"Unexpected Plans" Rating:MH (TT)

[The Kaiser]

Alright, this is another of my FanFiction that I've been doing. This is a planned first part of a trilogy of fics, which translates to "Act I". Do hope you enjoy it, and perhaps even earn myself a couple *cough* converts.


Unexpected Plans

Act I, Chapter I

A strange wind blew through Jump City. It seemed to be just like any other mid-spring afternoon; children running around in the park, people walking up and down the street; the daily ongoing of shoppers into small, privately-owned businesses; and the continued hustle and bustle of many more numerous people. And yet, something seemed different. There was a much-more general air of friendliness about and between people than usual. More signs of public affection towards one another from the couples together; hugging from friend to friend; the ones walking from shop to shop holding hands; even a few kisses from those that thought they were hidden enough for no one to see them. If that wasn't enough, in many windows in the shops along the sidewalks and roads were cut-out hearts and other related symbols, as if everyone was getting in on the event coming up. Even the air seemed to be getting in the mood today, smelling and just feeling better than usual to those who walked in the open areas where it just flowed unhindered by drag.

Love was certainly in the air today.

And it wasn't just with the regular citizens either.

The Titans sat or floated all around their lobby, either by the windows, or on the soft pieces of furniture strewn about the room. Starfire was happily flying about the room, setting up decorations in the windows, along with stringing flimsy and ruffly paper along the ceiling. Robin sat on the couch with the other two teenage boys of the team, who at the time were watching T.V. It had been a hard task, at this time of year to find a show not dedicated to romantic senses, but appearantly Cyborg had been able to do it. Beastboy sat next to him, and for some strange reason, was reading a newspaper. The others comforted themselves in the thought that he was just looking at the funnies, and seemed to have their thoughts confirmed as he coughed and laughed every few seconds. After making a sarcastic comment about how surprising it was to see the changeling actually reading something, Raven herself had settled to one of the back corners of the room, with her own set of books.

Starfire then squealed with joy as another large pink-colored heart was hung up on the wall. Turning to the others smiling, she then spoke.

"Friends, is this not one of the most joyous of holidays to behold?" Robin looked up from the T.V. a bit strangely.

"Ummm, sure Star." he replied, trying to smile so as to not appear awkward. Starfire smiled, apparently satisfied with his reply, and went back to hanging up paper-shapes and objects. Cyborg then leaned over next to Robin, grinning.

"So what are you gonna' do for her this Valentines man? Chocolates, flowers, maybe even a da-" Robin elbowed Cyborg back, which though didn't hurt the metal teen's sides (Though consequently hurting the other's elbow), it did have the hoped-for effect, and stopped Cyborg from going on. Beastboy let out another small laugh, whether directed at Robin's slight plight or whatever he was "reading" was anyone's guess. Nevertheless, it earned the green teen a combined quizzical stare from the other two, which seemingly had no effect.

"I wasn't planning that much at all, really." Robin said, even as he rubbed his hurt elbow. "Starfire was actually planning on taking Raven with us wherever we went, because well, you know..."

At this moment, Robin and Cyborg both turned and took a quick glance over at Raven in the corner of the room, who was reading from one of her many spellbooks. They then retreated back to their original positions as Raven sensed she was being watched, and turned in their general direction. With an annoyed glare at their general area however, she then returned to her book. The boys breathed a sigh of relief, and continued.

"Yo Robin, I thought I already told you, me and Sarah were gonna' handle that problem." Cyborg said back, lowering his voice. Another snigger came from over near Beastboy, the newspaper slightly crinkling. Oddly enough, he hadn't changed the page in a while.

"Yeah, but Star still wants Raven to come with us, since you guys are already going with Kid Flash and Jinx as well. There'd be less people in our group even with Raven there. And besides, Jinx and Raven don't get along that well..." Robin replied, his own voice at a lower state than before. Raven continued sitting in the corner, reading from her book.

"Oh, don't worry about that Robin, I got it all cleared with Kid Flash and everything, Jinx promised to behave. And besides, those two'll be into each other too much for her to get involved in a brawl with Raven." Cyborg countered back, his voice wavering between a quiet tone and one getting louder. Robin shook his head.

"Still, I think it's better if Raven just comes with me and Starfire. She's already planned-out lots of activities for us, and I don't think she'd like it if we tried to change that." A snigger then came from the direction of the changeling next to them. Annoyed, Cyborg turned his body at an angle to get a good luck at him. An idea then popped into his half-metal head.

"What about BB? If he's free, maybe they could do stuff together, and both our groups could do whatever they want." he then said Robin, referring to the Titan he now faced. Robin returned him a look of shock.

"Are you crazy? They'd destroy each other!" Robin hissed back, regaining his facial composure. Raven and Beastboy, on Valentines Day? The very idea was scary.

Cyborg shrugged at the reply. "They're not that bad." He then turned to Beastboy. "Hey B, what're you doing for Valentines Day?"

Beastboy slowly moved his newspaper down from his face. He looked at Cyborg, a bit confused for a second on the fact that he had not heard what the two had just discussed. "Me?" he said, flicking a finger towards his own body. A sly grin then moved onto his face, his eyes narrowed. "I'm going chick hunting."

The other two stared back at him incredulously.

"You?" they both asked him in tangem. Beastboy leaned back a bit on the couch, with a calm look on his face.

"Yep, chicks dig the pointy ears."

Robin and Cyborg both looked at each other and blinked a few times, then decided silently to just return back to their debate, knowing the other subject was lost. Cyborg was the first to reply, continuing where they had left off even as Beastboy returned to his newspaper.

"Nah' man, I'm telling you Raven should go with us. If she goes with you guys she's just going to get all annoyed and run off from doing all that stuff. When she's with us though, she'll just probably sit in some corner of wherever. Less stuff to bother her."

"Starfire's point though is just get her out and get her to enjoy the day, rather than stay inside by herself." Robin countered back, a bit louder than before.

"Oh come on Robin, that girl might try to get Raven to have some fun, but do ya' really think Rae's going to like hearts and-"

"Is there a reason you two keep mentioning me?" Came a chilling voice from above the two boys. Cyborg and Robin immediately whirled around on the couch to see Raven standing over them, her book in both hands closed. She wore an annoyed look on her face, obviously waiting for an answer. The two boys almost fell off the couch at her presence. Beastboy let out another laugh behind his paper, which earned him another of Raven's stares. Seemingly though, he didn't seem to notice it. The empath then turned back to the other two, who were sitting uncomfortably in their seats.

"So... are you two going to answer or not?" Raven asked them, her own voice lowering like theirs had earlier, but this time on a more menacing note. Robin felt like crawling away, not wanting to face his friend, and have her realize what they had been talking about. Knowing her, it was going to be hard enough just to convince her to go once everything had been planned out. And now, considering they didn't even have that part done...

"Well, uhhh... you see Rae... seeing as how it's Valentines soon and-" The look Raven gave Cyborg as he mentioned the holiday coming up chilled him to his very core. She seemed to grow several times her size, and tower over him.

"I don't 'do' Valentines Day." she growled at him, causing him to inch away. The older teen put his hands up defensively, as if he was about to be attacked.

"Ah come on Rae, it's not like you can't have some fun with the rest of us-"

"I already have fun, it's called reading." Raven shot back, becoming more annoyed by the second. Robin tried to jump in next, in an attempt to calm her down.

"Raven, we were only trying to make sure you had some fun instead of being alone tomorrow. That's all." Raven then turned him, and looked ready to argue back, if not for the fact that Starfire had seen the small argument brewing, and had come over, abandoning her decorating of the room.

"Friends, what is the problem?" she asked the three, concerned. Raven turned to her to answer.

"These two thought it'd be 'fun' for me to go out on Valentines Day with them." Raven said to her, crossing her arms even as she shifted how she held her book, so that it hung out of her right hand. Starfire looked at her, for a few seconds, blinking. Then suddenly, she then clasped her hands together, and smiled.

"But Raven, do you not think that is a good idea? I have many activites planned for the three of us, which include the eating of chocolates and the walking in parks and the-"

"Whoa Star, I thought I already told you Rae was coming with my group." Cyborg interjected, turning from the person they were speaking about and to the Tamaranean. Starfire looked at him strangely, raising an eyebrow innocently.

"But Robin and I have already planned out many activities to do with Raven, and we cannot cancel the carriage ride, which had to dated in at least two Earth weeks of advanced notice, not to mention-"

"Carriage ride?" Raven said in a low, somewhat-confused voice. The other three ignored the annoyed-empath however, and continued arguing.

"Star, I know you mean good and all, but I don't think Rae's is going to do that stuff. But with us, she'll just sit in a corner reading the whole time."

"I could do that while I'm at the tower, you know..." Raven growled at Cyborg, who didn't pay attention to her. Starfire countered back quickly.

"But Valentines Day is not to be spent alone, but with others, enjoying the consumption of candied treats, and the-"

"Rae can eat stuff with us too!" Cyborg said back. "Not like we're gonna' starve the girl, being that she definitely doesn't need it..." Cyborg's last comment earned an even harsher-than-normal glare at Raven, her eyes beginning to light up.

Starfire looked ready to shoot back, but before she was able to do so, a jagged column of negative energy forced its way up from the ground inbetween her and the couch where the others sat. Starfire flew back from it, catching herself before she hit the floor. The other two Titans had jerked their bodies back, not wanting to get too close to Raven's signature flow of energy. Beastboy continued to read, unconcerned in the conversation. The column then went back through the ground quickly, calming the air inbetween the three former arguers and non-combatant even as the air around Raven then suddenly picked up the same vibe from before, the energy coming back up through the ground and into her. The flaps of her cloak picked up as if wind blew through it, her eyes still alit as the power surged back into her. The air then suddenly became warmer even as the energy settled back in.

"Enough." she said, with a finalizing tone. The others continued to stare, as if thinking to begin an arguement against her now. Raven did not give them the opportunity.

"Look. I don't do Valentines Day. I don't do 'eating chocolate'; I don't do 'carriage rides'; and I don't do 'tagging along'. If I wanted to come either of you tomorrow, then I would. But I don't, and neither of you are going to change that."

Raven's announcements coincided with another outburst from Beastboy, whose newspaper wrinkled even as his body shook from the core. Whatever he had found funny earlier in the day, still seemed to be working for him. Raven rolled her eyes at him.

"And now, I'm going to go to my room. And I don't want anyone trying to come and convince me to come with them." The empath added. She then turned to the door and levitated over to it, her small feet floating only a few inches off the carpeted ground. The other three sat in silence, knowing it best to do so. The automatic door to the lobby slammed closed behind the blue-cloaked girl, even as she floated down the hallway and away from the others.

"Well now what?" Cyborg then said, several seconds after Raven's abrupt departure. He looked at the other two, waiting for them.

"Perhaps, it is best if we let Raven do as she wishes, and not what we may wish for her." Starfire then said, a bit of a sad tone in her voice. Robin nodded, agreeing with her suggestion. Even if they thought it might be best for Raven, that -didn't mean Raven did, or if she would even enjoy them. Robin took in a small breath, then began to speak, hoping to end the rather-down situation before it became any more depressing.

"Star's right, Cyborg. We shouldn't go and try to force her into things, especially if she doesn't want to them. She's our friend, and we should respect that, even if it isn't what's best for her."

Cyborg and Starfire nodded silently, agreeing with the sentiment. Beastboy however, laughed again, this time a bit quieter than before. Nevertheless, it still caught the others' attention as the others had.

"Something funny, B?" Cyborg asked the changeling. Beastboy merely continued to laugh.

"Beastboy, have you found something that is hilarious? Would you like to share with the others?" Starfire then chimed in, wondering what he was laughing about. The green teen did not answer, the chuckling still going on.

"Beastboy, what are you laughing about so much?" Robin finally asked him. Being the leader, Beastboy couldn't simply ignore this questioner. He tried to stop laughing, calming himself down while he turned his head over to the other three. He then folded the paper in half, so that the page he had been looking at was to them. Jabbing a finger at the part he had been reading, the other Titans' eyes widened in shock as they saw what was on the page.

"This!" Beastboy said, breaking back out into a roar of laughter. Robin slowly reached his hands up to the sides of the paper, and again slowly took it away from his teammate. He looked the personal ad over and over, disbelieving it in its entirety.

"No way..." Cyborg mumbled at his side, looking at Robin's side at the paper. Starfire floated next to Robin in the air, more confused than shocked.

Robin began to read what the message said over and over in his head, thinking it was a horrible joke, and with the culprit already in mind. The words began to formulate sentences and thoughts in his head, making sense and yet at the same time no sense at all.

"Hi, I'm Raven. I'm five-foot-eight, like the color blue, and love to read. I live on an island with four friends, and fight supervillians. My dad and I don't get along, so we don't see each other much. And this Valentines Day, I'm looking for someone to spend the day with. I'll be waiting at the Souls Cafe, starting at noon. First guy there spends the day with me!" Next to the column of words was a picture of their empathic friend, her hood down. A small smile, a rare moment for the girl, accompanied her grey face.

Robin moved the paper down, a sick look on his face.

"You've got to be kidding me, Beastboy." The team leader said, no amusement in his voice. His eyes drilled into the changeling, almost-demanding an answer.

"Okay, there's only two possible explanations for this. One, someone let happy Raven out to write that from her freaky mirror of hers. Or two, that ain't Raven." Cyborg then added. Starfire merely continued to look over the page, confused. Beastboy continued to laugh, though he was slowly losing steam from the article. Robin threw his left-handed index finger up at the green changeling, his eyes narrowing even as he handed the paper off to Starfire so she could keep looking at it.

"Beastboy, talk. Now. Did you write that and send it in?" Robin got straight to the point. If this was an attempt at a joke by Beastboy, this was the absolute worst thing he could try to do. Raven certainly wasn't going to find it funny, not to mention when she did find this out... Robin didn't want to think what would happen.

"Relax Rob, this'll just solve all of our problems, and get Rae out the house for once!" Beastboy said a bit enthusiastically. "Come on dude; you want Raven to get out, but you just want to spend the day with Star; and Cyborg wants to get Raven out of the house; but Cye wants to spend the day with Sarah, KF, and Jinx on their double date; so he doesn't really want Raven with him. So this way, Raven gets out the house, and you guys don't have to have her tag along with you! It's perfect!"

"That is until Raven finds out 'bout it, BB, did you really think Rae's going to go with this? She'll destroy you!" Cyborg then said empathetically. Beastboy countered back with an annoyed stare.

"Oh come on, you all think she needs to get out the tower right? Well this is the perfect way! All of us get to do whatever we want, and Raven still gets out to spend the day doing stuff that's good for her!" The green teen then said. Robin shook his head, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

"Beastboy... this just isn't going to work. Does Raven even know about this at all?" Robin then said. He was more tired now then angry, though that could flare up at any second in him. He thought that by now, after practically two years on the team with Raven; everyone, especially Beastboy, would have known not to do anything like this... And here they were, one of the members having done something of this nature. Beastboy's next comment only added to Robin's headache spawning from this.

"Uhhh, should I have told her?"

The only response Robin could muster was a loud groan, wherein which his other two friends could not but join with him.

This was not good.

___________________________________________________________________

The air was cleaner here than it was in almost any other place in the world.

But that wasn't why he was here.

The slow moving clouds that any passerby anywhere in the world could see up in the air were still a bit farther up. But here, on this top of a mountain, they seemed so much closer, almost touchable, like the moon did when one would put their hand in its direction in the cool night air.

Flowers danced in the breezes that reached up all the way here, moving gently back and forth in their rythmic motions. Even the grass seemed to get into the action, rustling about as the wind brushed through it.

And in the middle of this large field, sat a medium-sized rock. And on top of this rock, sat a teenage boy, playing his guitar.

His clothing was what most would consider unusual; a purple vest over a high-collared white shirt with long sleeves. Golden-colored arm bands adorned either lower-arm, over the clothing all the way to the wrist. Matching bands went around his vest at his abdomen, and one each around his lower-leg, where his purple boots opened up to allow an insertion of a foot. His pants however, unlike the wrest of his brightly-colored uniform, were the color... black. As to why, there seemed no apparent choice.

His green eyes stared out at the ground below, even as his slightly-long fingers moved along the guitar's surface, moving the wires that caused the sounds to be emitted from the instrument. The sideburns that went down his face kept his cheeks warm even against the cool breeze from the mountain air, the blond curls only ruffling slightly like the grass around his seat.

Jericho was content here. The scenery was beautiful, the mood inspirational, and most importantly, it was peaceful here. No maniacal brains or other super villians ever graced here. In fact, it had been several months since he had last been in contact with the Titans. He remembered them the major ones, at least. There had been the protege of the Dark Knight. Then there was the strange alien girl that had often spoke with an unfamiliarity of the language that Jericho sometimes yearned to utter. The green morphling that without all of the teen superheroes he had seen, including himself, would be gone couldn't be forgotten, if most certainly for his bad puns. The cybernetically-enhanced Titan, who seemed to have a large appetite to fill; the thoughts of which having kept Jericho up for a night or two on if any improvements had been made to that one's digestional track.

