Fan Fiction ❯ Ten Years Later ❯ Flaming Freaks and Starfire's Shopping ( Chapter 2 )

Ten Years Later

By

Brandon “GoldenSama” Rice

 

Chapter Two

“Flaming Freaks and Starfire's Shopping”

 

A/N: Wheeee! I was amazed by the feedback on this thing! A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed. As I said, each chapter must be dedicated to someone - and this one shall be dedicated to one of the first people to leave a review, who also happens to be a really cool friend of mine from the shrine: Johanna. So enjoy. Now onto chapter two; the flashback. It'll clear up some of the mystery about what happened to Raven, a little.

Oh, a quick note: as always I may refer to the characters by their secret identities (the ones used in the original comics) and for those of you who don't know, they are:
Robin - Richard “Dick” Grayson

Starfire - Koriand'r (Tamaran) Kori Anders (Earth)

Beast Boy - Garfield “Gar” Logan

Cyborg - Victor “Vic” Stone

 

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Raven was anxious about the reunion with Beast Boy. Ten years is long enough to change anyone, even the green teen she once knew so well. The fact that he was a successful writer, actor and producer on a hit Sci-Fi television show led her to believe he hadn't changed as much as he could have. She could imagine an older Beast Boy sitting in his Hollywood mansion, snacking on tofu by the pool. Of course, this Beast Boy was rich and had thousands of fans telling him how great he was on a daily basis. She shuddered to think about how big his ego must have become. Even a little praise could turn the Beast Boy she knew obnoxious, and being a television superstar would definitely go to his head.

 

She'd been reading his book, and it was quite illuminating. The book was his life story - from childhood till now. It retold the tragic tale of how his parents had been genetic engineers working in Africa when he was a child, and how he'd come down with a deadly disease that humans cannot survive, but animals can. The book was very blunt about how his parents had genetically altered his DNA with the DNA of animals - which accounted for his green skin and superpowers. It also told about how his parents died not long after, and how he was sent to live with his greedy legal guardian. It retold the story of how he left his guardian's care when he'd been invited to join the Teen Titans.

 

The book then went on to cover his days in Jump City. Raven was surprised by how much the book told. It detailed his usual rituals of playing video games with Cyborg and annoying the rest of the team with his constant “anti-meat” campaign. He was also quite frank about Terra and that entire ordeal, which was a surprise. What came as more of a shock, however, was what the book said about her. There seemed to be an entire chapter devoted specifically to Raven - which had actually caused the pale girl's cheeks to fill with a colorful blush when she realized it.

 

It retold several of the old stories - he was candid about the time he'd become The Beast, and, much to her dismay, he was also quite vivid on the incident involving Malchior. What surprised her most, though, was what he'd written about the day she fell into her coma. Raven was astonished by what the book said, and she was sure that Beast Boy had written those words thinking that Raven would never get a chance to read them.

 

She sighed, looking down at the particular paragraph.

 

I guess of all my friends from my days as a superhero, I miss Raven the most. I suppose this is because she is the only one I cannot see anymore. I'm still in touch with Robin, Cyborg and Starfire and talk to them on a semi-regular basis, but Raven is another story. She's in a coma now, has been for a little over ten years. It was a real blow to me when it happened to her. I know nothing lasts forever, and I became use to losing important people after my parents and Terra all died on me, but I don't think I'll ever really get over losing Raven. I guess mostly I regret not being more honest with her back then. I used to have a mad crush on her, even now it's a bit embarrassing to admit it. I doubt anything ever would have happened between us, but I still look in the mirror every now and then and wonder if things would have been different if I'd said something. I know it sounds stupid to still be hung up on a girl I secretly liked after ten years, but just like my character on the show, I simply can't forget.

 

Raven wasn't too sure what he meant by that last line in it, since she'd never watched Space Trek. Although she was tempted to view the program after reading the first half of Beast Boy's book. She absolutely abhorred the Sci-Fi genre, and the original Space Trek had made her physically sick at how stupid it seemed every time she saw Beast Boy watching it back at the tower - but now she was honestly wishing she could see Beast Boy's version of the show.

 

So Beast Boy had had a crush on her? That explained many things. It helped explain that day a little more. Her stomach gave a funny lurch as the memories resurfaced in her head. Her memory was getting better, and as she thought about the day she went into her coma it became painful; especially after reading Beast Boy's book. It was hard to believe, but it all made perfect sense now. She sighed, leaned her head back against the plane seat, and thought about that day . . .

