a plan?!" exclaimed Beast Boy as he pointed at Nightwing.

Nightwing, confused, took a step back, pointing to himself as he sweated next to the burning fire next to him.

"What? What are you talking about?"

Behind him, Nightwing turned and noticed Starfire, who had been silent most of the tirade, was about to get up and step in, but Nightwing held his hand to her to signal his beloved to sit back down, not wanting Starfire to be targeted by the tirade as well.

"You heard me!" continued Beast Boy.

"Do you even have a plan?! At all?! Because so far, I have seen nothing that looks like we are getting anywhere here!"

The words were piercing Nightwing like an ice pick to a cube. He tried to ignore the hateful words being spewed at him, but it was almost like his barriers were being battered and rammed with a solid metallic weapon. Nightwing felt his hands turn into fists as his emotions built up like cancer.

"Beast Boy. Please stop." Nightwing muttered.

On the outside, it looked like a directive from the leader to the subordinate, but in truth, Nightwing was desperately asking the youngest titan to stop his relentless harshness. Nightwing could tell he wouldn't be able to tolerate it for long and hoped Beast Boy would understand and stop. But unfortunately, the young titan continued.

"No! I'm going to say it! We have gotten nowhere so far! Half our friends are dead or in hiding, Slade's got control of H.I.V.E, and his plan is probably half finished, knowing our luck! And what's your idea of handling it?! Going to art museums?! Wasting time on other planets or fixing his pointless, failed relationship?!"

Beast Boy pointed at Wally at the last remark, which left the speedster with a look of shock and sadness.

"Is that your plan?! Wasting time with a stinking campfire instead of actually trying to beat Sl-"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Nightwing found himself shouting almost at the top of his lungs.

Beast Boy's passionate outburst was finally silenced, and his gaze shifted towards Nightwing. Nightwing approached the young titan with determined strides, leaning forward with barely contained anger. In his mind, Dick Grayson was at his breaking point. He had risked life and limb countless times, and his patience for the ungrateful rant had worn impossibly thin. He refused to endure it any longer.

"What do you want from me?! Huh?! What do you think I do? What have I done all these years?! My priority has always been to beat Slade! Do you think I wanted this?! Any of this?! All I've ever tried to do was try to keep everyone's spirits up and this team together for the past six years now, sacrificed nearly every ounce of strength in my body trying to end this war, and if you don't like it, you can just go and not come back!"

Nightwing suddenly collapsed to his knees, his breath heavy and his ears ringing from the stress. He struggled to think clearly as his head spun, almost as if he were on the brink of losing his mind. Then he felt a pair of hands on his chest and back. Looking up, he saw Starfire kneeling beside him, clearly trying to comfort him. He could see her lips moving but couldn't make out what she was saying, his ears still ringing loudly. As he remembered where he was and what he had said, Nightwing looked back at Beast Boy. The green titan's angered expression remained unchanged, except for a tear streaming down his cheek. Horror filled Nightwing as he observed the tear. He realized he had said something no leader should ever say to their teammates. Overwhelmed by guilt, Nightwing extended his hand to Beast Boy, desperately wanting to explain.

"Beast Boy, please. I didn't mean that," he muttered desperately.

Beast Boy's expression remained undeterred.

"Yes, you did," he exclaimed.

"No, please!" begged Nightwing.

"I'm not exactly all right either."

He pointed to his temple to show what he was talking about.

"Up here, I mean."

Raven, who had remained quiet throughout the argument, suddenly rose from her seat and positioned herself between the two, lifting her arms to keep them apart.

"Ok, guys. Let's just relax and try to.."

"Raven!" snapped Beast Boy, his arm held toward her.

"If you really want to show you care about me, just close your mouth and stop! Got it?!"

Raven lowered her hands and stepped back, holding her hand on her chest. Her face drooped in sadness at the remark, as if this was the harshest thing anyone had said to Raven. She stopped talking as Beast Boy took a few steps back, looking at his teammates angrily and sadly. Beast Boy whipped the tear from his face as he disappointedly shook his head at everyone.

"I'm done."

With that, he turned and ran a few inches down the path before turning into a green hawk and flying into the night. Without thinking, Nightwing got back onto his feet and began running toward the path before him.

"Beast Boy, wait!" he shouted desperately.

Before he could go any further, Nightwing found Cyborg now in front of him, placing his arms on his leader's shoulders, preventing him from going further.

"Whoa, whoa! What do you think you're doing?"

Nightwing scowled.

"What does it look like?! Let me go!"

Cyborg didn't budge, still holding Nightwing back with all his might.

"Dude, no! You can't talk to him now like this!"

"Cyborg, let me-"

"LISTEN!" shouted Cyborg.

Nightwing finally stopped and looked at Cyborg, panting.

"Listen, I get it. You're not in a good mindset. None of you two are. No one's mad at you, but neither of you can talk like this. Both of you need to calm down."

Nightwing bowed his head, digesting the advice. Despite acknowledging Cyborg's likely correctness, he couldn't shake his guilt for his treatment of Beast Boy.

"But…"

"Listen." continued Cyborg.

"I'll go look for him. You try to get a good night's sleep and calm down. I'll meet you guys at Kole's hut tomorrow as you try to find the ring and see if I can get Beast Boy back."

Realising Cyborg was right, Nightwing nodded, though he still felt remorse for his behavior.

"Yeah, I know. It's just…what he said…what I said."

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and Nightwing turned to find Starfire attempting to comfort him.

"I think Cyborg is right. You've both had a long day and are in dire need of sleep. I'm sure Beast Boy will come around once he's calmed down."

Nightwing grimaced in response.

"Ok,"

He followed Starfire as they entered their tent for the night, but before he could fully get inside, Nightwing looked back at Cyborg, who was about to go off into the night.

"If you find him, please tell him I'm sorry."

Cyborg nodded as he ran out of sight into the night.

Nightwing stuck his head into the tent while Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Raven stood in shock and silence around the dying campfire.

"I don't get it!" commented Kid Flash in disbelief.

"I thought I helped him."

Wonder Girl approached Kid Flash and put her hand on his shoulder in assurance.

"Wally, let's just go to bed and figure it out tomorrow."

Wally hesitated for a beat before compiling and joining Wonder Girl as they crawled into their tent. This left Raven standing out in the field, looking shocked and confused. She felt she deserved some blame for speaking out of turn when trying to calm her friends down. Raven never meant to upset Beast Boy; now, her friend was gone and could be anywhere in this prehistoric underworld. Raven did her best to control her emotions, as her powers would go out of control, but she found it difficult because of the remorse she felt for what happened. Closing her eyes, she sighed and allowed a tear to roll down her cheek as she went into her tent to sleep the pain away, hopefully.

When morning had arrived, the five remaining titans had packed up their tents and continued on the trail to Kole's hut. Nightwing took the lead, albeit reluctantly, as he still couldn't shake off the breakdown he and Beast Boy had that night, nor the guilt of potentially driving the young titan away. Starfire walked next to him, wanting to be there for him if he needed her. Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Raven took the back; the trio was also baffled by how Beast Boy acted.

"I don't understand it," Kid Flash muttered to himself.

"How could this have happened?"

"Wally, let's not get into it," advised Wonder Girl.

Wally shook his head.

"I thought we worked things out. When we fought the brotherhood at the waterworks."

Wonder Girl shrugged

"I guess Gar didn't feel like discussing what was happening with him. "

Wally raised his eyebrow in response.

"But why? Why wouldn't he feel comfortable coming to any of us if he was hurting this bad?"

"Because.." joined in Raven.

".. Maybe he didn't feel like he could come to us. I mean, it's not always easy to talk to people about your problems. Especially when you don't want to be seen as a burden among your loved ones."

Wally looked at Donna in confusion before turning back to Raven.

"And you'd know this how?"

Raven sighed.

"Because I've been where he's at before."

Wally looked empathetic as he continued walking down the trail.

Up ahead, Nightwing continued to lead from the front, though he tilted his head in shame, still feeling guilt over what had happened the previous night. Starfire flanked his right, glancing at the man she loved, trying not to look too watchful of him. She was concerned for him, especially after his outburst toward Beast Boy. Starfire knew Nightwing didn't mean to act the way he did, but she also knew that if he didn't talk about whatever was troubling him soon, another incident would more than likely occur. Starfire opened her mouth to say something but closed it after seeing the look on his face.

It can wait, she thought to herself.

After another hour of walking, the four titans finally reached Kole's hut. It was a rickety structure made with various pieces of tree bark and bamboo, obviously picked up from areas in the underground jungle. The Titans didn't know exactly how, but Kole seemed to have structured her hovel enough so that it would stay up and not collapse despite its flawed design. In the middle of the structure was a small door, most likely because of Kole's height.