And then there was the last one... the quiet empath. Her soft face, that had been covered mostly by her hood, stayed in his mind more than the others had. She hadn't smiled much, but the small times that she had, it had given Jericho such a feeling... that he couldn't have described what it had been. Jericho always felt happy when other people were happy, it was a nice thing to see others being in joy. But this... had been different, and he couldn't tell why, like a rumbling in his stomach, even if he wasn't hungry. It was a mystery to this young artist and likely, regardless of his own small wants, would stay that way, being that he would probably never see any of them, including her, again.

The strings on his guitar suddenly let out a small, low note, not following with the song the writer had been making up. He quickly picked back up the melody, focusing his thoughts on it instead.

It didn't bother him much though, to be without accompaniment, but sometimes it did get a bit lonely. Jericho put down the guitar he had been playing a song he was making up on, and then turned to his side. He then reached over towards his only source of the outside world, and grasped it gently in his hands.

A newspaper. Jericho did have any idea of how it got here, every single day, onto his rock when he went to go sleep underneath the tree. Years ago, Jericho had tried to stay up several times during the night, and watch to see how it was getting up here. But every time he only fell asleep at the most inopportune time, and missed his helper. Was it someone who went through all the trouble to carry a single packet of daily information every day to him, or perhaps a plane accidentally dropped one from the sky above? Jericho didn't know, but if he ever found out who was getting them to him, he'd have to thank them, somehow...

After making sure his guitar was sitting safely enough at his side, Jericho then took both sides of the newspaper in his hands, and opened it wide up. He often skipped the political sections; too many sad stories often in there. Instead, he moved right to the personals. He liked listening to people, and would often at many a time think about how they could solve their problems. Of course, he could never come down and meet them, he didn't know where they lived, so how'd that be possible? But still, it would be nice if he could.

They were the same as always; people complaining about children; bosses; spouses; and how in general life was just tough. Jericho felt a bit sad about them, and how simple their problems really were if they just took the time to look at them and sort them out themselves. But then, they would seem simple to Jericho. He'd spent his entire life almost sitting and thinking inwardly, and his almost twelve years since... the accident... had given him a lot of time to just think. Still, he continued to look through, enjoying the reading nonetheless.

Then, a particular ad caught his eyes.

"Hi, I'm Raven-" Was how the article began. Jericho's eyes opened slightly wider in shock, and his heart felt a tremor. He had to take a few seconds to come back to the page, surprised at the name. No, it couldn't be the same one, there were others with that name. It wasn't like it was just one girl with the name Raven anyway, of course there were...

He continued reading.

"-I'm five-foot-eight, like the color blue, and love to read.-" Jericho took another hit to the organ in the ribcage. He calmed himself once more, making soundless breaths. Still, just coincidences, complete coincidences. Lots of girls liked the color blue, and who said this was even a girl? Raven could've been a name for either a boy or a girl, even if five-foot-eight was pretty short for a guy... and still, lots of people read books, so that meant nothing, nothing at all. He continued to read.

"-I love on an island with four friends, and fight supervillians.-" Jericho's hand slight stumbled on the page, with his seeing of the last word. That would certainly narrow the possibilities down... He quickly read the next line, not thinking much of it, and continued onward for hopes of dispelling the creeping thoughts in his mind, of who it was that this ad was about.

"-And this Valentines Day, I'm looking for someone to spend the day with. I'll be waiting at the Souls Cafe, starting at noon. First guy there spends the day with me!"

Jericho finally let the paper slip a bit in his hands, sensing a slight feeling of relief. Just another Valentines Day ad, by someone just obviously posing as the person he had had in mind. It wasn't common, but every once and a while he had seen people in newspapers claiming to be one superhero or another. And it was always just their reasons for putting the ad in the newspaper that gave them away; most superheroes didn't care much about those reasons; they cared more about what they were doing as superheroes instead. He then moved his eyes across the page a bit, and let it settle on the rest of the article. His eyes opened slightly in shock at the image in the photo.

A smile. A sign of... happiness, even if slight. In his short few days with the Titans, the empath had only smiled in the privacy of the Tower with her friends, and then only occasionally, when the situation was suitable for her to feel the need. The aspect of anybody just catching a close-up like this, with this show of emotion on her face, was...

No, it was still just possible luck by an amateur cameraman. It was possible, somehow, it had to be. This was just an attempt by some unfortunately loved-depraved girl to meet some guy on Valentines, by trying to attract him or several hims by the use of a rather-famous girl. That's all it was. Jericho put the paper down and went back to his guitar, trying to pick up where he had left off, but finding it difficult.

Still... it couldn't hurt to check. What if it was her? Jericho couldn't think of that article being written by Raven. From the short time that he had been in contact with her, that sort of writing would never even leave the inner spaces of her mind. The vibes he had picked up from her told him she wasn't that kind of girl. The article just couldn't... it just wasn't her. Someone else was behind this.

But if it was... Jericho couldn't think of her spending a day with a guy actually looking for a date on Valentines. She'd probably throw him onto this very mountaintop before spending a day with any member of almost half the male population, or more! So if it was her...

Jericho set down his guitar, the music still fresh in his mind. If it was her... if it was, perhaps he should try to spend the... day with her. Yes, just the day, that would be all, and then right back on this mountaintop, alone. Just one day, just to make sure that no one else got the wrong idea and got hurt because Raven wouldn't swing that way. No, he'd go right down to that city, just to make sure her day went alright, and to do so he'd spend the day with her. But not a date or anything, no! Just the... day with her, and that'd be all.

Jericho blinked a bit, a funny feeling coming over him again. He didn't like this feeling usually, and it had only recently been coming up on him. It felt like... something moving around in his stomach, for some reason. He then stood up from his rock, hoping to get rid of the sensation in the pit of his digestive organ. He placed the guitar at the side of his rock even as he climbed down from it, making sure it wouldn't fall over from a sudden burst of wind. Jericho then walked over to the edge of the cliff, and looked down.

It was going to be a long climb down this cliff, if he went this way. But then, Jericho did have his alternative, even if he didn't always want to use it. He didn't like asking for help when he wasn't sure he could pay it back, but then, his friend had told him to call whenever he needed him, and this time to reach where he needed to quickly, he'd definitely need the help.

Jericho reached his left hand into the band that went around his midsection, and then pulled out a small blue instrument, that seemed quite different in many ways from his guitar. It was a horn though, so of course it was going to be different. Jericho then put the instruments to his lips, and began to blow.

No sound, of course no sound. But still, the instrument had its desired affect.

As if in reply, another sound, this time audible, was heard across the mountain air. It seemed like the echoing of his own horn, but louder, and getting louder still. Suddenly, the air behind Jericho opened up, a large red circle appearing out of nowhere, and slowly becoming wider and wider until big enough to berth a person. It then began to serve that duty, even as someone started to walk out, and towards him. The short blue dress across his chest with attached-hood, along with the black suit underneath.

"Need a lift pal?" The Herald spoke in his slightly-low voice, his own horn in one hand. He jerked his gloved hand back towards the portal, gesturing to Jericho. The mutant nodded happily in reply.

A lift indeed.

End of Chapter 1

Comments/critiques/opinions are appreciated.

[Matt A]

Much like "Baby Blues", this has comedy gold written all over it. I'm still confused over how Raven will get to the cafe, but I imagine her reaction when she does will be something to remember. Especially when Beast Boy gets mauled.:evil:

I liked your depiction of Jericho. Something of a melancholy kid - understandable, given the circumstances - but also quite sweet. A philosopher, but not of the obnoxious sort. I think he and Raven would make a good couple...especially since he can't interrupt her.:p Cruel gag, I know, but I think they'd appreciate it. Perhaps that's the point.;)

I'm not too sure how you'll make a trilogy out of this, but I'm still very interested to see where things go. It'll be good fun, of that I'm sure.:anime:

-Matt A-

[The Kaiser]

@Welshie's Mate

Well, I wouldn't say this is an actual comedic fic like "Baby Blues", but it has it's moments. Thanks for the comments. they're appreciated. :)




Act I, Chapter II


The tower almost seemed to quake in fear.

"YOU WHAT?!" Raven hissed in the most menacing voice she could muster from the crack in her doorway. Red eyes peered out at the others in the hallway in front of her room. Cyborg had his back to the hallway wall, with Beastboy in front of him, hand up in a gesture of trying to calm the empath down. The newspaper he had presented to her was now on the floor, the look she had given it after reading the article he had submitted one that most would have thought enough to cause the paper to spontaneously combust right there. Robin, who was standing to the right of her door and slightly out of her sight, could already swear he could smell smoke. Starfire stood on the left side. She bent down and picked up the newspaper, disproving Robin's notion. The Tamaranean then walked up closely to Raven's door, the page with the article up-front.

"Please friend Raven," she began to say. "Beastboy was only trying to help and make sure that today you had fun, and were with others."

"You mean people I don't even know..." Raven retorted. The door to her room then slammed shut, even as Raven herself walked away from the door and towards her bed. "Forget it." she then added, loud enough so that the others could hear. Raven then floated herself down onto her bed, and reached over for a book. The others however, were still at her door.

"But Raven, if you do not show up, then what will become of the person that waits for you at the cafe of souls?" Starfire then asked her. Raven had already opened the book she had taken, and was flipping back to the page that she had last been on while reading. The empath didn't even bother to look up at the door to answer.

"They'll waste their entire day waiting for someone who isn't going to show up." Raven responded without any emotion in her voice. Starfire on the other side grew a bit surprised, her arms which held the newspaper dropping slightly. Robin then tried to chime in to help her out.

"Come on Raven, can't you just go down there, for like... maybe an hour or two? It might be-"

The door to her room suddenly flew back open even as Raven emerged again. Her hood was up, and though her eyes did not glow a bright red, they still seemed to hold the power to ignite objects. She stared out at all of them unnervingly. Hr eyes narrowed in severe annoyance even as she spoke again.

"Fun? Fun would be sitting in my room or the lobby and reading, not going on a 'date'. I already said I didn't want to do anything today, and I'm not going to do anything. That's final." Cyborg looked next to him at the wall, noticing a small piece of wallpaper was beginning to peel off, a tiny bit of obsidian energy tugging at it. He groaned inwardly, knowing this was only going to get worse.

"But Raven, if you do not show up, then those people will be waiting possibly the entire day for you to come. Do you wish to disappoint those people who want to meet with you?" Starfire then said, still holding onto the newspaper. Raven turned to her, her expression softening slightly. She could afford Starfire more ground than the others, being that they were best friends, out of all the Titans. But still, Raven wasn't going to give in.

"I didn't even sign up for this, Starfire. Beastboy made up the article. I don't have to do anything; it's his job to tell anyone who goes to see there tomorrow expecting to see me that it was his idea, and that I didn't agree to anything about it."

A large gulping sound could then be heard, coming from the two Titans behind the other three. All of the others then turned to Beastboy, who had grown a bit pale at the thought of what Raven was suggesting. Raven smirked slightly, knowing what he was probably thinking about at the moment. But still, her mood on the subject was not lightened up at all. Starfire however, pressed on.

"But Raven, if you do not show up, even if it is to just tell the person 'no', then your reputation could be 'soured' with the public." she said. Raven stared at Starfire, feeling annoyed and now a bit confused at the same time.

"Reputation? I don't show up to something I didn't even plan on doing, how's that going to affect my 'reputation' with the city?" The empath asked her alien friend quizzically, not exactly sure what she meant. Cyborg however, seemed to pick up on what she meant.

Or rather, how to use what she had said to the situation.

"You know Rae, if people see that you put an article in the paper to meet guys, and then you don't show up, well you know..." Cyborg started off with the attempt, leaving the ending open to try to draw her in. Raven turned to look at her large friend next.

"Know what?" she asked, her voice low, yet demanding an answer. Cyborg shrugged, letting the other two boys continue, who were quickly to catch up on his plan.

"Raven, you know... Cye just means that-" Beastboy's attempt to play along was silenced by Raven even as she let out a growl in his direction. Beastboy's face slackened even as he tried to take a step or two behind Cyborg, onlt to find the wall having taken the spot before he could. Robin tried to press onward, even as Raven stared at Beastboy menacingly again.

"What Cyborg means is that if you don't show up, then people might start to think... that maybe you're just... nervous about meeting someone." Raven's facial expression from one of annoyance and somewhat confusion to completely the latter. She then quickly narrowed her eyes, in an attempt to disguise her momentary surprise.

"That doesn't even make any sense at all-" Raven replied back, trying to pull herself back into her room and close the door. She definitely didn't like where the conversation was beginning to head to. The others however, had other plans.

"Come on girl; the city sees you putting an add into the paper asking for some guy to spend the day with you on Valentines Day; and then you don't show up to it? That kinda' speaks for itself..." Raven gave Cyborg a glare, in an attempt to stop him from going any further. She felt the urge to slam the door on them again, tell them all where to go, and just retreat into her room and read. After spending so much time with them, over two years now, Raven would have expected them to just respect her wishes, and abide by them. But no, they always had to try and "help" her out, as if reading by herself, or just not spending every waking moment of each day with others was some sort of disease. Even as she plopped herself back on her bed after deciding to close the door on them again, she could hear the others outside her room, talking amongst themselves, as if trying to scheme on how to get her to go out to the location which Beastboy had so carefully chosen. How he had known that she liked the Souls Cafe was a mystery to her, she never really had told anyone about which specific cafes she went to, when she did go to them. It was sort of funny, neither of them had any feelings for each other, but Beastboy was always going out of his way to do things for her.

Probably, because he was her friend, just like the others were. And even if the things they tried to do for her weren't things she wanted to do and annoyed her in the process... it was still sort of nice of them to try to do those things for her. Raven had to grudgingly admit that to herself at least. Sighing silently to herself, Raven sat up from her bed, retracting her arm just as it had been about to pick back up the book she had been reading earlier. She then moved back off the bed, and levitated over to the door.

The other Titans almost jumped back from their relatively-close positions to the doorway even as it slid open, with Raven appearing in the empty space it left behind. Her hood was still up, though her expression had changed from one of gross annoyance and anger to an emotionless one. She sighed again, and then spoke, figuring it best just to give in now and get it all over with; the sooner, the better.

"Fine, I'll go. But only to tell whoever shows up that I didn't write that article, and to just go back wherever they came from." Starfire dropped the paper and clasped her hands together even as the others smiled at their success, happy in finally convincing her to go along with the plan. Raven began to grow annoyed again.

"And that's it. As soon as I tell whoever shows up first to go back, I'm coming home." The smiles slightly faded from Cyborg's and Robin's faces, and Starfire let her arms sag a little. Beastboy however, continued smiling.

"I bet you'll change your tune when you meet whoever shows up and fall madly in lo-" Raven turned to him, her eyes beginning to glow in negative energy. A small discharge came out from the floor, dangerously close to Beastboy's foot. The changeling jumped back for fear of his safety.

"Just because I agree to go just to tell whoever shows up to get lost, doesn't mean you're off the hook." she said threateningly. Raven then turned and floated down the hallway from the others. Starfire called out to her, trying to spark another discussion now that the other had been ended.

"Friend Raven, what shall you wear for the occasion tomorrow." Raven felt a twinge of annoyance, being that there was no "occasion" to dress up for. She'd already said she was just going there tomorrow to tell whoever fell for Beastboy's prank to go home. The empath responded without even turning back.

"All I'm going there to do is tell whoever shows up to leave. There's nothing to dress up for." Starfire lifted off the ground even as Raven was finishing her sentence, following after her.

"But friend, what happens if you do wish to spend the day with whoever shows up and decide you wish to look... nicer?" Raven spun in the air towards her female friend, already down the hallway. Starfire stopped a few good yards away, surprised by Raven's sudden movements.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raven asked back, a hint of annoyance rearing its head again. Starfire swung one arm immediately behind her head and smile nervously, even as she swung in the air, slowly tilting her body to the left and right continuously.

"Oh nothing, nothing!" The Tamaranean said back, trying to keep up the facade of innocence. Raven slowly turned back in the direction she had been going, keeping her eyes on Starfire. She then started back down the hallway, the other girl Titan catching up to her quickly enough and following her. Robin could barely make out what she was speaking even as the two turned at the corner down the hall, but from what he could make out, it didn't sound like Raven was going to enjoy it much. The boy wonder shook his head, hoping the calm that was now filtering back through the tower after the mess he'd just dealt with had been closed. Beastboy then turned to him, smiling even as he slapped his hands together in satisfaction.

"Another problem, and another brilliant solution from Beastboy!" he said happily as he wore a large smile. Robin and Cyborg gave him tired stares, knowing he wasn't thinking of the consequences of what he had just done. Robin placed his head in his hand even as Cyborg walked up closer to Beastboy from behind, in an attempt to catch his attention.

"Yo' B, you do know that when Raven gets back tomorrow from that cafe, you're in for it, right?" The large teen asked his friend. Beastboy turned around to look at his friend. A look of confusion was on his face.

"What're you saying Cye? Raven said she'd go, everything's cool." The green changeling then said, trying to make sense out of his friend's own words.

"Uhh B? You did hear the part where Raven said you're not off the hook, right?" Cyborg replied back, a bit disbelievingly at his teammate's seemingly utter lack of sense in this situation. What would make him think he was going to be perfectly safe once Raven showed back up at the tower after crushing the dreams of whoever tried to show to her the cafe? Beastboy shook his head smiling.