 

----

 

Titan's Tower(Ten Years Earlier)

 

That day, the day she fell into her coma, started just like any other. Her alarm clock woke her up in the early-morning hours with its buzzing wail and she zapped it with her psychic powers to shush it up. Raven turned over, pulling her black blanket up over her head. She wasn't in the mood to be up this early. She hated getting up so early, but she knew she had too if she wanted to avoid the morning ruckus that usually accompanied breakfast. In about an hour Beast Boy would be in the kitchen fixing tofu waffles on one side of the stove while Cyborg grilled bacon on the other end, and both of them stood arguing with one another about meat.

 

Raven did not want to hear that conversation, again. It was the same thing every morning and had been that way for as long as she could remember. She just wanted to have her breakfast and morning cup of herbal tea without having to hear those two argue over food choices. That meant getting up extra early, which was a hassle. Sighing, Raven lifted the blanket from her body and climbed out of her bed. One of these days she'd figure something out that would let her sleep in and enjoy her morning; but until then this was her fate.

Raven waded over to her closet and retrieved a long blue cape, which she tied around her neck. She ran a comb through her hair briefly before covering her head with the hood and turning for her bedroom door. She opened it and stepped out into the hallway - a shrill shriek made her jump backwards.

 

She had stepped on the tail of a small green cat that was curled up outside the door. The cat hissed loudly as Raven stepped on its tail, and after she retreated into the recesses of her bedroom the cat transformed into a skinny green-skinned boy who was rubbing his bottom as if it was in pain.

“Dude! Watch it!” Beast Boy yelped.

 

“You're the one sleeping in the hallway.” Raven pointed out in her usual monotone voice. “What are you doing outside my door, anyway?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion, although he couldn't see it arch because of the shadow created by her hood.

 

“Huh? Oh . . .” Beast Boy became strangely quiet and stopped rubbing his sore behind. She noticed his fangs were nibbling on his lower lip, and his eyes had suddenly become transfixed on the floor rather than her face. She wasn't sure what he was up to, but she had a bad feeling. This reminded her a little too much of the time he'd been in charge of laundry for the tower. He had accidentally bleached her capes and they'd all come out white as ghosts. It had been annoying, to say the very least.

“What did you do?” Raven asked in an exasperated sigh.

 

“Nothing!” Beast Boy quickly replied, his voice raising a few decibels. “I didn't do a thing Rae, I swear!”

 

Raven was not convinced. “Then answer my question; why were you outside my door?”

 

“Well, I—”

Whatever Beast Boy might have said never made it out of his mouth. At that moment there was a loud squealing noise from elsewhere in the tower. Judging by the direction, it had come from the living room; and judging from the sounds, it was Starfire making the noise. Starfire was the naïve newcomer to earth with big emotions. She did not just get angry, she got downright ferocious; and the same went for happiness. This squeal of joy was clearly her hyperactive emotions kicking in again, and since the sound was loud enough to wake anyone in a large radius of the Tower, she must be incredibly happy.

 

“Dude, what was that?” Beast Boy asked, staring down the hallway that leads to the living room.

 

“Yo, keep the noise down!” Cyborg's grumpy voice called from out of his room. The half-mechanical titan stuck his head out of his bedroom doorway with a sleepy look on his dark face. He, at least, had been asleep. Raven and Beast Boy both look down the hall towards Cyborg for a moment, but no conversation ever took place.

 

The reason was that a split-second later a flash of red-and-purple shot down the hallway like a blur and zipped right past all of them. A moment later, the blur was back again, this time stopping in front of Raven and Beast Boy. Starfire stopped flying and threw her arms around both of them, embracing them in a bone-crunching hug. Raven sighed, realizing any chance of sitting and sipping her herbal tea quietly this morning had been shot down. Beast Boy struggled against the alien woman's arms, trying to free his neck and return oxygen to his lungs.

 

“Dude, Star, you're like crushing me!” Beast Boy stammered out. Starfire blushed and released them both.

“Raven! You must accompany me to the mall of shopping!” Starfire squealed, grabbing the gothic girl by her arm and taking off down the hallway again. Raven fell at first, but she quickly levitated into the air as Starfire continued to pull her towards the front door. Raven wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew she did not want to go to the mall; especially in the morning. Raven pulled hard and freed herself from the Tamaranian's grip. When Starfire realized she no longer had hold of her friend, she stopped flying and turned around.

 

“Raven? What is wrong?” She asked.

 

Raven was tempted to spit out a sarcastic `what do you think' as a response, but she decided not too. There was something going on that she didn't fully understand, and whatever it was it had Starfire on a huge high. Raven decided not to ruin her friend's fun unless she had to.

 

“Starfire, I don't want to go shopping.” She stated simply.

