Fan Fiction / Digimon Fan Fiction / Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Home (Sorta) ❯ Meet the Titans ( Chapter 3 )

Coming Home (Sorta)

Chapter 3 - Meet the Titans

 

By Robster80

 

 

 

It was a bright, sunny day at Titan's Tower in San Francisco. However, the Teen Titans were not enjoying it too well, not even Starfire, the most cheerful of the group. Recently, they had been betrayed by one of their own: their recent member Terra. Their security codes had been compromised and the Tower invaded by Slade's robots, and though the Titans had managed to retake the Tower, the damage had been done.

 

Beast Boy took it the hardest. He had fallen head-over-heels for the new girl. Since Terra left to rejoin Slade, the changeling rarely left his room, except to eat and use the bathroom. It had been weeks since his last lame joke, which even Raven started to miss.

 

Raven never spoke of the matter, though she had been on edge as of late. It was as if she had been expecting something, or someone, and she wanted to be ready to strike.

Cyborg had long finished inputing new codes and safeguards, but he spent longer hours in his room. He tried once to play a joke on Beast Boy to get him to laugh, slipping purple dye into his shampoo, but it failed.

 

Starfire didn't try to cheer anyone up. There was the one time she tried singing a Tamarainian folksong, but Raven threatening to pull her into her cloak took the song right out her.

 

Robin, as usual, lost himself in his training. Terra's betrayal was one more reason he wanted Slade taken down. He, too, had been duped by Slade into being the madman's apprentice.  However, it looked like Terra was more willing to be Slade's next partner.

It was on this day that Robin decided to train outside; venting his anger on lots and lots of practice dummies and cutouts.

 

Slade and Terra will pay for what they've done! We'll bring them to justice once and for all! One way, or the oth-!

 

Suddenly, the wind picked up violently as Robin destroyed another dummy. Shielding his eyes with his one hand, he barely saw a bright glow that lasted for about one minute before it vanished as quickly as it appeared, the wind dying with it. His ears picked up two thumps on the group, and, looking up, saw a blonde teen and what looked like a sort of stuffed animal lying on the ground a few yards before him.

 

"What the-?" Quickly, Robin pulled out his communicator. "Titans, we have an emergency!"

 

 

* * *

 

 

When he woke up, TK had no idea where he was or how he got there. He was in a room that looked like something out of a science-fiction movie: tons of computers and machines that he wasn't sure what exactly they were for. If only Izzy were with him to see this.

 

That was when he realized he had forgotten Patamon. He looked around frantically, searching for his DIgimon friend. However, all he could find was his D-3, and a card under his right hand. Upon closer examination, he recognized the card as the one given to him by the voices from his dream. Only, he realized, it hadn't been a dream.

 

“Where am I?”

 

As if to answer his question, a door opened. “I see you're awake.”

 

TK turned. What looked like, to him, Shaq with lots of body armor and cybernetic parts walked over to the bed he was lying on.  "Name's Cyborg. What's yours?"

 

Blinking, TK stared unbelieving at Cyborg. “No way,” he said in a soft tone. “You can't be… Cyborg's a fictional character from a comic book.”

 

“Funny,” Cyborg said while looking down at his body and limbs. “I feel pretty real for a comic book character. And I suppose next you'll tell me the rest of the Teen Titans are fictional, too, right?”

 

Just as TK opened his mouth to reply, he paused, eyes widening. Reality hit him as the voices from the void echoed in his mind. "...Oh, god... It's true. I did travel through dimensions!"

 

"Normally, I'd doubt that would be possible," Cyborg said, "but with all the weird stuff going on since I joined the Titans, including Beast Boy and Starfire and Raven, I think you're on to something there. Anyway, who are you, and how did you and your little orange friend just show up on our front lawn?”

"You saw Patamon? Where is he?"

 

"Easy, easy! Robin's looking after him. He said he had an idea to what your friend is. Now, how about that name of yours?"

 

"Sorry. It's Takeru. Takeru Takaishi."

Cyborg blinked a few times at the name. "Uh, okay. I take it you're from Japan. Got a nickname, cuz I dunno if I can say 'Ta-ker-roo.'"

 

"Sorry. Actually, I go by TK as well."

"Now THAT I can say. So... I take it from what you said earlier you got tossed through dimensions by some omnipotent force and you dunno how to get home. Well, as much as I'd like to invite you to stay here with us, the team'll have to decide on that. Y'see, our last stray we took in turned out to be a spy for one of our enemies. Can't be too careful, y'know."

 

Those last few words made TK remember the day he found out the hard way about Kari and Davis's relationship. It made his heart sink. "No. No, you can't."

 

"You'd better stay in my room here for now. And I'll have to lock you in while I'm gone. Just lie back and rest for now. And not to be mean but don't try anything funny, because I'm wired into all the security features in this room. "

 

TK looked over to see Cyborg leave the room, locking the doors behind him. Recalling the card in his hand, TK took a better look at it. "'Contract with... Exodia. Can only be played when you have one of each of the following in the Graveyard...' ...Exodia the Forbidden One? Then these must be the pieces I have to find, like the voice told me. But, how do I find them?"