"Dudes, I am so totally going to be out of here by the time she gets back. Chick hunting, remember?" Robin and Cyborg stared at Beastboy, their frows burrowing. Beastboy simply continued his slightly-goofy grin, before then turning back in the direction he had faced before to begin to walk away. Cyborg was about to respond to him, when he then noticed the other male Titan had left his side. The half-metal teen turned to look in the other's direction.

"Yo Rob, where you going?" Cyborg the called out in his leader's direction.

"I have to get ready for tomorrow... with Starfire and all..." Robin said back, not wanting to let his friend see his face. Even in the dull hallway light, the color had become a bit disoriented in his skin, his normal peachy-color having suddenly taken a darker shading of... red. Cyborg nodded, the words spoken by his leader jabbing at his own private thoughts.

"Yeah... same with me... check with ya' in the morning then." he responded himself, his voice a bit lower than usual. Robin nodded silently, and continued to stroll down the hallway. Rather than be left behind, Cyborg pondered on his own plans, and took the same path Beastboy had just walked down, only branching off to the right instead of the left to his own room.

Their friend's problem, while a concern, was not as pressing as their own.

And only one day left them to think just on those.

______________________________________________________


"Can't believe I let them talk me into this..." Raven muttered annoyed. She was sitting in a small yet eloquent chair, with slightly-curved metal bars forming a less-than uncomfortable back. As such, she leaned forward and onto the circular table in front of her, outside of the Souls Cafe. Cars sped by, the street being right next to this shop of course. She had been waiting here for only but an hour or so, but her patience was already growing thin. Raven just wanted whoever was going to show up first to just show up, let her tell him "no", and then leave. Of course she'd hunt down Beastboy and subject him to a pain he'd likely never have thought possibly after that... but that could be left until later in the day. For now, she just wanted to get back to the tower.

The day before, or what had remained of it after Raven had been told of the article, and convinced enough to come, had been nothing but more annoyance. Starfire had tried several times to get Raven to think on what to wear to this, or how to act. Raven had dismissed all the advice, having taken to a book and ignoring her friend's advice. Couldn't she see this wasn't any sort of date at all, and that she was just going to go back to the tower after she told the first guy to come off? Starfire was optimistic, and to Raven, that had been one of those times it had gotten overbearing.

A paper got caught in the air thanks to another fast-moving car whizzing by, and floated near Raven. Dark energies soon enveloped the paper, and moved it away before it came to close. A brief glimpse at it revealed a pink color to the overall object, with numerous red hearts dotting it. Raven allowed it to settle back in the street, where numerous other cars obliviously rode over the insignificant object. She moved her head down a bit, closer to her arms which lied on the table. Inside the small cafe, an area seperated by less than an inch of glass, were numerous couples already celebrating the occasion. Raven stole a glance from them once or twice, the chatter that was growing between all the couples in the place were muffled only slightly by the thin barrier. The words reached towards her. Raven tried to block them out, not wanting to hear them.

Unfortunately, she was not surrounded by glass on all sides.

"Hey babe, what's your sign?"

Raven immediately whirled around in her chair to look behind her. A man was standing there, turned sideways to her and facing another girl, seeming his age. She giggled at his call and started to respond in a timid, girlish voice. The man grinned a bit stupidly, the goatee on his chin the only part of his face not shaved off. Raven turned back in her chair and put her arms back on the table.

False alarm, thankfully.

She sighed quietly, wishing someone would just come along already to ask her out, just so she could crush their dreams and get back home. The last part didn't bother her much, she hadn't signed up for this, what responsibility did she have to make sure someone else had a good day today? If anyone they would be angry at, it would be Beastboy... if they actually knew he had signed her up for this of course...

An hour soon passed, and Raven grew more annoyed by each minute. Her right hand had started an incessant drumming on the table, even as she propped up her head in her left hand. She was actually a bit surprised by the turn out. From the amount of her fanmail she recieved each month, in comparison with the other Titans, she would have thought by now an innumerable mob of teenage men would have fought tooth and nail right in front of her, each trying to get to her first to pop the question for a date. But not a single one had even showed up. A mixed feeling of being glad at such and annoyance at the same time was slowly pooling up inside of her. Most of the other people who had been in the cafe earlier had left, only to be replaced with more couples meeting for a later date. Suddenly, a person spoke up behind her.

"Heh, can you imagine being stood up today?"

Raven turned around again, but this time slowly, as if to not give herself away. It didn't do any good, the group assembled next to her, leaning themselves against the flimsy glass of the cafe window recognized her awareness. In fact, the two boys seemed to actually be speaking louder than was necessary, as if in attempt to grab her attention.

"I mean, on Valentines day? Come on, that's just low, not to mention pathetic." The other boy responded. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, with a red shirt underneath, and blues jeans for pants. His hair was up in a cowlick-fashion. His male friend likewise wore almost matching clthoing, though he lacked a belt to go with his pants, and a white shirt instead of a red one. Most noticeable of all though, was a pair of black sunglasses over his eyes, and his haircut being a bit less triangular. The other two party members, both blonde-haired girls, who had dressed in pink and white clothing, giggled at the slight. Raven's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah Cash, totally not-cool."

"Right on bro'. But I guess when you ain't cool, and hang out at broody places like these, can't really expect much different."

A piece of concrete suddenly broke from the rest of it's brethren inbetween the four, enwrapped in negative energy. The two girls who had been laughing screeched and ran backwards, while the two counterparts fell back onto their posteriors, trying to likewise get away from the just seconds before sidewalk.

"Go. Away." Raven uttered in a low voice at the two, bringing her hood up, her eyes already lighting up. The pair got up as quickly as possible and grabbed their dates even as they tried to run as fast as possible to get away. As soon as they were around the street corner, Raven let the concrete come back down and settle back in, clear breaks in the ground signified where it had been torn away from. Raven then stood up, taking her hood back off.

"Forget this..." she said, taking her hand off from the table. She had waited long enough, and she wasn't going to let people start making fun of the situation. She hadn't even signed on to it in the first place! Raven began to walk away from the chair and table, with thoughts swarming through her even at the very moment of what to do first when she got back home, other than meditate and unleash some contained wrath on a certain green teammate.

Ding.

Raven suddenly turned on the spot towards the area of where a bell had just tolled. She found herself quickly enough staring at the door of the Souls Cafe, the bell sitting in the upper-part of the doorway, where it could signify someone entering or leaving. In this case, it was the latter. And the person doing just that was a very familiar one.

Raven found herself staring at him, not sure to make of the situation.

Then she thought to herself, 'Eh, just another person leaving the store. That's all.' She was just about to turn back around when the person then reached his hand out to her, to stop her. Raven stopped where she was standing, and stared at him, waiting. He was dressed in a strange apparel, though she swore she remembered him from somewhere else. A purple vest, which opened at the midsection of his chest, only to reveal a long-sleeved white t-shirt with a high collar. Golden arm and leg braces located on both ankle, wrist, and stomach areas, and black pants, to top it off. His face was soft though, and blonde, curly hair adorned his head, stretching down the sides of his face in the form of sideburns, and even crawling down the edges of his face. But most of all, was his gentle green eyes, which showed nothing but a small bit of confusion, and worry in them. Raven moved her left leg back from its attempted step.

"Well?" she asked him, wondering why he had stopped her.

Raven almost wished she hadn't asked that question. The boy's left hand immediately behind his back, as if nervous. He then took it away, still looking nervous, and began to intertwine it with his right hand, moving his fingers about in a complex fashion, one of numerous motions that all seemingly were easily pulled off by him, but left her confused. Raven put up her own hands in an attempt to stop him. He obeyed, putting his hands down and behind his back, flexing his fingers a bit. A bead of sweat went down his forehead. Had he tried to go too fast with her already?

Raven recognized slightly what that had just been, though she took a few moments to actually just stand there and sort of what she had seen. he had been trying to speak to her though sign language, as in communicating through numerous gestures with his hands rather than with words. Again, she was reminded of a person she had known very shortly before, but couldn't recall. Sign language of course, wasn't foreign to her, on Azarath she had learned it. The monks had always stressed peaceful tactics in everything, and sign language was a universally-spoken language, one that used hands for talking rather than fighting. Still, it had been a while since she had seen someone sign, and though memories of how to read such were coming back, it was still a little difficult. Raven spoke to the teen again.

"Repeat what you just tried to tell me, but slower." she instructed him. The teen obliged again to her request, and this time slowly responded in his own way. Raven read each movement of his fingers, hands, and wrists. She formed the words and letters of each swiss, flick, or general motion of them. Coherent sentences slowly formed, which she thought in her head.

"Je-Jericho?" Raven finally said after a little while. Jericho shook his head, smiling, and began to sign again, this time much faster. Raven again grew a look of being overwhelmed, and the other quickly backed off, a look of slight horror adorning his face. Again he tried to sign, his face staying as it was, his eyes becoming slightly cloudy, and his shoulders slumping a bit. Raven was able to again read what he was saying, and answered.

"Don't worry about it, just... take it a bit slower, okay?" Jericho nodded, his face becoming a bit more uplifted. Still, Raven had no idea why the honorary Titan was here. Perhaps that would be the next question to ask him.

"So uh... what are you doing here Jericho? Did Robin call you for something?" Raven asked him, albeit somewhat bluntly. Jericho smiled and began to sign again, though as per Raven's advice, he took it slowly, and gave her time to translate it. The empath's eyes opened in surprise as she read what he said.

"Uhhh... sorry to tell you... but I'm not here for a da-" Raven's sentence was interrupted by Jericho, who took back to signing again. It was faster than the last series, and Raven had a hard time keeping up. When he was done, she looked at him strangely. Jericho then moved a hand to the back of his neck and tried to smile. He could already feel a bit of sweat beginning to drop down his forehead again, and his neck itched. Raven then replied, still staring at him.

"You just want to... spend the day with me?" Jericho nodded, his smile becoming a bit more genuine. Raven continued to stare at him, which caused his smile to falter a bit, but not by much.

"Right." she then said, a bit disbelievingly. Jericho moved his hands back up, and began to sign again, feeling his case was beginning to lose ground. Raven read each of his words and sentences, thinking on them. He didn't seem so bad, definitely not as obnoxious as Beastboy or Cyborg. In fact, he seemed... nice. Raven lifted her hard stare up a good deal, which seemed to relieve Jericho.

"Fine... we can talk, I guess." Raven then said, moving back to the table. A hopeful-couple saw her sitting down, and Jericho soon join her. They threw her dirty looks before walking away, their dream for a street-side table dashed. Raven ignored them, and continued to look at Jericho even as he sat down. She crossed her arms and put them back on the table. Now with two people sitting there, a waiter finally noticed the occupancy of the table, and emerged from the Cafe. He walked over to them, a white apron across his black jeans and shirt. Holding a pad with paper on it, and a pen in the opposite hand, he began to speak.

"What can I get for the two of you today?" he said, his voice a bit high.

"Herbal tea." Raven responded, almost mechanically. Jericho responded as before, his hand motions though serving to only confuse the waiter, who didn't seem to understand them at all. Raven answered for him.

"He says he'll have a glass of water." Jericho nodded with a small smile even as the waiter wrote down the orders, and whisked himself back into the building. Raven then turned to Jericho, who sat in his chair looking back at her. The continued silence, or at least absense of signing, and just continued staring unnerved the empath a bit. Though annoyed that he wasn't going to start up a conversation, being that it was he who wanted to spend the day with her; a motive that already seemed a bit suspicious to her, Raven decided regardless to start up something at least, to break the slight tension on her part. Her voice seemed unconcerned, her almost trademark-monotone in it.

"So... come here often?" It was a stupid thing to say, and as soon as she had said it Raven wished she could take it back. Of course he didn't "come here often", he lived on a mountain! Or.. at least that was what Beastboy had told her and the others. But still, a conversation had to start somewhere, she guessed. Jericho shook his head, and slowly wrote out his next message through his hands. Raven nodded a bit in agreement, his answer what she had already known. Still... something about Jericho being here... far away as he was from his mountain, stuck in the back of her head.

"How did you know about this though? I mean... it's not like you get the paper delivered to you or anything..." Jericho silently gulped down the air in his throat, his mouth dropping a bit. He moved his hands back up, and tried to explain the rather... weird situation with the newspapers. Raven's right eyebrow began to move up her forehead even as he spoke in his way.

"... Okay..." she then said, confused. He got newspapers from an invisible man, seemingly. Still, she supposed that really didn't matter. At least he wasn't asking for a full blown date, though she found just wanting to spend the day with her so others wouldn't ask her to be a bit far-fetched. He was kind though in how he acted... so he couldn't be all that bad. Jericho put his hands back down on the table, and waited for her to say something else. His eyes narrowed a bit, even as he tried to look at her, and at the same time avoid eye contact.

The awkward situation continued on, until the waiter finally came back with a tray housing their drinks. He put them both down on the table next to the awaiting consumer, and then walked back off to leave them by themselves. Raven moved her hand down and took her cup by the small handle, picking it up and taking a sip. The tea was hotter than she usually had her own, but it was good enough. Jericho moved his own hand around his glass cup, and slowly moved it up to his mouth to take a sip himself. He then put the cup back down almost immediately, and turned back to Raven. He looked at her through his emerald eyes, trying to think of something to say, to spark up a conversation perhaps. Raven again cocked her eyebrows.

"Well... you wanted to spend the day with me... what do you want to do then?" Jericho almost fell back in his chair, bringing his hands up so quickly from the table that his drink almost spilled. He immediately began to communicate through his fingers, the words translated to Raven as nervous as they were in his head. She slumped a bit in her seat, trying to translate them all completely.

That option however, was quickly taken away from her.

Suddenly, two hands appeared around her from behind. A box of chocolates was held by them, which quickly found a place on the table in front of her, the cup of herbal tea pushed to the center and towards Jericho, who looked at the owner of the arms behind her, his eyebrows arching up, and his head rearing back.

"For you babe." Came a computerized-voice from behind. Raven quickly recognized it. Whirling her upper torso around in her seat, she looked behind at the person offering her the candy.

Red X.

Her own eyes opened in surprise at the appearance of one of her team's foes. She tried to stand up in her seat, pushing Red X back. He let go of the candy, so as to not pull Raven away in an embrace. He gracefully moved back on his feet, the wind catching up his tattered cloak and blowing it along his sides. He placed his hands were behind his back, and stood innocently in front of Raven, who as already reaching for her hood. Jericho had moved one hand off the table, and used the other for support, if he needed to quickly push himself up. His eyes had grown a bit smaller, and he stared them at the new person.

"What are you doing, X?" Raven asked the villain, already focusing her thoughts to use her powers. Red X merely shrugged, and then returned his left hand back in front of him, now containing a bouquet of roses.

"Roses?" he said sweetly, moving them up to Raven. The empath backed away a little, eyeing the flowers with mistrusting eyes. Then suddenly, she brought a hand up to her nose, and began to suck in air.

"Ahhhhhh-Choo!" she sneezed into her hand. Jericho now was on both feet, his chair next to him. His eyes were focused on Red X. He was about to step forward when Raven outstretched her left arm, stopping him from moving any closer to the villain.

"Don't bother." she said, sounding a bit nasally. Red X moved his head a bit to the right, his eye slits opening slightly.

"What's wrong girl, don't like them?"

"I'm allergic to roses." Raven said simply to the villain. She then moved back to her seat, and sat down in it, rubbing at her nose somewhat. She removed her hood, and went back to her tea.

"And besides," she started up again, catching Red X's attention, which he had for a split second focused on the other for a moment, even as Jericho continued to stare at him suspiciously. "You're late; Jericho got here first." Red X turned away from her, and back to the mutant with her. He then walked over to Jericho, and placed a hand on the front of the chair's iron back.

With a swift motion, he toppled the chair over, knocking a shocked Jericho away. He then turned back to Raven, placing a leg on one of the chair's supportive bars and leaning on the leg with his left arm.

"Who, him?" Red X said, thumbing at Jericho on the ground, who attempted to get himself back up. Raven flashed her lit-up eyes dangerously at the villain, who seemed unfazed by the trick.

"Get away from us." she said, uttering almost the same command as she had before to the two earlier punks, only now including someone else with her. Red X flashed another look at Jericho who was almost back up, and then at Raven. Then, with a shake of his head, he moved a gloved hand towards his utility belt.

"Suit yourself." he said to her, before he then pressed a button on the belt. His image became blurry, and in a split-second, he disappeared from view. Jericho had finally picked himself back up from the floor. He took his chair and placed it back correctly so he could sit back down. Raven watched him, feeling sorry for what had just happened, not to mention a bit confused. The heart-shaped box of chocolates in front of her suddenly glowed in negative energy, and crumpled up before being floated off and deposited in a nearby trash can. Jericho looked at her, his eyebrows up and a slight frown on his face. He then began to sign quickly. A short sentence, but understandable in nature.

"That was... one of our enemies." Raven said, finishing the answer off a bit confused herself at what had just happened. Jericho nodded, sharing in the feeling with her. Raven then returned to her drink. This time however, Jericho began to sign to her. She put down her cup, and read what he was trying to say.

"Not really..." she replied to him after he had finished. "He doesn't show up that much, we've only fought him about two times, and the second time didn't really count." Jericho nodded to her answer, thinking about it. He then took his own cup, and took another drink, this time a large one. A bit too large though, he started to choke somewhat. Raven giggled a bit to herself even as he put the cup back down and turned to the side, to gasp for air even as he spit out some of the water. Jericho then turned back to her, his cheeks red, a nervous smile on his lips. She smiled back, relieving some of the embarrassment on his part. The male sitting across from Raven tried to again spark up some conversation, picking his arms back up and moving them about intricately and carefully.