“Oh but Raven I will need your opinions! This is a matter of great importance!” Starfire insisted. The Tamaranian girl's eyes were as wide as baseballs and her face had taken on that pitiful `lost kitten' expression. Raven merely quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

 

“Is it really that necessary?” She asked, fearing the answer.

“Yes it is!” Starfire replied. “Please friend, accompany me.”

 

Raven sighed. She absolutely abhorred nearly every store in the local shopping mall, except for the bookstore. There was a large bookstore there that had a `quiet room' designed for people to read in after they purchased their books. Talking was not tolerated at all, and often when the group went to the mall Raven would recede into the bookstore, buy something interesting, and read while Starfire went crazy in the clothing stores and Beast Boy and Cyborg drooled over the latest Gamestation games.

 

“Okay, fine, but—”

 

Before Raven could get another word out the redhead squealed, hugged Raven once again, and took off like a rocket a second later. Raven shook her head and sighed. She was tempted to returned to the kitchen and go after her herbal tea, but she remembered Beast Boy's strange behavior, and she knew Cyborg was awake now - so she decided she'd get something to eat at the mall. She hoped it was so early she could avoid the crowds.

 

Raven levitated herself above the ground and headed in the direction of the local shopping mall. She still didn't know what Starfire's big deal was, but she had a feeling she'd hear all about it. Raven closed her eyes, not looking forward to her morning at all.

 

As Raven flew to the mall, she did not notice the strange things occurring around her. She glided down the street, and as she did, a dog began barking at her. That was nothing new. Dogs barked at everything. She heard the dog, but ignored it. She might have behaved differently if she'd also noticed that several stray cats in a nearby alley hissed and ran as she passed by, but she did not notice this. Nor did she notice that the squirrels in the park scurried into hiding places as she flew by. Butterflies, flies, bees and even the ants in the grass all hurried away as the Goth girl flew over the park. Raven did not notice any of this.

 

Nor did she notice the man in the black coat.

 

There was a man in a black coat. He was a tall man, dressed in a black sweater, black cargo pants and wearing a black trenchcoat over it. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, and his face was unshaven and black hair grew from his chin and under his nose. The hair on his head was long, silky and black and flowed down to the middle of his back. His skin was an even paler shade of white than Raven's. He was leaning against a pet store when Raven flew by on her way to the mall. All of the animals inside the pet store went berserk as soon as she passed by. The dogs barked, the cats hissed; even the fish in the aquariums started swimming erratically.

 

The man in black's lips twitched into a sinister smile. He pushed himself forward off the wall and started to walk down the street in the direction Raven had flown.

 

Raven, in the meantime, had finally arrived at the mall. She landed in the back parking lot and walked around to the front, so as not to draw any unwanted attention. Of course, being a local superhero Raven was well known to everyone in town. People often recognized the Titans when they were out, and depending on whom the people were they asked the group for everything from autographs to dates. The fan presence usually irritated Raven, but she rarely showed it. She couldn't very well go around frightening little children who asked for her autograph, could she? That wouldn't be right. Of course she did break her rule a few times. Once, when a smart-aleck teenager had made some comments on her rather revealing wardrobe she'd scared the hell out of him with her demon powers - but that was a rare event.

 

She entered the mall and spotted her favorite bookstore on the right. Raven smiled for the first time that morning. The bookstore really was a nice place. They had a wide variety of books on nearly every subject imaginable; and that reading room she loved so much had a free coffee machine in the back. The goth girl started walking towards the door, when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

“Friend Raven, this way!”

 

Raven paused just as her hand was about to reach the door of the bookstore and slowly she turned to see Starfire waving at her from across the hallway. Starfire was floating just above the ground outside a clothing store, and Raven sighed. Starfire knew Raven hated shopping in clothing stores, so Raven could not figure out why she was so adamant about this.

 

“Here I come.” Raven replied in her monotone tone, floating away from the bookstore with a dejected look on her face.

 

Raven, needless to say, did not enjoy the experience of shopping with Starfire at the clothing store. As soon as Raven arrived the redhead grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the store. Raven spent the next several minutes wishing she was back at the tower being berated by whatever it was Beast Boy wanted to bug her about this morning, rather than standing and watching as Starfire tore apart clothing racks looking for something.

“Starfire, why the sudden need to buy new clothes?” Raven asked at length as boredom caught up with her.

 

“Robin and I are going to view a movie this evening.” Starfire said excitedly as she held a long pink dress up to herself and looked in a mirror. She shook her head, threw the dress back on the rack, and started looking again.