"Shall we knock?" asked Starfire.

Nightwing shrugged before kneeling before the door and giving it two knocks. After a few seconds, the door opened, and in the frame stood a small girl with pink hair, a white and blue dress, and pink antennae on her head. She had an innocent expression as she looked up at her visitors in delight.

"Why, hello, Titans! It's a pleasant surprise to see you here! It's been too long."

"The feeling is very much mutual, Kole," replied Starfire pleasantly.

"What brings you to my domain so suddenly?"

Before the Titans could answer, Kole stepped out the door and examined her visitors. After a beat, her eyebrow went up in confusion.

"Wait, a minute! Where's Beast Boy and Cyborg?" she asked.

Nightwing froze at the mention of the former. Right now, bringing Beast Boy up wasn't achieving his confidence well. Nightwing sighed and tried to think of how to explain the absence of his two friends.

"Uh…well... You see.."

"It's a long story." chimed in Raven.

"We can explain it later. We are on a critical mission that could require your help. Is it ok if we come inside?"

Kole smiled and nodded.

"Of Course!"

She then stepped to the side and held her hand towards the interior of her home.

"Right this way!"

Nightwing led the group in, hunching down because of the size of the doorframe, getting in securely, and being followed by his teammates. When they all got in, the Titans observed the hut's interior. It appeared to be a simple hut with a small living room, two doors leading to other rooms, a makeshift stove area for food, a moth-eaten couch in the middle of the living room, and a table with two chairs, one small and the other massive. Nightwing could guess who the second chair belonged to, prompting his next question.

"Hey, is Gnarkk around?" he asked Kole.

Gnarkk was a giant caveman who also lived in the prehistoric underbelly of the Arctic and protected Kole, and in return, she considered him her best friend. Despite his lack of proper communication, he proved a formidable ally to the Titans.

"Oh, he's out gathering some food for us for lunch! Shouldn't be back too long," Kole explained.

Nightwing grimaced as Kole sat on her couch and turned to face the Titans.

"Now, what brings you to see me?" she asked.

Taking charge of the conversation, Raven moved past her friends to get to the center of the living area and knelt in front of the couch before digging into her cloak for something. After a few seconds, Raven pulled a paper roll from the cloak and held it near Kole.

"Here's the deal, Kole: recently, the brotherhood of evil reunited, now run by our old enemy Slade. He has regained powers given to him by my father, Trigon, and is extremely powerful now. We need to know if you have ever seen a relic from my mother that we believe is lost here, as we have discovered it is the way to beat him. Understand?"

Kole's pleasant smile faded as she took the conversation in, her expression now plastered with concern.

"They've reunited? Under that evil man?" she asked.

Raven nodded.

"The very one who made Nightwing his apprentice and helped your father rule the world?"

"The very same," replied Raven.

Wanting to get to the point, Raven unrolled the paper and showed Kole what appeared to be a drawing of an elegant ring with a gold finish and a red jewel in the middle.

"Do you know anything about this ring?" asked Raven.

Kole leaned forward and squinted at the drawing of the ring, thoroughly examining it. After a few seconds, her eyes widened, and Kole jumped back into her seat with an excited smile.

"Oh yes! I've seen it!" she exclaimed.

"You did?!" Kid Flash, Raven, and Wonder Girl all shouted simultaneously.

Kole nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! A few years back, Gnarrk gave me a ring as a present for our friendship's anniversary! He apparently had to fight off a few pterodactyls to get it, but it was worth it! I did not know it belonged to your mother. If I had, I would have given it to you long ago."

Raven glanced at her friends, relieved, while Kid Flash crossed his arms skeptically.

"Huh. That's the luckiest coincidence we've ever encountered."

"How do we know it's the one we are looking for?" asked Wonder Girl, her brow furrowed in concern.

Realizing Wonder Girl was right, Raven returned to Kole and rolled up the drawing.

"Kole! Can you grab the ring and show it to us?" she asked urgently.

Kole nodded again with a warm smile.

"Why, of course!"

Cyborg's gears were aching. He had spent several hours running through the night, looking for his missing friend, and the trek was taking a toll on his cybernetics and what remained of his human body. Deciding to rest quickly, Cyborg leaned against a nearby tree and exhaled heavily from exhaustion. After a few seconds, Cyborg continued running through the trees. He had tried to call out Beast Boy's name earlier but stopped after half an hour, with no sign of the young changeling returning to him. Cyborg even tried Beast Boy's titan-comm, but all that came through was blank static. Cyborg was concerned. He wanted to know why his friend had that breakdown the other night. Why couldn't Beast Boy come to his friends with his issues, and more importantly, why did the young titan feel the need to run off like that? In a way, Cyborg knew part of the reason for the latter, as what Nightwing had said may have touched one of Beast Boy's nerves, but he knew there had to be more to the reason for his abandonment. After limping for a while, a sound went off at Cyborg's side, and Cyborg looked to find it coming from his titan comm. Hoping it was Beast Boy, Cyborg quickly picked it up and turned it on.

"Beast Boy, is that you?" he said into it.

Alas, not Beast Boy's voice came out of the comm, but Kid Flash's instead, disappointing Cyborg.

"Nah, it's me! Kid Flash. I take it you still haven't found the kid, huh?"

Cyborg sighed.

"No, not yet. But I'm still looking. How are you guys doing at Kole's? Did you find anything?"

"Yeah," replied Kid Flash.

"Turns out Kole had the ring all along. She's working on looking for it in her back room."

Cyborg smiled.

"That's great! Once I find Beast Boy, we'll meet you at the hut and head home! Cyborg out!"

Cyborg then put his titan comm on his waist and continued his trek through the jungle.

After another half hour, Cyborg took another rest near a pair of trees when he noticed something unusual on the ground. Beneath a thicket of grace was a device with a yellow rim and black center with a white "T" in the middle. Cyborg picked up the device and skimmed it before grinning. Beast Boy had to be near. Holding it in his left hand, Cyborg went down a steep hill before turning to a clearing in the trees leading to a waterfall. As Cyborg approached, pushing his way through the bushes, he noticed a massive rock near the river and a figure standing atop it. Cyborg hurried out of the thickets to the rock, and when he got there, Cyborg saw a green skinned, 19-year-old boy standing on top of the rock, staring at the waterfall before him, wearing a white and red jumpsuit. Cyborg smiled with relief.

"So this is where you ran off to, huh?" he remarked.

Despite Beast Boy not turning to face him, Cyborg could tell he was listening.

"What are you doing here?" asked Beast Boy gruffly.

Cyborg's smile faded.

"I came to find my friend. I spent all night looking for you. You had us all scared when you yelled at us last night."

Beast Boy didn't respond. Cyborg frowned.

"Are we going back or not?" he asked loudly.

Beast Boy shook his head.

"I'm not going back," he stated.

Cyborg tilted his head, his brow furrowed.

"What? Why not?" he asked.

Beast Boy repositioned himself on the rock and sat down before turning to face Cyborg.

"You heard Nightwing last night: If I didn't like how things were going, I could leave and not return. Decided to take him up on the offer."

Upon hearing this, Cyborg sighed in frustration and placed his hand on his head in annoyance.

"Dude! You know he didn't mean that. You know, when he gets upset, he says things he doesn't mean. I'm not saying what he said was okay, but you can't believe he really meant that."

Beast Boy remained unperturbed by the explanation and defiantly folded his arms.

"Why should I believe that? Every time I believe in the good in things, it usually all goes downhill for me," he pouted.

Feeling frustrated, Cyborg folded his arms and leaned forward, curious to understand the cause of his friend's agitation.

"Ok, how about this? I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's eating at you. I'll stand here for as long as I have to."

Beast Boy turned again to face Cyborg, his expression now concerned.

"But.. but what about your battery?" he asked.

Cyborg shook his head.

"If it being drained is what it takes to get you to talk, I'll risk it."

Beast Boy glanced at him, then looked away. "What's the point? You wouldn't get it."

"Try me." Cyborg took a step closer, his voice softer now. "I've seen you at your best and your worst, man. Whatever you're feeling, you don't have to carry it alone."

Averting his gaze, Beast Boy resisted the temptation of Cyborg's efforts to make him speak. For a brief moment, Beast Boy succeeded in averting his gaze, but then he turned around and saw Cyborg still standing there, arms folded and his eyes unwaveringly fixed on him. Beast Boy couldn't shake the thought, worried that his friend's actions could ultimately deplete his own life force without truly aiding him. Covered in sweat, Beast Boy tightly gripped his fists, struggling to resist the temptation before finally releasing his grip and relaxing his hands.

"Fine, you win!" he announced.

"You want to know why I feel like it's hopeless?"

"Yes, I would," replied Cyborg.