"I perfer vanilla." Raven said in a deadpan voice, before taking another sip from her tea. Jericho nodded, smiling somewhat at her answer even as his hands moved together, the fingertips connecting. Raven raised her eyebrows at the expression on the boy's face.

"Don't get any ideas." she added, putting her cup down. Jericho immediately seperated his hands and put them back up in front of him, signing fast again. Raven sighed, trying to keep up. The male then put down his hands, noticing the look on her face. So soon already, with the day just underhand and he had possibly blown it! He put his head back down, moving his hands half-heartedly, never making an actual word or phrase in the process. Raven watched him even as the teen then tried to actually formulate some words, taking her cup back up to her lips.

"It's okay, forget it." she said simply, the cup's edge leaving her mouth after allowing a small stream of the hot liquid to pour out and down it. Jericho moved his hands back slowly to the table, his head still a bit low. He overlapped his right hand with his left, his fingers moving back and forth across the top of his skin. Raven put her cup back down again, staring at him.

"Why did you really come here?" Raven asked him, her stare at him questioning his very frame. Jericho stopped his nervous hand antics and moved them back up in front of him. He had hoped she would believe him the first time, but by the way she looked at him... she seemed to suspect an ulterior motive on his part. Raven crossed her arms in front of her, keeping them on the table.

"Well?"

Jericho took a few seconds before starting. He had already answered her why he'd come. He just... wanted to spend the day with her, and make sure no one else tried to ask her out. Raven wasn't someone to do that thing, and he didn't want her to have to deal with that, perhaps if only for one day at least. Being the person to make that happened though was just something he'd have to deal with of course.... but, maybe it'd be nice, just to save her the hassle of it all, considering the article and the reaction it would probably bring. At least, it seemed so to Jericho.

Picking up his hands again, while thinking every word through, the mutant signed his answer, the movements of his fingers speaking for the absence of his voice. Almost as slowly as his signing, Raven moved back slightly, sitting up a bit more in her chair even as she translated what Jericho was saying, the answer formulating in her head.

Just to... spend the day with her, so that no one tried to ask her out. Yeah, right. Who exactly did he think he was fooling? Just how many people thought that would actually work? Just spend the day with the other person, no date, just spend the day in their company. Talk to them, walk with them, just spend the day...

But... there was something that told her... that there was something different with Jericho. He... didn't seem to actually be after... well, a date. There was something in his words, or motions really, that told Raven he was actually being sincere, as perposturous as it might sound. There was something that she hadn't noticed before, in his eyes. She definitely didn't feel any small amount of attraction to him, after all, she had just met him. He seemed quiet though, not to mention nice. It was a good deal different the usual kinds of teenage males that she dealt with, especially those who couldn't respect other's wishes... But then, there had been others before, who had seemed nice and caring, and only showed their true colors at the end once they had gotten what they had wanted from her. Just seeming nice and kind didn't mean much.

But... still, there just seemed something about him, different from others, even from him, that told her, through his silent green eyes...

That he just wanted to spend the day with her, and nothing more.

"Alright." Raven said to Jericho, who looked up from his hands, his eyes widening. "We can... spend the day together." she added, a bit haphazardly. Jericho waited, wondering if she would add something, or say something to make her agreement seem doubting. Did she really believe him this time, or was his reason, his sole reason for being here, in doubt? Raven then took her cup of tea back to her lips, and drank. It didn't seem like she seemed to doubt his motive...

"Well, aren't we going to talk then?" Raven asked him, putting her cup back down. Jericho twitched, a spark sent through his body. He quickly calmed himself down however, not wanting her to become curious, and ultimately suspicious. He put his hands back up in the air in front of him, and moved them carefully, constructing his response.

"Well, we haven't done much ever since getting back to the city. The Brotherhood is gone for now, and most of the villians went with them. Doctor Light's still around though, but he doesn't do much." Jericho smiled at the response, containing a small soundless chuckle inside of him. Raven went back to her drink even as Jericho began to sign again. The cup in her small hand was a little below half-empty. Jericho's own glass under his arms however, being that he hadn't drank much of it, was just a little over being half-full. His face was a little more serious than before, oddly enough though.

"You could tell." Raven said, her voice back in a monotone even as Jericho nodded, placing his arms back on the table. The thoughts of the article, and the person who so kindly wrote it, summoned an annoyed look on Raven's face. Well, at least he could tell she hadn't written it, thankfully. She then tried to focus on the task at hand, and think of what she would do after getting home for later. She looked back up at Jericho and put on a small smile, her previous expression seeming to draw a look of worry from him. The male teen seemed to take the smile as a good sign, and sat back a bit more easily in his chair.

Raven watched the somewhat-tall Titan. He was an honorary, and had fought alongside Beastboy and the other three until herself and the others had shown up. She couldn't remember though, what was his powers, exactly? Beastboy had mentioned them while going over the battle when they got back to the tower, and had dismissed the honoraries all back to their homelands. SHe hadn't listened that well, a book had had her interest more than Beastboy's over-exaggerated tales of heroism, which they had been a part of, after all. She remembered one part at least, it had something to do with... his hands? No, something on his face... she stared at him for a second, even as Jericho took a drink from his cup.

He definitely didn't have any powers involving a voice since... well... His nose then? No... just no. That left then... his eyes. What kind of powers could his eyes contain, then? Jericho looked up from his drink, noticing Raven had been looking at him. She turned her vision a bit, trying not to seem as if staring, though she could that had already been blown.

"So... did you have any plans then for today?" she then asked him, thinking it better if they actually did something rather than sit here at the cafe all day, and just look at each other uncomfortably . Jericho moved his appendages back up into the space in front of him. He was about to begin, the ideas already going through his head, deciding which ones were safest.

Suddenly, his eyes opened up widely, even as he looked past the girl sitting across from him. He began to move his arms quickly, trying to spell out to her whatever he was seeing behind her. But it was too quick, Raven could barely make out what he was saying to her.

"Slow down, I can't-" Raven's attempt to stop the mute from going so fast stopped even as a whizzing sound caught her ears. Jericho pointed soundlessly behind her, causing Raven to turn her head around to look.

"What the-" Again Raven's words were cut off, this time by the surprise of the object flying at her. A giant gooey x, red in color, latched on to her chair from behind and wrapped its arms around her arms and waist. She then suddenly felt a tug on the substance, and her chair's front legs lifted off from the ground even as she was pulled back, the back legs skirting on the ground. Jericho shot up from his chair, staring at what was happened.

Raven then felt the tugging stop even as the scraping against the ground stopped, and her entire frame felt as if being picked up. She looked back, turning from the mutant and to whoever was doing this.

"See ya' later, loser." Red X said tauntingly, holding Raven and her still tied-up chair in his left arm, his right hand on the handlebar of his bike. Both of his legs were in the correct positions on the ride, only he then quickly slammed his foot on the pedal, the black and crimson-red bike immediately zoomed down the street at an incredible rate at the move, more a blur then a solid object to be seen.

Jericho ran as fast he could to the corner, to try to catch sight of them going down the street. They were gone, no sight of them on the street. Gone, disappeared at an unbelievable rate. Gone! Not only the villain, but... her as well. A knot formed in Jericho's stomach, he was already beginning to feel ill. A villain making off with her. Why couldn't he have tried to warn her more quickly, seen the attack sooner. And now that he hadn't, she was... gone.

The buzz of an approaching vehicle soon caught the mute's ears, somewhat distracting his thoughts of guilt. He looked up to see another motorcyclist coming up from down the street, in the same direction the villain had driven down. The vehicle was a bit blocky, more like an old motor scooter than an actual bike, with white plastics over the fragile motor and gasoline tanks. The person himself had on a brown jacket, and a white helmet over his head, which was attached to thick goggles strapped across his eyes. But despite the heavy plastic, they were still quite visible.

Maybe there was still a chance then...

Jericho looked out at the person on the motorcycle, who was coming near him very quickly. He'd only have a few seconds to get this right, and if he failed, then his plan would fail also. The wind was beginning to pick up, papers were ruffling in it, floating towards the oncoming bike before being pushed away by the velocity of the machine. A few dozen yards stood between the two, and with every closing one, Jericho knew the villian was gaining another ten between them. Less than half that now, the rider was picking up speed.

Jericho immediately jumped out into the street, and faced the direction in which the biker was coming from. The rider veered his head back even as he saw the teen jump out in front of him, as if wanting to be hit. He screamed a few obscenities at the other, which seemed to have no effect on making him move. Jericho in return calmly stood where he was, directly facing the oncoming person. He had to do it, he had to make-

CONTACT!

The figure of the mutant suddenly became transparent, and he jumped off from the ground and straight towards the bike rider. The person had no idea what was going, barely even being able to see what was happening. Then suddenly, Jericho landed into the man, and disappeared beneath him. The rider then gave a sudden jerk, his motor skills no longer under his control.

"What the-" the person said confusedly even as his foot on seemingly its own accord pressed down even harder than he had been on the pedal. The bike in turn began to pick up speed. His hands swiveled the bar, swerving inbetween cars even as the bike went faster and faster, according to the pressure on the pedal. The man began to utter inconsistent words and phrases, terrified by what was going on. Several cars began to honk at the smaller vehicle, several near-crashes taking place.

Then in the distance, the two looked up from the road and saw another bike, one much more sleeker and darker in color, ahead of them. Even more pressure was put on the pedal, so much that the biker was afraid that the pedal would break off. Regardless, he pressed down on it. The buildings and pedestrians and vehicles all zipped by them, mere blurs even as they flew past them. The other bike was getting closer, and the two could even make out the rider and unwilling occupant of said vehicle. The two kept the speed to the high level it already was at, closing the gap even as they drove between rows of cars, dodging ones that swerved into their way.

Red X suddenly looked back even as the two approached him on his own motorcycle, his eyes widening a bit in surprise. He then pressed down on his own pedal, picking up more speed himself to separate the two of them. He zoomed by even as an elderly couple tried to pull their car out of a side-parking space, the motorcycle nearly clipping its side. The other two weren't so lucky, having to drive around the side and losing precious seconds between the two, giving Red X space.

His ride's other occupant however, seemed none too pleased. Red X looked down at Raven even as she began to speak.

"Azarath, Metrion-" Red X let go of the bar for a short second, his motorcycle staying on course, and reached behind. He then quickly pulled out a rose and shoved it into the empath's face.

"Rose?" he asked again in a calm voice. Raven's spell was interrupted even as she sucked in air, and sneezed again, her last word stopped from being uttered. Red X then ignored the begun-anew sniffling and sneezing, and focused back on the road, putting his right hand back on the bar and keeping his left around the Titan. The other bikers again were catching up, the two racing parties now leaving the city limits and onto a seaside road, with long stretching cliff sides that were placed high above the waters below. Red X turned back and looked at them one last time. The person chasing him certainly didn't look like the person Raven had been with at the Cafe. Probably was just another loser after her heart, or something like that. He smirked underneath his skull-shaped mask, and flipped a switch on the steering bar. He then let his foot off the pedal, all the acceleration and speed he had gained in the last few moments driving through the city ebbing away. The other motorcyclist flew past him, looking back in surprise.

Red X chuckled to himself, and let his right hand drop off from the bar. The X on his hand then glowed red, and the substance that Raven was coated in began to grow out of it. It materialized until it was quite large, and shaped in a lower-case t, with the longest segment pointing away from him and hardened. He slammed his left foot back on the pedal, catching up to the other bikers quickly.

The two dodged the attack even as Red X swiped at them from his bike with the newfound blade, keeping it at their pace. The other rider was terrified, screaming incoherently.

"MAN I'M NOT EVEN DRIVING THIS SOMEONE ELSE IS! DON'T HURT ME!" Red X slashed horizontally at the rider, who ducked just in time. He then picked his right foot off from the side of his bike and kicked at the other. The two swerved away and closer to the rail guarding, which separated them from the very edge of the cliff. Red X moved in closer, trying to jab his weapon at them. The terrified rider however, picked up his own left foot and kicked the arm away, shattering the X blade with the hit. The attack caused a sharp pain in Red X's hand, the break of the hardened substance from his glove ripping at his sweating skin underneath. The villian veered away a bit, letting his appendage rest for a few seconds even as the other rider stared in disbelief at his seemingly own reflexes, and strength. The bar itself to the black and crimson-red bike was seemingly moving on it's own accord, with no hands guiding it.

"DUDE HOW ARE YOU DRIVING THAT?!" The biker screamed at the Titan's foe. Red X moved back in towards the other driver, throwing a punch at the other riders, who dodged again.

"Auto-pilot." he said simply, even as he then picked his leg up again, to kick. But not at the riders themselves this time.

His foot slammed into the side of the engine of the bike, jiggling it a bit and pushing the bike itself more into the railing. The rider looked at him as if he were crazy.

"HEY IT'S A CLIFF ON THE OTHER SIDE!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, looking to the other side quickly, just to see how very far a drop it was to the bay. Red X picked up his leg again, and kicked, aiming for the metal bar connecting the front wheel to the main body of the vehicle.

"I know that." Red X said, attempting to push the bike to a slanted angle. This time however, the other rider picked his own foot up again, and slammed it into Red X's oncoming leg. The villain grunted in pain before pulling his appendage back. Raven tried to look up from her allergies-inducing situation, and finally looking at the rider on the other bike. He definitely wasn't Jericho, everything other than the sex being completely different in look. His face was that of a terrified person, his voice screaming in great fear. Raven almost sank a bit lower in her "seat", seeing who it was, and allowing another sneeze to come on even as the pollen from the rose got into her small nostrils.

But then, the rider did something strange even as he noticed her looking at him. Taking his left hand off the handle bar for only a few seconds, he quickly moved his index finger and thumb to form... a letter.

The letter J.

Raven's eyes opened a bit, even as she began to formulate a thought on what this meant even as the other rider returned his hand back to the bar and tried to parry another kick from Red X. J for... Jericho? But the person riding, that definitely wasn't the person who she had seen at the cafe. Something though on his face caught her eyes. She tried to focus, inbetween an oncoming feeling of a headache. Her pollen reaction was getting worse by the moment.

His eyes, even through the helmet's visor she could still make out their color. The pupils were the color... green, almost unnaturally. But how...

Red X pulled his leg back to his bike and slammed it into the side of the other bike, smashing it into the railing even more. He then swerved back away, and picked his foot back up again, swiftly driving it into the side of the bike. The other riders frantically tried to keep their bike steady, even as it began to lean in a slanted way. The thief took advantage of the situation, and delivered another kick at the opposing vehicle, this time into it's underside. The last blow had been enough to push the bike off the road a few millimeters, even as the metal of the bike and the metal of the railing began to scrape against each other.

"NO!" the other biker screamed even as his vehicle began to go over the railing, unable to right itself back up onto the road. Red X then moved away, letting him see from a distance the fruits of his short labor and the pull of gravity as he continued to drive on.

"Sea yah', kid." Red X taunted even as he then moved his right hand back to the bar, and flipped the switch off, taking back control of his bike. Raven watched in horror, all the while sneezing and sputtering, as the other bike and two riders fell over the side of the railing, and disappeared from view. Red X however sped off as fast as he could, driving away from the scene and towards wherever the villain was headed. she probably wouldn't have screamed even if she could've, the act just committed taking away her ability to speak. That, and the fact that the person who had just gone over, was...

Had that really been him, or was she just thinking too much into it? Whatever the sign had meant, it didn't matter now anyway...

Red X then spoke up to her, in a completely uncaring voice for what had just happened, as if it had not even been his foot that had knocked the two over.

"Don't worry babe, that guy back at the cafe was nothing compared to me. Just you wait, today'll be special."

Raven sneezed again, trying to block out his words. Her eyes were becoming itchy, and every breath harder and harder to take in, her throat constricting a bit more with every passing second from the pollen. Red X looked over at her as he continued to drive and noticed her allergies beginning to worsen. He reached over and took the rose from her, tossing it onto the side of the road.

Yeah. Special.

Raven hated Valentines Day.

End of Chapter II

Comments and critiques are welcomed by all. Hope you're enjoying this thus far.

[Matt A]

There's one important thing I need to say: could you make the chapters a little shorter? That could've easily been done as about four different ones.:sweat:

Well, that's about the only negative thing I've got to say. That was a well-written little date scene: you could sense Raven and Jericho's awkwardness, but without making the scene itself awkward to read. Plus Jericho's quite a cool little dude anyway, so that helps.:anime:

Though, it must be said, Red X kinda stole the show. I definitely wasn't expecting him to get involved, most of all because he'd never really struck me as a Raven fan. Whatever he's got on his mind, I don't think romance comes into it overly much. It's certainly big enough for him to willingly cap Jericho, though I doubt he'd be dead this early on...then again, with that inspired chase scene, he might've already had his stand-out moment.:anime:

Somehow, I get the feeling that the other Titans' dates are also about to come to an early end. This is going to get interesting.;)

-Matt A-

[Aquagirl15]

Ah, I like this so far! I've read other stories on other sites about Raven and Red X being together, so that part didn't surprise me too much. I also did a little reasearch on Jericho; he seems like a pretty cool character. Like Matt, I doubt that Jericho is gone already, so I'm eager to see what will become of him and the guy he took over.