Raven quirked an eyebrow. `Now this is starting to make sense'. She thought. It explained that loud, shrill squeal that had pierced the silence of the tower this morning. Robin had asked Starfire out on a date. Well, Raven was not surprised in the least. Though she found it rather rude to butt into other people's private lives; anyone with half a brain could see what was lying between the boy wonder and the Tamaranian princess. Though Raven would be having a long talk with Robin, he better not is planning to make a habit out of asking Starfire out in the wee morning hours when some people were trying to sleep (or in her case, sneak in breakfast before the rest of the tower woke up).

 

“Okay. So why do you need me here?” Raven asked, resuming her questioning.

 

“I must ask your advice on what I decide to wear.” Starfire explained.

 

“Star, this might come as a shock, but I really don't know the first thing about fashion.” A very sarcastic Raven replied. “Listen, I'm going to go get some breakfast from the food court, ok?”

 

“But Raven --!” Starfire started. She dropped the yellow gown she had been looking at and gave Raven one of her `lost kitten' expressions. Raven sighed.

 

“I'll come back after I eat and then you can show me what you've picked out and I'll tell you if I like it or not.” Raven said in an exasperated voice. “Deal?”

 

“Thank you friend!” Starfire squealed as she dove back into the clothing rack and began examining a shimmering blue dress. Raven shook her head and hurried out of the clothing store before Starfire could change her mind.

 

Raven's day, so far, was not going how she'd planned at all. Instead of herbal tea she was having fast food for breakfast. If that was a sign of things to come, she'd be in for one of the worst days of her life. Perhaps that was a bit dramatic to think, but if you compared things on a scale it made sense. Instead of herbal tea, she'd be having fast food. Magnify that to the superhero level and it meant instead of the usual run-in with someone like Dr. Light or Mad Mod; the Titans would probably have to deal with a competent villain next. She always despised the competent villains - they were a real pain.

 

Raven's mood did not improve as she reached the food court. She could find nothing that looked good to eat (she knew fast food was a bad idea) so she instead settled on a coffee from the coffee house. It, surprisingly, was not too bad. Mocha latte. It was as she was finishing the coffee that she noticed the man in black for the first time that day.

 

He was the same man in black who'd followed her from outside the pet store. She had not seen him follow her, so she did not realize this; but that did not change the fact either. The man was sitting at a table a few feet away from where Raven was sitting sipping her coffee quietly. The man was reading a newspaper, but Raven saw him look up at her several times when she was taking a drink of her coffee. It seemed like every time she did something that could possibly distract her, he would look up at her.

 

This can't be good. Raven thought. She wasn't worried about it. She was a superhero after all. She had telekinetic powers, not to mention her powerful “soul-self” which she could use to make someone face their worst fears if she desired. A creepy middle-aged man in a trenchcoat wasn't enough to scare Raven; not even close. It mainly annoyed her to know there was someone staring at her. She hated being stared at. Either he was an obsessed fan of the Titans, a newspaper reporter, or just a pervert who'd notice the young girl in the skin-tight outfit.

 

Deciding that no matter what he was, she wanted nothing to do with him, Raven stood up and glided over to the trashcan. After throwing her coffee away she headed back towards the clothing store to find Starfire and hopefully get out of here soon.

 

Raven did not look back at the man; which proved to be her next mistake. The man stood up, put his newspaper down, and reached into the pocket of his trenchcoat. He pulled out a small egg. It was colored a dark red; the color of blood. The long-haired man dressed all in black set the egg down on the table and then held his right hand over it. He wore motorcycle gloves; the kind without fingers on them. Then he began to chant something in a soft voice, too quietly for anyone to hear.

 

The egg flashed with a bright red light and began to shake. The man's face lit up into a smile and he quickly walked away from the table. He thrust himself up against the wall next to the bathroom door and glanced back to where the egg sat. It was shaking violently now, but no one seemed to notice. Not until it cracked, that it. Once the egg's red shell cracked, a thin beam of bright red light shot out of it and illuminated the room.

Several people began to whisper excitedly to one another, and a few shouted. Raven could hear the commotion start behind her so she turned her head back towards the food court to discover the cause of it. As she did so, the egg cracked in several other places and red lights shot from each crack.

 

“Great.” Raven sighed, her sarcasm wasted since everyone around her was now either staring, pointing and whispering to each other about the weird light show.

 

Then the egg shattered; and something came out. Fortunately, no one had gotten close enough to the egg that they were injured. Unfortunately, when the egg exploded a fire started on the table. At first the onlookers believed it was just a fire, but the flames shot up high into the sky and began to take a distinctive form and shape. It looked almost like a man, from the way the fire was burning. Two tall torrents of flames resembled legs; they blended into one gigantic ball of fire which looked like a body. A small ball of fire sat on top where a head would go, and two more torrents of fire branched off from the side like arms.