Sighing, Beast Boy clenched his fists and stared at his reflection in the river.

. "I thought I could save her. Terra. All of them. And now they're gone because of me. When I first joined the Titans all those years ago, I never thought deeply about the consequences of our actions or even my own actions. I saw it as an escape. As a way, I could find a purpose in my life. To be with kids my age. I never went to school because Mento and Elastigirl always needed me for missions, so they home-schooled me. Then I became a Titan, and it felt like it was finally like being an actual kid. Then she came into our lives."

"Terra, I'm assuming?" asked Cyborg.

Beast Boy nodded.

"I liked no one the way I liked her. I mean, she was beautiful, cool, fun—everything I wanted in a girl. And I thought I was doing good, trying to be someone she could trust. Someone Terra could rely on. And then Nightwing accidentally said he knew her powers were uncontrollable, and she ran. I never blamed him for it. I knew it was a mistake, but seeing Terra run off like that still hurt."

"I get that," responded Cyborg in a calmer, more understanding tone.

Beast Boy grinned slightly at the mood change in Cyborg's inflection before continuing his story.

"But things looked up for me when she returned a week later and joined us. Having Terra around made me feel like the world couldn't get any better. And then I made my move. And we both know how that turned out."

He then let a tear slide from his eyelid onto his rural cheek before it fell into the river below, making a series of tiny ripples. Beast Boy then continued.

"And after our fight with Slade in the cave, when she sacrificed herself to save us, it hurt, but at least I knew it wasn't my fault." It doesn't change the fact I wish there were another way to have beaten Slade that could have also spared her life. I did what I could to move on when we fought Blood, Trigon, and Brain, but when I saw Terra at that school, I thought I could resolve things. Get things back to the way they were. And again, you know how that turned out."

Cyborg nodded.

"And recently?"

"And recently.." continued Beast Boy.

".. I just found out not only did Slade trick me and actually killed her, but apparently there was a chance to save her, and I didn't take it!"

"You couldn't have known she survived, dude! None of us could have," chimed in Cyborg.

"Yes, we could!" Beast Boy shouted back.

""Yes, we could!" Beast Boy shouted. His voice cracked as he continued, "If we'd just gone back to the cave—if we'd done something—maybe she'd still be here. If we had gone to the cave more often to mourn her, maybe she could have emerged from the stone, and we could have saved her life. And the Titans East, too. Pantha, Thunder, Lightning, Argent—they're gone because we…"

Beast Boy froze for a beat as he took a deep breath and regained his composure before kneeling forward on the rock. His words faltered, his fists clenched as tears welled up. "Because I couldn't save them."

Hearing the last part, Cyborg unfolded his arms and took another step forward.

"First off, none of that is your fault!" he exclaimed.

"None of us could have known that Terra had survived being trapped in stone, and all of us are to blame for what happened to the Honorary Titans because we didn't keep in touch with them as much since our battle with the last brotherhood. Don't hold that on yourself. Second, you gotta stop bottling everything up! We can't help you if you keep shouldering all this onto yourself."

Beast Boy turned his head to face Cyborg.

"But if I only went back to see her-"

"You can't change it!" Cyborg interrupted.

"We can't change the past! All we can do is keep moving forward with what we have. Trust me; I know what you are feeling right now. When I lost my mom in the car accident that took away half my skin and bone, I wished every day that there could have been a way to prevent that from happening, I spent months thinking I could've done something to save my mom, but eventually, I had to come to terms with the fact that you can't fix everything.

Before Cyborg could say anything else, he took a moment to pause, carefully observing Beast Boy's demeanor, and allowed the young boy to process the information he had just shared before he resumed speaking. Cyborg realized he had to drop the harsh approach as the conversation continued. It would be time to adopt a kinder approach when the changeling came to with his emotions. After a few seconds, Beast Boy looked at Cyborg again, his eyes wide.

"You… you don't talk about her."

"Doesn't mean I don't think about her," Cyborg said, his voice heavy. "But beating myself up didn't bring her back. It just made me push the people I still had away. Don't make that mistake, B."

"Then..how do you go on? With all of this?"

Cyborg unfolded his arms.

"I'm afraid there's no simple answer to that man. I wish there were. All we can do now is try our best with what we have now. We can't bring Terra or the the honorary Titans back, but I can promise that we will defeat Slade and avenge them. Together."

Beast Boy hesitated, his shoulders slumping. "It's just... what if I mess up again? What if I let you guys down?"

"You won't. And even if you do, we've got your back. That's what being a Titan means." responded Cyborg.

Cyborg's progress was clear when Beast Boy, instead of just turning his head, repositioned his entire body toward Cyborg, displaying a newfound openness to his friend's words. Then, Cyborg extended his hand toward Beast Boy.

"So, are you going to sit up on that rock and sulk or help us beat Slade?"

Beast Boy looked out toward the waterfall and pondered his decision. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Cyborg was right. Beast Boy couldn't let the loss of his comrades interfere with his well-being. And he figured Terra, wherever she was now, wouldn't want him to sit around feeling sorry for himself, especially after what Slade did to her. Deciding, Beast Boy slid down from the rock, approached Cyborg, and grabbed his hand, weakly smiling.

"I wanna help you guys. I wanna be a titan again."

And with that, Cyborg reached his side and held out Beast Boy's titan comm. Beast Boy grabbed it and attached the device to his belt.

"Great!" exclaimed Cyborg.

"Now, let's catch up with the others."

"One moment," said Beast Boy.

He then turned into a green horse, confusing Cyborg.

"Why a horse?" he asked.

"Well, Wildfire called you a knight in shining armor, so I figured every knight needs his horse." Beast Boy explained.

Cyborg chuckled and stroked Beast Boy's mane.

"Now that's my best bud! Booyah!"

Cyborg climbed onto Beast Boy's horse form and, because of the lack of reigns, leaned over and held on to Beast Boy's neck to steady himself.

"I'll give you directions to Kole's hut. Now let's go!" shouted Cyborg.

With that, Beast Boy lifted his front two legs, released a mighty "neigh" sound, and rushed into the jungle with Cyborg on his back.

In Kole's hut, Kid Flash finished asking Cyborg if he had any luck finding Beast Boy before putting his titan comm on his waist. He then walked up to Raven, who was sitting on Kole's couch.

"Cyborg hasn't found Beast Boy yet. How's Kole coming with the ring?"

"She's still digging in her closet for it," answered Raven.

Kid Flash appeared annoyed.

"How long does it take to find a simple ring?" he pouted.

"Hey!" interjected Wonder Girl, who was waiting with Starfire and Nightwing on the other side of the room.

"It's a ring about this small.." Donna pinched her fingers to make her point,

".. and it's been a while since she had taken it out. Cut her some slack."

Kid Flash rolled his eyes and leaned on the wall. On the other side of the room, Starfire stood near the door with Nightwing, waiting for the ring to be found. Starfire looked toward Nightwing and saw him slumped on the ground with his arms resting on his knees, obviously sulking to himself. Starfire lifted her eyebrows, trying to ponder what to do as she was concerned for his mental health, especially after his outburst the other night. Unsure of what to do, Starfire eyed Wonder Girl, thinking about asking for advice. Starfire held her hand out but then stopped and pulled it back. Scowling, Starfire knew what she must do. It was time to get tough and stop accepting Nightwing's avoidance of facing his issues. Taking a deep breath, Starfire bent her knees to Nightwing's level, placing her hand on his shoulder in a stoic but comforting assurance.

"Listen! Nightwing, this pain is consuming you, and I won't stand by any longer. Talk to me. Now."

After completing her sentence, Starfire amazed herself with her own assertiveness towards Nightwing. Taking a quick glance at her friends, she couldn't help but notice the mix of admiration and shock on their faces. She paid special attention to Donna's expression, which she found both impressed and shocked, and couldn't help but admire it. As Starfire's focus returned to Nightwing, she observed him leaning against the wall. Despite his fatigue, as evidenced by his drained expression, he tried to lift himself slightly and meet her gaze.

"Starfire. Answer this: do you think I'm a good leader?"

Before Starfire could answer, Nightwing held his finger up.

"Before you say anything, I'd like it if you'd answer me as a teammate and as a teammate only."

He put down his finger and allowed Starfire to answer.

"Why, of course, I think you are an excellent leader!" she responded.

Nightwing softly chuckled to himself.

"You sure about that? I didn't look for Slade, and now he's back. I drove Beast Boy away. And Terra wouldn't be dead if it weren't for me. She wouldn't have run to Slade if it weren't for me."

Starfire raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"But.. she only ran away because she thought Beast Boy told her secret to us."

"Yeah, and you want to know why she thought that?" asked Nightwing.

"Because I figured it out and said it out loud. If I hadn't, maybe none of this would have happened."