 

At that moment, TK felt a cold pair of eyes watching him.

 

 

* * *

 

Cyborg found Robin talking to Patamon in the lounge. “Hate to interrupt,” he said, “but our other guest is awake now.”

 

Patamon flew up to Cyborg. “Is TK okay?”

 

“Fine, though he looked a bit down when I left him. Probably because I told him we'd have to keep a close eye on him.”

 

“I'm not sure that's the reason, Cy,” Robin said, joining the two. “Patamon explained to me that TK was betrayed by the girl he loved, his best friend.”

 

“Da-amn. So… you think we can trust him?”

 

Robin gave a look to Patamon. “We'll see. Sorry, Patamon, but as I told you before, we were betrayed from within and we can't take chances of it happening again-.”

 

“Hold up, Rob,” Cyborg suddenly said. “I'm picking up something from my room. Looks like Raven met TK, and she looks like she's ready to kill. Come on!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Slowly, TK got off the bed and cautiously looked around, trying to find whoever it was spying on him.

 

"Who the hell are you?"

 

The sudden cold voice took TK by surprise. Gasping, he turned to watch a figure cloaked in blue appear right out of the shadows of the far side of the room. He tucked his card into one of his pants pockets as the hooded figure loomed closer, glaring with white, shining eyes that had no pupils.

 

"Answer me," the figure snapped, "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

 

TK almost didn't recognize the person because of the color of the hood and cloak, but from what he remembered from the comic books he gathered that this was Raven. And, if his memory was right, Raven was one girl you did not want to get on her bad side with. "I-I'm TK. TK Takais-."

"Yeah, right. Now, tell me who you are."

 

"I told you, it's TK-."

"LIAR," Raven shouted, taking two threatening steps closer to the bed TK was on. She kept talking as TK tried his best to keep his distance from her. "There's no way in hell you're Takeru! I know, because he's dead! I saw him get hit by a drunk driver saving my life back when we were ten years old; watched as he drew his last breath on the road, lying in a pool of his own blood as I knelt by his side! He died before I had the chance to tell him how I really felt about him!"

 

"But I am-."

 

Before TK could move, Raven had gotten within arm's reach of him. Her hands snatched him by the front of his shirt and pulled him close so that their faces were mere centimeters apart. "You're a fake; a plant sent by Slade to lower my guard. Terra somehow found out and told him about Takeru, didn't he? Somehow they made a clone or some sort of android and sent you here to fool me, right? Well, I have news for you: it. isn't. going. to. WORK!"

 

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, lady! We never met, because you don't exist where I'm from!"

Raven just drew back her free hand. It suddenly became encased by a black sphere of dark energy. "This time, Slade's gone too far. I'll send him your corpse as a warning to never play with my emotions again. AZNARATH METRION ZIN-!"

 

The door suddenly opened, and there was a loud shout. “Raven, stop!”

 

“BOOM BUBBLE!”

 

Raven turned her head at the familiar battle cry just as an invisible pocket of air hit her right in the face. She fell backwards from the impact, releasing TK from her grasp. This allowed TK to rush past Cyborg and Robin, grab Patamon and run out of the room and down the hall. “ComeonPatamonweregettingouttahere!”

 

“Wait-!” But Robin's cry didn't stop TK from running away. “Cyborg, watch Raven. I'll go after them.”

 

Cyborg nodded and went over to Raven, helping her to her feet. “Mind telling me what that was all about?”

 

“No,” was all Raven said before she disappeared into the shadows.

 

“…Aw, hell, this is gonna be one of those days.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Running for his very life, TK tried desperately to find the exit of the Titans' home. Once he got outside, he'd duck into a crowd and hide until either Raven gave up looking for him or he'd find the police station.

 

Still, as he ran, he couldn't help but wonder about what Raven had told him. He had a counterpart in this dimension; key word - had. That TK was dead and buried; only he was apparently loved by Raven. But the mystery was how Raven knew that TK, and why did she seem vaguely familiar even with the hood over her head?

 

“TK, wait up!”

 

“Your friend tried to kill TK,” Patamon called to Robin, “so why should he? He's right; we're outta here.”

 

Both TK and Patamon heard a noise, guessing Robin had just pulled out one of his birdarangs. “Don't make me use force,” they heard him say.

 

A door opened ahead of them and out stepped a beautiful girl with long red hair, orange skin and green eyes, and a 2-piece purple outfit that made her look like a cosmic cheerleader. TK knew it was Starfire instantly, and sped up so that he pasted her before she could do anything to stop him.

 

“Robin, what is-?”

 

“SONOFABITCH!!”

 

Robin and Starfire rushed after TK, who had come to a sudden stop. Raven had appeared in front of him and Patamon out of nowhere, causing his heart to triple its pace. His arms hugged Patamon tight in fear, preventing the Digimon form preparing another attack.