[Starrysky]

Oh, wow. I love this. The whole plot so far is facinating. I can't wait to see how this turns out. I'd like the chapters a bit shorter as well, it's a bit easier to read that way.

Very good job. Keep it up!

[The Kaiser]

Running late as usual...

Chapter III, Act I

Jericho was falling through the air. The bike he had been riding on before flipped and twirled just inches above him even as he continued to fall straight down. He flailed his arms as the other person screamed as loud as he could. But it did nothing for them as they continued to fall closer and closer to the water, the liquid splashing against the rocky base of the cliff behind them its white foam up being lapped up along its sides.

"AHHHHH-HAAAHHHH!" Jericho wished he had control over the person's voice just this once. He tried to clench down on his jaw, forcing his mouth closed after drawing in a breath. But he could feel his heart racing faster. He wanted to take another breath, try to calm down, or something! He tried to hold on but let go as the water came closer, breathing rapidly again . The other person kept screaming, the noise ringing in Jericho's ears.

The body plunged into the water quickly, the entrance almost unnoticeable as waves coming back from the cliff side swarmed over them. The motorbike landed only a split-second later, mercifully having fallen away from them.

Jericho closed his eyes in the water for a second, the liquid coming into contact with them. He opened though almost as soon as he blinked, the pain only temporary. He knew it would only get worse if he didn't get used to it now. He tried to look up towards the surface, seeing in blur the bike sink past them down through the water. He swiveled his arms up and down, trying to straighten his twisted body up.

But he was underwater; there was no time for this! He had to get to the surface, and fast! He wouldn't last long here, hadn't taken a large enough breath! Had to get up to the surface, had to!

The water's current suddenly began to go against him. A sharp pain hit in the back, his body flipping over. Jericho almost lost the air he was holding from the impact, the mental strain of keeping his jaw shut worsening as he wanted let go and yell. The wave continued to push him to the side, instead of up. He could feel the screams still coming up from inside the body, the other person terrified by what was happening. Guilt swarmed into him from the thought of another being put at risk because of him. But Jericho tried to ignore it and swim up, getting away from the bike after a few seconds.

He didn't have a few seconds though; he barely had any at all! He had to get up, and now!

He swam up and away from the bike as fast as he could, the current continuing to carry the bike in the other direction. It was dying down now though, the movement of the water dissipating as the current edged farther and farther away. He could see... light piercing the top of the water, from the sky! Close, so close! His throat was beginning to screech for air, tightening and closing on him. Running out of air too quickly. Only a few more feet now, just a couple more separating them, had to get up and out, had to--

Another current from the other direction smashed into him, pulling him down even as it pushed him towards the cliff side. Jericho struggled to try to gain any kind of supremacy, but the wave refused to relent. His throat clenched even tighter, the air was being used up... too quickly. The other person was panicking even worse than Jericho, attempting to scream even under the fierce movements of the water. He looked down through the liquid, seeing his body was approaching the bottom faster and faster as they were continually pushed down. He moved as desperately as possible, trying to swim up. Jericho felt something soft and mushy under his shoed foot. He looked down, the pain in his throat and chest, growing more... and more. Images were beginning to... flash before his eyes...

A piano... him, sitting at it... it looked so... dreamy though... so...

NO! He had to swim up, he had to get away from the bottom, from the--

--Sand, he touched the shallow bottom. Desperately, Jericho looked back up, and tried to use the sea-ground to push off from. But the sand was too soft, and his feet only got buried more in it! No, he had to get... out! His throat was screaming to release, to open his mouth and take in air, breath it and fill his lungs with air. The pain was becoming unbearable, his chest was burning. Only a couple... more seconds to swim, couldn't hold out much--

A knife... cold and sharp... flashing in the room's light... falling...

The boy finally released and exhaled into the bay. Water rushed into his mouth even as he inhaled vainly, as if expecting air to come rushing in. Jericho choked, unable to do anything. Dark spots were already beginning to come over his eyes, blurring more images as they came to him. A man in an orange mask... running over to him... He was losing control of his body, arms falling to his side, giving up on trying to reach the surface. He looked up at the distant surface, even as the water began to come back from slamming into the cliff side, already beginning to drag him out towards the main bay again.

Something... clutching him... his body in a... bed...

The light was still shining from above. Bright spots, intermingling with the dark spots in his eyes danced across the surface area, shimming and moving gently. They disappeared more and more as Jericho found less and less control over himself, the darkness creeping over him. But then... something else disrupted them. A large break in the water... or was it something else... developed. A large object was barreling towards him... or was it just the spots in his eyes, almost completely claiming his... sight...

A large, black object mixed in with silver blots across it in several places. He could barely see it; his normally vibrant eyes were closing, perhaps of his own will. It was moving closer and closer, blurring more and more with the rest of the black he was seeing. Barely any of the blue water could be seen now, the spots in his eyes and the object, whether it really was something that was separate from his own sight, blocking it out.

It was only a little way... away from him. His sight was blacking out completely now, his chest was feeling colder than... he had ever felt in... water before... but at least... he had gotten his wish today... to see her... and whatever was coming at him... could keep doing so... a small smile came across his numbed lips.

His dad... once told him about... the thing coming now... He thought he had called him... Death, in his stories...

But... no... Death had a white skull... and this...

Had one of part-orange.

Whatever it was, Jericho's eyes finally closed, the blackness swallowing him just as the black and silver shape came right at him, a very-faint feeling on his shirt being lifted off from his skin, and tugged at even as he finally lost all consciousness, drifting off into the abyss.

-T-

Raven tried to block out the sound of her captor's motorcycle as it rumbled down the street. She felt Red X's grip on her and the goo tighten as he turned a corner of the hillside, her back rubbing against the rails of the chair. A few bumps in the road caused the vehicle to "jump" up and down, upsetting her stomach even more than the rose was. She sneezed again at the pollen, snapping her eyes closed at the same time.

'Well, at least my allergy's minor.' Raven thought grimly to herself. She felt another unpleasant feeling in her stomach. It wasn't from the allergies, or the road, but--

'That person who fell over the rail... he was trying to save me. But now he's...' Raven didn't let herself finish the last part. She turned her head to Red X, glaring at him. The thief sensed her staring, and took his gaze from the road.

"Got something to say to me, baby?" he asked her in his computerized voice. Raven gritted her teeth, her eyes glowing white.

A rock suddenly shot up from the ground around them, and hurled itself at the villain. Red X turned just in time to see it, ducking before he got hit. The rock sailed over them, and crashed into the road ahead. Red X gripped her shoulder (an area not covered by the goo), causing her to wince in pain.

"You really shouldn't try that again," Red X taunted her, turning his head back to the road. The empath turned her face away from him. She couldn't do anything worthwhile while he was still holding her. Even if her allergic reaction wasn't that strong, she couldn't concentrate greatly, and do more than maybe throw a couple objects, or let some of her powers spiral a bit out of control. And the only person who could've really done something back was... gone.

More like fallen over a cliff. Raven could barely make out the rail and hilltop that the other rider had fallen over at. He couldn't be... gone though. Nothing had seemed really remarkable about him, just like one of the average teenagers that chased her around sometimes in the city, video-recorder in hand. But this one... something had seemed different. His moves, not everyone could just do that, and on a motorbike too.

And then there was the J sign he had flashed. Had that somehow actually been him? Had that actually been Jericho? But... how? That couldn't have been him, he looked nothing like the teen she had seen at the cafe, and shared a table with. He had been almost twice as wide, and... shorter. Still... there was just something strange about it... something that couldn't be dismissed at first glance...

Those green eyes...

"We'll be at my place in a little while, so try to stay comfy for the ride." Red X spoke out loud, keeping his masked face straight ahead. Raven furrowed her eyebrows and upturned her mouth a little at the words. Comfy, right...

She sneezed again. The back of her throat felt rough, the sneezing making it only feel worse. The empath turned her head to the side a little, looking at Red X. She spied the rose hanging out of his belt from the stem. Raven gritted her teeth, trying to go through all the possible moves she could make.

'But they all require my powers, and that means concentration! And I can barely do that without facing the rose...' Raven turned her face back away, letting herself sneeze. She winced at the pain in her throat from it. Had to do something though now... it was only going to get worse the more she waited, and the more she exposed herself to pollen. Needed to do something, needed to... concentrate.

"Az-azarath..." Raven began slowly, quietly. Without a good concentrated and clear mind, her mantra would have to do at the moment, even if it put her at risk of being heard. "Met-etrion..."

The rose began to waver, almost as if it was being tugged. Raven narrowed her eyes, glowing with negative energy. Concentrate... have to--

The empath suddenly felt her throat go funny. Raven's nose began to twitch, and her eyes started to water. 'No, not now, have to concentrate. Can't--'

"Zintho-Achoo!" Red X turned his head when she sneezed, just as Raven reared her head back, sniffling. He stared at her for a few seconds, before speaking in his usual tone. The bike jostled a bit over a few cracks on the road.

"Want a tissue babe?"

"No, don't really need one," she sprouted back, keeping her gaze to the fields around them. Her voice sounded just as it had a few minutes ago. Of course the pollen wouldn't just go away after just a few seconds... but, she still had hoped it'd get better faster. The quicker her nasal passages could clear up, the faster she could get away.

"We'll see about that, still got my gift," The thief responded, turning around to get the present. Raven smirked even as the bike hit a few more rough spots, waiting for Red X's reaction. Still not clear enough to make a more concentrated attack, even with a low-subsconscious healing factor. Just had to wait a little bit more. "What the--"

Red X stopped himself in mid-sentence, before looking back to the front of his bike. He made a sharp turn right, causing Raven to feel like her stomach was doing cartwheels. She could breath a little more clearly now, no longer as nasally. Just a little longer...

"Heard that little chant of yours before, but didn't think you were actually doing anything. So how could just you throw that rose away? I stole it for you," The teen spoke out, looking over at her as he navigated the bike around another turn. Raven gritted her teeth, trying to keep her stomach from getting upset. The last thing she needed now was to throw up, even if it would provide a good distraction. Red X suddenly took his arm off the handlebar, reaching into his suit. Raven's eyes followed his arm as it shuffled around, beneath the sleek fabric. "Here we go."

'No!' Raven nearly shouted out, as Red X took another rose from his suit. He placed the dead plant's stem into his belt, close to the empath. The pollen was already drifting... towards her. She had to get away now if she was going to at all. No more waiting.

"Azarath Metrion--mmph!" Red X had clasped a gloved hand over Raven's mouth. She looked at the teen, her eyes fading from pupiless white back to their normal way. She felt her chair slip a little from his grasp, her feet less than a foot off the ground. Red X took his other hand off the bar again, waving a finger at her.

"No way babe, can't let you do that. Still haven't arrived yet." Red X taunted her. Raven gritted her teeth and tried to struggle against his grip. Her chair slipped a little more down, and one of the legs began to scrape against the road. She stopped moving for a second, both of them hearing the noise.

"Careful, or you'll fall." After a moment Red X finally removed his hand from her face, catching a lock of hair and flinging it over her face. Raven glared at him, before rearing her head back as her nose started to act up again. She could feel Red X put his arm back under her, the chair rising back up. The pollen was starting to get to her again, her eyes beginning to water. Great, no way to get away now, other than trying to fall...

"Almost there babe." Raven braced herself as the bike started to pick up even more speed, the fields on either side becoming blurs to her. She tried to gulp down an uneasy feeling, but it only became worse as her allergies picked up in her throat. Maybe falling wouldn't be so bad now, she was covered in goo after all. Probably would shatter if she hit the road, let her get away easier...

'For about five seconds until Red X turned around and drove back for me.' Raven moved her head to the side, grimacing. She tried to look forward, her vision blurred by her allergies. She could feel the bike slowing down a little, just as wherever they were driving to started to come a little more into vision. Large... objects, definitely not things you'd find in fields. Brownish...

'Are those... buildings?'

Raven kept staring, looking away only when she sneezed into Red X. Where was he taking her, a city? He had kidnapped her from one city to take her to another?

A slow thought of realization came to Raven as they were just a minute or so out of the place. It wasn't a city, no, not enough buildings. Plus, they were all industrial, with smoke stacks and pipes going all over the place. She blinked away some of the painful tears welling in her eyes, and kept staring. And it they all looked... abandoned. None of the pistons outside were moving, no smoke billowing out of the stacks, all the windows just... black. Red X started slowing down even more as they were just out of entering the first street. Made sense if the buildings were, actually...

"Well, we're here babe. My place."

Raven jerked forward as the bike stopped. She looked at the thief miserably as he stepped off, continuing to hold her, moving over to the side of the building. The empath watched as he reached a door on one of the many black and grey buildings. He grasped a doorknob, and turned it. Raven listened to the grating noise, hearing it take longer than usual. Why was this place still around? It seemed so large for a factory or... whatever it was.

"Come on in."

The two entered the room. The only light illuminating the room came from the outside, which cut off as Red X closed the door behind them. Raven tried to look around, ignoring the pain in her eyes, but she couldn't make anything out past the floor just in front of her. It was dirty, with grime and muck stuck inbetween broken-up pieces of tiles. Red X kept going, moving over the little bit of seeable flooring, and into the dark room. The empath felt a chill go through her body. Being here was definitely a lot worse than outside, on the bike. She couldn't see anything, not even the space right in front of her face. Anything, or anyone could be in here, completely hidden.

Her chair's feet clattered onto the room as she felt him put her down. Raven listened to the echo. Definitely was a big room, no doubt about that. Her focus shifted, as she heard Red X start to walk away from her, his boots slapping the floor. Being where they were, it probably didn't make any difference how loud he walked. Confidently, arrogantly.

'Well, I guess he has reason to. There's no one to stop him, and he has what he wants.' Red X suddenly spoke to her.

"Let me just get the lights for us."

CLICK.

Raven closed her eyes and jerked her head to the side as the room was flooded with lights. A few patches of ground were covered back into darkness almost as quickly, before being lighted back up, as the ceiling lamps blinked on and off. The sounds of Red X's shoes on the factory floors started up again, then stopped. The empath let her eyes get use to the new illumination, before opening them fully. The stinging was getting a little less again...

She turned her head a couple times, trying to find where Red X had gone off to. Nowhere in front of her, that was certain. Raven craned her neck a little painfully, looking behind herself. 'Found him, but what's he... doing?'

The sounds of keys being tapped started coming to her ears, as Red X sat hunched over a... desk? A large monitor was set up in front of him, currently blank. What was this, his "secret lair"? An abandoned factory made sense for a hideout, but not a large one, or at least one with a computer and the other high-tech equipment she noticed nearby.

"It's a good thing your allergy isn't that bad, can't risk you getting sick. Too valuable to let that happen."

Raven listened to the words, letting them slowly register. Too... valuable?

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, fighting more against her constraints. He kidnapped her because she was... valuable? Red X kept typing and hitting the buttons on his key board. The screen in front of him began to light up, several menus of different colors came on. Some closed immediately, while others stayed open. After a few minutes, the last one went down, leaving the screen blue, with a few words Raven couldn't read on it.

"What do you think it means? The Titans'll pay anything to get you back," Red X said to her, leaning back in his chair. The blue screen disappeared, and was replaced by another black one. A large empty bar appeared on the monitor, and slowly began to fill. Raven stopped struggling in her chair. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, trying to get the sting out of them. Pay...

"You kidnapped me just to bribe the Titans?" she croaked, hanging her head low. The bar finally filled up on the screen, and the screen blinked out for a second. It reappeared after a moment, but this time had an image on it. Raven let her eyes look over for just a moment, before she brought her whole face in it's direction. Her jaw dropped. It was... their lobby.

"Bingo. I could've picked up any Titan, but you were the easiest. Did you actually think that I was interested in you?" Raven cast her eyes back onto the floor, before sneezing. "Who'd want to date you anyway?" She clenched her hands, biting her nails into her skin before releasing them. The empath didn't respond out-loud, no reason to give him the satisfaction of hearing her.

'One person did... even if he's not here anymore because of you.'

Jericho.

-T-

Light... shining down... from the sky... onto his face...

Jericho opened his eyes slowly, before closing them back up almost immediately. The sunlight hurt them, he had to get used to that again. He opened them back up, before turning his head to the side. Something was... wrong with his throat--

The mute started to cough and sputter, his gasps and pains just as silent as his words. He got some water back up, clearing his throat a little. After a about a minute he stopped, feeling better. He slowly stood up, using a hand to keep his balance. Jericho looked around for the first time at his surroundings. He was... on a rock, right next to the bay with the waves lapping up against its side. But hadn't he just been underwater?

Jericho reached up and grabbed the front of his tunic. He felt the fabric inbetween his fingers, before letting go. It was... dry. But, how? He had just been in water, hadn't he? That was the last thing he could remember, sinking... and that... thing coming for him. Jericho nearly sat back down, to think out whatever had happened. Had whoever that had been actually rescued him? It wasn't that weird, to think that, but... how was he just there at the right time? Well, was still nice of him though to save him, or, them...

The other guy. Jericho spun around, looking on the small rock. He spotted the man, just a little ways away. The teen moved over to him, his legs at first feeling a little wobbly.. He got over to him and crouched down, grabbing the unconscious man's hand. Jericho felt for a pulse. Yes, still there. The guy's breathing seemed normal as well. Jericho let out a silent sigh of relief, falling onto his bottom. At least his attempt hadn't caused someone else to get hurt.