Starfire couldn't stand to see Nightwing having that mindset. It wasn't true. His leadership was one reason she loved Nightwing, and to see him doubt his leadership skills was something Starfire would not stand for.

"Don't doubt yourself like that. This team wouldn't be here without you. You have done so much for us. We all make mistakes. That doesn't mean we are less competent than you think you are."

Nightwing shrugged.

"To be perfectly honest, Star, when I first came to Jump City, I wasn't even there looking for a team. I just wanted to prove to Bruce that I could make it on my own and that I wasn't just a kid. Then, when I became the leader of this team, all I wanted was to save this city and protect my friends. But all it seems is that I just hurt everyone around me. Most of the honorary titans are dead. I drove Beast Boy away. I caused Jinx to run off."

The last sentence triggered something in Kid Flash because he clenched his fist when he heard Nightwing mention her name.

"What did you say you did?" he asked.

"I approved of that mission; if I didn't, maybe Jinx wouldn't have gone off," answered Nightwing.

Suddenly, Kid Flash crouched toward Nightwing's level, raised his hand, and struck it across Nightwing's face, sending spit flying across the room. The action shocked the girls, and they attempted to go forward to stop Wally from further action, but they stopped when Wally held his hand toward them.

"Stay back! Don't worry! I know what I'm doing!" he said.

The girls hesitantly listened to Wally and stepped back. Wally turned to Nightwing, who was holding his cheek in pain and scowling at him.

"Kid Flash! Why did you-"

"What did I tell you?!" exclaimed Wally.

"What did I tell you that night?! Not to take everything like it's your fault!"

Nightwing held up his hand in protest.

"Kid Flash, listen.."

"No! You're going to hear this, dude!" cut off Wally.

"Yes, you approved the mission, but Raven and I didn't tell you what we would do! I violated Jinx's mind, and she rightfully got angry at me! That burden lies with me, not you. Stop blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault. I won't stand you doing that any longer! Do you understand?!"

Nightwing didn't know what to say. While he would have preferred the responsibility to lie with him rather than a teammate, Dick Grayson couldn't deny that Wally was right about the situation. In retrospect, had Wally informed him of his and Raven's plans for the night, Nightwing would have approached things differently and devised a more tactical strategy. With this realization, Nightwing turned his gaze towards Kid Flash and gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"Yeah. I understand. You're right. You're right; I guess that was me going a little too hard on myself," the young leader admitted.

With that, Kid Flash got to his feet, his eyes not leaving Nightwing.

"Good," he responded.

He then turned to the girls, appearing regretful upon seeing his teammate's concerned expressions.

"I'm sorry you ladies had to see that. Especially you, Starfire. But I couldn't let him think that way about himself. Or take on burdens that aren't his"

"I understand," replied Starfire, almost hesitant.

She understood Wally had to make sense of Nightwing, but she wished he had done it without striking him. Getting to his feet, Nightwing folded his arms and lowered his head, still feeling the emotional pain of his current situation.

"I still wouldn't say I did so well. I mean, I couldn't even have a good Titan's appreciation day for Wonder Girl."

"What are you talking about?" asked Wonder Girl.

"If you hadn't gotten me out there, I probably wouldn't have conquered my fear of Circe. I'd say it was a success to me. I don't know why you're fussing over it."

Nightwing contemplated the words of Wonder Girl. Upon further consideration, she had indeed vanquished Circe, who had subjected Donna to over a year of trauma after transforming her boyfriend into a pig. It wasn't until Donna defeated her enemy and saved her friends from evil that the ordeal ended. Donna's perspective on the experience took aback Nightwing, finding it surprising that she did not view it as traumatizing. Like Wally, Nightwing acknowledged Donna was likely correct in asserting that the appreciation day was largely successful. Nevertheless, he felt that this was insufficient. He knew that there were more mistakes he had made, which had placed his teammates in this unfortunate situation.

"Ok, you might have a point there. But none of these changes the fact that we wouldn't be in this conflict if I hadn't helped Slade regain his powers when we fought against Trigon. If I hadn't fallen for his lies."

"You didn't!" said a raspy, soft voice.

The group gathered in the living area, drawn by Raven's presence at the room's core. With a graceful bow of her head, she turned her back to the group, her enigmatic presence captivating their attention.

"What?" Asked Nightwing.

"You didn't help Slade," replied Raven

"Do you want to know what you did that day? You saved me."

Raven then walked toward Nightwing and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You risked your life that day to save one of your teammates, knowing the cost of your decision. Only a true, brave, and honorable leader would have done it. And…"

Raven sighed as she closed her eyes and bowed her head once more.

"I don't know if I can ever repay you for what you did."

Upon Nightwing's surprise, Raven unexpectedly embraced him, holding her leader gently but firmly. Nightwing couldn't help but reciprocate, reminiscing about the day Raven had spoken of. He also reflected on Raven's gratitude for his belief in her, despite her ominous fate, and his unwavering determination to shield her from her father's malevolence. After a moment, Raven released Nightwing, her face lighting up with a warm smile.

"Besides, I'd follow you into battle any day, no matter what," she said.

"Me too!" joined in Kid Flash, stepping up.

"Same here," chimed in Wonder Girl.

Heart warming, Nightwing couldn't help but smile at his teammate's shared loyalty to him at that moment. It reminded him that despite his flaws, he wasn't a failure as a leader. Still feeling a little unsure, he turned to Starfire, who folded her arms confidently.

"I think you know my thoughts already," she explained.

Nightwing nodded.

"Yeah, I do," he responded.

He knew Starfire well enough to know that no matter what, teammate or boyfriend, she would never lose faith in his leadership skills and always see the good in him.

"So.." continued Starfire. "Is this enough evidence to prove you are an exceptional leader?"

Nightwing was inclined to agree, but memories of Beast Boy's sudden departure after their argument made him hesitate. He still felt tremendous guilt about what he said to the young titan and feared the worst for their relationship.

"But.. but Beast Boy.."

"... will have to be able to sort things out himself with Cyborg's help, hopefully," said Starfire, placing her hands on Nightwing's shoulder.

"All we can do is wait."

Nightwing was about to protest when a voice behind him shouted, "Found it!"

The group turned around to find Kole running back into the room, holding a ring in her tiny hand.

"Sorry, it took me so long. I haven't worn it in a while. Is this what you are looking for?"

Raven advanced and delicately retrieved the ring from Kole's hand. Holding the ring to her face, she scrutinized it intently. She retrieved the ring drawing from her pocket and compared the two. The ring in her possession resembled the depicted gold band, and though the diamond at its center appeared somewhat dusty, it shared the same crimson hue. Suddenly, Raven's eyes widened as her body emitted a purple glow, which extended to the ring, causing the diamond to emanate a red brilliance. After a few moments, the hues dissipated, and Raven drew a deep breath before smiling contentedly.

"This is it!" she announced.

"This is my mother's ring! I can feel its energy! I can feel my mother's energy flowing through it!"

Raven then put it in her pocket and bent her knees before Kole's compact frame.

"Kole! Thank you for your help!"

Kole smiled and bowed to Raven.

"I'm glad I could assist my friends," she said.

Raven nodded and returned to her feet before looking to Nightwing, whose expression was equally pleased.

"Excellent!" he said.

"Now, all we got to do is wait for Cyborg to return with Beast Boy and-"

"Wait!" shouted Raven suddenly, her hand out towards Nightwing and her head turned to the front living area.

"Be quiet for a moment! Everyone!"

The group headed Raven's command, looking at each other silently with confused expressions. Squinting, Raven slowly tiptoed into the main living area, pressing her head to her forehead in concentration. She could sense the danger was near, and Raven needed to identify it before it hurt her or her friends. Concentrating hard, Raven could sense multiple events outside the hut: birds chirping, bees buzzing, and frogs croaking. None of these seemed dangerous, but Raven still sensed something was off. Closing her eyes, Raven concentrated harder on finding out what the issue could be. After a second or two, an object started to come into focus. The object appeared to be a silver phallic object moving on a metal wheel, being turned around until clocking into a metal barrel. Raven opened her eyes in shock and terror. She knew what it was threatening them—a loaded weapon.

"On the ground! Now!" Raven shouted as she ran over to her friends before ducking and covering.

The other's confusion disappeared when, suddenly, a hail of metal bullets tore through Kole's walls and rained tiny, dangerous pieces of metal into the room. Complying, Nightwing jumped to the ground, quickly crawled to a nearby corner, and hid behind it. Taking a peek, Nightwing noticed behind the swarm of metal; Wonder Girl turned over Kole's table and used it as a shield for her, Kole, Starfire, and Kid Flash as the bullets hammered themselves into the tough wood. Concerned, Nightwing turned to Raven and saw her conjuring a wall of black energy to help shield herself. The bullets bounced off of Raven's shield at a rapid pace, almost blurred from increased motion.