 

“You won't get away this time,” she growled, preparing to strike. However, she was halted by Robin's birdarang, which bound her arms together with a wire. “Robin, don't get in my way!”

 

Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg (who had finally caught up with everyone) surrounded TK to protect him from Raven. “Raven, what's the matter with you?”

 

Raven used her powers to make the wire around her arms loosen and fall to the floor. She pointed at TK. “Him. He was sent here by Slade and Terra, I know it.”

 

“How do you know this,” wondered Starfire. She glanced at TK briefly, and then looked back at Raven. “Did you read his mind?”

 

“Don't have to, because he's an imposter. The real Takeru Takaishi died years ago-.”

 

A nearby door opened and out came a boy with green skin and hair. “Hey, what's all the racket out here? Can't a guy take a nap in peace?”

 

“Sorry, Beast Boy. We kinda have a situation here.”

 

“Raven, I believe there is a saying on Earth that says one is innocent until proven he is guilty-.”

 

“Just get out of my way and let me handle this, Starfire-!”

 

“HOLD IT!” Once he got everyone's attention, Robin said, “Look, we're all still on edge about Terra. Let's just stay calm and look into this rationally. Batman sent me a lie-detector, so let's use that. TK, is that okay with you?”

 

“Just keep her,” Tk nodded towards Raven, “away from me.”

 

“Okay. As you,” Robin said to Raven, “we've always respected your privacy concerning your past, but unless you want to explain yourself better, you keep away from him.”

 

“…He's all mine once you realize I'm right.” As she watched them pass her, Raven finally caught a glimpse fo Patamon, still held in TK's arms. She blinked, unsure if what she had just seen was real or not. It couldn't have been… or could it?

 

 

* * *

 

 

It took a while, but after several questions and the results following them, Robin and the others were convinced that TK was telling the truth. He was not a clone or an android; nor was he working with Terra and/or Slade. He was definitely the real thing, and was from a different dimension.

 

“So why's he here,” Beast Boy asked.

 

“I'm not so sure myself,” TK said, “but some unknown force sent me on a mission, and it has something to do with an evil force known as the Dead Light.”

 

“Well, for now, you're welcome to stay here with us. However, we will have you kept under surveillance whenever we have to go out and fight crime.”

 

“No arguments here, Robin; just don't leave me alone with Raven.”

 

“Don't worry, she-.” But as Robin turned to look at Raven, she was gone. “Well, we'll keep an eye out for you. In the meantime, we'd better decide where you'll be staying.”

 

Suddenly there was a loud rumbling from Patamon. “My stomach,” he explained. “Sorry, we got abducted before dinner.”

 

Beast Boy grinned. “Noooo problem! One tofu dinner, coming up!” With that, he headed for the kitchen part of the lounge. Cyborg was quick to follow.

 

“Oh no, you don't! What they need it real food: steak, chicken, pork-.”

 

“DUDE, how many times do I have to tell you, I've been most of every animal on Earth! It would be like, like cannibalism.”

 

“Perhaps our new friends would like to sample some foodstuff from Tamaran?”

 

“Star, are you trying to poison them or something?” There was a loud smack as Starfire's open plam connected with Beast Boy's left cheek. “OW! I was only kidding.”

 

Robin put a hand to TK's shoulder. “You'll get used to this,” he said.

 

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as she heard the results of the lie-detector, Raven quickly left the lounge without any notice and returned to her room. Pulling back her hood, she walked over and collapsed onto her bed in the darkened room.

 

He wasn't an imposter after all. He was Takeru; not hers, but another from a different dimension. Her heart couldn't help but race at this truth, and hot tears forced their way out her tightly shut eyes onto her pillow.

 

“It is him… It really his him. Takeru, my darling Takeru…” Her voice breaking, Raven began softly sobbing into her pillow. The memory of the day her Takeru died replayed in her mind, along with the recent ones of her trying to kill TK. She had been given a second chance somehow, she realized, and she almost ruined it for herself. Though, it would be very hard now to get TK to trust her, and even harder to tell him the truth about herself.

 

But that would have to wait. For now, she allowed her timidity and sadness free reign over herself.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Deep within a crimson void of fire and pain, a hulking demon watched, through a viewing portal, Raven's reactions to TK appearing in her life again. As it saw her crying in bed, it frowned heavily.

 

“This… could be troublesome for my plans…”

 

 

End Chapter 3

 

Author's notes: I already know that by now those of you who followed the link in chapter one know who Raven really is by now. For those of you who have not, well, this is for you. I'll reveal her identity later on, but not just yet. A friend of mine once told me it would be better to keep the readers in suspense until the time was right to drop the bomb, and with this chapter, I'm taking his advice.

 

 

Next: The first night at Titan's Tower, but all is not well as TK has nightmares about his past. His waking finds him up late talking with Raven, about his past and a little about his counterpart's death.