 

The intense heat of the flames had melted the table completely, and that was only the start of the bad news. The flames began to move - it looked like “flame man” was walking.

Which he was.

 

The “flame man” rose what looked like his right arm. Everyone stood in confusion and panic. No one knew what was going on, and it seemed like everyone in the mall was frozen on the spot, watching the strange event unfold. Suddenly red-hot fire sprang from the end of “flame man's” right “hand” and flew into an adjacent MacDonald's stand in the food court.

 

The ball of fire that he'd thrown smashed into the oven and the entire MacDonald's stand exploded, showering the room with greasy French fries, coins from the cash register, and flames. At this point, the onlookers were no longer frozen with fear; they were all running and screaming. People fled in every direction while wailing at the top of their lungs.

 

Raven wasn't sure what this creature was. She'd seen and battled things like it before. Slade had once crafted a giant man made of fire with the help of a pair of brothers named Thunder and Lightning. This, however, was very different -from the creature Slade had created. The flaming creature began to advance across the floor; and Raven's day just got worse.

The gothic teen floated up into the air and her eyes and hands instantly began to shimmer with black light. Several of the fountains in the various food courts that were used for dispensing drinks broke off and the various liquids, now controlled by Raven's power, shot across the room at the flaming creature. The creature was soaked with everything from water to Seven Up, and it shrieked out in a shrill voice as it took a huge step backwards. The floor beneath its flaming feet burnt; and it's burning skin hissed and sputtered as the liquids continues to hit it from all sides.

 

People were still screaming and running in every direction, but it appeared that this battle would soon be over. As the soda machines began to run low on fuel, Raven lifted her hands above her head and set off the sprinkler system with her powers. Water began to pour down from the ceiling and drench the entire mall. The flaming creature fell to its knees, still howling in that same frightful tone.

 

From where he stood at the door to the men's room, the man in black smiled. He flexed his fingers inside the motorcycle glove and muttered something in a strange language much older than those spoken by humans. The flaming creature, which was almost extinguished by the rain, suddenly blazed back to life. Its flaming body flared up again, the flames even hotter and brighter than they had been originally. It cried out in a voice like thunder and waved its arms above its head. As it did flames flew out of its fingertips and melted the nozzles of several of the sprinklers on the roof; sealing them and preventing them from showering down any more water.

 

The creature began to systematically throw fire at each of the sprinklers, melting the metal and stopping the flow of water. Raven cursed in her mind and stopped her mental assault. She floated backwards, unsure of what to do next when she heard Starfire.

 

“Raven? What is happening?”

The Tamaranian girl was now at her side, floating above the ground as well. Starfire had a shopping bag in one hand and a worried look on her face. When the alien girl's eyes fell on the flaming beast they widened in terror and she dropped the back.

 

“We must stop it!” She cried out.

 

“Been trying.” Raven informed her. “Not as easy as it looks. I think we'd better call the others.”

 

Raven pressed the red button she wore on the end of her cape and it began to blink; sending a distress signal back to Titan's Tower. She then reached for the yellow communicator from her belt and flipped it open.

“Robin, get down here; now!” She called into the communicator before closing it again and returning it to her belt. There was not time for big conversations or explanations right now.

Unbeknownst to Raven, while she was calling the other Titans the creature had finished disarming the sprinkler system. Now it turned around so that it was facing the two teenage superhero girls. It let out what sounded like a roar and then it charged at them. Starfire's eyes turned a bright, glowing green and she lobbed two starbolts at the beast.

 

The starbolts crashed into its chest, but the creature kept running at them. Apparently, the solar energy inside Starfire's bolts had been absorbed into its flaming body, because the flames began to burn brighter and bigger than before. Starfire squeaked and flew up into the air towards the left; Raven flew to the right. The creature arrived at the exact spot they had just been standing in and smashed its flaming fists into the ground only seconds too late. The floor of the mall melted into a puddle where the beast hit it.

Raven's eyes flashed black once again and two of the foot court tables flew across the room and smashed into each other - with the creature in-between them. The impact was severe enough to sever the creature right at the waist. Its top half slipped off and fell onto the floor on the right, while its bottom half collapsed beneath the tables.

 

Raven's eyes returned to normal and she breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it was too early for celebrations. The man hiding in the bathroom doorway waved his hands suspiciously and chanted once again, his presence still unknown to both of the girls.

 

The creature's top half grew a new set of legs; and its legs grew a new body complete with arms and a head. Instead of one man of fire, there were now two. Each slightly smaller than the original; but still just as hot and just as angry.