"My home!" shouted a terrified Kole over the sound of pinging metal coming into the hut.

Raven looked behind her and noticed the table Donna was using to shield her friends was breaking apart, so Raven got to her feet, the energy field still projected in front of her, and moved backward slowly until she got to the others. When Raven got closer, Wonder Girl, still holding the shredded table in front of her, continued to block the hail of bullets. Behind her, Kid Flash grabbed Raven and Kole and zipped them behind Raven while Donna tossed away the wrecked table and joined the group. Nightwing looked behind the corner and jerked his head back quickly after a series of bullets soared towards his head. He knew it would be only a matter of time before they stopped.

A few feet away from the hut stood a hill, and upon the hill was Task Force X, led by Dr Light, watching as the member Deadshot showered the hut with a multitude of bullets from his wrist cannons, shattering the wood of the hut rapidly. Eventually, Light, having enough of the chaos, grabbed Deadshot's left wrist.

"Enough!" he shouted.

Deadshot's wrist cannons finally ceased fire on the hut, and the assassin turned to Light.

"What? I'm doing what you told me to do!" he argued.

"No!" responded Light.

"I said to fire a warning shot! Not blow them to smithereens! Besides, knowing Slade, he may need Nightwing alive!"

"Hey!" shouted Deadshot, holding his finger toward Light's chin.

"I'm in this for one thing and one thing only: to take out the Bat's former boy blunder, and if you don't like it…"

Before Deadshot could finish, Light dug into his pocket, pulled out a trigger, and held it up to Deadshot's face. Deadshot stopped talking, his eyes focused on the trigger before him. The other members stepped backward with terrified expressions on their faces. Deadshot sweated beneath his mask, fearing what Light might do to him.

"If I recall correctly, Deadshot, your duty was to do whatever I say unless you want that chip in your head to go off and give you a shortened life, am I correct?" threatened Light.

Deadshot took a step back and looked toward his teammates for support. They shook their heads, not wanting to get involved. Deadshot relaxed his body and nodded, realizing he wouldn't get out of this circumstance. His desire would have to wait.

"Yes. Yes, sir," he said.

Light grinned and shoved the trigger in his pocket.

"Good. Now, go check to see if there are any survivors. Remember captives only. Any deaths, and you know the drill."

Agreeing, Deadshot turned to his other teammates and pointed toward them.

"Bronze Tiger, Cheshire, Boomerang! You come with me. Bloodsport! Take to the nearest tree and scope out any attacks. Psimon! Stand guard by the hill. Your backup."

Bronze Tiger nodded and walked toward Deadshot, being closely followed by Chesire and Boomerang. Bloodsport began climbing the tree nearest to him, and Psimon stood on the hill's edge, prepping for incoming attacks. Deadshot jumped from the hill and landed on the dirt ground hard, looking up toward the hut with intrigue. He stood for a moment, examining the bullet holes from within the wood walls of the hut. Deadshot had been a mercenary for many years and slaughtered many people, so, from his experience, any survivors would be a miracle from being sprayed with that many bullets. Needing to know if he hit his targets, Deadshot decided to take the first look at the damage.

"Stand back!" he shouted to Tiger, Cheshire, and Boomerang, holding his hand out to them.

"I'll check it out."

The trio stopped, obeying Deadshot's orders. Deadshot then turned back to the hut and slowly approached the door. Being cautious, Deadshot quickly leaned himself at the side of the doorframe, holding his wrist guns up in a battle-ready position. He leaned his ear on the battered wood to see if he could hear any sound from within. Nothing. Deadshot scowled under his mask. If he killed them, it could be his life. Wanting to ensure the job wasn't a bust, Deadshot jumped in front of the door, lifted his foot, and slammed it on the wooden door, knocking it open into the hut. Deadshot stood in front of the door and held his wrist guns out.

A pair of feet covered in a dark jumpsuit swung from the ceiling and slammed into his stomach painfully, knocking Deadshot a few inches from the doorframe and causing him to land hard on the dirt-covered ground. Head spinning and back in pain, Deadshot slowly lifted himself to see who attacked him. It was hard to tell as his vision was off, but Deadshot's vision returned after a second. He saw in front of him a young man wearing a black and blue jumpsuit with long black hair and a black face mask. It was Nightwing.

"Nice try, but it's going to take a lot more than that to take us out, Deadshot," said Nightwing.

Behind him, Starfire, Raven, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Kole ran out to join him.

"You're gonna pay for ruining my home!" threatened Kole.

Getting to his feet, Deadshot laughed as he walked back to join his teammates.

"Lucky I don't want your house then. My business is with the former boy wonder here," he jeered.

Reaching back, Nightwing bulled out his escrima and pointed one of them toward Deadshot.

"Come and get me then."

Deadshot held his wrist gauntlet up in a threatening gesture toward his prey.

"Big mistake," he responded.

Nightwing turned to the other Titans and winked toward them.

"Titans! Go!"

The others followed his orders, ran toward the squad, and engaged in combat with them. Nightwing engaged with Deadshot while Raven went against Psimon, Kid Flash against Boomerang, Starfire and Wonder Girl against Bronze Tiger, and Kole ran off into the jungle. Noticing this, Chesire leaped into the jungle, intending to chase after Kole.

Raven approached Psimon, intending to engage in combat. Dr. Light stood alongside the hillside, and the latter observed her from there. Psimon chuckled to himself before extending his arms on either side and telekinetically lifting a pair of rocks. The stones ascended from the earth, and with a gesture from Psimon towards Raven, he hurled them toward her. As they soared toward her, Raven closed her eyes quickly and chanted, "Azarath mentrion ZINTHOS!". The hurling rocks turned black before shattering into pieces and sprinkled onto the ground. Psimon covered his face to shield himself from the rubble. When he was sure it was over, Psimon uncovered his face to find the cloaked demi-demon before him, eyes red and dark cloak opened. Psimon wanted to get out of the way, but his curiosity prevented him from moving. Suddenly, Raven encased Psimon in her cloak and held on tightly to prevent escape. Dr Light took a few steps back upon seeing this, as he knew what was occurring. During Light's first encounter with the Titans, Raven had also encased him in her cloak, and Light saw horrors he didn't dare speak of as they were too intense for even the toughest man on earth to handle. After a few seconds, Raven lifted her cloak, and Psimon emerged from it, falling to the ground with his legs crunched up and hands on knees, shaking in fear. Light hesitated to go near Psimon as to him, Psimon's fate was nothing more than a write-off to their mission, and Light could live with one man down. Despite feeling a little sympathy, Light could only say, "Better him than me" at the sentiment.

Kid Flash was getting ready to battle Captain Boomerang, who was at a distance. The duo positioned themselves several feet away from each other, prepared to engage in combat. Realizing he had to outsmart Boomerang, Wally knew winning this time was essential. Wally propelled himself forward by pushing his foot backward while monitoring his opponent, who had just retrieved a boomerang. Wally disappeared into the forest with a smirk, leaving a powerful gust of wind in his wake. Boomerang tossed his weapon in Wally's direction, and it disappeared into the woods, tracking his prey.

Dodging trees and bushes, Wally cast a quick glance over his shoulder and caught sight of the boomerang zooming towards him, its red dot flashing on and off in rapid succession. Despite that, Wally remained determined not to stop. The moment the timer went off, he finally realized he was out of danger. While running a few more miles, Wally suddenly heard a tremendous explosion and noticed a bright orange light coming from behind. Wally grinned, aware that he had successfully completed his task. He swiftly seized the closest vine and returned to the battlefield, swiftly advancing towards Captain Boomerang. Wally encircled Boomerang multiple times, immobilizing him with the vine and bringing him to the ground. Wally came to a sudden halt in the dirt to decelerate, then redirected his attention towards the captive Boomerang. Boomerang struggled to get out of the vines to no avail before giving a hateful look at Kid Flash. Wally smirked back.

"Face it, my friend. A boomerang is no match for organic speed."