Raven.

Except for her. Jericho started to look around wildly again, at his surroundings. He had to find someway to get back to the road, wherever that was. Had to get to her, save her. He spotted a wall of solid rock behind him. The mute looked up, and spotted the top of the cliff side. Not too high, he could probably climb it quickly.

The teen ran over to the cliff side. Without any hesitation he dug his foot into the first nitch he could spot, and began to push himself up, grabbing the closest rocks ahead. In less than a minute his body was already several feet up the "wall".

It took him less than that to get back into the rhythm of climbing. He had done it before back on his mountain, whenever he needed to get water to drink, since the stream was a little way down. It had been hard at first, but eventually it became almost as simple as walking. Never close enough to see the little village that was nestled at the foot of the mountains, but always a bit more than he had to. Doing it now almost felt enjoyable, if he didn't have to hurry. Raven...

He heard a crack even as he reached up for the next rock. His hand slipped as the rock tumbled away, his body almost swinging from the imbalance. Jericho gripped as hard as he could with his other hand, digging both feet into their holes along the rock cliff. The mute watched as the broken ledge crashed on the rockbed below, shattering into dozens of tiny fragments. He caught his breath for a few seconds, letting his heart slow down a bit. Had to... slow down a little. He turned back to cliff wall, and reached up for a steadier rock. Finding one, he starting ascending again, picking speed back up. Had to get up, try to get to her...

After another minute or two he reached the top. He put his right arm over the ledge, and helped push himself up with it. Jericho quickly grasped the guard rail right in front of him, and jumped over it. He then looked left and right several times. Which way did they go, which way... had to find out, find her...

Jericho burst out into a sprint, stumbling up the side of the hill onto the grassy top. He could get a better look up there, maybe see some sort of trail or clue they... she left behind. The mute got on top of the hill and looked out, his hands at his sides. He looked around, turning his body a couple times.

No...

He looked down both roads again, trying to find something, anything. No tire tracks, no skid marks, nothing. He looked again, over into one of the fields across him. Maybe there was some grass flattened, like if that thief rode over it, to try to cover his tracks.

The wind rustled through the tall grass, blowing it gently. Nothing was flattened or stuck to the ground, nothing. Jericho looked back to the roads, searching for some hint. He had to find where they'd gone, where she'd gone! But... how? Even if he followed the road the way he had been going before (Thanks to there being a faint outline of Jump City in the background of the other), how did he know that Red X didn't drive off somewhere else? He had to do... something!

Maybe not alone though...

An idea struck the teen suddenly. He reached into his vest, looking for the device. Why hadn't he thought of this sooner? He didn't need to do this alone, not with the horn Herald gave him! Just one blow and--

Jericho kept moving his hand around his vest, but couldn't find it. No... where had it gone? Had he dropped it somewhere? Had it... had it fallen out while he was in the water? It had to be here though, it had to! No, he needed it... he needed to help her...

The mute fell to his knees on the hilltop, clenching his hands shut. It was his fault Raven was in trouble, his fault! But... what could he do now? How could he get to her, find her, rescue her? It was his fault she was kidnapped, if only he'd been able to alert her to Red X quicker, or ran up to get in the way. But he hadn't! And now...

He couldn't do anything. Nothing but sit here in the grass. A small stream made its way down his cheek, coming to his chin before dripping off. He wiped at the tears, doing at least something in his mind. A weak wind began to pick up around him. No way to find her, no way to help her. What he supposed to do now?

Jericho was snapped out of his thoughts as something collided with his wet cheek. He looked forward, the wind bringing a slight pain to his eyes. He moved a hand up to his cheek, and picked off whatever had landed on him. He looked at the small red petal, part of it still blowing with the wind.

A... rose petal?

The teen stopped crying as he continued to stare at it. A rose petal? What was it doing out here? He moved his head from side to side. There weren't any roses around here, so where did it come from? Jericho stood up, and looked a little more at his surroundings again. He turned to the street after a little bit of looking in the fields some more. There... there was something on the road.

Jericho broke out into a sprint over to whatever it was, keeping the petal close to him. He reached the object and knelt down next to it.

It was... a rose. Almost completely intact too. The mute reached for the flower, and picked it up by the bottom of its bud. He eyed all the petals, folding out mostly in unison. One or two seemed bent though, probably from just falling and hitting the road, or the wind itself. He kept staring at it, wondering where it could have came from.

Red X. Jericho nearly dropped the rose at the thought. His bouquet. Had it... had it fallen out of it? Had to, there was no other explanation. This was definitely from his bouquet, meaning they had traveled past here! Jericho looked out across the lone road, as if hoping to actually see the villain just in front of him, egging him on.

But no, Red X was long gone, wherever he was now. And all Jericho had was the... rose. He still could have driven in any direction, even back to the city. The mute's heart sunk at the recurring idea. Not much to really go on at all.

Jericho's senses flared as electricity seemed to suddenly shoot through his body. He dropped the rose and petal to the ground, falling down himself. He shook, even as the rose appeared to jiggle on the asphalt road. Then,Jericho watched as the flower and petal became enveloped in an... obsidian haze, before settling down.

Raven's energy. Jericho continued to stare as the substance jumped off the rose and bounded down the street. Without thinking he got up and tried to follow it, seeing it make its path down the abandoned street. It soon disappeared out of his sight, continuing on the road off into the distance. Jericho stood, stunned at the marvel.

Raven's energy.

He took a step forward on the road, before another. That had been... Raven's energy. Had she... tried to contact him? Had she left that behind maybe, to show him the way to wherever she was? No, it couldn't be possible, could it? Had she even known that had been him back there? He took a slight corner on the street, following the yellow line in the center. He had signed to tell her, but still, that hadn't been exactly him on the bike, had she really gotten it?

Had to have, there was... nothing else possible. This was the way to wherever she was, Jericho was sure of it.

Had to be.

-T-

"You know, I would've thought your friends would be home right now and eating," Red X pondered, keeping his head facing the monitor. Still nothing different on the screen, just the emtpy lobby. Raven could guess he was getting annoyed at this point, and grinned at the small victory. Had been probably a few hours by now, and anything to annoy him was welcomed by the empath. A faint sizzling sound could be heard, coming off from somewhere. Raven had gotten used to most of the electronical noises, and wasn't bothered by what was probably a new one by a frustrated villain.

"Uhh!" Raven suddenly yelled, just as she felt something shock her. Her vision blinked out for a moment, as if something bright had been shined into her eyes. She almost felt like she was going to fall over dizzily, chair and goo or not. After a moment or two she collected herself, before looking down near her feet, where the pain had jumped from. No, nothing was around her feet, nothing to shock her with... what had that been?

"Was that a yes?" Red X asked her. Raven ignored the taunt, and kept looking into other reaches of the room. Huge old canisters with gauges and valves on them sat in one area, collecting dust and cobwebs. There was a highrise going along the side of the room, near the ceiling. If she had more of her concentration back by now, she could probably tear one down and collapse it right on him... "Hey, we're in business babe."

Raven snapped out of her plans and looked back to the thief. He was watching the screen, already going back to his keyboard. Somebody had entered the lobby.

'Oh great,' Raven thought to herself, seeing the green Titan in the background. Just the perfect person to get the message...

VRRMM.

The monitor blinked off, just as all the lights went dead. Raven could hear a chair scrape back on its legs and fall over from behind her.

"Who's there?" Red X called out. She could hear him starting to walk near her. Her allergic reaction wasn't so bad anymore, now would be the perfect time to hit him with one of those rises.

CLICK.

A single light turned back on, illuminating a small patch of factory floor. The two teens stared at it, waiting. Raven could hear Red X make more noises behind her, then next to her.

A shadowed figure stepped behind the light. His entire body was enshrouded, save for one thing on his face. The left side eye. Raven gasped silently at the sight, even as the person began to take another step forward.

'It can't be him. It can't be Sla-'

"You?" Red X said, his boots echoing off the floor again with a few steps of his own. The other teen did nothing to respond, only stand in the light. His blonde hair seemed a little ruffled, and his clothing had a few tears in it, the ones in his purple vest exposing more of the white shirt underneath. He blinked his eyes once, the green pupils shining out into the rest of the room. They gave him an impression of kindness, but to Raven, the rest of his face did not match. A small frown was written across his lips, and his eyebrows were furrowed. His hands were closed at his sides into fists. The empath spoke the only word she could think of at the moment, seeing the change in his demeanor from before.

"Jericho?"

End of Chapter III, Act I

I'll be away for tomorrow, but I'm trying to be more interactive with reviewers and the like. All critique in any form is appreciated, as always.

[Matt A]

Nice to see another chapter from you, Kaiser.:anime:

I just have to say this: Jericho is cool. Just insecure enough to be endearing, and yet with an eviable brain and definitely a hero's courage. When he steps into the light at the end, you can't help but cheer: if he could, this is where he'd say something cool. I have to give you full credit here, for taking the character we see in Season Five and fleshing him out even further, and yet still making him clearly the Jericho we already know. In fact, I'd say you've done that with all the characters we've seen so far, especially Red X as well: still an enigma, as he should be, but also the borderline-lovable bad boy that he's always never quite been. Expanding a universe and yet keeping it in-character is what fan-fiction is all about, and here we get to see it done. Good work.:anime:

The puzzle you've got set up is just as cool. Of all people, Red X would know that holding a Teen Titan to ransom is A-grade stupid: it's an amusing idea, but there has to be more to it than that. Especially since Slade appears to be keeping tabs, what with him seemingly doing the fatherly thing and saving his son from drowning. If that is him, then what's his game? I don't think it involves supporting the heroes, 'cause that's just never been Slade's style. And I'm assuming that Jericho leaving the unconscious guy behind was done for a reason, so what's with that as well?

Either way, I'm gonna have to stick around. However this turns out, I can tell it'll be good fun.:anime:

-Matt A-

[The Kaiser]

Nice to see another chapter from you, Kaiser.:anime:

I just have to say this: Jericho is cool. Just insecure enough to be endearing, and yet with an eviable brain and definitely a hero's courage. When he steps into the light at the end, you can't help but cheer: if he could, this is where he'd say something cool. I have to give you full credit here, for taking the character we see in Season Five and fleshing him out even further, and yet still making him clearly the Jericho we already know. In fact, I'd say you've done that with all the characters we've seen so far, especially Red X as well: still an enigma, as he should be, but also the borderline-lovable bad boy that he's always never quite been. Expanding a universe and yet keeping it in-character is what fan-fiction is all about, and here we get to see it done. Good work.:anime:

Ah, thank you for that! Truthfully, Jericho is very untapped in fanfiction and such, and since I love him as a character to use in works, he fits rather nicely for that.


The puzzle you've got set up is just as cool. Of all people, Red X would know that holding a Teen Titan to ransom is A-grade stupid: it's an amusing idea, but there has to be more to it than that. Especially since Slade appears to be keeping tabs, what with him seemingly doing the fatherly thing and saving his son from drowning. If that is him, then what's his game? I don't think it involves supporting the heroes, 'cause that's just never been Slade's style. And I'm assuming that Jericho leaving the unconscious guy behind was done for a reason, so what's with that as well?

Well, Jericho was in a rush as you could tell, he was thinking everything through. Don't worry, someone will eventually drive by and rescue the poor fellow. As for Red X... eh, don't want to give away much, but I won't be saying things either way. Personally, to me the thought of kidnapping a Titan isn't stupid for him, since he can beat all of them at once (and they don't know where he is) and such, but hey, there may indeed be something behind that motive, you never know. =P


Either way, I'm gonna have to stick around. However this turns out, I can tell it'll be good fun.:anime:

-Matt A-

Ah, thanks for that, it's very much appreciated. =)

[The Kaiser]

Apologies for delays and such. Been having some other outside things occuring.

Act I, Chapter IV


It was him. Standing in front of them, arms and legs limber at his side. Raven watched him as he stood still, eyeing the thief next to her. She looked at the mute's face, to the expression he wore. Something felt strange to her. It seemed... out of place for him. She hadn't known him for that long, but still... she could just tell it didn't seem right.

"Thought I knocked you over that guard rail. Didn't know you could swim," Red X started up, taking a step away from Raven. "So what've you come for?" It seemed the dumbest thing he could say, but Raven could tell from his heightened tone of voice Red X was just playing. He knew exactly why Jericho was here, but was just trying to toy with him.

Jericho took a step to his left, stretching his pants a bit. His expression remained the same, just as serious. Was he really planning on fighting Red X? Raven could tell from before he seemed to be a little skilled, but was he actually going to try? The thief had been on (probably still was) par with Robin, and trounced the rest of them when they had fought. He probably didn't stand a chance against Red X. If anything, he should have gone and tried to get the rest of the titans, and have them all come back for her.

'That's right, they're not even at the tower today. There'd be no way he could get them all together quickly enough. It'd be easier to just fight...'

"Jericho, just--" before she could even get the words out Red X had started charging at the other teen. Raven watched, waiting for Jericho to do something. Move out of the way, roll to the side, even charge back. But, he didn't. Jericho stood there, still tense, staring down the thief. Was he trying to get hit?

"Guess I'll have to show you the way out!" Red X yelled, just as he punched forward, aiming for Jericho's face. What was he waiting for?

The mute's action was almost too fast to follow. He raised his left arm and grasped Red X's oncoming fist. Holding it tight as the other stood in surprise (Red X having stopped in his tracks), he then bent the hand back and it cracked, following it up by increasing the pressure on Red X's fingers. The thief let out a shout of pain before jumping back, Jericho letting his opponent go. The two kept staring at the teen as he put his arm back down, taking his tense stance back up. That was... it almost seemed just like...

"That was a nice one, didn't think you could do that. Your mom and dad train you?" Red X tried to taunt, rubbing his wrist a little before going back into one of his fighting stances, trying to hide his moment of weakness. The Xs on his gloves glowed red as two gooey Xs formed out them. The thief grabbed them as soon as they hardened, brandishing them before himself. Jericho raised his right arm up, just enough to let his hand be chest-height. He nodded his fist quickly, before returning it back to his side.

'Yes.'

Red X ignored the response and flung his weapons forward at the other teen. Jericho's eyes opened in surprise, just before he dropped to the floor, the X's narrowly missing him. The mute looked back up in time to see Red X already on top of him. The thief attacked Jericho with a fast chop, catching him across the face.

Jericho skidded across the floor, coming to a stop a few feet away. He tried to pick himself back up, but rolled even as Red X landed hard right where Jericho had been seconds before. The mute looked back, watching as Red X straightened himself up, before charging at him again.

Raven fought at the goo keeping her tied to the chair. Her allergies had subsided enough that there wasn't any hacking or sneezing, but her eyes kept watering and stinging, interrupting the little concentration she managed to hold together. Definitely not enough to break the stuff keeping her in her seat. She returned her gaze to the other two fighting, just as the kidnapper landed another chop across Jericho's chest, throwing him back. He skidded again across the factory floor, picking his head up first to look at his opponent before starting to get up himself.

'He's not going to win.'

-T-

Jericho watched as Red X moved his arm to the side of his uniform, going for something with his hand. The mute stood up quickly, only to step back to dodge several swipes from the thief's new weapon. Red X jumped back after missing with an overhead attack with the sword-like X, and the two adversaries locked eyes.

"Thought you were going to be a little more of a challenge. Guess I was wrong."

Jericho shook his head. He needed to beat this guy, not just try to dodge the whole time. Someone... Raven was depending on him. He couldn't just let Red X win. Needed to focus, and actually fight back. Thanks to that mask the mute couldn't make 'contact' with his adversary, making hand-to-hand combat the only way to beat him.

The teen stretched his arms out in front of him, then brought them back to his body, getting into a new fighting stance. Had to be completely serious, couldn't let himself slip up...

The mute took a step forward tentatively, watching Red X's reaction. Nothing, just... waiting. Watching him. Now or never then.

Jericho broke into a run at the foe. No need to prepare an attack while still getting to him, or give him the time to think through any attempt to counter. Had to make the blow come at the moment, before he could anticipate, before he could--

The teen slid to a halt just as Red X jumped in the air, flying over Jericho. The thief landed behind the mute, falling to his hands and knees. Red X struck his leg out, hitting Jericho in the back of his knee. Jericho fell forward, before feeling a hand grab the back of his vest. His face came only a few inches from the floor, before his body jerked to a stop. He took a few quick breaths, trying to gain a little more control over his racing heartbeat.

"I take back what I said. I was dead wrong."

Jericho tightened his fists. What was he doing? He was letting that guy walk all over him! He couldn't, he had to do this!

The mute slammed the palms of his hands onto the ground, and flipped himself over. Red X let go and jumped back before Jericho's kick hit him in the arm. The teen caught himself before hitting the ground and pushed himself back up, before flying at the thief.

Red X slid to the left, narrowly dodging a punch. He then grabbed the arm, pulling Jericho in near him. The thief delivered a solid hit of his own to Jericho's midsection with his palm, letting him go to stumble back.

Jericho took a few steps back, before regaining his footing. He threw himself back into a defensive stance, watching as Red X looked at him a little more closely. Probably surprised by him recovering so quickly. Yeah, now he just had to keep that up. Keep surprising the thief, outlast him maybe...