 

“Damn!” Raven yelled, her anger boiling over to the surface. Starfire bit her lip. Her starbolts, as they had seen, were useless against these creatures. She doubted her alien strength would come in handy either, since she could not very well punch or kick a giant ball of fire without burning herself.

 

The twin flame beasts began to advance on the girls. The creature born of the original head was coming after Raven, while the one born from the legs was going towards Starfire. Raven's eyes and hands filled with a black aura once again and she threw two of the round tables at the creatures. The tables hit them and shattered into pieces; all of which caught fire. Neither creature slowed down in its advancement.

The one born of the original head hissed a roar and then threw a fireball from its arm. Raven held her hands out in front of her and created a shield of black light. The fireball hit the black shield and cracked it; but it did not shatter. Raven had to struggle to hold the shield up against the punishment, though, and she knew it could not withstand a second blast.

Unfortunately, the creature had already fired a second blast. When the second wave of flames hit the shield it shattered into pieces and Raven was sent flying backwards. She hit the ground and cried out in pain. She'd landed on her back, hard, and pain was shooting through her entire body. Her lower back especially was hurting her, and she had pains going up her spine.

 

Starfire flew down beside her friend, concerned about Raven's safety. She glared at the flaming creatures with fury inside her green eyes; but she knew she could do nothing. Her starbolts only fed the flames, so rather than try to fight them the Tamaranian girl picked up Raven in her arms and flew up into the air. The closer of the two creatures threw a fireball from such close range Starfire knew she could not avoid it. She squinted her eyes, bracing herself for impact.

The impact never came.

 

“Starfire, move!”

 

Starfire's eyes flashed open again at the sound of that voice. She looked up to see that the fireball that had been heading straight for her had seemingly vanished. A boy with spiked black hair, a yellow cape, and red-and-green tights was standing in front of her.

Robin was here.

 

The closer of the two creatures threw another fireball; but Robin threw a yellow disc from his utility belt and it hit the fireball in mid-air. The disc exploded and created a freezing mist. Normally these discs froze their target solid; but because the target was a ball of fire that was impossible. Instead the freezing mist melted into moisture and that water extinguished the fire.

 

The flaming creature screamed in frustration; then it screamed again. The second scream came when a wave of bright blue sonic energy slammed into its side and knocked it backwards.

“Booyah!” Cyborg yelled, running into the now-deserted food court with his cybernetic cannon arm still aimed. Cyborg rounded around and fired a second shot at the other creature; it slammed into the creature's leg and the creature went falling backwards. Its leg snapped off and rolled away from the rest of its smoldering body.

 

The hiding man in black had to bite back his laughter. He muttered his mantra again and the leg grew a new body, while the body grew a new leg.

 

“What the -” Robin began to cry out, but at that moment the first creature Cyborg had shot got back up and ran towards him roaring. Robin had to do a back flip to escape from being smashed by its flaming fist. Robin tossed a freezing disc onto the beast and the icy mist reacted with its body just as it had with the fireball. The creature turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished. Robin grinned.

 

Unfortunately, there were still two flaming monsters left, and they both seemed to be charging towards Cyborg at the same time. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at one of them and knocked it down, but he didn't have time for a second shot. The creature dove at him, attempting to crush the robotic hero with its own body. However, a large green pterodactyl swooped down from the sky at that very moment, grabbed Cyborg by his shoulders, and flew him to safety just seconds before the creature landed on the ground.

“Way to go BB!” Cyborg yelled up at his friend. Beast Boy nodded his head to show his acknowledgement.

 

Robin, meanwhile, tossed another freezing disc at the flame beast that had jumped at Cyborg. The disc exploded and covered the creature in the same freezing mist - and just like its earlier counterpart, the creature turned into a wisp of smoke. Robin spun around with his last freezing disc in hand, this one he planned to use on the final flame creature.

 

Unfortunately, the final flame creature was a little too fast for the boy wonder and it hurled a fireball at him. Robin back flipped and avoided the flames, but while doing so he dropped the freezing disc and it rolled across the floor. Since that seemed the only way to defeat these creatures, Robin knew he had to get his hands on it again.

 

Luckily, Cyborg and Beast Boy had seen the entire thing from above. “BB, I'll distract flame-face, you get Robin's freezer!” The pterodactyl let out a squawk to show he understood and he released his grip on Cyborg's shoulders.

 

Cyborg fell and had to do a duck-and-roll upon impact to keep him from getting hurt. As soon as he came out of the roll, he aimed his cannon and fired it at the creature. The creature was hit dead on in its chest and fell backwards onto the ground.