During the confrontation, Starfire and Wonder Girl found themselves engaged in combat with Bronze Tiger. With his menacing display of brandishing his claws, Bronze Tiger posed a significant threat. Starfire and Wonder Girl, using their powers, stayed suspended in mid-air while confronting their opponent. Starfire, who began by unleashing a series of star bolts at Bronze Tiger, kicked the engagement off. In an impressive display of agility, Bronze Tiger effortlessly dodged each projectile with a series of backflips. As a result, Wonder Girl resorted to using her lasso, only to have Bronze Tiger take hold of it and pull her closer against her will. Subsequently, Bronze Tiger executed a swift and forceful attack on Wonder Girl, targeting her abdomen and causing her to lose her balance and collapse. At that moment, he shifted his focus to engage in a battle with Starfire, but to his surprise, she had already disappeared. As soon as Bronze Tiger realized Starfire had disappeared, a look of confusion washed over his face until he suddenly felt a gentle tap on his shoulder from someone standing behind him. As he turned around, surprise took him to see Starfire standing right behind him. Wasting no time, she swiftly delivered a powerful right cross to his face, causing him to lose his balance and stagger. As he tried to collect himself, Wonder Girl, who had already gotten back on her feet, unleashed a devastating strike to Bronze Tiger's jaw. The two heroes stood side by side, slowly opened their clenched fists, and rendered Bronze Tiger unconscious. After his collapse, Wonder Girl and Starfire exchanged smirks and fist-bumped.

Despite the chaos and danger surrounding him, Nightwing fearlessly persisted amid the battlefield, actively participating in intense combat. Deadshot came charging at Nightwing, who tried defending himself with his Escrima sticks. But Deadshot got a hold of them, pushed them apart, and kicked Nightwing in the stomach, sending him flying back a bit. With a swift movement, Nightwing brought himself to a halt by dragging his feet through the dirt and then shifted his attention back to Deadshot. Deadshot's hand trembled as he extended his wrist cannon, a tear escaping his eye, knowing that once he pulled the trigger, there would be no turning back. Just as Nightwing was about to make a move, a distinct clicking noise emanating from Deadshot's wrist cannon, a telltale sign that the skilled assassin had exhausted his ammunition, caught his attention. Enraged, Deadshot directed his gaze toward his wrist gun, revealing an absence of ammo within the bullet canopy.

Nightwing swiftly switched tactics and countered Deadshot's move by leaping into the air and forcefully thrusting the electric end of his Escrima stick against Deadshot's other wrist gun. After stepping back, Deadshot noticed his wrist gun was electrocuting. In response, he promptly detached the weapon and disposed of it, along with the attached Escrima. When the wrist cannon hit the ground, it sizzled, smoked, and caught on fire from the gunpowder. Weaponless, Deadshot held up his fists, prepared to fight Nightwing on-one with fisticuffs.

"Fine. I don't need them. I can take you on with my bare fists!" he taunted.

Following this, Deadshot aggressively approached Nightwing, attempting to strike him physically. However, Nightwing adeptly evaded the blows and retaliated, engaging in a fierce battle with the mercenary. After a few seconds of trading punches, Deadshot stepped back to catch his breath before taking one last look at Nightwing.

"All right, kid. I'm done messing around," he said.

Digging in his pocket, Deadshot retrieved a switchblade, its metallic glint catching the light as he flicked out the blade. With a grin stretching across his face, Nightwing confidently beckoned Deadshot, daring him to approach and engage. Nightwing effortlessly dodged Deadshot's attack in a flurry of movements, his eyes filled with melancholy as he disarmed the desperate mercenary. Upon realizing that his Escrima sticks were intact, Nightwing rushed over to the crisped gun cannon to recover them, relieved by their unexpected preservation. Following that, he swiftly ran to catch up with his comrades.

Having incapacitated Psimon, Raven turned her attention to Dr Light, who stood a few feet away, looking hesitant and unprepared.

"Your next, Light," she said fiercely.

Light displayed a slight smirk. He raised his arm and shot a beam of light towards Raven. Raven swiftly summoned her powers, creating a protective force field that intercepted the bolt, causing it to vanish. Light's smile disappeared as he clutched his gauntlets in terror and turned his gaze, shutting his eyes tightly. Raven couldn't help but break into a wide grin. She had Light exactly where she wanted him. He tightly gripped his gauntlets, his body trembling, desperately seeking the strength they promised to provide. Raven came flying in, all set to scare Light once more. Light's eyes opened abruptly, and his scared look quickly changed to a smile. This confused Raven until she felt something poke the back of her head. Lowering, Raven tuned slightly to find Bloodsport pointing the barrel of his sniper rifle toward Raven's head.

"If you don't want to end up a stump, I suggest you calm it down with the hocus pocus there, lady," he snarled.

Upon hearing this, Raven closed her eyes and obeyed, lowering her arms and allowing her cloak to fall. She held up her hands in surrender, and screwed up her face in concentration, trying to think of her next move. Suddenly, Raven heard a buzzing sound and looked up to see a fly buzzing around. Noticing something off, Raven squinted to get a better look and realized the fly was a dark green color. As Raven realized what was going on, she resumed her expression of defeat to fool Light into thinking she was apprehended. Raven's eyes never left the fly, and she turned her head to see it go into the barrel of Bloodsport's rifle. Suddenly, the barrel tore open as a green chimpanzee emerged from it. Bloodsport dropped his torn rifle in shock as the chimpanzee landed on the ground, screeching loudly.

"What the?!" shouted Bloodsport in shock.

The chimpanzee turned to Bloodsport, screeched at him, and jumped onto the mercenary's body, beating it as hard as possible. Upon seeing her rescuer, Raven experienced a mix of shock and happiness before turning back to Light, who was distracted by the green chimpanzee assaulting Bloodsport. When Light resumed his focus on Raven, a bolt of blue light appeared and struck him, knocking him away from the area where he stood. Raven turned to see where it came from and saw Cyborg standing a few feet away, his arm cannon held out by smoke coming from the barrel.

"Booyah!" he exclaimed to himself softly.

Lowering his cannon, Cyborg turned it back to his regular arm and went to Raven, who was relieved to see her friends had come to her rescue.

"You ok?" Cyborg asked.

Raven nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied.

They turned their heads to Beast Boy, who was just about done beating up Bloodsport, who was now unconscious on the ground. Following his transformation back to his original form, Beast Boy gracefully dismounted from Bloodsport and eagerly joined the other two Titans.

"Are you ok?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yes," replied Raven.

"You came back!"

Beast Boy smiled and shrugged.

"Couldn't let you guys have all the fun," he remarked.

The three laughed briefly before turning their attention to Dr. Light, who was slowly getting to his feet. Light dug into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a damaged trigger at the top, with the button hanging limply from cords coming out of the shaft. Light angrily chucked it and aimed his arm toward Raven, allowing a burst of bright yellow energy to emerge and soar in Raven's direction. Cyborg and Beast Boy were about to step in and take the hit, but Raven had it covered. She held her arm out and emitted a beam of black energy back to the yellow energy. The black energy tore through the yellow energy and darted towards Light, who held up his wrist gauntlets in defense before being struck into the jungle by the black energy. Raven then lowered her arm and took a deep breath to regain her composure as Beast Boy and Cyborg looked on in shock.

"That should take care of Light for now," said Raven as she brushed the dirt from the battle off her cloak.

"Did you find the ring?" asked Beast Boy.

In response, Raven reached into her pocket, pulled out the golden ring with the red jewel in the center, and extended it towards Beast Boy and Cyborg. Mesmerized by the sight of the ring, the duo locked eyes, their jaws dropping in sheer amazement.

"You actually found it?! Kole had it?!" asked Cyborg.

Raven placed the ring back into her pocket.

"Yes. It was a miracle she had it at all."

"Beast Boy!" shouted a voice from behind.

Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven turned around to find Nightwing, Starfire, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash running up the hill toward them, having finished fighting the other task force members. When they got up to the top, Nightwing stopped and immediately looked towards Beast Boy. A big smile appeared on his face. He was relieved to see Beast Boy having returned after the conflict the two had that night. Part of Nightwing felt he didn't deserve to see Beast Boy again after what he said, but at this point, he didn't care. Without thinking, he rushed over to the young titan, knelt, and embraced Beast Boy tightly. Beast Boy raised his eyebrow in confusion at the action before Nightwing released him and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders with a relieved expression.

"Beast Boy. Listen! I'm so sorry for what I said to you last night! I shouldn't have said those things. There is no excuse. And I didn't mean what I said about you leaving and not coming back! Of course I want you on our team. And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but-"

Beast Boy held up his hand, and Nightwing slowly removed his hands from his shoulders and ceased talking.

"Hey, it's okay. I know you didn't mean it. You are just trying your best to lead us to make things right, and I know my behavior last night wasn't cool. I shouldn't take my anger at what happened with Terra and the honorary titans out on you guys."

With a half-smile, Beast Boy sighed and hesitated before raising his arm. Even though Nightwing said some things that hurt him, Beast Boy knew he had said some things that hurt him, and he knew Nightwing didn't deserve to feel the way he was feeling.

"I apologize if I said anything to make you feel like you were a bad leader. You're an awesome leader, and I'm glad I'm part of this team."

Nightwing shook his head and got to his feet. He wanted to apologize to Beast Boy again, but he realized that extending the exchange of apologies was pointless. Beast Boy was back and alright, which mattered to him the most.