He flung himself back at Red X. He unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, each one missing the villain by a hair. The thief went after the last kick from Jericho's left leg, intent on grabbing it again. The mute let him hold it just for a second, before pushing up with his right. He swung it with the momentum from the push at Red X's side, landing his first direct hit.

The thief let go of Jericho and jumped back a little clumsily. He grabbed at his hurting arm, crouching low to the ground in a more defensible position. Jericho spun on his left leg's heel as he swung his arms, trying to steady himself. He stopped with his back to Red X, feeling a tad dizzy from the fast maneuver.

"Giving me a chance to hit you; you'll regret it, blon--UGH!"

Jericho turned around at the grunt, and saw Red X grabbing the back of his head, hunched over. The mute stood and stared, not sure what to make of the situation. He then saw a screw roll around near the thief's feet, a wisp of black and whitish energy escaping from it as it settled to a stop. He looked over to Raven, still in the chair. Had she just...

No, he had to concentrate. This was his chance to attack, get some more hits in. Jericho looked back over to Red X, intent on charging.

Gone. The thief had disappeared. But... how? Where had he gone? He couldn't teleport, could he? Jericho started looking all around him, turning his head back and forth at a fast pace. Where could he be?

A pain shot through his left arm. Jericho stumbled back, gripping his upper arm. He could already feel the blood trickling onto his fingers, and felt the cut flesh from beneath his torn shirt sleeve. He opened his mouth instinctively, and would have screamed if possible. He tried to focus back onto the fight, and ignore the pain. The mute gritted his teeth and turned to look behind himself.

Cut into the ground was a medium-sized X, a few of its tips stained with his blood. He turned his head up to the ceiling of the building. He had... jumped up there, somewhere...

He made out a slight-whizzing sound coming towards him. Jericho threw himself to the side, just as another of the Xs flew through the air he had just been standing in. He then rolled, while three more cut into the floor he had been on. The mute picked himself up from the ground, hearing a chuckle echo throughout the room. He waited for the thief to say something after the laugh, hoping to catch which way the voice was coming from. For what reason, he really couldn't think of one. Wasn't like he had any way to attack him if he did find out. And those Xs looked too sharp to just pick up with his bare hands. No, he couldn't reach him.

Another X cut him across the left leg. He stumbled back a bit, gritting his teeth. Stooping down to grasp his leg, Jericho looked up in the direction the weapon had flown from. He knew Red X had moved already by now, but he couldn't help but look in desperation. How was he supposed to beat him now? He definitely couldn't reach him from the ground, and he could barely make out the steel girders and catwalks the thief was using to perch on. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't...

An X suddenly lost its color as a blackish-white energy enveloped it. It flung itself back through the air, taking a sloppy turn here and there before slamming into the roof overhead. Jericho looked over at Raven, whose eyes were returning to normal, having just been fueled by her powers. He began to run over to her.

He couldn't get to Red X, attack him, but she could.

He turned his head back before ducking into a roll, just as three more X's sliced into the floor around him. He kept moving forward however, not letting them stop him. If there was anything he could do to help her, he had to try. Help her... it was his fault Raven was here in the first place, he couldn't just try, no, he had to!

He barely heard the whizzing of the X as it came to him, his mind too much on getting to Raven. But its bite interrupted any thoughts the mute had at the moment. He felt his leg be forced to the ground from the impact, his knee colliding with the floor. He let out a silent howl from the pain, gritting his teeth to try to stem it. He couldn't let another hit stop him though, he had to get up, now! The mute tried to push himself up from the ground, all the while starring at the empath across the room from him. She had a shocked expression on her face, but why? He had gotten hit before, he just had to get up again and run over to her. Why was she staring at him like he was being crushed, and why wasn't his leg budging from the ground? Jericho turned back to look.

He was pinned. That last X, it hadn't just sliced across his leg, it was lodged through in it, sticking one its points into the floor beneath him.

A small pool of blood from the wound was already starting to well up around his leg. The pain that he had been unaware of for the past few seconds came at him in full-force, nearly causing him to fall onto the floor completely. Now he knew why she was looking at him like that.

He numbly reached over to the weapon, and touched it, before recoiling with his hand, remembering how sharp the Xs probably were. No way... he could pull it out.

He was stuck.

He couldn't beat Red X, or anything important now, especially not... help her. He didn't want to turn up and face her, see the expression on her face of shock, or whatever she might be wearing now that Jericho himself knew he couldn't do anything.

Nothing, other than just one act.

Numbly, the mute picked up his hands towards her direction, and slowly motioned out his message.

-T-

'I'm sorry.'

Raven let the signing echo in her head for a few seconds, at first not understanding it. Sorry? What was he sorry for? It wasn't like he caused Red X to chase her, or even cause her to go out today in this place. He had just come at the wrong time, and gotten involved in something that shouldn't have involved anyone but her and the other Titans.

He hadn't just been involved though. Nearly drowned, or squashed, were better terms, and getting beaten for her was even more fitting now. And all for what? Why was he doing all this for her? He wasn't a member of the team, and they had met less than probably ten minutes before today. There wasn't any reason for him to be doing all this for her, hero or not. She put her head down a little, resting her chin on the goo keeping her in place. All that for her, and now he was vulnerable, unable to fight back even for himself. She closed her eyes, ignoring any stinging that would come with it from her allergies, the only things still confounding her, preventing her from doing anything that could actually help them.

Only, she didn't get a burning sensation. She opened her eyes back up again, feeling nothing wrong with them. No more watering. She turned over at Jericho, who had started to tug half-heartedly at his leg. Looking back down towards her encased legs, she closed her eyes again, and took a small breath.

"Jericho, don't.

"Hurrrrrraahhh!"

The mute looked up from at Raven just as the goo burst off from her, flying in all directions. Raven soared up towards the ceiling, throwing her hood back on. She stopped just at eye level with Red X, who was crouching on one of the catwalk's railings, readying another X.

"Time to come down," she said, enveloping the array in her negative energy. Red X jumped off just as the catwalk was ripped off from its supports, and tumbled down onto the floor below. It landed on some of the equipment the thief used earlier, smashing it.

Red X grabbed onto a support beam and swung himself over to another catwalk, throwing his X back at Raven. Raven turned around and threw up her right hand, a shield of energy materializing in front of. The projectile flew harmlessly into the obsidian barrier and fell to the ground, making no mark. She then clenched her outstretched hand and swallowed the catwalk in more of her energy. Red X jumped in the air just as the Titan crashed the two opposite sides together, folding the array in half. He landed onto the ground and broke into a sprint.

"Oh no you don't."

A large chunk of ground shot up in front of Red X, who stopped before he collided with the roadblock. The thief turned and threw several more Xs at Raven, who easily dodged them, before he ran around the uprooted concrete. Where was he trying to go to?

'If he's trying to get away, he should give up now.'

Raven threw both her arms out and concentrated, her eyes glowing intensely white. Concrete slabs shot up from the ground along all the walls of the building, sealing any entrances that were there. She took a few breaths after letting the energy flow back to her, the effort taking more than she had bargained for. Still a little disoriented probably, though it was more subconscious, nothing she could really tell without doing something strenuous. She looked to see if Red X was going for any of the walls, hoping to see him come up on a dead end. But he wasn't along any of them, or even near. Where'd he go now, back to the ceiling?

"Hey babe, you might want to look towards blondie here."

'No.'

Red X hadn't tried to run away, but gone straight towards Jericho. He was standing over the mute, seemingly harmless without any weapons held. But with Jericho still pinned to the ground, and looking like he was getting woozy from the blood loss and pain, he was just as defenseless as if Red X had a X to his throat. Raven landed on the ground a couple feet away from him, extending her hand out from her cloak. She couldn't do anything with it though, just look threatening.

"Get away from him."

"I will, once I get what I came for. I don't plan to just leave here empty-handed, and afro boy's my ticket to make sure I get something."

"You're not getting anything if you don't move." Raven tensed a little, focusing her energies. If she did anything, Red X could probably hit Jericho before her attack got to him. Not something she wanted to test even if she was wrong. The thief motioned to some of the machinery that hadn't gotten crushed by the first catwalk. His voice sounded just a little bit tired than usual. Was he trying to buy time?

"The monitor's still intact. Go and see if you can contact the Titans, and ask them for the money, unless..." he moved a little closer to Jericho, who was starting to heave silently from the blood loss. She couldn't wait to think of something, because with every second, he was getting weaker, losing a little consciousness with each drop of blood.

Raven took a step over to the monitor, keeping her eye on Red X. The villian watched back, his mask conveying nothing. She could tell he was probably smirking. After all this, he was still getting what he wanted, and everyone else had lost something in the process. She made it over to the computer, and turned it back on. The power outage seemed to have been overridden by some secondary generator, which probably explained why it was lighter as it had been before in the room (and why the fights hadn't just been fumbling around in the dark). The programs to the Titans computer all seemed to be already in working, with a view into the room from the other monitor coming up instantly. All she had to do was speak to anyone there.

"Why exactly do you need the money, anyway?" Raven asked suddenly, looking at thief from the corner of her eye. Red X turned from Jericho, looking over at the empath.

"Hey, a guy's gotta' eat. Can't keep robbing places to keep up my bills when I just get stopped by the Titans all the time."

"You don't seem to have trouble getting away from us, usually."

"Well," Red X started up, shrugging. "I can't say the challenge of being able to catch one of you didn't make it more appealing."

Raven went back to the monitor, waiting for someone else to come up. Should have brought her communicator, she could've been right in contact with one of them, do something about this quicker. She looked over at some of the crushed machinery. There were a couple pieces small enough to fling, without him noticing, maybe. No, couldn't take the risk.

She waited a minute before looking back at the crushed machinery nearby. No one was coming on; she had to do something already. If she kept waiting, Red X wouldn't have to do anything to Jericho. A rock hovered just a little on a small obsidian disk before settling again. Raven flashed her eyes back at Red X. He was still watching her, his hand close to Jericho's neck. She couldn't do something slowly, it had to be quick if she was going to do it at all.

"Hey, off the cape blondie."

Raven snapped out of her planning and turned her head towards the others. Red X was tugging at his cape, which Jericho had numbly latched onto, holding him there. She could see Jericho's head drooping even lower, he probably wouldn't hold for a couple more seconds, until Red X actually gave his tugs an effort. She had to do it now.

Several black-and-white energized chunks of machinery flew up a few feet in the air, before being launched straight forward. Red X looked up just as he pulled his tattered cape out from Jericho's hands, his eyes widening as the projectile slammed right into his mask. He was thrown back several yards, eventually rolling to a halt. Raven hovered over to Jericho, looking at him as she landed. He gave her small but tired smile, stopping himself from falling to the ground in his wooziness. Raven bent over his leg, looking at the wound from the X. The skin around it was already a pale-white from the blood loss. She had to heal it quickly, maybe try to remove the X with her powers without causing too much--

"UHH!"

Raven went soaring back from an uppercut, hitting the floor and smashing into the table with the monitor on it. It toppled over and fell, exploding on the ground in front of her. She tried to ignore the pain and dizziness from the hit and look over to see what had hit her, though she could already guess.

-T-

"Eye for an eye, babe." Red X's voice was cracked, his normal tone taking over the computer overlay from his mask. He swam in Jericho's vision, a mass of red and black in a grayish sea. His hands were getting so numb; he couldn't feel his left leg anymore. His body was pained in almost every place and spot he could feel. Biting his tongue or gritting his teeth did nothing for him, and trying to hunch over in a different position only let him ignore all the gnawing sensations for little more than a second.

"Can't keep this game up forever, you know. I'll just go steal some money from a bank, seeing as how the Titans are absent from their job. No need to keep staying here and let you rip up my costume any more." Jericho could hear a short clicking sound come from the thief. He picked his head up slowly, focusing on Red X's blur of a head. He was... holding something up, in one of his arms. Not a red X though, something... else.

Red X turned to look back at Jericho. He kept his arm steady, the weapon in hand.

"And what are you looking at? Not like you can do anything."

Jericho readied his head to turn away from the insult, to look down in shame of being unable to do anything, but he didn't. He couldn't tell if he was forcing himself to keep staring, or if he couldn't force himself to. Whatever it was, the feeling gripping Jericho and forcing him to keep his gaze on Red X's face felt both alien and familiar to him at the same time. He couldn't tell what exactly it was, until his vision became a little less blurry, allowing him to see more clearly.

A crack had come down the middle of the mask, and part of it had fallen off.

Exposing his right eye.

The whites of Jericho's eyes went black as the green pupils intensified. Even without activating it, his body was pulled into the connection that his power made between himself and another when they looked into each other's eyes.

Contact.

Jericho left a faint outline of his body on the ground before jumping off, freed from the X in his transparent state, towards Red X. He fell into the thief, before Red X could even respond. His wooziness momentarily disappeared, and he was instantly in control of his opponent's motor control.

"What the--" Red X's question was interrupted as Jericho threw a punch straight at himself, hitting both of them in the jaw. They tumbled back, Red X grunting and cursing while Jericho aimed another blow to their face. He couldn't take much more of this, or he'd force himself out of the villain's body, but he had to take him down before he faltered himself. Or, at least until Raven got back up and could finish the thief off. He landed a third punch, knocking the two of them down onto the floor. Red X's cursing continued as a sharp pain shot through their backs from the collision.

Jericho breathed heavily, barely able to raise their arm again. The returning wooziness, the pain in his own face, and the rest of his body were all adding up into an insurmountable amount of fatigue. He felt like fainting any moment now. Already, he sensed his essence be pushed out of Red X's body, the thief getting more and more control over his motor controls. Any second now, and he'd be out completely--

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Just as his essence was forced out, Jericho watched as the floor wrapped itself around Red X, negative energy covering the concrete. He lied on his back for a few seconds, his vision going back and forth, seeing Red X struggle underneath the concrete beside him, free from one prison and now in another. He moved his gaze up to the ceiling, all the pain and fatigue making his vision completely blurry. His last reserves of strength had been used up, and he couldn't give much more resistance to the subconscious feeling creeping into him. His field of vision had gotten darker, much less focused than before. He could just barely make out a mass of blue and black rushing over to him, before disappearing down out of his sight.

He looked up again at the ceiling, his eyelids beginning to close on him. Something... pressed on his... leg. Lampshades began to reappear in the darkness of the ceiling, swinging little by little. He could almost even make out the rafters now...

A surge went through Jericho's leg, causing him to sit up with energy he hadn't known he had. He was breathing more quickly, his chest rising and falling at a more comfortable pace. His vision was swimming back into focus, and the numbness that had gripped his body was dying away. Jericho looked over to the person crouched over his wounded leg, with blue auras surrounding her hands.

Raven.

The empath looked at him once the cut on his leg had healed back up, smiling a little. She stood up, taking a few seconds before speaking.

"I... healed your leg. You probably shouldn't walk on it right now though." Jericho nodded, and accepted her hand as she helped him up. Raven placed his left arm over her shoulders, and gave him support to limp with the other leg. The mute was at a loss for what to say, and so, didn't say anything. He simply stared around the room, from the collapsed catwalks to the destroyed machinery to--

Jericho flipped his head back over to Red X, only to see the villain still trapped under the concrete cover. He was continuing to struggle, but didn't look like he'd get out anytime soon. Raven stared uncaringly at the trapped foe, before turning away and walking towards one of the entrances. The rocks in front of it slid back into the ground, the tiles settling down more or less where they had been, albeit with some chipped and broken pieces jutting out of place. Jericho however, tried to keep his gaze on Red X. Raven noticed his apparent concern.

"Once we get out to a phone I'll call the police to pick him up here. We're not leaving him to starve."

Jericho looked back at the empath and nodded, and the two continued to the door. Red X shouted at them as the door opened, twisting his head to see them.

"Don't bother, I don't need any cops to get out."

"Whatever."

The door slammed shut.

-End of Chapter Four.-

The Fifth chapter is being betad as I type this, so this story should be done in the week.

[The Kaiser]

-Act I, Chapter Five-


"Oh, is this not most enjoyable, Robin?"

The Boy Wonder snapped out of his daze, picking his head out from the palm of his hand. He looked around as the horse-drawn carriage slowly went over the bridge that stretched across the small river in the park. Birds were singing here and there in the trees, sometimes flying right in front of them. The driver seemed oblivious to the animals even as they flew right past his face. Robin turned to look at Starfire, who was taking in the all the sights with a new perspective. He sat up a little straighter, and joined her.

"You know, seeing the park like this is kind of nicer." he said. Starfire nodded, smiling. Then, her smile faltered a bit, and she looked out to the lake.

"I wish Raven would have come with us though, perhaps she would have been able to enjoy this as well." Robin shrugged, trying to stay cheerful.

"I'm sure she's back at the tower doing something that she likes. Valentines and... carriage rides just aren't things she likes."

"I suppose so." Starfire replied, still staring at the lake. Many other couples had gathered at the water's edge, sitting on the soft grass and talking to each other.

Robin inched over to Starfire, putting his head over her should and next to her ear. "After the ride's over, you want to go... sit by the lake and talk?"

Starfire turned around and beamed at him. "Oh, indeed we shall! And after that we must go to the one cafe that I have recently read in the newspaper, and then..."