Beast Boy, meanwhile, had transformed from pterodactyl into his normal human form. He grabbed the freezing disc where Robin dropped it and he turned his head. The flaming beast had just gotten back up and was running towards Cyborg. Beast Boy was horrible at throwing things on target; but his friend was in danger. He didn't stop to consider that if he missed he would waste their last freezing disc. He threw the disc at the flaming creature, but it went wide and sailed right past it.

“Oh crap.” Beast Boy muttered.

 

The disc flew right at the wall, but just before impact it suddenly stopped in mid air as it was surrounded by a black aura. Raven, who was still in Starfire's arms, lifted her right arm and used her powers to grab the disc in mid air, it was incredibly painful to move her arms right now; but she didn't care. She levitated the disc across the room and smashed it into the flaming creature. The disc exploded and extinguished the beast.

 

“Thanks Raven.” Cyborg panted. He was sitting on his butt inches from where the creature had been. A few seconds later and the beast would have been upon him.

 

“Hey dude, what about me?” Beast Boy asked, grinning.

“You missed.” Cyborg snapped.

 

“I was just jokin' Cy, don't get all grumpy.” Beast Boy replied.

“Man, first y'all wake me up too early, and then I almost get fried like bacon. Don't tell me not to be grumpy.” Cyborg complained.

 

“Aww, get over it.” Beast Boy responded, waving a hand.

 

While those two argued, Robin hurried over to Starfire. He was out-of-breath, but his face wore a unmistakable look of concern. “Are you okay?” He asked.

 

“I am uninjured, but Raven -” Starfire began.

 

“I know. Take her back to the tower Star, to the infirmary. I'm right behind you.” Robin cut her off mid-sentence. “Hang on Raven, we'll take care of you.”

“Just do me one favor.” Raven replied, shutting her eyes and trying to ignore the pain.

 

“Anything friend.” Starfire responded.

“Make me some herbal tea when we get home, kay?”

 

----

 

On The Plane, (Present Day)

 

“Would you like a beverage, miss?”

 

Raven's memories about that day were interrupted by the sounds of the flight attendant. The flight attendant was a young woman with curly blonde hair. She wore the typical uniform and was pushing a small gray cart loaded down with various beverages. Raven closed the book in her lap and looked over at the cart. She noticed a large silver pot on the back.

 

“Is that coffee?” She asked. She hadn't slept well, and she could use the pick-me-up.

 

“Actually it's an all-natural herbal tea.” The flight attendant replied.

 

Raven felt a smile twitch at the corner of her mouth. “Sounds good.”

 

The flight attendant smiled at Raven as she filled a Styrofoam cup with some of the piping hot herbal tea. Raven accepted it gratefully and brought the cup to her lips as the attendant turned her attention to the man in the seat across from her. Raven felt relaxed and at peace with the world as the sweet nectar washed over her lips.

 

It had been a long time since she'd drank any of this. Sighing, she turned her head towards the plane window and began to drift back into memories about that day . . .

 

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

A/N: And this concludes chapter two! I realize it didn't explain how Raven wound up in a coma, or how she wound up in Maryland for that matter - but I promise all of those things will be explained very soon. I'd like to once again give a HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed; it makes me feel very accomplished and it makes me want to write faster. Below are review replies, where I thank people for reading and address any comments/concerns/suggestions/problems you guys have for the story. Thanks again, and remember to come back soon for chapter three! Peace out!

- GS

 

Angel Caida: I shall! Thank you very much for the review! :P

 

Seventy 5ive: XD! Heeeeeeeey Johanna! I'm glad you enjoyed it; thanks a bunch for reading. :P Enjoy the new chapter, ya?

 

Dude: O'course I shall update! Never fear. I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reading.

 

BBRaelover4eva: I'm glad to hear it! ^^ I hope chapter two was to your liking.

 

Storm90: Thank you, I'm happy to hear you think so. Hopefully this chapter will do the first justice.

 

Savi: I'm sorry Savi, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer before the reunion starts - but I promise it'll be worth it! XD Thanks for reading.

 

Darkofthenight: I promise I'll always update as soon as possible; thanks for reading.

 

Whispers of a Fallen Angel: I'm glad you enjoyed it; and don't worry, I have big plans for every member of the team. You'll see; thanks for reading!

 

TDG3RD: I hope you got some of the answers to your questions in this chapter about the coma; the reunion with BB and Rae will be coming soon. Thanks for reading dude.

 

cRiTiC123: Wooo! I'm glad you liked it. I'll be continuing it ASAP!