"I'm glad you are a part of this team, too." Nightwing finally said.

Beast Boy's eyes lit up with delight before he shifted his attention to the other Titans behind Nightwing. However, his expression suddenly changed to guilt, and his green skin paled as he remembered the hurtful words he had spoken to his friends that night. Nervously holding his arm and tilting his head, Beast Boy realized that simply returning wouldn't be enough for him to deserve a place on the team again. He knew he had to make things right. With a deep sigh, Beast Boy walked past Nightwing and approached Wonder Girl first, as she was the first member he had lashed out at that night.

"I think I owe you guys an apology for what I said last night. Starting with you, Wonder Girl. I shouldn't have put your importance on the team down. That wasn't ok for me to do. You didn't deserve that."

Donna nodded, accepting Beast Boy's apology. Beast Boy then glanced towards Kid Flash, covered in dirt and mud from running through the jungle.

"I also apologize for what I said about your relationship with Jinx being pointless," said Beast Boy.

Kid Flash gave a half-smile.

"We're cool, kid," he responded.

Beast Boy then turned his attention to Starfire.

"And Starfire, I'm sorry for what I said about going to your brother's coronation."

Beast Boy expected that Starfire would easily forgive him, as she wasn't one to hold grudges, and he wasn't surprised when she replied, "I forgive you."

After that, Beast Boy looked towards Raven. He gulped anxiously. He regretted it even before Cyborg showed up for him and told her to close her mouth. All Raven did was try to calm the situation down, and Beast Boy scolded her. He remembered the look of hurt on her face when he said that, and it was unlike anything Beast Boy had seen before with Raven. She was more hurt than ever. Beast Boy figured she deserved the biggest apology of the group.

Taking a deep breath, Beast Boy approached Raven, ready to apologize.

"Raven, it was awful of me to tell you to close your mouth last night. I just want to... Before he could finish, Raven held up her finger to Beast Boy's face, leaving him confused.

"If you want me to forgive you, you better do one thing!" she exclaimed harshly.

As he saw Raven's expression, Beast Boy felt a wave of fear wash over him, worried that his actions may have further angered her. Quietly, he patiently waited for Raven's response.

"Don't run away like that again. You had me scared last night." She finally said.

Beast Boy raised his eyebrow in surprise at the unexpected response, which was not the answer he had expected. He was fully expecting her to give him the scolding of his life, and Beast Boy couldn't blame her for it, especially given what he had done. Not only that, but Beast Boy running away the other night having worried her, perplexed the young Titan.

"You were worried about me?" he asked.

Raven placed her hand on Beast Boy's shoulder softly.

"Always," she responded.

Beast Boy was at a loss for words and didn't know how to respond. Given their constant disagreements, he had never imagined that Raven would show much concern for his well-being. To some extent, it caused his heart to feel warm. Upon hearing a groan, Beast Boy swiftly shifted his attention to the injured figure of Bloodsport, who seemed conscious but lacked the strength and energy to move his body.

"What are we going to do about these guys?" asked Beast Boy.

Nightwing shrugged.

"We'll take them up and leave them for the police," he said.

"Hopefully, they can find us out here."

Nightwing's eyes then widened as he remembered something.

"Wait! Did Kole come back?!" he asked.

Suddenly, a loud, feminine scream could be heard, alerting the Titan's attention. The group ran over to the edge of the hill, glancing towards the jungle surrounding Kole's damaged hut to find Chesire running out of the trees, screaming in terror. Taking action, Starfire extended her arm and allowed a bolt of green light to emit from her hand toward Chesire, hitting her in the side and knocking her to the ground. Nightwing glanced at Starfire in awe at the action.

"I couldn't let her get away," said Starfire defensively.

Nightwing was about to respond when a large growling noise was heard. He turned back toward the trees and saw a silhouette of a large figure marching forward at a slow but steady pace behind them. When it finally emerged, the Titans saw the figure to be a large, topless man with long black hair, a brown sash around his waist, and a necklace with a trio of sabretooth tiger teeth hanging from it. Suddenly, Kole's head popped up from behind the man's back, holding on to his neck.

"Kole! Gnarkk!" shouted Nightwing happily.

Kole released one of her arms and waved up to the other Titans.

"Hey, guys! Did you get Chesire?" she called up.

Starfire held up her hand gleefully.

"I did! Blasted her as soon as she ran out of the jungle!"

She pointed towards Chesire's unconscious form on the ground.

"And I presume you defeated the other bad guys?" asked Kole.

Nightwing nodded.

"Yeah, we did. We'll meet you down below."

He motioned to the Titans, and they followed him down the hillside.

After half an hour, Nightwing finished tying up the task force, using a massive vine from the nearby jungle to ensure they couldn't escape. He then walked over to

Kole's hut, where the other Titans were inside, helping clean up the mess Deadshot made when he fired on it. Nightwing opened the door, praying the hinges were still intact, and saw the Titans picking up pieces of splintered wood, smashed china, and used bullets scattered around the hut. In the living area, Nightwing noticed Kole sitting on her torn couch next to Gnark (whom Nightwing figured had a door in the back to enter the hut), who was stroking her back as she silently teared up at her destroyed home. Nightwing couldn't help but feel guilty for her, thinking that their visit to Kole might have prevented the destruction of her home. The guilt gets to him, and Nightwing enters the hut and approaches the couch, clearing his throat hesitantly.

"Hey, Kole. Sorry about what happened to your house. If you want, we can stay a little longer and help you fix it up."

Kole wiped the tears off her cheeks before turning to Nightwing.

"No, it's fine. Gnarkk and I can fix it ourselves. You guys have a mission to complete. We've been through worse." She said.

Nightwing raised his eyebrow.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's no trouble,"

"No trouble at all!" joined in Starfire, who was carefully holding some shards of a shattered cup.

"The task force was attempting to harm us, not you. It is unfair you should have to suffer for our mission."

"I appreciate it," said Kole as she pushed herself off the couch.

"But Gnarkk and I can handle this situation ourselves. You guys must be able to complete your mission. I'm thankful I could at least help with the ring though,"

Nightwing shrugged before turning to his teammates. His friends visually seemed content with the decision, so Nightwing nodded and turned to Kole.

"Ok, but if you need any help, you know who to call. Thanks for the help again, Kole."

Kole nodded as Nightwing looked toward the others who had placed all the damaged pieces into a sack Kole gave them to help clean the mess.

"Ok, I think that's everything," reported Raven as she placed the last chunks of glass into the bag. Cyborg grabbed the top of it and tied the sack into a knot before heaving it over his shoulder.

"Good," said Nightwing.

"I've already set a tracker to lead the police to the task force so they can take care of them. We'll get back to the T-ship the same way we did last time, got it?"

The Titans nodded in agreement before proceeding to exit the room. With Raven's mother's ring in their hands, Nightwing had a good feeling he and his friends would stop Slade for good.

"You failed me!" growled Slade as he tightened his grip on Dr Light's neck.

Dr Light had returned to H.I.V.E headquarters after his defeat at the titan's hands in the underground world, only to be met with his master's rage upon discovering his failure to defeat them once more. Slade was strangling Light for his failure in one of the inner chambers of the base, being watched on by Blackfire, Brother Blood, Gizmo, and Mammoth. Blood and Blackfire showed cold sadism in their demeanor as they watched the sight with pleasure. Gizmo and Mammoth were terrified at the act, the display of power fueling their fears. Light did his best to reach for his clenched throat as he continued to gasp for air in pain.

"But….but master…"

Slade tightened his grip once more.

"'No more excuses. With the arrest of the task force, Waller cut her ties to us to avoid association, and one of our suppliers backed out. I will not allow this to be tolerated."

Slade was about to squeeze harder, but Light's left arm caught his attention. Light was struggling to get Slade's hand off his neck. The gauntlet attached to his wrist had a swirling ball of black energy surrounding it, almost like it was swimming. Curious, Slade loosened his grip on Light's neck, now eager for information.

"What is that? Slade asked, pointing with his free hand.

Light, allowing a few breaths into his lungs, darted his eyes towards his arm.

"Raven…tried to blast at me…caught her energy ball.." he mustered out.

Light held up his arm to give Slade a better look at the dark energy. Beneath his mask, Slade smiled. Considering he had Beast Boy's DNA and the material for Cyborg's parts, Raven's dark energy was another step in the right direction for his plan. Unexpectedly, Slade unclenched his hand and allowed Light to collapse to the floor on his knees, shocking his subordinates. Light grabbed his throat and heavily coughed before taking deep breaths to allow air into his lungs. He then looked up to Slade, whose exposed eye remained focused on him.

"Why?" asked Light in shock.

Slade didn't respond. Instead, he lifted his wrist to his mask and pressed a button on the communicator device wrapped around it.