Robin sat back in his seat, content as Starfire continued to say all the other various activities she wished to do. He looked back out to the lake, his thoughts shifting on the other Titans. Beast Boy had transformed into a bird and flew off this morning, telling the others he'd return home with more numbers than there were in their phone book. Cyborg told them he was picking up Sarah and left in his T-Car. Cyborg's double date was probably going well, whereas with Beast Boy... Robin didn't know to think whether he'd come back home with numbers or bruises.

Something suddenly caught his eye near the lake. Robin sat up in the carriage, just as it was starting to turn on the path, and away from the lake. He only got a few seconds' worth at what he had noticed. Starfire turned to him, breaking from her list of things to do.

"Robin, is something the matter?"

Robin crossed his arms, shaking his head to Starfire. He smirked.

'I guess Raven didn't go back to the Tower then.'

-T-

"You know, you'd think it wouldn't take this long for them to make a salad."

"Well, when you actually do it right and don't have superspeed, it does."

Kid Flash turned annoyed to Jinx, who turned her head and blinked her eyes rather innocently. The speedster looked back to Cyborg and his date, leaning in near them and mockingly covering his mouth from Jinx's sight.

"Trust me, she's not this way usually."

"Only when you act stupid, Wally."

"Which is--"

"--Almost always."

"Okay, so you do act like this most of the time."

Cyborg and Sarah smiled, sitting across from the pair at a round table. They were in a courtyard outside of a little restaurant next to the coastline. The place was said to be decent, but not outstanding. Cyborg had almost wanted to go somewhere else, and they would have if Sarah's one cousin didn't work here. The others had to agree with Sarah though after a while, the small shop had its own little charm to it.

"So, I see you two have it off pretty well." Cyborg commented. He hadn't seen Kid Flash or Jinx in a while, from the messages the Titans usually got, they were operating all over the world, but not the same place twice. Seemed just like something he'd do, show a girl all around the world to woo her...

"Yeah, at least when we're not dealing with bad guys. Seems most of them have some sort of vendetta against me."

"I bet they do." Cyborg responded, smirking at the memory of all the neatly lined up and iced villains on the Brotherhood's shelves. Too bad they had to turn them into the authorities after the giant battle royal, otherwise they might have actually stayed that way.

"The villains that only operate in Europe were pathetic though. Who was that Italian one we helped catch?"

"You'd be thinking of..." Kid Flash immediately became a blur in his seat, the papers and bushes near them rustling from his sudden departure. He appeared moments later, back in the chair with only the minute difference of wearing a hat with green, white, and red stripes on it. "... Chef Polpair."

"And what did he try to do, gorge you on food 'till you pop?" Cyborg asked, watching as Jinx cursed the hat and caused it to shrivel up. Kid Flash looked at the incredibly small piece of clothing, and tossed it aside while answering.

"Basically."

The four continued their small talk about different things, with Sarah Simm and Jinx eventually coming out on top in the conversation, changing its topic to something neither male had any interest; fashion. The two men simply looked around or tried to interject at a random point to change the course back to something they could relate to (or care about), but failed each time as the two girls gave them no time to speak in.

Eventually however, the waiters came with their food. Cyborg looked delighted as the trays were put in the middle of the table (His with several different kinds of meats intermixed with the vegetables and cheese), and the plates were set up in front of them. Kid Flash stared at the salad uninterestingly, poking it with his fork for most of the meal. Sarah commented on how the recipe used for the salads came directly from the owner's relatives living all the way in (coincidentally) Italy.

"No chance they're related to that Polpair guy, is there?" Kid Flash asked, poking his food with an all-new suspicion. Jinx sent a spell over to the points of his utensil, so that they bent backward. Kid Flash mumbled something under his breath as he ran his hand along the fork's surface at superspeed, smoothing it back out.

"No, I think they did mention something of an Italian supervillain cook once or twice though. But if anything, he was from another cooking family, since they know all of their relatives aren't in jail."

"Heh, I'll--"

Cyborg stopped in midsentence, and looked up from the group and across the street. Was that...?

"What's the problem, Cyborg? Realized there was something wrong with the salad too?"

"Nahh..." Cyborg said, turning back to them. "Just thought I saw something..."

"Something you need to take care of, Vic?" Sarah asked, moving in a little closer. Cyborg smiled and shook his hand.

"Nah nah, nothing like that. Titans already rounded up most of the criminals before today, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to get the city's permission to do this."

"The city's, or Robin's?" Sarah replied, teasingly.

"Both."

The four of them laughed at this. Cyborg soon gulped down the rest of the salad, and the four went back into conversation (Jinx's and Sarah's dishes still with a little food, Kid Flash's barely touched). The cybernetic teen however, thought on what he had just seen, deciding not to tell the others, or the others when all of them got back to the tower.

'Huh, never would've thought I'd see that blonde guy with her. And be able to actually spend the day with her? Nice one, man.'

-T-

"Ladies and... ladies! This is the time you've all been waiting for! Beast Boy's Valentines Day-Spectacular!"

A large gaggle of girls around the green teen giggled and clapped for the Titan as he began to make several macho poses. He then stopped, and took a serious pose.

"So just what is Beast Boy's Valentines Day-Spectacular? Well, you're about to find out!"

More giggles and clapping resulted from the crowd. Beast Boy grinned to himself. This had to be his best plan ever.

"Okay! In three! Two! And... wahhhhh!"

The changeling suddenly flew into the air, the waistband of his boxers being pulled up by some unknown force. The girls who had been watching broke out into a huge roar of laughter, before dispersing as Beast Boy shouted out for them to stay, trying to get himself down. He eventually changed into a bird and flew back down. Shifting back, he stood up, rubbing his lower backside.

"That was... so not cool." More giggling suddenly met his ear.

The crestfallen teen suddenly turned on his heels, looking behind himself.

"Ladies, that was just the first--"

Nothing was there however, except a bunch of... bushes.

Huh?

-T-

It was getting a little darker. The sun was starting to set over the horizon of the Pacific Ocean. A few seagulls flew overhead, landing on the nearby beach to search for food, before moving on when they found little or none. People drove on the street behind them, the traffic thinning though as the day wore on.

"It's... beautiful, Jericho."

The mute signed to Raven, smiling with his eyes closed. Raven cocked an eyebrow at him, but shrugged.

"Jer--... alright, Joey, if that's what you want." Jericho nodded, still smiling.

As soon as they gotten out of the building Raven had teleported them back to the city. They had rested long enough for Jericho to be able to walk on his own again, before setting out to 'just taking a walk around the city for the rest of the day', as Jericho had meekly put it. Raven had obliged, somewhat because she had felt like she had owed him for earlier, but mostly because... she wanted to do it, with him.

It was... different. She'd been in the city when there weren't villains to beat plenty of time before, but she was always doing things with her friends that didn't really interest her. This though, just spending the day walking around... doing nothing but being with someone else, who didn't beg or nag or demand to do something else... was nice. Jericho had barely said anything (well, signed anything anyway) the whole way, but she felt she knew him... much better than she had known almost anybody else in the same span.

She remembered how she had thought of him back at the cafe. Nice, caring, though a little suspicious. He had indeed been sincere, though. In the rest of the time with him, he hadn't tried to do anything with her past spending time with her, as a friend. No weird or annoying stares, no attempts to woo her, or even begin to. Just walk around with her, look out at the lake, walk by all the little cafes with other couples...

'Other couples?' Raven found herself thinking on the last two words. They weren't a couple, no, not her and Jericho. Not other couples, just 'couples'.

She turned to look at the mute again, who was still staring out as the sun continued to descend past the horizon. His blonde curls rustled a little in the wind, green eyes shone out like beacons. Kind of weird to think about, actually. His powers were to take over people, just by looking into their eyes. Being inside of someone else... in their mind... Could he read their thoughts? Feelings? Did he even have to 'jump' into them to do it? Could he just look into someone's eyes, and know what was going in their head?

Jericho looked up and at Raven, who immediately turned back to the sunset, tightening the control over her emotions. She could see him out of the corner of her eyes move his head to the side a little, continuing to stare at her. She soon found herself blushing just a tad. The empath had the mind to tell him to stop, but she didn't. No, he wasn't causing this... this strange feeling, inside her; like her stomach was rumbling.

He had kept the day to just spending time with her as a friend; like he'd said.

Raven had just gotten more from it than she thought she would.

The two stood there, watching as the last glimpses of the sun dipped beneath the ocean's outstretching waves.

-T-

He had done it.

He'd done it!

After months of not seeing her, months of wondering how she was, if she still smiled in the same little mysterious way, if she still gave a weird look at you if you did something strange, he finally had gotten to see her.

And it was nice.

So sure, he hadn't gotten to really worry about or think on his ... feelings (Whatever kind they were) when he was with her, but... that wasn't important. The day really hadn't allowed for it anyway. So long as he had gotten to see her again, not just on paper, but in person; be near her; see all the little quirks he had picked up on the few days he had first known her (well, at least when he had first been around her); it was alright; really.

But now the day was over. He had walked back with her to the edge of the bay, and she flown over to the Tower. But not before.. thanking him for the day. She had said she hadn't had a day like this before... ever. He still smiled to himself about this comment. He wanted to say it made him happy, happier than he'd ever been himself, but... he didn't think 'happy' was a good word to describe how he was feeling right now. No, he couldn't think of any word to really describe how he was feeling.

Jericho rounded the corner of the sidewalk he was walking on. It was getting pretty dark out, even with the lamp poles keeping the alleys and streets lit up at this hour. People were still out though, like him. Still enjoying the day with their significant others. Jericho didn't let that get him down though, he had done what he wanted to do, and while spending more time out might have been nice, there was no need.

The mute stopped in front of the Souls Cafe, and looked over at it. The place seemed to be closed at this point of the day. Jericho couldn't blame them, considering the time of day now. Why had he wanted to come here though? The teen held his chin in a hand, pondering the question.

He suddenly remembered his reason. This had been the place he'd first come to meet Raven. Seemed like a good idea to also leave from this adventure he had today.

Only problem was... he didn't have the horn Herald had given to him. It had been washed away into the bay, or probably the ocean by now. No way he could search for it. He let a frown come on his face. Herald had made the horn just for him; anyone could use it, but only he could activate the power. He usually did that for anyone he gave a horn to, but Jericho still thought it had been very kind of him to do that. It had given him a way to get off his mountaintop, like today. And... in just his first use of it, he had lost it. The mute sighed, moving over to the table he had sat across from Raven hours ago. He took a seat in the chair that was still there, resting his arms on the table's smooth surface. Maybe he should've gone back to the Titans, asked them for help to get back home. Or--

"Excuse me young man, but aren't you out a bit late?"

Jericho looked up from his seat and saw an elderly man standing over him. He was dressed in a white suit with a black handkerchief and dress shirt to match. His shoes were neatly polished, and his gloves were washed clean of any stains. He was bald on the top, but kept fashionable about it, no attempts to hide the fact from the public. In one of his arms was a bag of groceries, almost overfilled. The mute stared at him for a few seconds. Something seemed... oddly familiar about this person...

"Again I ask, aren't you out later than you should be? I do know it's Valentines Day and all, but considering you have no lady to woo, sitting out here in the cold won't do you much good." Jericho nodded a little numbly. He was confused as to how to respond. This person, he did seem familiar.

"Well, shouldn't you be getting home now? I'm sure your parents might be a tad worried over your absence."

Silence followed the question. The old man seemed to take the hint.

"Perhaps... it would be better if you wished to come with me. No need to stay out here through the night."

Jericho looked back up at the elderly person, his left eyebrow perked. People didn't just offer you their homes. Especially people who didn't even know your name...

"Only to use the telephone, of course. Just call someone perhaps, so that they can come and retrieve you."

Jericho stared at the man even more, both of his eyebrows perked; his head inclined a little.

"Well... I have a satellite-feed image with it. Some computer thing my... son in-law installed a good time ago, but I haven't made use of myself. I'm sure that you could use it."

Jericho's hesitation lowered a bit. Just a phone call, that wouldn't be so bad, would it? Besides, the man didn't seem that suspicious. The mute guessed he could go with him. He nodded to the elderly man, standing up out of his chair.

"Very good. Now then, let's not haste any time. My home is just a few blocks from here, shouldn't take much time to get to it."

-T-

"So, he's here."

Wintergreen bowed slightly, his eyes closed to the pitch-black room.

"Yes sir, I've brought the boy back to our residence. He's currently calling someone. I do believe."

"Good. I'll be up shortly to make acquaintance with him then." Wintergreen stood up and nodded this time, before beginning to leave. A shadowed figure in the distance rested his masked chin on his knuckles, watching as his butler left.

It had paid off to watch him the entire day, once he knew the teen was in the city. Monitor how he was doing, make sure nothing happened to him, pull him out of anything over his head. Yet never make himself known to the child. Somewhat difficult to pull off, but for him, doable. He'd been accomplishing it for the past ten years.

Slade sat forward in his chair, perching his hands on his armrests.

Time to reacquaint himself with his son, face to face.

-T-

Jericho had just put down the receiver of the phone, finishing his call with the Titans East. The small screen in front of him blipped off, the six Titans disappearing in a flash of the eye. Herald was on their team now, so once they came to get him he could apologize in person. The blue-cloaked Titan had told him there was no problem. He could just use his own horn to find the other one. Still, Jericho felt like apologizing, if only for losing it.

He looked around the hallway he was standing in. It was pretty new looking. The walls had their upper portions white, while the lower were left an unpainted wooden brown. The phone he had just used was on a small three-legged table, with the telescreen attachment behind the headset. For all the elderly man's words and manners, this didn't really seem to be a fitting home. Jericho would have imagined an older house, with all the walls unpainted, or at least a darker shade of brown. Rickety, un-carpeted staircase, and a living room with big red chairs next to a fireplace. He wasn't sure why he imagined it like that; everything seemed to just fall in place rather nicely, like he'd seen the sight before. It was weird, but the familiar feeling kept growing the more he was near the person, in his house. But why? Had he known the person before? Jericho didn't remember much from before the time he lived on the mountain. Of course he had memories of his mom, but not much else. Well, not just his mom, his--

"Jericho, it's been a while."

Jericho turned around quickly, right into a mass of orange and black. He nearly recoiled, before he realized what it was.

A mask, one side orange, the other black. An eye peered out from the left side, staring right at Jericho. The teen stood completely still, not knowing what to do. That voice...

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing here, or if this is just one big coincidence. I can assure you though, son, it's not."

--his dad too.

"We have a lot to catch up on. Come, Wintergreen's set the table." His father motioned over to the doorway for the kitchen. The butler could be seen placing a few different things on the table, before retreating out of sight. Jericho let his father lead him into the room, and to a chair.

Jericho now knew why everything felt familiar.

Because it was.

-End of Act I-

Heeeeyyy, remember at the beginning I siad "part of trilogy"? Yeah, something like that. Many thanks to all who read/reviewed. =)

[Glensather]

I offer an applause at your story, and look forward to seeing parts two and three. I would say something, but you know what they say about mere words...

[Matt A]

Chapter Four

Red X really is a nutter, isn't he?:eek: I must admit, I'd expected his defeat to take a little longer than one chapter, but seeing as this is only act one of three, I suppose it doesn't matter. After all, there's plenty of time for him to return.;)

And anyway, that fight scene certainly made up for the brevity. All three combatants got full use, displaying their various skills in full and inventive ways. In particular, I have to highlight Jericho's first block (an unexpected slice of fighting talent, there), Raven going overkill and throwing up the concrete barriers, and Jericho doing his possession thing and making X batter himself: an old trick, but always funny.:) Oh yes, and X pinning Jericho's leg was just ouch.:eek: Proof that what was initially a comedy story has become very sophisticated, very quickly.;):)


Chapter Five

After all the X-related hi-jinks, we round of the act with some calmer, more character-based moments. The brief scenes of the Titans on their various dates were spot-on, with the cuteness of the park, the quick wit of the restaurant, and the sublime slapstick genius of Beast Boy's "Valentine's Day spectacular". Their reactions to seeing Raven and Jericho were also very well handled, telling us exactly what they saw without being boring and spelling it out. Plus, did I mention Beast Boy getting a wedgie was the funniest thing I've read all week?:p:D

The beach scene with Raven and Jericho was also well written. After their initial awkwardness, the events of this Valentine's Day have given them a certain comfortableness with each each other, a distinct sense of a burgeoning friendship. Sometimes it's good to just state things, but again, this scene was so much better for being kept subtle.

Oh yes, and the following line made me chuckle:

'Other couples?' Raven found herself thinking on the last two words. They weren't a couple, no, not her and Jericho. Not other couples, just 'couples'.Considering some of the things said elsewhere, not to mention the sheer laws of narrative...well, that has "famous last words" written all over it.;)

But all this, touching though it may be, is not the main event. That honour, once again, belongs to Slade, a man who can make even a reunion with his long-lost son feel sinister. (On that note, it's nice to see Wintergreen cropping up here as well.:)) Again, this is Slade, so there's blatantly a plan here...and it's going to be Plan Awesome. I really can't wait to see what designs he has on Jericho.:D

As Glensather said, roll on acts two and three.:D

-Matt A-

[paranoidguy103]

I loved this story. The ending left me with a lot of questions, but definately sets up for a sequel and promises a good mystery in the story to come. I can't wait to see how the story develops.
Paranoidguy103