 

bianca rios: Ah, yes, I was originally inspired by “How Long Is Forever?”, but this one will be quite different, trust me. I'm glad you think it's cool, and I'll update ASAP!

 

Leftd: Well I'm delighted to hear I could help brighten your day dude. (Hyper thirteen year olds? Oh wow, I know only too well what that can be like. XD)
All of your questions are very good ones, and trust me, they shall all be answered as the fic goes on (if they weren't already answered in this chapter, that is.) Ahhh! I wondered if anyone would recognize the acting career from the comics! XD! I thought that was such a cool idea from the old comics that I had to “borrow” it for this one. Although I figured I'd make him successful, add a bit of spice to the story. No, I haven't heard of that BB/Rae site, and unfortunately FFNet is being a bad boy and made the address disappear in your review; but I'd totally like to check it out. Think you can email me the link? My emails in my profile. I'd really appreciate it dude. Anyway, thanks for reading dude; I'll have more of this (and of the other story) very soon.

 

scathac's warrior: Heya! How you doing SW? Actually no, I didn't notice that; but now that you mention it . . . O.o
Heh, I'm glad you liked it, I'll update again soon!

 

samanthe2121: Oh Raven will meet up with them in time. Mwa hahahah! Evil laugh time. And I'd NEVER ditch my other story; that's a promise.

 

chocolate is a vegetable: Paycheck? Is that the one with Ben Affleck? I saw that one. It was pretty good. I'm glad you liked the story and I hope you enjoyed the second chapter too.

 

xBxMYxJaMeSxDeANxcandyclouds: Howdy Caitlyn darlin'. I'm happy to hear you like this one too. ^^ Makes me glad. Hahah, then I shall work for that long review. I'll work extra hard. XD I promise. More story coming soon.

 

Lambbaby: Dude, you live in Maryland? Awesome! My dad lives in Prince George's County; Bowie to be exact. I was pretty much raised in Maryland for most of my life. XD. Well I'm glad you're hooked. It's nice to know this one's going well so far. Yeah, Space Trek! Like in the episode with Control Freak. Heheh . . . what can I say, I'm obsessed with Teen Titans. XD As for AFY, it's not coming to an end YET. Chapter 35 will begin the third saga, and I'm planning on their being a total of four sagas (around 50-60 chapters) in the story, so it's really only about halfway, or a little more than halfway over. I'm glad you liked this one; I'll write more soon.

 

A Pleasant Reader: Well I'm glad to hear you think so. I know the entire coma idea is rather cliché, but believe me, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I'm pretty sure most of my ideas are fairly original, but I'm also slightly making it up as I go along. Thanks for reading, I'll work my very hardest not to let it fall into the usual coma-fic patterns!

spiritual-s: I hope I didn't make you wait too long. Thanks for reading dude.

 

PurrJaede: Heheh. Don't worry, I'll continue m'friend. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

 

Goddessruling: I'm happy to hear you're reading, and enjoying, this one too. Heheh, and you're right, I did spare the cliffhanger this time. XD That's not like me, is it? Well, I'm sure they'll be some cliffhangers to come later on. XDD! I guess that isn't really good news, is it? Thanks for reading my friend!

 

IllegalDayNightSnappingIguana: I'm glad you like it so far Winter m'dear. Yeah, I've seen a lot of coma stories too. It's not a very original idea, but believe me, I've got a few things planned that are. You trust me, don't you? You gotta trust good ol' Mo! XD! Yeah, I know BB and Rae probably won't get together in the series (especially if the rumors about Kid Flash joining the cast are true… stupid Kid Flash. How I hate thee!) but there's still some BB/Rae in “The End” with the whole lucky penny thing. I hope I updated soon enough for you, thanks for reading lovely, see you later.

 

DarkBird: ^^ I'm happy you think so. I'll continue ASAP!

 

Tattooed Goddess: ^_^ I'm glad you found it suspenseful! I hope I updated soon enough for you. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing!

 

Willow: Wow, a whole church choir? That makes me feel wonderful. XDD! Hey dude, random, long-winded and rambling is awesome. That's pretty much how I act most of the time. XD. I'm sure you're guesses are good ones; I wish you had told me some of them so I could tell you if you're right or not. Actually no, it's better if you don't tell me. That way I can't answer you and it won't ruin the surprise. I do hope this second chapter was to your liking; and I hope you have a magnificent day my friend. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing; more will come shortly!

NumbuhZero: I'm happy you like it! Hahah, you know what's cool? I got your review just minutes before I finished this chapter. I thought that was spiffy. XD Anyway, thanks for reading, I'll write some more real soon, I promise.