"Register!" he said into it.

"Yes, sir?" came Sam Register, aka the Zookeeper's voice.

"Dr Light has something useful for our robotic soldiers to be implanted with. He'll be down shortly for you to extract it."

"It will be done, sir." came Register's voice before Slade lowered his arm and turned back to Light.

"Arise and meet Register at the lab below. He will deal with your trinket."

Light slowly got to his feet and nervously bowed to Slade in obedience. He then stumbled to the nearest exit, still massaging his pained throat. Gizmo and Mammoth seemed somewhat shocked that Slade spared Light, while Blood appeared annoyed. He had hoped Slade would have enough of a spine to punish those who failed him, and to see him once more spare another pathetic stooge was bothersome to Blood. Blackfire also felt resentful towards Slade's decision but hid it, desperate to continue her apprenticeship with him. As soon as Light left the room, Slade approached Blood and Blackfire with his hands behind his back.

"Without A.R.G.U.S. our operation may be in danger of scaring off our other partners. Sebastian!" he said, turning to Blood.

"Contact our remaining assets and ensure we still have their loyalty bound to us."

Blood begrudgingly nodded before exiting the room, followed by Gizmo and Mammoth, leaving Slade alone in the room with Blackfire.

"Master, what are we to do about the weapon the Titans found?" she asked.

The crimson "S" on Slade's helmet glowed fiercely.

"As long as we keep the Titans busy and construct our weapons, we will have nothing to worry about, my young apprentice. They'll be destroyed before their weapon can be used. Understand?"

Blackfire bowed in obedience.

"Good," replied Slade.

"Now, go prepare yourself. You will be needed for further missions."

Blackfire nodded before exiting the room, leaving Slade alone in his thoughts. Though the Titans had got the weapon that could defeat him, Slade remained unafraid. He had been in situations like this before and had successfully escaped them. That and Control Freak would soon be able to hack into the Titan's tower defense system, and Slade's plan would finally come to fruition.

Darkness eclipsed the Titan's Tower shortly after the group returned from their mission successfully. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Raven, and Wonder Girl all went to sleep, exhausted from their long day, while Nightwing and Starfire were also about to turn in. Having vowed to change his mentality, Nightwing entered the bedroom with Starfire, quickly grabbed the newspaper clippings covering the Haley's Circus poster, and pulled them down. Afterward, he stood back next to Starfire and looked at the poster. With their arms outstretched as if flying, three silhouettes of acrobats were above the red letters in a circle. One appeared to be a man, the second a woman, and the third a boy. Above the artwork was a series of blue letters spelling "The Flying Graysons.". As they stared at it, Nightwing wrapped his arm around Starfire, and she rested her head on his shoulder lovingly.

"You would have loved it, Star," Nightwing stated.

Starfire tilted her head up and lifted her eyebrow in confusion.

"Is it no longer around?" she asked.

Nightwing shook his head.

"After what happened with my parents, it became harder to fill seats. The incident scared people away, so they had to close. At that point I was already the boy wonder in Gotham. Still a shame, though."

Starfire grimaced slightly. Starfire couldn't help but imagine how difficult it must have been for him to see his parents taken when he was so young. To see his entire world changed in the brief moments of that tragedy. To have to turn to a harsh duty that had obviously taken a toll on him for years. But she admired his resilience and determination. The fact that despite all the trauma he had been through, he never gave up was a trait she would always respect for him. She observed his expression and noticed that despite having a smile on his face, a part of him appeared somewhat mournful about the occasion that affected his life forever. Desiring to lift his spirits, Starfire lay her hand on Nightwing's cheek and turned his head to face her.

"I believe that wherever they are now, nothing could make them feel more honored than what you have become."

Nightwing weakly smiled before he and Starfire craned their necks toward each other and allowed their lips to meet. They continued for a few seconds before they heard a voice.

"Excuse me,"

The two yanked their heads back quickly, slightly startled, and turned to the doorway to find Raven standing there.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything," she said dryly.

Nightwing whiffed his head.

"No, it's fine."

He cleared his throat quickly before putting his hands behind his back to seem professional. He noticed Starfire do the same thing.

"Is there anything we can help you with?" asked Starfire.

Raven extended her hand toward Nightwing's direction.

"Is it alright if I talk with him quickly?" she asked.

Nightwing turned to Starfire, noticing that the question was meant for her. Starfire's eyes darted up in thought for a few seconds before closing her eyes and nodding.

"That would be fine," she finally answered.

Nightwing was surprised at the response as he assumed that Starfire would want him by her side in bed as soon as possible, but now he was well enough to have company in their room.

"Are you sure?" he asked almost hesitantly.

Starfire nodded.

"Well, ok then," said Nightwing with a shrug.

Following Raven, Nightwing walked outside his bedroom and closed the door before approaching Raven in the living area of the tower.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" asked Nightwing.

Raven sighed and dug into her cloak before pulling out her mother's ring they had found earlier that day.

"I've been doing some thinking, and I figured you out of all of us have had the most determination and reason to want to defeat Slade once and for all, and I decided maybe it's best you be the one to wield my mother's power."

She held out her hand with the ring in her palm toward Nightwing's direction, shocking the determined leader.

"Wait! You're what?" he asked, surprised.

"You heard me," snapped Raven.

"I'm giving it to you. You deserve to be able to be at peace with all of this finally and to be able to move on from the pain and suffering Slade has caused all of us."

Nightwing looked at the ring in Raven's hand with shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe what was happening there. As much as he wanted to defeat Slade, he felt wrong to accept an heirloom from Raven's family. Nightwing held his hands up in hesitation at the offer. Why me? he thought, his breath catching slightly. Why would she give me something so precious? It wasn't just the ring. It was the power it represented—the final piece in a puzzle that had been tormenting them all for years. The chance to defeat Slade. The opportunity to bring an end to a painful chapter of their lives. And yet, even knowing how much this could help, Nightwing felt a weight in his chest, heavy and immovable. I've never asked for this. I'm not worthy of it.

"Raven, I can't. It wouldn't be right for me-"

"Yes, you can!" Raven responded.

"You have done so much for us all these years! Besides, remember when I said I didn't think there was a way to repay you for what you did for me with my father? Well, this is it. This is my thanks to you for what you did. You deserve to be happy!"

She then grabbed Nightwing's arm and placed the ring in his hand.

"You both do," continued Raven as she nodded toward Nightwing and Starfire's bedroom.

Nightwing looked to the door and back to Raven in disbelief at what was happening.

Do I? he thought.

Nightwing looked down at the ring again. His mind raced. All the battles, all the sacrifices... all the times he'd pushed through the pain, the loneliness, the frustration. He'd always carried the weight of leadership, of protecting his team, of not letting anyone down. But could he really take on this responsibility? This is too much. It's not mine to take.

"Raven, I don't know what to say. I don't even know how I could repay you.."

"Don't!" Raven interrupted, placing her hand on Nightwing's shoulder.

"You have done more than enough for me. You gave me a home. A family. A purpose even. You've given me so much, and now it's time for you to be rewarded for all you've done."

Nightwing continued to study the ring for a few more seconds before clenching it and lowering his hand. It would be impossible to change Raven's mind about giving him the ring, as their time was thin. If wielding the ring was necessary to strip Slade of his Azrathian abilities, he would finally do what he must.

"All right, I'll do it." Nightwing finally said.

"Thanks, Raven. You're a loyal friend."

Raven smiled warmly.

"Same with you," she replied.

Nightwing then indicated to the hallway behind him, realizing it was getting late for both of them.

"I'm gonna get to bed. Have a good night."

Raven nodded, and the two walked to their bedrooms to turn in for the night. When Nightwing entered his room, he saw Starfire sleeping peacefully in their bed. Nightwing blushed at the sight of it as he found it sweet. Quickly yawning, Nightwing walked over to the nightstand and laid the ring on it before getting under the covers, resting his hands under his head, and closing his eyes. Nightwing opened his eyes as he was close to slumber when he heard Starfire speak from behind him.

"What did you and Raven talk about?" she asked tiredly.

Nightwing turned his head slowly upward.

"She was giving me her mother's ring," he explained.

As he returned to a comfortable position, Starfire pushed herself up from her pillow and raised her eyebrow at Nightwing, concerned about his response. Realizing this, Nightwing rolled his eyes and said louder, "To use to defeat Slade."

Starfire widened her eyes and nodded, accepting the response before returning to her position in the bed and resuming her slumber. Nightwing did the same. Eventually, after a few seconds, he shifted his body and wrapped his arm around Starfire's body. He had missed the experience of being able to sleep with the woman he loved, and now that his team had a weapon to defeat their enemy with, he had a good feeling for the future ahead of them.

The end.